“Eleanor?” Colleen Rush wedged her head into the little sleep pod that had a small LED light shining within, “Are you awake?”
“Yea, Colleen? What’s up?”
“Just wanted to talk, are you busy?”
“Please, save me from this terrible crap my father is forcing me to read.” Eleanor laughed quietly so as not to wake any of the others.
“I am sure he has you reading it for a reason.”
“He is under the impression I am going to be the Queen of the Tehom, or some other such overlord.”
“Queen?” Colleen gave an odd look.
“Not literally, he is trying to groom me to take over the Citizen Council on board in a few years. Most of the stuff in these books is common sense, but I can see the value in organizing it in a way that the ideas are presented together.” Eleanor started chattering in her school teacher way until she caught herself, “Sorry Colleen, I’m just tired. You wanted to talk?”
“Actually, I like listening to you talk, even though I have a hard time keeping up with you sometimes. That’s kind of what I’m worried about.” Colleen climbed into the tiny twin bed sized pod next to Eleanor.
“You lost me.” Eleanor put her book down.
“It’s just, I don’t feel like I deserve to be here. Most of the people on board are gifted in some way, special. I am just an average coffee girl who’s dad happened to be the right guy in the right place at the right time.”
“You are more than that.”
“I’m dreadfully average Eleanor, you know that.”
“You wouldn’t be here if you were not meant to be here, you need to look beyond yourself and look at the big picture. My dad thinks you are a good person, I know you are a good person, we are friends and I don’t have very many of those, especially now. I am glad you are here.”
“I just wish I could contribute something other than being a breeder.”
“Don’t call yourself that.”
“What?”
“A breeder, none of us are cattle, you will find a way to contribute, we all will. We are all going to have to find a way to keep active and occupied.” Eleanor shook her head, although the trip was a generational one, and it wouldn’t be their children or grandchildren that would enjoy Tehom Prime but their great grandchildren, Eleanor hated the idea of people seeing themselves as just breeding stock for the future. Children would need parents, parents would need jobs, everyone would need something to make their lives feel fulfilled or everyone would end up going crazy. Even to Eleanor most of what awaited them aboard the TOGS was a mystery.
“Will you two shut up, I am trying to sleep.” Sandra Wright leaned over the edge of the pod above them and stuck out her tongue in sarcastic insult. “Besides, if you are just a breeder, what does that make me? At least you have made something of your life, I’m running away from the mess I made of mine.”
“Oh shut up Sandra, your sob story isn’t that impressive.” Colleen jabbed at her playfully and the three of them giggled. The inclusion of Sandra in the friendship between Colleen and Eleanor had been a welcomed balance; she was the one that could stride both the mental and chronological rift between them.
“Girls, all of us are tired. Big day tomorrow, we all need some rest, cut it short tonight?” Simon Tehom said from somewhere in the darkness, putting an end to their midnight chat.
Colleen floated across the bay to her own pod and the three of them made an effort to sleep.
Morning came early and the radio blared into the bay, “Shuttle flight 242, you are cleared for docking and embarkation at airlock two, starboard side stern, glad to have you with us.” A foreign voice instructed their duty pilot.
The docking procedure put them second in line at that particular air lock, a precautionary measure that meant a further delay. The sudden surprise of their arrival made everyone aboard the shuttle rush to get ready. Although their personal belonging were very few, the sudden arrival within the gravity well of the TOGS made for an interesting dilemma as gravity overtook the myriad of smaller items wrestling both people and items from weightlessness and pinning them against the floor. The sudden shift in gravity was gradual but noticeable. Longwei and Colleen both vomited.
The passengers of shuttle flight 242 were lucky, not a single member had any mental distress. Their flotilla however was not so lucky; about a month in two suicides had occurred on flight 249. Their funerals and ejection into space had been a somber and depressing time for the entire flotilla.
The Tehom family disembarked last, Eleanor stepped aboard and couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. Finally they were home.
To welcome them, there were only a pair of attendants. Each of them were stripped naked and given new clothing. A loose fitting pair of pants, short sleeved shirt, and a pair of thick socks with stripes of gelled grip on the bottom, the cloth felt like a mixture of paper and recycled plastic but was not uncomfortable, just different. The outfits resembled some recyclable approximation of medical scrubs, just a bit more formal. Most of what she could see maintained that same theme, not uncomfortable or too terribly foreign, just markedly different.
The floor paneling seemed sturdy and easy to clean, but was not sterile and artificial like she expected a spaceship to be. The long hallway labeled ‘Officer’s Gangway’ had been lined with tiny oblong windows into space, the glass seemed to be several inches thick and outside some sort of armor plating angled toward the rear of the ship protected the glass. The overall impact of the windows became a wall of stars that ran almost the entire length of the habitat portions of the ship.
Deeper in, the interior hallways held fantastical nature scenes from earth, the Grand Canyon, The Hills of Austin, The shores of Padre Island. It seemed like the whole interior of the ship had been designed to draw attention away from the fact that they were in fact on board a spaceship. The impression was in fact more of a cruise ship, the distinction surprised Eleanor.
