“What can I say? Apparently, I went out for one too many spacewalks.” Nick smiled. In a labored motion, he held out his hand. “Don’t worry, you won’t catch my ugly. Just don’t squeeze too hard. Hand’s a bit tender.”
Morgan shed the mittens and gently took hold of Nick’s hand. Unsatisfied with the greeting, he moved in closer and hugged his bent-over friend. “I’m having a hard time believing all of this, but I’m damn happy to see you.”
“Same here,” Nick said. He patted Morgan’s back. “More than you could know.”
As he pulled from the embrace, Morgan noticed his own hands were bluish-pink, almost purple. Well, he’d been warned.
“Where have you been, Nick? Where did you go? Where are Avery and Christine?”
“Long story. Are you hungry?”
“Honestly, not really. I feel queasy.”
“Yeah, the vaccines will do that. Still, come on, let’s at least get out of here before we both freeze.”
Nick led him from the room and down a hallway with walls at least twenty feet tall. A lattice of dim, orangish lights formed an arched ceiling. The combination of the hall and ceiling reminded Morgan of a cathedral — an ice-box-cold cathedral.
Nick took small steps, and he winced with each delicate plant of his feet. Morgan’s gait wasn’t much better. His legs were unsteady and he wobbled on more than one occasion.
“Where are Ajay and Kiera?” he asked. “In these rooms?” He gestured to the doors that lined both sides of the corridor.
Without breaking his stiff stride, Nick said, “Yep, they’re still sleeping off their inoculations. Same with Julia and Bob.”
Morgan halted. “What?”
Nick stopped and turned back to look at Morgan. “Bob went into cardiac arrest. Julia called us for help. We brought them aboard and took care of him. Took care of both of them.”
Morgan squeezed his eyelids shut and shook his head. While he understood what Nick had said, his mind grappled with the news. “When did this happen? How long have I been out?”
Nick shrugged. “It’s been a while since I’ve thought in terms of Earth time. A day? Maybe more.”
“You’re joking.”
Nick shook his head.
“Good God, Nick. Why didn’t you tell us the inoculations would knock us out for so long?”
“I thought I did.”
“No, you didn’t. You made it sound like we’d see you right afterwards. If I’d known that wasn’t the case, I would have been more insistent about checking in back home before we came aboard. They must be worried sick about us.”
“Not to worry. Julia transmitted a message after she came aboard.”
“She did?”
“Yes. Now follow me.”
“Hold up. I want to see them,” Morgan said. “Right now. All of them.”
“Relax, Paul. We’ll check on them later. There’s no rush. They’re all asleep.”
As the hunchbacked Nick resumed walking down the hall, Morgan remained in place. What was up with Nick? He’d always been a home-spun, laid-back kind of person, but the “fah-getta-bout-it” vibe of his responses struck Morgan as too casual under the circumstances.
“Nick, listen to me, buddy. I’m worried about them. I’d like to see them now. It’ll just take a few minutes.” He approached the closest door. “Who’s in this one?”
“Later. Come on, we have a lot to talk about.”
“Damn it, Nick. If I had any hairs left, they’d be sticking straight out. Why won’t you let me see them?”
Nick sighed and walked back to him. “Look, Paul, it’s more important that we talk than it is for you to see your crew right now. You’re gonna have to trust me on that.”
Aboard Sol Seaker
Anchored off the coast of Kabara Island
Fiji Archipelago
September 10, 2019
Jennifer Stevens sat on the floor of Anlon and Pebbles’ cabin, her back propped against the foot of the bed. As she stared up at the muted television, she massaged her bgood21another badge with her thumb.
Perched on the edge of the bed, her legs brushing up against Jennifer’s shoulder, Pebbles said, “I don’t know, Jen. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Well, keep it to yourself,” Jennifer said. She turned to Anlon, who sat on an easy chair next to the bed. “Any word from Antonio?”
“Yeah.” Anlon set down his cell phone. He lowered his head and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Jen.”
