Sedulity 2: Aftershock (Sedulity Saga)

by David Forsyth

  “Silence!” Captain Krystos shouted over the shocked crowd, then continued in a more even tone. “This is exactly what I was talking about. You will be inconvenienced. Of that I have no doubt. Many of you will find that your personal belongings were destroyed by fire or flooding. Your stateroom may not be habitable. You will not enjoy the rest of your vacation. In fact, your vacation has already ended. But you are alive! And I intend to see that you stay that way. My crew and I will endeavor to keep you safe and healthy for as long as you are aboard the Sedulity. I can promise you that, nothing more. In return, I hope that some of you will contribute to these goals as well.

  “Some of your fellow passengers, including half a dozen physicians, have already stepped up to help treat the injured. If there are more doctors, nurses, or others with medical training among you, please consider assisting in the medical center. We have hundreds of patients and less than a dozen trained professionals to treat them.

  “The crew can also use assistance from anyone with specialized skills such as carpentry and electronics repair. The Sedulity is in need of countless repairs. The more passengers that pitch in to assist, the more time the crew will have to service your needs too. Tables are being set up near the entrance to the main dining room where volunteers can sign up and list their skills. You will also need to go to these tables to find out if your stateroom is still habitable. If not, we will work to find you alternate accommodations as soon as possible. Finally, if you have become separated from a family member or traveling companion, please enter their names on the forms at those tables and we will do our best to locate them. They may be among the injured, or in another part of the ship. Those who have lost friends or family in this disaster have my deepest condolences and sincere apology for not being able to save everyone. I would like to ask any members of the clergy, or those with experience in grief counseling, to assist those who may have lost a loved one.” That last issue brought a truly somber mood to everyone gathered in the theater.

  “Before we finish here, I want to take a moment to recognize a couple of people whose quick thinking and wise counsel contributed to our survival last night, starting with Mr. Kevin Summers. I understand that he spoke to you earlier about some of the conditions and challenges we face. Mr. Summers was one of the few people who knew what to expect from an asteroid strike at sea. It’s really not something that ever came up in any seamanship courses I’m familiar with. So I want to thank Mr. Summers for his advice immediately after the impact, as well as helping to formulate our plan for getting out of this mess safely. This ship and all aboard her, including myself, owe him more than I have time to explain now.”

  Kevin was embarrassed to receive such recognition. All he had done was share his knowledge of what to expect at each stage of the event. Still, he waved and smiled in response to brief cheers from the crowd.

  “The situation aboard this ship will become clearer to you once you leave the theater,” Captain Krystos continued. “You were all very lucky to have been here during the events following the asteroid strike. There is one other person to thank for having the foresight to bring you here, instead of to the muster stations as normal procedures call for. Allow me to present my wife, Lydia Krystos.” He gestured towards the back of the theater and one of the security guards opened a door. Lydia walked in wearing her foul weather gear and there was a collective gasp around the room as she walked down towards the stage.

  “Yes,” Captain Krystos said. “I am truly thankful to God that she survived being swept below decks after leading most of you here. She also played a role in alleviating the flooding below in the medical center, facilitating the care and treatment of hundreds of injured passengers and crew.” The theater erupted in applause that became a standing ovation as Lydia took center stage with her husband.

  “Thank you,” Lydia said to quiet the crowd. “Thank you, but I only did what I thought best at the time. It almost got me killed. I am so happy to be back here and see all of you safe.” She paused for another round of applause. She was clearly stealing the show. “My husband may have to play the tough guy to get us through the coming days at sea, but I will dedicate my time to helping make all of you as comfortable as possible. Please don’t blame the crew for your misfortunes. I’m sure they will all do their best to accommodate your needs. I will also try to be available to listen to any specific concerns and help in any way I can.”

  “Thank you, my dear,” the captain said as he took back the microphone. “And now, for those of you who are hungry, or just want to get out of this theater, we have opened the main dining room for brunch and it will remain open as another secure place for you to relax. Forget about assigned seating. We’ll be lucky if there are enough unbroken seats and tables for all of you. If you leave the theater, please walk straight back to the dining room. As you know, there are entrances on both Deck 4 and Deck 5 at the aft end of the ship. So you can exit from either the balcony or main level of the theater and go directly to the dining room.

  “Please do not try to use the stairs or elevators to reach other decks at this time. I have stationed members of the crew to prevent this. Do not stop or touch anything on your way to the dining room. Do not be surprised or overly concerned that it is still dark as night with very heavy rain outside the ship. Be prepared for scenes of destruction in the public areas. If you see curtains, or a sheet, or tarp covering something, it is probably one of the less fortunate passengers or crew. Do not touch or approach any of the bodies.” That brought gasps from the audience.

  “For those who wish to remain in the theater, there will be more snacks and beverages delivered here soon. I understand that many of you are deeply concerned about the fate of Southern California, where we began this ill-fated cruise. Our projections show that the tsunamis will reach San Diego in about one hour, Los Angeles less than twenty minutes later. I leave it to your discretion if you want to be here to watch those events unfold. If not, please make yourselves comfortable in the dining room.” Captain Krystos looked around once more, feeling empathy for those whose expressions reflected the same pain and fear that he held tightly bottled up inside.

