Mathew fell in beside Andrew as they left the refuge. “No idea where he is?” said Andrew.
“No, I checked with everybody as they came out and no one has seen him for a few hours. Last time apparently he was going back to his cabin?””
“So we can assume he is still there?”
“For his sake; hopefully not?”
“You have the master code?”
Matt nodded.
“I can never remember it.” Muttered Andrew
“It’s not something you need to when you can look it up whenever you do.”
“No; so how come you’ve memorized it?”
Matt smiled, “Remembering passwords is something I’ve always been good at… Andrew…” Matt wasn’t sure he should ask. “The buddy system… I was wondering if I could be Jennifer’s buddy.”
Andrew kept walking but turned to look at him. “You realize the problems that could cause?”
“Yes but it’s hardly top secret anymore.”
Andrew turned away again. “You can be her other buddy.”
“Other?”
“Everybody has two, one up and one down.”
“You’ve already assigned one?”
“Her husband.”
Matt stopped, making Andrew do the same. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
Andrew’s apparent ignorance annoyed Matt. “You know very well?”
“He is her husband.”
“I know but…”
“He insisted.”
“He knows… he knew before you said?”
“I discussed it with a few people and he said then that if ever it went ahead he should be his wife’s buddy.”
“When… not after…”
“Yes, after she moved into your cabin.” Andrew turned again and began to walk away.
Emma and several others were waiting outside the cabin; they said nothing but parted so Matt could get to the keypad. He stood close up to hide the sequence, and slid the door to the side. Someone switched on the light and immediately they could see a man on the bed. He was dressed and looked as if he had slumped onto the mattress rather than he had lain down. Emma went over to him while the others clustered around the door.
“Vladimir Karparov,” said Matt looking at the checklist
In moments she stood straight and looked back. “He’s dead.” She said, but they all had guessed that already.
Andrew was besides her now. “Radiation?”
“I’m assuming so; he has superficial signs, but I won’t know for sure until I do a few checks?”
Andrew turned to the others. “Did anyone know him back on Earth?”
There were no replies.
Andrew turned back to Emma. “Do what’s necessary and I’ll get his details together.”
“Did he have the bug?”
The voice came from beside Matt but he didn’t see who spoke.
“Hopefully I can find out?” said Emma.
“He has to have been infected?”
Now Matt saw it was Vincent.
“Why else would he have stayed here when the siren went?’
“Possibly because of these?” Emma held up a strip of capsules. “Sleeping tablets.”
Matt saw Peter enter the cabin.
“Then we have even more reason to immediately implement the buddy system?” said Peter as he looked directly at Mathew.
Andrew nodded, “And I think we need to confiscate all medications to the medical center.”
There were murmurs of protest from the watchers in the background, including Emma. “There are people with genuine medication needs,” she protested.
Andrew was adamant. “If anybody needs any medications they can be issued on a daily basis.”
Before Emma could protest any further Vincent spoke. “How will that help?”
“Possibly it won’t if someone hoards them, but obviously we need to know who’s using what… and when?”
After his spur-of-the-moment visit to the observation deck Mathew found himself stopping by to look at the sun most chances he got. He mentally fixed points where its edges disappeared from view against bolts or marks on the bulkhead. It both fascinated and disturbed him to see it pass the marks, as it grew bigger. It wasn’t just idle curiosity; they probably wouldn’t know for certain when they reached perihelion, maybe with a reference he could actually see when they were past; he didn’t know if it would show, but at least he felt he was doing something.
The heat was really starting to affect people now, and as Earthrise got closer to the sun it just made sense that dress code became relaxed and for the crew uniform was shed to the point of being non-existent. With the immediate visual distinction gone it became harder to discern between visitors and crew, and with the ambiguity the relationship between official and guest vanished.
As days and weeks had passed both work and relaxation gravitated to the few pods that were shaded from the sun. These were cooler; though cooler only in the way that they were less hot: one was the gym. This wasn’t for the fact that anyone felt the need to exercise but for the fact that this was one of the few areas to have mechanical fans. It had been discovered on earlier missions that the movement of air over the body seemed to have an invigorating: though purely psychological effect on the exercisers; consequently they had been installed. As with many things, they were now put to uses the makers had never expected.