Jennifer clutched the badge and fought back tears. “What did he say?”
“Maybe we should turn off the television,” Anlon said to Pebbles.
As Pebbles reached for the remote, Jennifer stood. “No! Don’t you dare.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t.” Pebbles set down the remote and motioned for Jennifer to sit back down.
Instead, Jennifer wheeled toward Anlon. “What did Antonio say?”
“Look, Jen, it’s not—”
“Is it true? Are they real?” Jennifer pointed at the television. It was tuned to WNN. The majority of the screen was devoted to a live shot of Hangar-2 in A3I’s Mayaguana complex. Reporters milled about in front of RE2, many of them with grim expressions. Across the bottom of the screen, a red banner displayed text in white. Breaking: Augustus Amato to address authenticity of images acquired by WNN.
Anlon nodded.
“Damn!” Jennifer kicked the mattress and stormed from the room.
Anlon looked at Pebbles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say.”
She rose from the bed and reached for his hand. “It’s okay. At least she knows before she sees the pictures. Are they as bad as Jenna Toffy hyped?”
“Looks like we’re about to find out.”
The television had switched to a close-up shot of Jenna Toffy. Pebbles quickly snatched up the remote and unmuted it.
“…minutes ago, I met privately with Augustus Amato, and he confirmed to me that the photos obtained by this network are authentic.”
An off-camera voice, presumably an in-studio WNN anchor, asked, “Did he say who took the images? Was it one of the astronauts?”
“Chet, he told me the images were recorded by one of two drone-landers aboard the Rorschach Explorer.”
The anchor was only four words into his next question when Toffy interrupted him. “Chet, he’s coming to the podium. I’ve gotta run.”
The screen switched to a view of Amato walking to the podium in front of RE2, aided by his cane and accompanied by Dante Fulton and Dennis Pritchard. The aerospace titan’s eyes were riveted on the podium ahead while camera flashes exploded all around him.
The anchor’s voice said, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, before Mr. Amato begins speaking, I’d like to say it was not an easy decision to break this story. We at WNN understand the sensitivities involved for the crew’s families and for the millions who have followed the Rorschach Explorer’s odyssey, but given the gravity of the circumstances we felt an obligation to report on the photographs we obtained. At the conclusion of the press conference, we will release most of the photographs on our website. But out of respect for the Rorschach families, we have chosen to refrain from publishing a few of the more sensitive images.”
Jennifer returned to the cabin and sat down next to Pebbles. “Sorry I lost it.”
Pebbles laced her fingers through Jennifer’s. “No need to apologize.”
On screen, Amato began his comments. “Two days ago, I came before you to speak willingly and candidly about the Rorschach Explorer, its crew and the events that have impacted their mission — our mission. I addressed your questions and dispelled irresponsible rumors. In some cases, I corrected misconceptions and, in other cases, I acknowledged our failures. I promised at that time to be more proactive in sharing information and to provide you with greater access. Since making that commitment, we’ve held another four press briefings and answered every question put to us.
“In exchange, I made two requests of the press. Work with u
s to ensure facts are published, not rumors. And allow us the time to assess and respond to unfolding events before rushing to report incomplete or questionable information obtained from unofficial sources.
“This is an extraordinary mission with profound ramifications for the future of space exploration and our relationships with alien life-forms. As such, it deserves news coverage that reflects the serious nature of these noble pursuits.
“Yet I stand here now, reluctantly, forced to respond to another heap of breathless falsehoods and innuendo. Though I tried to convince WNN to hold off on publishing the eight photographs they acquired, the network has declined. I was told I should have known better than to ask. I guess they are right, but it amazes me I needed to ask in the first place.
“As to the facts, here they are: We received our last communication from the Rorschach Explorer twenty-eight hours ago as they prepared to rendezvous with an alien spacecraft we believe is piloted by the beings who built the Callisto spaceport. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to generate a response from the crew since then. However, for much of that time we had an active communication link with two drone-landing vehicles stored in Rorschach’s cargo bay.
