The Time Was Past
~
Day 128. We're on the periapsis of our 5th orbit and this orbit will only take 5.7 days. Now we can head for Mimas or Enceladus.
Day 129. The Captain called an intercom meeting of the all three shifts. He outlined his plan and told everyone to consider it. Anyone that had suggestions or comments could contact him starting first shift tomorrow.
Captains plan:
Locate water ice and mine it.
Locate resources to sustain ourselves.
Repair all damage to ship.
Refuel ship.
Determine what Earth year we are in.
Determine if return to Earth is possible.
If we are actually in Earths past, can we return without changing history?
If return to Earth is not feasible, what do we do.
Possibility of settling on one of Saturn's moons and starting a colony.
Build a space habitat here in the Saturn system and wait for history to catch up to us.
Build another ship or enlarge this one and head for the stars?
Day 132. The Captain called me in and asked me to calculate the best and safest location in the Saturn system to build a habitat. He'd give me a location list of resources as soon as he had it so I could calculate minimum fuel orbits to those locations.
Day 135. Albert and Mark reported that there was no radio of any kind emanating from Earth. From the positions of the stars they estimate that we traveled at least a thousand years into the past, but they could not be positive without observations of Earths surface.
Day 139. I recommended to the Captain that we first mine the outer E ring for water ice. A trip to Mimas could be made by shuttle for exploration. Then plan an orbit that will allow close examination of several of the moons on the way our to the Inuit group of satellites. The five of them would give us a choice of which to mine unless we detect something better. The Inuit group orbital area appears stable and best for a habitat location. If we need large quantities of metals we may have to spiral in to the asteroid belt to set up mining operations.
Day 171. Naomi caught me in the gym and we exercised together for over an hour. While I was showering off she entered my shower and leaned up against the wall. It was hard to tell if it was perspiration or water that beaded her nude body. Calmly she started the conversation by informing me that Alice had a very close personal relationship with one of the engineering crew-members.
When I inquired how close, she just wiggled and said very very close.
I reached out and offered to scrub her back.
Her comment was, I guess that that is how it could have started for them. She's about three months along and positively glowing with joy.
Holding her loosely in my arms I kissed her and said, “The shower isn't where I would initiate an intimate relationship.”
Her answer was, “Your room or mine?”
Day 172. Naomi and I caught up with Alice in the mess. She was sitting with Heinz. When we sat down she looked at Naomi and smiled. Naomi replied that she was with me for the long term.
Lifting my bulb of tea, I looked at Alice and asked, “Any news that we should know about?”
Grinning like a teenager she grabbed Heinz's hand and said, “We're pregnant and the Captain has agreed to marry us next shift.”
Naomi looked at her and commented, “I guess it's to late to be number one, isn't it.”
Alice's eye got wide as she asked, “You too?”
Naomi looked at the table and said, “Maybe, but it's really to early to tell! Stephen and I started last night.”
“Naomi, I've thought that you and Stephen were a regular item for over a year.”
“We've been extremely good friends for longer than that, but last night we became much more.”
Looking at Heinz, I commented, “I wonder how many others have paired off?”
He looked at Alice and said, “I know of four other couples, but evidently their birth control implants were better than ours. I was told that it would last ten years and could be easily removed when we got back.
“Well, Naomi and I better go confess to the Captain and make our wedding plans.”
Day 173. The wedding was nothing fancy, but very moving. All the guys wanted to kiss Alice, and several commented that if the bum didn't treat her right they'd break his legs.
Then the Captain announced that we'd need more genetic diversity than nineteen couples could provide. Then he left the mess and we started the party.
Day 180. The Captain married Naomi and me.
Day 204. The exterior water tanks are now full of ice and as soon as it melts we can distill it and pump it into the interior drinking water tanks. The oxygen and hydrogen tanks are topped of also. The Captain says that we should plan our departure in ten days.
Day 215. Started transition orbit to Mimas. It will take seventeen days two hours.
Day 217. Yesterday Dianna started working on the fuel cells at the beginning of 2nd shift. I was by during the middle of the shift and stopped to talk to her about how the power converters were functioning. Not thirty minutes after arriving at the mess and chowing down on the daily ration of fresh vegetables, I felt a thump that caused ripples in my tea. Then I heard the dreaded word aboard any ship, FIRE in the power section.
