Technical Impossibility (First-Draft)

The spaceport on The Moon was constructed not dissimilarly to the airports back on Earth. Multiple terminals, various launch pads, landing strips and taxi-ways. The gravity mesh even kept the gravity about the same as on Earth. The only giveaway was the massive panoramic window on the main terminal building giving a wide view of the landing strips and the International Space Agency constructed lunar base behind them.
The otherwise inky black sky was dotted with stars, and roughly 384 thousand kilometres away, Earth. A small blue and green orb home to around ten billion sentient inhabitants.
The waiting area of Terminal 1 was busy, there were several return flights to Earth scheduled today, mostly tourists. They were spread out across various large and comfortable chairs, up near the bar getting pre-flight drinks or loitering around the gift shop wondering if the prices for some of the items were really worth it or not.

"This is the final boarding call for flight 135 for Armstrong Spaceport, New Huston. Gate 2. Final boarding call for flight 135. Gate 2." a clear but artificial sounding voice stated over the PA.
A large portion of the crowd started to shift, picking up carry-on bags, stretching, finishing their drinks, hurrying out of the gift shop with their poorly debated purchases in hand.
Forming an orderly queue at the gate people dug in pockets and bags for their boarding passes or PDAs, pulling them out to be checked by the security robot at the gate. It was friendly and pleasant enough, but still very clearly robotic. Connected with a myriad of wires and conduit to a nearby terminal, multiple multi-joint limbs idly moving around beside or in front of it. Robots like this were all over ISA facilities, they took a bit of getting used to, but at least they didn't sit in the uncanny valley.
The queue was comprised of a mix of people, from official looking types that had been doing business directly with the ISA, a handful of scientists and researchers from Earth side labs, and a large swathe of tourists. People that were there alone, as couples, as families.
Boarding was orderly and precise, only the tiniest of delays as a small boy had to be dragged away from the security robot by his parents. Transfixed by all its moving parts and the almost curious gaze he got from its optical array as he clutched his model of the ISA Type 5 "Tranquillity" Multipurpose Passenger Cruiser that he'd just got from the gift shop to his chest.

With the exception of the multi-point seatbelts you'd be forgiven for mistaking the inside of the Tranquillity Class Cruiser for a normal planet-side long haul jet or train. Two rows of three seats, a bank of sleeping quarters in the aft section, overhead storage and a long row of small windows.
Built primarily for the Luna Base to Earth run, with the assistance of an orbital tether to accelerate and decelerate at Earth and a set of three ion pulse thrusters to launch from the Moon. The Tranquillity cruisers would usually dock with orbital stations and smaller shuttles would move passengers from the stations onto the surface.
Passengers slowly filed into the aisles and took their seats, loading baggage into overhead lockers or under chairs. Not the most spacious aircraft, but certainly more comfortable than a lot of commercial liners back on Earth.
Captain Synnøve Gundersen and First Officer Li Cao ran through the list of final pre-flight checks as their passengers boarded. Both exceptionally heavily augmented their central nervous systems were practically hard wired into the shuttle computers as soon as they sat in their seats. Gundersen, a red stag originally from the Nordic Cooperative, was entering her fifth year with the ISA as a shuttle pilot, she was more used to the older Type 4 "Serenity" shuttles used for in-space journeys between Lunar Base and the various ISA installations elsewhere in the solar system rather than for planetary transfers. Li, an inverse skunk hailing from the Asian side of the NEEB, was more familiar with Type 5 cruisers but had only recently graduated as a pilot, despite acing every simulator exam, they had never flown a Type 5 for real.
"Okay, pre-taxi checklist.", Gunderson commanded. She continued on, with a practised almost reflexive snappy response from Li.
"Ion pulse drive."
"Charging."
"Atmospheric thrusters."
"Standby."
"Propellant."
"Full."
"Air recycling."
"Active."
"Neural interfaces."
"Active."
Gundersen continued performing her own internal checks and ensuring that her body and the shuttle's computer were interfaced correctly. She twitched the muscles in her arms, the control stick in front of her shifting as the control surfaces at the back of the shuttle moved in response. "Confirm, neural link established with shuttle computer."
"Manifest came through on flight management system, and I've got our weight and balance. Ready to call clearance." Li stated plainly as they loaded the external video feed onto their HUD, confirmation coming in from the robots in the terminal that the last passengers were on the gangway and that the gate was now closed.
"Luna Clearance, ISA-TQAA, to ARM-S, ready for departure." Gunderson asked plainly over the comm system.
"TQAA, Luna Clearance, You are clear to taxi for prograde departure 9 left. Taxi E4 B2 cross 9 right hold short 9 left. Contact Tower 1 1 8 8 when ready." The tower computer responded, its artificial voice clear and succinct, yet emulating politeness.
"Depart 9 left Taxi E4 B2 cross 9 right hold short 9 left tower on 1 1 8 8", Gunderson repeated back, frantically taking notes.
"Readback is good, fly safe."

