Project Columbus: Omnibus

by J. C. Rainier

  She looked at him and drew in a deep breath as if to push her cries deep within. “I-I’m sorry, Calvin. I didn’t mean to do that. You showed me this nice thing and I ruined it by being a mess and telling you my sad story. I shouldn’t have put that on you. It’s not fair, I’m so sorry, I ruined everything.”

  Cal smiled at her and brushed her cheek. “Please, call me Cal. And don’t worry about it. Remember, when we first got here, I wasn’t exactly a shining example of my finest.”

  They both laughed nervously. Alexis opened her lips as if to speak, but she paused. Something burned within Cal, and he felt as if he had to do something. He quickly unbuckled from his seat.

  Alexis’s eyes widened. “Wait, Cal, what…”

  She did not get the rest of her question out as Cal swiftly moved between the seats, grabbed her around the shoulders, and pressed his lips to her mouth. Her lips were tight and her body was rigid. Cal could feel her breath on his cheek, but she did not press back against him. He withdrew and sighed.

  “Cal, that… that was…” She paused as if she could not find the words to express herself.

  “I know. Inappropriate. Stupid.” He was exasperated with himself.

  “Reckless,” she added.

  “I’m sorry, it’s just that…”

  “I’m not done,” she interrupted. Alexis reached towards Cal and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and stared him directly in the eye. “I have one more word to describe everything you have done today. Romantic.”

  Cal froze in a moment of shock as Alexis pulled him forward and kissed him. Her lips this time were soft, and her breath was like a warm tickling breeze on his skin. Cal closed his eyes and let the warmth of her kiss wash away the cold of the cockpit. Nothing else mattered in the moment. Cal forgot about the war and his father. Having been shot at did not seem to matter, nor did his hibernation dreams. Alexis slowly pulled away. Cal opened his eyes to see her smiling at him.

  And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

  I have to put her back in stasis.

  1st Lt Haruka Kimura

  26 September 2019, 09:40

  Raphael

  “Weyler, where are you?”

  Haruka heard the echo of her voice bounce back to her, each report ever quieter until they faded to nothing. No response followed, only silence. She looked through the wispy cloud made by her frozen breath into the dark, cramped service hallway.

  What’s taking her so long? I already finished all of the thrusters aft of the midline.

  She shivered hard enough for her to almost lose the grasp on her toolbox. Her attempts to rub her arms to keep warm had become futile; the tips of her fingers felt as if they were being pricked by a dozen tiny needles, and her lips were dry and cracked.

  “Airman, can you hear me?”

  Haruka waited for her echo to subside. She turned her head and strained to hear, but once more she was greeted by silence. She sneezed suddenly and the force sent her tumbling backward and her feet slammed into the roof of the corridor.

  This is ridiculous, if I stay here any longer I’m going to get sick.

  Carefully, she turned around and crawled with her hands back to the access hatch on the side wall she had entered through. Haruka grasped the lock lever with both hands and tugged. Metal screeched and then clunked as the hatch gave way. She hoisted herself into the lower gallery and secured the hatch. Haruka made her way down the nearly dark corridor to a terminal, then turned it on and activated the com.

  “Lieutenant Kimura to Airman Weyler.”

  As she waited, she wrung her hands and breathed into them, trying to chase away the prickling cold.

  “Weyler here, what can I do for you Lieutenant?”

  What the hell? There aren’t any stations in the access corridors.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in the computer core running simulations.”

  Haruka raised her voice slightly. “How long have you been there?”

  There was a pause for a few seconds. “Maybe fifteen minutes?”

  “Nova, you were supposed to check in with me.” Haruka tapped her index finger impatiently on the wall.

  “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

  “Alright, I’m coming up.”

  Haruka sighed and turned off the terminal. She’s almost as bad as Marco in her own way. I wonder if I should just call myself Lieutenant Babysitter. She maneuvered towards the aft and started up the ladder to the upper gallery.

