by Gary Weston
'On Earth?'
'I need to know. My father tends to protect me from the truth.'
Craggy sat back down. 'I've a few friends in important positions both on Earth and Moon. Now and then, I'll sit and have a drop to much of the moonshine with those on Moon and they would tell me things. You, me, all of us are being fed bullshit by the politicians on Earth. No change there, then. But the truth is, they're as lost as the rest of us. Diseases are popping up all over the Earth. New ones all the time. Antibiotics, what few they can produce, aren't working. Containment camps are growing exponentially...'
'They have to isolate the sick.'
He fixed her with a stare. 'Isolation is one thing. Eradication is another.'
This was dangerous talk. 'No.'
'You did ask, Fawn. It's true. I've a couple of pals. Number crunchers for the West government. What they told me was that each camp has a strict quota of people to care for. But more are being sent to the camps every day. The thing is, the populations of the camps hardly changes.'
'People die. They are sick, so they die.'
Cragg shook his head. 'To a degree, yes. But not the exact number of people dying as new patients are added.'
'I don't understand.'
'I think you do. Say a camp has five thousand. Some as you say will die off anyway. Hundreds of new sick ones are sent there each week. The population of the camp stays almost exactly the same.'
Dillow couldn't face him. 'No. I can't...'
'Some of them, the sickest, are helped along to make way for the new ones. Sometimes, not only just the very sickest. It gets worse.'
'How could it get worse?'
Cragg sighed. 'Not all those sent to the isolation camps are sick. Some are just old.'
'I don't believe you.'
'I know it's hard to accept, but it's true. Why do you think I kicked up a stink about being pensioned off early? Old timers like me are a drain on what resources the Earth has left. Oh, if I was sent back to Earth, I'll be okay until I fall crook and some toady doctor taking backhanders from the government puts his signature on a form; next thing you know, I'm in a camp.'
'No. They can't do that.'
'You know history. This is nothing new. It's real and it's happening right now. It's irrelevant, anyway.'
'What makes you say that?'
Cragg took her hands in his. 'Fawn. If I couldn't keep being useful on Moon somehow, and I was sent back to Earth, I'll not see one hundred and fifty. Heck. I'll be lucky to see a hundred. Even if I stayed healthy and out of the camps. The planet has gone over the edge. Ten years tops and that's being optimistic.'
'That'll make me forty three if I lived on Earth. That's no life at all.'
Cragg nodded. 'I agree. That's the real tragedy. Youngsters like you. And it's all my fault. Mine and all those that went before you. Only when it was too late did we even try to save the planet. For that, I am sorry.'
'So what do I do?'
'Get yourself on Mars. Sooner rather than later. The best I can hope for is to get a little job on the Moon so I won't get sent back to Earth, if I'm lucky. You deserve so much better.'
Confused and depressed, Dillow had nothing else to say. She felt as if her world was crumbling around her. She had gotten to know Craggy over the last few months and she knew that although he had a strange sense of humour, he was a straight shooter. What he had told her was true, perhaps not even the half of what he knew. And that thought scared her more than anything.
Chapter 10
It was tense as they sat together for the full systems check.
'Equilibrium, stable.'
'Check,' said Cragg.
'Thruster emissions, balanced.'
'Check.'
'Internal pressure. Stable.'
'Check.'
'Air quality. Good.'
'Check.'
'Systems within normal parameters.'
'Check. All good.'
'Craggy.'
Cragg saved the information on the ships log and turned off the recpad. 'You've been thinking. I can tell.'
'The thing is, my father told me he was sure we still had some distant relatives alive on Earth. Our rare flesh and blood. After what you told me, I'm scared for them. I can't just abandon them. I might get a place on Mars, but I can't take my relatives with me.'
'Neither can you tell them, either.'
'What?' Dillow gasped. 'If I can find a way, I have to tell them. Warn them so they can at least look out for themselves.'
Cragg shook his head. 'Fawn. Don't make me regret I confided in you. If your family kicks up a fuss, they might be in danger.'