Without thinking I downed my tea and ran full tilt toward my station. A quick glance in told me that everything was OK. I turned toward Dianne's station when a whiff of burnt flesh rolled down the corridor with the smoke. At the intersection I grabbed a mask and fire extinguisher from the emergency cabinet. By time I got to her lab it was almost over.
She was in the corridor being tended to. I entered the lab and hit the water and gas cut-offs. Water was pumped into the lab from the exterior storage tanks. There it was processed by the electrolysis units which used electricity to break it down to oxygen and hydrogen. Additional oxygen and hydrogen were also piped in from the engineering section. From the mixers and tanks it was pumped to the fuel cells on the far wall. At a glance I could see one whole lower section blown out. After manually turning off every gas valve on every fuel cell unit, I stepped back into the corridor. Verifying that no one was still inside the lab, I called the bridge and told them that I was going to purge the lab. As soon as they OK'd it I entered the code to vent the air from the lab to space. Then I called engineering and told them that I needed a 100% nitrogen atmosphere pumped to the lab. After entering the pressurization code I placed my hand on the door. It remained cool even after the compartment tell-tails indicated normal air pressure.
Katherine and Doc had taken Dianne to the medical section and I heard the surgical crew being paged.
I dreaded opening the compartment, but didn't have to because I was paged and ordered to get the solar array online ASAP. I called for the bridge to roust Michael and have him to report to me in the Solar section and engineering to maintain a pure nitrogen atmosphere in the lab and monitor pressure.
Dropping off the mask at its cabinet and marking it as used, I entered my section. Bringing my systems online, I did a scan for the strongest X-ray source and punched in the coordinates. Then I put the automatic tracker on the sun and entered the coordinates for the optical solar cells. As soon as the tell-tails indicated that all panels were aligned and power was ready I synchronized the inverters with the existing ship current and closed the relays. My equipment was now producing 43% of the electric power in the ship. However, I was detecting a massive drain.
As Michael entered it occurred to me that the drain may be from the fuel cell lab equipment. The bridge and Captain were not happy to hear that I wanted to seal the corridor leading to the lab and re-purge it.
It took forty minutes for Michael and me to get our equipment and space suits in place and for engineering to seal both ends of the corridor with pressure panels. We were now completely on our own. I opened the door to th
e fuel cell lab, got a good grip on the doorjamb and keyed in the venting code. Michael and I could both see the glow of the power feeding into the decking from the twisted buss bars.
The power control computer was half melted. Michael signaled me to help drag his tool chest into the lab. It only took ten minutes to rip out the computer and control panel covers. Just like in my lab, her power buss system connected directly to the main buss that ran from the bow to stern. I knew it had from three to nine megawatts on it at all times.
Michael jumped back when I told him the amount of power he was about to touch. Not even a spacesuit would insulate him. I told him to remount the panel cover while I checked the schematics for the lab.
Damn, all the buss were wired parallel. Then I called the bridge and informed them that I needed zero gravity in about half an hour to move several fuel cell units. I would also need all power from the reactors and my solar array cut off on command.
Michael turned to me and told me I was crazy because each of those units weighed close to half an Earth ton and the mass was to much for any two men to move.
I told him that the only way we could isolate the shorted buss was to disconnect it from the buss on both sides of the damage. If he had a better idea, I'd like to hear it. He didn't so we started to work.
Several hours later I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a tap on my shoulder, because I could see Michael on the other side of the unit we'd just unbolted. Four suited men stood just inside the door and the only one I recognized was Bud from the reactor section.
Another said we brought along some heaver equipment and more air tanks. Both of you should be running on empty soon.
We'll be ready to pull these last two units in about 2 minutes, I replied.
As I unbolted the last brace four men stepped up and snatched the unit off the floor and floated it across the lab and then Bud started welding it to the deck. As soon and Michael and I disconnected the other brace they did the same with the other unit. Then I was picked up and moved out of the way as two men wheeled up something I didn't know was portable.
I heard someone say face away from the laser. The glare off the opposite wall caused my suit face-shield to turn black. Then I heard clear one, move the unit. Again my suit face-shield turned black. In less than five minutes they'd cut the buss units behind the fuel cell racks. Then I heard Bob tell his partner to bring a test load online and check for shorts. After a minute or two I heard full power restored and clear.
