Project Columbus: Omnibus

by J. C. Rainier

  “Yes, ma’am. Clear of transports, elevation thrusters at station keeping.”

  Haruka looked down to the side of her station, where a large screen displayed the view beneath the ventral side of the crew pod. She could see one of the transports spinning slowly, far below Raphael. A waste of material.

  The original operational plan of Project Columbus called for the transports to be brought up only two at a time. After docking and moving out the passengers, the crews of the sleeper ships were to strip all modular materials and certain sections of ship systems that were easy to remove, valuable, or could be used on the sleeper, before discharging the transport into space. However, time was of the essence. America was at war, and there was no telling if her enemies could destroy the sleepers if they tried to escape. Nobody within the project wanted to take the risk. So we loaded the refugees on and shoved the transports off as quickly as possible.

  “Maynard, reactor status please.” Fox was still a commanding presence, even while being cordial.

  “Reactor online, Colonel. Cooling systems report normal. Reactor output restrict at 80%, ma’am. Generators online, all power systems registering normal.”

  “Increase reactor to 100%, Captain,” she barked.

  “Yes ma’am, bringing reactor to full.” Maynard said quickly.

  “Mancini, support systems check,” continued Fox.

  “Life support systems operational, system check acknowledges that Doctor Nelson’s passenger checks are complete. Biostasis systems online, no errors.”

  “Shipp, com check. Do we have fleet contact?”

  “Last report was three hours ago, ma’am. Receiving beacon signals from Michael and Gabriel. Negative on live contact, we may be too far behind them right now.”

  “Keep trying at regular intervals, Shipp. Ellsworth, radar check.”

  Airman Ellsworth peered at the screen in front of him. “Negative contact on forward radar. Ventral radar confirms Raphael is clear of all transports.”

  “Captain Bartrand, have you made the corrections to the navigational calculations?” asked Colonel Fox.

  Corrections?

  “Yes ma’am, nav calculations projected based on new speed,” the captain stated. His eyes narrowed as he looked over the data one more time.

  “Kimura, bring the plasma drive online. Begin full thrust on Bartrand’s command.”

  Haruka responded, “Yes ma’am.” She punched commands into her terminal. What corrections? New speed? What did the Colonel have planned? Her indicators changed, and the computer chirped a confirmation. “Plasma drive online, Captain Bartrand. Ready on your command.”

  She looked to her left at the captain, who once again input information into his control system. “Burn calculations complete. Transferring to your terminal, begin burn in 5. 4. 3. 2. 1, full thrust!” He punched one last button on his terminal. In unison, Haruka triggered the plasma drive. Slowly, the transport below started to move towards the rear of the under canopy, then finally disappeared out of sight.

  Ellsworth spoke, “Radar confirming forward movement. Fifteen meters per second, and climbing.”

  Raphael continued to move forward, nearly silent but for the sounds of the computer terminals and their operators’ breathing. Kimura watched her console as the main drive system quickly reached its full impulse. A minute ticked by quietly.

  “Forward momentum three five zero meters per second and accelerating, Colonel,” Ellsworth broke the silence.

  “Easy, Ellsworth. We’re not going to try to break escape velocity without a little help,” snapped Colonel Fox.

  Raphael continued to plod along, her acceleration very gradual. The transport dock site was now far behind, and ahead the sun burned brightly. To the port, the stark contrast of the Earth’s terminator was breathtaking.

  “Captain Bartrand, you may begin your thrust procedure for low orbit slingshot maneuver. Lieutenant Kimura, maintain thrust impulse.”

  “Yes ma’am,” acknowledged Bartrand and Haruka simultaneously. She flashed back briefly to the docking of Whiskey Zero Four. Bartrand had frozen up, and she had to reach his controls to save the transport. Glancing over at the nav console in front of him, she realized that she could not even read his screen from her angle. She dreaded another lock up of the captain. She knew there were risks even in the original high orbit slingshot. Haruka tried hard not to consider the consequences of Raphael crossing deeper into the Earth’s gravity well.

