by Paul Rix
"We don't know anything for sure. I agree we need more proof."
"And what if he's lying to us?"
"I don't know, Luke. Maybe we ask him politely to leave?"
"The whole situation is making me nervous. He may be using us to take control of Britannic. He's already persuaded us to enable the ship-wide environmental systems."
"What if he has accomplices?" asked O'Brien. "We just made it a lot easier for them to access all areas of the ship."
Maxwell held up her hands. "Relax. Both of you. Let’s determine the truth rather than hastily jump to conclusions. In the meantime, let’s not offer any information about controlling our ship."
Takahashi pointed at the fourth pod. "Do you suspect Oz has anything to do with Barratt's death?"
"Highly unlikely," O'Brien replied. "The milky residue inside the pod is an accumulation of amino acids and cryo-fluids. For that to occur would take far more than a matter of hours. You're talking decades of slow deterioration."
Maxwell floated to her position at the command console. "I'm still finding it impossible to focus on the data feeds. Is that normal?"
O'Brien nodded. "Fluid imbalances. That's why it's so important to rehydrate. Vision will return to normal in another hour or so, and the joint pain will ease. Remember, our bodies have been inactive for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. "It's a medical miracle that you're alive to complain at all."
"I was hoping the instruments could shed some light on our current predicament. I want to trust Oz but, at the same time, I hope he's lying to us. I want to see my husband and sons again." She shook as the grief returned once again.
As O'Brien and Takahashi eased toward her to console her, Garrett re-entered the room.
"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" he asked.
"Not really," said Maxwell as she wiped her eyes. "Disorientation and a body full of drugs is all. Playing havoc with my emotions. You've returned quickly."
"I got as far as the airlock. I realized that you must be desperate for proof to support what I've told you. And the best way is to show you. Can I take you to my ship? It will be far easier to address all your questions."
Maxwell blinked rapidly. "I, er, I don't know." The thought of leaving the control room filled her with an irrational fear. What if this was a trap and Oz was planning to kidnap her? She did not know what could be waiting for her out there."
"It's entirely up to you. Remain here if you'd prefer. I'm sure you find my story farfetched. I know how skeptical I would feel in your position but on Raptor, the computer will access Federation data libraries and provide you with definitive information."
Maxwell turned to O'Brien for guidance. His expression told her he thought it was a terrible idea. However, it was important to discover the truth.
"How long will you need?"
Garrett shook his head. "How long will it take me to convince you once and for all?"
"You shouldn't go, Lacey," O'Brien pleaded. "We should stay together. Garrett can bring the proof to us, as he originally promised."
"It's entirely your call," said Garrett.
Maxwell searched his face for any signs he was hiding an ulterior motive. She'd always considered herself an excellent judge of character, but it was impossible to tell with Garrett. Either her time in cryo-stasis had impaired her instincts, or he was an excellent poker player.
"You're right," she finally said. "I need to see the evidence for myself."
"I must object," said O'Brien.
"Thanks for your concern, Luke. I'll be fine. While I'm gone, I'd like the two of you to head to engineering. Sakura, you know what to do. Run diagnostics. I want to know the state of the ship and if it's safe to ignite the engines."
As she unpacked her spacesuit from the stowage compartment next to her pod, Captain Maxwell prayed that this wasn't the worst decision she'd ever made.
***
As Britannic's airlock depressurized, Garrett noticed that Maxwell had gone quiet and was gripping tightly to the grab rail. "Are you okay?"
"Not really. I only had one lesson on spacewalks and ended up with extreme vertigo."
"That's because you were orbiting Earth. It's a unique experience in deep space. No sense of depth or perspective, which means your brain won't tell you you're falling."
"If you say so."
Her grip changed to Garrett's arm as the outer hatch swung open, revealing the inky blackness of space and a million tiny dots of light.
Garrett dragged himself along the handrail, taking Maxwell with him. "You're doing great. Keep breathing deeply and you'll be fine."
Raptor was as he'd left it, magnetically latched onto Britannic's hull, less than thirty meters from the airlock. Using the small thrusters in his suit, he guided the pair of them directly toward the open airlock of his ship.
As the hatch slid closed behind them, he said, "I knew you'd be fine."
"Is it safe to open my eyes?"
Garrett laughed as he lifted his visor. "You can remove your helmet."
Garrett started toward the flight deck but stopped when he became aware that Maxwell wasn't following him. He turned and immediately rushed back when he saw her slumped on the floor of the airlock. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
She looked up and smiled weakly. "You didn't warn me your ship had gravity!"
Garrett cursed aloud at his oversight. The matter had not crossed his mind. "Computer. Adjust artificial gravity to twenty percent standard."
