Restoration

by Daniel C McWhorter

  CHAPTER 25

  APRIL 5, 2075 02:10 PM GST

  Empty Space

  Luna-Mars Transition

  “Evan, wake up. Can you hear me?”

  Evan opened his eyes to see Chen floating in front of him. He lifted his head and looked around, he was still in his acceleration pod on Gbadamosi’s missile-turned-spaceship.

  “Yeah, I can hear you. What the hell happened?”

  “You blacked out. We all did.”

  As his vision cleared Evan could see Yin and Adee floating just behind Chen. Adee was working at some kind of console and Yin was holding on to the back of her acceleration pod.

  “How are you feeling, Evan?” Yin asked.

  “Alright I guess, aside from a splitting headache and the ringing in my ears.”

  “It will pass,” Chen offered. “It’s just the after-effects of the gravity drive.”

  “I thought I had died,” Evan said.

  “I’m sorry about that.” Adee looked up from his console. “No room on this thing for compensators. It won’t be as noticeable next time.”

  “Next time!” Evan wasn’t sure he could handle another episode like the last one.

  Adee pushed off the console and grabbed hold of a handrail just above Evan. “Yes, I’m afraid so. Endeavor will be here soon and we have to jump again if we want to stay ahead of your pursuers.”

  “Dear God, I don’t think I can, Adee. Just leave me here.”

  “We can’t do that, Evan but I promise you’ll hardly even notice it. Compared to this old thing, making a jump on Endeavor will feel like…” Adee paused as he searched for the correct analogy, “like jumping into a cold swimming pool. You’ll feel it but it will be nothing like this and you’ll probably get used to it after a few minutes.”

  “Oh, well. That sounds soooo much better.”

  “You’ll be fine, Evan, trust me,” Chen said. “Let’s get him up Yin.”

  Adee drifted back toward his console and Yin moved to Evan’s right side as Chen released the restraints keeping Evan in his pod. Evan felt himself float gently off of the pod but Yin braced herself with one arm and helped Evan orient so his head was “up” relative to the inside of the ship.

  “No sudden moves,” she said. “If you want, I can move you closer to the floor and you can use your mag-boots.”

  “Let’s do that,” Evan replied.

  Chen and Yin gently pushed on Evan until his feet contacted the grated metal floor running the length of the craft in between the two rows of acceleration pods. His boots activated as soon as his feet made contact.

  “That’s better,” he said.

  “Take slow steps and keep one foot on the walkway at all times,” Yin cautioned. “If you step too hard, you will fly off the catwalk.”

  Evan took a timid step forward to see how it felt. Whereas Luna had at least some gravity, here it was only the magnetic pull of the boots against metal holding him in place. Chen floated in front of Evan so they were face to face and shoved his right hand toward Evan’s mouth.

  “Here take this,” he said

  “What is it?”

  “Something to help with the headache.”

  “Do you have some water?” Evan asked.

  “Back of the seats,” Adee replied, not taking his eyes off his console.

  Yin opened a compartment on the back of her pod and pulled out a clear plastic container with liquid inside. She twisted the top and a short straw popped out. She drifted over to Evan and put the bottle in his hand so it didn’t float away. Evan used his lips to take the pill from Chen’s hand and followed it with a long slurp of water.

  “Okay?” Yin asked.

  Evan took another long sip before handing the bottle back to Yin.

  “Yes, thanks.”

  “How long?” Chen asked Adee.

  “Not much longer, they are three thousand kilometers behind us.”

  “How do we get out of this thing?” Evan asked. “I hope you aren’t expecting me to do a spacewalk!”

  Adee chuckled. “Not at all, Endeavor is a big ship, my friend. We will fit easily inside her cargo bay. Once inside, we will put our helmets back on and walk to the airlock using our mag-boots. Easy-peasy.”

  “This whole thing is unbelievable. Two days ago, I woke up…came back to life…whatever you want to call it and now I am Buck Rogers.”

