Orbital Maneuvers (31 page)

She and Ivan had a long discussion afterward about the new technology.  Remembering that discussion, she was surprised the word did not register with her immediately.  Returning to the list, she noted that it seemed to be quite extensive, although she did not understand a lot of the acronyms that were used for most of the entries. 

From what she could gather, the Japanese researchers had sent up all the hardware needed to hold and nurture a large selection of plants.  They also sent up seeds from every sort of edible plant one might want to grow. 
It’s like they were going to feed an army up here
, Susan thought.

Susan was quite intrigued and went through the list twice, trying to understand and decipher what each item was by its coded name.  Curiosity getting the better part of her, not to mention that this was providing a most welcome distraction, she exited the manifest screen and had the computer conduct a document search within the Kibo system on aeroponics.  She was pleased to see three titles pop up on the display:
AEROPONICS
EQUIPMENT SETUP, AEROPONICS EXPERIMENTATION PROCEDURES, and AEROPONICS OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
. 

Selecting each one in turn, Susan scanned through them to familiarize herself with their contents.  She was quite impressed with the level of detail in the documentation, which would allow almost anyone to conduct the experiments.  She glanced through the extensive drawings, schematics and pictures and began to realize that this was a major project, not just a single wall rack experiment like the tomato bush. 

Puzzled, she looked around the module, but saw no evidence of the plants and equipment or even the cargo boxes they would have been shipped in.  She went back through the setup document for a clue as to where the material would be stored, but found no useful information.

This was strange.  She knew that the cargo had been brought up on Discovery on the previous shuttle launch; she saw the shuttle manifest for that mission when she helping out at the space center before it launched.  Still puzzled with this mystery, she pulled up the manifest she was reading in the beginning and searched it for any clues.  Scrolling down through the entire document, she finally found what she was looking for. 

The materials were being stored in the MPLM, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, for the next crew to unpack and install.  The MPLM, otherwise known as Leonardo, was Italy’s contribution to the space station.  It acted as a large cargo module that could be loaded on Earth and transported to the station by the shuttle.  Susan was not sure where the MPLM was located on the station.  She used the computer to find a schematic of the station and to her surprise discovered that the MPLM was adjacent to Kibo on Node 2.

Satisfied that she had solved the mystery, she closed the windows that she had opened on the display.  Staring now at the blank display, she thought about the idea of growing one’s own food here.  If it could be done, it would greatly reduce the logistics for any long-term mission, be it in orbit or to Mars.  Checking the time, she realized that she had spent another forty-five minutes in her quest. 

She was feeling better than before, still very washed out, but she could now muster the energy to do the job she was supposed to be doing.  She knew she could not stay here forever, and the station was approaching the States again, so they should be hearing from NORAD soon.  She pushed herself away from the computer and floated over to the little tomato bush to watch it dance once more before she left. 

Susan exited Kibo and stopped by the MPLM.  The hatch was closed, but yielded easily to her efforts to open it.  Peering inside, she saw that it was crammed full with neatly ordered packages.  Without entering, she could see the name Kibo on most of the identification tags.  As she was closing the hatch, she heard some noise coming from the US lab module and turned to see Ivan float into the node.  She avoided his eyes as she quietly said hello.

Ivan studied Susan for a moment, trying to assess her condition. 
As usual
, he thought,
she is difficult to read
. 

“Hi, Susan, how are you doing?” he asked, not quite sure if she would be honest with him.  He knew her well enough to know that she would do what she thought was best for the crew, and the tact she would take would mean being strong and silent. 

“I’m fine,” Susan said, as she looked past Ivan into the lab module, as if there was something there of interest.

Noting Susan’s gaze, Ivan looked over his shoulder just to make sure that there was nothing behind him that he was unaware of.  Satisfied that there was nothing there, he turned back to Susan, whose gaze was still focused on something, real or not, behind him.  “Yes, I know that you are fine.  What I want to know is, how are you feeling?  What are you feeling?  And, how can I help you?”

Ivan watched Susan’s face intently, hoping she would relax a bit and let him in.  He thought that they had known each other for too long, not to know what is going on inside each other’s heads.  Susan’s head dropped; her eyes now studied the hatch beneath them that led to the Japanese module.

“I’m fine, Ivan.  Don’t worry, I have put this in perspective.  I have no right to feel sorry for myself.  I’m not the only one who has lost loved ones.” Susan fidgeted with the Velcro cover to the large pocket on her pant leg.  “I don’t want to dwell on this, it’s over and there is nothing that can be done to undo it.  We have to get back to Earth, that is still our priority.  Thank you for your concern.”

She started to move toward the lab module, but Ivan was in her way and was not moving.  She stopped as he reached his arms out to her and solidly grabbed her shoulders.  Try as she might, she could not avoid looking at Ivan, and eventually her eyes met his.  His image blurred as she could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes.  She turned her head as Ivan pulled her close and hugged her tightly.

Ivan whispered in Susan’s ear.  “I am so sorry, Susan.  I wish you did not have to feel this pain.  I wish I could take it from you.” He could feel her arms squeeze him tightly as she fought to remain in control.  Gradually her grip loosened and she pulled back, wiping away the tears that clung to her eyes.

