Survivors

by Alex Isaacs

  I go to see Joe; he calls Simon, showing him the numbers that I have on the asteroid. The scientists go over it all, stating yes, the mass is smaller, that is why the asteroid is drifting out of position. Simon asks if it will remain in position if we get the mass back to its original size. They tell Simon, yes. Now we need to get the mass back up by adding back rock fill; then, move the asteroid back into position. Simon asks how to we keep the fill in place. The scientist suggests containers that we can secure in place. I ask, like the railroad containers. The scientists say, yes, we can use them for storing the fill. Simon gets on his phone to my dad; I hear him ask to talk with George about more of the railway cars. My dad calls Simon back; after Simon says he will get the paperwork to him; he hangs up, making another call. Soon, we will have a different cargo to take to the asteroid. We do have twelve of the PSV’s to do the work, with more pilots to fly them.

  I talk with Joe about the barracks, he knew about it but was told not to say anything. I can see why. I head out to do our training. Everyone is there, Kelly telling that if anyone has not moved into there respective barracks, they need to do this tonight. We finish our training; Kelly says we will not do the extra run for today for the movement of people into the barracks. The four of us change, getting the keys to the van from Joe. We head to the house, getting some clothes and all our school work, computers, and books. Mandy tells us not to bring that many clothes; we will be in uniform all the time. I ask if we need to pick up more uniforms. Mandy says, yes, we will check that out when we get to the base.

  We get back to the base, unloading our things into our new home. There is room for twenty people in our barracks. Kelly has her room, being the Captain. We find out we have to live like this because of the increase in personnel at the base. The pilots are in with us, along with the other students. Right now, there are nineteen of us in the barracks. As we get settled in, the girls ask about changing and the use of the shower. Kelly says to use the shower room to change, and for privacy, Lieutenant Peabody will stand guard at the entrance until the ladies finish. I see the look on Jason’s face; Kelly tells Jason, and he will stand at attention at all times, looking at the bulletin board across from the entrance. Kelly tells the ladies to make sure they close the curtain at all times, just in case.

  I ask Kelly about more uniforms. Kelly tells me to take the others to the base supply; they will issue the remaining uniforms for each of us today. I get the girls; then we head over to the base supply to get the rest of our uniforms. No more street clothes, unless we go to the valley or to the university to do lab work. We have time before dinner, so I start into my classes to keep up with them. After dinner, we come back to finish up on our classes. I look at our schedules for each day; I have some more time for my classes since I do not have to travel anywhere.

  In the next couple of days, we start to take the recruits up into space so they can get used to being there. Workers are going up each day to work in the asteroid now. The four students in our barracks are going up as well. We take them up to see how the programs work as well as getting used to being in space. I decide to go up on Saturday to look at the PSV’s returning to the asteroid. I have another training pilot, Jill Rogers, Zoey, and the student Barb Kent.

  I look out the front of the vehicle; I cannot believe my eyes; a guy is floating away from the asteroid. I move over to get close, getting Jill to put the tractor beam on this guy. I then get Jill to take the controls holding the PSV in position. I get in my spacesuit, going into the hatch, then out into space. I attach my lifeline, then push off to retrieve this guy. I attach a line; the guy is grabbing onto me, screaming. I get the two of us back into the PSV, getting him in to take his suit off. Zoey is helping me to remove the helmet. We are both shocked; it is not a guy; it is a girl. She grabs onto me, crying, thanking me for saving her. We get her sitting down, Zoey taking her from me, comforting her. She is shaking, still wanting me to hold onto her. I let her know that Zoey will take care of her; I have to fly the PSV. She reluctantly lets me go. I get in the pilot's seat, then head to the asteroid, letting Jill move us in to get the tractor beam to take hold of our vehicle. We leave the other two in as we take our load off. I find the supervisor of the team; he is frantic until I tell him I retrieved the girl for him.

