Sedulity (Book One) Impact

by David Forsyth

“No, honey, it’s just that, uh…”

  “Relax, big man,” she smiled. “I know you too well. A whole new sky to study? You’re like a kid in a candy store. And don’t worry, if I didn’t like brainy nerds, I never would have married you.”

  “Hey, I’m not a nerd,” Kevin protested.

  “Oh yes you are, Mister Meteorologist,” she giggled. “But you’re a cute and sexy TV weatherman too, so don’t sweat it.” They both laughed and shared a kiss, then cuddled until time for the show.

  A group of passengers at a neighboring table were having a lively discussion about the Line Crossing Ceremony and their impressions of the cruise ship in general. Kevin couldn’t help but listen in. A slightly overweight man in his mid-50s was the loudest and most opinionated. Kevin soon learned that his name was Hank Donner from Houston, Texas, and judging by how often he mentioned it he was quite proud of the fact. Kevin decided he didn’t like him much, but found his opinionated rant entertaining.

  “I tell you this whole Line Crossing thing is a crockpot of cow dung. Ain’t nothing special about crossing the equator. I’ve done it on a plane half a dozen times and they don’t even bother to wake you up. But here? Hell, they closed most of the damned casino so the dealers could participate in this silly charade. So I figured what the heck, old Hank Donner from Houston Texas ain’t the kind of guy to sit down there alone playing slot machines. Hell no, I come on up here to watch the show and smoke a cigar. But now they say I can’t smoke my cigar here. That Filipino fella says I gotta go to the aft deck to smoke a cigar. Ain’t that a bitch? There’s nothing to see on the aft deck. So here I sit, chewing on my cigar and waiting for this darn show to get over with so I can go back to playing Texas Hold’em in the casino. Did I tell you I’m gonna win the poker tournament on this cruise? Damn right I am! ‘Cause if there is one thing besides drilling oil wells that Hank Donner is good at, it’s Texas Hold’em. Some people call it luck, but I call it fate. Just comes natural to me.” Thankfully Hank lowered his voice when spotlights were turned on above the outdoor stage.

  “Here they come!” Kevin pointed at a procession coming down the stairs from the upper deck. It was led by a man with long gray hair, in a full-length flowing robe, wearing a crown and carrying a big trident. He was flanked by ships officers who wore Viking helmets instead of their normal caps. They were followed by a group of musicians and entertainers who were beating small drums and tambourines.

  “Who is that?” Amanda gestured towards the person leading the procession.

  “That is supposed to be King Neptune, God of the Sea,” Kevin explained. “But it’s really our intrepid ship’s captain playing the role.”

  “No way,” Amanda said as she tried to reconcile her image of their bald captain with the imposing figure taking center stage. “I have to see this!” The procession formed up on stage and the Captain stood in front of a tall, throne-like chair. Over 200 crewmembers had lined up in front of the stage and around the edge of the swimming pools by the time the drums stopped beating and “King Neptune” raised his trident.

  ****

  “Hear ye, hear ye!” Captain Krystos called out in Greek accented English. “You are about to enter into Our Royal Domain where I, King Neptune, rule by decree. Those of you who have never crossed the line before are still Pollywogs, but that is about to change. You have each been inspected and found worthy of initiation into the Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep!” He paused for dramatic effect. “Pollywog members of the Sedulity crew are commanded to participate in the initiation! Honored guests and passengers are invited to join them. All those aboard the Sedulity on this passage will no longer be known as Pollywogs, but will instead have earned the title of Shellback, with all the honors and privileges thereunto appertaining.” The crew and passengers clapped and cheered when King Neptune paused. Then he pointed his trident at the crew and continued.

