“So this is your recommended option?” David looked up at John and Ernie after studying the drawings they’d presented to him.
John nodded. “It isn’t pretty, but it doesn’t have to be. It just needs to work and we must be able to build it fast.”
“When can we start?”
“We already have.” John grinned. “I figured even if you said no, it wouldn’t do any harm to get started. I’ve got most of them down at Broken Hill working on the boosters and fuel tanks and the others are scouting down south for a launch site.”
David nodded. “OK. Good.” He shot John an approving glance. He could always rely on him. “Now we need to decide who’s going.”
“That’s already decided,” John said.
David raised an eyebrow. “Says who?”
“Don’t worry,” came the reply. “I’m not trying to do your job for you. It’s just pretty obvious, isn’t it? We want the smallest team we can manage, to save weight and minimize the risk, right?”
“Right,” said David. “So –”
“So you have to go.”
David’s eyes widened. He had expected to fight his case to take the mission, but now John had taken the wind out of his sails.
“Don’t look so surprised,” John said. “Who else could be the pilot? There won’t be any autopilot for this one, and who else could be trusted to fly by the seat of their pants?”
David nodded. No one within the ranks of the newcomers could do the job, a fact that should have told them already there must be another crew for the Inspiration. That left him and Nico Thompson, his eldest apprentice. But a fifteen-year-old boy couldn’t do a job like this.
“That’s also why I’m going, and Elizabeth too.”
“No!” David reacted, without thinking. “It’s too risky.” His eyes sought John’s and found a strong, even gaze meeting his. “I’ll go by myself.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say. You don’t want anyone else to be at risk, so you want to do it all yourself. Well, that ain’t gonna work, not this time. It’s a three-person minimum crew requirement, Captain, and I’m damn sure you understand that already.”
David looked away. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew John could see right through him.
John pressed on. “You have to take me, David. You need an engineer, and I don’t wanna insult you, but while you’re the best pilot I’ve ever seen, you kind of suck at fixing things.”
David fought to suppress a smile. He didn’t think he sucked at fixing things, but John had a point.
“You’re not the only engineer here, John,” Ernie said. “Not any more. I could go. There are others who would volunteer.”
John shook his head. “It needs to be me. I understand these ships better than anyone.”
“Others don’t have a wife and six kids,” Ernie replied. He looked at David. “Take me.”
David paced back and forth as he thought. He stopped to glance at Ernie, then John, then back to Ernie.
“John’s right,” he said. “Sorry, Ernie. I mean no disrespect to you or the others, but he is the best choice. His knowledge and the fact that we work together better than anyone else.”
He looked back to John and smiled. “I guess you’ve convinced me. But not Elizabeth. This is no mission for a sixteen-year-old.”
John shook his head. “We need a navigator. There’s no autopilot, remember? There’s no way you can fly and navigate as well, and don’t ask me to do it. It won’t be an easy job and Elizabeth’s the best we have.” His eyes softened and he looked almost apologetic.
David opened his mouth, then closed it again. He couldn’t deny the truth. He tugged on one ear while he tried to think of a way around it.
“We’ve got to trust them sometime, David. They’ve had to grow up fast these past few weeks, and there isn’t anyone else.”
John gave a sad little smile as he finished. He couldn’t say it, but they all knew what he meant – the only other person capable of navigating a manually controlled spacecraft to a rendezvous orbit with the Inspiration lay frozen in the stasis chamber.
David looked at John and pressed his lips together as he shook his head, looking down. Not in refusal, but in resignation. He couldn’t fault John’s logic, but he hated it; hated having to admit it.
“She’s your daughter.”
“I know.”
“What will Nathalie say?”
John scratched his cheek. “She won’t be happy, but she rarely is these days.”
David’s expression asked a question, but John just shook his head.
“What about Elizabeth? Aren’t we assuming a lot?”
“I’ve already discussed it with her. Good luck trying to persuade her she can’t come.”
David drew a deep breath and let it out. “Well, then. We’ve found a solution and we have a crew. We’d better get moving.”
“Please, you have to help me,” Sabine pleaded as she paced around the room, rubbing the back of her neck. “I don’t want to be like this anymore!”
Veronika leaned back in her chair and played with her pen. “You’re only saying this because you don’t think Simon will like you as you are.”
“How can he? Look at me!”
“Has he said so?”
Sabine shook her head. “He doesn’t need to.”
“I doubt he’d be wanting to see you at all if he did. It’s not as if he can’t see what he’s signing up for.”
Sabine sighed. “That’s what he says now. Besides, it’s not just him – it’s me, too.”
Veronika let the office chair snap her back upright and leaned forward, placing her elbows on her desk. “Oh?”
Sabine took the chair opposite her desk and perched on the edge. She waved a hand dismissively down her body. “I didn’t always look this. Once I looked like you –”
Veronika arched one eyebrow.
Sabine grinned. “Well, not exactly like you, I meant without my, um, current expressions of style.”
A small smile played at the edges of Veronika’s lips. She nodded. “Go on.”