  As she pulled her way up she heard voices up above. They were elevated, almost panicked. Haruka drew in a deep breath and pulled as hard as she could. She lifted herself into the gallery and quickly snapped her hand closed over the railing at the top to stop. She could make out three shapes darting toward the bridge. She tried to listen to what they were saying but could not make out all of the words, just a single phrase: “Hurry, Doctor.”

  Shit. Haruka’s heart dropped. She immediately started down the long hallway after the trio. She wondered just what had happened to require the attention of Dr. Nelson. It has to be an injury, probably a serious one. God, I hope Marco isn’t involved. Haruka shook her head at that. No, he was in the propulsion section, last I checked.

  She grabbed at a brace and threw herself off of it to gain more speed. Is it one of the bridge crew? She snapped her arms to her side as she sailed forth. Ahead she could see two figures inside the forward airlock, going downward. They’re headed for the crew quarters.

  Haruka reached the airlock and darted to the stairs down. In her haste she almost knocked over Captain Bartrand. Her eyes adjusted to the light, but she could not see through the other crew that had gathered in front of her. She could hear conversation from deeper within the sleeper pod.

  “How the hell did this happen, Doctor?” Colonel Fox demanded.

  “I can’t tell for sure. Judging by the smell, I’d say sulfide poisoning. Maybe you should have his sleeper checked out.”

  Haruka got a sudden chill. A sleeper unit…

  “Maynard, look into it. I want a report as soon as you find something. Ellsworth, I want you to help the doctor with the body. Once he’s done with his autopsy, I want it ejected into space.”

  “Yes, Colonel,” Ellsworth’s voice rang from beyond her sight.

  “The rest of you, get back to work. We have a ship to run.”

  Haruka knew better than to wait for the colonel to see her. She immediately turned around and bolted for the airlock, and hoped that Bartrand hadn’t seen her either. Haruka navigated her way out into the gallery and pulled herself around the corner. She clung to the wall as best as she could, and hoped that the crew would dissipate quickly.

  They did just that, scattering like frightened rabbits. Haruka saw Mancini bolt for the propulsion section. She kicked off from the wall as hard as she could in pursuit.

  “Marco, wait,” she whispered loudly. He kept going. She repeated herself and the command came out hoarse as she tried to whisper louder. Mancini rolled over and turned to face Haruka. His momentum carried him backwards, but Haruka was still able to catch up to him.

  “Damn it, Kimura. Where were you?”

  “I heard Doctor Nelson and the others going toward the crew pod and I followed.”

  “No, before that.”

  “Down below looking for Nova. Why?”

  Mancini looked over his shoulder and then tilted his head to the side to look behind Haruka. He pulled Haruka inside the connecting hall to one of the sleeper pods. His voice hushed. “Something stinks. The doctor says it’s a sleeper unit failure, but something’s not right.”

  “What’s going on, Marco? Who was it?” A knot tightened in her stomach. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know the answer.

  “It was Shipp.”

  “Shit.” Haruka looked around to see if they were being watched. Fox isn’t going to be happy about this. I’d swear that she was looking forward to his trial.

  Mancini looked at her, concern evident
on his face. “This is bad, Haruka. You know that if they find out that this is anything other than a complete freak accident, Fox is going to think you had something to do with it.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. He’s right; she will try to pin this on me somehow. I wouldn’t even put it past her to blame me even if it is an accident.

  “We need help, Marco. I overheard Fox assigning Captain Maynard to the investigation. I’m not sure if I trust him or if Fox has sway over him.”

  Mancini thought for a moment. “Maybe we could get Nova to offer him help? She could keep an eye on him and make sure he’s on the level.”

  Haruka shook her head. “Fox would never buy into it. She knows that Nova is friendly to us. That would just give her the ammo she needs to stuff us in our berths for the rest of the voyage.”

  “Does she?”

  “Does she what?”