Garrett felt momentarily sick as the internal gravity field adjusted itself.
"Better?" he asked, helping Maxwell to her feet.
"That's a neat trick. Do you have any more?"
"I think you'll be surprised what Raptor is capable of. It's a lot different to Britannic."
"You mean it's more advanced."
Garrett shrugged. "I will not criticize your ship. It was a wonder of technology when it was built. But there have been developments since you left Earth. Let me give you a guided tour."
Twenty minutes later, Maxwell slumped gratefully into one of the two seats on the flight deck. "I think my head is about to explode. Our scientists have not contemplated most of the equipment on your ship. I feel like a child for not understanding most of your explanations. This vessel results from the extreme imaginings of science fiction authors."
Garrett took the seat next to her. "You will get used to it, I promise. I'm sure you're overwhelmed by it in the same way your ship has affected me."
"You're just being polite. You must think Britannic belongs in a museum."
Garrett's silence was all she needed to hear to know that she was right.
Before he could offend her, he turned his attention to the controls. "The ship flies itself. But where's the fun in that? I've always preferred to act as the pilot for atmospheric flying and docking. Strictly speaking, the main computer should complete those maneuvers so don't tell anyone."
"I didn't take you for a rule breaker."
"I see it as bending the rules in order to increase safety margins," he replied, with a cheeky wink, before continuing. "The quantum communications system connects to the Federation Core, allowing instant access to all data libraries. If any information exists about your family and their ark, you will be able to access it from here. Now."
"What do I do?"
Garrett leaned forward in his chair. "Computer. Show me information on the Project Exodus Ark, designation Archimedes."
Within thirty seconds, the main view screen showed a three-dimensional render of an ark ship. Aside from having clean lines and no damage, it looked virtually identical to Britannic. Beneath the image, technical data about Archimedes began to fill the screen.
At the sight of the familiar ship, Maxwell gasped and put her hands to her face.
Garrett placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can ask the computer anything."
She turned to look at him
with wide, teary eyes that were full of dread. "Now I'm here, I'm not sure I want to know."
"We can do this another time if you're not ready."
Maxwell wiped away her tears, reluctant to decide. Summoning up her resolve and taking two deep breaths, she said, "Computer, when did Archimedes arrive in the Stellar Cluster?"
Maxwell released the breath she'd been holding, her face relaxing into a look of joy. "Do you have any information on three males named Daniel Maxwell, Sean Maxwell, and Charles Maxwell? They were on Archimedes."
The screen went blank, as holographic life-sized representations of the heads of three men appeared to hover just above the console. One looked to be in his sixties, the other two in their late thirties. All of them were sporting thick beards and beaming. Maxwell let out an uncontrolled shriek. "My boys," she cried, reaching out in a vain attempt to touch the holograms with her fingers. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered each of their names to herself.
"They're so much older," she said once she had recovered her composure sufficiently. "Tell me about Daniel."
Maxwell smiled. "That was his dream. To care for the health of the colonists. He worked into the early hours for months, planning what he would do. He was constantly working with doctors and scientists from around the world, deciding on the optimum medication and medical equipment to pack given the strict mass limitations. We would spend hours just talking about what we would do to create the best future for our children and humanity."
"It looks as if he achieved those dreams on your behalf," Garrett said.
"Yes, it does," she said, wiping away more tears. "Computer, did Daniel ever remarry?"
"You silly fool, Danny. You know I wouldn't have minded." His hologram stared back as if in silent acknowledgment.
"He sounds a very loyal husband."
"He is," she said, before tutting. "Sorry, he was! I'm still getting used to this."
Garrett nodded in sympathy. The conversation was bringing up memories about Mercy. Emotions he was trying to suppress were forcing their way up, threatening to overwhelm him with their strength. Maxwell impressed him with how well she was coping.
"Computer, do you have records on Sean and Charles Maxwell?"
"Did he marry or have any children?"
"I'm a grandmother," she said in surprise. Garrett couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. "I wish I'd met them."
"You may still have family here after all," said Garrett, as Maxwell looked quizzically at him. "Computer, give me a family tree showing the descendants of Sean Maxwell."
Maxwell frowned as a detailed family tree appeared on the view screen above the holograms. It revealed the steady progression of families leaving Constance II across hundreds of generations and building lives on new planets before venturing out further again. Some branches died off, but there was no doubting the success of Sean's lineage. She stared open-mouthed at the representation, attempting to comprehend the scale of it. "How many living descendants are there?"
"You're not alone after all."
"Apparently not. That number is incredible. It's the population of a small city."
"In the early years, the Foundlings promoted larger families. They would have considered five children a small family."