Mathew estimated there were maybe fifteen people in the pod as he stepped inside. Most were sat on the floor but all were grouped around the two fans as they oscillated back and forth. Even with the heat the mood was reasonable. A far cry from what it had been less than a week before; then an almost panic had taken over the array.
It had been a visitor: Tony Holbeck, who had argued that the others aboard had a right to know what faced them? The rising fear was that gravity would send them spiraling into the sun. This was when Peter had been brought into the decision-making, but it didn’t seem to have had the desired effect. Whether it would have been different if Andrew had been earlier in bringing everyone into the discussions was now a mute point, as rumour and gossip tore through the Earthrise faster than any fact. Matt knew that Andrew had taken to carrying a stun gun in the event that things got out of control, but the mood remained one of potential more than action.
In some ways it was fortunate that what could be done to prepare the Earthrise was already done. In other ways it was this lack of work and purpose that fired the erratic changes in mood. Morale rocked back and forth in the way that a condemned man must feel when having his execution commuted to life inside, and then back. They were in their inescapable prison but they had not used up their final appeal. But as humans do when the euphoria, or depression ease; the mood fell into normality and the dissidents returned to complain of the conditions.
Matt smiled at the first group “G’day,” he chirped as brightly as he could, and was rewarded with the usual range of replies.
He looked at the number scribbled on the whiteboard, 47 Centigrade. Tomorrow if not before they could pass the fifty-degree mark. He remembered that one day on holiday in the center of Australia it had been that hot, but this was a day without end. Day after day, hour after hour the heat persisted. They had a name for what it did to you back home: ‘Gone Troppo’ they would say when the desperate need to just feel cool became unbearable.
Matt crossed to the water cooler and ran a regulation half full cup of the clear liquid. He was aware several eyes stared at him begrudgingly, as if he was stealing something they owned. Matt looked down into the cup of clear liquid to check the level: in a way he was, at some time in the past the water had passed through all their bodies. Even the unpleasant thought didn’t stop him taking it all in one swallow.
He saw over the lip of the cup that two of the men had got up and were coming over to him. Strangely he felt threatened though neither of them gave any indication of threat.
“They are about to run a video down in t
he cinema,” Matt said to no one in particular: no one seemed interested. He could hardly blame them they were all repeats; as Andrew had come up with the idea that only movies filmed in cold locations should be shown.
Mathew grinned to himself. Psychologically it was supposed to make them feel cooler, Matt believed the lack of audiences proved it was more of a case of rubbing salt into their wounds.
Matt saw that the men were both visitors but he was too hot and uninterested to try and remember their names.
“It’s too hot,” said one
Matt couldn’t argue that.
“It’s going to kill us.”
“We’ll soon be past.” Matt tried to sound positive.
“The station will be, but we won’t.” The man insisted.
Mathew could understand where he was coming from. “Look I know it’s bad but…”
“Were being pulled towards the sun aren’t we?”
Matt sensed hostility in the accusation. “No,” he said firmly. Beyond the man he could see most of the others in the room were looking in interest. “It’s unpleasant.” Matt tried to sound friendly. “It’ll soon…”
The man cut him off again. “We want to know if you’re with us?” he demanded.
A name came to Matt… Richard Cooul; the name seemed inappropriate, as he tried to understand what was meant by the confrontation. “Yes?” he said slowly; thinking whom else could he be with? “We’re all together.”
The man seemed less tense. “So we can count on your support?”
It seemed a stupid question. “Of course.”
“You will be part of the deputation?”
Warning bells began to ring in Mathews mind. “Deputation… who to?”
“The commander. Who do you expect?”
The bells became gongs. “A deputation for?”
“Changing away from the way we are going… you will support us?” It was more ultimatum than request.
“Change course?” Matt was astounded. “ We can’t it’s our best chance of catching Earth.”