  “Pollywogs of the Sedulity crew! Turn and face the pool!” The crew complied in close to military precision. “Now jump into the pool! You must stay in there until we cross the equator.” The assembled crew rushed to jump into the two outdoor swimming pools on the Resort Deck, as the on-looking passengers laughed and called out encouragements. The “pollywogs” went into the water fully clothed in their uniforms and seemed to enjoy the experience. They splashed water at each other and soon occupied every corner of the pools. Some of them overflowed into the children’s wading pool and whirlpool spas. It looked like a lot of fun. Captain Krystos turned to his Viking attired First Officer and said, “Mr. Crawford, count us down to the Crossing of the Line.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Crawford responded loudly. “Attention on deck! The Sedulity will cross the Equator in one minute and thirty-five seconds from now. It is traditional to make a wish as you cross the line, and since we are crossing at night, it is good luck if you see a shooting star too. Get ready!”

  Chapter 2:

  Thousands of miles west of the SS Sedulity the Rogue had already tasted air for the first time. High above the border of Pakistan and India the twilight retreated as the sky lit up and a fireball formed. It seemed to grow as it streaked across Southern Asia at a speed in excess of 30,000 miles per hour, slicing through the upper atmosphere at more than 15 miles per second. If the Rogue had been on a slightly different trajectory, it would have skipped along Earth’s atmosphere and caromed off into space. If its composition had been slightly different, the Rogue might have disintegrated, creating a colossal and harmless fireworks show in the stratosphere, or splintered into countless smaller and less destructive meteors. No such luck. The Rogue was big, tough and unstoppable.

  This particular rogue asteroid had only crossed Earth’s orbit occasionally in the past billion years, since falling out of the Oort Cloud and starting its own eccentric orbit around the sun. Ten million years ago it had almost plummeted into the sun, but a close encounter with Jupiter had saved it and set it on course for this final destination. The Rogue’s most recent journey to the center of the solar system would be its last. It had come perilously close to the sun again, heating up to molten temperatures, before slingshotting out on a collision course with Earth. A billion years ago it would have been a gigantic comet visible to the naked eye from millions of miles away, but repeated passes close to the sun had boiled off all the frozen gases, leaving a dense and tempered ball of heavy metals more than a mile in diameter. Having melted and hardened in repeated close approaches to the sun, the friction of Earth’s atmosphere was almost mild by comparison.

  The Rogue had arrived unannounced, approaching from the direction of the sun where telescopes were virtually useless. It was not the first asteroid to collide with the Earth and wouldn’t be the last, but this was an event the likes of which had never been seen during the short history, or even pre-history, of Man. Dinosaurs had ruled the Earth the last time something like the Rogue had arrived. They probably wouldn’t have seen it coming either and that event had marked the end of their reign on the planet. Although the Rogue had no conscious intention of doing so, it was about to push mankind to the edge of extinction too.

  ****

  Kevin and Amanda were thoroughly enjoying the Line Crossing Ceremony. They held hands as they sipped their rum and cokes, watching the crew frolic in the swimming pools and exchanging comments on Captain Neptune and his royal court. They had been informed that each passenger would receive a Line Crossing Certificate declaring them Shellbacks, so had declined the invitation to jump into the pool. They were perfectly happy to enjoy the moment and observe the spectacle. The First Officer, Mr. Crawford, took up the countdown. “Crossing the Line in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three.…” His voice trailed off as the sky seemed to turn from night to day in an instant.

  Kevin had already been looking up at the sky, taking in the unfamiliar constellations and hoping for a shooting star to wish upon. He got far more than he bargained for. Luckily he was looking southeast, across the pool, and the Rogue approached from b
ehind him. Otherwise he would have been at least momentarily blinded, as were many others on deck that night. As it was, he had time to raise one hand to shield his eyes and pull Amanda’s head down into his lap with the other. Through slatted fingers he saw a sight he would never forget.

  This was no shooting star, it was a falling sun. It streaked across the whole sky in a matter of several seconds, growing in size and intensity as it passed over the ship and descended below the eastern horizon. Before the light could fade, however, it grew and expanded into a brilliant flash that quickly turned into a false sunrise. It reminded Kevin of footage from hydrogen bomb tests that had been conducted not far from this part of the Pacific Ocean, but he knew better.