“Thank you, Ivan.  Your thoughts mean a lot to me.  I’m sorry that I’m not quite as strong as I would like to be, or think I am…I’ll be okay.” Susan stiffened up as her internal resolve strengthened, and she squeezed Ivan’s hands.  “We should be hearing from NORAD anytime now.  We should get to the command module.”

Ivan gently squeezed Susan’s hands in return, as he looked her in the eyes, and said, “Susan, I will be here for you, anytime, for anything, if you need someone.” He smiled warmly and released her hands.

Susan did not want to let go of the warm touch, but knew she must if she were going to retain her composure, and act as the commander of this crew.  She returned Ivan’s smile, “Thank you, for everything, and for being here for me.  Thank you,” she said, as she pulled back. 

Ivan moved to allow her access to the lab module.  He followed her to the cupola, where she stopped and looked at the planet shrouded in clouds below. 

The cloud cover betrayed no sign of what lay below it on the surface.  Susan shuddered as a chill ran up her spine, and she quickly proceeded to the command module.

XXI

Almost twenty-four hours after the impacts, the planet still physically reverberated.  Seismologists around the world who were tending their equipment could see the evidence of the Earth ringing like a bell.  This also had the unfortunate effect of triggering sporadic, localized seismic events around the world, including several volcanic eruptions that would not have otherwise occurred at this time, creating more sources of dust and carbon dioxide to fill the atmosphere.

The coastal zones that had experienced the devastating tidal waves were now draining. As the water retreated, it pulled millions of tons of loose debris along with it as it flowed back into the ocean.  It left behind a landscape of total destruction, littered with thousands of saltwater lakes and ponds where none had existed before. The huge surge of saltwater contaminated many coastal rivers and lakes destroying the freshwater habitat, along with most of the plants and fauna living in and around them. Fresh water wells were also contaminated with saltwater, debris and sewage, making it very difficult for the few survivors to find potable water. 

Meanwhile, the fires still raged throughout the southern states and into northern Mexico.  Most of the ejecta from the impact were thrown in the same general direction that the asteroid was headed because of the shallow angle of reentry.  The impact craters, which were miles deep, and the areas of destruction surrounding them, were more teardrop shaped than circular. 

The topography of the southern United States had changed dramatically.  Much of Florida was now an island.  Apalachee Bay, on the west coast, was no longer a bay, as it is now above sea level from the ejected debris that filled it.  Texas will now have an inland sea, as the crater slowly fills with water flowing through deep trenches that were gouged into the Earth’s crust by the impact.  West of Austin, toward the Edwards Plateau, there are a new range of hills that were formed out of the debris ejected from the crater. 

The lifeless, desolate terrain that extends for hundreds of miles around each impact sight eventually will return to Mother Earth, in time, but not before humanity has fought a desperate battle to survive. 

Man’s will to survive and intelligence to understand his environment will combine to produce survivors, although, the society that cultured that intelligence may not survive.  Survival in most circumstances will mean returning to a more primitive behavior and cultural norm. Civilized behavior, and ultimately civilization itself, may fall victim to Susan’s monster.  Survival of the fittest will be the governing law until the Earth recovers enough to allow those left to pursue other interests besides finding food, protection from the elements, and each other.

Susan felt uncomfortable entering the command module.  She was embarrassed at her earlier loss of self-control and her prolonged absence.  She did not consider that behavior worthy of a mission commander.  Swallowing hard, she pushed herself into the room. 

Warm and caring smiles greeted her from Alexander and Nicholas.  No questions, just reassuring smiles.  That was fine for Susan, talking was not what she really wanted to do now.  Susan’s attention was diverted from Alexander and Nicholas by the sight of Paul coming out of the compartment where Jerry was.  He had a worried look on his face, but made a visible effort to relax when he caught Susan’s gaze.

“Hello, Susan.  How are you doing?” Paul asked with a tenderness in his voice that Susan had not heard in a long time.  She wondered how he must be feeling now that the tables had literally turned between them.

“I’m doing alright, thank you.  How is Jerry doing?  You looked like something was wrong when you came out of there.” She did not want to be the focus of attention any longer than she had to, and Jerry was a good diversion.

“He seems to be more restless than he was before.  I’m not sure if he is coming out from under the sedative or not,” Paul said.

“He has been out for over six hours, Susan.  How much did you give him?” Ivan asked, as he floated over from the station he had been working at.

“I am not really sure how much I gave him.  It was probably more than he should have had, but in his highly agitated state, it may not have been as effective as it would have been normally.  I’ll take a look at him.  Shouldn’t we have heard from NORAD by now?” She asked, making her way over to the sleeping compartment. 

Ivan checked the time on the display. “They are later than they were last time.  I hope they have not had any problems.”

“That makes the two of us, Ivan,” Susan said, as she entered the sleeping compartment.  It was still shocking to see Jerry in his condition, but she was more concerned to see that he was perspiring, and his skin was cool and clammy. 

She checked his pulse and noted that it was very slow, slower than it was before.  His breathing was very shallow and rapid.  She cursed under her breath at the situation Jerry was in now, and then she cursed herself.  It was her fault; she knew it. 

