The captain had avoided questions from passengers on their way out of the theater, only repeating that he was doing everything possible to improve their situation and would have additional updates later in the day. On the elevator back to the bridge the captain returned to the discussion they had been having about the worsening weather conditions.
“So, Mr. Summers, you’re sure that weather conditions will deteriorate the closer we get to the point of impact? Last night you thought it would be more like the eye of a storm, with milder weather around the impact zone.”
“Yes, Sir,” Kevin nodded. “That was my first hypothesis, but I’m afraid I was wrong. I didn’t factor in how big the steam column would be, or how long it would continue. The data from your weather station shows a direct correlation between the severity of the weather and our distance from the impact zone. It’s getting worse the closer we get.”
“It is, isn’t it?” the captain said with a slight hint of sarcasm. This was the first time since the asteroid strike that one of Kevin’s predictions hadn’t panned out. It didn’t detract from his excellent advice for dealing with the phenomena they encountered in the immediate aftermath of the asteroid strike, but it proved that Mr. Summers wasn’t infallible. “Your prediction was the primary reason I decided to sail closer, to find the best weather for making emergency repairs, such as getting some of the broken windows covered in the public areas.”
“I’m sorry, Captain,” Kevin said with obvious regret as they left the elevator and walked toward the bridge. “I’ve never seen a weather event like this one before.”
“Nobody has,” the captain said and patted Kevin on the back. “At least we collected some priceless data. I’ll be happy, however, to get us away from the asteroid impact zone. The sooner we get the injured to a real hospital the better. The doctor fears we will lose more each day if they don’t get better care than he can offer aboard ship.”
Kevin was gripped with a sudden wave of guilt that almost broke his sprit. Were people going to die or suffer more because he had made a mistake in predicting the weather? It was actually something that many weathermen had faced. Fail to predict a flash-flood and people could drown. Miss the signs of an impending tornado, and people could die. Predict good weather instead of issue a small craft warning to boaters, and people might die. Kevin had never faced that type of situation until now. Would the hours spent moving closer to the impact zone translate into lost lives, or increased suffering, among the injured who needed intensive care in a hospital?
When they reached the bridge it was nice to see some light leaking down through the cloud cover. Heavy rain obscured the view ahead, but the dull grey blur was preferable to the pitch black of night. The FLIR monitor still displayed the massive column of steam rising ahead of the ship. Kevin estimated that it couldn’t be more than 25 miles away now. His latest theory also appeared to be correct, since the weather had continued to deteriorate the closer they got to the point of impact.
The Sedulity was pitching noticeably now, gale force winds and mounting waves driving into her stern. It was an uncomfortable and somewhat unusual sensation because, instead of the bow rising and falling as the ship cut through the swells, the stern of the ship was being driven up, pushing the ship forward until the bow dropped down and dug into the sea, throwing geysers of whitewater into the air and drenching the forward deck area. This type of following sea was problematic at the best of times, which these certainly were not.
“Alright,” Captain Krystos spoke loudly, “prepare to come about to starboard. Our new heading will be 220 degrees and we’ll increase speed to fifteen knots. Mr. Crawford, use the PA system to inform the passengers that we’re setting course for Darwin, Australia, and the ship might experience some uncomfortable movement as we turn upwind.”
“Yes, Sir,” Crawford said.
The captain picked up another phone and called down to Engineering. “Scotty? Can you give me full power for a few minutes to bring us about?” He paused to listen for a moment. “Yes, that should be enough. We’ll be spinning up momentarily. Thanks, Scotty, I owe you another drink.” He put down the phone and stared out at the raging storm for a few seconds, getting a feel for the weather.
“Helmsman,” the captain continued, “confirm that the stabilizers are engaged. We’ll be using all four pods and the bow thruster to bring her around smartly. Let’s minimize the time that our beam is exposed to this wind. On my signal we’ll increase to full power on engines two and three, half power on engines one and four. Then we’ll engage the bow thruster and turn hard starboard onto our new heading. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir!” the helmsman replied crisply. “On your command, stabilizers engaged, full ahead two and three, half ahead one and four, bow thruster full starboard, then helm hard starboard onto a heading of 220 degrees true, sir.” It was customary to repeat a complex sequence of commands in order to avoid misunderstandings, like chefs echoing food orders in a professional kitchen.
“Stand by,” Captain Krystos said, waiting for the next large swell to lift the stern. “Alright, helmsman, now! Let’s bring her around.” The ship was moving much slower than during the high speed turn towards the blast wave the night before. At five knots, with a following sea, using both the bow thruster and the directional propulsion pods, the Sedulity could practically pivot on a dime. All four azimuth pods rotated 90 degrees to slew the stern around, while the bow thruster pushed the nose of the ship in the other direction. This type of maneuver would normally be conducted at low power settings to make tight turns in a harbor, but the captain wanted to make this turn as quickly as possible to reduce exposure of the gaping broken windows in the staterooms, not to mention the temporary plastic covers on damaged windows, to the gale force winds that had sprung up from astern.