  “Asteroid strike!” he exclaimed, whether to Amanda, himself, or anyone in earshot he couldn’t say. A moment later the echo of his voice was drowned out by the most devastating sonic boom imaginable. It sounded like a dozen simultaneous lightning strikes within spitting distance. Glasses shattered and more than a few eardrums burst, but that was just the shock wave from the asteroid’s passing. Kevin’s eyes went wide and his mind whirled, even as his ears rang. The real blast wave would be coming soon.

  “Dear God,” Kevin whispered while Amanda clung to him in confusion. “Come on, baby, we have to get inside now,” he said, but saw that she couldn’t hear his words over the ringing in her ears. “Inside!” he yelled. “We have to get inside!” Turning to the stunned people around him he yelled, “Everyone! Get inside the ship and stay away from the windows!” He pulled Amanda to her feet and headed for the door into the spa. There was a stairwell there that would take them down towards their stateroom. They had to get to Emily and move her somewhere safe, if there were such a place anywhere aboard.

  Their path took them past the closest pool and the stage where the Captain stood like a statue of King Neptune, God of the Sea, faced with a crisis of biblical proportions. He didn’t look injured, or incapacitated, more like disbelieving. Kevin didn’t blame him, but knew that decisive action was called for. He changed course across the deck and pushed through the bewildered crowd to reach the stage, dodging drenched crew who were trying to climb out of the pool.

  “Captain!” he yelled. “Captain Krystos! It’s an asteroid strike over the horizon, but the blast wave is coming! You must get everyone inside and secure the ship for impact!”

  “Impact?” the Captain asked, shaking himself into action. “What impact?”

  “There’s a blast wave heading towards us at the speed of sound,” Kevin explained quickly.

  “Didn’t we just get hit by the blast wave?” the Captain asked.

  “No, that was only a sonic boom as it passed over us. I’m talking about an impact blast wave! It could be a hundred times worse.” That got the Captain’s attention, along with the rest of his costumed officers on the stage.

  “How do you know this?” asked Captain Krystos with a note of skepticism.

  “I’m a meteorologist and climatologist. That was an asteroid strike. A big one,” Kevin stated with conviction.

  The Captain took another second or two to consider the situation before dropping Neptune’s trident, pulling off the wig, and grabbing the microphone from the speechless Mr. Crawford. “Attention, this is the Captain. All passengers will go below decks and gather at the lifeboat muster stations immediately! Do not go back to your staterooms. Go directly to your lifeboat stations and wait for further instructions. Officers and crew report for duty at fire drill stations. Prepare the ship for impact.” He turned to the officers behind him and said, “Staff Captain Stevens, you will take charge of moving these passengers below and evacuating the staterooms.” Turning back to Kevin, he said, “Please accompany me to the Bridge. If you know what is happening, I may need your advice.”

  “We have to get our daughter from our stateroom,” Kevin protested. “It’s not safe in any of the rooms with windows or balconies.”

  Taking that piece of information in stride, Captain Krystos realized that he really did need this man’s advice. Turning to one of the junior officers he said, “Lieutenant Reiner, go with this man’s wife and retrieve their daughter from their stateroom.” Returning his attention to Kevin he continued, “We will see to the safety of your family, but I must insist that you come with me now.”

  “Uhh… Alright,” Kevin reluctantly agreed with his reasoning. “Honey, go with the officer and get Emily out of the stateroom. Take her to the forward stairwell lobby and wait for me there. And bring your life jacket.”

  “No!” Amanda objected. “Don’t leave us, we need you.”

  “Just do it, baby,” Kevin replied as he moved to follow the Captain. “Emily needs you, but the whole ship is in danger. The next few minutes are critical. We have to turn the ship, or it could be the end for all of us.” That stopped her protests and she allowed the young Lieutenant to lead her inside. Kevin watched her go while the Captain instructed his own wife to go down to the life boat stations with Staff Captain Stevens and help keep the passengers calm. Kevin chimed in to say, “Keep everyone away from the windows!” Then he followed Captain Krystos towards the Bridge.

  Everyone on the pool deck was either dazed or in a state of panic, but many of them were indeed heading inside the ship. Many of the passengers and crew led others who had been blinded by the flash of the impact. The Captain’s wife and some of the crew were herding them like sheep. Kevin hoped they would all make it below in time, but even if they did there was no certainty that anyone would survive what was coming next.

