by Dave Walsh
“Sir,” Dumas began, looking at Dr. Brandis, then to O’Neil. “If I can speak freely here, I believe that meeting with the Defense Minister would be wise at this --”
“I will, I will.” He tried to placate his first officer before heading toward the sink. “Tea, either of you?”
“Sir -- no offense, Dr. Brandis,” Dumas said as he turned to her. “But in light of the recent discovery, I believe that we should be --”
“You are both here because you two are the ones whom I trust the most,” O'Neil said as he grabbed a mug and began the meticulous task of filtering his tea. “There are 504,234 people aboard this ship right now, and you two are the ones whom I can trust. You’ve both been briefed by me.”
He glanced up at Dumas, who was standing rigidly next to Sue. “You both knew that there was documentation about the possibility of there being human life on Omega. I believe that we have enough evidence right now, from the debris we’ve discovered along the journey to this signal now, to confirm that there is intelligent life on Omega.”
“The numbers could be occurring naturally, though,” Dumas mused half-heartedly.
“It was five numbers; we sent five back,” Dr. Brandis responded. “Then we got five back. The chances of that seem very slim.”
“So we are not only approaching the unknown then,” Dumas said, shaking his head in disbelief. “But we are entering the unknown, which has just become that much more dangerous.”
“This whole trip was dangerous from the start,” O’Neil quickly asserted. “What if we arrive on this planet, and it’s overridden by giant monsters that make Earth’s dinosaurs look like pups? We still know nothing about the vegetation, the animal life, the toxicity. This trip was based upon conjecture, theory, best guesses. We were sent out here with failure as a probability, one of many such ships --”
“Wait, what?” Sue looked up at him confused. “There were other ships like this?”
Dumas nodded silently, arms crossed, before turning to her. “Four others, to be precise. Sent to other possible habitable worlds. Omega was the best hope of the five, also the closest, but there were others. Ours was the public relations flight -- ‘Earth’s Last Hope,’ they called it. Silently the four other ships were launched toward their destinations. They were smaller in scope as well, maybe a capacity of 100,000, while we can handle over 500,000.”
“Correct,” O’Neil said as he cradled his steaming cup of tea in his hands. “They were also equipped for possible terraforming, even if it was just on smaller moons. The Omega Project was about survival of the human race, predicting that Earth would no longer be sustainable for long.”
“I’m not sure how sending humanity off into different corners of the galaxy keeps humanity alive,” she said. “I mean, I get the concept of probability, and chances are at least one of the ships would have a surviving population, maybe even flourish one day, but I guess I just never thought about this mission failing. Did I imagine hardships? Of course. But not complete failure.”
“We need a plan, Peter,” Dumas said, dropping formality. “We are going to need to be ready for anything. That whole civilian military that we’ve been cultivating? I think that we are going to need it.”
“No.” O’Neil was swimming in this thoughts. “I’m not going to mobilize anything just yet. Whatever, whoever we find on that planet, we come in peacefully. This whole mission wouldn’t have been necessary if it wasn’t for humanity’s brutality, our own cruelty. If these really are human beings, if these really are our relatives in some way, why should we look to come in and destroy or subjugate them?
“Anyone alive on this planet is going to be a tremendous asset for us.” O'Neil took a long sip from his tea, letting it sink in before he continued. “This is their home, and we are technically going to be imposing upon them. If for some reason, some from this planet did travel to Earth, much like we are coming from Earth to here, we are going to need to be understanding.”
“It’s a noble idea,” Dumas said. He pursed his lips, pausing before choosing his words carefully. “But Peter, you’ve always been an idealist. This ship might be a ship of moderate ideals, but this world will be different. We might need to take action.”
“I will not authorize anything until it is absolutely necessary, Jack.” He walked over to Dumas, placing his hand on the back of his neck and forcing eye contact. “I appreciate your diligence, your candor, as always, but trust me on this. Humanity was led here by mistakes, mistakes that couldn’t be fixed. We ran away from our problems, and we might have a chance here. This might be a chance for us to start over.”
Dumas shook his head, laughing quietly. “I never know where this optimism comes from, Peter, but I always appreciate it.”
* * *
“I never thought that a sequence of numbers would be able to change my perception of reality like this,” O’Neil said. He chuckled, arms folded behind his back as he walked down through the business district in the B-Block with Dr. Brandis at his side.
“Numbers will always be more important than any of us give them credit for,” she agreed.
“From time to time, I like to just wander through the Blocks.” He stopped in front of a display of screens playing news and discussing the best viewing areas to see Omega. “Seems like those viewing ports are finally going to be of use, huh?” he asked absently.
“I guess,” she said. “Never saw much use in them myself. Space is space. The occasional floating rock formation might pass by, but it’s usually just the blackness of space.”
“We have no reason to appreciate space,” he said as he continued to stare at the screen, not really paying attention to it but just staring. “But imagine the first generation who was aboard this ship. Space flight wasn’t uncommon, but it was brief or reserved for those of privilege. Many initially aboard the flight would flood the observation lounges at all hours of the day and night, just gazing off into the blackness, the vastness of space. It didn’t matter what they were or weren’t seeing.”