  He tells me she is Private Maggie West; her lifeline broke, sending her into space before anyone could grab her. It only happened about five minutes ago. I said we were in the right spot at the time. We tell him we are taking her back down with us; she is still shaking up about the ordeal. We get our load on, moving out of the entrance, heading back to earth. We land, then we take Private West into the base with us. Everyone now knows what has happened; Jenny is waiting to look her over. Private west is now settling down, but still holding onto me as we get orders to see the General. Jenny checks Private West out before going in to see the General. After a few minutes, Jenny comes back out; she does not look that happy. I was talking with the Private while Jenny was in with the General; she seems to be better. I ask Jenny what is going to happen with her; Jenny says they might release her because of the trauma. I look at her again, thinking she might be fine. I can see hope in her, my class in psychology helping me to make a decision. I ask Jenny to take me in to see the General. She gives instructions to another soldier who rushes off.

  Jenny takes me in to see the General; he congratulates me on rescuing the private. I ask the General if I can speak freely. He permits me, so I say I know that they might release the private, but I think there is the hope of helping her here. The General looks at Jenny; she nods in agreement with what I have just said. I let the General know that I am willing to take her on as my co-pilot. The General says that might be nice, but her mother might have something to say about it. I look at Jenny; Jenny tells me that Private West’s mother works in the base supply, Sergeant Jody West. There is a knock at the door, Sergeant West enters, saluting. Jenny tells her everything about what happened. The General asks Sergeant West how long she has been in the service. Sergeant West tells him, then says she can retire in the next few months if she wants to. I start to think about what else I can do to help the two of them now. The General informs the Sergeant of my suggestion. She says she will have to talk with her daughter first. The Sergeant goes back out to talk with her daughter.

  I turn to the General saying I have another suggestion for the two of them now. I remember about the security he wants, so I suggest that we can transfer the Sergeant to the valley, I will talk with my father, getting them a house. If the private is not able to stay in the program, she can be in the valley, keeping our security of the program in tack. The General looks at me; he does not look like he likes what I have just suggested. The General says he is glad I am our side; he would not want to be against me, adding that I cannot go around saving anybody. The General says he will give me a month to try to save the private, but I am walking on thin ice. The General then tells me to approach the Sergeant with my idea; if she does not buy into it, I have been wasting his time. I salute the General; he tells me to get out of his face.

  I leave the office, coming out to sit with the Sergeant and the Private. I let them both know what I have suggested, saying I have one month. I tell the Private, she will be moving into our barracks today, she starts her training today with our battalion. The Sergeant says she will think of my suggestion; she might not be able to afford to live with us. I tell the Sergeant it will not cost her anything; she has to contribute to the program in the valley. The Sergeant asks if she can thank me; I look at Zoey, saying, yes. The Sergeant unexpectedly hugs me, kissing me on the cheek, saying thank you for saving her daughter. Jenny comes out, handing the private her orders to move to our battalion. The Sergeant asks permission to return to her duties; I say yes, go ahead. The Private stands, asking for permission to speak, I say yes. The Private grabs me hugging me, saying thank you. I get Zoey to go with her to move into our barracks. Jenny tells me to watch my step; the General will not let me get away with wh
at I just did. I thank Jenny; heading to the lab before our afternoon training.

  I look at the PSV’s coming back; I can see the asteroid that is in orbit from the first one in line. I see Joe; he figures we will go out to get the first asteroid to take into the work area. We can take it apart for its materials, making fuel for us now. I look at my watch; I need to see if the private is moved in, then get to our training. I get to the barracks, Zoey has gone ahead as the private has changed for the training. We head to the training, Kelly telling the two of us we are late. She tells the two of us to drop and do fifty. Private West is quick. Kelly then tells us to get our backpacks, put in half our weight. Kelly turns to Jenny, telling her to follow, making sure of the weight, and that we do the run. Kelly tells us we have to run two laps of the base, being quick about it. As we load up the backpacks, Jenny says it is starting.

