unexpected choices
Wally O'Brien surveyed the scene with a grim set to his face. He turned to the Pod Boss, Tilueia.
"How come your bulkhead was shut?" He realized that sounded rude and tried again. "I mean of course it's good that it was, but why?"
Tilueia hung his head. "They're Hambian, we're Melean, why do you think? We hate each other."
That fact wasn't lost on Wally. "I know so it begs the question. It also speaks to motive if it was done on purpose."
Tilueia gestured around him. "Look at the construction of these units, Chief. Just look at them. Sure, we hated them and they hated us with good reason. Something may have blown their seal, but my guess is cheap cost cutting on the seals themselves, not racism or the contempt we held them in." He gestured at the people, silent, huddled, certain they'd be blamed. "We didn't build the killing fields on Earth, they did."
O'Brien nodded. "I know. There'll be an investigation and I've got people going into 320 to make sure we don't have any other dead."
Tilueia shook his head. "They'll all be dead, your guys'll never get in."
"Why?"
"Hambians stick together like we do. They socialized among the pods, parties, Santeria, walked back and forth from one end to the other. As soon as 320 was attached to the wheels, I ordered the bulkhead door shut to keep them on their side. I think 316 here is the last group of live people you're going to find."
Wally picked up his Bluetooth voxbox. "Spota, you make it to 320 yet?"
Spota didn't sound happy. "We can't get in, got no visuals, this was the Hambian Ghetto entrance. It's closed and I doubt we'll get a lot of volunteers to go in and check things out."
"Gotcha, thanks, Vinnie." Wally clicked off his voxbox, flipped it open to his touchpad. Forty-two minutes to launch. Wally doubted his next call would be popular.
"Jack? Wally. You're up on seven, right? You done there?"
Jack Redstone didn't like the sound of it all. "I'm on my way back to the Hub, the Gvot say Boyette came and took Nagas in for a 'consultation'. What's up?"
Wally shook his head in frustration. "Geezas, looks like it's gonna be one of those days."
Redstone agreed. "It sure does, my friend. What's the short version at your end?"
Wally swallowed hard. "I think we lost 317 through 320, most likely an air seal failure. You think Commander Erhard can help?"
Jack cursed under his breath. "C'mon back to the Hub, I'll have her meet us there."
"See you in 15-20 minutes." Wally clicked his voxbox off again. "Hang tight, Tilueia, I'll be back as soon as I can with some help."
Tilueia shook his head again. "It's a waste of time and manpower. Besides, the mission goes out soon."
Wally snarled at him. "Watch it on CNN."
Wally's sled arrived at the Hub twelve minutes later, and Erhard and Redstone stood side-by-side awaiting him.
Commander Erhard was full of compassion for Wally's position, but similarly resolute in her opening statement.
"I'm sorry, Chief O'Brien, but if anybody's alive in there, they're going to have to walk out the 320 bulkhead. I'm not sending USAF personnel out in space suits to knock on the sides of the pods. If there was a leak and all those bulkheads were open, those people are dead. Our people are not trained for space duty as a matter of course, it's a specialized program for highly qualified over-achievers."
"We're talking four whole pods here. Do you realize how many people that is?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Erhard didn't look or sound proud about it.
Jack wasn't going to be much help. He was looking at his shoes.
Wally let his feelings fly. "That's some damned unfair position to take. What happened to 'whatever I can do to help'?"
She held a hand out to his forearm. She spoke quietly. "I won't give the order because the most likely outcome is they're dead. There's nothing we can do for them."
"So we just leave them there to rot?"
Her voice became even quieter. "If the seals broke, they're frozen solid."
Wally vented a bit as his rage gave way to resignation. "We should nail that bastard Melf to the wall for this."
Redstone finally recovered his ability to speak. "His time will come, but in the meantime he has Nagas."
Erhard looked from one man to the other. "What's Melf got to do with all this?"
Wally leaned back against the counter. "We were tight for time to get the whole 320 built on schedule. I let the last four pods get assigned over to Melf's brother-in-law."
Redstone turned towards her too. "And Melf sent his bum-boy Boyette and his goons to take Copernicus Nagas in for a consultation. That means he should be talking to the mission specialists. That means either me or the Air Force, preferably both. Maybe you can check to see if he's with Battle or Patrick or the Flight Crew?"
Commander Erhard took out her voxbox. "He wasn't anywhere near me and I just left SitRoom to come here."
Wally realized he wasn't the only one with problems today. "Then where the hell is he?"
Hilary raised a finger to silence him. "I'm calling one of two people who will know."
The men were quiet as Erhard waited to be connected.
"Margie? Hill. Any sign of Copernicus Nagas?"
The exchange lasted about a minute, after which Erhard said "Thanks, Margie." and clicked off.
She looked at Jack and Wally. "Nagas is in the brig."
"Geezas!" was the best Wally could do.
"Who's this Margie you called?" Jack Redstone had never heard the name before.
Wally was scowling. "Yeah, what is it you know that we don't?"
Commander Hilary Erhard looked at both men seriously. "Time to pick sides, gentlemen. Are you on the side of the government or humanity?"