“Concerned about the crew’s welfare, we decided to remotely undock one of the landers and fly it through the ship to provide us with photographs to help us understand why the crew wasn’t responding. Many of the resulting photographs are blurry, partially obstructed or simply not the views we might have chosen. This is because without the ability to ‘live-steer’ the lander, we relied on a pre-programmed flight path based on a digital layout of the ship — and when the lander encountered unexpected obstacles that disrupted its flight path, that negatively affected the precision of its cameras.
“But we nevertheless obtained eight good, unobstructed photographs: three of the main corridor, two of the medical bay, two of the laboratory compartment and one of the engine control room. The photographs show extensive damage to equipment and evidence of a violent struggle. That is all we know. At this hour, despite our ongoing efforts to reestablish communications, we still have not received any contact from the crew, and we’ve lost our connection with the two landers…”
As Amato continued to speak, Anlon looked back at the text message from Antonio. The inside of the ship’s been torn apart. It’s history. No way it can fly. Sure hope WNN doesn’t show all the blood on TV.
Human crew galley — Suhkai spacecraft Ethel
In orbit around Saturn moon Dione
Morgan hesitantly followed Nick into a car-like pod. Nick spoke a command, and the pod rose inside a tubular track and delivered them to a higher floor. They exited in front of a doorway and, in response to another spoken command, the doors parted. They stepped into a small airlock and the doors closed behind them.
A gush of hot steam filled the room, making Morgan perspire. Then a tone sounded and the doors at the opposite side of the airlock slid open.
They proceeded into a rounded vestibule with eight doorways spaced evenly around its circumference. Morgan was immediately struck by how different this room felt from anywhere else he’d been on the ship. From the dimensions of the walls, to the temperature, to the furnishings he could see through the open doorways…this place actually felt like it was designed for humans — apart from the dim, orange-red lighting, which was no different from that on the rest of the ship.
Nick led Morgan through one of the doorways into a spacious galley with a full kitchen and a long table with ten chairs. “Have a seat.”
As Morgan sat, he said, “Ten chairs? You have other crew? I thought you said Avery and Christine weren’t with you.”
Nick retrieved a few items from a refrigerator. “They’re not.”
“Then what’s with all the chairs? They’re too small for the Suhkai.”
“You never know when you might have visitors,” Nick said. He returned to the table with two soda-can-sized tubes of a clear liquid and two more filled with a gold gel. He sat down and gave one of each to Morgan. “Good old H2O in that one,” he said, pointing, “and nectar of the stars in the other.”
Morgan lifted the gold gel and examined it. “Nectar of the stars?”
“It’s a sugary compound. It’s got some trace minerals, protein, but it’s mostly carbohydrates.” Nick opened his gold tube, sucked on the spout, and swished the gel in his mouth before swallowing. “This is what kept Avery, Christine and me alive for the early part of our journey.”
Morgan uncapped his own tube and squeezed a small amount on his tongue. “Tastes like honey.”
“Yeah, it is a lot like honey. Kind of ironic — the Cytons forage the raw ingredients, kind of like bees forage pollen.” He held the tube toward the ceiling. “Thank the Suhkai for that. They taught the Cytons to do it. The Suhkai are also responsible for these tubes of water. And the air we’re breathing.”
Morgan uncapped the water and gulped down half the bottle. It was cold and refreshing — and better-tasting than Rorschach’s supply.
Nick continued. “The Suhkai have been exploring the galaxy for hundreds of thousands of years. At least, that’s my estimate; they don’t think in terms of Earth years. Anyway, one of the biggest challenges of deep space travel, as we both know, is supply. Whether you’re talking about food and water, air to breathe or energy for propulsion…supply is a tough nut to crack.”
“And the Suhkai cracked that nut?”
“Yep. They learned early on that they didn’t need to bring all their supplies with them. They realized it was easier to find the necessary building blocks in space and then make and store supplies as they were needed. You follow me?”