Take off was uneventful and smooth, by the books. Gundersen deferred to Li to line the ship up for the Ion Pulse Boost, it would take a clean third off the flight from Luna base to Earth. A reverse ion pulse would fire on approach to slow the cruiser enough to catch the tether before a low speed flight under normal thrust to dock at an orbital station. Smaller shuttles would then complete the journey. Whilst the Type 5 could enter atmosphere, it wasn't specifically designed for it, and getting it back off the ground was a pain.
"Good Evening Passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We are preparing to perform an Ion Pulse Boost to get up to our full cruising speed for the remainder of our journey. I'd like to ask that everyone has their harnesses fastened, tray tables locked and all personal belongings secured before we start our boost as the gravity net will be temporarily disabled as we accelerate. Thank you." Gunderson recited the line word for word from the pre-boost checklist in a professionally friendly manner as Li performed a final systems check.
A few moments later a steward came on over the internal comms, "Captain, I can confirm that all passengers and crew are prepared for Pulse Boost."
A quick scan of the internal sensor system confirmed this and Gundersen started the pulse drive charging, she could practically feel the energy building up as the ship sensors fed straight into her central nervous system. She'd pulse jumped smaller ships before, she could feel the additional power in the cruiser at her fingertips already, an intoxicating feeling that all the ISA pilots described with great intensity.
"Captain, boost charge confirmed complete, the ship is at full alignment, awaiting your command." Li chimed as the whining of the charging circuits reached full intensity, they were more used to the feeling having recently simulated it, but feeling it for real was something else entirely.
"Good Evening Passengers, this is your Captain speaking," Gunderson opened internal comms again, "The time is 2004 hours Universal Standard Earth Time and we are about to engage our Ion Pulse Boost engines. We will cruise at boost speeds for approximately 2 days before arriving at Earth where we will be picked up by a tether satellite and slowed to docking speeds for our rendezvous with Orbital Station Collins prior to the final leg of your journey planet-side by shuttle. It will take approximately 60 seconds to reach full cruise speed, at which point the gravity net will be turned back on and you will be free to roam the cabin. Thank you." Gundersen took a deep breath and gazed out at the planet in front of her as she tensed her muscles preparing to command the Cruiser into Pulse Boost, "Initiating Ion Pulse Boost in 3... 2... 1...."

