by M. M. Perry
Henry was already looking at Naomi like he hoped she’d fall out an airlock somewhere.
“And a team of six soldiers will be going with you. Eagle Eye, Trigger, Casings, Book, Kitch and Chef. They’ll be taking care of you over there, so be nice to them,” Alphea said, eyeing Henry.
One of the soldiers stepped forward. As a soldier, he didn’t wear a jumpsuit typical of most of the people on the Magellan. His fatigues were gray with orange patches on one arm.
“I’m first marksman Eagle Eye. I’ll be leading the team of soldiers. Anything you need, we’re here for. We’ll get you in and out, safe and sound.”
Naomi nodded. He sounded like the most serious person she’d ever met. She expected military training was a joyless task, but she had never met any soldiers before. She wondered if they were all so officious.
“Mission begins in three days. We need to outfit the shuttle and prepare,” Alphea said. “I wanted everyone to meet up before we began, so you’d be familiar with those you will be working with. We’ll see you all again at training.”
The soldiers saluted Alphea and she turned away from them, guiding Naomi alongside her.
“Now you’ve met them. That’s the easy part,” she said as they moved off. “Tomorrow and the next day, you’re going to report to me at my workstation. I think we’ll get more done there than in Experimental Engineering with Marcus scowling over our shoulders the whole time. And I should be able to freely answer all those pesky questions you keep peppering me with. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Naomi nodded, continuing to count while Alphea spoke. She stood in place, watching the tall woman leave the hangar. She felt someone touch her elbow and turned around.
“Hey,” Jeremy said, watching Alphea.
“Hey.”
“That the gennie? Alphea?”
“Yes.”
“She’s taller than I would have thought. Shift’s over in thirty. There’s a recreation area just outside the hangar. If you wait around for me, we can walk back to Family together and get ready for the drop, yeah?”
“Sounds good,” Naomi said.
Jeremy smiled at her then went back deeper into the hangar. Naomi made her way out and found the recreation area Jeremy had mentioned. She wondered if it was a break room for the flight deck crew. Clusters of semicircular couches dotted the room and when she sat a tray with refreshments hovered over to her. She chose a cold water and a piece of fruit while she waited. A muted screen on one wall of the room displayed a man in a jumpsuit with orange piping. Naomi tapped the screen on her wrist to get to the ship-wide news channel. The speaker on her wrist began playing the sound for the video.
“The corridors between Family Starboard and Physical Fitness will be under maintenance for the next five days. Please plan your alternate routes now. Demerits will not be forgiven if you are tardy to your shift for lack of planning.
“The final communication drop is in four short hours. Events are planned throughout the ship in Forward Recreation, Port Recreation and Starboard Recreation. The main event, however, as usual, is at the rear of the ship near the hangar. The Communications Module Bay, or as some of our civilians call it, the drop bay, nearly empty after almost seven hundred years of service, will house the final drop party. Plan accordingly if you wish to attend. It is expected this event will have much higher attendance than similar parties in the past.”
The announcer continued to rattle off more notices of maintenance issues, as well as a few standard population updates, “population remains steady today, no new deaths or births to announce,” and agriculture news, “corn is ripening, so expect to see more included in meals in the coming weeks.”
Naomi let herself zone out until an image of a beautiful planet was displayed on the screen, swirling with blues, reds and oranges. Huge circular formations whirled around on the surface. Rings circled the planet in thick rivers of planets past. Naomi stood and moved closer to the screen, her fingers dancing through the light emitters as she traced the formations on its surface.
“Those in the viewing lounges should be starting to have a very good view of the planet formerly known as Xan-673. Named Badb by the builders, this gas giant is twice the size of our ancestral system’s Jupiter. Badb is the protector of our new home. She draws in errant asteroids and keeps them from hitting the two smaller planets in this system. Orbiting two suns, Badb is on the farthest reaches of this galaxy, and has one of the largest orbits known to man. Badb’s atmosphere is similar in temperament to that of Jupiter. Inhospitable, deadly, with ceaseless storms large enough to swallow ancestral Earth whole. The make-up…”
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?”