Kevin stood at the back of the bridge, watching expectantly as the massive cruise ship swung around into the wind. Within seconds the howling gale assailed the plastic sheeting covering the shattered starboard bridge wing windows, causing them to flap madly and bulge inward. Pounding rain accompanied the wind, drumming on the plastic like angry bees. The wind also began to impart a mild list to the massive ship as its full force drove into the twelve-story side of the Sedulity. The ship’s forward speed was too slow for the stabilizers to fully compensate, triggering an automated warning buzzer that unnerved Kevin, but didn’t faze the captain in the slightest. Several large swells also smashed broadside into the Sedulity, furthering the rocking motion, but the ship fought through these assaults and continued to pivot onto her new course.
“Get ready to steady her up,” the captain said. “Cut the bow thruster and give us some forward momentum with pods one and four.”
“Aye-aye, Captain,” the helmsman replied, flicking a few switches and turning some dials. The two engines at half power were now directing thrust astern to drive the ship forward, while the other two pods continued to turn her onto the new course at full power.
Captain Krystos monitored the ship’s progress carefully and shook his head slightly when the helmsman began to steady up on the assigned course. The ship was now heading into the wind and rolling seas at an angle that increased her rolling action, even with the stabilizers engaged.
“Helmsman, belay that course and continue bringing her about to a heading of 260,” the captain ordered. “These quartering seas will cause all sorts of problems if we try to cross them and head straight for Darwin. We’ll take the wind and swell head-on until we put some distance between us and the impact zone. If the new theory from Mr. Summers proves correct, the wind should begin to fall off the further away we go.” He turned to Kevin and said, “Isn’t that correct, Mr. Summers?”
“Yes, Captain,” Kevin said, trying to sound more confident than he really felt. “Of course, this weather phenomenon has been forming all night, so we might have to travel some distance to escape it completely. After that we’ll face new storms and super-cells spinning off from the main cloud expanding out of th
e impact zone. But retracing our course should get us out of this particular gale, and I’ll work with your navigator to find the best course.”
“Good enough,” the captain said with a nod. The ship was already steadying down, now that her bow was pointed into the weather. Rain pounded mercilessly on the bridge windows and threatened to rip away the heavy plastic protecting the bridge wings, but the Sedulity was riding smoothly now with only the normal pitch caused by slicing through heavy seas. The ship continued to build speed up to 15 knots, heading back the way it had come, away from the hellish conditions near the point of impact.
*****
Lydia and Amanda had just arrived in the medical center when the announcement was made about a course change. The ship had been pitching increasingly over the past hour and Lydia knew the seas were rough.
“This maneuver might be tricky,” she commented. As the captain’s wife, Lydia had been through her fair share of storms and heavy swells at sea. Thankfully, she wasn’t prone to seasickness, though she had been on cruises where the movement of the ship tested her endurance. Making a major course change in bad weather meant the ship would have to turn across the swells. That could cause some disruption on even a normal cruise, which this was not. “Be ready to grab onto something and keep an eye out for things falling over,” she said.
“Really?” Amanda asked with trepidation. She was not familiar with ships and was already feeling slightly queasy. Seeing and hearing all the injured people in the medical center, along with the smells of medicine, mixed in with blood, burned hair and flesh, was also getting to her. She wasn’t sure if she could stomach it, if the ship started rocking badly. As if her thought triggered the event, the ship suddenly lurched under her feet and cries of alarm filled the medical center. These people had already been through far more terrifying experiences, but had no idea about what was happening above.
“This shouldn’t last long,” Lydia assured her. “We’re just turning to face the storm.”
Amanda wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She would rather the ship ran away from the storm, but remembered that they had survived by turning towards the impact blast wave and tsunami. She could only hope that the captain knew what he was doing once again. Lydia acted as if everything was fine, even as the ship shuddered again and objects toppled off of counters and carts, so Amanda put on a brave face and bent over to comfort a terrified woman lying on a mattress placed along the wall.
“Relax,” Amanda told the injured stranger. “Everything will be fine.” She tried to sound confident, but it reminded her of telling Emily the same thing last night while wondering if it was a lie.
Lydia steadied an IV stand that had almost tipped over and gave a few of her own words of comfort to that patient. Another, sharper, shudder ran through the ship and they heard more things fall over. Then a door burst open and a young woman, covered in bandages, leaned out and said, “Please help. He’s fallen off the bed!”
Lydia and Amanda rushed into the small treatment room, brushing by the bandaged woman, and found a man covered with even more bandages lying on the floor next to the narrow examination table moaning incoherently. They rushed to help him, turning him gently from his side onto his back, and Amanda bent down to keep his head from bouncing on the hard floor. His eyes opened in confusion and then recognition.
“Mrs. Summers?” Armando mumbled. “You should be up on the bridge.” He looked beyond her. “You too, Mrs. Krystos. Your husbands must be worried about you.”
“Armando?” Mandy asked in surprise. “Are you alright?” Could this really be the man who had taken her and Emily to safety on the bridge, before going back to help other passengers? He smiled weakly.
“He’s been under sedation,” said the young woman who had opened the door. “The doctor said he should sleep for a few more hours. I guess the fall woke him.”
