Days Until Home

by Mark Gardner

  Hayes widened his eyes. “The minerals we mined from Egeria-13? You want our cargo?”

  Sayid held up his palms in a placating gesture. “We need to move the cargo from the Kerwood to the Matsue. Better center of gravity when we tug you home. All that mass makes things lopsided if it stays where it is. My navigator says it’ll save a few thousand delta-v.”

  But Hayes was shaking his head. “And when we get home? What happens to the cargo then?”

  Sayid took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, that is currently a point of negotiation between the Matsue Conglomerate and the Kerwood Corporation. Cargo is only valuable if you can deliver it to where it needs to go. Everest Corp owns half the ice in Saturn’s rings, but until they transport it to a place to sell, it’s worthless. Right?

  “The Kerwood has a few billion credits worth of yttrium and scandium sitting in its hold. But it’s currently on a crazy-wide elliptical orbit around the sun and has no way of delivering it to its destination.”

  Jeremy’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know what we’re hauling?”

  “It’s on your public manifest,” Sayid said, a hint of dryness in his voice. “Yes, the primary purpose of moving the cargo to the Matsue is physics-related, but it would also be a nice symbolic transfer of ownership as well.”

  Each of the Kerwood officers reacted differently. Jeremy scrunched his face, considering the truth of what Sayid said.

  Hayes jabbed a finger in the direction of the other captain and said, “This is goddamn piracy. You’re pirates, boarding our ship and stealing our loot. You may pretend you’re here to help, but your true colors are clear to us all.”

  Adelaide threw up her hands and argued with nobody in particular. “Tugged home? Like a cart being pulled by a horse? You don’t know what you’re talking about. The Kerwood isn’t that bad off. We just need help getting on our feet, plugging some leaks. We’ll take ourselves home, thank you very much.”

  Viktor watched it all with the clear head of an objective outsider. They were worrying about cargo or getting the Kerwood up to make the trip home itself. All of them had nearly died. Dozens had perished. Was Viktor the only one with any context for the situation? He locked eyes with Sayid and saw that the man thought the same thing.

  Viktor opened his mouth to say so, but Sayid beat him to it.

  “Excuse me. Adelaide, is it? My own engineers are currently performing diagnostic analysis on your ship. We only have preliminary data, but the Kerwood will not be flying anytime soon. Even after we tug you back to the Luna shipyards, in all likelihood, they’ll decide repairing the ship isn’t worth the cost and scrap the entire thing instead.” He spread his hands. “Let’s all be reasonable, here—”

  Hayes yelled, then. “You can go to hell if you think we’ll let you do this. I’d rather die on the bridge of my ship, floating forever in the black, than be a prisoner.”

  Sayid barked a laugh, an act that Viktor knew was meant to be lighthearted, but which the others would almost certainly mistake for mockery. “Prisoners? Winchester…”

  “Captain Hayes,” he corrected through gritted teeth.

  “…you are not prisoners. Please do not be melodramatic.” He gestured. “Viktor and I have a long history together. He’ll tell you I can be trusted. That we’re here purely as a rescue mission, with everything else simply minor details.”

  The three other Kerwood crew swung their heads toward him as if just remembering he was present. Viktor shifted his feet uncomfortably at being put on the spot.

  “Yes,” he finally said. “Captain Sayid is an honorable man. We should all trust that his motivations are genuine.” He paused. “I just want to go home. Don’t all of you?”

  They stared at Viktor like he was some sort of traitor. Sayid nodded to himself and changed the tone of his voice.

  “Frankly, at this point, the decision isn’t yours. It’s your corporation’s. You’re just passengers now, and I’m telling you all of this strictly as a professional courtesy.” Sayid nodded to the woman next to him who hadn’t so much as moved during the entire exchange. “Carol is our personnel officer. She’ll get you and your crew situated in your cabins and answer any additional questions you may have.”

  Sayid stood, and Carol stood with him. He looked at each of them in turn. “You’ve all experienced a terrible tragedy. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now. You need time to process everything. Get a good night’s sleep. We will discuss everything again in the morning. I promise, you’ll see things in a different light then.”