Each section they walked through had its own theme, the slightly rounded compartments unnoticeably wrapped around the central core which provided the long distance propulsion in addition to the artificial gravity they all enjoyed.
“Eleanor Tehom, Colleen Rush, and Sandra Wright. This is your room.” The attendant opened a tall and narrow door into a passenger compartment.
Inside were three stacked sleeping pods similar in design to the ones on the shuttle but slightly larger, each had a series of shelves and drawers built in as well as a monitor, camera and microphone interface. At the base of each bunk was a small space designed to hold the titanium lockbox they had been issued on Earth with their personal effects. Instead of curtains, each pod had a sliding panel for privacy. The common area of the compartment held a single table with three chairs, a mirror with a miniature sink and digital clock.
“Pretty tiny.” Colleen said and chose the top pod.
“This is an officer’s family quarters. You should see the bunk bays; they are larger but sleep twenty five.” The attendant smiled slightly, “That’s where I stay.”
“Colleen it’s loads better than the shuttle, remember? You were worried you would be hearing my Dad snore for the rest of your life!” Eleanor smirked and set her things into the bottom bunk.
“Get settled, you are expected to be on the promenade in 45 minutes. I’ll come back and escort you. Don’t forget to sign in with your name to your station.” The young male attendant smiled and closed the door behind him as he left.
“It’s not that bad, reminds me of college.” Sandra mused.
“At least it’s clean, although the cameras in our beds is a little disconcerting.”
“That is for your video phone, it’s so you can call and talk to other people elsewhere on the ship, and it was actually my idea.” Eleanor spoke up and stretched out on her bed.
“Is the promenade the large compartment we saw from the shuttle?”
“Yea, most of the daily stuff we will be doing is there I think, at least in our off time. We will
all be given a job of some sort, or schooling to do a job.”
“They have me teaching music, I was ecstatic when Mr. Tehom had my guitar fixed and said I could bring it aboard.” Sandra ran her hand over her guitar case and set it in the corner.
The trio took turns huddled around the individual monitors in each pod as they signed in with their full name. Their room number, pod number and assigned position flashed across the screen along with brief biographical and genealogical information.
“Why do they care who my grandparents are?” Sandra said.
“They don’t, but in a few years, after we are all dead and gone, they don’t want cousins and such having children if at all possible. It keeps the genetic diversity high if all our family information is recorded. I believe they have most of us back at least four generations.” Eleanor logged in.
“Says I am assigned to the Citizen Council?”
“That’s no surprise.” Colleen typed her name in.
The screen read out, ‘Owner and Proprietor of Rushes’.
“Rushes? I think the system is out of date.” Colleen leaned back.
“Nope, it’s a surprise you’ll have to see.” Eleanor crossed her arms.
“What surprise? Now you gotta tell me!”
“A few years ago my father was talking about things we needed on board, he was concerned about textiles for clothing, metal fabrication facilities for spare parts and food production. My mother and I and a host of others on the Board pushed for social and recreation, we have to build a life here. Rushes is a sort of hangout, drinks, entertainment, a tiny casino, video games… Its designed for a youthful crowd, you did such a good job running the place in Texas, my dad wants you running it up here too.”
“What?! How did you keep that a secret for three months!?” Colleen shoved Eleanor playfully.
“A year actually.” Eleanor laughed, “I better get free drinks!”
The three mused and bantered back and forth, the subject of pregnancy and babies eventually came up about the time the young hall attendant came knocking, his arrival made the three of them collapse in fits of giggles and made him blush even though he wasn’t a part of the conversation.
“Come on, your father asked me to make sure you guys aren’t late.” He said and the three walked toward the middle of the ship bantering and teasing him.
***
Simon’s arrival on the ship took a different path. The officer’s gangway ran the length of the ship on the starboard side, one of the few places onboard where open space could be viewed. Windows had been kept small, shielded and easy to seal, mainly for structural integrity but also for the mental stability of the passengers and crew.
“The Captain is this way Mr. Tehom, as you requested.” The first officer, a man named Floyd Parsons had been waiting at the airlock and now led the way.
“How many complaints?” Simon asked coldly.
“Seven so far, seems to be one a month since he came on board.”
“Disgusting.”
“Yes’sir.”
Simon and Parsons came to the end of a hallway and Parsons scanned a card into a small unmarked slot in the door which unlocked.
Inside the seemingly innocuous door were three cells complete with bars and a guard station, the room was cold, very cold and had the overall feeling of a hospital.
“Glad to see you Parsons! Now you can explain what this is about!” A over confidant and boisterous man peered through the bars.
“Allow me.” Simon spoke and stepped around Parsons. “Captain Joshua Drayer, you are hereby relieved of your command, you will be given a shuttle to return to Earth. But you are no longer welcome aboard my ship.”
Drayer looked at the other three men in the room, the only law enforcement on board were a scant few peacekeepers.
“Did you really think you could get away with it Drayer?” Parsons shook his head and crossed his arms.
“Well, you wanted us to breed right? That’s the whole reason we are here!” Drayer lashed out and tried to grab Simon by the shirt. “I’ll take your shuttle and ram it right up the ass of this ship, then we will see how far you assholes get!”
