by Jordan Rivet
“Just because the new water system is more efficient, doesn’t mean we should throw our resources around like confetti,” Mrs. Cordova was saying when Esther and her father entered the bridge. She was pontificating to two other council members. Both elderly former Catalina passengers—a man and a woman—they were firmly in Mrs. Cordova’s camp.
“You’re right,” said one of her sycophants, an older woman with shaky hands and wispy white hair. “We should stockpile. What if the system breaks?”
“Exactly!” Mrs. Cordova said. “It has happened before. It’ll happen again.”
The trio looked up as Esther and Simon joined the group. “It’s about time,” Mrs. Cordova said. “We’ve been waiting.”
“Apologies, Rosa,” Simon said genially. “Thank you for your patience.”
“Let’s call this meeting to order,” Judith barked. She glared at Dirk and Reggie, who were still talking. “Anytime, gentlemen.”
“Hold your seahorses, woman,” Dirk said. “Aren’t we still waiting for someone?”
Judith scowled. Esther had seen her make that face plenty of times before.
“David Hawthorne asked to be part of this discussion,” Judith said, her voice razor sharp, “but if he can’t bother to show up on time . . .”
“Afternoon, everyone!”
David sauntered into the room. As usual his clothes were pressed and his hair perfect.
“Nice of you to join us,” Judith grumbled.
“Mrs. Cordova!” David said. “So lovely to see you again.”
He took Mrs. Cordova’s hand and bent over to kiss it. She blinked and giggled. David greeted her two companions, then shook Judith’s hand formally. She gave him a sharp nod. Next, David turned to Reggie and Dirk. He took an extra second to clap Reggie on the shoulder, but he shook Dirk’s hand every bit as formally as he had shaken Judith’s. Finally, he smiled and nodded conspiratorially at Esther and Simon. Esther couldn’t help feeling that the order and manner of David’s greetings had been carefully calculated before he arrived.
“Okay, first on the agenda: Esther,” Judith said. “Why don’t you tell us what this is all about?”
“Oh . . .” Esther studied the feet of the council members. She should’ve known Judith would get right to the point. “Well, I’ve been working on a separator, and now that it works I—”
“Hold on a minute,” Mrs. Cordova said. “What does this contraption separate exactly?”
“Right. Let me explain,” Esther said. “You know how there has been way more algae on the sea lately. Well, algae has a lot of oil in it, and that oil can be converted to biofuel to power diesel engines. The trick is to separate the oil from the rest of the plant so it can be used. Before the disaster, people were working on this apparently, but they used chemicals, and we didn’t have the right ones on board. Well, I’ve figured out a mechanical way to do the separation and refine the oil into biofuel. I’ve made the process highly energy-efficient, the same way I modified the desal system. I can run the machine with a battery-powered motor—so, energy that comes from the turbines and the windmills—and produce a lot of oil for the amount of energy required.”
Esther looked around expectantly.
“In short,” Simon said, “Esther has made it possible for us to move freely.”
“Yes, we can produce enough fuel to run the propulsion system,” Esther said.
Silence reigned in the bridge as the council members took in the news. They had been drifting at sea for a very long time. Esther glanced at David, but his face was impassive as he studied the others.
“You mean we won’t need to trade for oil anymore?” asked Mrs. Cordova’s male companion finally.
“Right, but we still need enough power to run the separator,” Esther said, “and we need the algae of course.”
“But there’s plenty of that to go around,” Reggie said. “We can’t get rid of the stuff on the hull fast enough.”
“Yes,” Simon said. “The algae has been growing faster and faster over the past few months. I believe this is due to the temperature changes. You’ve all noticed it’s getting warmer. It’s also possible something in the volcanic ash settled into the seas and made them more hospitable to the fast-growing plant. We don’t have anyone on board with the expertise to tell us for sure, but we do have a rather brilliant mechanic who has allowed us to take advantage of this phenomenon”—Simon put a hand on Esther’s shoulder—“even if we don’t fully understand it.”
“Way to go, mate,” Reggie said. “I knew you’d come up with something eventually if I kept sneaking you parts.” He grinned at Esther.
Judith shot him a dirty look. “Yes, well done, Esther. Now, is that all?”
“No,” Esther began, glancing at David again. He stood casually between her and Dirk, arms folded. “We’re getting to the Amsterdam soon, and this new technology is going to change how we trade with them. First of all, we won’t need any crude. And we should think about how we’re going to share the technology with the other ships.”
“My proposal,” David cut in smoothly, “is that we should sell the separator idea. I’m sure you all know how valuable it is to have an energy-efficient method of travel, especially one as innovative as this. I’d be happy to handle the arrangements—”
“Hold on,” Judith said. “I don’t think we should distribute this system to anyone. You’ve done well, Esther, but the technology should stay with the Catalina.”
“Why not just give it away?” Esther said. “You know how this technology will change things. It’d be pretty self-serving to keep it.”
“Need I remind you, Esther,” Judith said, “that we’ve acquired a rather dangerous enemy in the form of the Galaxy Flotilla? You stole their ship and a group of their citizens. We have to protect the Catalina above everything else. The best way to do that is to keep any advantages to ourselves.”
