“Not bad. What about protecting us?”
“That’s a different story,” Kurt replied. “Helena’s been working on that one. The problem is that she doesn’t know what knocked us out in the first place.”
“So it’s not the buildup in charge?” Palmer asked.
“No. She said that it would have left some detectable injuries. There were no burns, abnormal body chemistry, arrhythmias, nothing. She looked for internal and external bruising indicative of physical trauma as being the cause, but found nothing significant. We’re running out of conventional ideas.”
Asking the obvious, Jack said, “OK, what about the unconventional?”
“That’s where we’re starting to get a little creative,” Don said, finally looking Jack in the eye. “Assuming that the AGC is a wormhole, then the question we all considered was, ‘how would the body react when exposed to significant distortions in space-time?’ I mean, distortions in the actual physical dimensions in which we exist. What would happen if you stretch say in length, but contract in width, and change the rate or even direction in which time flows? Would we even notice?”
“What do you mean, ‘would we even notice?’” Palmer asked with an edge.
“I mean, if you stretch or shrink a region of space and all of the properties associated with it, then is it possible that we might just flow with it?” Seeing their puzzled looks, Don continued, “Think of it this way: If you and all of your immediate surroundings shrunk by a factor of two, how would you know? In this case, I mean the definition of a meter’s space between you and the wall would’ve shrunk so within your own perception, there would still be a meter between you and the wall next to you.”
No one answered. “That’s the problem here. A wormhole would asymmetrically twist space-time itself. So we’re dealing with the completely hypothetical question of whether there would be any stresses involved. I would think that there has to be, but of course, we just don’t know. In any event, the bottom line is we’ve got no idea how to protect ourselves from being knocked out again.”
They sat in silence. Jack knew that Don was waiting for comments, but there was nothing to say. He allowed a few more moments to pass before finally responding, “So, in short, we think we may be able to take the ship through one of these things safely. And, assuming that the effect on us is the same as before, we’ll only be dealing with a few hours of unconsciousness.”
“However,” Palmer added, “those are large assumptions. Let’s ask the very relevant question: What if we got lucky the last time through?”
“I know,” Jack said somberly. “Kurt, how long do you need to prep the ship?”
“Captain,” Palmer interrupted, “I think it’s essential to consider what I just asked. The only data we have is a near-disastrous transit through one of these alien devices a single time. It would be prudent to assume that any future trip would be worse.”
“I understand,” Jack replied. “For now, we’re just setting up contingency plans. Kurt, how long?”
“Two days should be enough.”
Palmer cut in again, “Don’t you think we need to discuss this with the rest of the crew?”
“We will,” Jack said firmly. “As I said, I’m not committing us to anything yet. I just want to make all necessary preparations so that we can act without delay should we need to. Palmer, keep in mind our supply status. We can’t stay around here forever – especially if this planet is nothing more than a death-trap.” He watched his first officer for a reaction, but he showed no emotion at all. Jack continued, “Is there anything else?”
Each replied with a simple, “No.”
“OK, then we’ll meet at thirteen-hundred-hours sharp tomorrow. And Palmer, prepare an updated inventory of our supplies.
Palmer gave an unenthusiastic, “Yes sir,” as he headed out the door; Don followed close behind.
Kurt stayed, waiting for Jack to meet his gaze. “You’re a mess,” he finally said. “When was the last time you slept?”
Jack was amazed at his friend’s ability to focus on the trivial. “Last night.”
“No, I mean really slept. An hour or two doesn’t count.”
“That’s all I’ve had time for.”
“You’re not going to be any use to us if you pass out from exhaustion.”
“I know my limits. I’ll take a break when I need to.”
Kurt gave a disbelieving sigh before continuing, “You know, working yourself into the ground isn’t going to bring Alex back.”
He glared back in response, but it didn’t stop Kurt from continuing, “Who gives a damn what Don thinks?”
Jack didn’t feel like answering, but knew Kurt would keep it up if he stayed quiet. He drew a deep breath before replying, “I don’t particularly care what he thinks. But that doesn’t change the fact that my actions resulted in his death; nothing’s going to change that.”
“Well, you’re wrong. You did everything by the book – everything you were supposed to do. Poison gas left by some goddamned alien race killed him!” Jack turned away, prompting Kurt to press on, “Look at the facts. First, there was no way anyone with any of our equipment could’ve known it was there. Second, who the hell could’ve dreamt they could create a mix like that that would eat right through a suit?”
It was becoming hard to contain the burning anger within him. Part of him didn’t want to maintain his composure anymore. On top of that, he didn’t need anyone making excuses for him. He finally replied, “You’re missing the point. I should’ve taken more time to think of things like that. Look at where we are. Think of it! We were standing on a planet completely covered by a city that had been totally wiped out by weaponry we can barely even imagine! It was idiotic to think of things in terms of what we know. Who could’ve dreamt that lay ahead? I should have. Maybe Alex would be alive today if I had.”
“You can’t second-guess...”
“I can because it was reckless!” He grew tired of the debate. “The only thing I can say for sure is that I’m not going to make our next decision while blinded by ignorance!” He pushed his way past Kurt into the hallway, but his friend followed him.
