Project Columbus: Omnibus

by J. C. Rainier

  1st Lt Haruka Kimura

  17 August 2014, 04:58

  Raphael

  “Course corrections complete, Colonel. Exit course to Alpha Centauri B, gravity compensated. We should be on an intercept course for planet Demeter.” Captain Bartrand’s eyes were bloodshot, and his fatigue was evidenced in his voice.

  “Very well, Captain,” said Colonel Fox. “How long do we estimate we need to run the plasma drive to achieve escape velocity?”

  Bartrand rubbed his eyes, looked at his screen and punched in another set of data to his calculations. He blinked mindlessly at the screen a couple more times, and then spoke, “Three more minutes, Colonel. But we’re a long way off from our target speed.”

  “I understand that, Captain. I want to power down the plasma drive for a bit and back the reactor down on power to give them a break. We’ve passed the fleet, we can afford ourselves some time to make sure our equipment is working properly.” The tone in her voice was harsh, and Haruka could only imagine how the colonel would react to the story of Bartrand’s near fatal hesitation.

  But she has to know, for the safety of the ship. I have to tell her what happened to Bartrand on the transport. Haruka pondered the wisdom of bringing up the point with Fox, especially in her sleep deprived state. No. We need to sleep first.

  “Kimura,” the colonel barked.

  “Yes ma’am?” Her voice cracked as she responded.

  “Shut down the main plasma drive. Make sure the second watch is awake, and feed them. Send them to the bridge, and then get some sleep.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She let out a quiet sigh, switched off the power to the main drive, and unbuckled from her workstation harness. A long overdue rest.

  She fumbled her way to the bridge railing, and pulled herself up. She could see that the colonel was extremely tired as well, but staring intently ahead, as if to burn a hole in the ship’s bow with her gaze. Colonel Fox continued to give orders to the bridge crew. Haruka pulled herself to the end of the bridge, and all the way down the stairwell into the crew sleeper pod.

  The second watch was assigned to sleeper section bravo, and Haruka bumped and floated her way into that section. In the minimal lighting of the hall, she was able to make out several crew members, weightlessly moving about their routines. Some were eating out of meal pouches, others changing flight suits.

  A spindly, gray-haired major drifted up to Haruka. “Do you have something to report, Lieutenant?”

  She straightened and saluted, and received a salute in return. “Yes, sir. Colonel Fox requires second shift to report to the bridge immediately after meal, sir.”

  “Very well Lieutenant. As you were.”

  Haruka pulled herself through the hatch and maneuvered to a storage locker. She opened it, retrieved a meal pouch, and then proceeded to section alpha. Home, sweet home. Her fingers fumbled as she tore open the outer bag, and the individually sealed contents scattered about the compartment.

  “Damn it,” she cursed under her breath. Haruka reached her arm out and plucked a portion of food out of the air as it tried to escape her reach. She analyzed the package. Applesauce. She loosened the top open, and squirted a stream of the contents into her mouth. The food hit her tongue, and she began to slurp it down. The flavor was pleasant and sweet, and the kick of cinnamon was evident. Far better than what they ever served us in boot camp, that’s for sure.

  As weary as she was, even the small packet of applesauce gave her a boost in energy. She gave a gentle push to and collected the remaining food packets that had scattered. She spun again and came to a rest with her back against the opposing wall.

  What else do we have? Burger. Mustard packet. Lemon lime drink. She opened the burger package, folded one edge of the bun up, and slathered it with mustard. She released the mustard packet, using every bit of coordination she had left to keep it floating next to her.

  The burger was dry and mostly tasteless, and she had not expected anything else. Haruka was so hungry, it didn’t matter in the least to her. Once she finished consuming the food, she moved on to the drink packet. In slow, measured bursts, she squirted the liquid into her mouth.

  Dad never liked any of these flavored drinks. She laughed for a moment, imagining him having to choke down a sports drink pouch in zero-G.