"Yes, they briefed us on that subject. My sons were too young to understand those lessons. Danny was prepared for more children and I wouldn't have objected. Let's see how my other son did. Computer, please give me details on Charles Maxwell."
Maxwell looked longingly at her son's hologram, her body shaking as she stroked the outline of his face.
Garrett remained in his chair, unable to find any words of comfort. The reality of the situation that she would never see her family again was surely sinking in. He knew from his own bitter experience that grief was a personal matter. Especially when life was snuffed out without the opportunity to prepare or say goodbye.
Choking back her tears, Maxwell broke the silence. "They must have thought I was dead. When Britannic failed to arrive on time, Danny and the boys would have grieved. Maybe that's why Danny never re-married. They somehow found the strength to go on and complete our dreams. I'm proud of their achievements. I hope I can find a similar strength."
"I'm sure you can. Those records are available for you to access at any time, from anywhere. So your family will always be with you. I know that you'll make them proud as well."
"Thanks, Oz. I've seen enough to convince me you're genuine. I appreciate you showing me my family. It's going to take a long time to adjust to the fact they're no longer with me. However, I now need to focus on the other nine hundred and ninety-nine people who traveled with me from Earth. They have a right to know the truth too."
Chapter 13
With the aid of the small electric cart, Takahashi and O'Brien made the one-kilometer trip to the engineering section at the rear of Britannic. As they each held onto the cart's handrail in silence, they kept their thoughts to themselves as they contemplated the enormity of what Garrett had told them.
Passing the various hatches dotted along the central core, they paid close attention to their surroundings, looking for any clues that could either confirm Garrett's version of events or blow them out of the water. But this part of Britannic had been enclosed and kept in a vacuum and could have been in the same condition for two days or two thousand years.
As the cart reached the end of the line, Takahashi sighed with relief. The regular clicking sound as the cart passed over welded joints had almost sent her to sleep.
The pair of them made their way from the cart to a hatch labeled 'Engineering'. Twenty meters further along, a dull steel bulkhead marked this end of the central core. The wall was six meters thick and beyond it were the vast propellant tanks, fusion reactors, and propulsion units that powered Britannic.
Takahashi entered the code to gain access to the engineering control room before gliding elegantly through the hatch. The interior of the room was almost a replica of the command center in terms of size and configuration. The key difference was the lack of stasis pods. Instead, there was an extra wall of computing equipment and monitors.
O'Brien followed closely behind, wrinkling his nose at the wall of warm air being circulated by the steady whir of fans.
Takahashi slid her feet into the floor restraints and quickly entered the code for the start-up routine. Within seconds, the monitor in front of her was displaying the data she was looking for. She keyed in several more codes, bringing the racks of sophisticated equipment around the room to life. Lights started flashing and various screens flickered as they displayed the status of Britannic's systems.
"Is there anything I can do to as
sist?" asked O'Brien, who had been watching from the side of the room.
Takahashi, a look of confusion on her face, slid along the racks of equipment to another display screen. "Can you tell me the propellant pressures on tanks one through six? They're on the screen to the left of you."
He used a round handle to pull himself into a position where he could read the information on the screen. It was a series of numbers that made no sense to him at all. "They're all reading between eighty-two and eighty-four percent."
"Thanks." Takahashi moved further around the room to view a third set of screens, frowning as she deciphered the information in front of her. "I've verified the information from three unique sources. The data confirms one thing."
"Which is?"
"Britannic's main engines turned themselves off approximately eleven years into the journey. I can tell by the amount of propellant still in her tanks."
O'Brien's eyes widened at the revelation. "How could that have happened?"
Takahashi shook her head. "We'll have to wait for the system diagnostics. I can tell you that Britannic never got close to achieving maximum velocity."
"So Garrett is telling the truth?"
"I don't know. I have to calculate the actual velocity we achieved. Only then can I tell you how long the journey would have taken. The alternative is that it is only eleven years since we left Earth with Garrett intercepting the ship and shutting off the engines."
O'Brien winced. "I don't like the alternative."
"Me neither. I should be able to give you an answer shortly."
"Maybe it has taken two thousand years to get this far but it doesn't explain how he found us or why he decided to revive us before waiting for the authorities to arrive."
"You really do have a trust issue, don't you?"
O'Brien smiled. "Let's just say I'm cautious when picking my friends."
"It looks as if you can trust Garrett," Takahashi said as she completed her calculations. "The hugely reduced velocity after only eleven years of acceleration does mean we would have arrived at the Stellar Cluster round about the time he is telling us. There is a four percent error variance to allow for gravitational forces and a gentle reduction in forward motion over time."