“My parents only had one child, but they had a lot of money. That’s how I got here – they paid for my ticket. Unfortunately, they weren’t super-rich, so they could only afford to pay for me. They had a conventional, old-fashioned society marriage – Mom stayed home and played the dutiful wife, Dad worked late and paid the bills. They expected I would grow up to be like Mom. Oh, I could go to college and get a degree and perhaps a job somewhere for a while, in fact they wanted me to so they could tell their boring friends about their clever daughter. But they expected me to marry well and squat out grandkids.”
“And you didn’t want that?”
“Hell, no! I couldn’t get away fast enough. I was …”
“Stifled?”
“Yes, but even more I felt taken for granted, that I didn’t have a choice. My parents didn’t understand how much that mattered to me.”
Veronika nodded. “I understand. Many young adults feel this way – they see their parents, don’t like what they see, and fear becoming like them. And so they …”
“… rebel. Yes, and I did. I ran away and tried to hide, found some like-minded friends and did what I needed to do to fit in, and then,” she grinned, “extended that to stand out a little more.”
“And your parents?”
“Oh, they found me. With their money they could do anything they wanted. But they backed off – I held the power, you see. They only had one child, so if they pissed me off too much, I might just cut them off for good. Then they’d never get any grandchildren.”
“And did you … reconcile with them?”
Sabine looked up. “In a way. I hadn’t seen them for nine years, I didn’t even really know for sure they knew what I did with my life. Turns out they did. I had a team of watchers following me around, smoothing out the bumps in my life. One of them I even knew. I thought she was my friend.”
“But she wasn’t?”
“Maybe.” Sabine looked around. “Hard to tell really. The lines blurred, you know? My parents paid her, but you can feel it when someone likes you.”
Veronika nodded. “But you met your parents, before you left?”
Sabine nodded. “At the airport. They flew down to Florida with me and put me on the shuttle. We sorted a few things out. By that time of course, it all went to shit, so it’s not like they would ever see me play happy families.”
“Do you feel guilty about leaving them behind?”
Sabine squinted at her. “Are you playing the shrink now?”
Veronika held up a hand. “Sorry. Professional habit.”
Sabine shook her head. “Well maybe I do. Whoever thinks they’ll run out of time to patch up broken relationships? Not me, anyway,” she said, answering her own question. She rubbed a hand on one thigh. “They might not be dead, anyway.”
Veronika raised her eyebrows a fraction, curious but not wanting to push.
“We parted ways in Florida,” she said. “I went up to the starship, they went north, to Greenland. They couldn’t afford tickets for themselves, but they could afford Harper’s consolation package. Apparently he has a big-ass stasis facility buried under a mountain in Greenland. They went there. I don’t know if they made it, but I guess there’s a chance for them if they did, right?”
Veronika nodded. “Of course.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She leaned back and clasped her hands behind her head for a moment, staring into the distance. Then she stood and resumed pacing.
“Now you must see how it is. On Earth, this,” she swept a hand from her face down to her waist, “this is Sabine. Here, it isn’t. I’m not rebelling anymore. For the first time I want to fit in because here I can be me without any of this. Do you understand?”
Veronika stood up and walked around from behind the desk. “I do,” she said, “and now I’m ready to help.”
Sabine’s right hand flew to her chest. “You are?”
Veronika nodded, smiling. “I am. But first I needed to hear that you wanted to change because you had changed in here,” she said touching a palm to her chest. “Not because of someone else. Do you understand?”
Sabine nodded.
“I still have doubts,” Veronika continued. “Your hair, your tattoos, your piercings – they are such a strong expression of self. If we take them away, will you still be you?”
Sabine set her jaw and nodded. “I will. I’m in here,” she said, mirroring Veronika’s gesture and placing a hand on her chest, “and that won’t change. But right now, I feel constrained by this,” she spread her arms wide. “It’s in the way. I’m like a caterpillar in a chrysalis – I’ve changed, but the walls of my appearance are stopping me from becoming a butterfly.”
Veronika laughed.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we? Let’s see if we can free that beautiful butterfly.”
Carla stood up as the lock on the door of her prison rattled. She’d been here for two days now and hadn’t been outside, except to the bathroom. She wrinkled her nose. The room smelled of dirt and they hadn’t given her anywhere to sleep, forcing her to make do with the piles of old sacks she’d found.
She knew they wanted to make a point. They weren’t mistreating her, but they’d only given her what she’d given them, down to the tasteless packaged meals – full of nutrients, they assured her.
The door slid open to reveal David.
Alone.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of him – she’d been hoping for an opportunity like this.
“Come to gloat, have we?”
David tilted his head a little and regarded her for a moment. “I don’t have time for such luxuries. We’ll be leaving in a few days to rescue the crew.”
“We would have helped them.”
David looked unconvinced. “No doubt.”
Carla walked over to David and looked up at him through lowered lashes. “I know you think I’m a terrible person, but it isn’t true. When one works for Edward, one is required to behave in a certain manner. I did my best to restrain his excesses and without me, he would have done a lot more damage.”