  Haruka finished her drink, then collected the wrappers and rolled them up inside the outer pouch, stowing it away in a trash locker. As she closed the locker, she saw Marco Mancini pull himself into the hallway, a meal pouch in hand.

  “Hell of a day, huh Kimura?” he said as he wrestled with the pouch.

  Haruka watched as the stocky, brown-haired lieutenant opened his meal. “I’m not going to have any trouble sleeping, that’s for sure.” The pouch split open and the food packs within shot out in every direction. Haruka caught a small package of food that floated towards her. She read the label on it, then tossed it gently back to Mancini. “Cheese paste. Let me guess, you’ve got flatbread and pasta?”

  Marco caught the packet, and grabbed another one near by, looking at it. “Yup. Sometimes I wonder who puts these things together. Thanks, Lieutenant.” He proceeded to open a small clear pouch, and produced a plastic fork.

  She watched him eat for a moment as she replayed the events of the day in her head. “Marco,” she said. “What do you remember of the last minute or so before we docked the transport?”

  Mancini chewed his pasta slowly, a look of deep thought on his face. He took a gulp from his drink and cleared his throat. “Let’s see, I rebooted the control system, you switched to secondary thruster control. The system alarm went off, we went sideways again. Uh, I think I closed my eyes and started praying to God at that point. Next thing I knew, we were stopped, you told me to secure the docking clamps, and the captain looked like he was going to throw up.”

  He didn’t see it, did he? Haruka frowned. “Did you see what the captain was doing right before?”

  “No, like I said I was praying my ass off. But I guess you and Captain Bartrand brought us home safe, right?”

  Haruka looked off into space and said nothing.

  “Haruka?” asked Mancini. “What’s on your mind?”

  She looked back at him. He was staring at her, and had forgotten all about his meal. His eyebrows were arched and his eyes were open wide.

  “What if I told you that the captain froze up?”

  He cocked his head, and his hands dropped to his side. “Bartrand?”

  Haruka nodded. Mancini looked away for a moment, and then exhaled with a loud huff. Then his eyes narrowed, and his jaw slacked. “Wait a minute. He’s been doing nav calculations all day.” His eyes snapped up to meet Haruka’s. “Dear God, if he’s made any mistakes…”

  “I know, Marco.” I know all too well. He could run us into an asteroid, or get us sucked into Jupiter’s gravity well, or overshoot our target altogether.

  “You’ve gotta tell Colonel Fox. She needs to know this, if he…”

  Haruka interrupted him. “I know. I’m going to bring it up with her, but we’re all too tired right now. If I approach her like this, or when she’s just as tired, she might just stuff me in an airlock.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” said Mancini. “So what do we do?”

  She smiled, and she could feel her eyes to start to droop shut from fatigue. “I’m glad you said we, Marco. I need you to back me up on this. But for now, finish your dinner and get some sleep.”

  “You got it. And don’t forget to sleep yourself, Kimura.” He knocked on the hatch of a sleeper berth. She opened the portal to her unit. As she prepared to pull herself inside, she saw Ellsworth, Bartrand, and Perez enter the sleeper section, heading towards their berths. She yanked her slight frame into the cubby and secured herself in her harness, then pulled the hatch shut.

  Haruka closed her eyes and thought about how she would approach the colonel on the next watch. As much as she tried to formulate a plan, it was too difficult in her state. She relaxed, and her thoughts
changed to memories of her family. She could see her sister Saika’s toothy smile as Lieutenant Reid, Saika’s husband, kissed her. She could see her mother’s face scrutinizing the hem of a dress as she sewed. And yet, when her thoughts turned to her father, she always saw him as a slender black haired giant, as she did when she was a little girl.

  I hope you’re having an easier time than I am, Dad. I could really use another friendly face around here right now. The lieutenant fell fast asleep.

  1st Lt Darius Owens

  17 August 2014, 14:07

  Gabriel

  “If what you’re saying is right, that’s treason.”

  Despite being whispered, Colonel Eriksen’s words of condemnation were no less cutting.

  I can’t believe I am betraying my friend like this.