“I imagine it would,” Lydia said. She also remembered the Filipino bartender who had been present when she was rescued, as well as from many previous and more pleasant encounters aboard the Sedulity. He had been a valued member of the crew even before his heroics following the asteroid strike. “Let’s see if we can get him back up into bed.”
“No…no, Mrs. Krystos,” Armando said in a clearer voice. “I can get up by myself now. There must be others who need help more than I do.”
“Nonsense,” Lydia said. “Help me lift him, Mandy.” Together they got him off the floor and tried to move him back onto the makeshift bed, actually a narrow examining table where he had been resting. He would have none of it.
“No, please, ladies,” Armando said, standing up. “I am awake now.” He looked down and saw that he was wearing a hospital gown. Flushing with embarrassment, he said, “I must get some clothes and get back to work.”
“Don’t be silly,” Lydia said before the others could do more than open their mouths in shock. “You’ll do nothing of the kind, Armando. You need to rest and heal.”
“Perhaps,” Armando said, obviously feeling more than a little pain. “I don’t need to take a bed in the hospital though. There must be many passengers in worse shape than me. I will go back to my bunk.” Looking around again he spotted the bandaged woman standing by the door. “Mrs. Brewer?”
“Yes, Armando,” Rachel said, choking at the use of her married name. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so I could thank you for taking care of me last night, and going back up to look for Brad.”
“It was my duty,” Armando said quickly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find your husband. Has there been any word?” Rachel shook her head sadly.
“Oh dear,” Lydia said, turning to look at Rachel for the first time. “There is a table up by the dining room where passengers separated from friends and family are registering. It’s still possible your husband will be found.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said, though her voice lacked hope.
“They’re serving breakfast up there too,” Lydia added.
The mention of food nearly made Amanda seasick, but also drew her attention to the fact that the ship had assumed a more normal feel. “We’re not rocking around as much now,” she noted.
“Yes,” Lydia said. “We must be on the new course. Hopefully it will get us out of this bad weather. Now, Armando,” she looked to the injured bartender with compassion. “You need to take it easy, but I suppose you can go to your cabin, if the doctor agrees to release you.” Turning back to Rachel she continued, “If you feel up to it, I think you should go up and register your husband as missing, then get some food and rest. Mandy, would you escort this young woman up to the dining room, please? I can see that you could probably use some fresh air too. I’ll wait to see the doctor with Armando, then spend some time looking in on the other patients.”
“Yes, Mrs. Krystos,” Amanda agreed readily. Being in the medical center was indeed making her feel ill. Turning to Rachel she said, “Shall we?” Rachel nodded without speaking, then walked up to Armando and placed her bandaged hand gently in his as a tender sign of gratitude. He nodded bashfully before she turned to follow Amanda out.
*****
Hank Donner ushered Romy and Fred to a table near the center of the dining room. He could feel the swells building and knew from experience that they would feel less of the roll in the center of the ship than if they sat near the windows. He had also lost some trust in those windows, after seeing so many implode the night before. He even spotted spider-web cracks in some of the remaining windows around dining room, as well as large tarps covering several missing windows, all of which contributed to his decision on where to sit.
The three of them sat at a table for four and Hank was curious to see what type of service they would receive. He noticed most of the people in the room lining up at a modest buffet, but decided to relax for a few minutes and let the line dwindle. This turned out to be a good decision when the announcement of a course change was made moments later.
“I was wondering when they would turn the ship,” Hank
said to his companions. “You feel how the back of the ship is rising with the waves instead of the font?” They nodded. “That means the storm is hitting us from behind and we’re not moving very fast. They put the restaurants of most ships near the stern because the bow usually goes up and down more in rough seas.” Hank felt increasing vibrations through the decks below his feet, interpreting it correctly as increased power to the engines.
“Better hang on, folks,” Hank said casually. “Here we go again.” He smiled when their faces turned white with apprehension. “Ah, relax, I don’t think it will be anything like last night.” As he finished his sentence the ship rolled at least a dozen degrees to port. Passengers in the buffet line screamed. Some dropped their plates to steady themselves on the buffet. A few lost their balance and toppled to the floor. Hank smiled, thinking they should have taken the warning announcement more seriously.
“What’s happening?” Fred asked in that whimper of his.
“We’re turning into the storm,” Hank replied calmly, though even his cocky confidence was tested when gale force winds blasted against the tarps covering several broken windows on the starboard side. The plastic billowed inwards and the corner of one came loose, allowing wind and sheeting rain to pour into the dining room. Passengers who had chosen to sit in that section were scrambling away from what had suddenly become another terrifying event. Hank felt sorry for those who had no idea what to expect next.
“Holy crap!” Fred exclaimed. “What’s the captain thinking? Why’s he turning like this?”
“He’s decided it’s time to get the hell out of here,” Hank replied curtly. “And I tend to agree with him.” The ship continued to roll side to side for close to a minute while the Sedulity came about. Then the hammering wind and waves abated as the bow of the ship took the brunt of the weather and Hank could feel the ship surge forward into the swells. He thanked his lucky stars that they weren’t adrift in this storm.
Sedulity 2: Aftershock (Sedulity Saga) Page 9
