AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
Radcliffe
Colony Ship Endeavor
Deep Space
One Year Before Founding
“Explain it to me one more time.” It was the lingering effects of the cryo chamber, but Radcliffe felt sluggish both physically and mentally. He understood the captain’s words, but they did not make sense.
“The Unity sent a distress signal, which woke the vital crew from cryo,” Captain Beckford said. Dark circles hung under her eyes. She looked tired. More than tired. Exhausted down to her bones. “An asteroid field damaged life support. We might have been able to send a repair crew, but it seems our navigation system was also damaged. We’re not on course and cannot locate the Unity or the Hope.”
“We’re fucked,” another man groaned.
“We’re lost,” the captain corrected.
Reeve’s presence startled Radcliffe: he hadn’t realized the cartographer was in the room. Several people were in the room, now that Radcliffe bothered to look around. The second-in-command, security, communication, and navigation. The bridge crew, the vital officers. They all had the same exhausted look as the captain. Although why the captain woke the cartographer was curious. The colony ship had no need for Reeve’s skills until they landed.
“Why did you wake me? You need an engineer, not a medical doctor,” Radcliffe said. The vital crew were supposed to wake early, respond to emergencies, and go back into cryo. Radcliffe was only supposed to be awakened early to prepare the ship for landing. He was meant to be the only one to wake the passengers from cryo.
Despite having been asleep for literally years, he wanted to crawl back into the cryo chamber for at least another decade. His stomach churned, threatening to spill its contents, and his body ached.
That was cryo-sickness. Still sluggish, his mind worked well enough to tell him the grogginess was the drugs still in his system. As improbable as it sounded, more sleep was the answer.
“Because we don’t have the fuel or the resources to reach our destination.”
“But you found an alternative.”
“Indeed. The planet is less than optimal for humans. We must adapt.”
“Which is why you woke me,” Radcliffe said, comprehension dawning.
Calling the planet less than optimal for human life was being generous.
The radiation was a problem. The colonists would have to live underground or in protective structures. Every drop of water would have to be filtered. Soil would have to be cleaned to grow food, assuming anything grew.
It was impossible. The engineers, agrologists, and botanists all agreed. This was not new information.
Radcliffe ran a hand through his hair. His eyes burned. His body ached. He was hungry, but the thought of food soured his empty stomach. A nutritional drink kept his blood sugar from dropping too much. How long had he been awake now? Easily twenty-four hours. Injections got him over the initial grogginess of cryo-sickness, but now he needed sleep, real sleep.
Run more simulations.
They had to adapt to the new planet. It was why the captain woke him early. Humans had done it before on Earth, to cope with air pollution and rising global temperatures.
Hours later, exhausted and shaking, he had it.
“I have a solution,” he said, handing the tablet to the captain, interrupting the head of engineering’s little speech about arrays and dust.
Judith Scott tossed him a dirty look but continued to speak. “At this point, I can rule out damage to our communication array. If the Hope’s comms were in the same condition, it may take the AI bots some time to repair.”
Captain Beckford scrolled through the proposal, not giving his words the full attention they deserved. Radcliffe clenched his jaw, holding his tongue at the insult.
“Continue hailing the Hope. Even if it’s a ghost ship, let’s assume the AI is functioning. Once you establish contact, convince the AI to change course and meet us on the new planet,” Beckford said.
“The likelihood of anyone surviving is negligible,” Radcliffe said, no longer able to remain silent. Not that he had tried very hard. “Our efforts are better spent elsewhere.”
Judith leveled a freezing gaze at him. He expected her to scold him with some trite about it being worth the time, energy, and resources if only one life could be saved. Instead, she said, “It would be criminal to let a ship full of supplies go to waste. The matter printers alone will be worth the effort.”
