by Luigi Robles
“Kya, can you patch me through to Officer Rick O.?” Larissa asked.
Within seconds, there was a response on Larissa’s wristband. “Yes, ma’am, how can I help you?” Rick said.
“Were you able to get an exact head count?” Larissa asked.
“Yes, ma’am; there’s a total of 2,860 people on board the ship from the facility, and as far as Sodenia personnel, they all show as present on the computer.”
“Come meet me by the entrance to the cargo area of Sodenia,” Larissa said. “Bring your best officers with you; we have a lot of work to do.”
It didn’t take long for Rick and the other officers to get to where Larissa was. Rick had brought twelve officers with him.
This is good, she thought.
“OK, listen up,” Larissa said. “We have to give these people a place to stay, a place they can eat, and a place they can call theirs, at least until we get back to Earth. Sodenia can only hold 5,500 people in the four apartment complexes, buildings A, B, C, and D. We assigned 4,200 people to apartments prior to departure. However, that was assuming that things would go as planned. But they didn’t, and now we have 7,060 people on board.”
Larissa extended a small screen on her wristband and did some quick calculations. She hummed, trying to stay in a positive mood, while her fingers danced around the tiny screen.
“So, if my calculations are correct,” Larissa said, “which they are, make no mistake… To accommodate everyone in the best way we can… Wait, I better say this in a way that everyone can hear me.
“Kya, intercom, please, for the cargo area and all the officers with assigned apartments.”
“Whenever you are ready,” Kya replied.
“Attention, officers previously assigned apartments and ESAF facility members. In order to best accommodate the current situation, we will dedicate building A to the people that came from the facility, two people per room. The remaining one hundred and ten will float over to building B. Officers that were assigned to building A and the first fifty-five apartments in building B will float back, sharing a room with the person in the nearest apartment. As long as there are two officers per apartment, we should be OK. I hope you understand that this is only temporary.”
Some of the officers that Rick had brought over took it in stride, and it was clearly visible that they were happy, no doubt already making plans to bunk with their buddies. But others weren’t as happy. Larissa decided to call them out and cut any potential problem at the source.
“Are there any objections?” Larissa asked. “If so, I’d like to hear them.”
Two of the officers in the group stepped forward, their hands clenched. They didn’t look happy. Rick stepped in front of Larissa to remind the officers of their position, but Larissa gestured for Rick to stop and said, “That won’t be necessary, Rick. Let them voice their concerns.”
“How are you going to take away our apartments just like that?” one of the officers said. “You take our apartments away while you and the higher-ranking officers will remain on the upper decks in the luxurious suites? I don’t think so! Why don’t you give up your suite or quarters or whatever you want to call it? I’m sure you can fit ten or twenty people in there.”
“You fools,” Rick shouted. “I knew that you two were ignorant, but this goes beyond that. Don’t you know that?”
“It’s OK, Rick, I’ll take it from here. Both of you, identify yourselves before you address me,” Larissa said with a calm voice. She was used to being obeyed and never having to repeat herself.
Her words were like a whip to the officers, and they quickly straightened up and snapped to attention.
“Verrol P. Ribbons, deck officer,” the one who had spoken said.
“Christof Reels, deck officer,” the other one said.
Larissa knew that if she allowed any sort of flexibility, she would lose any and all power she had over them.
“I’ll take the time to answer this in case it comes up again, even when time is of the essence,” Larissa said, stepping up to the two. “In case you have forgotten, I am Lieutenant Commander Larissa Drewner, the general manager on board Sodenia. I am responsible for all of you and everyone on board this ship. The food you’ll eat, the water you’ll drink, and even the air you breathe all have to be approved by me, among hundreds of other things. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me explain this. The original plan the council on board Sodenia had was to put four officers in one apartment, since the apartments themselves aren’t exactly small. I was the one that got the council to agree to use all four apartment complexes.”
Verrol and Christof were beginning to look pale, and sweat appeared on their foreheads.
“Lastly,” Larissa continued, “the upper decks are designed for the flight crew and highly specialized officers, so they can be on hand and ready for action at any given time, helping Captain Fain Jegga in any way they can against the alien threat. Does that answer your questions?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Verrol said stiffly as his Adam’s apple bobbed.
“And you?” Larissa asked, directing her gaze towards Christof.
“I-I’m fine with that also,” Christof said, trying not to stutter.
“But if you insist on complaining or not cooperating fully,” Larissa said, “there is plenty of room in the detention bay. You got that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” both said in unison.
“OK, let’s get going. We have a lot of work to do,” Larissa shouted at the group. “Let’s wrap this up as fast as we can so we can get some shut-eye.”
Larissa, Rick, and the officers worked until the wee hours of the night, assigning new apartments to everyone in the cargo area and letting the rest know about the move. Everything had gone smoothly, with not much complaint. People were happy enough to be able to finally rest after the long day.
Larissa didn’t leave the complexes until the last person was inside his apartment. After that, she was quick to grab a pod. She was dead tired, and even managed to fall asleep during the short five-minute ride. Kya had to nudge the pod back and forth until she woke up.
