Friday, November 4, 2011

Chapter 3

It took Jassmyn a few seconds to remember where she was when she woke up. As her head cleared, she reached out to undo the straps that held her into the hammock. She had forgotten to stow her clothes when she had removed them the night before, and they were floating near the aft wall. She gathered them up and put them away in the closet before selecting a new outfit for the day.

As she closed the door to her cabin and floated toward the cockpit, she checked the handheld computer that had been issued to each crew member. Prior to launch, she had set up a rotation for keeping watch during the downtime that they still referred to as “night.” She was happy to see that each crew member on the rotation had checked in at the correct time.

She found the control room empty except for Dani, who never seemed to sleep, and Aaron, who was bent over the navigation console, checking the ship's course. He waved a greeting as she entered. “Everything's on course and looking good. I think everyone else is in the galley, I was just about to join them.”

Jass nodded, running her eyes over the information on his screen. “Excellent. Always good to have a by-the-book first day. Breakfast sounds like a fantastic idea. Dani, are you coming?”

Dani shook her head. “I'll keep an eye on things here. Go eat.”

The two made their way to the galley near the middle of the ship. The rest of the crew was already there; Denjiro was braced against the wall near the water heater, carefully hooking up a pouch of powdered coffee to the heater nozzle. Kara had buckled herself into a seat along the wall and was pensively sucking on a reconstituted food pouch. Merriam, who looked as though he'd fallen out of his hammock during the night, was pawing through a box of pouches. Martina giggled as she slowly spun near the ceiling, trying to open the straw on the pouch she'd selected. Kristin had already finished her meal, and had positioned herself on the other side of the room to watch the others.

Aaron grabbed the door frame and pulled himself into the room, floating quickly to Merriam. “Hey, share the bounty, man, I'm starved!”

Merriam said, “these won't help you with that, they're drink pouches.” He yanked the box from Aaron's hands, but the sudden movement sent him tumbling into the wall. Aaron bent almost double laughing while the young scientist struggled to regain his balance.

Jass made her way over to the cabinet and found an open box of food pouches. She selected one labeled “Steel cut Irish Oatmeal,” and hooked it up to the hot water nozzle. The pouch filled quickly, and she massaged it with her fingers to make sure the oatmeal reconstituted completely. When the packet had cooled slightly, she inserted a tube into the top of the pouch and began to suck out the contents. She made a face at the first taste of the oatmeal. “Ugh, it always takes me a while to get used to this stuff. It's the only real drawback to being a spacer.”

Kara nodded, folding up the pouch she had just emptied and tucking it into a waste compartment. “I think it's the texture. It's always grainy. Especially the eggs. Eggs really aren't supposed to be grainy.”

Denjiro shrugged. “It's not that bad. I had stuff in college that was probably worse.”

That's like saying that death by airlock malfunction is better than death by suffocation. Might be true, but it's hardly persuasive.” Kara stretched and unbuckled the strap that had held her in her seat.

Don't we have some better rations?” asked Martina, poking at the pouch of food she'd almost finished. “I thought I saw some in the cargo bay."

We did, but I want to save those until we need them. Believe me, they can go a long way towards turning a bad day into a good one.” Jass sucked down the last of her oatmeal and disposed of the pouch. “So far, everything has gone amazingly well. We can deal with crappy food for a while.” She checked the time and moved toward the door. “I want to have a meeting with everyone to go over schedules and other issues. Come to the control room in fifteen minutes.”

When she exited the galley, instead of turning left to go to the cockpit, Jass paused, then propelled herself to the right. She had just enough time to do a quick sweep of the ship before the meeting. Grabbing the handholds along the corridor, she soared down the length of the ship, eyes scanning the walls, instrument panels, and wiring. She had just checked the cargo bay and was turning to head for the cockpit, when she felt a chill.

Something was wrong.

It took her a moment to figure out what had tripped her internal alarm. She scanned the scene in front of her slowly, trying to take in every detail. Ah, there it was. The cover of a panel was ajar, and the latch hadn't caught. Jass glanced at the label on the panel; this instrument board controlled many of the functions of the cargo bay: cranes, conveyor belts, lights, and many others. She pulled the cover open, and felt her stomach drop.

Pressed into the circuit board was a large amount of plastic explosive, and the wires running out of it indicated that it was ready to blow. Jass didn't think this amount was enough to cause a hull breach, but it would almost certainly blow the cargo bay doors. The entire payload would be lost, and the ship itself might be too damaged to make planetfall again.

Without stopping to think, she typed out a quick message on her handheld computer. As she waited for a response, her mind raced, covering possibilities, fears, and half-formed plans. In a few moments, Denjiro came around a corner and slowed. “What's up? Why didn't you want the rest of the crew here?”