  “Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this most tragic of times. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all of you who have lost someone aboard this ship, or in any of the other places impacted by this global catastrophe. I plan to meet with all of you later today, when I hope to be able to answer some of the questions that I know you all have. Until then, please don’t go anywhere except here or the main dining room. God bless you, and God save the Sedulity.”

  *****

  Hank Donner knew how bad it was out there, so he wasn’t surprised by much of what the captain had to say. Last night he would have been offended and outraged at some of the measures the captain had announced. Not today. He had already realized that his status as a first class passenger wouldn’t offer many perks in the wake of this disaster. The idea of actually helping repair the ship took him by surprise, but there might be perks associated with that option. He’d look into it. His biggest concern was getting back into his balcony suite, so that was the table he would be going to first. He suspected many others would have the same thought, so he made his way towards the doors of the theater before the captain had even left the stage.

  While he waited for the crew to open the doors and let him out other passengers began to gather around him. He spotted Romy pushing her way through the crowd with a geeky looking guy on her heels. She noticed Hank too and changed course to reach him.

  “So, you’re going back out there,” Romy said, more than asked. “Mind if we tag along?”

  “It’s a free ship, or it used to be,” Hank said with a grin and a tip of his cowboy hat.

  “What did you make of the captain’s speech? Do you think it’s really necessary to keep us all restricted to two decks of public areas?”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Hank said, “at least until they clean up more of the ship. There really were a lot
of dead bodies piled up in the places I saw last night.”

  “Really?” her geeky companion asked. “You saw a lot of dead people out there?” He sounded appalled.

  “Yeah, mister,” Hank replied evenly. “Dozens of them. Maybe a hundred or more. I wasn’t counting. And crispy charred corpses that have been dunked in sea water aren’t a pretty sight so I didn’t look too close either. The smell was bad enough.”

  “That does it, Romy,” the man whined. “Let’s stay here and wait for them to bring some more food to the theater.”

  “Come on, Fred,” Romy said. “Grow a pair. We need to find out if we can get back into our stateroom. If we can’t, I want to be at the top of the list to get an empty room, even if it belonged to some of the dead people out there.”

  Hank cocked his head and gave Romy an appraising look. She had more spunk and brains than he had given her credit for when she approached him earlier. She had immediately identified the most vital issue for their comfort and even understood the variables at play. It was true that even if their cabin was uninhabitable, there might be another one in good shape whose previous occupants had died at the muster stations or were down in the hospital. If Fred was smart he would shut up and do what she suggested.

  “What do you mean by grow a pair?” Fred retorted instead. “Haven’t I shown you a good time on this trip so far? I paid good money for our room. I’m sure they will let us back into it as soon as they clean up the mess. Otherwise I’ll insist on an upgrade to an even better room.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that, Freddy,” Hank interrupted. “Your money for this cruise means squat compared to the millions in damages to this ship, not to mention the millions of lives and trillions of dollars being wiped out around the world right now.”

  Fred looked up at the big Texan, displaying indignation and an unhealthy bravado. “What business is it of yours?” Fred asked. Hank realized that this prick really didn’t have a clue, and decided to enlighten him.

  “You’re from Santa Barbara?” Hank asked and Fred nodded reluctantly. “Then I would be more concerned with your home, your friends, and any family living there. These tsunamis aren’t being kind to south facing coastlines.” That shut Fred up and the anger drained from his face to be replaced by abject fear. “The way I see it,” Hank continued, “chances are that whatever wealth got you this far will be wiped out in a few hours, along with your house and your credit line. So you might want to start thinking like a survivor, if’n you want to be one.”

  Fred stared up at Hank with his mouth hanging open, but Hank’s comment had an unintended impact on Romy too. Her confidence cracked under the realization that her home, friends, and family were also in danger of imminent destruction. Nevertheless, when the doors opened, she hurried to keep up with Hank’s long strides out of the theater. Fred tagged along like a bewildered puppy.

  “Don’t look too closely at the scenery,” Hank cautioned Romy when they passed through the casino and on through the Martini Bar. “A lot of people died here last night.” He gestured casually at tarp covered piles along the wall that he knew concealed bodies which littered the floor the last time he was there.

  “What is that smell?” Romy asked with a sour look on her otherwise attractive face.

  “Don’t ask,” Hank said. “Just keep walking.” He led them and many others past the concealed carnage of burnt and drowned bodies, towards the main dining room. Hank saw several of the crew manning tables in the sitting area outside the restaurant and altered course to be the first in line. Romy and Fred followed him, as if leashed.

  “Is this where I find out if my suite is intact?” Hank asked the crewman at the first table.

  “Yes, sir,” the man replied with a forced smile. “I’m afraid that chances aren’t good though. Most of the suites are off-limits for now. What is your name and cabin number?”