  Raphael is massive. She’s also got a nuclear reactor and over two thousand souls on board now. What is Colonel Fox planning?

  Bartrand clenched his jaw and deftly manipulated his controls. His knuckles tensed, and Haruka could see them pale. Raphael’s nose glided smoothly onto a steady course, and the gravity of Earth started to accelerate her even faster.

  Raphael began to shudder. The dark side of the Earth could no longer be seen, as the terminator dropped from view. Earth loomed out the port side of the canopy like a giant blue and green mural, growing so large that Haruka had to crane her neck upward to see Siberia.

  The giant sleeper ship groaned and bumped, and Bartrand rotated his thruster control several times to hold the course of Raphael steady. The sun roared across the side of the bridge, and disappeared out the view of the side of the canopy with little fanfare. The Earth continued to dominate the canopy view on the port side.

  The shuddering and vibration continued, and Haruka could see the bow of the ship bathed in a blue, whisp-like light. Plasma charge. We’re too close to the Earth!

  Captain Bartrand countered the thrust hard. The ship groaned once more but her nose turned away from the looming planet, and the Earth began to drop away out of view. Finally, the light abated along with the vibrations.

  “Slingshot complete, Colonel,” he said, his hands relaxing from the controls.

  Fox grinned, “Ellsworth, confirm forward momentum on radar.”

  Ellsworth looked at his console and blinked. His eyes opened wide in shock, “Colonel, forward momentum one nine kilometers per second and still increasing.”

  “Escape velocity for Earth’s gravity has been exceeded, Colonel,” grinned Bartrand. “On full thrust, we will easily gain escape velocity from the Sun as well.”

  The colonel pulled herself up straight by the railing. With an air of pride, she spoke. “We’ll catch the rest of the fleet soon enough. Bartrand, begin thrust corrections. Exit course to Alpha Centauri B, if you please.”

  1st Lt Darius Owens

  17 August 2014, 03:36

  Gabriel

  “Kimura to bridge.” The doctor’s voice had an extra nasal quality when it came through the headset.

  “Bridge, Lieutenant Owens speaking. Go ahead, Doctor,” he replied as he adjusted the slender boom.

  “Passenger checks complete. Excluding myself and the crew we have one thousand nine hundred and nine passengers, all confirmed in biostasis.”

  Almost a full load, Darius thought. That’s good news.

  “I will inform the colonel, Doctor.” Darius lowered his voice a bit. “Doc, have you eaten yet?”

  Doctor Kimura laughed tiredly. “That is one thing that is not on my checklist.”

  “Where are you?”

  “ESAARC cockpit in pod four.”

  Darius knew the place. “Stay where you are, I’ll join you soon.”

  Darius finished logging the info the doctor had given him, and then took off his headset. His stomach suddenly roared with hunger, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten recently either. He unbuckled his restraints and pulled himself to the command chair.

  “Sir, Doctor Kimura reports all passengers are in stasis and stowed successfully. I’ve logged the final counts, and sent them to your terminal. Permission to grab some chow?”

  The chair swiveled. Colonel Eriksen’s square frame dominated it; his receding red hair and thick beard were marred by streaks of white. Eriksen nodded cordially. “Permission granted. You’re relieved for a 10 hour shift, Mr. Owens.
Get some rest.”

  “Yes sir.” Darius saluted, and then started for the airlock when Colonel Eriksen’s voice stopped him.

  “Doctor Kimura can have a packet of my tea, if you can’t find a substitute.”

  Darius looked back at the Command chair, but Eriksen had already turned back to his duties. Darius smiled.

  Either Dr. Kimura has become too predictable, or I have.

  “Thank you sir,” Darius responded.

  Darius turned away from the airlock before him, instead choosing the staircase behind him leading to the crew pod. After a few turns he found a bank of lockers and opened one. Neatly banded bundles of meals lay within, jostled and canted at various angles from the motion of the ship.