Jeremy came up behind Naomi and stared at the screen.
“We should go back to Observation sometime. Look at it together for the first time,” he said.
“Maybe,” Naomi answered, looking at the planet on the screen. “That might not be safe. People say seeing something so immense, so incredible, it can stir a lot of things in you. And Observation…”
Jeremy and Naomi were quiet, watching the image of the planet swirl on the screen. Naomi turned and tugged Jeremy’s sleeve.
“The party is going to be so full. We could head straight there. Get good spots. We could swing by the cafeteria near here. We aren’t assigned to it, but I bet tonight they make exceptions,” Naomi said.
“Alright, let’s do that. You’re okay with missing dinner with the kids?”
“The kids will be there tomorrow. This only happens one last time.”
“Let’s go.”
Naomi and Jeremy were camped on a circular couch that had been moved, along with many others, to the Communications Module Bay for the party. Naomi’s readout flashed and she glanced at it. The screen flickered in and out, losing connection. Jeremy looked at it as Naomi fiddled with it.
“I can’t believe the communications array even messes with the ship-wide communications,” she said, tapping the screen.
“It’s a strong signal, yeah? Has to talk to Earth,” Jeremy said, looking at his own wrist.
“We haven’t got a signal back from Earth in so long,” Naomi said, looking up at the huge dish at the center of the large open structure. “Maybe it just doesn’t work anymore.”
“Or maybe,” Jeremy said, shouting over the hundreds of voices around him, “there isn’t anyone there to answer. They sent these ships off for a reason, yeah?”
“Maybe.”
Naomi tapped on her arm again and the screen came up, a message displaying in the corner.
“Todd and Maria are here, with their new unitmates,” Naomi said, standing up.
She peered over the deepening crowd, looking for Maria’s dark tresses or Todd’s beard. After several minutes, she spotted them. She waved her arms high in the air but she wasn’t the only one flagging down old friends. Todd eventually saw her, and they began working toward them through the thick crowd. Todd popped through first, laughing.
“Wow, you got great spots,” he said, looking over the erected barrier into the bay.
Huge tracks lined the wall. It was obvious they all held something at one time, but were now all empty. Only one of the arrays that once filled the room remained in its track. The remaining communications module was spherical. It was easily as large as a shuttle. Naomi had studied them in class. She knew they had been designed so that most of the essential components could be attended to from within a small compartment inside. Not that she imagined anyone had ever done that. There was no evidence anyone from Earth was following their breadcrumb trail through space. Communications with Earth had ceased before anyone on the ship had been born.
Except the builder, Naomi reminded herself. A thought crept into her mind but she ignored it. The excitement of the room was building and she didn’t want to miss it.
Maria popped through the crowd next, pulling a handsome older man behind her.
“Hey you guys! Thanks for saving us a spot! This is Carlos, one of our new unitm
ates,” Maria said.
She waggled her eyebrows at Naomi and sat next to her.
“He’s wonderful,” she whispered to Naomi and giggled.
A slight woman with pale skin, softly angled eyes and jet black hair followed behind Carlos.
“Oh,” said Todd, gesturing for the woman to sit down, “This is Ming. She’s our other new unitmate.”
Ming smiled generously at all of them.
“Nice to meet you all. I can’t believe you left such fun unitmates behind!”
Todd smiled at her, then turned back to Naomi and Jeremy as Ming’s attention was taken by Carlos and Maria.
“Not a match,” he mouthed.
Jeremy patted his arm consolingly.
“Maybe next time, yeah?” Jeremy said.
“Yeah,” Todd said glancing at Naomi, his expression unreadable, “you’re probably right. Everything going well for you two? Everything okay in Family?”
They nodded together. Todd grabbed a drink off a levitating beverage tray.
“You sure? Haven’t had a counselor scare yet?” Todd asked.
“We’ve got good unitmates,” Naomi said.