The mans attitude immediately became confrontational. “We have to; if we don’t we’ll all die.”
“No… It’s all been explained during the meetings.”
“All that’s been done is you’ve given reasons, and forced us to follow; its time we all had a say in what going to happen.”
“We can’t involve everybody… there isn’t time: we have to make decisions.” He remembered Peter, and for once was thankful to him. “There’s a representative for all the guests when decisions are made. Have you talked this over with him… we can’t call a everybody together for every single thing we do, he will tell you?” Everybody was looking at him; some were standing. “I know it’s uncomfortable, but it’s the best way…”
Richard was insistent. “No, your wrong, we need to change… to get away from the sun before we burn up.”
“Look…” Matt tried to appease them all. “I’ll…” he needed a distraction, but what. Then it came… his pager buzzed. Matt looked at it: ‘Engineer return to command’ it stated. “If that’s how you all feel, I’ll talk to the commander; I’ll ask him to call a general meeting and you can all have a say.” He edged his way around the men and made for the door.
“Oh there you are…” said Andrew in a slightly aggressive tone.
Matt wanted to point out that he was stood down, but let it pass.
“We have a visitor,” Andrew announced with a smile.
“What?” said Mathew incredulously, as his conversation with Richard slipped from his mind.
“There is a re-supply capsule on course for us. We should be docking in a day or two.”
Mathew couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It’s coming here?”
“Well it’s hardly going to fly past and go back to Earth is it?” Muttered Andrew impatiently.
Matt felt his own mood rise. “Then the Americans came through?”
“Sound’s like a bit of collaboration. The French had a couple of satellites booked, but there was some uncertainty after the problems on the planet that there was damage to them. So the mission got converted into supplying us; it’s not much, but it’s something to help us on our way.”
“A rocket?”
“Afraid so; they had to modify the launcher for the extra oomph to get out of orbit, so its only a few cubic meters of stuff, but in our situation anything is appreciated.
“Our situation?”
“You don’t want to starve when the food runs out do you?”
“I thought with all the… accidents…”
“That there wasn’t the pressure on what remains: maybe not, but it all that all depends on how long it has to last?”
Mathew wasn’t sure if it was a criticism of him being involved with the stocktaking. “No one could have predicted how our situation would change.”
“Not in our wildest dreams, but whatever we have, it’s a fixed quantity and it won’t last forever.”
Mathew put aside his worry over what they had. “I guess it doesn’t matter how much is aboard; the fact that we haven’t been forgotten should make everybody feel better?”
“Yes, anyway we’ll intercept it soon.”
The time frame suddenly came to Matt. “How long have you known about this?” he said suspiciously, thinking about the discontent he had just experienced.
“For a little while
“And you said nothing?”
“The rocket they sent it up on is designed to deliver payloads to inner orbits. The mission could very well have been a total waste of time; we could have built up hopes and have had them dashed. Until just recently we didn’t even have a confirmed course or velocity; everything could have gone wrong and if I had made it public and everybody’s hopes were dashed we could have had a riot on our hands.”
“We still could have, I’ve just been confronted.”
“I know, we’re heading for disaster?”
Matt’s suspicion eased. “Yes… well everybody will be happy when we tell them.”
“Maybe not; we have to locate it and bring it in, and we can’t be certain the automatic docking will activate. We may have to guide the capsule in manually, so everything could still go pear shaped.”
“Then what do I tell anybody?”
“Nothing?”
“Keep it secret… It could lift morale?”
“Yes… If we get it, and mutiny if we don’t?”
Matt shook his head; it was six of one, and a half dozen of the other if they had a rebellion on their hands.
