Chapter 5

 

…[ MATIVO ]…

The ship was already on red alert. Everything and everyone had hunkered down. And everything was red-hued, giving it the feel of death approaching. Red was always bad. And in space, when things got to the red, everyone had the right to be scared. It wasn’t like on Earth where there was always a chance of rescue, if you survived long enough. No, when the ship failed catastrophically, you had seconds, maybe minutes, before you died. It gave the old saying of going down with the ship a more literal meaning.

Everyone in the Bridge was busy tapping away at their consoles, trying to do something to help the ship in its current predicament. And there I was, sitting in the Command seat, doing absolutely nothing. The position was glorified at best, everyone else seemed to be doing something. I was only making few big decisions and giving the order to have them carried out. Otherwise, things were running smoothly even without my say in the matter. Well, before all hell had broken loose. But still, there was nothing for me to do. I was only getting reports on what was actually happening to the ship. Everything that arose that needed attention seemed to have someone on the ready to take care of it. And they seemed to know what they were doing. So, either they were very good at their job or I occupied an unnecessary position. It really felt that way since all this began.

“The shields have been breached.” Robin, the ship’s AI, announced. And just like that, we lost our view of the outside. “The panaromic view cameras are down.”

“Great, now we are blind to the outside.” I muttered to myself.

“We could open the visors, get a direct view of the outside.” Matt, the ship’s Navigation Officer offered. I was surprised anyone had heard me over all the noise in the Bridge. The ship was shaking violently, making it a struggle to stay in our seats. Seat harnesses had already been fastened.

“And risk this room getting breached itself?” Cindy questioned him, she was Second in Command of the whole ship and the Exploratory Commander. I sometimes thought of her as the actual commander of the ship. Sometimes. “With the shields breached, we can’t risk opening the metal armor.”

“We will open them only when all the other sensor arrays are down.” I said. Hoping I hadn’t contradicted Cindy. She didn’t voice a complain, so that was good. The structural integrity of the ships protective measures was ranked from the metal armor, field shields, and the windows and visors been the weakest. Those were only opened on one of two occasions: every other sensor was down and the ship was in dire need of outside information to better make informed decisions, or when the ship was safely cruising about and they wanted a direct view of the outside.

“Hull damage at Decks 2 and 3.”

Oh boy! This was getting out of hand. I could already feel my hands starting to sweat a little. Then bright red lights started blinking, indicating that the ships capability to support life was compromised. At least it wasn’t the blaring alarms that would indicate that they had lost all hope of surviving. Unless a miracle happened, that is.

The decks were self-contained, so any breach in one or more decks didn’t compromise the other decks. Each deck was further divided into compartments that were always sealed off from the other compartments. If one was breached, the others still remained functional. Another violent tremor shook the ship aggressively.

“Life support in Deck 2 compromised.”

That was bad. Really bad. “Kalũki, what is the status?” I asked our Life-support Officer. I needed to know what Robin had meant by compromised.

She started speaking before I had even finished the question. Probably she had already been ready to report. “Compartments 4, 6 and 8 have lost their air. 2, 10 and 12 are still pressurized but have lost access to the life support system. Two dead, six unconscious and twelve injured. Rescue already on site.”

This was proving to be harder than I had thought it would be. Though the dead were less than expected. That was a good thing.

“Hull damage isn’t extensive; repairs should take around ten minutes.” Kalũki reported. That was assuming that the current situation stayed the same or improved at least. I wished it would improve; but wishful thinking wasn’t going to get us out of this alive. As if to prove my point,

“Engines are overloading. Temperatures twenty degrees above optimum operating range. And rising.”

“Are you kidding me? Why?” I asked.

“It seems that—” Pon started to explain before getting interrupted by a jerk that threw the ship sideways.

“Hard hit to port. Hull damage at Decks 10 to 12.”

“Multiple casualties on those Decks.”

“Hull damage at Deck 11 insubstantial. Life support failing throughout Decks 10 and 12.”

The multiple casualties would have been clear indicator of something big have gone wrong all on their own. “Shut down engines. Report on shields.”

*“What?” Apparently, Cindy didn’t like that.

“Aye.” Pon replied at the same time.

“Shield field generator repair still in progress.”