“Good,” Todd said, easing up. “Let’s have some fun then, shall we?”
The group laughed and chatted for the next hour, waiting for the final drop. Ming and Carlos were a good match for Maria. She was enjoying their company. Todd was left out but was making the best of it, and was happy to be with Jeremy and Naomi again. As the time of the drop approached, the din of the crowd became almost unbearable. Then, as if a signal went off, the room hushed.
Naomi glanced at her wrist. It was almost time. She looked up at the huge metal tracks. Everyone’s faces were tilted up to watch the final communications module’s release. Lights began flashing on the track. An automated arm came to life and reached for the module. The round communications module hummed to life. The connector that kept it in place began moving on the well-oiled track, maneuvering it into position. It slid down a railing to stop in front of the mechanical arm. The arm gingerly grabbed the module and placed it onto an alcove. The arm retracted and went back into its resting state. The module moved further into the alcove and a door closed behind it.
The room was so quiet Naomi thought she could hear the sweat dripping off her cheek and hitting the ground. Moments passed, and Naomi felt the distinctly familiar thunk of the external bay opening, ready to launch the module. With one final echo through the ship’s hull, the module was away.
The crowd erupted in hoots and hollers. Todd gave Naomi a big hug and a kiss. Naomi could see dozens of wristbands light up red from the influx of intense emotions. The counselors couldn’t make their way through the crowd to find everyone, so people took advantage of it. Jeremy found Naomi’s hand and pulled her to him in an embrace.
“It might be safe enough here, now. And there’s all the interference from the array.”
Naomi shook her head.
“It’s never safe enough,” she said, holding him close.
They pulled apart as Todd grabbed both their arms. They glanced over to see Maria kissing Carlos, her armband flashing red. Naomi’s eyes widened.
“Hey Maria,” she shouted over at her friend, “save some for me!”
Maria turned to face Naomi. Naomi pulled her close and gave Maria a big kiss. Maria’s face was alight.
“It’s okay, Nomi. Look out there. It’s ok, I’m ok,” Maria said.
She did a little dance in place.
“Maria,” Jeremy said, seizing her hand, “are you interested in taking some comfort? It’s a great night for it.”
Jeremy wrapped his arms around Maria. Maria pushed him away, glancing at Carlos. He was dancing with another girl nearby. She stared at them for what seemed like ages to Naomi. The fear in her chest welled as she saw confusion and hurt cross Maria’s face.
“No. I mean, thank you for the offer, Jeremy. I’ll be fine tonight. I’ll be fine.”
Maria spun around, her wrist blazing red. Naomi reached out to grab her, but Maria disappeared into the crowd before she could.
“Todd,” Naomi said panicky. “How did it happen so fast? It’s only been one day!”
“They just clicked,” Todd said, his eyes full of dread. “At least, she clicked with him,” he said gesturing to Carlos who was now dancing with two women. “I tried my best to talk her down, but she’s been on this cloud all day. I thought seeing you guys here, it might help.”
Todd hopped up on a chair to search the edge of the room. After a few seconds, he hopped back down.
“I’ll never find her like this. I’m going after her. She’s probably going back to our unit. I’ll find her. It should be easy to excuse. It’ll be the night. The drop. It’s just so overwhelming.”
“Yes,” agreed Jeremy.
He glanced at Naomi
“Yes,” she agreed. “It’s the night. Everything is so overwhelming.”
Naomi wrung her hands, counting rapidly with each breath. Jeremy grabbed her hand and led her out of the cavorting crowd. When they got into a quieter hallway they slowed their pace.
“The moment has passed for me. We’re safe now,” Jeremy said.
“Naomi?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Me too.”
Four
Naomi chewed her toast slowly. She glanced again at her wrist, looking for word from Todd. Brian and Jamil came in and joined her and Jeremy. They exchanged an incomprehensible look.
“You two weren’t in the unit this morning,” Jeremy said, winking at them.
They laughed and the mood lifted somewhat.