She looked from one man's surprised face to the other. She said two words.
"Choose one."
"How come your bulkhead was shut?" He realized that sounded rude and tried again. "I mean of course it's good that it was, but why?"
Tilueia hung his head. "They're Hambian, we're Melean, why do you think? We hate each other."
That fact wasn't lost on Wally. "I know so it begs the question. It also speaks to motive if it was done on purpose."
Tilueia gestured around him. "Look at the construction of these units, Chief. Just look at them. Sure, we hated them and they hated us with good reason. Something may have blown their seal, but my guess is cheap cost cutting on the seals themselves, not racism or the contempt we held them in." He gestured at the people, silent, huddled, certain they'd be blamed. "We didn't build the killing fields on Earth, they did."
O'Brien nodded. "I know. There'll be an investigation and I've got people going into 320 to make sure we don't have any other dead."
Tilueia shook his head. "They'll all be dead, your guys'll never get in."
"Why?"
"Hambians stick together like we do. They socialized among the pods, parties, Santeria, walked back and forth from one end to the other. As soon as 320 was attached to the wheels, I ordered the bulkhead door shut to keep them on their side. I think 316 here is the last group of live people you're going to find."
Wally picked up his Bluetooth voxbox. "Spota, you make it to 320 yet?"
Spota didn't sound happy. "We can't get in, got no visuals, this was the Hambian Ghetto entrance. It's closed and I doubt we'll get a lot of volunteers to go in and check things out."
"Gotcha, thanks, Vinnie." Wally clicked off his voxbox, flipped it open to his touchpad. Forty-two minutes to launch. Wally doubted his next call would be popular.
"Jack? Wally. You're up on seven, right? You done there?"
Jack Redstone didn't like the sound of it all. "I'm on my way back to the Hub, the Gvot say Boyette came and took Nagas in for a 'consultation'. What's up?"
Wally shook his head in frustration. "Geezas, looks like it's gonna be one of those days."
Redstone agreed. "It sure does, my friend. What's the short version at your end?"
Wally swallowed hard. "I think we lost 317 through 320, most likely an air seal failure. You think Commander Erhard can help?"
Jack cursed under his breath. "C'mon back to the Hub, I'll have her meet us there."
"See you in 15-20 minutes." Wally clicked his voxbox off again. "Hang tight, Tilueia, I'll be back as soon as I can with some help."
Tilueia shook his head again. "It's a waste of time and manpower. Besides, the mission goes out soon."
Wally snarled at him. "Watch it on CNN."
Wally's sled arrived at the Hub twelve minutes later, and Erhard and Redstone stood side-by-side awaiting him.
Commander Erhard was full of compassion for Wally's position, but similarly resolute in her opening statement.
"I'm sorry, Chief O'Brien, but if anybody's alive in there, they're going to have to walk out the 320 bulkhead. I'm not sending USAF personnel out in space suits to knock on the sides of the pods. If there was a leak and all those bulkheads were open, those people are dead. Our people are not trained for space duty as a matter of course, it's a specialized program for highly qualified over-achievers."
"We're talking four whole pods here. Do you realize how many people that is?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Erhard didn't look or sound proud about it.
Jack wasn't going to be much help. He was looking at his shoes.
Wally let his feelings fly. "That's some damned unfair position to take. What happened to 'whatever I can do to help'?"
She held a hand out to his forearm. She spoke quietly. "I won't give the order because the most likely outcome is they're dead. There's nothing we can do for them."
"So we just leave them there to rot?"
Her voice became even quieter. "If the seals broke, they're frozen solid."
Wally vented a bit as his rage gave way to resignation. "We should nail that bastard Melf to the wall for this."
Redstone finally recovered his ability to speak. "His time will come, but in the meantime he has Nagas."
Erhard looked from one man to the other. "What's Melf got to do with all this?"
Wally leaned back against the counter. "We were tight for time to get the whole 320 built on schedule. I let the last four pods get assigned over to Melf's brother-in-law."
Redstone turned towards her too. "And Melf sent his bum-boy Boyette and his goons to take Copernicus Nagas in for a consultation. That means he should be talking to the mission specialists. That means either me or the Air Force, preferably both. Maybe you can check to see if he's with Battle or Patrick or the Flight Crew?"
Commander Erhard took out her voxbox. "He wasn't anywhere near me and I just left SitRoom to come here."
Wally realized he wasn't the only one with problems today. "Then where the hell is he?"
Hilary raised a finger to silence him. "I'm calling one of two people who will know."
The men were quiet as Erhard waited to be connected.
"Margie? Hill. Any sign of Copernicus Nagas?"
The exchange lasted about a minute, after which Erhard said "Thanks, Margie." and clicked off.
She looked at Jack and Wally. "Nagas is in the brig."
"Geezas!" was the best Wally could do.
"Who's this Margie you called?" Jack Redstone had never heard the name before.
Wally was scowling. "Yeah, what is it you know that we don't?"
Commander Hilary Erhard looked at both men seriously. "Time to pick sides, gentlemen. Are you on the side of the government or humanity?"
She looked from one man's surprised face to the other. She said two words.
"Choose one."