Once inside her quarters, her clothes flew off. She needed a shower badly, but she needed sleep that much more. She decided to wipe her face and hands with a damp, warm towel before going to bed. A shower would be too much, too long, and it would probably wake her up.
“Kya, wake me up forty-five minutes before the first shift,” Larissa mumbled as her body faded away into the sleep realm. “I’m going to need a lot of coffee. A lot of coffee. A lot…”
To Larissa, it seemed like she had closed her eyes not even a minute ago when she was already waking up again. She rested naked on the bed. The thin sheet that covered her felt so good; she felt free. But she knew that if she didn’t get out of bed right away, it would be that much harder when she finally did.
“I hope you’ve prepared really strong coffee,” Larissa said as she sat up in the bed, attempting to get up. “I’m really going to need it. Is it really time to get up already? I am beat.”
“It is exactly forty-five minutes before the first shift,” Kya said. “Per your instructions, I woke you up.”
“Is there any good news?” Larissa asked. “How is Fain holding up in the detention bay?”
“There have been no major incidents since Sodenia left Earth. We are currently near lunar orbit, using minimal energy,” Kya said. “Captain Fain seems to be doing well. Food and water have been made readily available to him. My sensors indicated a high level of unease and discomfort as he slept last night, but he’s yet to complain.”
“Yeah, that’s him. I doubt he would ever complain,” Larissa said, feeling the unfamiliar traces of a smile on her face. “Please do your best to keep me informed if something should happen. Can you run some calculations? Just how long do we have before we need to resupply? I’m not sure just how much we were able to get inside Sodenia before the alarm sounded.”
“The current stockpile of nutrients on Sodenia s
tands at one hundred and five tons,” Kya said. “If we limit the food printers to a basic menu, the current supplies should last a little over eight days, eating three times a day.”
“I’m not sure just how long it’s going to be before we get out of here,” Larissa said. “It might be way too early to answer these kinds of questions. I better wait until I have more caffeine in my system. But I’ll have to limit the menu right away and make sure that people get no more than three servings per day, and that goes for everyone on board the ship, including the council. I don’t think we have to worry about liquid; I feel like there is more than enough of that.”
Her body was sore. Every movement she made, as little as it might be, caused her discomfort and pain. She made her way to the food printer however she could, half-dragging the thin blanket with her. She didn’t bother putting cream or sugar in her coffee; she took it black. The first sip made the pain she felt while walking to the kitchen well worth it.
“Kya, I have a question,” Larissa said worriedly as she looked at her coffee.
“Sure, how may I help you, Lieutenant Commander Larissa?” Kya said.
“Larissa will be just fine. Lieutenant Commander is really unnecessary when it’s just us. Maybe you can use that when addressing me in front of others. It’s up to you.”
“Understood,” Kya said. “I’ll take that into consideration for next time.”
“Good,” Larissa said. “Hey, there’s something in my coffee.”
“What is it?” Kya said.
“I’m not sure, but can you make another?”
“Not a problem,” Kya said, pausing for a second. “I have begun an audio loop, but with the limited conversation we had, I am afraid that it won’t last long.”
Larissa was the second person Kya had told that she was on Sodenia’s side and not the council’s. Together they had worked out a code to initiate a loop in case they needed to discuss something the council shouldn’t hear.
“I won’t take long. How much control does the council have over the ship? How many people are they issuing orders to?”
“Before we left Earth,” Kya said, “the council issued orders to 443 people currently on board the ship. During the past 24 hours, that number has escalated to 1,820 people.”
“This isn’t good,” Larissa said. “If they wanted to, they could really just take over Sodenia.”
“That’s highly unlikely,” Kya said.
“And why is that?” Larissa asked.
“So far, the only people the council have under their control are deck officers, peacekeepers, and guards,” Kya said. “None of whom have the necessary skills to fly the ship.”
“Well, that’s a bit of good news,” Larissa said as she took a sip of her coffee. “Do you think we can win this? Heck, do you think we can survive?”
“I have yet to understand humanity in its entirety,” Kya said. “But what I do know is that the human spirit has never been extinguished in the past. Humanity has faced wars, drought, famine, and natural disasters, none of which have been able to diminish the resolve humanity has to live in this galaxy. I believe that as long as there’s one human alive, this is a battle we can win.”
“End loop,” Larissa said with a sigh. But she felt hopeful. What Kya had just said was what she needed to hear.
“Should I get the shower going for you?” Kya said. “I can set the water to the ideal temperature and change the setting to hydrotherapy to better soothe your body muscles.”
“That’s sounds perfect, Kya,” Larissa said, holding the blanket with one hand and setting her coffee mug next to the food printer. “It’s about time to start another day.”
10
Disruptions
August got to the bridge ahead of everyone else for the morning shift. His nerves were making it impossible for him to relax. To make things worse, the council had issued at least twenty new orders for him to follow, and he was required to report back each time an order was completed. The first thing on August’s plate was a course correction. The council wanted to be closer to Earth. The only thing that could make things worse for August was a full-on alien invasion.