She gestured toward the instrument panel, and Denjiro's eyes widened. “Ok, that's a really good reason. No need to start a panic.”

Or to let our saboteur know that we're onto him. This may not be set to blow for days. If he feels secure that we haven't found the bomb, he may make a mistake and reveal himself.”

Denjiro swore, and immediately apologized. “Sorry, I know it's unprofessional, but this is just sick. I hate the thought that one of us is doing this. Let me see if I can figure out how this is set up.” He took a cable from his pocket and plugged one end into the instrument panel, and the other into his own computer. “I've got some diagnostic stuff on here that might help. But it'd be easier for Dani to do it. I swear, that girl's first language is binary.”

Jass shook her head. “I was afraid of that, but I don't want to call anyone else down here, or people may get suspicious. I'm going to have to reschedule the meeting as it is.” She quickly typed a message to the crew into her computer and sent it out. “Any luck?”

He nodded. “Maybe. Whoever set this up isn't great with computers. I'm guessing he was given the explosives and a basic explanation of how to rig it, but doesn't know how to integrate it with the panel itself. The panel's too small to rig much, and it doesn't look like he's set up any extra detonators.”

Mind telling me where you learned so much about bombs? I'm fairly sure that was listed in your background check.”

Denjiro laughed quietly. “I watched a lot of science shows as a kid. And like most kids, I liked watching things blow up. I read several dozen library books about bomb squads and myths about explosives. Now, the question is, do you want me to try to disarm it? I may be very wrong about the nature of this rig.”

Jass thought for a moment. “Yes. We're still close enough to Mars that a rescue crew could get to us, and there's no one that could help us once we get to the Belt. It could be rigged to blow at any moment. We need to deal with it as quickly as possible.”

He nodded, and pulled out a pocketknife. “Here goes, then.”

What? Doesn't cutting the wires set off the explosive?”

Only in the movies. Or if the bomber is really smart and has a hidden circuit somewhere.”

That is somewhat less than comforting.”

Denjiro didn't reply. With a quick movement, he severed the wires running from the plastic explosives, then gently pulled out the detonator. He let out a long sigh of relief. “Ok, it should be safe now. This stuff is very stable until it gets his with a detonation charge. It'll barely even burn if you toss it into a fire.” He reached into the panel and pulled the explosive out. Jass touched it; it felt a little like modeling clay.

What should we do with it?” he asked. “It looks like the bomber wore gloves when he set it up, there are no fingerprints in the plastic.”

Jass grabbed it and propelled herself to the airlock at the aft of the ship. “I will not have this stuff on board my ship. I'm going to space it.” She opened the airlock door and tossed the plastic inside. As Denjiro caught up with her, she hit the button to seal the lock. The far door of the airlock opened, and the plastic soared out into the void. Jass could see it tumbling against the background of stars, occasionally catching light from the distant sun.

Tell the crew that we'll be meeting in a half-hour. I need to take a shower.” Jass turned and propelled herself back to her quarters, eyes blazing.


Jass sat in the captain's seat in the cockpit, watching her crew as they entered. Who had set the bomb? Surely not quiet Dani, she'd hardly left the cockpit. Could it be Kara? She rarely spoke, and Jass wondered what she was thinking about. Aaron? Had his usual sarcasm turned to cynicism and a desire for destruction? Would Merriam jeopardize the science payloads? Surely not. Had Denjiro set the bomb himself? He'd seemed very sure that the bomb could be safely disarmed so simply. Kristin? She would have had unquestioned access to that part of ship, but Martina had been with her the previous day. Martina? She was still in school, would she have had the knowledge to rig the bomb?

The crew settled into their seats, some talking with each other, some waiting quietly. Jass waited for the talk to die down, then stood up.

Welcome to the first full day of the maiden voyage of the Curious Machine. By the time this run is over, we'll all be experienced BeltRunners. You'll be in high demand among the shipping companies, especially the ones just starting up. Let's make sure this trip runs as smoothly as possible. You've all received the schedules we set before the trip, and they should be in your personal calendar. As of today at nine-hundred hours, we will be using military time aboard the ship, since night and day don't mean much without a planetary reference. All the schedules are written with this in mind. We need to have at least one person on watch in the control room at all times: I know that your consoles send alerts and updates to your computers, but we need eyes on the screen here, just in case. Most of the time, that will be me: I'll be here for ten hours, in two shifts of five hours each. Everyone else will have a four hour shift in teams of two. You all have the daily checklists and you know your own departments. As long as your work is getting done on time and you show up on time and alert for your watches, the rest of your time is your own. Don't forget to exercise or eat. Time feels very different out here in the black, and it's easy to lose your drive and appetite. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. There is some equipment in medical area that you can use, as well as a sun lamp. I think that's the basics. Remember that this ship your home for nine months, the rest of these people are your family, and we're all going to get very familiar with each other over the course of this run. Act with courtesy and respect. Any questions?”

