Chapter 4

Xi Pegasi

March 10, 2057

Devin sat hunched in his seat, staring fixedly at his display as fatigue dragged at his eyelids. Twenty-three hours had passed since the meteoroid swarm had struck, and Devin had refused to leave his post again until the Wells was safely in orbit. Sijay and Shanna had taken a break, but Devin had steadfastly stayed put. Lenna had threatened to medically decertify him, but his hasty promise to rest after the ship was safe had temporarily mollified her.

His spirits had been lifted ten hours earlier when Keith had reported that Raimella was in stable, but still serious, condition. The new EVA suits’ radiation shielding had worked better than predicted, as had the radiation mitigation and treatment procedures the Company and NASA had developed during their last twenty years in space. The engineer wasn’t out of trouble yet, but she would likely survive.

Wells limped into a stable orbit at last, and Sijay released the controls and laid her head back with a sigh. “We’re here.”

“Good job.” Devin keyed his comm. “Done with engines, Keith.”

“It’s a good thing,” Keith’s voice was blurred with fatigue. “We’re now down to ten engines; Five and Twelve are done for.”

“Get some rest,” Devin advised.

“Look who’s talking. Lenna is probably on her way with a tranq gun,” he chuckled.

Devin smiled tiredly. “No doubt.” He released his harness and floated out of his seat. “Sijay, you have the first watch.”

“Goodnight, Devin,” she waved without turning around.

“Goodnight.” Devin opened the hatch and pulled himself through. He drifted down the passageway to the first hatch on his left and caught the grab bar with his left hand. His body pivoted around the anchor point in a practiced motion that brought him upright, facing the hatch. He pressed his right palm on the access panel, and the hatch slid open.

The tiny cabin was immaculate, as it had to be on a spacecraft, especially if it was under power. Unsecured objects were a danger to people and equipment alike. The bulkhead to his right was taken up by two sleeping bags and their restraint nets. They faced forward so any thrust forces would press the occupants against the bulkhead. The bathing and toilet facilities were located on the far bulkhead, along with storage lockers and a small tabletop. The left bulkhead held a large display screen and its associated controls. There was enough open space in the center for two people to maneuver, if they were careful.

Devin pulled himself into the cabin and closed the hatch. He tugged at the collar of his shipsuit, and loosened the outer flap of the double seal down his torso. The inner flap came next, opening the skintight garment down to his crotch. He pulled his arms free by grasping each glove in turn, and then he peeled the suit down to his waist. He carefully disconnected the relief tube and kicked his feet loose from the boots. The suit slid down his legs, and he pushed it off with his feet. Devin pivoted and caught it in midair, and then he shook it out and carefully folded it for stowage. The storage pack on the back held enough air for eight hours, plus a small amount of water.

The helmet was made of the same material as the suit, and was equipped with a flexible visor. The helmet assembly was kept fairly rigid by inflatable tubes that ran along the inside. When the helmet was pressurized, the tubes stiffened and held the helmet away from the wearer’s face. An inner safety helmet could be added, but Devin sweated too much when he wore them. He carefully packed the suit into the mesh bag attached to the pack. The package formed a neat, half-meter cube, which he carefully stowed on its bulkhead-mounted pad. The pad contained a charging system for the consumables in the suit, and the telltales lit to confirm that the pack was properly sealed.

The undergarment he wore was designed to trap perspiration, blood and other body fluids to keep the suit clean. Opening it at the neck, Devin removed it as he had the shipsuit and stowed it in the laundry hamper. He selected a clean terrycloth bathing towel and set it in the sink. Closing the cover, he wetted the towel with bathing solution, careful not to overdo it. Loose liquids were not a good thing in microgravity; people or equipment could inhale them.

After his bath, he donned a clean undergarment, dimmed the lights to a dull glow and climbed into the sleeping bag. He adjusted the bag’s cooling system to his satisfaction and drifted off to sleep. He didn’t even stir when Lenna came to bed ten minutes later.

Xi Pegasi

March 11, 2057

The following morning, Devin and Lenna joined the first shift crew for breakfast on the activity deck. This was the largest open space in the accommodations section, allowing the crew sufficient room to socialize. A work crew was finishing repairs to the overhead where fragments of meteoroid had punched through, while the day’s galley hands prepared the morning meal. Tables had been set up in the area, but there were no chairs. Each table had a pair of padded rails along each side; one was a footrest and the other a seat.

Doctor Mallory Restin, Wells’ nutrition specialist, or the chief cook and bottle washer, as she titled herself, waved a hand at the nearest table. “Sit down, you two! I’ll have breakfast for you in a minute.”

Lenna smiled. “I can get my own breakfast, you know. And so can Devin.”

“I’m cooking breakfast, and I’m in charge, so dock it.”

“I think we’d better do what she says,” Devin stage-whispered. He took her hand and led her to the nearest table. Lenna grabbed the table’s edge and brought her feet over the seat bar, and then she pulled her body down to a seated position. Simple hook and loop patches on the soles of her shoes and on the seat of her coveralls stuck fast to the material on the rails, holding her in position. Devin seated himself beside her. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Tortillas de harina con queso, huevos, y chorizo; or flour tortillas with cheese, eggs and sausage.” Mallory prepared the meal in the cooking unit; a covered stove and microwave combination that kept everything from floating away.

“At least the food stores survived,” Lenna sighed. “Emergency rations are nutritious, but they still taste awful.”

“Depends on how hungry you are,” Devin deadpanned.

As Lenna laughed and started to reply, the main hatch opened to admit a gaggle of people. The formation held at the hatchway while Kimmi Davies, the apparent flight leader, spied Devin and Lenna, then they launched themselves toward the pair. Mallory popped out of the galley at the same moment, wielding her cooking spoon like a rapier. “You leave them alone until they eat, hear?”

Kimmi snagged a table edge with her toe and jerked to a halt. The other six people in the flight stopped themselves with various hand and footholds, keeping well clear of Mallory’s weapon. “Yes, Mallory,” Kimmi said respectfully. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Dunno. Ask in there.” Mallory served Devin and Lenna, and then turned back to a pouting Kimmi with a laugh. “We’re doing Tex-Mex this morning.”

Kimmi pushed off the table and hugged her friend. “You’re a doll. Can I marry you?”

Mallory hugged her tightly. “Not unless you’re better in bed than Arif, and you’re not.” The two women giggled and Mallory gently pushed herself back. “Now, everyone stick your butts to the poles while I get your food.” The newcomers joined Devin and Lenna at their table, exchanging small talk as they ate.

By the time the original group had eaten, the compartment was filled to capacity with about a fifth of the crew compliment. Devin pulled loose from his seat and moved to the small speaker’s platform at the forward bulkhead.

Devin adjusted his headset and turned on the compartment’s PA system. “Good morning, everyone.” He pressed another key, and several holographic screens appeared around the compartment. A third key and the same image appeared alongside his face on every monitor aboard. He waited for ten heartbeats, and then he took a breath. “We are finally in orbit, although not around the planet we had planned to colonize. He brought up an external view of the colony ship. “Wells is damaged, and we have lost some equipment and supplies. We have also lost one of the ship’s reactors, leaving us with no backup power supply. We still have four undamaged shuttles and plenty of fuel for them. The planet seems to be habitable, much more so than Mars ever was.”