David’s lips twitched a little. “I came to tell you we depart for the Inspiration within the week. That’s all.”
Carla raised one eyebrow.
“We’ve got a solution for getting there. It won’t be pretty, but it’ll get the job done.”
Carla moved closer as he spoke, stopping well within what most people would regard as their personal space. She placed one hand on David’s chest and looked up at him.
“Will you be flying the mission?”
David stood still, as immobile as a rock, and nodded his head.
“I do hope you return to us safely,” she said, her voice husky.
“You should,” David replied. “If I don’t return, your prospects won’t be as bright. There are more than a few people out there who don’t wish you well.”
Carla considered this, as if the idea hadn’t occurred to her before.
“So you’re my protector.”
“Not by choice.”
“Still.” She tried a tentative smile.
David disengaged her hand. “Let’s be clear. I’m here to ask if there’s anything else you can tell us before we get to the Inspiration. That’s all.”
Carla sighed. “I’ve told you everything. You’ve got the access codes, and my voice recordings. With these, you’ll have full access to the ship. There’s nothing else you need.” She flicked her head and met his gaze. “I really do want you to come back, David, for all kinds of reasons.”
David just looked at her, then turned and walked away. The door slid shut, leaving Carla alone again with the vegetables and the sacks and the bloodstains on the floor where Grace’s life had drained away.
“Four weeks!” Sabine’s face fell.
She and Veronika had met in Veronika’s office again to discuss her transformation plan. Veronika had enthused a small team of newcomers to take up the cause of “Project Sabine”. Among them she’d found Dr. Bethany Wrenn, a doctor with a lot of experience of cosmetic procedures, including making tattoos and scars disappear. She’d also found three other experts in their field who would not only be key contributors to Project Sabine, but whose talents would also earn her brownie points with Nathalie and Heidi.
These people had arrived as partners of the engineers and scientists, and provided a wide variety of professional skills that might not otherwise have made the cut for a starship crew.
Felicity Brook, the wife of one of the engineers, was a qualified beautician. Marcella Branting used to run one of New York’s top hair salons and jumped at the chance to practice her skills in Haven. Solomon Perron, fashion designer and passable tailor, rounded out the team Veronika hoped would transform Sabine into the new person she wanted to be.
“These things take time,” Veronika explained. “Tell her, Beth.”
Beth Wrenn took Sabine’s chin in one hand and touched one of her studs with the other. “These,” she said, turning Sabine’s face to examine her, “are easy to fix. I can repair the skin without leaving scars. You won’t know you ever had them. Likewise, the tattoos are easy to deal with. The best procedure is a method of unbinding the pigments and letting them grow out naturally. That takes four to six weeks and there’s not a lot we can do to hurry that up.”
Felicity spoke up. “I can suggest a concealer while you wait though, love.”
“And my hair?” Sabine asked in a small voice.
“Well …” Beth shot a look at Marcella who widened her eyes for a second. “That’s also not a quick solution. We can deactivate your nano-treatment, which will let the hair grow out naturally, but like the tattoos it will take time. We can treat your hair to double its growth rate, but even so …”
“Can’t you dye it?” Sabine pleaded, looking at Marcella.
“I can,” Marcella said, “but black is the only color that will cover
fluoro purple. Even then, I’m not so sure. What’s your natural color, honey?”
Sabine hesitated a second, as if she couldn’t remember. “Blonde.”
Marcella smiled. “You’re a natural blonde? I guess it goes with those pretty blue eyes of yours, hon.”
Sabine’s face reddened a little.
“Yep, she’s a blonde,” Beth confirmed with a grin.
“So, seriously hon, let it grow out. That hair growth treatment? It really does work. Give it six weeks and I can do a seriously cute elf-cut that will get that man of yours on one knee in an instant.”
This time, Sabine blushed to the roots of her hair. “He’s not my man, not yet.”
“He will be, sugar, once these ladies pretty you up and he sees you in this,” Solomon said, revealing his design with a flourish.
Sabine’s eyes widened as she took in the simple red dress that still managed to shout “look at me”.
“That’s for me?”
Solomon sniffed. “Of course. But only if you have blonde hair. I can’t do it otherwise.”
Sabine looked at the others, who all nodded.
“He’ll wait, don’t worry,” Marcella said.
“He will, love, you’ll see,” Felicity said.
“But he’ll see me changing,” Sabine said. “It needs to be quicker.”
“Leave it to me,” Veronika said. “I have an idea.”
“You want to what?” John asked again.
“I want to send Sabine Pope to New Canaveral,” Veronika said.
“Why? Is she an aerospace engineer?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“She deserves a break. Remember, she was seriously injured by those two thugs Jake and Roberto, and yet she still dragged herself out of hospital to turn Simon and Christian to our side. I just need to get her away from Haven for six weeks to recuperate properly, that’s all. It’s either there or Broken Hill.”
John stroked his chin. “Well, better New Canaveral than Broken Hill. It’s pretty rough up there.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, I didn’t say she could go yet.”
Veronika just smiled. “Didn’t you?”
The Seasoning Page 22