“They learned to harvest asteroids.”
Nick shook his head. “Not just asteroids. Planets, moons, comets, stars, you name it. They’re remarkable scavengers. They had to be. They didn’t have a choice.”
He explained that the Suhkai home planet, Suhko, had become uninhabitable — that a series of events had altered the planet’s orbit into an exaggerated and unstable elliptic. “Everything started to die. Fortunately for them, and for us, they had already developed the technology to fly into space. They had mining operations on three of their moons, but the situation with their planet also affected the stability of the moons, so…they had to push beyond or perish.”
“Let me stop you there, Nick,” Morgan said. “How far away from Earth is, or was, their home planet?”
“Thousands of light years.”
“And there were UMOs — excuse me, Cytons, in their solar system? Did they bring them to ours?”
“Cytons are everywhere, Paul. There’s not a star system in our galaxy without them. In fact, the Suhkai believe life wouldn’t exist anywhere in the universe without them. They first discovered them in a nebula the Suhkai named Cyto.”
Nick explained that the Suhkai belief system was sort of a mix between how humans think of creation and evolution. “The Suhkai don’t buy into our Big Bang Theory, in fact they think it’s kind of silly, but they do believe organic life began in a similar way as we do — a slurry of organic compounds sparked to life by an electromagnetic charge. In addition, they believe it’s the Cytons that provide the electrical stimulation that creates all organic life in the universe — past, present and future. For that reason they view Cytons, in the collective, as God, although the Suhkai don’t worship them like a deity. They don’t look to Cytons to answer the mysteries of the universe. But they do revere them. It gives the Suhkai peace to be with Cytons, to travel with them, to interact with them. To the Suhkai, to be in the presence of a single Cyton is like having a piece of God by their side.”
The reverence with which Nick spoke about the Cytons made goose bumps form on the back of Morgan’s neck. At times, Cytons seemed like simple creatures that could be trained like honeybees. At others, they exhibited complex coordination that belied their appearance. They could be helpful one moment, ruthless the next. They demonstrated curiosity and compassion. They protected their
own, hunted with precision and killed with ease. And now here was Nick talking of them as the creators of all life.
“And I’ll tell you what, Paul, those little space bees saved Avery, Christine and me many times over the past twenty-four years. Many times.” Nick lowered his head and closed his eyes as if in prayer.
Morgan watched him in silence, unwilling to disturb his meditation. When Nick finally looked up again, there was a tear on his cheek.
“Where are Avery and Christine, Nick?”
“On a planet we call Tula. It’s been our home for the past twelve years. Well, their home, mostly. I’ve been ‘on the road’ for the past eleven…as you can probably tell from the way I look.”
A dozen questions surged forward in Morgan’s mind. He struggled with which to ask first.
Nick examined the spots on his swollen hands. “Sometimes I kind of wish I’d stayed on Tula.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Nick smiled. “You like to get straight to the point, don’t you?”
“Can you blame me?”
“Nah, I guess not. Truth is, it’s a complicated answer. One I don’t think you can appreciate without more background — and without meeting with our Suhkai and Cyton hosts.”
As if on cue, a Cyton floated into the room and hovered between the two men. Nick stared at the alien, and it began to flicker. Morgan received its reply to Nick in his mind. “Yes. They are ready.”
“This is Maggie,” Nick said. “That’s what I call her. She’s been with us since we left Callisto. She’ll be our translator. Come on, we need to go meet Haula and Zoor.”
Two levels up, Morgan followed Nick and Maggie along another tall, cold hallway. As they approached arched double doors at the corridor’s end, the doors opened on their own and two Suhkai emerged to greet them.
This was Morgan’s first clear look at the aliens. The ones that had tended to him and the others during decontamination had worn protective suits and helmets, and his only other point of reference was the Cetus Prime crew’s photographs of murals inside the Callisto spaceport.
Magwave (The Rorschach Explorer Missions Book 2) Page 25