  A devilish grin crossed Mancini’s lips. “When’s the last time the mighty Colonel Fox has taken a trip to the propulsion section? Or the thruster access corridors? Has she ever seen the three of us interact?”

  Dear Lord, his brain just fired on all synapses. He’s right, she doesn’t know about Nova.

  “Marco, you’re nuts. That might just work.”

  His grin broadened and his teeth showed through his lips. “See? I’m not just here because I’m pretty.”

  Haruka rolled her eyes. “Ugh, get out of here. Nova should be in the computer core. I need to think of a backup plan, though.”

  Mancini’s grin turned to a frown and his brow furrowed. “Why? My plan will work.”

  “Not sure you’ve noticed yet, but things haven’t exactly gone our way since we lifted off the pad at Laramie,” she retorted. “This time I want to be better prepared.”

  “Good point. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  She watched Mancini depart for the rear of the ship, and then made her way down to the lower gallery. She moved forward and made her way to the crew gym; this seemed to be one of the best places to hide from Fox. Once inside, she belted into an upper body machine and began working out. She paid little mind to the physical labor, which had become utterly routine. Haruka worked through scenarios in her head in an attempt to come up with another defense to a baseless accusation of murder.

  The whole ship has gone crazy, hasn’t it? Nothing has gone the way it should, except for the fact that somehow we’ve managed to point the ship in the right direction.

  The thrum of the resistance bands broke her train of thought for a moment. She realized how hypnotic the repetitive noise and motion could be. She adjusted the machine to work a different set of muscles and then continued her workout.

  I’ve had my share of nasty CO’s, but Colonel Fox is just nuts. She stopped dead in her tracks and released the hand grips. The bands gave a loud twang as they snapped back to rest.

  Fox is nuts. She’s not just a little weird or cranky, she’s full on insane. Why wasn’t this caught before she was placed in command? Haruka shuddered. This isn’t about me anymore. This woman is unpredictable and irrational. She should not be in command of this mission.

  Haruka was no longer thinking about a defensive strategy. She knew she needed to go on the offensive against Colonel Fox. She knew she would need the support of more than just Lieutenant Marco Mancini and Airman Nova Weyler, too. She would need to figure out how to get the support of Dr. Nelson, as well as a higher ranking officer.

  I need the major’s help.

  Calvin McLaughlin

  26 September 2019, 11:39

  Michael

  Calvin looked at Alexis as she sobbed uncontrollably.

  Way to be a jerk, Cal. Try thinking something through some day, ok?

  “Why the hell are you doing this to me?” she wailed. “Why did you wake me up if you had to put me right back to sleep again?”

  Cal sighed, “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.”

  “Jesus, Cal. You thought I’d just want to be popped out, played with for a bit, and then put back on the shelf?” Her voice escalated to a near scream. Cal hoped that nobody was on the other side of the pod door. “What am I? Some sort of teddy bear? Or video game?”

  Cal’s voice cracked as it raised an octave. “No, that’s not it at all.”

  “Then what reason could you possibly have had?”

  “I have two. Promise to let me explain?”

  She glared at him and her breathing was erratic as she choked back her tears, but she nodded.

  “The first may sound pretty stupid. I wanted to show you something that few people have seen. Or will ever see, for that matter.”

  Alexis drummed her fingers on her crossed arms, “and the second reason?”

  Cal looked away from her. He could feel heat rise in his face, and he knew he was blushing. “I’m not sure if I should say.”

  “No, you promised.”

  He sighed and closed his eyes. “It’s really hard for me to explain. Frankly I’m not sure you’d believe me.” Cal paused and then looked at Alexis. “Did you dream much when you were asleep?”

  “A little, I think. I can’t really remember.”

  “Well, I had more than a few dreams. They were very vivid, and some of them I remember very well.” Cal scratched nervously at his arm. “There is one in particular that I had over and over, as if I was being forced to face my demons in my sleep. Yet every single nightmare ended with you stopping it. It’s weird. It was like you would pull me out of the dream and protect me.”

  Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly. There was an awkward silence for several seconds. “What are you trying to say?”

  You’re going to scare her off, Cal. Don’t say it.

  “Remember when we first got to space, you told me that you thought that I might just be the person to keep you sane?”

  Alexis gave a slow nod.

  “I guess I’m trying to say the same thing.” Cal paused. His eyes wandered to the forward windows and he caught a glimpse of the back of pod ten. “No. It’s not the same thing.” His eyes returned to look at hers. “I need you, Alexis. This isn’t a sanity thing. This sure as hell isn’t an entertainment thing. I may not think things out, as you have figured out already. But I do know that I need you. I couldn’t wait until we reach the planet to see you again. I know it sounds crazy…”

  “You’re damn right,” she cut in. “Look, as far as I see it, we’ve really only known each other for a few days.”

  Cal grinned and placed his hand on hers. “I seem to remember you kissing me first.”

  Alexis shifted slightly in her seat and her eyes dipped for a moment. “That’s just because I had kicked you in the head. I felt bad.”

  Cal felt a clammy sensation in his hand. He withdrew his hand and balled it, stroking his palm with his fingers. He found his hand was warm and dry. That was her, not me, he thought.

  “So you’re the type of girl that goes to comfort a strange guy if he freaks out in front of you? It must have been interesting to watch you ride a city bus, then.”

  Alexis wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow. “God no. And that’s not what I meant, either.”

  “Which part? Comforting freaked out strangers, or riding the bus?”

  Damn it, Cal. Stop poking at her. You’re not helping yourself.

  “You know what I meant.”

  “Actually, I don’t. And quit avoiding the issue.”

  “What issue?” she asked innocently.

  “Why you came after me, tried to comfort me, and kissed me.”

  Alexis avoided his stare. “Just trying to be nice, that’s all.”

  Cal reached for her chin and gently turned her face towards him. His stomach suddenly churned. He closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on the question he knew he had to ask. His eyes opened slowly and he locked his gaze with hers.

  “So you’re saying that I mean nothing to you?”

  She bit her lower lip. “That’s right. I think you’re a
nice kid and probably well intentioned, but you’re also a bit screwed up.” Cal felt a cold sweat throughout his body and a lump formed in his throat. Alexis continued, “I think you may have read a bit too much into things, and this is getting out of control.” She gently grabbed his wrist with her hand, drew his hand to her mouth, and kissed it. “Thank you for showing me the galaxy, but I think I’m ready to go back to sleep now.”

  Tears began to cloud Cal’s vision. Through them he could see a gentle smile on her face, and her own watery green eyes. His heart sunk into his feet as she released his wrist and he pulled back from her. He wanted to say something but could not for fear of upsetting her more. He just nodded and escorted her out of the cockpit and back to her sleeper.

  Without a word, she climbed inside and buckled her restraint harness. Cal reached for her hand once more. As they exchanged one last touch, Cal again felt the rise of butterflies in his stomach.

  Cal closed the hatch and heard the lock click. He bowed his head forward until his brow rested on the cold aluminum door. Cal could feel nothing on the inside. Only the sound of his breathing and the metal touching his forehead reminded him that he still existed. He did not move for quite some time. His mind was haunted by Alexis’s crying, as if they were tormenting echoes of his failure.

  No, he reassured himself. She said it herself. You mean nothing to her. He turned to the opposite wall where a terminal was located. He pushed himself slowly toward it and activated the sleeper berth program. It’s just like Brittany all over again. You want her, but she doesn’t want you.

  Cal called up Alexis’s berth on the screen. No, that’s not right. She’s scared. She needs you just as much as you need her. He stared at her vitals. Her heartbeat was fast for a conscious passenger, and her respiration line showed erratic breathing. See? She’s crying, you idiot. He craned his neck and looked at her sleeper unit. But she wants to go back into sleep. He shook his head and turned back to the terminal. He pressed the button to engage the biostasis cycle.