  “What was that you said about turning the ship?” Captain Krystos asked as they entered a door marked Crew Only.

  “The blast wave will be coming from the east.” Kevin replied. “We need to turn into it, or it will hit the ship broadside, maybe even capsize us.”

  “You don’t think we should turn west? Away from it?” Mr. Crawford asked from behind them.

  “The front of the ship is more aerodynamic and built to take more punishment, isn’t it? And there’s no hope of outrunning what’s coming.” Kevin replied. The Captain grunted agreement as they reached the Bridge.

  “Captain is on the Bridge!” called out the nervous but clearly relieved voice of the Third Officer standing watch.

  “Thank you, Mr. Jennings, I have the con,” Captain Krystos said. “Helmsman, hard to starboard. Full ahead on port engines, full astern on starboard engines. Steady onto a heading of 90 degrees true, then reduce speed to one quarter ahead on all engines.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir, hard starboard to a heading of 90 degrees true,” responded the helmsman as he spun the tiny wheel that steered the massive ship and fiddled with some computer controls next to it. The Sedulity responded smartly, listing to port as it dug into the starboard turn. Warning buzzers sounded as the angle of the turn exceeded the ability of the ship’s stabilizers to compensate, but there was scant concern for the passenger’s comfort at that moment. Vibrations and shudders ran though the hull as the ship was put under stress by the violent maneuver, yet the Captain knew that the computers would prevent the controls from exceeding design tolerances. This was a maximum performance turn of the type the Sedulity had only performed during sea trials, but she had passed those tests with flying colors. Of course this time the stakes were much higher.

  Kevin and the Captain moved to the Starboard Wing of the Bridge and stared out at the western horizon. The brightest light had faded, but the sky was still lit as if by a sunset. More disquieting was the way the glow rose into a distant column that must be miles wide and was topped by a rapidly spreading mushroom cloud.

  “It’s like a nuclear bomb!” exclaimed the Captain.

  “No,” Kevin said with tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “It’s much worse than that.”

  ****

  Amanda and Lieutenant Reiner were ahead of the majority of people trying to get inside the ship and made it to the stairwell without incident. The stateroom where Emily waited with the babysitter was only two levels do
wn on the Panorama Deck. They passed several bewildered passengers on the stairs who might not have witnessed the events overhead, but had obviously heard the sonic boom. The Lieutenant called out as they passed, “Go down to your lifeboat muster stations! Stay off the deck and away from windows. Do not go back to any outside cabins!”

  Ignoring confused demands for clarification, Amanda led the officer to her door. She pounded on it as the officer pulled out his master keycard. Before he could use it the door opened inward and a young Filipino woman let them in. The babysitter was clearly terrified and began asking questions in broken English, but the Lieutenant directed her out into the passageway and ushered Amanda inside where she rushed to lift little Emily into her arms.

  This balcony stateroom was on the starboard side of the ship and the ominous glow of the asteroid strike lit the horizon beyond, but the ship was already starting to turn. The deck tilted with the turn, and it felt like she was running downhill as Amanda carried her daughter back out of the stateroom. The Lieutenant took a moment longer to retrieve a pair of lifejackets from under the bed and join them in the corridor. While he was doing so the emergency alarm klaxon sounded and the Captain’s voice erupted on the ship-wide PA system, clearly set to maximum volume.

  “Attention all passengers. This is not a drill. Go immediately to your lifeboat muster stations. Stay off the decks and away from all windows. Evacuate all balcony staterooms and outside cabins immediately! If you can’t get to the lifeboat stations immediately, find a spot away from any windows and sit on the floor. Be prepared for violent movement of the ship. This is not a drill. Attention crew! All hands man Fire Alarm Stations, Condition Epsilon. Repeat, Fire Stations, Condition Epsilon. This is not a drill.”

  The Lieutenant turned to Amanda and said, “Okay, ma’am, let’s get you two down to your lifeboat muster station.”

  “No,” Amanda replied firmly. “My husband told us to go to the lobby by the stairs and wait for him there.”