The reaction from the passengers was mixed, for the vast majority of them this was their second ever space flight. It would be just like the tether launch, surely, a jerking sensation and then a few moments of increased G forces before the gravity nets were turned back on.
"3..."
As the gravity net was disengaged hair started to drift and the few people that had rushed their meals before boarding started to feel a little queasy. The little boy with his model ship watched in amazement as it floated in front of him.
"2..."
His mother pushed the model back down into his lap and put his hands over it, telling him in a soft voice to keep a tight hold of it if he didn't want to lose it.
"1..."
The boy did as he was told, holding it tight to his lap as everyone heard the Ion Pulse charge, a high pitched, unpleasant whine. Powerful, awesome technology, that sounded like a malfunctioning camera flash.
"Boost initiated."
The whine stopped, and for a split second there was what felt like complete, deafening silence. Suddenly, the engines fired and everyone was pressed back hard into their seats, a force rivalling that of a rollercoaster launch stressed every component of the ship as their velocity rapidly climbed.
60 seconds felt like an eternity to some, and like a blink of an eye to others. As the acceleration slowed the gravity net was powered back on and everyone felt the feeling of their own weight pressing them down into their seats return.
Another moment of silence, followed by the rustling of sick bags and the unpleasant sounds of food and drink exiting a few passengers in ways not generally intended.
Gundersen's breathing was rough and rapid, she'd never felt such a powerful surge of energy through her systems before as the Tranquillity Cruiser glided noiselessly through the void towards the Earth at a blistering 2km/s.
"Are you ok Captain? We should probably let the passengers know that they can roam now." Li leaned over in their seat a little and tapped Gundersen on the leg.
She shook her head and refocussed her eyes, briefly disconnecting and then reconnecting her neural interface to the ship systems, "Yes... yes you are right. I just got... uh... yeah..."
Li smirked and patted Gundersen on the leg again, "Oh yeah! These Type 5s feel great, don't they? Don't let it get to your head."
"I'm looking forward to doing it again on the return trip!" Gundersen laughed as she activated the internal comm system once more, "Again, Good evening passengers, this is your Captain speaking. Our boost to a cruising rate of roughly 2 kilometres per second was successful and we are expected to meet with the orbital tether network on schedule. I would, however, like to apologise for quite how rough that boost was, it appears that there were some... minor calibration issues... that have now been resolved. The fasten seatbelt signs have now been turned off and you may roam the cabin, or proceed to the rear of the craft if you fancy a nap. Thank you."
As Gundersen disconnected from the internal comms Li glanced over at her, their smirk widening further, "'Minor calibration issues'? Eh, Captain?"
"That's plenty, First Officer." Gundersen's own smirk grew as she relaxed into the cruise, checking over systems and making sure that nothing had been shaken loose. "All diagnostics report ok. Now, the most important question."
"Which is?" Li quirked an eyebrow, their own diagnostics confirming the Captain's report."
"What's for dinner?"

The cruise to Earth was uneventful, crew and passengers milled about, ate, chatted and watched a few movies. A little boy even came up to sit in the Captain's chair for a while, all whilst clutching his little model ship, he seemed more interested in Gundersen and Li's advanced cybernetics than he was the ships systems almost gasping in delight when Gundersen sat back down and her chair immediately connected to all her neural interfaces. She demonstrated how she interfaced with the ship's systems as she initiated part of their deceleration manoeuvres on the approach to Earth.
His parents collected him after an hour or so, he'd not said a word the entire time, just a sparkle in his eyes as he hugged his model ship.
As the Earth got larger and larger in the viewport a comms link was established with Orbital Station Collins.
"Collins Station, ISA-TQAA, to ARM-S, entering ISA Earth airspace, how are things over there?" Gundersen asked as the comm line came up, she slowly worked down her checklist to prepare for final deceleration and tether catch.
"TQAA, Collins Station, things are all good over here. Welcome to Earth airspace!" an organic voice responded, orbital traffic control wasn't fully automated like Luna Clearance was.
"Glad to be here, Collins, confirm tether assignment and docking ports please?"
"Tether 3-1-A, docking port..." the voice from Collins station was cut off and replaced with a distorted static blast, Gunderson winced as it was unexpected and very loud.
"Collins Station, TQAA, please repeat last message, communications interference." Gundersen requested, as she and Li lined the cruiser up with the tether they'd been assigned. Catching it was an artform when done manually, but mundane to the point of being almost boring when the computer was assigned the task. Li started to run through the autopilot powerup sequence as Gundersen continued to try and cut through the continuing static.
"Collins Station, TQAA, we've lost communication, please respond?" She could almost feel a headache coming on, attenuating the interference was only helping slightly as the noise felt like it was rattling her braincase out of her skull.
"... home ... return ... home ... take ... home ..." words crackled through the static, Gundersen couldn't isolate them.
"Li, tap into the comms with me, am I going insane or are there voices in this interference?" Gundersen ordered.
Li tapped in and listened, "... ISA ... home ... fly ... home ...", they heard the voices too.
"Captain, I don't think you're going insane. I can hear them too..." Li stated, cutting off comms before the noise gave them a migraine.
"Someone has to be screwing with us, keep us on course for the tether, I'd rather we were at docking speeds." Li nodded as the order was given, taking full control of the ship they finalised the alignment with the tether. Gundersen continued trying to reach the station. "Collins Station, TQAA, please respond, alternative frequencies, Collins Station, TQAA, please respond... damnit."
Li engaged the fasten seatbelt sign in the cabins and came on over the internal comms, "Good morning passengers, this is your First Officer speaking. Please ensure that all seatbelts are fastened, belongings secured and tray tables locked upright as we will be disengaging the gravity net soon as part of our orbital deceleration procedures, thank you." Li cut the comms and glanced over at Gundersen quietly cursing in her seat, sitting up and trying manual controls to re-establish contact in case it was her interface that was malfunctioning. No dice. "Try central command in the EU, they should be contactable right now." Li suggested.
Gundersen thought for a moment, then punched in a new code on the console to her right, "ISA EU Command, Tranquillity Cruiser ISA-TQAA requesting urgent communica-" she was cut off the static was suddenly louder, she could barely think, she couldn't hear Li calling to her.
"TAKE ME HOME NOW, GUNDERSEN. FLY ME HOME." the voice screamed inside her head... then she felt it, she felt the surge of energy she'd felt back at Luna. The charging of the Ion Pulse Drive...
"CAPTAIN! THE PULSE DRIVE IS POWERING UP, I CAN'T SHUT IT DOWN. CAPTAIN!" Li practically screamed, but they were not heard.
"HOME. NOW!" the voice demanded one last time as the Pulse Drive fired sending the cruiser screaming into the orbital tether at maximum acceleration.