  “Hank Donner from Houston, Texas. Currently residing in Sedulity Suite 10302.”

  The man raised his eyebrows slightly and began typing on a laptop computer. As he did so, Hank noticed that Romy and Fred were engaging the next representative and providing similar information. Meanwhile, the majority of those who had left the theater were streaming by into the dining room. Perhaps a hundred were also forming lines behind Hank and the couple from Santa Barbara. Everyone had different priorities in life, Hank supposed.

  “It says here that you are traveling alone. Is that correct, Mr. Donner?” the crewman asked in a polite tone.

  “Yes, I am,” Hank replied. “Is my suite in one piece, or not?”

  “Well, sir, yes,” the crewman paused, as if trying to find the right words. “Surprisingly, in fact, your suite is one of the few that suffered only minor damage and is still considered habitable.” Hank smiled broadly. His good humor was increased by the sound of Fred complaining when informed that his Concierge Class Balcony stateroom on the port side of the ship was uninhabitable. Then the crewman in front of Hank continued, “You will be allowed to return to your suite, sir, but I’m afraid that we have to assign several other passengers to share it with you. There are simply too few intact rooms available to allow single occupancy in any of them, even the inside cabins, let alone a suite.” The man clearly expected Hank to be upset, which he was, but not enough to rock the boat at that moment.

  “I see,” Hank said, while Fred continued to whine at the next table. “So how many other people do you plan to pack in there with me? There’s only one bed and a fold-out couch, you know.”

  “It all depends on the final head count and how many cabins can be made habitable, sir, but at least two or three more passengers will be assigned to share your suite. I’m sorry about this, but these are the captain’s orders and we really have very little choice in the matter.”

  “I understand completely,” Hank said, reaching into his inside vest pocket and withdrawing a hundred dollar bill. “Let’s make it these two,” he gestured at Romy and Fred. “Then close off any more additions without consulting me. Do you have that much choice in the matter?”

  The crewman glanced at Fred and Romy, still in heated debate with his associate, reached out for the C-note, and nodded agreement. “Niles,” he called to the man engaged with the unhappy couple. “Tell them they’ve got an upgrade to a full suite to share with this gentleman, if they want it. Otherwise they can wait for assignment to share an inside cabin, or take berths below in the crew quarters.”

  The couple from Santa Barbara froze and looked at Hank. He shrugged, as if to say ‘Take it or leave it.’ The truth was, if he had to share his suite with others, these two were probably the best choice available. Romy was sexy and smart. Fred was a pussy who would quickly learn who was boss in Hank’s suite. It sounded like more fun than having a bunch of senior citizens forced upon him.

  “That’s very kind of you,” Romy said with a genuine smile. Fred’s face still looked sour, unless that was his usual demeanor, but he held his tongue and nodded agreement.

  “Great,” Hank said. “Let’s grab a table for breakfast and get to know each other, roomies.”

  When the threesome walked into the dining room Hank noticed an increasing pitch and roll to the ship. He also took notice of the howling wind that drove the rain against the windows, as well as flapping tarps covering gaping holes where windows had been. It looked to be anything but smooth sailing for the Sedulity today.

  Chapter 5

  Satellite weather photos of the Central Pacific Ocean on the morning following the asteroid strike were nothing less than spectacular. Reminiscent of a supernova, or nebula in outer space, the cloud formations emanating from the point of impact were hypnotic. These clouds spread out in every direction at hurricane velocity. Like a Jetstream of tropical water vapor, the mushroom of clouds expanded at high altitude into both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. When the expanding mushroom cloud collided with the trade winds, parts of it spun off into dozens of super-cell storms that spread across the Pacific at record-breaking speed. Man
y of those who had seen this process unfold via satellite images were torn between fascination and fear.

  Preexisting tropical storms, cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes would simply be absorbed into new and far more powerful weather patterns. Forecast modelers and their computer programs went into traumatic paralysis. This was unlike anything that anyone had ever seen or prepared for. Global weather patterns were about to shift drastically, and even the experts were at a loss to predict the results. All that was known for certain on that first day was that the tsunamis and earthquakes would not mark the end of this crisis. Scientists in nations far removed from the threat posed by tsunamis quickly became alarmed when they realized the far reaching impact this asteroid strike would have upon Earth’s climate.

  Although their supercomputers were choking on the data, common sense prevailed and extreme weather warnings were issued by the National Weather Service in the USA and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading, England. They began with alerts for countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean, but quickly expanded the scope of their warnings. Everyone knew there was trouble brewing, but it was impossible for them to predict exactly how much. What they really needed was data from near the impact site to fuel their models.

  *****

  Kevin accompanied the captain back to the bridge when they left the theater. Amanda had explained that she was going with Mrs. Krystos down to the medical center where they would volunteer to help the injured for a few hours. Kevin didn’t like the idea of being separated, even if knew where she was, but agreed that it was the right thing for her to do. His own volunteer work would keep him glued to the ship’s weather station and communications gear throughout the day, but he would be right across the companionway from Emily, who should be safe enough with Mrs. Farnsworth.