“Jack – I’m not done.”
“I am.”
“You’re missing the point.”
“No!” He shouted as he backed Kurt against the wall. “You just don’t understand do you? This has nothing to do with Don!” Jack slammed his fist on the door-jam; the sharp pain that shot through his hand was an almost welcome feeling. He hit it again, letting the pain ease some of his guilt. Taking a deliberate, deep breath, he continued in a measured tone, “Kurt, there’s no time for rest. We’re running out of food which means we’ve got to do something soon. But we still don’t know what the hell we’re dealing with. If I give the order to go through an AGC without knowing what’s on the other side of that damned thing, it’d be the same thing as with Alex.”
“Then we take some more time here and see what we can learn.”
“But we can’t! Think ahead Kurt. What if the AGC we choose doesn’t take us back to Epsilon Eri-D? What if we end up in another completely different star system? We’re going to need to have some supplies left if we want a chance to survive and try again.
“It means I’ve got to decide without knowing for sure...” As he drew in a deep breath, he muttered, “It won’t be a hell of a lot more than a guess. But I swear I’ll do everything in my power to get as many answers as I can first. I owe it to the crew. I owe it to Alex.”
“Jack...”
“You didn’t have to hear him die! And you didn’t have to pack him in a god-damned external cargo-hold like a piece of scrap!” Jack didn’t realize he was shouting until he was done. “Damn it all! I’ve got to clear my head.” He needed quiet; someplace to be alone, and was halfway down the hall before realizing he left Kurt standing alone. Forcing himself to turn around, he called back, “I’ll talk to you later,” but didn’t wait for a reply. The IPV had never felt so small before. He made
a quick left toward the observatory: it would be empty.
He left the lights off as he entered the small room and found the darkness calming. Rows of inactive equipment lined the back wall; the window in front drew him closer. He moved forward until his forehead touched the glass - all aspects of the IPV were gone from view. The expansive, pitch-black disk of the planet’s night side floating against a myriad of stars lay in front of him. He could have been drifting on his own in open space. The ravaged world’s cloud-cover was so thick that it completely hid the blazes that raged below. The blackness was interrupted only occasionally by distant, fleeting flashes of lightning. Rather than bringing to mind the violence that raked the planet’s surface, the silent, random sparks were almost peaceful and hypnotic.
Time passed quickly, and his mind released its grip on the conflicts of the past few days. The built-up tension finally ebbed. He could see their choices more clearly. The math was simple: by the time they were properly prepped and ready to enter an AGC, ten days will have passed. That translated to expending one-half of their supplies. If the device took them somewhere other than Epsilon Eri, then they would need at least a couple days to determine where they were, and if the new location held any promise for them. If it did, they would still need the better part of a week beyond that to gather any supplies they might find, as well as analyze and process them so that they would be safe for consumption. The bottom line was, if they pushed themselves to the limit, then they might have enough provisions for at most two tries through AGCs; but only if they left soon.
His real problem lay with the crew. They would be apprehensive about the prospect of deliberately going through an AGC. He expected some, Don in particular, to outright resist the decision. He wasn’t sure how far Don might take it; it probably depended on how many in the crew followed his lead. To be sure, Don wasn’t a coward. It had more to do with his being in control of a situation. He was prone to over-analysis and tunnel vision. Jack understood his motivation – he was painfully aware himself about the need to minimize risks. The problem was that Don needed to reach an absolute answer; the consequences of inaction never factored into the equation.
Palmer on the other hand was still a question mark. He understood the need for action; but he too was too dependent on certainty. Devon’s voice over the intercom brought him back to the present. “Captain, respond please.”
Jack turned away from the glass and responded, “Yes, I’m here...what is it?”
“We’ve got some new readings that you’ll want to see.”
“Go on.”
“The feed from a satellite we have over the day-side shows that the gas has stopped flowing.”
“Stopped completely?”
“Yes sir. As soon as it showed signs of dissipating, I started taking detailed readings. As of now even the residual traces are nearly down to zero.”
“I’m on my way. Tell Kurt to meet me on the bridge.” He had already given up hope that they’d ever be able to get into the tower – three straight days of watching the corrosive yellow gas pour out of the opening had convinced him of that. The powerful winds carried it for tens of kilometers before it disappeared in the distance. Their best guess was that the interior of the structure had been filled with it.
He arrived at the bridge to find Kurt already there. Devon immediately looked to him and said, “Captain, let me show you what we’ve got.”
The main display came to life showing a magnified view of the tower doors. The large, pewter arch stood peacefully – the only hint of the last two days’ events was a dark, jagged, two-meter wide hole in the entry-way’s seam.
“How long since it stopped?”
“Twenty minutes,” Devon answered.
“You said the residuals are nearly zero. How close are we talking?”
“I can only give you an upper limit. From orbit, we can read down to the part-per-billion level, and I’m reading zero. So if there’s any left, it’s below that threshold.”
“Kurt, you got some reasonable data on the properties of that stuff from before right?”
“Yes and no. I mean, we still don’t know what it is. But, we were able to figure out how quickly it eats through various materials.”