Matt’s cabin was in darkness. He didn’t expect to find Jennifer; she was spending more and more time fighting the boredom that they all felt. It worried Matt at first when she wanted to leave, he was expecting Peter to… to do something, but he hadn’t; in fact Peter had totally ignored her, and Matt. Somehow that felt even more unsettling. Matt went to the tiny cupboard that contained his clothes. They looked shabby: he felt slightly embarrassed, but the times of crisp clean uniforms were long in the past. He stripped off his clothes and took a shower. Though it was hardly a shower; fifteen seconds to wet his body; soap up, and twenty-fives seconds to wash: still he did feel better afterwards,
He had dressed and was reading when Jennifer arrived back. Even in her less than glamorous mix of clothing that Matt had begged and borrowed she still looked sexy. Matt tried to think of another word but sexy was all he could think of.
“Tough day?” she said.
“Do I look that stressed?”
“A little.” She smiled, but it was a smile that showed concern.
“Every day is a tough day.”
She peeled off her outer clothing as if he wasn’t there, and in her underwear made her way to the wash cubicle. “I desperately need a shower.”
Matt tried not to show he was looking at her. He wanted to tell her about the capsule but like Andrew had said, he didn’t want to get her hopes up to have them dashed. “Hopefully we’ll get something to l
ift us soon?”
She stopped at the doorway to the washroom and looked at him. “You know what they are saying?”
He didn’t have to ask who they were. He smiled. “That we’re going to crash into the sun?”
“No; that we will all boil alive before we do?”
“Don’t listen to them; it’s not going to happen.”
“There are few who will believe you.” She disappeared through the door and he heard the shower start.
When the noise of running water ceased she called to him. “Is somebody hiding the food?”
Mathew wasn’t sure he she had said what he thought she had. “Hiding… what for?”
“That’s why I asked.”
“No… what makes you think that?”
“It is disappearing.”
“You mean it’s being eaten?”
“No disappearing, the same thing as missing.”
“What makes you think it’s gone missing?”
“Because it is not there anymore.”
“Not guilty, I’m getting my rations like everyone else.”
“It seems not like everyone.” The shower began again.
Matt waited until it finished again. “Your serious?”
“Yes, I have been helping in the kitchen: there is less in the pantry this week than last.”
Mathew was doubtful. “Can your be sure?”
Jennifer came out of the bathroom enveloped in Mathew’s bathrobe; she leaned against the doorway and looked at him. “It was one of my favourite pastimes; baking and cooking… Yes I am sure; a little here, a bit there; things are missing… Andrew does not have a plan to create a separate storage… for emergency?”
Looking at her Matt’s mind was barely functioning. “If he is, he hasn’t said.”
“Then maybe I am mistaken?” The gown parted a little exposing her cleavage as she lifted her hands to dry her hair. She saw Matt’s eyes drawn to her chest, before he abruptly turned away.
“It is uncomfortable for you with me being here?”
“What… No,” he said sharply.
“I can go somewhere else, one of the crew: a woman, said there was a room.”
“No it’s fine…” A name appeared in Matt’s mind. “Another room; I expect she will mean Vladimir's”
“Vladimir?”
“The man who died.”
“Oh…”
Matt found himself playing on the fact. “It’s fine; it’s a nice room, but I’m not sure you would like to be in the place. It’s close to Peters room…?” His words slowed as he realized he was speaking too fast.
She brushed the tousled hair from her face. “You know what they are saying about us?”
Matt felt his face blush.
“That we are… what was it they said,” She looked up at the roof in thought. “… That we are going at like rabbits?”
Now he felt embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”
She smiled. “I have been told worse.” Her smile faded. “We can if you want; I understand.”
“We can? No, you don’t understand,” he said sharply, before moderating his tone. “No, that wasn’t why I brought you here. He had no right to do what he did… to do what he has.” Suddenly he felt silly. “It probably sounds stupid but I wanted to save you; to protect you from him.”
She looked at him intently; her expression didn’t change. “Then you don’t want to have sex with me?”
“No… yes; yes… but I cant?’
“I’m sorry you have a wife?”
“No, I… She has someone else.”
“I’m sorry, I have upset you?”
“It’s… it’s kind of mutual. She has not wanted me to be here for a while. It’s hard for her being alone so much.”
Jennifer nodded. “Sometimes love cannot be part of our lives.”