  Hayes stared a moment longer before allowing Carol to lead him from the room, with Adelaide and Jeremy in tow, arguing to themselves. Viktor stayed behind. Adelaide sent one final glance at him, confused and angry, before disappearing into the hall.

  Sayid let out a long sigh. He smiled wearily at Viktor. “That could have gone better.”

  Viktor rounded on him. “You only wanted me here because you knew they wouldn’t trust you.”

  Sayid nodded. He wore a pained expression. “It’s always a difficult transition. Especially with a fellow captain. They’ve lost their ship. It died under their watch, the way a person dies, its carcass stranding them and theirs without hope. Sometimes there are actual deaths, real bodies of bone and blood ripped apart or flash-frozen in the black. It’s difficult to understand, with the true understanding that only comes later. The captain’s mind locks it all away for the time being, packing it down like a cube of trash to later be recycled. They focus on their immediate problems because it’s the only way they can push on. Putting out fires. Saving stranded crew. Getting critical systems back online. Returning home. Because despite what may have transpired, if the captain can just get the ship righted, sails up and prow pointed home, then the sting of unpacking that box later will be lessened. Even in defeat, the survival will absolve them. The whisper of that dream keeps them going.

  “And then a man like me comes and takes it away.”

  “What do you mean?” Viktor said.

  Sayid got a faraway look in his eye. “While Hayes is in charge, he feels like he can fix it. Turn it all around. Help the crew, restore their opinion of him. But the moment rescue arrives, even though it was the hope and the goal all along, he realizes there will be no salvation for him. Men and women died, and it’s his fault and, until the stars wink out one by one and the temperature of the universe approaches zero, he will always bear the burden.”

  Viktor shook his head. “But it wasn’t Hayes’ fault. At least, it doesn’t seem that way. Something exploded—”

  “It’s always the captain’s fault,” Sayid said sadly. “I didn’t realize it myself until I sat in Arbolest’s chair. Whether the captain can control it or not, they bear the responsibility. Both to themselves, and to the crew of their ship, and the corporation bosses back home. Which is why I had hoped my relationship with you would help soften the blow when it all hit him at once. I’m not some foreign pirate, falling upon a helpless prey. None of us on the Matsue are. We’re men and women just like you, here to offer our help in a sea where help is scarcely found.”

  “I don’t think the others will see it that way.” Beyond the arguments there on the bridge, many of the other Kerwood crew were already suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the disaster. They would mirror Hayes’ and Adelaide’s response, Viktor knew, and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t change that.

  “You’re probably right,” Sayid admitted. “It rarely goes smoothly. You’re not our first rescue. Hey, listen.” He stepped closer. “I’m not involved in the current negotiations between the two companies. I’m just the delivery guy. But I do have some leeway with the contracts, and I’ve been asked to pass along a proposal. The way the Matsue Conglomerate see it, there are two parts to a mining operation. Extraction and delivery. The first part, drilling into Egeria-13 and pulling out its prizes? You and the other miners came through. You did the work, put in the effort. You met your part of the contract. It’s the
delivery that fell through.”

  “What does that matter?” Viktor didn’t understand what the point of all of this was.

  Sayid grinned the way he used to grin when they worked together. “You always missed the forest for the trees. Assuming we haul the goods back to Luna base, the Matsue Conglomerate would still honor the Kerwood miners’ shares. At the very least, a partial payout. A show of good faith.”

  “A way to pry the best miners away for future contracts,” Viktor said.

  Sayid smiled and shrugged.

  “And in return, you want cooperation?” Viktor looked back in the direction of the hallway. “Help convincing the others on the Kerwood to play nice?”

  Sayid put a hand on Viktor’s shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. “We’re all on the same side here. We want the same thing. What’s wrong with helping everyone else accept that?”

  Viktor considered it, but only for a moment. “Forget the shares. At least, for now. Just get us all home.” He felt his throat constricting. “Get me back to Helena.”