'I find it so hard to accept it's like you say it is. Are we from the same Earth, because I'm beginning to wonder?'
'Sadly, yes. The Earth's two governments are trying to keep a lid on it, feeding Moon a pack of lies and half truths. West and East are as bad as one another. It's just a matter of time before it all blows up. In the meantime, they are using progressively underhand and nastier ways to protect what's left for a select few. Older people are disappearing completely by the thousand. Only the young and fit will be okay. Don't let your relatives be involved.'
Dillow's eyes began to water. 'I can't...Craggy. What should I do?'
'You won't like it.'
'Help me, Craggy.'
'Stay well away from Earth. And by Earth, I mean your family down there as much as possible. The more you try to contact them, the more you'll want to warn them. If I were a youngster like you, I'd make a new life for myself on Mars; start my own family.'
Dillow wiped away a tear. 'We have to fight back. Get our planet back.'
'That's what my Uncle Bennet said. He could see what was going on. He was a hundred and eleven. Years left in him. Caught some new flu bug. Went into hospital, he never came back.'
'He died?'
'He disappeared. I was on this, heading for Mars. When I got back he had vanished and nobody knew what happened to him. From the Moon, I called the hospital he'd last been in on Earth on a vidcam. A doctor at the hospital looked terrified. Best not to pursue it, he said. I'll never forget the fear I saw in his eyes. He cut me off. Fawn. You say save our planet Earth. What planet? If there was anything worth fighting for, I'd be right there with you. The human race has only one chance. To start again elsewhere, and this time get it right.'
Chapter 11
There was too much icy tension on the compact ship to spend time together. Eventually, Dillow stopped with the uncomfortable questions. Craggy was in the bathroom, applying the shaving gel to his face. He had a few lines on his wrinkled-up face that made shaving a challenge. He looked in the mirror, and studied his face. The red cream made him look more like a clown than usual. He thought his eyes looked dead.
Talking to Dillow had taken its toll, and he was feeling old. He couldn't help himself, and he certainly would never tell her, but he thought of Fawn as the daughter he never had. If he could protect her in any way, he would. He wiped the cream off and his face was smooth and clean.
'You should grow a beard, old man. Cover up as much as possible.'
He went to his bunk, picked up his PLAct, chose a play and hit start. The three dimensional figure projected out by the side of him. The actor, one of the previous centuries finest and dressed in full costume, was giving the performance of his life. The PLAct, a series five, was almost an antique and like its owner, was showing its age. It flickered and wobbled, and the sound often faded in and out, but the battered PLAct was a comfort thing. He stretched out and listened to the familiar words.
“To be or not to be. That is the question.”
'You got that right, pal.'
He drifted off into an unsettled sleep with the actor still strutting his stuff. He was woken up by the sudden jolt the ship made. Walking through the projected image, he made his way to the deck. Strange things were happening with the controls. Lights were flashing on and off all over the place. Dillow was doing her best to respond but nothing seemed to be working. T
here was another shudder which almost had Cragg falling over. He staggered over to the copilot's chair, grabbed the back of it and sat down, belting himself in, something he rarely did.
'We hit something?'
'Not that I know of. Nothing was showing on the screens.'
The ship settled and the control lights did likewise. 'Craggy. Is this the ship just being old?'
'That never happened to me.' He listened to the ship. 'She isn't right.'
'I can't hear anything.'
'That's the trouble. Neither can I. I can hear the thrusters. Nothing else, though.'
Dillow strained to listen. 'You're right. It's the same but...'
'...but different. You sit still and quiet. I'll see if I can get to the bottom of it.'
Cragg unbuckled and went close to the walls, pressing himself against them one by one, listening hard. He placed his hand on the wall. Things always vibrated. It was a part of the ship's personality, just minutely different from all the other freighters. After twenty years of being together, he understood the ship better than anyone. She was trying to tell him something.