Suddenly there was pressure on my legs and I realized that we'd been working in zero gravity.
Then I heard over my suit radio, “Steve, get your solar array back online so we can go back to full power.”
Bob then informed me that an airlock had been installed at the corridor junction.
After stepping out of the airlock I was grabbed by three women. They stripped my spacesuit off as Naomi watched, and then one said, “This stinker is yours.”
Naomi handed me a pair of pants and said, “I'll fix you a snack while you get solar online. Dianne wants to see you later.”
When I walked into my section, I was appalled. During the zero gravity period everything had floated and when they restarted the ion drive everything hit the deck. Of course the mess was my fault because I'd gotten use to the acceleration gravity and failed to secure loose items back in their proper places. Kicking stuff aside I shuffled over to my control computer and turned it on.
Someone had come in here and just entered the emergency power disconnect code and then turned off the tracking computers. The tell-tails indicated that the panels were in all positions. I started by entering the park/storage command for the inner layer of gamma panels. Then the X-ray panels and finally the optical panels. Tell-tails on eighteen panels indicated they failed to respond to commands.
Calling the bridge, I gave them the panel locations and requested that someone go outside and manually move them to their storage positions.
After rebooting the computers, I putting the command for a panel by panel diagnostic. Six more panels failed. Then I deployed the optical panels and set the automatic tracking and started taking power reading off each. After synchronizing the power inverters with the ships power I put them online. Power went up by 4%.
After receiving a call from the bridge reported panels in storage positions I went through the procedure again for the X panels. Bringing them online increased the solar panel output by another 15%. Now I tested all the gamma panels and brought them online. My solar section equipment was now producing 51% of the ships power. Calling the nuclear section I told them that they could reduce their reactor output to whatever was needed for ships consumption now that I was back online. After double checking everything, I setup the automatic alarm system and turned to head for the mess. Naomi was sitting just inside the door with a tray.
She informed me that my food was cold and then she called the mess and told them that we needed a meal and would be there in ten minutes. She then told me that it was the middle of second shift and after feeding me she had to go relieve Alice.
Sleeping through third shift and two hours into first shift someone came to wake me up. They informed me that nuclear reported that power from my section was down 20%.
Day 219, First shift, hour 5. Entering my section the first thing noticeable was that someone had tried to straighten it up. Half the equipment was in the wrong bins. The computer indicated the X panels were offline because the tracking computer lost the X-ray source. It only took about 10 minutes to find another good source and bring them back online. Notifying them that solar was back up and thanking them for letting me get some sleep they replied that I owed them several gallons of coffee. The mess was my next stop for a meal.
After eating I went to the medical section to see Dianne. When I walked in she was in a bed in the corner crying. I walked over, sat down, put my hand on her shoulder, and said, “It could be worse.”
Looking at me she said, “They took my right leg.”
The only thing I could think of saying was, “At least you're still alive and the first tree grown, I'll carve you a wooden leg. Then you'll be the queen the pirates.”
Slapping at me she mumbled, “Will Harold still love me? He hasn't even been by to see me.”
“Everyone has been very busy,” I said as I tried to remember if I'd heard his voice over the radio's. “I think he's part of the outside crew working on the solar array. I'll find out.”
Not a second later Ginger loudly announced, “Guess who I found asleep in the mess with his face in his plate.” Harold still had food in his hair and unshaven beard.
He bent over and gently kissed Dianne and she started brushing the food off his face. “Are you alright baby?”
He grunted, “Yes, I'm just tired.”
After she told him to go get some rest, he said, “I'll be back to see you when I'm off shift.” and turned and headed for the door.
I said to his back, “You may have to track her down because I plan to put her to work as soon as Doc will let her up.”
Swinging around he yelled at me, “You better not, she's been through to much already!” Then he crumpled to the floor and started sobbing, “Dianne can you still love me the way you are?”
Kneeling beside him I whispered in his ear, ”A few minutes ago she asked me the same question, now I know everything will be fine. Go get some rest, we'll take good care of her until you're rested.”
Then the disembodied voice of the Captain announced, Fadash and Stephen report to the bridge.
When we arrived we were informed that engineering was reporting the smell of sulfur and chlorine near the electrolysis tanks.
Fadash said, “Have them stop all water processing immediately. The water must be contaminated.”