“Repair crew reports minutes away from completion.” Chantel reported. We needed to hold on for a few more minutes and then we might get a reprieve to reorient ourselves.

“Hull repair at Decks 2 and 3 complete. Life support restored to Compartments 2, 10 and 12.” Finally, some good news. Now, if only the shields could get back online before the ship suffered another crippling hit. Then the ship shook again.

“Engine 2 heavily damaged. Urgent repair recommended.”

“Life support in Decks 10 and 12 stabilized.”

“Shields back online.”

“Start-up the chemical engines. Steer us clear of here.” I ordered. We were cruising blind, relying on the surviving sensor arrays to help with navigation. The panaromic cameras would have to wait until we were safe before they could be repaired. Those required a space-walk, as did the engine. And we were not in a position to perform one of those. It was a crippling ten minutes before we were clear of the debris field. And the chemical engines were shut down.

“Simulation complete. The ship survived…” Robin continued listing off how we had performed during the simulation. I unfastened the seat harnesses and slumped down on the seat. The simulation had lasted for more than two hours. And we had been doing simulations for the last three days non-stop. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. At least we were on the last day of simulations. Bad news, the day was just getting started. Twenty more hours to go.

Cindy caught up with me as I walked out of the ship. I had been quick in getting away to avoid been pulled into conversation by the other crew members. It had been fun and illuminating discussing the simulations at the beginning, but the novelty had worn of for me. Or I had had my fill of human interactions. It was hard to tell.

“Why did you shut down the engines?” She went right ahead to what had brought her, she knew me well enough. After all, she was my Second.

“We weren’t using them.”

“We could have needed them.”

I turned and looked at her. Well, up at her. Damn those eight centimeters. “We were in a debris field, thousands of kilometers in all directions. Our shields were down, and the Engine Core was overloaded. We didn’t need them.”

She thought about it, it seemed like she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

“Besides, the slower speeds worked in our favor.” I said as I continued walking away from the ship. I thought of seeking out my special group of scientists, maybe one of them had been one of the casualties. Maybe even dead. That would be fun. What could have killed them? That was always intriguing to know. Better to die in a simulation and be better prepared for it, than to die in actual dire situations.

“Do you think she would actually survive such a situation?” Cindy asked, looking back at the ship. “I know we survived the simulation but…”

“Out there its different.” I turned to stare at the metal block that we called a space ship. “I give us a 60 percent chance of reproducing those results.”

“Not very promising when we are surrounded by the vast emptiness of space.”

“You don’t have to worry about that for this trip. There is nowhere in the Solar System that is like that.” I tried to placate her. “On second thought, maybe the Oort Cloud? I’m not sure. I haven’t read much on it.”

“Not that either.” She said, then looked at me hopefully. “There will be another trip?” I just smiled at her, and she beamed. I could see her eyes glittering. What was this? Anime? I turned back to the ship.

She was no beauty. That much was clear, but she was elegant. She hadn’t been built for aesthetics but functionality. Technically, I didn’t care how she looked I just wanted something that worked the way I wanted it to. The designers had made her as elegant as they could with the limited budget I afforded them. She looked like a minibus with two jet engines at her sides. A hundred-meter long minibus.

Aside from the wings sticking out with thrusters at their tips, she was perfectly smooth and continuous all round. As unassuming as she was on the outside, she had a lot going on for her on the inside. She had thirteen decks in total. The top deck housed the Bridge and Senior Officers quarters. Under it were two decks dedicated to research laboratories. Then followed two decks for crew quarters with an entertainment and recreational deck between them. The kitchen and mess, and hydroponics decks. A deck with a fully functional hospital with top of the line equipment. A gym below it. The hospital and gym decks were two-thirds the length of the other decks to accommodate the shuttle bay and hangar below them. The cargo holds. And finally the Gravity Device and Engine Core deck.

Each deck had its own life support subsystem, computer, six redundant power sources and emergency battery banks. Each deck was completely sealed off from the other decks. And it remained so until crew were moving from one deck to another. They usually closed again right after. It made the elevators a bit slower than if they didn’t need to account for the opening of the deck sealers. Other work arounds were being researched to make them faster.

The ship had been built sturdy. Everything that could go wrong within the Solar System had been thought of and measures to ensure the safety of the crew had been sought and implemented as much as it was financially and scientifically possible.