  “Buck who?” Adee asked.

  “A space guy. It was a TV show from the late seventies and early eighties. He was an astronaut that got frozen in space in 1987 and woke up five hundred years later.”

  “Ahh, interesting.”

  “Now that I think of it though, he and I have a lot in common. Both of us were revived long after we died. Earth fought a nuclear war that resulted in everyone coming together in one world government…the only thing missing is the evil Princess Ardala and her Draconian army trying to take over the Earth. You haven’t met anybody from another planet yet, right?”

  Everyone burst into laughter, and it went on far longer than Evan liked.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  Yin was the first to stop laughing. “We’re sorry. We’re not laughing at you.”

  “I'll look that up,” Chen said. “Buck Rogers, you say? Maybe the footage is still available. That would be very interesting to see.”

  “The answer is no, Evan, we have not encountered an evil princess from another planet,” Adee finally answered.

  A light flashed on Adee’s console and a beeping sound echoed throughout the craft.

  “They are here,” Adee said. “Ten kilometers and closing. Half a kilometer below us.”

  “Let’s get you back in your pod,” Chen said.

  Yin and Chen helped Evan back into his pod before returning to theirs. Adee tapped the console a few times before drifting back to the pilot’s pod.

  Evan activated his holodisplay and rotated his view so he could get a good look at the incoming ship—it was massive. The craft looked like a long cigar-shaped tube with a wide, flat disk mounted toward the front of it. Four large, triangular fins spread out behind the disk like the delta wings on the Telogene shuttle he rode to Luna. The four fins came together at the back of the ship to form what looked to Evan like a giant Celtic cross.

  The two ships were now within three hundred meters of each other and Evan could tell that Endeavor was at least twenty times as long as the missile-ship, which made it about the size of six American football fields laid out end-to-end. The massive ship drifted up to intercept the missile-ship (or maybe the missile-ship was drifting down, Evan couldn’t tell).

  The distance between the two ships decreased until the missile-ship was just thirty meters above the Endeavor. They were moving toward are large opening in the upper fin. Evan felt a slight shove as Adee activated the ship’s thrusters. A few more thrusts later and the missile-ship floated gently through the opening.

  Man, this thing is huge! Evan marveled to himself.

  The missile-ship continued to drift slowly rearward as two massive doors closed to seal the opening they had just come through. Evan felt another small thrust and then everything went quiet.

  The holodisplay view shifted to the back of the missile-ship. Several bright lights turned on inside the cargo bay and Evan saw a large arm extend from the wall behind them. A few seconds later he heard a clunking sound and felt the arm retract, pulling the missile-ship with it.

  “We’re locked in. Helmets on everybody,” Adee said as he floated toward the hatch.

  Yin helped Evan get out of his pod and secure his helmet. Once everyone was ready Adee depressurized the rocket and opened the hatch. His two crewmen were first to exit.

  “Chen, you’re next, then Evan and Yin please,” he said.

  When Evan got to the hatch, he could see that the floor of the cargo bay was at least twenty meters below him. Chen was standing next to a crewman on a narrow catwalk that ran the length of the cargo bay.

  “I thought you said we were w
alking?”

  “Just push off and float over to us Evan,” Chen replied. “There is a catwalk here that you can hold on to. We’ll catch you.”

  There were at least ten meters of empty space between Evan and Chen. Evan took a deep breath.

  “Okay, here I come.”

  He used both hands to pull himself through the hatch and did his best to aim for Chen. Unfortunately, his right glove caught on the door handle as he pushed off, causing him to spin slowly as he left the ship. His efforts to stop his spin caused him to tumble awkwardly as he floated across the gap. By the time he got to the catwalk, he found himself upside down and staring at Chen’s knees.

  “I got you,” Chen said.

  Evan felt Chen’s arms clasp around his midsection, bringing him to stop with his head just above the catwalk. Yin landed next to Chen a second later, and together they managed to orient Evan so that his feet were on the catwalk.

  Evan engaged his mag-boots.

