Project Columbus: Omnibus

by J. C. Rainier

  The colonel continued, “The record will show that Dr. Tadashi Kimura will not be removed from maintenance cycle revival. He has critical knowledge and experience that cannot be ignored. We are in an enclosed ship in the vacuum of space; he has no possibility of escape. Although he is suspected of a capital crime, he has not shown aggression or malice to any person on board this vessel. Lieutenant Miller, please end recording.”

  Miller punched a button, and the terminal chirped. “Recording off, sir.”

  Darius and the red headed Captain Quinn moved to the nav consoles. Darius reached for the accused man’s arm, but he held up one hand as if to indicate compliance. Reid rose up with his head bowed and made his way toward the end of the bridge. Darius and Quinn followed. As he passed the command chair, he saw that the colonel had risen up and was whispering something to Dr. Kimura, through clenched teeth and a sneer. Kimura’s eyes were closed and his head once again drooped as he nodded at the colonel.

  As they departed the bridge, Darius could hear Colonel Eriksen giving orders to contact the rest of the fleet about the other conspirators. The trio silently made their way down the staircase and into the crew pod. They reached Reid’s sleeper berth within hallway alpha. It was anonymous, no difference separating it from the others flanking it.

  But it will be a prison, unlike the others. Is that really fair to him?

  Reid broke the silence with an unsteady voice. Darius could tell he was fighting back his emotion. “Tyler. Tell Saika what happened. Tell her I did it for her, for us. Tell Kayla, too. She needs to know that I was trying to save her life.”

  Captain Quinn’s face looked as if he had aged a decade in just a few seconds. “Brandon, don’t…”

  “Promise me, Tyler! No matter what happens, my wife and sister need to know what happened.”

  “I… I promise.”

  Darius felt a lump rise within his own throat.

  How can they possibly understand? Reid, what were you thinking?

  Darius and Quinn watched as Lieutenant Brandon Reid pulled himself into the darkness of the sleeper and fastened his restraints. With one last nod between Reid and Quinn, the captain closed the berth. Darius drifted to the console at the end of the row and activated the berth.

  Darius and Quinn glanced once at each other. Without a word, the two went on their separate ways.

  Calvin McLaughlin

  Date and time unknown

  Michael

  “C’mon, Cal! You can hit harder than that!” Mike’s voice called to him from somewhere behind him. His voice was almost drowned out by a low rumbling that couldn’t quite be made out.

  Mike? Mike, where are you?

  There was a baseball bat in Calvin’s hands, its shape not wholly defined, but rather hazy instead. A warm breeze licked his cheeks and then was gone. Out in the darkness ahead, a faintly lit metal shape started to slowly float towards him.

  “Hit this one out of the park, dude!” Rob was there too, somewhere. His voice was full of laughter.

  Rob? Mike?

  The metal object was closer now, and Cal thought he could make it out. Is that a mailbox? As it approached, Calvin did indeed decide it was a mailbox, although it was hazy as well. He felt his arms swing, and watched the bat smash into the mailbox. With a metallic crunch, the mailbox flew out into oblivion.

  Laugher echoed through his ears, and then the rumbling rose quickly in volume and pitch, accompanied by a squealing noise. He felt himself pitch backwards slightly. Rob’s truck? Where are they?

  He felt someone lift the bat out of his hands. “He still hits like a girl. Hey Cal, watch this girl hit harder.” Brittany.

  He looked over his shoulder, and saw Brittany holding the bat, her long blonde hair obscuring her face. That can’t be, the wind would blow it out of her face, not into it.

  The bat swung again, and another mailbox hurtled at Cal, just over his field of vision. “Did you see that, guys?” She laughed, and the other boys joined in chorus.

  Calvin turned around, and there was nothing anymore. The bat was gone, the noises of the truck’s engine and the laughter were gone, and he floated in the dark silence.

  It’s a dream. I’m asleep, I must be dreaming. He thought to himself.

  Turning once more, he found himself weightless in a vast, dark corridor. He moved aimlessly toward an end that he could not see. The floor beneath him had endless rungs built into it. The dark shapes of structural braces loomed in front of him, and tunnels to his left and right led into darkness. “Hello?” he called. He was greeted by his own hollow echo.