  We head out to run the course around the base; I see the General watching us before he goes back into his office. Private West is in better shape than I thought, I have to keep up my pace to keep with her. We get back to the group; they are doing other training. Kelly sees us, telling us to drop and give her fifty more but using one arm. I look at Kelly; I have never tried it before. Kelly tells me to watch and learn. Private West is now doing the pushups with one arm behind her back on an angle. I begin to copy her; then, after a couple of falls, I catch on. After the pushups, we join the rest of the group training. At the end of the training, Kelly tells us to run back to our barracks to shower before dinner. We get to the barracks; all the ladies get their things to shower and change except for Private West. She is sorting through her clothes; then she begins to take her clothes off right in front of the rest of us. I tell Private West to stop what she is doing; with her bra in her hand, I ask her to cover herself, please. She grabs a towel looking at me; I tell her we do things a little differently in this barracks. The ladies go into the shower to change and shower away from the men. I see Jason smiling. I say Lieutenant Peabody; you are not at your station. He says sorry, sir; he was shocked at what was happening, the private heads into the showers with the others.

  The men take their turn; then, we head to the mess to eat our dinner. After dinner, I settle in to do my school work for the next week. Private West sees what I am doing, asking what I am taking. I fill her in on the courses I am taking, the one I am working on is my astronomy course. I show her where I am, saying I will be taking her with me in the morning, her training begins then. As it gets near lights out, the girls go into change while the men change by their bunks. After everyone is in bed, I hear the snoring begin. I am about to fall asleep when I feel the covers going up and a person climbing in bed with me. I turn over, seeing it is Private West. I whisper to her that she is not allowed to be here. She whispers back she needs a hug, she is still scarred from her ordeal today. I hug her; she holds on for as long as she can before I whisper that she has to go back to her bed. She thanks me again, then sneaks back to her bed. I stick my head up to see if anyone is watching, then I lay down, trying to fall asleep.

  In the morning, we are all awake; the ladies start to head for the showers, Private West starting to change in front of us again, then stops herself saying sorry, sir. Private West grabs her things, going into the showers. After the ladies are out, the last one telling Jason it is clear, Jason leaves his post to get his stuff to change and shower, letting everyone know it is now clear. We all head to breakfast; I get Private west to sit with me. I want to let her know what we are doing today.

  We get to our assigned PSV, getting it ready to take off. I get Private West to get into the co-pilot’s seat, telling her what I would like her to do now. I ask her what her first name is, letting her know that she can call me Alex when we are flying together. Private West tells me her first name is Maggie. I tell Maggie that I am going to get her started on her training to fly with me today. Maggie looks a little shocked to hear this. Zoey, who is with us, watching how Maggie reacts, says she will be alright, Alex is the best trainer we have right now. We take off, heading out to the returning PSV’s. I ask Maggie to take hold of the controls; I have to check on the computers. I watch as she takes control; she is shaking for a minute; then, she settles down. Zoey nods, this is a good sign. We get to the position where the PSV’s will sit until the asteroids are in the main bay. I take back control, moving into the first PSV. I point out the switch that I want Maggie to put on, saying to put it on now, please. I call down to Joe; he releases the first asteroid. I have it in tow; then, we move to the bay holding it in position for the second tractor beam to take it into the bay to harvest it for its materials. These asteroids we came back with are a little bigger than the cargo hold on our PSV, but we can take in two or three at one time in the bay of the main asteroid.

  We go back to get the second small asteroid, taking it for us to harvest what we need. These first two are for fuel for the PSV’s. We drop it off, going back to get the third small asteroid. Joe takes control, bringing it over to get more fuel for another trip. The other two PSV’s are in orbit with the main asteroid, waiting to have their loads taken. The PSV that has its new fuel load heads back towards the asteroid belt to get another load. The second will follow a day or two later, then the third a day or two after that. I let Maggie control the PSV some more; her confidence is growing as she gets comfortable with it. Joe suggests that I take this small asteroid onto the main asteroid where we used to land, a tractor beam can hold it in position until we need to harvest it. I get Maggie to help drive the PSV, dropping our load. We land, going into to see the setup. Maggie is hesitant at first but agrees to come with us. I tell Zoey to release her boot magnets after we are out walking to the entrance. I will make sure we have two lines on before we do this. I tell Zoey I want to see Maggie's reaction. Zoey tells me I should not do this right now. I finally agree, then we head out of the PSV. Maggie, even though she has two lines on her suit, grabs my hand to make sure she stays with us. We see her old co-workers still putting together the railway cars to keep the mass of the asteroid near the same as when we first put it in orbit here. We get inside, seeing the setup. The workers are quick at taking apart the first asteroid, finding the materials for the fuel. They should have both done later today.

