"Westward is spinning again," Lamont explained, his voice tense. "They spent the better part of a week stopping it from spinning before. Do you think they'd start it up again intentionally?"
Lamont stepped briskly out of the lift to find Rosemary hovering nearby, holding her medical satchel in one hand, biting her lower lip anxiously.
"About bleedin' time!" The medic exclaimed. She must have noticed Lamont's expression then, because she quickly added: "Oy, what's the matter?"
"Ship's spinning," Lamont replied as he walked quickly past her toward the asteroid pod, which was crouched like a monstrous cicada near the curved far wall of the wedge-shaped landing bay. "Got to get back."
After Lamont, Rico emerged from the lift, followed by Emma Schneider and James Higgins. The big security specialist greeted Rosemary with an enthusiastic grin, immediately wrapping a muscular arm around her shoulder. "Señorita Rosemary, it is very good to see you!"
"Good to see you too, Rico," Rosemary smiled, briefly returning his hug before directing her attention to the others. "Emma, James. How are you doing?"
"So far, so good," Emma said with a half-smile, blinking as she surveyed the curved pearlescent walls of the cavernous bay and the strange objects it contained. This would have been only the second time she had seen it.
By then, Lamont had traversed the bay and their conversation was out of earshot. "Long!" He called as he approached the asteroid pod. "Are you about?"
The lanky pilot bounded down the ramp that extended from the rear of the pod, waving at Lamont with a casual half-salute. "Present and accounted for. Say, what's up?"
"Westward is spinning again," Lamont explained, his voice tense. "They spent the better part of a week stopping it from spinning before. Do you think they'd start it up again intentionally?"
Lazarus frowned and combed a hand through his shock of curly black hair. "I can't see why they would," he admitted reluctantly. "We're too far out to need special heat regulation, and that's the only reason I can think of."
"Right," Lamont agreed. "It seems like trouble. We'd better get back quick as we can."
"You got it, pops," Lazarus said, slapping the side of one of the ramp's pneumatic pistons as he turned back toward the pod's interior. "We'll be up in five."
As he disappeared into the vehicle, the other four were making their way up to where Lamont was, still engaged in conversation.
"Lucas didn't offer much of an explanation," Higgins was explaining to Rosemary, "but Ji-Ji I can understand. It's an astronomer's dream up there."
"Maybe so," Rosemary conceded. "But the senior staff is likely to have a conniption. I can see Arthur crying 'mutiny.'"
"I will handle Señor Covington," Rico promised.
"You're coming back with us, then?" Rosemary asked.
Rico nodded grimly, glancing back in the direction of the shuttle column from which they had emerged. "Monty thinks that there is some kind of trouble. Perhaps I am wrong, but since we cannot radio Westward for orders…" He shrugged.
"I meant to ask about that," Rosemary said, turning to Lamont. "What's this about the ship spinning?"
Lamont was about to answer when he noticed that Higgins was swaying on his feet. He nearly knocked Emma over, except that Rico ducked in to catch him.
"We're the ones spinning," James mumbled. "Say, I don't feel so hot."
I must have forgotten that I had subscribed to this. The story's come a long way from the online comic strip you used to draw. Hope all is going well with you. Interestingly enough, I too have a serialized online space opera but it's on Kindle Vella.