He hovered over the pilot’s command station, hesitating to sit down, making excuses in his head for why he should wait just a little longer to get on the seat.
I should just wait until Eora gets here, or Pycca. Heck, I should wait for Larissa, well, because I need them here. Just in case something were to happen. Or what if the enemies are waiting for me to get on the seat to attack? Yeah, I can’t let that happen. I should wait.
Anxiety and paranoia were beginning to churn within August. It reminded him of when he was just a kid and his parents had passed away, but that in turn also reminded him of why he was there in the first place. He was being split in half by his nerves.
“Morning, Captain, Eora checking in. Weapons bay is operating at full capacity. The drone pilots are also standing by.”
Eora’s voice through the coms snapped him back to reality.
You have to get a grip on the situation. Everyone is depending on you, he thought. Do whatever you have to do but get back in the game. If Fain is not here to command the ship and neither are you, who will? Colton? Please. He never got a high score on the simulator. Get your shit together, August.
“Captain, are you there?” Eora asked.
“That’s good to hear, Eora,” August said. “We will be correcting our course shortly.”
Yes, that’s much better, he thought. And what was I thinking earlier about getting on the pilot’s command seat? That seat is not even necessary for simple tasks. That seat is only for battle, meaning I don’t have to use it.
“Kya, has there been any movement on the network of satellites, or anything unusual?” August asked.
“Everything is within the normal parameters,” Kya said.
“Let’s go ahead and lower those to ten, no, make that fifteen percent under what is considered normal,” August said, feeling much better about himself. “If asteroids clash just a little bit more than usual, I want to know when and where.”
“Very well. Would you like to know in real time?” Kya asked.
“No, that might not be wise,” August said. “Make me a spreadsheet with the information so I can take a look at it later. But if something is abnormal based on the previous settings, I want to know in real time.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Kya said. “Making the necessary changes and beginning to compile data now.”
“Thank you, Kya,” August said.
“Morning, Captain,” Pycca said as she walked over to her station.
August looked over to his seat; there was no one there. The council hadn’t chosen a first officer to replace him after all.
“Good day, Captain,” Larissa said as she walked over to her station.
He thought about placing Larissa in his old chair as first officer, but her role on board the ship was too great, and there would be no one to replace her. Consequently, he thought about Pycca and Eora but came to the same conclusion.
“Kya, can you patch me through to Colton Doyle?”
“Sir, I mean Captain, you want to speak to me?” Colton said.
“Yes, I need you on the bridge to take my place as first officer,” August said. “Please keep this to yourself.”
“Yes, Captain, I’ll be right there,” Colton said.
In less than a minute, Colton was on the bridge. The efficacy with which the pods on the ship worked never ceased to amaze August.
“Where do you want me, Captain?” Colton asked, dead serious.
“Right over there,” August said, pointing to the right of him. “That used to be my station—well, that’s not true; it still is. This is only a temporary change.”
“Not a problem, sir,” Colton said as he hurried to the station.
He thought that it would only be fair to inform everyone on Sodenia of their actions, to prevent any form of panic. After all, there wasn’t any order from t
he council not to.
Pressing the flashing blue button, the one that would let him communicate with the entire ship, August spoke. “This is Acting Captain August Macaraeg, filling in for Fain Jegga temporarily.” He added that last part and stressed it to reassure the people of the ship and to let the council know that things weren’t over. “We will correct our current course from outer semi-lunar orbit to inner lunar orbit. This will put us 35,000 miles closer to Earth. We will also be opening viewing ports scattered across Sodenia. I suggest you take in the view while you can.”
August entered the new course on the center console, and the ship began to move.
“Kya, open up the main display screen and leave optimum polarization on,” August said. “We don’t want to accidentally blind anyone while we take in the view.”
From this distance, Earth looked like a bright ball in space—not very different from the way the moon looks to us, perhaps, just larger. But she was beautiful, glimmering with color in the darkness of space. The moon was impressive in its own colorless way, showing off the billion-year-old scars scattered across its face. The moon was closer than August had ever seen it before.
The course correction took them six hours, and it all went as planned. They left the moon behind them, and Sodenia began orbiting around Earth on an inner lunar orbit. August decided it was time for the bridge to get lunch.
“It’s lunchtime. Let’s meet back here in an hour,” August said, his nerves finally calmed.
“Sounds good to me,” Eora said through the coms. “I’m starving.”
August returned to his quarters instead of going to the designated lunch room. He needed to think, and he needed to make sure that he was doing the best he could and that nothing was escaping him. While food was on his mind, so were the doubts.
A little less socializing never hurt anyone.
“Kya, has there been any movement captured in our network?” August said as he entered his quarters. “Well, I mean, movement that meets my below-normal criteria.”
“I have accumulated 784 spreadsheets of data that meet your criteria,” Kya said. “Would you like me to print them out for you or send them to your computer?”