"Damn, I think it escaped into another system." Zee growled, the virtual console in front of her indicating she'd lost her target.
"Did you see where it went?" the voice of Rachel asked, turning in her own virtual workstation, "It didn't look like it was about to change host."
"There's just... something in the log about 'Going home' before I lost the trace." Zee's balled up fist dropped through the keyboard and onto the desk below it with a crash. A force that would have most certainly destroyed any real desk.
"Makes me glad we're doing this in a netsim." Melissa quipped from the floor, a simulation of a laptop sitting next to her with a pile of simulated papers scattered around her. "What did that poor desk ever do to you?"
"Oh shut up..." Zee snarled, restoring the keyboard and tapping in a few more commands, "Well, back to square one it seems... Thoughts Mel?"
"I must admit, I'm at a loss too..." Mel pondered for a moment, she'd been pacing between a standing desk and the endless void for the past few hours. Tracking the rogue AI had been giving her a headache and she was right on the verge of disconnecting from the simulated world and going for a coffee. "I'll try and get in touch with my ISA contacts, see if it jumped into any classified systems."
"Uh guys!" a voice suddenly called from the entrypoint of the simulated office, Leon... not like them to join an immersive netsim.
"Leon, what's up? You look... harrowed..." Melissa stood from her pile of papers and looked over at Leon's avatar, they looked like they'd seen a ghost, her eyes narrowed in concern.
"Can you bring up video feeds in here?" Leon asked, like they were bursting to say something that could only be shown.
"Yeah, sure, think you've found something?" Rachel, too, stood from behind her desk and summoned a large virtual display screen.
"Set that thing to TV2. A terrible disaster has happened." Leon stated plainly, looking up at the display as Rachel patched in the feed from TV2.
"BREAKING: DISASTER IN LOW EARTH ORBIT AS ISA CRUISER CARRYING CIVILIANS SMASHES INTO ORBITAL TETHER WITH TOTAL LOSS OF LIFE." the headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen, sub headlines scrolled even faster below it, the type of shuttle, who the pilots were, how many were dead...
Rachel practically slammed back down into her seat and pulled up more feeds, every news station was reporting on it.
Mel jogged back to her desk and tapped into the ISA security satellites around the planet pulling them up too, flicking from feed to feed she finally found it on the Collins Station security feed. The very moment the cruiser had ploughed into the tether before erupting into a massive fireball, shrapnel, luggage, bodies, scattering everywhere as the tether folded in on itself and the remaining debris plummeted to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere. A small model cruiser, damaged in the explosion but still identifiable drifted past the Collins Station external security feed Mel had tapped into.
"Oh my Gods... what have we done..." Mel's voice trailed off as the five of them stared up at the myriad of video feeds showing the carnage that was going on above them.