Floyd was meticulous in making sure everything was secure before donning his pressure suit. It had been a long time since his pilot days but just putting the suit on seemed to make that long hidden part of him turn on. As he strapped himself into the command seat he was distracted momentarily by memories of that flight over the Persian Gulf so long ago. It was a routine reconnaissance flight until someone started shooting at him. As his aircraft disintegrated around him all he could do was pull the ejection cord. The rocket thrust him up away from the wreckage but not without the price of several compression fractures in his back. When they pulled him from the water he was no longer conscious and had lost most of his blood. The ship's doctor gave him every drop of prepared blood they had just to keep him alive. No worrying about type and cross match because if they did not stabilize him it was all over anyway. It was during his long recovery that Floyd considered pursuing a career in medicine. The illness of his wife and the demands of a family put an end to that dream and he accepted his new role as an administrative officer condemned to flying a desk.
He was brought back to the present when the computer started to read the checklist. He had practiced this phase of flight 50 years ago on Earth and did not lose much of his training while in hibernation. As the gravitational well of the planet captured their ship the g forces increased steadily. Movement became very difficult even with the pressure suit inflated. Floyd knew he was in trouble as soon as he lost his color vision. In a world of grey his thinking got ever slower until he lost awareness as he blacked out. He awoke with some initial confusion but was quickly back in command assessing their orbital status. The insertion into orbit had not gone well with much higher g forces than predicted.
The computer was explaining how the distorted gravitational field of the planet was just enough of a variance to have altered the characteristics of the entry. Floyd replied, "No excuses, we screwed up but have survived so far." A glance at the indicator lights showed multiple red lights amongst the few remaining green lights.
The computer responded, "I was not giving an excuse but merely stating the reason for the aberrant entry."
"I need to know what systems are critical.
The computer responded, "The air leak in storage locker 3 seems to be the most urgent."
"Where in the hell is locker 3?"
"It is the most aft locker in the lower storage area. I will project the area."
"How big of a leak is it?”
"I calculate that we will be on reserve oxygen in 38.72 earth minutes."
"Can you seal the area off?"
The computer was silent before responding, "I have sealed the access door but the air leak persists although it is diminished." It added, "I would assume the seals have been damaged."
"Can I breathe down there?"
"Yes, for a short time."
"Do we have any duct tape onboard?"
The computer took a minute to evaluate their inventories and then spoke, "We have nothing listed as ‘duct tape’ but there is a roll of grey multipurpose sealing tape in the general tool kit."
Floyd disconnected his pressure suit and began rummaging around in the general storage closet. Sure enough, there was a roll of duct tape with some official looking packaging. He tore off the wrapper and slowly pulled a layer of the tape free from the roll. Amazingly the adhesive seemed intact. He opened the small trap door to the lower storage area and squeezed into the opening. The sound of rushing air was evident as he crawled aft. The door was closed but the gasket had come loose and was not sealing the door. Crouched over, he began applying the duct tape and the sound gradually stopped but it took several layers and the majority of the roll to obtain a seal.
When he crawled back to the command station the computer said, "A good example of humans' ability to improvise."
Floyd asked, "How does our air supply look now?"
"The air leakage is minimal and we can meet your needs with electrolysis of the water we have on board."
"What caused the leak?"
"The excess forces of acceleration have caused a storage item to be thrown against the inner hull rupturing both the inner and outer hulls."
"Can you show me a picture?"
The computer screen began to show multiple views of the exterior of their craft. Floyd was straining hard to get an image and finally saw a small vapor trail. The camera was only able to show one view of the damage but when it was blown up a pointed object was revealed sticking through the hull.
Floyd asked, "What is it?"
The computer was searching its data base and it took a few seconds before responding, "The only item that matches the visible characteristics is called an ice axe."
"Why in the hell do we have an ice axe onboard?"
"The involved storage locker contains the survival equipment that command thought you might need."
"I expect that we will need to repair the hull before attempting a landing and I doubt that we can do it from the inside."
"I will compile a list of options for the repair based on my database."
"While you do that, Mr. Watson, I will perform a visual inspection of our ship. Can you control our orbit?"
"Our primary and directional engines appear intact and over the next several hours I will attempt to restore our orbit to the planned parameters." The computer then asked, "Have you been certified for EVA --extra vehicular activity?"
"No, Mr. Watson, I have not been certified, but I see no choice. Somebody has to fix the leak because there is no way we are going to try and land this ship with an ice ax sticking out of her."