“After the party last night, we stayed over at some friend’s. Safer that way, all that emotion,” Brian replied.
“You two look like you had a night though,” Jamil said tentatively.
“Oh, not for us. Don’t worry,” Jeremy said, spearing another piece of meat product.
“I wasn’t as soon as I saw you here. I knew you made it through unscathed, as it were,” Jamil said.
“Naomi is just worried about our old unitmate. She was… it was an emotional night.”
Brian and Jamil nodded knowingly.
“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Brian said.
Naomi could see he didn’t think so. He kept fidgeting with the sleeve of his jumpsuit nervously.
“Naomi,” Jamil said, drawing her eyes to him, “Jeremy said you’re working with a gennie. Must be interesting. We had one here for a short time. Little tyke. But he was so advanced he was only here for a week. Mostly I think they had him observing.”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said. “I was hoping he’d still be here when we got here. Though now they’re so often down in the shuttle bay, I’ve gotten my curiosity fix.”
“The shuttle bay? Is this about the Tereshkova?” Brian asked.
“You know about that?” Naomi asked, surprised.
Brian bit his lip. Jamil patted his arm.
“My job. I hear things. It’s okay, we’ve only ever talked about it with each other,” Jamil said.
Naomi nodded, relieved. She’d been worried Jeremy had mentioned something inadvertently to their new unitmates.
“Yes. They’re outfitting a shuttle to cross the gap. Find out what happened,” she said biting some toast.
“Crossing the gap? Has anything like that ever been done?” Brian asked.
Jamil coughed and had to drink some water. Brian looked at his friend curiously. Naomi noticed Jamil was avoiding their looks.
“Our ship’s never done it, that’s for sure,” Jeremy soldiered on. “The gennies are confident, though. That does make me feel better about it.”
“Are you worried about the Tereshkova? Is it that bad?” Brian asked.
“I don’t know. But it’d be good to know what happened,” Jeremy said.
Brian waved his hand, his mood changing from one of curiosity to indifference.
“We’ll find out. Don’t worry too much. If
not this mission, the next.”
Jamil noticed Jeremy go pale as the panel on Jeremy’s wrist began to glow pink in warning. Jamil casually bumped his elbow into his cup, spilling water all over Brian’s lap to cause a distraction.
“Oh, Brian, I’m so sorry. You better clean that up before your shift,” Jamil said, handing Brian a napkin.
Brian scowled at Jamil, but stood up.
“Right, I’ll see you all at dinner.”
He stomped off, his wrist intermittently flashing his irritation. Jamil waited until Brian was out of earshot before turning back to Jeremy.
“Jeremy. They’re gennies. They always get it right on the first time. It’s why they’re here. We don’t get second chances out here,” Jamil said.
“He’s right, Jeremy. Alphea, she makes the whole department look pointless,” Naomi said, taking care not to touch Jeremy comfortingly in front of the children.
Jeremy nodded.
“You’re right. I’m just still feeling the party is all.”
“Yeah,” said Jamil.
“Jamil, what do you do on the ship?” Naomi asked innocently.
Jamil smiled tightly.
“I’m in communications. I help keep everything going around on the ship. All those little messages everyone sends each other. Which reminds me, I’ve got to run. I’ll see you both at dinner.”
Jamil got up and cleared his plate. Naomi watched him leave. Jeremy picked up Naomi’s empty plate and deposited it on the hovering tray that approached.
“We should get going, too. No demerits, remember? We have that Gardens visit after your mission,” Jeremy said, forcing himself to sound upbeat.
“Yes,” Naomi agreed, giving Jeremy a meaningful look. “I promise I won’t miss it.”
Jeremy counted as they left the common room.
Naomi sat at Alphea’s large terminal. Alphea had access to all sorts of information Naomi never dreamed of seeing. She could see the backgrounds of everyone on her team. Alphea suggested she go over it in detail so she’d know the tools that she had to use. Naomi glanced over at Alphea, who was deeply concentrating on something on her screen.