Aaron raised his hand, a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. “What do we do if we find evidence of sabotage on board?”

Jass froze, and a ripple of nervous energy crossed the room. “Have you found any evidence of sabotage?”

Nope, just making sure I know what to do if it happens.”

She studied him for a moment. “If you find something odd or anything that gives you concern, text me and I will take care of it. That goes for all of you. Understood?”

Understood, captain,” he responded along with the others, but Jass still felt uneasy. Why had he brought up that subject, when she'd been so careful not to?

She watched the crew float out of the cabin, save for a few who stayed at their own work stations to complete a task. Just a few days before, she had trusted all of them without a doubt. Now she wondered which one was trying to ruin them all.


Jass checked the time: twelve-hundred hours. She had two hours left to go on her first shift, and there were still a lot of things to be done. Next week's schedule had to be prepared, the day's log entry had to be started, and all of the companies shipping payload aboard the Curious Machine were waiting for her confirmation that their goods had survived the launch intact. Jass knew that these were important, but found herself staring out into the unmoving star field, mind drifting to memories of the explosion of the Zarathustra.

Hey.”

She looked up, startled. Aaron had taken his seat at the navigator's console and was looking at her. He had lost the mocking expression he had had earlier, though she still found him hard to read.

What is it?” Jass was too tired and frustrated to elaborate.

I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't think about how it would sound.” He busied himself at his console, but kept talking. “It's a crazy time right now, our whole world is changing. When we were kids, who would have thought that we'd have this job? This job didn't even exist, unless you wanted to be a cog in the wheel of Federated Shipping. Then ships got more affordable, and the world felt bigger than it ever had, and then somehow we ended up here.” He leaned forward, meeting her eyes again. “Come on, when you were a kid, did you ever really think you'd be here? Captaining your own ship? Running your own company? Of course not! Everyone either toed the line, or got a land-bound job. Those were the options.”

Jass thought back. Ever since her first trip up to the edge of space, she'd known she wanted to fly. She was never happier than when she was in the black, watching the planet turn below her, or just looking out across an unchanging field of stars. Her teachers had meant well, had shown her the classes she'd need to take to become a pilot and land a job with Federated. But they hadn't listened when she said she didn't want to work for a big company, that she wanted to create her own. It just wasn't done. The risks were too big, only a company the size of Federated could absorb losses on that scale, small companies would never be able to purchase or maintain the massive cargo ships that made up the Federated fleet, and would never be able to turn a profit. She was reminded that Federated was subsidized by both the Earth and Mars governments, something that no independent company would ever be able to do.

But Aaron was right. Somehow, the world had changed. Little shipping companies began to spring up. They began to have successful, profitable runs. Banks began to consider them a worthwhile investment. On her thirty-second birthday, Jass had withdrawn her entire savings and added the amount to a loan to put a down payment on the Curious Machine. It had been the happiest moment of her life.

And now...now that the world that people like us have always wanted is within our grasp, someone's trying to take it away.” Aaron unbuckled the strap that held him in the navigator's chair and floated toward the forward windows. He braced himself against the frame of the ship, and stared out into the stars. “Someone wants to make sure that only the big companies get to play, and the rest of us have to fall in line or stay on the ground. Well, I'm not ok with that!” Jass jumped as he shouted, and steadied herself against the console.

It's a losing battle, they won't win in the end,” she said, trying to reassure herself. “You can never stop human beings from making their own way, doing things for themselves.”

You sound awfully sure about that,” he said, not taking his eyes off the window. “Maybe they can't win forever, but they can keep us from doing this. They can blow us into space, or just send the cargo through the airlock. No payload, no pay. No-one's going to hire a crew that lost the entire shipment on their maiden voyage. If they sabotage this ship, you're going to be working a desk job for the rest of your life.”

Jass' stomach tightened into a knot. “They'll never make me stay on the ground. I'd find my way back into the air somehow.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. I don't think it's likely. These guys, they don't play fair. They're not just out to stop you, they want to crush you. They may not admit it, even to themselves, but they're offended by the fact that you exist. They hate the thought that someone would not want to be a part of their machine, would want to do things her own way. They've never had an original thought or dream in their lives, and they want to see your dream in the dust so that no-one else ever challenges them again.”

He suddenly punched the wall, causing the metal of the hull to ring. He swore, and shook his hand, trying to dispel the pain. “It's not fair! You just can't win against someone who's holding all of the cards.” With a quick push, he soared across the room and through the door to the rest of the ship.

Jass wasn't sure she'd understood everything he'd said, but she was sure she didn't like it.

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