“I agree with Judith in part,” David said, smiling at her with all of his straight white teeth. Judith was unmoved. “I’m fairly certain the Galaxy captains decided not to chase us when we got away on the Lucinda because it would waste too much fuel. It was a simple cost-benefit analysis, but that doesn’t mean they won’t cause problems for us later on down the line. That’s exactly why we should sell the technology. We have the opportunity to make ourselves some powerful friends.”
“The Catalina is better off without friends,” Judith said. “I think your ‘friends’ on the Galaxy proved that, don’t you? And if we release the technology to anyone else, the Galaxy might get their hands on it.”
“Another option would be to produce the biofuel and sell it ourselves,” Simon said. “We’d control the means of production at least.”
“Absolutely not,” Judith said. “We cannot expose ourselves to regular contact like that.”
Judith had always kept the Catalina as isolated as possible. They only met with the Amsterdam once a year out of necessity.
“You can’t just close yourselves off from everyone,” David said. “Where will we get parts in the future? I’m sure Reggie can tell us that the raw material we have on board this ship won’t last forever.”
“The problem is rust and salt,” Reggie said. “Simple as that. Everything is going all rusty and salt-corroded. If we can’t trade for new shit to patch things up, eventually we’re going to lose the hull.”
“You are correct,” David said. “We need to think about the future.”
Esther frowned. David was walking a thin line. He wasn’t even one of them—not really. He seemed a little too eager to help the Catalina for someone who was planning to leave it. Still, David’s plan could work, and she had been trying to improve their quality of life. He was right about one thing: the Catalina was falling apart. Rust and corrosion were taking an ever more exacting toll. They needed to increase their access to resources—and not just energy—if they were going to sustain their way of life.
Simon was studying David, but Esther couldn’t tell what he was
thinking. “If you try to sell it to only one party, you may gain enemies,” he said after a moment.
“That’s true,” Esther said. “Wouldn’t we make more friends by giving the technology away?”
“This isn’t a question of friends,” Dirk said, speaking for the first time. He was definitely a man who picked his moments. “This is a question of power. We’re talking about a replacement for crude oil. That’ll change the world. We just became the most powerful ship at sea. I say we keep it for ourselves.”
Judith stared at Dirk, apparently surprised that he agreed with her.
“But there’s still the question of other material,” Mrs. Cordova said. “All the oil in the world won’t matter if we can’t repair our hull.”
“And weapons!” said her male companion. He was retired navy and a member of the ship’s seldom-used explosives crew. “We’ll need to defend ourselves if the Galaxy comes calling.”
“Will you at least allow me to try?” David asked. “When we reach the Amsterdam, I can do some market research and see if we can’t get an auction going.”
“Not so fast, Hawthorne,” Dirk growled. “Aren’t you taking the Lucinda away? You don’t have a stake in helping the Catalina. And I haven’t forgotten that you were best friends with Captain Boris back on the Galaxy.”
“Those days are over, my friend,” David said. “I’ve—”
“You’re no friend of mine.”
David missed a beat, his polished demeanor wavering.
“Esther, it’s your invention,” Simon said, interrupting the two men before they could take the conversation any farther. “What do you think we should do?”
Judith threw up her hands. “This is not Esther’s decision.”
“It’s her design,” Simon said.
“I’d like to give it to anyone who wants it,” Esther began.
“Mrs. Cordova,” David said suddenly. “What do you think? Many Catalinans look to you for wisdom and guidance. I’d love to hear your opinion.”
Judith pursed her lips. David had shifted to the right as he talked, closer to Dirk. He faced Mrs. Cordova’s chair, as if offering a supplication to her. David had somehow managed to change the focal point of the entire room. Despite Dirk’s provocation, he still wore the smooth salesman’s face that had infuriated Esther when she first met him on the Galaxy Flotilla. As her friend Paris on the Galaxy had put it, David Elliot Hawthorne was too eloquent for his own good.
“I think we need to look after our children,” Mrs. Cordova said. “I say sell it to the highest bidder.”
“I’m still in charge here,” Judith said. “I won’t have you going off with Catalina property—”
“We’re on the council too, remember,” Dirk said, his voice a low growl. “Aren’t we all part of the Catalina community?”
“You’re still strangers here,” Judith said. “You only represent a small percentage of this population. Don’t overstep your bounds.”
“Is that right?” Dirk said. “Reg, do you agree that I only represent a small percentage of the population?”
Reggie studied the grease patches on his hands. “As much as I hate to speak against Judith”—she snorted at that—“I reckon Dirk understands what we’re about on the work crews.”
“We’re all one crew on this ship,” Judith said.
“Are we?” Dirk said. “That’s what you want people to think, but you’ve been calling the shots. Maybe it’s time for someone else to step up.”
Judith inflated like a puffer fish.
“Look, it’s my design,” Esther cut in.
Everyone turned to look at her. She hadn’t meant to speak so loudly, but she didn’t like the way the conversation was going.