  The ship. I was just in this hallway. But there were people.

  “What is your problem, Cal?” barked a familiar voice from behind him. Cal spun around, and was face to face with his father. The general defied gravity, and stood firmly on the deck in his immaculate dress blues, hat tucked under his arm.

  “Dad?”

  “You screwed up again, son,” scowled his father.

  “What? What did I do, Dad?” Calvin was puzzled. You’re the one that sent me here, remember? I didn’t do anything! Cal thought he was speaking, but realized his words were only in his mind.

  General McLaughlin’s face furrowed even more. “Don’t act innocent. And don’t give me that crap about not smoking pot or drinking. You were in the truck with your so-called friends. The cops said you were drunk. Why the hell are you doing this to yourself?”

  This isn’t about being blasted into space, is it Dad?

  “You’ll never be a real man if you keep up this loser shit, Cal. You need to pull your ass together and do your school work so you have a chance at college. God knows even the Air Force wouldn’t take you like this.”

  Anger began to well up inside of him. He tried to control it. He didn’t want this anger, not now.

  “Fuck you, Dad.” As quickly as it came, his anger stopped and was replaced by numbness. That’s not what I wanted to say! Oh God, Dad…

  He felt himself turning around and moving away from his father. No, wait! I can’t leave it like this! His body would not comply though, and he found himself drifting down the corridor. It was no longer lit as he approached the end, and Cal drifted into the blackness.

  What did you know, Dad?

  A soft orange glow appeared before him in the distance, as tiny as a penny. As he drifted forth, it grew in size and morphed into a fire. Cal could see three figures, barely illuminated by the flames. Once more, familiar laughter could be heard, dancing in his head.

  “Did you bring the booze, Cal?” Mike’s disembodied voice drifted forth.

  He looked at his hands, now holding two surreal bottles of liquor. “Yeah, dude. He’s got it.” Now the voice was that of Rob. “Dude, get over here. It’s time to get wasted.”

  He floated forward some more, and could see the faces of his friends, although they still looked distorted as if through frosted glass. Cal’s hands stretched out, and Rob and Brittany grabbed the bottles from him. Calvin could see Mike lighting a cigarette.

  No, that’s not right. It was a joint.

  Cal was standing next to the fire, but he felt no heat. He watched as his friends drank and smoked. They talked and laughed but their words had no meaning to Cal. All three turned their attention to him, and it seemed their laughter was directed at Cal. Mike’s arm extended, and offered the joint to Cal. His attention focused on the burning roll in front of him. The situation became more familiar to him.

  The first time.

  “C’mon, dude. You’ve said no every time. I’m not taking no for an answer this time.” Mike beckoned one more time. Cal’s arm reached out, against his will. He picked up the joint, and scrutinized it. No…

  Brittany’s voice rang out. “He won’t do it. He’s too chicken.” She giggled, then said, “not a man. Not like Robbie here.” He watched Brittany lean over and give Rob a wet kiss. Once again, his anger flashed.

  She was supposed to be mine, you ass. Without thought, his hand rose to his face, and Cal
vin took a drag, holding in the smoke for a moment before coughing it out. He felt nothing but the emptiness within himself.

  Another round of cackling rose from his friends, and a bottle was shoved in his hand. His mind fought against his hand as it came up to his lips, but in vain; he took a deep swig of the liquor. A bitter taste filled his mouth. Cal turned to vomit, but he couldn’t. The light grew dim again, and when he turned back, his friends were gone.

  “Can you stop trying to sabotage yourself for just one week, Calvin?”

  He spun around and again was face to face with his father.

  “Dad…” was all he could manage.

  “That’s twice you’ve been arrested. Are you trying to ruin your future?” Cal could see the anger written all over General McLaughlin’s face. “These friends of yours are no good punks, and they’re dragging you with them.”

  Cal heard himself scoff. He dreaded what he knew he would say next.

  “Yeah? Better to have shitty friends than no friends at all, Dad. How does it feel to come home to an empty house? To go to a bar and drink alone? Huh, Dad?”