“She will do for this expedition.”

“Yes she will.” Jacy said on my left, completely catching me off guard. But before I could ask where she had come from, something else caught my eye.

“You died? How did you die?”

“It’s nothing important.”

“Oh! Come on. I want to know.” Even with my pleading she still didn’t tell, she just kept staring ahead at the ship.

…[ ANDREW ]…

Andrew was tired. The last four days had been torture, and before that it had been a week of nonstop laboring in the research laboratory. Trying to figure out what was wrong with the safety module they had recently added to the running code for the nanites. He had thought that he would get a bit of rest during the simulations. That’s what he had told his wife, Rachel. But the simulations might have been worse. It had been one death after another. Countless hours of staying on his feet trying to keep himself from been thrown around the ship. The damns things were too realistic. There was that one time the compartment he had been in had suffered a life support failure, and the whole air was sucked out of the compartment and the temperature immediately dropped to below zero. He had passed out in seconds. At least he had passed out only once during this simulation period. About half the crew passed out at least once before the simulation period was over.

When the simulations started, around eight months ago. Most of the crew would end up unconscious more than once before the simulations were over. People had complained a lot during the first simulation; the only answer they got was to vacate the spot for someone else. The complaints stopped, but not the fainting. It had taken months before that number dropped below half. Only less than ten people hadn’t fainted at least once during the whole simulations. Andrew didn’t know who they were, but he was sure Mativo was among them. Nothing they had gone through would be anywhere near what he suffered during the nanites tests.

Arriving home, he found his son shooting hops on the basketball loop by the garage. At fourteen, Jake was already nearing one meter eighty. He might even get taller than me, Andrew thought. His youngest, Abby was playing in her dollhouse with her friend, Camila, the neighbors’ daughter. They had been friends ever since they moved in to the neighborhood over five years ago. At twelve, it was hard to tell whether she would be as tall as her brother or not. But given that she and Jake were the only ones to take after him, it was highly likely.

Jamie the oldest was already shorter than Jake. She had taken after Rachel too much. With her raven hair and dark enough to appear black eyes, add to that her pale white complexion and she looked dead most of the time. The fact that she didn’t like to spend time outside didn’t help matters at all. But what she didn’t take after in appearance, she did in brains. She was the only one of his children that was STEM inclined. She had even landed an internship at one of Mativo‘s many research facilities. Andrew couldn’t remember which one, and he blamed the simulations for his failing mind. If she kept up with her studies, she might even start working there full time in a year or two. That would be one child down he didn’t have to worry about their future. Two more to go.

“Hey, pops. You look dead. Like Jamie.”

“I feel dead.”

Jake just laughed and shook his head. Going back to shoot for the basket. “So, how many times did you die this time?” he asked as he watched the ball sail to the loop. A three-pointer, if memory served right.

“What makes you think I died?” Jake just stared at him, like the answer was obvious. It was, he had died. “Three.”

“Daddy!” A ball of energy slammed at him from his right, causing him to stumble a step before regaining his balance. Either Abby had gained weight the four days he had been gone or he really was as tired as he felt.

“Did you have fun? It must be fun riding on a spaceship. I want to ride on one when I grow up. Do I have to be as smart as you or Jamie?” She asked question after question. She might not be as smart as he was at her age, but she had the passion. If she put in the effort, she might actually do it. Then again, given what Mativo was planning, she might not have to put much effort after all.

“No you don’t.” Andrew looked up to find Jamie standing by the door. And warmth washed over him. She wouldn’t come to hug him, or even greet him. But she had come none the less. And that was enough for him. Though, as true as her reply was, he would have preferred it if she had said the opposite. It couldn’t hurt to put in a little more effort in her studies. Not that Abby’s grades were bad.

“How was school?” he asked Abby as she let him go. But still held his hand. She beamed at the question.

“We had a Math test yesterday. I got A minus.” See, not bad at all.

“That’s great. Keep it up and you will be getting straight As soon enough.” Andrew eyed Camila staring at them from the dollhouse. “Hi Camila.”

“Hi Mr. Andrew.”

