As Andrew approached his cabin he saw Mathew hammering on the door; he looked annoyed. “Are you looking for me?” he said knowing Matt couldn’t be looking for anyone else.
“I’ve been searching over the entire station for you?”
“Obviously you didn’t look everywhere.”
“Well it feels like I have.”
“If you had of looked everywhere you would have found me in Peters apartment... I was at a meeting.”
“Getting in there is like getting into Fort Knox?”
“Mathew you don’t have to exaggerate everything; just get to the point?”
“There’s some news; good and bad; which do you want first?
“I have enough to do without playing childish mind games. I take it this news relates to us getting to Mars?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me we can do it?”
“Mars is in the right sector; it’s behind us and catching up.”
“And the good news?”
“That is the good news. The colonies director said they are abandoning the colony?”
Andrews voice filled with disappointment. “Abandoning; they are still there now?”
Matt thought the news was on overall good, but Andrews negative response pulled him down to. “Yes but only for another ten days.”
“They are still there; how long before we converge with Mars?”
“Longer than that?”
“Then tell them they have to wait for us?”
“They won’t do it; the window is closing for them to leave?”
“They are worried about the window closing; damn it, have you told them what we’ve been through?”
“Not in as many words.”
“Then somebody needs to let them know we’ve had about as much as anyone can be expected to take?”
“I think they know that; they are well aware of our problems.”
“Yet they are abandoning us… what happened to code of the mariner; to help ships in distress?”
“We can’t expect them to wait and put even more lives at risk? Anyway even if they did wait there’s nothing they can do; there isn’t the room for all of us?”
“You asked them that?”
“Not exactly, but with two crews they have to be at limit?”
“But maybe they can take some of us?”
“If they could it wouldn’t be enough to make any difference. A relief crew was already on its way out when the asteroid passed. The colonies support infrastructure was badly hit. It forced them to prioritize. The moon base or Mars? Mars was considered too tenuous to re-supply so they decided to mothball it until things were up and running again. That’s what they were doing, getting the station mothballed.”
“If they are closing everything down surely they see how desperately important it is for them to wait until we arrive?”
“I’m sure they understand our situation, but their spacecraft is already loaded. The relief crew basically are stopping long enough to pick up the old crew and turn right around, they’re going to be at maximum capacity?”
“Surely they can…” Andrew was shaking his head. “I don’t know how we can tell everybody. I thought that at last; just for once we were gong to be okay; we might as well just open all the airlocks and be sucked into space?”
“Commander we’re not giving up after all we have gone through, and we don’t have to. They have agreed to stop the close down procedure. We can still get to the colony and once we’re down we stand a hundred percent better chance of survival there than here.”
“Survive… another two year’s… maybe we can, but do we want to drag it all out for another two long years?”
“Yes,” Mathew was adamant. “For God sake commander.” he snapped. “After everything we have endured this is the gift of life; yes its almost unbearable, but if we loose this chance there is nothing else?”
“I remember saying that before, and there was?”
“Sooner or later we run out of last chances; this is that last chance?” Matt looked at Andrew; he looked far older than the man who had met him when he first arrived on Earthrise. “Commander there are no guarantees; we have to cross each bridge as we come to it, but if we don’t take the chances when we have them we’ll tear ourselves to pieces. This time we have no choice but to choose survival?”
They stared at each other for longer than each felt comfortable with before Andrew nodded. “Then we will do what we have to do?”
Matt said nothing, but left the cabin. Andrew watched him go before he picked up the phone, and pressed Peters room number. “It’s me.”
“Andrew… so is something happening?” Peter said smarmily.
“Mathew has been in contact with Mars; they won’t be there.”
“I don’t understand?”
“The colony is going to be evacuated, they are all being called back to Earth?”
Andrew could hear the anxiety in Peter’s voice. “We can’t go to Mars?”
“We can still go, but there won’t be anyone there but us?”
The anxiety was gone and replaced by curiosity. “Is that a problem?”
“We’ll yes… it’s going to be a long time before we can be rescued?”
“A long time?”
Andrew could almost hear Peters mind thinking. “It could be years?”
“Years… but nothing else will change other than we will be on land?”
“If you can call Mars land? but we will be on solid ground.”
“And just us?” the voice actually sounded pleased. “So nothing else will change?”
“All that will change is that we won’t be going anywhere and that we can hope for rescue at some time?”
“Isn’t that what we have wanted?”