  Darius paged through the meal packages for a combination that he believed Dr. Kimura might enjoy. He muttered and grimaced at most of the selections and then came on a package that he quickly plucked out. He grabbed the adjacent pouch for himself and bundled the remaining meals together. He secured the locker and then rummaged within another one.

  C’mon, Colonel, where did you hide it?

  Darius reached almost to the back wall of the locker just below the second shelf and brushed up against something soft and plastic. He grinned and grabbed the soft pouch, pulling it out for examination. The markings on the pouch confirmed its contents and Darius quickly ripped open one of the meal bags and exchanged the tea for the reconstituted sports drink within, and then secured the second locker.

  After his success, Darius departed from the crew pod and made his way down the spine of the ship to pod four.

  The ESAARC cockpit door opened swiftly once Darius keyed his code into the pad next to it. Dr. Kimura was looking over his shoulder when Darius entered. Darius floated up to the empty seat next to Kimura, carefully carrying the two meal packs. He handed the open pack to the doctor and then navigated himself into the other seat. He juggled the remaining pack between his arms as he loosely slipped into the restraints.

  “Thank you, Darius. I’m starved. What’s on the menu today?”

  Dr. Kimura peered inside the food pack and pulled out a neatly sealed ration bag.

  “Beef sandwiches, potatoes, and orange drink.” He saw Dr. Kimura wince at the last item. “I know you don’t like that stuff so I traded the colonel for his tea, with his permission, of course.”

  “That’s very kind of you.” Dr. Kimura paused. “Will you be able to stay?”

  I thought you might ask, he thought. Dr. Kimura had often taken meals with the military personnel back at the compound, especially with his daughter Haruka or with Darius. “Sure, Doc. I’m off duty for now.” Darius sat down and opened his sandwich packet. “You know, some odd stuff has been happening up there.”

  Kimura paused in the middle of his bite.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know Raphael got delayed, right?” Darius bit a large chunk from his sandwich.

  “I hadn’t heard. What happened?”

  “Well,” he said through the food as he chewed, “some transport was damaged by enemy fire on the way up and they had to take it on and evacuate it; that took some time. Then they had four transports to take on total, not three like us or Michael. That made them even later.”

  “Wait, which transport?”

  Darius concentrated for a moment as he recalled the information.

  “Whiskey… Zero Four, I think. It was bound for Michael originally.”

  The color began to drain from Dr. Kimura’s face.

  “What happened, Darius? Did everyone survive?”

  Darius looked over and stared into the doctor’s wide eyes.

  I’ve upset him.

  “Doctor Kimura, are you ok?” They stared at each other. The silence was only a few seconds, yet the discomfort was palpable. “As far as I know they’re alright.”

  Dr. Kimura sighed loudly and his eyes closed for a brief moment. “That is good to hear.” His eyes opened again and his lips gave a tired smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Please continue.”

  Darius put his lips to the valve on a small pouch and took a sip of his orange drink as he watched Dr. Kimura with measured concern. “Well, the strangest thing happened just a little bit ago. We got positive radio contact from Raphael again. And then they passed us.”

  “Passed us,” Kimura repeated.

  “That’s right. And they didn’t just creep up on us all slow like, either. They shot past us. The last we heard from her, their passenger count was complete, all verified asleep, and that Colonel Fox intended to have Raphael waiting for us at our destination, as she was designed. I wasn’t too sure what to make of it. But Doctor,” a big grin crept over his face, “you should have seen the look on Colonel Eriksen’s face. Don’t get me wrong. I think the colonel’s a good man. It’s just that I never thought I would see my CO lost for words, with his jaw on the floor.”

  Dr. Kimura gave out a good chuckle. I don’t know, maybe he’s okay. Darius considered the doctor’s behavior. I still get the feeling he’s hiding something, that he’s putting on a front.

  The two sat, staring at the stars as they ate lunch in silence. Once they completed their meal, Darius collected the packaging and stowed it all in a small locker under the console.

  Darius broke the silence with a hushed tone, “Doctor Kimura, can we talk some more?”

  “Of course, Darius. What’s on your mind?”

