. . . and because I can't leave you all hanging over the entire weekend (I would feel too bad!), I give you:

SEP-010, Chapter 12.

Flight Dynamics Officer, Christopher Wescott blinked as Constitution did something witchy.

One second, the gargantuan orbiter was in a stable free-float, about to undergo another passive thermal control roll to 'heads-down' . . . and the next, a slew of RCS commands recorded on his repeater console as she skew-turned violently in...

Meanwhile, in deep space:

SEP-010, Chapter 11.

Jamie Cunningham's eyes shot open as she jerked awake.

The lingering image of Svetlana Zaytseva examining an unnaturally colored blood vial chilled her to the core, especially knowing whose blood it was supposed to be. She swallowed hard, still trying to shrug off the pins and needles coursing through her skin.

The next thing she was aware of was the sound of guitars, and she realized she still had...

Time to bring 'em home!

SEP-010, Chapter 10.

"Are we ready to do this?" Mission Commander Brian Adkinson said mildly as restraint belts clicked into place. Pilot Jamie Cunningham took a deep breath as her blue eyes tracked upward towards the floating blue-white ball of life in front of them.

The last two days had been a study in both boredom and sheer, terrifying excitement. She had walked on the moon -- she still hadn't quite gotten over that...

My turn!

SEP-010, Chapter 9.

Being in a claustrophobia-inducing space suit was one thing, Jamie Cunningham observed. The sound assaulting her ears. The feeling of the constant pressure on her skin. And the clammy, yet solid feel of the suit material on her skin continually served to drive the present into her head.

Then there was the view she was seeing through the glass in front of her head. The grey rock in front of her lit up by Constitution...

Here's two fun facts for this latest installation:
1. This story has a coronal mass ejection as a major plot device.
2. This month's National Geographic's main story is about the upcoming Solar Maximum cycle, including a dedicated section on coronal mass ejections.

On with the story:

SEP-010, Chapter 8.

"Houston, Constitution," Matthew Payton heard in his earbud, "We must've had Pete Conrad with us for that one, but we're...