“And sometimes it is.”
“And at others it is just sex.”
“Jennifer…” Matt’s throat felt dry. “It has to mean something, something other than gratitude.”
Her eyes opened a little. “I have to be in love with you?”
“No, not that either… well yes, but… oh I don’t know how to put it into words, but it has: if it ever happens, to be because you want to, not because you have to.”
She was quiet for a moment longer. “And if I said I did want to?”
Mathew was grasping for words to answer when there was a demanding hammering on the door, then a faint voice. Mathew it’s me Emma, are you there… open the door it’s urgent.”
One part of Mathew hated the interruption: another welcomed it. He got up and crossed to the door: once opened he saw that the woman was troubled.
You have to go to the bridge; there’s a mob taking over.”
“What?” She wasn’t making sense. “Taking over what?”
“The station, there’s a mob telling Andrew he’s not in charge anymore.”
Matt could hear the commotion and see people outside the bridge, but the crush of people inside was so great that he couldn’t get through the door. “What’s happening?” he demanded trying to use some of the authority he once commanded.
“It’s Matt, he’s with us.” Someone called out and he was pushed through the crowd.
Matt saw Andrew; he looked angry: there were people close to the commander but Matt couldn’t recognize their intent. Suddenly he was facing Andrew.
“Is this your doing?” Andrew demanded.
“No: of course not.”
“Then why are you with them?”
“I’m not.” Matt could see that the mood was hostile, and almost all the faces were intimidating.
“They’re demanding we turn away from the sun,” said Andrew.
Matt struggled to turn around. “We can’t turn away.” He tried to speak over the clamor of voices. They grew louder as the realization that he wasn’t with them carried through the crowd. “We’re nearly past: we could already be past: It’s going to get better, we just have to stick with this course a little longer.”
But nobody wanted to listen and soon his voice was drowned out when somebody countered with. “We’re all gunna die.”
And someone else with, “We’re making the decisions now.”
Matt saw the second was Vincent.
“Trust us...” Matt pleaded.
But Vincent turned to him. “It’s not your right to decide if we die.”
“We’re not going to die.” Matt felt even less confident of the fact looking at the faces about him. “We have to stay on this course…” The reasons why they should were in Matt’s mind but he chose something he hoped would pacify them more. “There’s a relief capsule coming for us, we need to dock with it.”
The shouting closest, and those who could hear calmed a little.
“If we change course it will miss us.” Matt tried to drive home the point as he glanced at Andrew.
“He’s right.” Andrew agreed. “It’ll arrive soon…Earth is re-supplying us they’re doing all they can to help?”
The mood had begun to ease until someone asked, “Why now?”
Matt looked at Andrew; he had no idea to offer.
“There’s no why now,” Andrew snapped. “Things have to be planned they happen when they happen.”
Matt thought they were calming until Vincent spoke again. “It’s a lie.” He almost snarled. “You’re not going to fob us off that easily.”
Matt wanted to say it wasn’t a subterfuge, but doubt had entered even his mind. Had Andrew anticipated the mood; but then why would he have confided the news. The hesitation had lost them the advantage and now the faces were just as hostile.
Matt looked on in disbelief as Andrew pulled out the stun gun. “Stand back.” He demanded, and for a moment they did until one of the visitors to his side kicked the weapon from his hand. Immediately several people grabbed hold of Andrew and wrestled him to the ground.
Matt made to intervene, but felt a hand on his arm. Emma was holding him b
ack. He could have shaken her off but by then he knew nobody else was moving to help the commander, and alone he could do nothing.
The scuffle was over almost immediately and Andrew was dragged to his feet and pushed through the crowd.
Mathew watched stunned and feeling helpless until he realized everybody was looking at him. As the protesting commander was bundled away, the room became quite and Matt realized Peter was facing him. He hadn’t seen the man before, and wasn’t sure where he had suddenly appeared from.
“It seems you are now in charge?” said Peter.
“As far as I am concerned the commander is still in charge.” He countered.