  “Well, that was fun,” he said.

  Adee floated across and landed just in front of the group.

  “This way,” he said.

  The two crewmen followed as the group walked along the catwalk toward an open hatch at the rear of the cargo bay.

  “Inside,” Adee instructed. “We’re almost there, Evan.”

  Adee closed the hatch behind them and Evan felt the pressure change as the airlock equalized with the ship’s interior. After a few seconds, Adee asked the group to remove their helmets and the inner airlock door opened to reveal a short hallway leading to an elevator. Evan stepped carefully, fearing that one misstep would send him careening up to the ceiling.

  “Just a short ride from here,” Adee said as the elevator door slid shut.

  Evan felt himself getting heavier as the elevator descended.

  “Is that gravity?” he asked.

  Adee replied. “Yes, the habitat ring is ninety percent of Earth gravity so you won’t need the mag-boots to walk around.”

  The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open to reveal another hallway.

  Adee stepped out first. “The decontamination room is on your left and there are fresh clothes waiting for you.”

  “Thank God,” Evan said. “I can’t wait to get out of this suit!”

  Adee laughed. “I bet, it’s been a long day for you. I suggest we have a quick meal and then you all should get some rest. I'm afraid tomorrow will be another long day.”

  “I can eat,” Evan replied. “All this flying through space has made me hungry again.”

  It took about twenty minutes for the group to complete the decontamination process and get dressed. From the changing room, it was a short walk down another hallway, which ended in a hatch and a ladder down to the floor of yet another hallway some ten meters below. Adee sent his crewmen down first.

  “Please be careful on the ladder. You will feel heavier as you near the bottom,” Adee said.

  Evan felt the downward pressure building on his legs and feet with each step down. Once he reached the bottom, he took a few tentative steps and found that he could walk normally and even hop up and down without floating away.

  “Having fun?” Yin asked as she stepped off the ladder and took a few hops toward him.

  “Just testing,” Evan replied.

  Adee was the last one down.

  “You're dismissed,” he said to the two crewmen. “Thank you for your help today.”

  The crewmen bowed slightly before departing down a nearby intersecting hallway.

  “This way to the mess hall, please follow me,” he instructed the rest of the group.

  “Where are the people?” Evan asked. “It must take a lot of people to run this ship.”

  Adee laughed. “Not as many as you might think. The AI's do most of the work.”

  “How big is your crew?” Chen asked.

  “Right now, there are thirty crew members on board but full ship’s complement is one hundred and fifty-four.”

  “Where is everyone else?” Yin asked.

  “They are getting Kutanga ready. I only needed a skeleton crew to effect your retrieval.”

  “What’s the Kutanga?” Evan asked.

  “Another ship but all in due time, my friend. Here we are.”

  The door slid open to reveal a room roughly ten meters square. There were four round tables arrayed around the center of the room, with eight chairs around each table. Three uniformed people, a man and two women, sat at the table but quickly stood as Adee entered the room.

  “Admiral,” one of the women said.

  “At ease,” Adee replied. All three sat down, returning to their meals.

  “These are some of my officers,” Adee informed the group. “They know who you are but please introduce yourselves while I get you some food.”

  Adee exited through a different doorway than the one they had entered through.

  The male officer signaled the group over with a wave. “You can sit with us if you’d like.”

  Evan and company accepted the offered seats and everyone took turns introducing themselves. The woman who had greeted the admiral was the senior officer, she introduced herself as Chief Engineer Aisha Wallace. Next was Main Propulsion Assistant Linda Sewell and Damage Control Assistant Gustov Pichler. Together they ensured that Endeavor’s engines and critical systems remained functional and ready for anything the ship’s captain (or the Admiral, as they called Adee when he was on board) might require of them.

  After introductions were complete, the conversation turned to the fugitive’s ride in Adee’s homegrown missile-ship, with several good laughs all around as Chen and Yin shared some of Evan’s experiences. Evan didn’t find the stories all that funny, but he was a good sport and played along. He was relieved when Adee re-entered the room with two more of his shipmates in tow.