Then the Captain told us to find the problem and solve it.
On the way out Fadash
explained to me that water was H20, but there were many other kinds of what was considered ice. Frozen ammonia and methane were just two. We needed to determine what gasses the water was contaminated with and then figure out how to safely remove the impurities.
I stopped by the medical section and talked to the doctor and told him that we needed Dianne up and working as quickly as possible. I didn't care if it was a direct computer and TV link, but would prefer her on site in person.
He just told me to get out.
Day 219, shift 3. We determined that the outside water tanks were contaminated with other frozen gasses. Engineering had been lucky that there had been no explosion within their electrolysis units.
Day 220. Alice brought me a copy of a message she'd received from Mary Faye, the internist. Dianne is pregnant. Will run further test to determine status of baby before telling Dianne or others. Get with me off-shift. Naomi had told her to see me and I'd help. We went and talked to her.
Later that day I saw Harold. While talking to him the conversation got around to Dianne. I asked him if he really loved Dianne and he answered yes. Then I commented, ”Why don't you marry that girl”, and left it there.
Day 224. Visiting Dianne to discuss her computer system in her lab she mentioned that Harold had asked her to marry. “Did I think it was a good idea?”
I told her, ”You need to talk to some of the women on the ship.”
When she asked why, “I told her that I was biased. After all, I'm happily married. They could give you a more neutral advice, but it was up to her, if she loved Harold.”
Day 227. Dianne and Harold were married. The Captain gave them one free shift and then Harold was to report back to work. As I kissed the bride, I whispered in her ear, ”Congratulations and we really need your expertise in the lab.”
Day 228. Evidently she told Harold because when he entered the lab the next morning he hit me on the arm hard enough to knock me off balance. Then Alice wheeled her in. They'd made a wheel chair out of a mess chair and some casters from a tool chest. She announced that the Doc told her if she started feeling faint she was to immediately be taken to medical.
I simply said, “You're the boss, check and tell us how bad we've messed up your section and how to fix it.” All of us laughed even the guys detailed from other sections.
She started by looking at the mess we'd made cutting the power buss and then questioned the box tacked to the wall by the main power buss panel.
I explained that the Captain had agreed to the need for a manual cut-off at certain locations within the ship. They were not circuit breakers and would not protect against shorts, they were to disconnect different portions of the power buss if a portion was damaged.
Day 229. At the start of third shift I found Dianne hard at work supervising the work crew. I told her that I needed to work on another project and left. Fadash was sitting at his lab counter with his head in his hands mumbling.
Our first temporary solution to the problem was to heat the outside water tanks and as pressure increased we slowly vented the vapor into space. That solved half the problem, but there were still impurities in the water. Distilling the water removed the rest, but there again it could not process the quantities we needed.
I called engineering and requested that Juan and Rosa report to me in the chemical section.
When they arrived we went through everything we'd already tried. They'd been dealing with the problem in their section. Then I put the question to them, “How can we produce sufficient quantities of H20 pure enough for human consumption and use in all the other equipment? That means we have to remove the volatile ices like methane and ammonia as well as hydrates and other minerals. We've been lucky, the text indicated that we'll also run across hydrogen chloride, cyanide, calcium cyanide, and ammonia hydrates to name the most common. Work on it and we'll meet tomorrow here at third shift.”
Day 230. We were discussing the chemical methods of purifying the ices and realized that we needed some form of gravity to make any large scale process work. Also the sludge produced by some processes would need disposal, provided we could separate it from the filters.
Ginger walked in and after looking at our faces said, “What's the problem?”
Knowing it was useless to explain a technical problem to a reporter, I told Rosa to give her a brief outline of the problem and a few of the solutions.
Ginger's comment blew us all away when she said, “Why not use the same organic filters used in the recycling section for our waste products on the ship. It might even make more oxygen.”
After a minute or two I told Ginger she was now part of the water project and had the additional duty of documenting all problems and solutions we came up with. Then I called the Captain and requested Nehru and Anna from the farm section, Brian from organic chemistry, and Rosa from the environmental section report to us in the chemical section.
He simply stated, ”You can not have both the farmers at the same time. What progress are you making?”
I replied, ”The main roadblock is the lack of replacement parts for the mechanical filtration systems. If we could grow an organic filtration system that problem would no longer be an obstacle. I've also drafted Ginger, one of the reporters.”