“I think that will be enough out of Captain Drayer.” Simon motioned to the guard in the room who used injection molded handcuffs to secure the prisoner.
The four men walked together quickly down the hall, Drayer screaming obscenities the whole way to the air lock Simon had arrived at less than a half hour prior.
“Enjoy your trip back to earth.” Simon said as he grabbed Drayer by the hair and shoved him into the tiny room and locked the door.
“You fool I am going to kill all of you, this is my ship!” Drayer screamed, enraged and maddened.
“Turn around.” Simon said coldly.
Drayer turned around and looked in horror for a brief second and realized there was no ship on the other side of the airlock. The exterior door opened slowly, removing the oxygen from the room and summarily whisking Drayer into space.
“Thus always to tyrants.” Simon said calmly, a quote whose meaning was lost on the other two.
“Glad to have you on board Mr. Tehom.” Parsons shook his head looking at the empty airlock.
“I will not allow any man, civilian or crew to jeopardize the future of this expedition. Nor will I allow so called liberties to be taken by those entrusted and sworn to protect us all. Make sure my point is made to everyone on board.” Simon looked at the two men.
“Understood.” They both said simultaneously.
Simon Tehom was able to walk the halls and sections of the ship with little complication or loss of direction. For years he had walked the ship in his mind and in his sleep, as each iteration of the design of the Tehom One had floated across his desk. The sheer size of the actual spacecraft surprised even him.
Simon walked alone through the tight but tall hallways that all ended up leading toward the Promenade. As he arrived on stage he was viewed by all 6,248 crew and passengers aboard the TOGS and minutes later, state owned television stationed broke programming to cover his arrival on board.
“Glad to finally be here.” Simon spoke into the tiny microphone on the podium and the assembled crowd cheered.
“We stand here, shaking hands with our friends who remain on Earth as we say goodbye to them. Our differences and our politics don’t seem to matter so much anymore. We have been united in such a common goal for so long; I think we have managed to become friends even if only for a little while. As we embark toward Cassiopeia and Tehom Prime, we must all realize that we are not alone. We are united by our common cause, our common mission, and our well wishers and fellow men and women who remain on the Earth. As we stretch this single strand of humanity toward another star, we cannot forget our past or the mother that gave us birth.” Simon paused and looked into the crowd. “What we are doing, here, what we are doing now. We have pushed the limits of human knowledge and technology; we have pushed the limits of human labor and endeavor. We can now only trust in God our creator and pray that we have his blessing in this. To the people home on Earth, we say goodbye, and thank you!” Simon raised his hand and stepped back from the podium, the exterior video feed to the Earth stopped and once he could be sure the video link to earth had ended he again stepped forward.
“We have work to do, and we have a date with a friend I aim to not miss. In two months we will rendezvous with the KX2M1 and enough fresh water to last three hundred years!” Simon lowered his voice and his tone sobered, “What I say now, I say to you, for us, not for the people of the Earth. We are alone. We can no longer look toward Earth for guidance, help or morale. We are all that we have, the person next to you, the person in front of you and behind you. We are all in this together, this is our new life. It will take some getting used to, but we have done everything we possibly could to make this home.” Simon paused and gritted his teeth, “Captain Drayer has started things off here on the wrong foot. The complaints and the warnings many of you sent me privately did not go u
nheeded. I refuse to allow one man, crew or passenger to seat himself above the masses and Lord over them like some despot! We are all that remains of Freedom and of human Liberty; we must all embrace that and realize that no piece of this ship or of ourselves is truly ours. The future is our children, their children and theirs. We are caretakers of this ship and of the society that will grow from us. Tyrants, Despots and Assholes need not apply!” Simon shouted into the microphone and walked off the stage to thunderous applause.
“What did you do with Drayer?” Liberty whispered into Simon’s ear.
“I tossed him out an airlock. I hope I made my point.” Simon smiled slightly.
Rumor and news of the death of Captain Drayer spread quickly as did confirmation of his crimes. For months he had been forcing women, both crew and civilian into sexual relations through coercion, blackmail and bribery. He had used the rank of Captain to spy and stalk women through the communication systems. Had Simon not arrived so soon after the complaints had been confirmed, a full mutiny had been predicted by Parsons.
Legally the Civilian Council was the law and order of the TOGS and Simon Tehom had stepped beyond his own legal power in executing Joshua Drayer, but not a single complaint was heard and the issue was never brought up, even in private conversation. Drayer was dead, and none mourned him.
Simon and Liberty Tehom stepped into their own cabin finally after several hours of greetings, speeches, progress reports and briefings. The hour was late and the sudden reintroduction of gravity on their bodies after their arrival did not go unnoticed. Exhaustion overtook the pair as they climbed into sleep pods adjacent to one another.
“Goodnight Simon.” Liberty looked across the dimly lit room.
Simon managed an incomprehensible grunt in response.
Both Liberty and Simon slept incredibly hard and deeply. The reintroduction of gravity upon their systems made their sleep much more restful and fulfilling.
Tehom: The Tehom Legacy Book One Page 14