Peter smiled. “Then you have not been paying attention. The commander had been removed, of course if you wish to join him?”
“Clive is second in command.”
“And he is with us?”
“That’s…” Matt looked at the crowd; he couldn’t see Clive’s face.
“I’m an engineer not command staff.”
“We will make the decisions, you will make them happen.”
“And if I don’t who is going to get us all back to Earth?”
“Your going to see us all die just to prove we are wrong?”
Matt had a feeling that what had happened wasn’t as spontaneous as it appeared, but Peter was right whatever the circumstances it was his duty to get then all home, or at least try to. “I will not take over command.” He said holding his anger. “But I will do what I can to ensure the safety of the ship and everyone aboard.”
Peter smiled and turned to the crowd. “Then you will turn away.”
There was a loud round of clapping and shouting as the mood lifted.
“Well then, as you are not in charge I order you to instruct whoever needs to be on what we should do to return to the orbit of Earth?”
Matt looked at the expectant faces. It was a bad move that he had no idea of the consequences of, but the choice wasn’t his. “Then please return to bridge to me.”
Peter nodded and Matt saw two of the visitors begin to herd every one from the room. “You will probably need some help?’ Peter said glancing at a couple of men.
“No.” replied Matt sharply.
“Then consider them company.”
Matt saw one was Vincent. He said nothing as the room emptied. When it had he looked at Vincent. “Do you know what your doing?”
“Saving lives?” countered the man.
“You don’t believe that.” Matt said angrily.
“Of course I do we all want to live.”
“If you call going to jail living?”
“Come on Matt you know that isn’t going to happen.”
“The last I read on the subject illegally taking over command is a criminal offence.”
“Ahh…” Vincent grinned. “But we’re not taking over were relieving command… and that’s allowed.”
“Not this way it isn’t.”
“What are they gunna do send the whole lot of us to jail: no way; the best lawyers on the planet will make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Matt was slowly realizing what was happening. “Then it’s not the crew’s idea?”
“What do you mean?”
“You think you can afford that kind of defense? But it’s not you guys is it; you’re just the stupid muscle.” He saw Vincent’s expression harden. “It’s the visitors who have put you up to this isn’t it?”
“We’re all in this tin can together.”
“We are, but the people least likely to make decisions are the ones calling the shots now.”
“And that where you come in.”
“I could refuse?”
“Like Peter said and prove what; that we’re all dead?” Vincent smiled. “Including your Ruskie chick?”
Instantly the threat sank in. “So it’s his idea?”
“No…” The denial didn’t sound convincing. “He’s just one of us.”
Now Matt smiled. “If you believe that, then your more gullible than I imagined.”
“I know what your trying to do, but it won’t work, you get us back to the planet and he’ll make sure none of us go to prison.”
“No that isn’t all, is it: what else has he offered you?”
“If you must know he’s asked me to work with him.”
“Just like that?”
“Yea, just like that.”
“Use your brain man, he’ll dump you as soon as we’re back on the planet.”
“No he won’t.”
“And I suppose it includes paying you a fortune?”
“More than I could ever get working on this shit hole.”
“And here’s me thinking it was something noble like saving your fellow man, and it’s just lining you pockets after all?”
“I don’t have to explain or justify to you, you were told what to do, stop arguing and get us out of here.”
“Before I do just remember we considered chasing Earth and decided not to for a reason.”
“Yes I remember you telling us; thing is can we believe you said it for the right reasons?”
“And another thing you’ll have to take my word for, is that it’ll take every gram of fuel the station has left to pull away and fall back into Earths orbit, and I can’t even be sure there’s enough. So I hope you and your co-conspirators have got a plan to stop us heading out into interstellar space if we run out?”
Vincent sneered. “No, that’s what your gunna stop happening.”
“I’ll do what I can because I intend to stay alive, but if: and when, that high powered lawyer examines me in court, make sure he knows full well that I said this isn’t just a bad idea it could be a suicidal one?”
More of this series and other stories and Novels by John Stevenson can be found at… www.australianstoryteller.com
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