Hanging up Ginger started calling me a bunch of names and then said, “I only came by to tell you we're planning a surprise party for Naomi and Alice.”
Water purification team:
Stephen Lee (solar energy)
Fadash (inorganic chemistry)
Ginger (reporter)
Nehru or Anna (farm)
Rosa (environmental)
After everyone crowded into the lab I told them,”Grab your recording devices and meet me in the mess.” It only took a minute to secure a table in the corner and talk to the mess steward about coffee.
Fadash started off by listing the known facts about the types of ices we'd run into so far.
Then I took over and outlined the known facts, and guesses about why the fuel cell lab had exploded. Then I listed the known facts about the electrolysis system aboard the ship and findings in the engineering section.
Then Fadash outlined Method One that we'd implemented to reduce the volatiles in the ices that had been collected. It consisted of packing the outer water tank according to SOP, then we heated the tank to approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit and started venting the vapors. After pressure within the tank went back to zero several times we tested the water for volatiles and if there were no levels above Earth standard we started distilling the water to transfer to the engineering section tanks. Then some of the water was distilled again and transferred to the potable water tanks. This double processing for safe water for our consumption and use in the fuel cells. Even semi-pure water for the ion drive is barely keeping ahead of usage. Already the first distillation units were down to 95% efficiency because of deposit build up. The main deposits were calcium, carbon, and sulfur. The other elements deposited amounted to less than 8% heavy and light metals. We assumed that these were in hydrate form before distillation.
Again I took over and emphasized that we needed to figure out how to remove these impurities prior to the first stage of distillation or how to remove them from the distillation equipment without damage. The SOP calls for the processing to take 78 hours from heating the outside water tank to water pure enough to use in the equipment. When the first stage distillation units drop below 63% efficiency we'll be in big trouble. Also what you probably don't know is that the outside water tank was designed with a one way loading hatch so ice could be loaded while it is heating and water is drawn from it.
We will meet here at the start of third shift every day to discuss solutions until we solve the problems. If you know of anyone aboard that can help, pick their brains.
Day 231. Fadash and I were sitting sipping tea when the team drifted in. None of them looked happ
y. After listening to them I asked them if they'd talked to anyone.
None had.
Then I told Ginger that I wanted an article on the ship news net before the end of the shift and send everyone aboard an alert to read the news daily from now on. Talk to the other reporters and get them involved in making up a daily news report on any and all subjects. You are reporters, do something to improve moral. I don't care if its a personal profile, what some section has discovered, the fact that someone wants to paint their quarters and is mixing mud to cover the walls, or gossip on who is sleeping with whom.
Day 233. Yesterdays meeting wasn't much better, but I kept them there for several hours picking each others brains and I threw quite a few wild ideas out for the shock value and to make them consider anything.
Not five minutes after we started today one of the other reporters came in and sat down at the table. “ Do we have any water plants on-board? From what I read the ice melts down to sewage. Can't we set up an organic sewage treatment plant.” Then she just got up and left.
I didn't think her points were solid, but what the heck. I started drilling the group to find out what they knew and if we had any of the needed plants aboard. Then I got up and walked over to the stewards station and asked her if she knew anything about plants.
Her reply was that she could cook anything that could be grown.
Then I told her I needed some water lilies that could be used to treat sewage. Do me a favor and see if there are any plants, even frozen, aboard that can be used and let me know tomorrow. I couldn't understand her Chinese comments as I walked over and refilled my coffee cup, but I assume they weren't complements.
Day 234. The only half way optimistic face today was Anna from the hydroponics section. She reported that there were a some water plants that were used in the recycling part of the hydroponic tanks along with a small oyster bed, but not enough to process the amounts of water needed. Unfortunately it would take too long to grow a duplicate set.
Then Yang Soon walked over and handed me a two page list saying that all of these plants remove the impurities listed beside them, and most can still be eaten. I marked the ones frozen, seeds, and live ones in hydroponic section she asked, “You want more coffee?”
I thanked her and said, “Yes please.”