“You are abandoning your friend.” Andrew reminded his overeager daughter. There would be time for them to catch up properly. Especially after he had had a nice long sleep. She looked bashful before rushing back to the dollhouse. Jake had gone back to his baskets, and Jamie was still waiting by the door. And with that look, he was going to be questioned about everything he had been up to the whole time he had been gone. Sometimes it felt like she didn’t understand the meaning of confidential. But other times, it was like she was just asking questions hoping to have some of them answered.

When he started for the house, Jake came over and took his briefcase.

“Wouldn’t want you collapsing before you made it to the house.” It was a flimsy excuse but if that was what he needed to tell himself, who was Andrew to argue. “I’ll put it in your study.”

Jamie eyed the briefcase as Jake passed her. He didn’t worry about anything with the briefcase. It had no confidential documents in it. He had learnt early on that Jamie’s thirst for knowledge knew no boundaries. Anything within the house was fair game to her.

After the shower and preparation for bed, Andrew felt refreshed. And also ready to drop down dead. He knew he would have to talk to Rachel. She hadn’t said much since he arrived, but she would. It was only a matter of time. Every time he came back from the simulations, the reminder of where he would be going for the coming months was always fresh. And she tried, one way or another, to convince him to stay. Not directly of course.

He found her sitting at the edge of the bed, already downcast. She looked like she could break down anytime soon. It broke his heart so, to see her like that. Sometimes he wished it was so simple. That he could just decide not to go. But it wasn’t, and she knew it too.

“You must hate me.” She said weakly, barely suppressing a sob.

“No. I would never hate you.” He told her strongly. It wouldn’t do for her to start thinking he didn’t mean what he said.

“I should be supporting you. I want to support you. I just can’t.” And she couldn’t hold back the sobs anymore. Andrew hugged her lightly, and clung to him with vice-like grip. And he returned it in kind. They stayed like that for minutes, with sobs raking her body. Her tears dampened his pajamas, and he didn’t mind. It made him wonder, was it possible to bring someone along. But that wasn’t possible. Even if it were, it would mean leaving the kids on their own. That would be bad. Jamie might be able to cope, but not the others. They were too young.

Andrew chastised himself for thinking so. To want to ask a mother to leave her kids behind, what kind of husband would he become if he did that.

“Sorry. I got you all wet.” She had stopped crying for a while now.

“It’s nothing. If I get too cold, I’ll just cling onto you that much tighter.”

“No!” She replied with mock anguish. “You run too hot. You will make me sweat all night.”

“I don’t hear you complaining when we cuddle together during the cold months.”

“It ain’t the cold months now, is it?” They smiled at each other as they climbed to bed. “Leave the wet shirt.”

It was a few minutes after settling in bed before she spoke again. “I think the reason why I have a hard time accepting this is because I know…” She turned to stare at him. “I know that this will not be a one-time thing.”

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Doctor.” She said, bopping him on the nose. “We both know that Mativo will not settle for a single trip around the Solar System. He will want to again and again. And maybe even further out.”

She wasn’t wrong. Or completely right either. Mativo wasn’t interested in the Solar System at all. Maybe a little bit obsessed with Venus, but that was all. Andrew knew for certain that Mativo would not be going on another trip of the Solar System. But further out? That was another matter entirely.

“Doesn’t mean I have to go with him.”

“Another lie. You are one of his personal scientists.”

“I wouldn’t say personal.” Andrew complained at that designation. But she just continued as if she hadn’t heard him at all.

“Wherever he goes, you go.” He couldn’t exactly dispute that. If Mativo asked him, would he be able to say no? Would he want to say no? Andrew didn’t know the answer to those questions.

“Maybe I will take you with me in the next expedition.”

She looked dumbfounded for a while. Opening her mouth and closing it again without saying anything a few times. When she finally gathered herself, “Would he allow that? Someone who wouldn’t be helping with anything. A freeloader?”

“You never know.”

“What about the kids? They would be left alone.”

“Not exactly. Jamie might qualify for crew position by the next trip. Then, we could acquire spots for you as family.” He then remembered Jake. “The only problem could be Jake. He hasn’t shown any interest in space.”

“Yeah. That could be a problem.”

“Let’s not worry about things that might never be.” He said as he settled comfortably in bed. Sleep was finally claiming him. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

“I would want that.” He heard Rachel say but couldn’t figure out what she meant. The not worrying or the going to space as a family. Maybe he would think about it when he woke up.