“It’s just hard to appreciate something when it is always there,” she said. She diverted her eyes away from O’Neil's after his eyes caught hers, feeling a slight bit of excitement rise and fall inside of her. “I guess.”
“Maybe our children,” he said. He paused, clearing his throat. “Our generation’s children, I mean. Maybe they’ll marvel at space all over again after we live out the rest of our lives on this new planet. It might just be a big, never-ending cycle. Hell, maybe this journey we are making is a part of that cycle. Maybe humanity makes a blind pilgrimage between our two worlds every few generations, and we are all just a part of this never-ending cycle.”
She looked lost, which was something that he never thought he’d say about Sue. “The more you tell me, the more I’m prone to believing that.”
They continued walking through the main promenade in silence, both of their minds swimming in possibilities, processing the facts and taking in the sights.
Captain O’Neil was a symbol for these people -- either a symbol of hope or a symbol of oppression. Here in the B-Block, he was a symbol of hope, while the deeper one ventured into the ship, the more resentment boiled under the surface.
O’Neil had enjoyed his walks through the promenade, but his security advisers always ended up in a panic over them, pleading for him to schedule them, to warn them ahead of time so that they could secure the area and keep a watch on him. Outside of his garden, those walks were the closest that he ever got to feeling alive, to feeling normal.
It was a risk going on one with Sue, he thought to himself. Not only because she might be put in danger by being with him, but because Jeanette had always been jealous of Dr. Brandis. She sensed the tension between the two and even felt jealous over their friendship. Maybe if he had been more sensitive about the situation, Jeanette wouldn’t be cheating on him, he mused to himself while shaking his head. Regardless of what he may or may not have felt for Sue, he had always promised to remain faithful to J
eanette and to remain faithful in his duty.
Maybe when they arrived at Omega, things would be different. That had been the refrain that had been cycling through his mind for the past few months at that point. Maybe Jeanette would turn a corner, maybe their relationship would sort itself out, and Sue would stop being such a distraction. Then again, he could just as easily see things with Jeanette ending and him getting to live a quiet life alone with his garden.
There were a lot of maybes, perhaps too many maybes for his liking. He quickly realized that he had reached a point where there was instability everywhere he turned. He had always known that the final approach to Omega would be nerve-racking, but he never thought that it would be like it was at that moment.
“Sometimes,” Sue began, breaking the silence. “Sometimes I just want to know what’s going through the mind of the stoic Captain Peter O’Neil. Other times,” she said as she looked up at him with a look of admiration. “I’m just one of these people looking for guidance.”
He laughed, which helped to clear his mind and remind him to breath. “Oh Sue,” he said. “I needed that.”
“I’m not kidding around!” She looked at him, laughing like no one was watching him.
“Sue, you are probably the strongest person that I’ve ever known. You don’t need me for anything. I’m the one who needs you to lighten up this mood and help pull me from this black hole.”
They both paused as they heard the sound of O’Neil’s holoscanner coming from his back pocket. He pulled it out and flicked the button, letting the projected screen zip out from the device.
An image of Dumas popped into view. “Sir,” Dumas said stiffly. It was clear that he wasn’t not alone. “We have an emergency and need you here at the bridge immediately.”
“Again?” he said, running through nightmare scenarios in his mind about what could possibly be wrong after the day they were having. “What could it possibly be now? Did we receive another transmission?”
“Not quite,” Dumas said uncertainly. “We just need you to come here immediately, sir.”
“All right,” he replied. He tightened his grip on the holoscanner, the screen rescinding back into nothingness, curious as to what else could go wrong that day.
* * *
“What else could have possibly gone wrong in the past forty minutes, Dumas?” O’Neil muttered as the door slid open, ignoring procedure.
“Sir,” Dumas said, swallowing hard. “I’m not quite sure how to present this. He just... materialized inside of your office. We have no records of anyone coming or --”
“He?”
“Yes, sir.” Dumas was flustered, meaning that this was serious. “The codes check out.”
“The codes?”
“Yes, sir.” He presented his holoscanner to O’Neil. The image of a man was on it. He was in his early fifties and slender, with a thin mustache on his upper lip and cold gray eyes. “Admiral Navarro, sir.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I, sir.” Dumas was usually able to keep himself together, but none of it made any sense. “But he’s inside of your office right now. Like I said, the codes...”
“I’ll see about this,” O’Neil said. He waved his hand dismissively at Dumas before striding toward his office. The door whizzed open to reveal a slender man sitting in O’Neil’s chair.
“Ah, Captain O’Neil, I presume?” He stood, his hand outstretched.
“Yes.” The captain looked down, inspecting the man’s hand but not taking it. “How did you get aboard this ship, never mind into my office?”
“Oh, Captain O’Neil, I do apologize.” The man's accent was thick, elegant. High born, unlike anyone else aboard the ship. “This is a bit of an intrusion, I must admit, but I was made aware of a rogue signal that escaped from the surface and was intercepted by your ship and -- well, I had to spoil the surprise.”
“Surprise?”