  Sayid embraced him, still careful of Viktor’s wounds. “Of course, my friend. That’s why we’re here.”

  Out in the hall, a strange feeling of relief came over Viktor. It took him about twenty steps to realize what it was: relief at his position as a lowly miner. The weight of responsibility on Sayid’s shoulders was a physical thing, visible in every wrinkle and muscle of the man. It was something Viktor had never thought about. Random disasters happened. It was part of life. For someone in a position of power to feel responsible, even when they could not control anything about it, it was a depressing thought.

  Maybe that explained why Captain Hayes acted so strange. No man could handle that much pressure and remain stable. Just thinking about what Sayid hinted toward made Viktor shiver involuntarily.

  I’ll stick with the rocks and drills.

  The contract shares was also a thought that had escaped him. An afterthought. It felt so unimportant after everything that had happened. Death, bodies and limbs floating through the launch hallway, globs of frozen blood all around like red candles in a cathedral. How could anyone think about shares, or cargo, or anything else beyond simply getting home alive?

  Besides, even if the Matsue honored the partial shares, it almost certainly wouldn’t be enough for what Viktor needed to retire and start the fungus farm on Luna with Helena. He’d need to pick up another contract regardless. So even if he did care about the shares, they were inconsequential to his goal. Helena would be disappointed to learn, but he knew she’d smile and tell him all that mattered was that he was safe.

  He stopped in the hallway. That was what he should have asked from Sayid: not honored shares, but a chance to contact Helena. They would all receive time on the Matsue’s radio array to contact family, he was sure, but it would have been nice to send Helena a message immediately. Tell her he was okay before news of the Kerwood disaster spread. Spare her a sleepless night of worrying.

  Viktor continued on. He would ask Sayid later.

  The Matsue crew members nodded to him in the halls—none of whom he recognized, sadly—but he began to notice something strange from the few Kerwood crew he passed. They each eyed him in passing, sideways glances without any acknowledgment or comment. Viktor saw Siebert turn down a corridor and called out a greeting with a wave, but the man pretended not to see him and continued on.

  The med bay was more crowded than when he’d left it, with more beds filled with injured crew. Two doctors hunched over one, its occupant someone from the bridge crew whose name Viktor didn’t know. Next to it, Jessica remained horizontal and still with Jimmy sunken into the adjacent chair. Erika was awake and sitting in her bed. Adelaide stood next to it, bent down and speaking quietly to her.

  Erika’s eyes locked onto Viktor as he entered, and she quickly said something. Adelaide stopped speaking and faced Viktor, giving him a long, blank look. The normally jolly woman seemed oddly in control of her emotions just then. Like a mask.

  “Come on,” she said, turning to help Erika out of bed. The latter had her arm in a sling and walked with a slight limp.

  “What was that about?” Viktor asked after they left.

  Jimmy shifted in his seat. “Well…”

  “Well what?”

  The kid shrugged as if what he was about to say didn’t mean anything. “You’re awfully cozy with the captain. Captain Sayid, I mean.”

  Viktor frowned. “Of course I am. We worked together for a decade.”

  “Yeah, but…I mean, don’t you see, Vicky? Why everyone is on edge about this whole thing?”

  “We’re all on the same side, Jimmy. We all want the same thing.” It surprised him how much he sounded like Sayid then. But the words were true, and he was sick of all the distrust.

  Without warning, Jessica’s shape convulsed in a rough laugh. “They think you were part of it,” she said.

  Jimmy jumped up, and Viktor smiled his way over to the bed. She was okay! The doctors had said so earlier, but it was one thing to be told that and another to see real signs of life from the woman.

  Viktor’s happiness melted away as her words sunk in. “They think I’m part of what?”

  She spoke slowly, as if each word pained her. Her eyes remained closed. “What happened to our ship.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Jimmy looked uncomfortable. “You don’t think it’s suspicious that, in all this big black nothing, the ship that comes to our rescue, and happens to be within reasonable distance, is your old ship?”