  No, Cal. Why did you say that to him? The gravity of his words now seemed even harsher in retrospect. They stood there, staring at each other. Cal saw the veins in his father’s head bulge. Numbness gave way to feelings of guilt and exhaustion. Even in my dreams I’m tired.

  Calvin turned away, unable to bear the look on his father’s face anymore. He moved forward with his head drooped. He looked back talk to his father but found he was alone again, floating in the darkness. Slowly, Cal drifted towards a dim light in the distance. He found himself once more in the darkened gallery of the sleeper ship.

  Ahead were three dark figures, their backs were turned to Calvin. His head began to throb as he approached, and he heard laughter. They saw him, and started to move off.

  “Rob, Mike, Brittany. Wait!” he shouted.

  Try as he might, he could not catch up to them as they moved off. Cal floated to a stop. A gentle light from the ceiling overhead bathed him in a soft glow. He sat, alone with his thoughts, wracked with guilt and loneliness.

  Minutes seemed to pass into hours. Then he felt something brush against his throbbing temple. He turned around.

  Alexis.

  1st Lt Haruka Kimura

  17 August 2014, 14:55

  Raphael

  Haruka floated in the empty sleeper section, the cold air within causing goose bumps to rise on her bare skin. She cast off her dirty flight suit, and unfolded one that she had retrieved from a storage locker.

  Colonel Fox needs to know about Bartrand’s freeze up. She shuddered at the idea of the consequences. Far too much at stake, we need to make sure someone is there to back him up at the controls.

  She slipped into the flight suit and covered her nearly naked body. Haruka zipped up the suit just as a sleeper berth opened. Mancini pulled himself from the opening, his eyes barely open.

  “Good morning, Lieutenant,” she said.

  Mancini managed to grunt an acknowledgement, and then floated off in search of food. Haruka herself had already eaten a package that contained scrambled eggs, sausage, and a thick hot sauce paste for garnish. While the food was decent, the instant coffee drink left much to be desired.

  Another sleeper opened, and this time Captain Bartrand emerged.

  “Good morning, Captain,” she chirped, trying to mask any concern in her voice.

  He nodded. “Lieutenant, good to see you. Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes, sir,” she lied.

  “Good. See you on the bridge, Lieutenant.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Haruka pushed off of the sleeper berths and navigated out of the pod. She encountered Mancini in the stairway connecting the pod to the gallery and bridge. Great rings under his eyes showed his fatigue, and he was attacking a food ration like a starved dog. As she passed on her way up the stairs to the bridge, he nodded to her. When she reached the top, Haruka paused for a moment to take in the panoramic view afforded by the bridge’s glass canopy. Thousands of stars stretched in every direction, impossible to count.

  Colonel Fox floated her way up the staircase past Haruka. “Colonel, may I have a word, please?” Haruka asked. Fox grabbed the railing to stop herself.

  The colonel acknowledged Haruka with fiery eyes. “Yes, Lieutenant? What is it?”

  Here goes nothing. Or everything. She straightened her flight suit and took a deep breath.

  “Ma’am, I have a concern about Captain Bartrand.”

  She saw Fox’s eyes widen, and then narrow slightly. “What kind of concern, Lieutenant?”

  “On the flight up to the sleeper ships, when Whiskey Zero Four was damaged, Captain Bartrand froze up on final approach,” she stated, trying to keep her voice down. She saw Bartrand, Perez, Shipp, and Maynard floating past, to their stations.

  “What do you mean froze up?”

  “The captain did everything correct through most of the flight, but after the retro rockets were fired and we approached the dock, I noticed the transport pitching down slightly. When I looked over, the captain was off his controls and staring straight off into space.”

  Fox’s brow furrowed into a sinister looking V, and Haruka could see anger flash over her. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me you landed the transport, then?”

  Haruka sighed, “Yes ma’am. I’m not trying to…”

  “Save it, Kimura. I won’t have any glory hogging. This is not the time or place for such childish…”

  She was interrupted by a lieutenant manning an ops station. “Colonel!” he yelled. “Receiving a transmission from Gabriel. Colonel Eriksen ordering the arrest of Lieutenant William Shipp, charges of conspiracy to commit treason and subversion.”