  Darius continued in a hushed tone as he hovered next to the colonel’s ear, “I’ve never known him to lie, sir. Whatever is going on is big. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

  Even if we don’t want to hear it.

  He glanced up. Dr. Kimura held on to the railing of the bridge as he drifted near the command chair. His head hung like a puppy that had just been scolded. Darius moved to the side of the chair as Eriksen unlocked it and swung quickly to face the doctor. Colonel Eriksen stared at Dr. Kimura with ice blue eyes; his square jaw and furrowed brow registered his disapproval.

  “Lieutenant Miller, please begin a log and activate bridge microphones for recording.”

  “Yes sir,” replied the lieutenant. He loaded a sequence of codes into his station. The computer responded with a chirp. “Log recording, Colonel.”

  Eriksen tugged at his flight suit once to straighten it.

  “Gabriel bridge log, entry August 17th, 2014. Time 14:09. Bridge microphones are on for recording the following proceedings. Present at this time are Doctor Tadashi Kimura, Lieutenants Darius Owens, Roger Miller, and Brandon Reid. Also present are Captain Tyler Quinn, Airman Patrick Camp, and Colonel Charles Eriksen.”

  The commanding officer cleared his throat and continued, “Doctor Tadashi Kimura, you are being placed under arrest. The fact that you turned yourself in will be noted. You are suspected of treason, subversion, sabotage of government property, and theft of government property.

  “As you are a civilian, I am obligated to give you your Miranda rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. Should you be unable to afford one, an attorney will be provided for your defense. Do you understand, Doctor?”

  Dr. Kimura’s voice was barely more than a whisper, “I do, Colonel.”

  Every man on the bridge had locked their eyes on the doctor, save for Darius. Nearly all of them had a look of disbelief on their face. The colonel scowled, and Lieutenant Reid’s eyes looked as if they would burst from his head at any moment.

  “Very well. Mr. Owens, can you please state for the record what Doctor Kimura told you about Project Columbus?”

  He breathed in and nodded as he tried to force down the lump that had formed in his throat. I’m sorry, Doctor. I know you said I should follow my duty, but this still feels wrong.

  “We were eating lunch, and I had asked Doctor Kimura about how people were chosen and placed on the ships. He described the basic computer algorithm, designed by the Project Columbus research staff. He proceeded to tell me about how they altered the program to remove certain professions from the database and altered the proportions of other professions within the algorithm. He also mentioned that he had sympathizers within the Air Force that assisted them with hiding evidence and transporting the replacement passengers to the Laramie complex.”

  Silence engulfed the bridge. A puzzled look crept over Eriksen’s face, and he scratched at his receding red hair.

  “Doctor Kimura, it would be considered further cooperation if you answered my next questions, and answered them truthfully. I remind you, however, that you have the right not to answer,” said Eriksen in a tone of solemn warning.

  “I understand,” Kimura replied. His head raised and he looked the colonel square in the eye.

  Don’t hide anything, Doctor, thought Darius.

  Eriksen’s hand moved to his jaw and he scratched at a streak on his beard. “First, do you object to anything that Lieutenant Owens has said, or do you wish to give a corrected statement?”

  “I have no objections, but I do have two clarifications to make. “

  “Go on.”

  “The algorithm was suggested, but not designed, by Dr. Weiss. Also, Dr. Robert Fairweather was involved in the algorithm’s design, but Dr. Jonathan Fairweather was party to the modification. These changes were made well after his father and Dr. Weiss passed away.”

  “So noted. Mr. Owens mentioned that you have sympathizers in the Air Force. Who are they?”

  Dr. Kimura had drifted slightly, so he righted himself. “Our primary sympathizer is Brigadier General Andrew McLaughlin. Most of the remaining are officers under his direct command.”

  “Were,” Colonel Erikson interrupted.

  The doctor paused and tilted his head slightly. “Were, sir?”

  “General McLaughlin was killed in action four days ago, Dr. Kimura. Much of his command was destroyed as well.”