As she turned to leave I stared at my crew and said, now we design a plant system that will grow fast and work on the scale we need. Someone figure out how to thaw a frozen plant and make it grow. Ginger, interview Yang Soon, and if she allows, put her name in a story outlining this possible solution with the problem on how to build a processing plant around it. Maybe someone else will bring hidden expertise forward. See you all tomorrow. “I'll have this list on the computer in half an hour.
“Oh and by the way Anna, tell Nehru I'll be down to look over the hydroponic section in about two hours.”
Day 235. Yesterdays tour of hydroponics turned out to be an education for me. They have a chemistry section that looks as complicated as Brian's organic chemistry lab.
Day 236. I stayed up late and caught Brian. Cornering him in the mess, I told him to read the news page, I needed some help. Could he come up with someway to force grow some of the plants listed and ideas on how to build a purification plant. He was still scratching his head when I left and headed for my quarters to get some much needed sleep.
I was late for the meeting and everyone was babbling when I arrived. Enthusiasm was there, but no solid ideas. I told them to work on ideas to implement and if they wanted to they could study hydroponic farming for a start. I knew we didn't have several years to learn it, but there had to be a course outline or brief they could study to get the general idea and then work from there. Then I moved to another table, ordered breakfast, and proceeded to study the notes I had on my computer. They knew that I was in deep trouble because early in the journey the Captain had ordered no computers in the mess, and had just about ripped the head off one scientist when he brought his in.
I felt the impact of the cup when it hit the table. I glanced up and saw my team cowering at their table. Then I looked and saw the Captain sitting at the end of my table.
He said in a low voice, “I know the pressure you're under, but I still have to rip you for breaking one of the rules.”
I turned and said, “Rosa, you're in charge tomorrow, I'm on punishment detail.” I closed my computer and finished my breakfast. Then the Captain stood up and I followed him out with my best downcast face.
When we entered the bridge he stopped, slapped me on the back and said, “Am I a big enough prick to keep this ship alive?”
My reply was, “I hope so, and I know I've probably overstepped my authority several times.”
“If I thought you'd done something detrimental to ship moral or operations, I'd have had you flogged, so lay low for two days. My personal spy reports that you've accomplished wonders for moral considering the position we're in. Engineering will be finished with the second distillation run in the morning, take a good look inside the unit and help them scrape it out.
“Now something else to think about. They sent us out with repair equipment and parts. However, very soon we will need to start manufacturing parts and hull plates from scratch. Where can we get the ore, how and where do we process it, how can we turn it into something useful, and how do we manufacture to the precision needed.
“Now go over and sit by your wife till the end of shift and look properly chastised outside the bridge.”
Naomi asked me if I was in trouble as I sat down.
I replied that I was suppose to be, so act accordingly outside the bridge. Then I opened my computer and started studying my notes and making more notes.
Day 238. Yesterday on third shift I spent 2 hours in orientation and then the next 6 hours working inside the tanks of the engineering section distillation units. Today after 7 hours I was pulled out by the chief engineer and told to report to the Captain.
The Captain looked at me and said, “I've gotten several unsigned complaints about the severity of the punishment I supposedly gave you. Did you get anything out of the time in engineering?”
“Well I got plenty of samples for Brian and Fadash to analyze. I also saw the damage that manually chipping out the buildup is doing. Also, I need an exemption for my team to use computers in the mess while we are working unless you have a better public location where other crew can stop by and offer suggestions.”
He dismissed me and I headed for the chemical lab after calling Fadash and Brian. I split the samples between them and told them we needed to figure out some system to remove the impurities from the water before it got to the distillation units in engineering. When I told them about the damage I'd observed inside the units. Both looked worried.
Day 239. The news sheet had a FLASH rating when I opened it this afternoon. Across the top was a notice from the Captain. It listed by name my team and a written exemption against the use of computer use in the mess only while we were working. He repeated the original reason for the ban. He also strictly informed us that if we were caught eating or other activities not related to our work, we'd be severely punished. So I pasted it into my journal.
Flash order from the Captain
A temporary exemption against use of computers in the mess area is now in effect only for the Water team headed up by Stephen. The reason for this exemption is the lack of a public work area and access to ideas by the other crew members.
As everyone should remember, I declared the mess area off-limits to computers and work because we needed some public area where we could relax. No one can relax and or eat a good meal when pestered by others about work problems!
The Water teams official work area is table 4 in the corner during shift 3. This is a work area and work area rules are now in effect. Work area and mess rules will be enforced. Violators will be severely punished.