  A stunned silence descended upon the bridge as, for a second, all eyes focused on Lieutenant Shipp. Shipp then sprung from his ops console and made way for the exit.

  “Seize him,” ordered Bartrand.

  As Shipp attempted to pass the Colonel, Fox reached out and grabbed him by the collar. She yanked at his suit, and sent him face first into the railing. Shipp yelped in pain, and then stammered, “O-o-okay! I give!”

  Maynard and Bartrand moved up and grabbed the lieutenant roughly as the colonel let go.

  “Lieutenant Singh, send a request to Gabriel for more details on the charges against Shipp,” Fox snarled.

  “Ma’am, there is no need for that,” said Shipp, his voice eerily calm. “I’ll answer any questions you have.”

  All eyes were once more on the young Lieutenant. Blood began to float away from a cut on his forehead. Colonel Fox gritted her teeth, and then began the interrogation.

  “What were you doing, Lieutenant? What is the nature of this charge against you?”

  “We were protecting the future colony. We were trying to restore the correct balance of skills within the passenger lists to maximize chances of survival,” he said, wincing in pain.

  Maximize chances of survival? But that’s what the algorithm was supposed to do.

  “Bullshit, Lieutenant. I was briefed by the research staff as to what the selection algorithm was supposed to do,” snapped Fox. “They assured us that it would pick passengers based on their ability to contribute to the security and health of an isolated colony. Try again.”

  Shipp countered, “No, Colonel. The algorithm had been compromised. Someone had altered it. We were just changing it back the way it was.”

  She scoffed, “That sounds like a computer glitch, not treason.”

  The lieutenant shook his head. “No, ma’am. This was not a programming error or glitch. This was the final algorithm that Congress approved for use in the program. Dr. Kimura said that it changed how the computer selected people, and filled up the ships with a bunch of people who would be useless to the mission.”

  “That’s a hell of an accusation, Lieutenant. So you and your conspirators go and change a computer algorithm that could potentially say who lives or dies based on
what, a hypothesis by Dr. Kimura?”

  Dad would never level such an accusation… Butterflies began to form in Haruka’s stomach, and her hands became clammy.

  Again, Shipp shook his head. “Doctors Kimura, Benedict, and Fairweather ran many simulations of the algorithm and found what they called serious flaws in it. They said that the original algorithm had been altered so much, they were unsure if a colony could survive anymore. That’s why they asked for our help.”

  WHAT? Dad.. oh no!

  Fox’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Lieutenant, did you just accuse the doctors of being a party to this?”

  “Yes, ma’am. In fact, I received my instructions directly from Dr. Benedict.”

  The colonel spat back, “Convenient to blame a dead man, don’t you think, Lieutenant?”

  He shrugged. “Contact Gabriel. Have them verify with Dr. Kimura, or Lieutenant Reid. Heck, contact Michael and have them ask Major Forrest or Dr. Fairweather.”

  Haruka’s stomach turned. She had to fight the sudden urge to throw up. Dad? Brandon?

  “Colonel,” a soft voice interrupted. Lieutenant Singh had his hand up to his headset, listening to an unheard conversation within. “Lieutenant Shipp speaks the truth. Dr. Kimura confessed yesterday afternoon.”

  Tears began to well up in Haruka’s eyes, and she bit her lip. NO! Dad, what have you done? She grasped the railing tighter, her knuckles turning white as snow. Colonel Fox looked sternly at Shipp, then Haruka, and back again to Shipp. No, Colonel. No, I didn’t do anything!

  “Maynard, Bartrand. Get these two off my bridge. Put them in stasis until we can court martial them,” she growled harshly.

  Bartrand was at Haruka’s side in an instant, and dug his fingers into her arm until she screamed out in pain.

  “Let her go, Colonel! Lieutenant Kimura is innocent!” yelled Shipp, as Maynard started to push him towards the stairs.

  “Innocent my ass. If Dr. Kimura was in on it, certainly his precious daughter, an Air Force officer, was his right hand,” Fox sneered.

  Haruka cried out, “Please, Colonel!” Bartrand gave her arm another yank, and it came free from the railing.