“It should be up to me.”
“What do you want to do?” David asked, turning his full attention to her. It was amazing how he could suddenly make her feel like the most important person in the room.
“Let me think about it,” Esther said levelly. “I’ll let you know soon.”
“Fine,” Judith said. “But I will handle all other negotiations as usual.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dirk said. “To make sure the whole population is represented.”
“Of course,” David said. “Esther, I look forward to your decision. We could come out of this with some real allies. We need them.”
Esther met his eyes. He didn’t smile this time, his serious face at odds with his earlier breezy tone.
“We have more to discuss today, so if the noncouncil members don’t mind?” Judith said, looking pointedly at the door.
“Sure. See you later, Dad,” Esther said, relieved that she could go.
“It has been a pleasure,” David said, shaking hands all around again. “I do hope to attend future council meetings when the opportunity arises.”
Esther caught Judith rolling her eyes as she and David turned for the door.
Chapter 4—Communications
“That went well,” David said as soon as they were in the corridor outside the bridge.
“They’re all at each other’s throats.”
“Doesn’t matter. Didn’t you see how you shut them down? They all agreed to abide by your decision, whether they realize it or not.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Esther said dryly.
“I’m serious,” David said. He put his hands on Esther’s shoulder. They were heavy and warm. His eyes burned behind the crack in his glasses. “They’ll do whatever you want. They know how important this discovery is. Judith and Dirk can fight over the Catalina all they want, but you’re the one with the power here.”
Esther frowned. “I don’t know about that. You don’t know Judith. Why were you fawning over Mrs. Cordova anyway?”
“For balance. This shouldn’t be a two-way fight, and she has more influence than they realize. Like I said, it doesn’t matter. You are going to make the call.”
David removed his hands from Esther’s shoulders, brushing her cheek with his fingers as he did. He looked proud, though Esther wasn’t sure whether he was proud of himself or of her.
“And I suppose you want me to do things your way,” she said.
“Without any guile whatsoever, yes.”
“Do you really think the Galaxy will come after us? That’s what I’m worried about.”
Esther remembered how Captain Boris had sounded in their final conversation on the radio, right before he pushed her friend Paris over the side of the destroyer. Cold. Contemptuous. It had been like talking to a barracuda. David paused before answering, rubbing the knuckles of his right hand.
“If they have the same ability to travel that we’re about to have,” he said, “it’s a definite possibility. Boris isn’t going to forgive me for stealing his ship and running off with you.”
Esther didn’t really understand David’s history with Boris. They had been friends, but whatever their falling-out had been over, it directly preceded his departure from the Galaxy. He had abandoned his position and risked everything when he decided to help her—or when he decided to get out from under Boris’s rule.
She was still standing close to him, close enough to feel the warmth coming from his body in the chilled corridor. She wanted to reach out and touch him, perhaps put her hand in his, but something held her back. Maybe David was right about not giving the tech to everyone, but the way he had manipulated the council made her nervous. She shouldn’t make this decision too quickly.
But he was leaning toward her. He smelled like soap and sea spray. His eyes locked on hers. Her pulse quickened. She couldn’t think clearly. Maybe that’s what he wants. Get a grip, Esther.
“I’ve got work to do,” she said, stepping back suddenly. “I’ll see you later.”
David pushed his glasses back up on his nose. “At dinner?”
“Maybe. I still have a lot to do before we reach the Amsterdam.”
“Fine,” David said briskly. “Well, let me know when you make your decision. Oh, and
if you decide to do things my way, don’t talk to anyone about your design until I seal the deal. If you go around telling everyone all about it, I won’t have anything to sell.”
David turned and strode toward the plaza, head held high. He always walked as if he were on his way to give a speech.
Instead of returning to her work, Esther took a detour to the broadcast tower perched atop the bridge. When she climbed through the hatch, a mousy-haired young man swung around in his chair and pulled a pair of headphones down off his ears. Neal was the Catalina’s radio operator and Esther’s oldest friend. He looked tired, and his rumpled T-shirt had a saltwater stain on it. He was unshaven but his beard was sparse. It wasn’t a good look.
“Hey, Es,” he said.
“How’s it going?”
Esther sat cross-legged on the floor. Neal’s Tower was messier than normal. Neal’s belongings, which were usually stacked by his cot in the corner, spread across the consoles lining the windows. His mobile of sports magazine cutouts had been pulled down from the ceiling and apparently tossed across the room. The expansive view from the windows showed the sky was still clear blue, but dark clouds had begun to amass on the far horizon.
“It’s going okay,” Neal said. “Getting the Amsterdam sorted out with their satellite connections.”
“Yeah?”
Neal and a team of communications officers on various ships had been working to regain contact with any satellites that were still operational in the earth’s orbit. The ash from the volcano had compromised most, but now that the air had cleared they’d found a handful of units in relatively good shape. They’d been bouncing signals off them to try to reach other survivors and access map and weather data.
“They’ve got a glitch in their dish’s programming,” Neal said. “I’m going to try to find it when we get there, if we can’t figure it out by then.”