“Yes, but I hoping…”
“For more? Of course,” Peter interrupted. “But it sounds to me that it is enough… how long is at some time?”
“I can’t say, but travel between Earth and Mars is most feasible every two years?”
“Two years and nothing will change?”
“Including travel time it could be longer. Everything depends on when a rescue can be organized?”
“You sound doubtful?”
“I’m worried that once they think we are relatively safe, the urgency will ease?”
“Surely your not saying they would forget us?”
“No, but they and we can expect most of our problems will be easier to cope with and the urgency will be gone?”
“In what ways?”
“There’s special equipment on the colony that produces air. They have a permanent supply of water, and they have greenhouses to produce food; it’ll probably be a boring diet; in fact it’s probably going to be boring full stop.”
“You make it sound almost like a sanitarium?”
“Or prison?”
“Andrew you are too pessimistic. Of course we would all prefer to go home right now, but reality is reality and maybe this is an opportunity for us both to discard our problems, settle back and enjoy what we have?”
“What we have?”
“Andrew I hear what you are saying but even in prison people have lives?”
“Yes I suppose?”
“Think on the nicer points Andrew. With the fear of death gone we can get into a nice little routine; we can make ourselves very comfortable?”
“First we have to get there?”
The anxiety returned a little. “You have not told me all this, and then are going to say it won’t happen?”
“No, it’s just getting down is going to be a bit of a problem?”
“How so?”
“The shuttle was never intended to land on Mars?’
“I understand there will not be a strip of bitumen, but surely landing is landing anywhere?”
“The same as landing is to crashing; the planets surface is strewn with rocks and boulders and there is a layer of dust that could cover up holes; if the shuttles wheels smash into either it will cartw
heel and possibly kill everybody?”
Peter didn’t sound so concerned. “Andrew I’m sure your being overdramatic, whatever the danger I’m sure that your pilot…”
“Alisha.”
“I’m sure she won’t let that happen.”
“All she can say is that she will do her best?”
“So it is still possible for us to go?”
“Really we don’t have any option, other than we stay here, and some of us may have to?”
“Stay here? Then who have you chosen?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“You don’t know; surely you must?”
“It’s all down to weight, if the shuttle is too heavy its undercarriage will collapse on impact, but as we don’t know how long we will be there without help we need to take everything we can to survive. We can’t say how many can go until we know how much food they will need, and we can’t determine how much food until we decide how many are going?”
“Won’t there be food on the planet?”
“I expect so, but we don’t know how much and we can’t risk not taking all we can?”
“Yes the extra food; the spacecraft will be here before we arrive at Mars?”
“Yes; but nothing changes, it’s still all down to weight on the undercarriage.”
“So you can’t even guess at a number?”
“Not off the top of my head?”
“But once you do?”
“Once we know we will have to draw lots.”
“Andrew.” Peters voice took on a friendly tone. “I don’t want to put too much of an emphasis on our … relationship… but I would expect to go?”
Andrew took a deep breath; he had expected this. “I’m planning that most of us will go down.”
“Most, but that suggests a possibility that I would not?”
“It all depends on the draw?” Andrew tried to sound as if he wasn’t serious.
“Andrew I really… really… need to go down.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good man, and of course the boys?’
Andrews voice was less than enthusiastic. “And the boys.”
“And my dear wife Yulia?”
“Yul… but…”
“Andrew you would not split up a husband and wife surely?”
“No.”
“And Sara.”
“Sara?”
“You wouldn’t want to be parted from her would you?”
“Parted… I was going to stay here?”
“Andrew your not seriously meaning you will stay with the ship; isn’t that all a bit old fashioned?”
“I was thinking of sending Mathew down?”
“Oh no, he would be much more useful here, what if there was a problem that no one else could fix? It is essential for the safety of those that remain that he stays. No you come down; I’m sure we will have a much pleasanter stay together… and Sara will miss you? Look obviously you haven’t had time to think about all the benefits and drawbacks. We both know that you have far more important things on your mind; it seems to me it would take a big problem from the problems you have if I was to organize the draw for you… now isn’t that the best option?”
It took Andrew a while to reply. “Yes…”
“Yes of course it is; you leave everything to me.”
Andrew hesitated. “I was wondering?” Once they were easy but the words were getting harder to say; it always came at a price. “You said maybe I could call by?”
“Did I?”
Peter sounded genuinely surprised but Andrew knew it was part of the game that he played. “Maybe later, after I have given some thought to the list?”
Colony - Orbit the Sun – Part 9 Page 4