  “Making friends, I see. I hope you don’t mind but I ordered for you.”

  Each crew member carried two trays. They waited for Adee to take his seat at the table and then placed a tray in front of each of them. They removed the lids and said “Enjoy” before leaving the way they came.

  “We are having butternut squash pasta with sage and brown butter sauce, warm garlic bread and hot tea to drink. If you’d like something else to drink, I can offer you juice, water or coffee.”

  The three officers excused themselves, removing their trays from the table as they went.

  “It was nice meeting you,” Aisha said on behalf of her fellow officers before exiting through the side door Adee had just come through.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Chen asked as the group tucked into their meals.

  “The same,” Adee replied. “We're just a few weeks ahead of schedule. We’ll get you to the station and make sure that Evan is stable. Then…well, then we see how it goes.”

  “Are you worried about the GSSA or GFN?” Yin asked.

  “A little. The Peacekeepers chasing you were redirected to Mars, which means they are not giving up.”

  “But surely President Pak will not give us up?” Chen said referring to Martian President Jerry Pak.

  “No, he will not,” Adee replied. “But that doesn't mean they won't try. As you know, there have been numerous past incidents where the GFN has acted first and sought forgiveness after. I suspect they may be desperate enough to try that approach again.”

  “So, what do we do?” Yin asked.

  “Well, you will stay out of sight while I do my level best to keep them distracted. It is unlikely that they know our destination and the station is well defended if by some chance they find it.”

  Evan washed down his pasta with some tea.

  “And the worst-case scenario?” he asked.

  “We eliminate your pursuers and risk a war between Mars and Earth,” Adee said, shoving a bit of pasta in his mouth and swallowed before continuing. “But let’s not go there, that is a last resort. Now please, eat. We can continue this discussion after you have had some rest.”

  Several minutes of
quiet eating passed before Evan broke the silence. “I have to say that this is the best meal I’ve had yet, Adee. My compliments to the chef!”

  Adee laughed. “I’m glad you like it.”

  Chen and Yin laughed along.

  “What’s so funny?” Evan asked.

  “This is just a fancied-up version of what you had on Luna, Evan,” Chen replied. “To make it you just add water and heat it up. It looks and tastes like pasta but it’s made from the same nutrient base used to make your burger and fries.”

  Evan picked up a piece of pasta with his fork and examined it. “Really? It looks and tastes like pasta to me. I can even taste the sage and butter sauce.”

  “Yes, really,” Adee said. “Our galley equipment makes our food look and taste like just about anything.”

  “Even the garlic bread?”

  “Even the bread. It’s a synthesized carbohydrate paste made to look and taste like garlic buttered bread.”

  “Hmm. Well, it tastes good.”

  “And it’s good for you. You get a fully balanced, protein and vitamin rich meal regardless of what you order. All that changes is appearance, texture and flavor.”

  “Why not just use real food?”

  “Several reasons but most important is that the amount of space required to supply the crew with naturally grown food would be prohibitive.”

  “And as you recall,” Chen added, “the global famine wiped out most of the Earth’s organic food supply, and although much of it has been restored, eating fresh organic produce and protein is still incredibly expensive. Only the very wealthy can afford to eat it regularly and many of them have their own farms and livestock.”

  “And it is equally expensive to grow fresh fruits and vegetables on Mars,” Adee said. “Everything is grown in bio-domes, which are incredibly expensive to build and maintain.”

  “So, how is this stuff made then?”

  Adee started to speak but Chen responded first. “It’s grown in large vats of algae.”

  “And,” Adee continued, “then combined with synthetic carbohydrates to form a paste, which can then be freeze-dried, stored for long durations and then re-hydrated when needed. Very efficient.”

  Evan couldn’t hide the look of disgust on his face. “Ew, gads, and you people wonder why you’re having problems. First nanites and now this. What were you thinking?”