As I walked in I noticed that there was a sign on the wall listing the corner table as a third shift work area. Taped to the bottom of it was a printout of the captains message. I set my computer down and walked across the mess and sat at another table and ate my breakfast. When Fadash sat down beside me with his computer, I hastily told him to move his computer to the work area, grab a cup of coffee and then he could come over and sit with me for non-work talk, or wait until I was finished eating.
By time he got back there were several crew-members sitting asking me what made the Captain change his mind and what punishment he'd imposed on me. Laughingly I replied more than once, ”If this was a blue water ship in Earths ocean the distillation units would be like the bilge. I was down there chipping deposits off the interior walls.” I also slipped in the comment that if anyone knew how to remove those deposits without damaging the units, let us know when we are working at our work table. I don't want to be punished again, at least not this soon.
Later someone walked over to the work table and asked, “ Why can't you steam clean the units like we used to steam clean the crud off our cars?” Everyone watched me enter the question under my section of notes labeled ideas to investigate. When I looked up he was gone.
Moments later the Captain sat down at the table with a cup of tea. His first comment was, ”You are allowed to drink in most work areas, aren't you?”
When I answered, ”Yes”, he then informed us that he was having a current inventory of everything on the ship compiled because of a strange entry that appeared on his personal computer. Also the astronomers were tasked to survey the surrounding space for all minerals and compounds so anything we needed, we could locate quickly. Then he said he needed to talk to me about something not related to work.
I told the team, ”Consider the ideas listed on our site, “I'll be right back.”
I followed the Captain over to another table. He started by telling me that Naomi had gotten sick shortly after reporting for her shift. The stress on everyone is fierce. “Can you think of or find someone to work on stress relief?”
Then Soon leaned over my shoulder and said quietly, ”You wife eat strange, she pregnant maybe.”
The Captain choked on his coffee and I almost dropped my cup.
Looking at Soon I replied, “I don't know.”
Looking at the Captain I grinned and said, “I hope so. That would be great. If she doesn't mention it to me soon, I'll get Ginger to pry a little. What do you think the effect of a rumor like that in the gossip section of the news would be before I am told by my own wife?”
The Captain stated, “Better yet, get Desiree to do the prying and don't mention any names for a few days. She can add, an anonymous source from the mess section hinted that some women on the ship have changed their eating habits. That should play on everyone's curiosity for at least a week. You never know, there might be more than the one.”
I asked, “Do you know of any plans about how to handle babies aboard the ship?”
The Captain lowered his voice and said, “Actually there is, It's in the medical protocols. The birth control implant is supposed to be replaced. That will cause a spontaneous miscarriage. When Doc reported to me that Alice was pregnant I told medical that I was suspending that protocol because of our situation. Talk to you later.”
Day 240. When I got up Naomi was already up and gone. I took my time reading the news and found it down in the last section the gossip column by Desiree.
Not much progress from the water team today.
Day 243. Desiree's gossip column now list that anonymous sources are telling her that there are at least two women aboard that are eating food that they previously hadn't. Also her source in the medical section would neither confirm or deny an upsurge of request for pregnancy test.
I sent a one word comment to the Captain's personal mail, BINGO.
Looking around during my shift, I noticed several members of the crew watching what everyone else was eating. Relaxed chatter and gossip seemed to be on a rise in the mess also.
The water team had come up with two possible ways to flush the distillation units, but the needed chemicals were as much of a problem as the solution. Work on removing impurities from the water in the outer tank was possible, but it involved major construction and renovation of the whole outer water tank system plus some form of artificial gravity. I told the team to draft up the plan and I'd submit it to the Captain for consideration.
Day 250. Gossip has half the women on the crew pregnant and the other half trying. Half the guys are having a ball telling stories about their women.
Day 261. The Captain instructed the engineering section to draw up plans for our suggestion, and now we have to find a location to build the machines to build the machines to build the new tanks. The outside survey did find a location for us to mine the ore needed. Another problem was brought up, wear and tear on the spacesuits, and how to repair them.
The suggestion came up again in the mess. Why don't we just return to Earth and start a small colony in a remote area after destroying all our technology. The only problem is that we have no reentry vehicle, so all we could do is look down on our home planet while we run out of supplies and die.
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