Standing at the back between where the thrusters were, he placed both hands on the wall. This wasn't anything in any manual or procedure. This was pure experience and a sympathetic relationship with his ship. He closed his eyes and felt the old girl talking to him. The thrusters were sweet. He was sure that wasn't the problem. He returned to his seat.
'How's things this end?'
Dillow said, 'Seems okay. You?'
'I'm sure the thrusters are okay. But something is out of kilter. Ignore it for now.'
They kept the conversation light. She was interested in learning about Mars. Not the guide book version. It was the interaction between the people that intrigued her.
Cragg told her an example of how uniquely different things could be on Mars. 'I remember this one time, me and Pottsy were out in the buggy. This was way back when he was just a section captain and I had not long made freighter captain. Anyway, we were going to deliver some parts to the mine to fix some machine. I only went along for the ride. We were about half way between Base Three and the mine, when a storm blew up. Dust storms are common and unpredictable. Watch out for those.
This one was a doozy. The buggy being uncovered offered no shelter. We got out and buried ourselves under the buggy. Man, that storm just kept going, and getting worse by the second. We couldn't see a thing or hear each other. We must have been lying there for an hour, then the damn buggy took off. The storm actually bowelled it over like a kids toy.
Of course, we were completely buried in sand. The storm stopped as fast as it had started. Pottsy got out first, and set about digging me free. By the time I was out, I was nearly a dead man. My internal air filters were damaged, and I wasn't getting enough air.'
'I thought it was almost impossible to damage filters.'
'These days, I agree. Back then, filters were not like they are now. Pottsy picked me up, threw me on his back and carried me four miles to Base Three. I wasn't breathing when we finally got there. They spent twenty minutes reviving me. Two days in intensive care and here I am.'
'Quite an adventure.'
'Pottsy saved my life that day. Know what he said when I thanked him?'
'What?'
'He said he was just being a good Martian. And that's the difference. Somebody needs help, you just help, you don't ask.'
'I can see myself living there.'
'I'm glad to hear that.'
'Craggy...'
She didn't finish because of another jolt.
'Time to send out a probe and have a look outside,' said Cragg.
'I've never used one of those,' admitted Dillow.
'I've only used them a couple of times, myself. I hope ours haven't seized right up. We'll figure it out together.'
The probes were attached to the outside of the ship in retractable housings. They were manoeuvred by control cables but worked by tiny independent thrusters.
'When were these last used?'
Cragg shrugged. 'Five, maybe six years ago.'
'Craggy. They probably won't even work.'
Cragg grinned. 'One way to find out. Those are the controls over there. Start with the first key. That's for the cover.'
Dillow pressed the key. 'Nothing.'
'Try it again.'
'Nothing. Wait. Cover open.'
'Right. Before we send it out, see if we can get a picture. Fourth, no, fifth key.'
Dillow pressed key five and watched the huge screen ahead of them. 'Nothing.'
'You need to switch to remote imaging for the screen. Number four key. There. Getting an image.'
'Not bad.'
'Okay. That's number one probe. See the number one slide? The further you slide that along, the further out the probe goes. Ease it along and watch the screen. There she goes. Use that sensor pad to control the probe thrusters. Nice and steady. See the screen?'
'A good view of the ship.'
Cragg studied the screen. 'We need to let the probe go all along the pods to see if something isn't right. Ease the slide along, but watch the screen. Use the pad to manoeuvre the angle of observation. A little too much. Back again. Nothing much wrong with pod one. Hold it steady between each pod. A little more. Hold it. Angle down. Nothing there. Angle up. More. More. That's fine. Keep doing that along pod two.'
It was slow and steady progress, Dillow becoming more competent with the probe controls.
'This is where the problem might be,' said Cragg. 'Between six and seven. Probably happened back on the cradle with that damned rock.'
Dillow got the probe in position. 'I'll take it up a little.'
'Hold it. There. I thought so. The top lock is moving. Not secured enough.'
'But the lock controls say it should be.'