  We head back to the PSV, then head back to earth. I let Maggie take the controls as we fly back. She is hesitant not knowing what to do, but I keep giving her instructions. She is catching on quickly; I think she will make a good co-pilot for me. I keep her on the controls as we begin our landing procedure. I tell Maggie to keep a hold of the controls, so she knows what it is like to land the PSV. I see her grab on harder as a wind gust cuts across the nose. I keep control, but she is willing to learn. We land, moving to unload. After we park the PSV, Maggie is up out of the chair; she is excited about helping to land today. We get out of the vehicle; she is full of energy being excited. Zoey asks me if she did help. I tell Zoey yes, Maggie grabbed onto the controls hard when the gust of wind caught us by surprise. Zoey tells me I should not have let her help; it might be the wrong thing to do at this time.

  Jenny comes over to see the commotion with Maggie; Zoey is informing her what I let Maggie do on the flight. Jenny looks at me, then tells me she is not ready for this. I said that Maggie is, look at her. She is excited about flying, probably forgot about the incident the other day. As we change, Maggie is telling everyone that she helped land the PSV. I go to see Joe, wanting to ask some more questions about the fuel vehicle. I find out they are working on a better propulsion system; the nearest nebula is over 500 light-years away from us. I look at the time; I do not want to be late for the training today. As I get to the training, Maggie is still telling people about the flight. I go to tell Maggie not to tell everyone. Kelly calls the two of us to come to attention. Kelly tells us that chit chat is, for other times, drop and give her a hundred pushups. I look at Jenny; she shrugs her shoulders. We do the same as yesterday, but today I have to move a little faster to keep up with Maggie. Jenny stops to talk wit
h me at the end of the run. The run we do with the backpacks; she expects this to go on for another week or more.

  After our training, we shower, then head for dinner. I try to get the rest of my school work ready for this week but get interrupted by Kelly. Maggie is still excited about today. Kelly gets Maggie to go for a run; two laps of the base should be good for her. Kelly tells me to make sure she does run correctly. We get changed then head out to do the run. I ask Maggie to please not talk that much more about today, we are getting in trouble for it. Maggie says sorry to me, then promises not to speak about it like she has today. I fall asleep quickly tonight, with all the extra exercise, I am tired.

  Today, I let Maggie take a little more control of the PSV, telling her that she has to settle down while flying. Her excitement could get us into trouble. She has picked up on the flying; the spacewalking still frightens her; it would frighten me if it happens to me. The front section of the fuel ship is almost ready to go out to the side of the asteroid to be attached to the new walkway. The cockpit of the vehicle will be inclosed so work can go on inside. The rest of the body of the vehicle can go one being put together behind it. I find out that each section will be separate in case something happens in one or more sections. We land, I go to see Joe. There are changes in the plans of the Fuel Space Vehicle, the FSV. It will have both types of processing for fuel on board. The first mission will be to the asteroid belt to harvest fuel for the fleet. We cannot wait for improvements in the speed of the vehicles.

  We go to our training; I see the backpacks sitting in the same place. Maggie and I get singled out again, so we go do our pushups, then our backpack run, and the rest of the separate special workout for the two of us. I do not mind it; I am getting in better shape; Maggie is enjoying it; her mind is on her new work. After training and dinner, I do my classes, Maggie looking at what I am taking. I can get into my astronomy class, Maggie, saying that it is neat. I ask if she would like to do the course with me. I can see her eyes light up. I let her know I will get her a laptop to begin. I see Kelly looking at the two of us; Maggie asks if we are to go for another run. Kelly says yes, I am to watch her again. We get ready, then go out for our run. We talk as we run, Maggie, thanking me for helping her. She figures we are both in trouble for what I have done for her and her mother. I ask Maggie if her mom will move to the valley. Maggie says she will convince her mom to move there; she does not have anything else to do after the military. I know my parents will help her in the valley, the sergeant will be happy there.