  “That’s not suspicious at all. Most of us have worked at other corporations at some point,” Viktor pointed out. “Someone was bound to have a history with whatever ship came to our rescue.”

  Jessica opened her eyes. The look she gave Viktor was one of pity. Jimmy’s was much the same.

  “Do they think I…do they think the explosion was something I caused?” Viktor blinked. “Crippling the Kerwood, so the Matsue could come in and take everything?”

  “I don’t know what anyone else believes,” Jimmy said flatly. “And I mean, I trust you, big guy. Right? But there’s a lot of weird stuff that might need explaining. It turns out you know Sayid. You chose the fun seat during launch, and magically come out unharmed during the chaos.”

  “That was random luck. I could’ve been killed just like the others. And unharmed?” Viktor unzipped his jumpsuit so that the bandages along his abdomen showed. “Out of all the survivors, I’m more wounded than anyone but her.” He jerked his head toward Jessica.

  “Yeah, but you stabbed yourself, right? That’s what you told us? Could be you did that to lower suspicions.”

  “It’s tough to believe someone stabbed themselves trying to cut off their straps,” Jessica slowly said. “I’ve seen some dumb slag on contracts. But you’re not some rookie…”

  The accusation in their voices left a hollow pit in Viktor’s stomach. He stood and felt his good hand ball into a fist as he towered over them.

  “Woah,” Jimmy said, raising his palms. “Easy now, buddy. I’m just tellin’ you what the others are sayin’. Me and Jessica don’t believe…”

  His words trailed away as Viktor stormed out of the med bay. He made his way toward the galley, but instead of escaping his fellow miners’ comments, he found himself being watched by everyone he passed.

  Viktor gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to proclaim his innocence out loud. Their silent stares of accusation followed him through the ship, louder than any shout.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Days Until Home: 83

  “So let me ask you this. If the Matsue hadn’t shown up, what were you going to do to get the crew and cargo home?” the gruff voice said with a hint of frustration behind it.

  Winchester Hayes sat at the desk with his arms in front of him, one on top of the other, and his head bent low over the intercom. His face was a mask of determination, and the upper arm blocked the view of his hand crushing a ball of paper. He was
squeezing it so tightly it became painful, but it kept him from falling off the precipice and becoming something he had sworn not to become.

  He inhaled slowly and began his retort, “My chief engineer and his brilliant staff were on it. We weren’t down long enough to need rescuing and—“

  “Do you hear yourself, Hayes? You lost more people on your watch than a wartime captain handling a destroyer. How do you think the Lu and Hawkins’ family feel about you not being down long enough? I think they would be very annoyed to hear the man responsible for—“

  “Hey, that’s enough. I may be contracted with you, but I am not your toady. If you don’t want to reconsider the green light on us being stripped and salvaged while we’re down on one knee, then I am very disappointed. I have had a long, successful run with the Kerwood. Even you with your nasty opinion of me would have to admit that. We have been the ship the superstars ask to be transferred to because we get things done. I removed every facet of a life to dedicate myself to this ship and your organization, and what do I get? A call for help answered by some spineless slag who sits comfortably in an air conditioned building, telling me what the family of my friends would think about my refusal to take an ass—”

  “That’s enough, Captain Hayes. I owe you an apology, and I just want to clarify that I am not in an air conditioned building. I am home with family. I took this call as a courtesy. Anyway, I fully understand your position, and it is a regrettable and unfortunate position nobody could dream of being in. Not in their worst nightmare. But the Kerwood Corporation wants you home. The losses we have suffered are already far greater than we can afford. You called because you’re a great man with tremendous pride, but the ship is crippled, Captain. Allow your rescuers to do their job, and when you get back, we can help you put the pieces together.”

  Winchester adjusted his seat and rubbed his forehead with frustration. Bittersweet doesn’t quite describe it, he thought. We’re in a bigger ship that can get us back home fast, but the reason we came out here will become null and void. I can’t have Booker and Lu’s lives become the result of a worthless mission. “Thanks for taking my call. Enjoy the rest of your day,” he said flatly and disconnected the communication.