'Pan in. Slide two. Hold it. See that?'
'Yes,' said Dillow. 'The pod is flexing and the V sections are twisting against one another.'
'Hmm. Which suggests to me that the bottom lock is not right, either.'
Dillow said, 'We need the locks fully engaged.'
'I know. Trouble is, only the top lock is accessible once the pods are together. Impossible to get at the bottom one.'
'We could lose pods seven to ten if it comes off.'
'True,' said Cragg, 'but I'm more concerned that as pod seven lifts off the back of pod six, the whole damned lot will be flapping about like a broken tail. God only knows what that would do.'
'What can we do?'
Craggy studied the problem. 'Hmm. It has to be welded together. If we can do that, we stand a chance of getting to Moon.'
'But that means going outside.'
'I'll suit up.'
'Oh no you don't.'
'Don't be silly.'
Dillow held onto his arm. 'I'll do it.'
'Is that right? A good welder, are you?'
'I took a couple of lessons.'
'Oh, goody. Fawn. I can weld that with my eyes shut. You just drive the bus.'
Cragg suited up and checked the oxygen and suit pressure. 'I'll grab the welder and get out of the airlock.' There was another jolt. 'Jeez. Look. It's moved up again. Keep an eye on me with the probe.'
Cragg got the welder, a small hand held device, not unlike a revolver. It had a safety cord which he attached to his belt. He also found a small hammer and secured that to himself, too. A minute later, he was out of the airlock. He fed out the safety line fastened to his suit belt and made his way towards pod six. It took a couple of minutes, and then he gave a wave to the probe.
'Dillow. Can you hear me?'
'Loud and clear, Craggy.'
'I'm going to try to hammer the lock in place before I weld. Here goes.'
Cragg tapped the top of the lock with the hammer. Nothing gave. He hit harder. The lock budged slightly. Encouraged, he struck the lock with a small series of light blows with the hammer. 'It's moving a little. One more...damn.'
'What's happened?'
'Damn lock broke clean off. I couldn't catch it.'
'Now what are you going to do?'
'I'm thinking. I'll have to weld the V section together. Enough to stop the thing moving about.'
Dillow said, 'We can't land with the pods out of alignment.'
'I kinda figured that out myself. This is just a stopgap to get us to Moon. We can orbit and a maintenance crew can fix it so we can land. Starting welding.'
Cragg eased himself over the top of pod seven, so he could reach the ends of the V section. Then he pulled the trigger of the welder and the flame shot out of the barrel. He used the flame to tack the V sections together. Then he did a long run of weld on both sides, fusing pod six to pod seven.
'That should get us home. Coming in. Retract the probe.'
As the ship hurtled through space, Cragg pulled himself along the safety line with one eye on the probe.
'Slow retraction down, Dillow. Slower. Ease it inside the housing. Got it. Slide the cover over. Cover over. Switch over to normal screening. Now turn off the probe. Opening the airlock, now.'
He opened the outer door, closed it then opened the inner door. He took the safety line off and rolled it up and stowed it where it was intended to go, just inside the airlock. Then he closed the inner door and took off his helmet.
'Great job, Craggy.'
'As long as we get to Moon, we'll be okay. I need a beer after that. Want one?'
'Just the one, okay?' warned Dillow, knowing just how illegal drinking alcohol on a ship was.
'Coming right up.'
Chapter 12
'Cheers,' said Dillow. 'That was a gutsy thing to do, Craggy.'
'Because I'm eighty four?'
'Just because it was. I'm glad I'm with you, this trip.'
'Thank you kindly, young lady.'
Dillow looked as if she had something serious to say. 'Craggy. Let's face it. I couldn't have gotten here right now if it wasn't for you. I'm not ready.'
'What are you on about?'
'You're here to assess me. Not to save my ass.'
Cragg said, 'You're doing okay so far.'
'See? That's my point. I wouldn't have figured out that problem and gone out to fix it like you did. I wouldn't have been able to figure out the probe. I need more experience.'