  An expression of shock shot across Kimura’s face. “I… I see.”

  “Are there any other sympathizers, Doctor?”

  “Yes, Colonel. Major Dan Forrest, and Lieutenants William Shipp and Brandon Reid.”

  As if they were tied together, all eyes in the room shifted from Kimura to the young lieutenant, who sat dumbfounded at his nav station. Silence once again fell over the bridge. Reid opened his mouth as if to speak, but the doctor shook his head at him. Darius’s heart dropped suddenly.

  Dear God, no. There are conspirators on the sleepers?

  Colonel Eriksen turned back to Dr. Kimura. “Why, Doctor, did you do this? What possible motivation would you have to condemn those you removed from the database?”

  “I was afraid, both for humanity and my family. The latter was purely selfish of me, I realize. But there is information about the algorithm that must be made known.” Dr. Kimura nervously tapped his foot on the railing and his eyes darted between Darius and Eriksen.

  “Go ahead, Doctor.”

  “The original algorithm was stacked so that the majority of the selected people would be between eighteen and thirty five, and worked in a trade or basic services industry. Children were encouraged in this age group. We felt it would be necessary to have both an existing young generation as well as adults that could continue to have children. The mix of professions was created so as to maximize any colony’s chance of survival by having people who could build, farm, and take care of the ill.

  “We completed the algorithm in 2002. By the language of the contract we were working under, however, we were required to submit the details of the programming and operation of the algorithm to scrutiny by Congress. It went to committee, was debated, modified, sent back, debated some more, and so forth. By the time it was approved in 2007, some of the original parameters had changed.

  “At first we didn’t think anything of it,” Kimura continued. “But we started simulation of the algorithm in 2010. What we found was unsettling.” He paused long enough that a feeling of suspense became thick in the air.

  “Well, what did you find?” Eriksen’s voice betrayed a hint of impatience.

  Dr. Kimura took on a sudden grave tone, and his speech slowed. “Time after time it resulted in an abnormally high number of politicians. Moreover, we found that the same four Congressmen and their families ended up on the passenger list every single time we ran the simulation. Thorough analysis of the numbers indicated that between 25 and 30 percent of the total passenger capacity would always be selected as politicians and their families.”

  Darius felt a shiver run down his spine and the hairs on his neck stand up. He realized what the doctor was really saying. We were betrayed
first, by our own government. He scanned the faces of his colleagues and saw nothing but shock.

  “Dr. Benedict suggested we alter the algorithm to be a slight variant of the original. We eliminated or drastically reduced certain specific professions, and manually entered individual persons to fill voids.” Kimura’s eyes locked on to Lieutenant Reid. “In most of these cases, the individuals were related to the research staff, or to our sympathizers. The total number of these positions was limited to one percent of the total passenger capacity, compared to the 25 percent that was given to us in the modified algorithm.”

  Again, a blanket of silence descended. Darius watched as the doctor again switched his gaze, this time moving between Reid and the Colonel.

  “Do you have any further statements, Doctor Kimura,” asked Eriksen as he once again scratched at his beard.

  “No, Colonel.”

  Eriksen swiveled his chair to face Reid. “Lieutenant Brandon Reid, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit treason and conspiracy to commit subversion. You will be held until a court martial proceeding can occur. You are relieved of duty and confined to your berth for the duration of Gabriel’s travel.” Reid blinked and his head bobbed. “Captain Quinn, escort the lieutenant to his berth, and activate his unit. Mr. Owens, remove him from the maintenance cycle revival list. Replace him with Lieutenant Schneider.”

  “Yes, sir,” both men responded in unison. Darius couldn’t help but wonder what Reid was feeling at this moment, having been turned out for discipline by his own father in law.

  “Doctor Kimura, it would be considered a further mitigating factor if you continued to serve your original role in monitoring the passengers and biostasis systems during this mission, until such time as you are charged or tried with a crime. Can we count on you for this?”

  Kimura’s response was without hesitation. “Of course, Colonel.”

  He is not placing the doctor in stasis?