“That’s all I need right now. I want you to calculate the safe exposure time for an EVA suit using Devon’s upper limit.”
“It’ll take a few minutes.”
“Good, get on it right away.” Turning back to his pilot, he said, “How long until we’re in position to launch another shuttle to the surface.”
“One hour.”
“OK.” Jack took a minute to slow himself down. He didn’t want things moving too quickly. “How long after that?”
“If we stay in this orbit, it’ll be another seven hours.”
It was about what he expected. Though he wanted more time to prepare, the additional seven hours was too long a wait. He took a second to consider moving the ship to a different orbit, but their limited propellant ruled that out. “Devon, you’re with me. Where’s Kate.”
“I’m not sure sir.”
Jack quickly activated the ship-wide comm. “Kate Stewart and George Palmer, please report to the shuttle bay. I repeat, Kate Stewart and George Palmer please report to the shuttle bay.” He looked up and met Devon’s waiting gaze. “Let’s go.”
Jack wasn’t surprised to find Palmer was waiting for them in front of the bay’s door. If nothing else, the man was prompt. Not waiting for him to ask anything, Jack simply said, “The corrosive agent at the tower has dissipated. I’m going to need you to take command up here while I take a small team down.”
“Now?” Palmer asked politely.
“It’s either now or wait another seven hours until our next orbit.”
“I understand. May I ask what precautions you will be taking?”
“With this little time to prep, it’ll be purely a survey mission. We’ll leave recovery issues for a later expedition. We’ll stay in continuous contact. I expect the structure to block our signal, so we’ll be placing repeaters along our path.”
“That sounds wise. I’m just not too optimistic about finding anything useful.”
“Neither am I, but it would be foolish not to go. Maybe we’ll find some sealed compartments or something. We’ve got to try.”
“I agree. What about residue from the gas?”
“Kurt’s working on exposure limits right now...” They both turned as Kate came down the corridor with Don trailing close behind. Jack had hoped to avoid dealing with Don until their return. Don, however, didn’t waste a second. “Just what are you planning?” he asked without hiding the edge in his voice.
Jack fought off the urge to ignore his science officer’s demand. Even with their loose command structure, he wasn’t obligated to explain himself. But, there was already more than enough friction between them. “The corrosive agent exiting the tower doors has dissipated. I’m taking a small team down for a preliminary reconnaissance mission. Kate will take care of communications for us. Plus, if we’re lucky enough to find any artifacts or written material, we’ll need her to start building a basis for a translation matrix. Devon’ll be piloting the shuttle.”
“When were you going to inform me?”
“The launch window we’ve got is short. If time didn’t permit, Palmer would have updated you.”
“But you’re taking a member of my staff. Kate’s a linguist first, and thus is a member of the science staff.”
“Don, this discussion can wait.” Jack didn’t give him a chance to respond as he continued, “Palmer, Kurt will update you on the details of the gas mixture...”
“Jack, respond please.”
It was Kurt’s voice on the comm. “I’m here, go ahead.”
“I calculate a safe exposure limit of thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?” Don protested?
Kurt answered before Jack could intervene. “They’ll still be safe for another half-hour after that, but at that point, the
suit fabric might start to degrade. Jack, this is all based on an upper limit of one part-per-billion. If the concentrations are lower, then you’ll have a good deal more time.”
“We’ll err on the side of caution and stick with thirty minutes. Thanks.”
“No problem. Kurt out.”
Realizing the best way to diffuse Don’s resistance would be to keep him fully involved, Jack said, “Don, I’m going to want you to continuously monitor our communications and video feeds. We’re going to need all the help we can get from your team up here.”
Don replied with a confused, “Uh huh.”
He glanced around and was just becoming aware of Devon’s absence, when his pilot poked his head out of the shuttle bay bulk-head.
“Captain, the shuttle’s all prepped.”
Jack welcomed the chance to escape and said, “Kate, let’s get moving.”
Chapter 21 – July 25, 2124; 13:30:00
The trip to the surface was uneventful if not somber. Barely any words were spoken as they all fully recognized the gravity of their situation. Jack realized that it was likely weighing too heavily on him, as he neglected to portray even a superficial feeling of optimism. On landing, he simply said, “OK, let’s get this done,” and climbed into the shuttle’s small airlock. He stood there now, listening to the muted howl of the winds on the other side. The eerie sound only brought back lingering doubts about moving forward so quickly, but he pressed the “open” button anyway. His ears were once again assaulted by the unshielded roar of the gale. Bracing himself, he stepped out and was buffeted by a blast of sand. It made him flinch, despite knowing he was well-protected by his EVA suit. The tower’s long shadow fell across them, darkening the platform. The wall in front, with its embedded arch, looked more like it was made of onyx than the lighter, pewter hue they had seen in bright daylight. Looking up, he gazed at the immensity of the spire as it pierced the alien world’s deep-red evening sky. It was still awe inspiring, and he had to make a deliberate effort to bring his attention back to their mission. Turning on his flashlight, he made his way to the arch. The stark shadows accentuated the hole’s jagged edges, but it was large enough for them to fit through.
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