  “You said that everyone here was chosen for a reason, that you and Dr. Benedict had a plan for why we’re here.”

  Kimura nodded and stared at him.

  Let’s see if he hides when I bring him into the open.

  “How were we chosen? What were you looking for?”

  Dr. Kimura avoided Darius’s curious gaze and took a long look out of the windows.

  “There is much to this subject, and some of it may disturb or upset you. Are you sure you want me to tell you?”

  Darius considered this carefully. Something almost like fear tingled down his spine. Despite his better judgment, he motioned for the doctor to continue.

  “Very well. Years ago the Project Columbus research team proposed and designed a computer algorithm to search out individuals that would be beneficial to establishing a colony. Because we were faced with low initial population numbers we had to create parameters capping certain characteristics of potential inhabitants, most notably profession.”

  “Okay, that makes sense. So what’s the catch?”

  “Did you get a chance to take a good look at the passengers when they assembled at the Laramie complex?”

  The question made Darius stop. His jaw slacked ever so slightly as he attempted to recall.

  “Well, I was busy with my duties so I guess I didn’t take a real good look.”

  Dr. Kimura rolled his head back to look out the two dorsal windows at the splattered, twinkling mass of stars beyond.

  “You will come to notice that there are almost no people my age. In fact, the vast majority of the passengers are between eighteen and thirty five.”

  “Why’s that, Doctor?”

  “Ah, this is where the design starts to get distasteful. If you consider an older person as someone’s mother or father, or possibly grandparent, they become an indispensably intertwined part of a life. If you consider that same person for their skills and ability to contribute genetically to a colony then their value, shall we say… diminishes.”

  Darius curled his lip slightly. Kimura glanced at him.

  “An understandable reaction, Darius. However, we also intentionally sought families. In particular, we wanted ones with small children.”

  Finally, a silver lining. He continued to process what Dr. Kimura was telling him. Darius still could not shake a nagging feeling, however.

  “The ships could not be operated by the scientists,” the doctor continued. “Untrained civilians would fare no better at that task. Furthermore, the colony will need some order and protection. This adds the Air Force i
nto the equation; you and your peers gained passage for this reason.”

  Kimura shifted in his seat, and looked at Darius. His eyes seemed to betray the faint smile.

  He still hides something from me. Doctor, I’m your friend. What is it that is that you feel you must protect?

  “There’s more, isn’t there, Doctor? Something you haven’t told us. Why?”

  Kimura sighed, his body rising and falling as if he stretched from within.

  “Yes, Mr. Owens. And now that we are on our way to what will hopefully be our new home, there is no point in hiding it. If you take me into custody and present me to Colonel Eriksen, I understand completely.”

  Darius blinked, and stared at him, unsure of how to interpret what was just said.

  Now I don’t want to know. Damn it, why did I ask?

  “In essence we stole these sleeper ships from the United States government. We hid our intentions as long as we could, and we reprogrammed the algorithm. We deleted every politician from the database. We drastically cut back certain other professions. We then reassigned a few the remaining open positions to our own families. There were a few trusted officers in the Air Force that helped us move the replacement passengers to Wyoming. Additionally, they covered our tracks as long as they could.”

  Both men sat silently in their seats, staring at each other.

  Don’t ask, Darius. For the love of God, don’t ask. Keep your mouth shut.

  “Why, Doctor?”

  “Because I was afraid. Dr. Benedict and Dr. Fairweather were as well. We feared that the government would simply export its own failure and collapse onboard these ships. But more ashamedly, I had a selfish fear. I feared that my family would be left behind, and I would be sent to the stars to wonder about their fate in the darkness.”

  Dr. Kimura hung his head and his voice cracked. “Do as you must, Darius.”

  Darius placed his massive hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

  “No man is an angel, Doctor. Fear and grief are very powerful persuaders. You still saved many lives. Ones I know will be eternally grateful for what you and Dr. Benedict have done.” Darius sighed heavily, “However, my duty is clear, Doctor. I will report this to Colonel Eriksen when I next report for duty. Please report with me. Resisting will only make it harder on you.”