15
Sat alone in the space-pod, safety restraints applied (she was a very expensive piece of equipment) Coppélia performed self-diagnostics of her internal systems whilst the spacecraft’s main computer did the same for the Carl Sagan’s systems. Billions of dollars had been invested in the project and it would have been tragic if it were to fail due to a miscalculation. Satisfied that her own systems were functioning perfectly, she waited for the all-clear from the Carl Sagan. Once she had received confirmation from the ship’s main computer, an audible metallic-voiced countdown began, signalling that the space-pod was about to launch.
“Ten...nine...eight.”
A set of clamps holding the cradle that encased the space-pod released their charge.
“Seven...six...five.”
Small thruster engines on