“Oh, I do apologize again, but I feel as if I’ve gotten a bit ahead of myself here. I’m Admiral William Navarro of the Fourth Fleet. I believe in your dossiers there should be a mention of the Fourth Fleet.”
“Yes, but...” O'Neil could feel his head starting to spin. “It’s been 82 years since we left Earth, with no contact past the Europa Station. It’s impossible.”
“Correction,” Navarro replied as he smiled through his thin lips. “It was impossible, but you have to give them credit, I suppose. They did have a contingency in place for technological advances such as the HyperMass Drive.”
“HyperMass Drive?”
“Once again, I’m ahead of myself.” Navarro turned toward the window. “There is much to discuss. We had planned a formal greeting, but when we learned of the signal, I decided to have a meeting with the ship’s captain directly to -- well, lessen the surprise. I understand that it might be a bit shocking for your ship to come into view of Omega only to see the Fourth Fleet exchanging fire with what’s left of the rebels.”
“Rebels?”
“Things have moved swiftly, haven’t they?”
O’Neil sunk into his chair, staring at Admiral Navarro standing regally and looking out the window. He wondered just what was awaiting them at Omega.
011. The Perfect Hand
Jonah Freeman
“Jonah, come in.” The Minister of Finance directed Jonah in through the large wooden doors to his office from the waiting room. He was wearing a black suit with the Ministry band on his right arm and a few commendations on his lapel.
“Thanks, Jim.” Jonah smiled and nodded as he followed him into the room, and Jim closed the door behind them.
“Take a seat, Jonah,” he said as he directed Jonah to a chair in front of the desk. Jonah sunk into the leather chair, which was far more comfortable than it had appeared.
“So,” he began as he moved around his desk and sat down in his own high-backed chair and inched forward toward his desk. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, Jim.” Jonah looked at him and knew that there was no turning back. “Since we seemed to have a good understanding the other night in regards to your daughter --”
“Jonah,” he interrupted, putting his hand out and bowing his head slightly. “If you are here to ask for my daughter’s hand, you didn’t have to go through this trouble because I --”
“No, sir,” Jonah said, shifting in his chair and waving his hands quickly in front of him. “Nothing like that.”
“Oh,” Jim said, pursing his lips and nodding his head as his eyes scanned the room. “So what is so important that you had to see me today then?”
“Well, Jim, I need a bit of a favor,” he said slowly, not making eye contact. “You see, I’m working on a bit of a project myself here, and I’d like your help with it.”
“I’m listening. Go ahead,” he said as he motioned for Jonah to continue.
“Great. Well, sir,” he said as he looked up at him, knowing that he could still turn back. The wheels were in motion, but was the cost worth it? “Jim. I’d like access to a few of the other Ministers.”
“Oh, well, that should be no problem,” he said.
“As well as the captain.”
“Now that,” Jim began as he pushed his chair back. He picked himself up, straightened out his jacket and fastened the front button before striding over to the pitcher of water on the table next to his desk. “That might be a problem,” he said, pointing the pitcher at Jonah before pouring himself a glass of water.
“Why is that, Jim?”
“Because he is the fucking captain, Jonah,” he said, letting out a nervous laugh and taking a big gulp of water before resting the glass back on the table. “He’s the captain, in charge of not only the ship but the Ministry aboard the ship and the mission in general. No one just gets to see the captain, no matter the project that they are working on. Especially with how close we are now. There’s just no way.”
“That is disappointing, to say the least.” Jonah knew it couldn’t be that easy, but a part of
him had hoped that it would be. He could feel his palms sweating. That was plan A, and it was crashing and burning right before his eyes.
“I can do a lot, Jonah,” he said as he sat back down behind his desk and shook his head. “But I’m sorry to tell you that I can’t do that for you.”
“You can’t or won’t?” Jonah asked, feeling his heart rate begin to speed up.
“I don’t -- are you accusing me of something, Jonah?” His voice began to rise, and his face was turning a hue of red.
“No, Jim.” He needed to remain calm; he couldn’t get too upset or let Jim get too upset just yet. “I just...”
“That is 'sir,'” he corrected him.
“Sir,” Jonah said, understanding that he had hit a tender spot with him. Thankfully, Jim and Kara were a lot alike, so he had predicted which buttons to push. “Although I do wonder.”
“What do you wonder?” the Minister asked, sounding irritated, with his finger hovering around the button to call his secretary and (Jonah assumed) dismiss him. The knot inside of Jonah’s stomach grew to the point where he felt that he would become physically ill and vomit all over the table and carpet.
“I wonder if your wife knows.” The words seemed to almost flow out of Jonah’s mouth, and the look of anger on the Minister’s face quickly changed into a look of shock, his face growing pallid.
Jonah’s whole body quivered, knowing that he had just fired his heavy artillery. There was no going back from there.
“Excuse me?” Jim said after a long, awkward pause.
“Does your wife know, sir?” Jonah asked, doing his best to compose himself, sitting up straight in the comfortable leather chair with his hands resting on either side.
“Does my wife know what?” he sneered at Jonah, the anger coming back into his tone. “Does she know what?”