Susan could hear her grandfather’s words, “
Don’t dwell on the past, Susie, tend to the things at hand
.” This was counsel he gave her often when she was a little girl.  She realized that she had no choice but to find information on the sedative she given Jerry and find out the side affects. 

Susan left the sleeping compartment and headed back to the Habitation module, calling to Paul as she left.  “Paul, keep an eye on Jerry, I will be back in a few minutes.”

“Will do, Susan.” Paul left his station and moved toward the sleeping compartment.  Ivan caught his arm as he passed by.

“What do you think is going on with Jerry?” Ivan asked quietly.

“I really don’t know.  I would guess that he’s having problems with the sedative, or maybe the dosage he was given.  I’m no medical doctor, I really don’t know if it is serious.  I think Susan may be off to check into it though.”

Ivan let a long sigh escape as he looked back to the display.  He fidgeted with the keyboard while Paul waited for a response.  Sensing that Ivan had something on his mind but wasn’t about to say it, Paul tried to break the ice.  “What’s the matter Ivan?  You look very pensive.”

Ivan kept his focus on the display as he selected an option on the menu he had pulled down.  “Nothing.  Nothing really,” he said.  “I was just thinking that Jerry has developed the knack of causing trouble whether he is awake or asleep.” Ivan continued to step the display through a continuous series of screens, most of which, to Paul anyway, seemed to be unrelated. 

Paul began to get the feeling that Ivan wasn’t really paying attention to the screen, nor fully leveling with him.  He did not want to press the issue if Ivan did not want to talk about it.  He waited another few seconds in silence, then patted Ivan on the shoulder and went in to check on Jerry again.

Susan rushed back to the Habitation module, all the while trying to remember the name of the sedative she had given Jerry.  She reached the hatch frustrated at herself for drawing a blank on the name.  She knew all she had to do was find the one half-empty bottle, which should not be too difficult. 

Susan felt an unyielding need to find this information quickly.  She knew it was important; a life could be at stake.  She also knew that there was more to it than that, but could not place her finger on it. 

Jerry was a good friend at one time, she could not deny that.  He did succumb to forces beyond his control; this, too, she realized.  But, why this frenzy to find the answer she was seeking? 

Her mind raced through a hundred things as she ripped open the locker and yanked the med kit out of its resting place.  Her thoughts flowed over the last day’s events, and then melted into a blurry movie of highlights of her life on Earth with friends and family. 

As she tore open the kit, sending several bottles flying across the compartment in the process, her thoughts began to coalesce in her mind, and she could begin to feel the answer forming to her question.  Her concentration was diverted as a half-filled bottle floated out of the kit and up in front of her face, spinning and tumbling slowly.  Only half aware of what she was doing, she quickly reached to grab it, but only managed to clumsily bat it across the room. 

Her mind cleared for an instant as she watched the bottle ricochet off the wall and float off in another direction.  At this instant, Susan suddenly saw the seed that was driving her fury.  It was as basic and simple as can be. 

She felt the deep personal wounds that this beast from the depths of space had wrought on her.  She was only reacting as a wild animal would react when wounded.  She was striking back!  She had given up too much already to this monster that has destroyed her friends and family, her life, and her world.  She was more than determined not to let it take one more life that she had control over.  Jerry would not become another casualty in this war she was now waging against the beast! 

Quickly she gathered up the bottles that had spewed out of the box and rushed over to rescue the one she needed.  The label did not list the side affects as she had hoped.  Swearing, Susan pushed herself over to the computer and quickly searched for a medical database to find the information she needed.  The computer took much too long to respond to her inquiry, and Susan urged it along with a few colorful expletives. 

Whether Susan’s encouragement sped up the process, or the system finished at its own electronic leisure, Susan did not care.  She had the list that she wanted.  Digging deeper through the database, she finally found information on the drug she had given Jerry. 

The file seemed endless in its description of the drug and its uses.  Finally she got to what she was looking for, the side effects and interactions.  She rapidly scanned the words in front of her searching for a keyword that fit Jerry’s condition.  Nothing was correlating with the facts she had, and Susan was becoming more frustrated.  Scanning through the list of side effects again, she realized that she had glossed over the data that applied to less than two percent of the patients tested. 

Looking more closely, she found what she sought.  The description said, “In extremely rare cases, coupled only with an over dosage condition not treated immediately, certain people would react with a severely depressed autonomic system response.”

The list of conditions Susan read fit Jerry perfectly.  “Damn it!  Jerry would be the one out of a million to be allergic to this stuff!” she said to herself.  The remedy for the condition was an application of an antidote.  She quickly checked to see if it were included in the medical kit.  It was.  This time she carefully read the application instructions and loaded another syringe for Jerry.

Armed with the hypodermic to hopefully cure Jerry’s immediate problem, Susan dashed back to the control module.  Upon entering the control module, she was greeted with the intercom crackling to life as NORAD made contact again.  As she entered, Susan grabbed onto the edge of the hatch to stop herself from crashing headlong into Ivan at his station. 

She was more startled by the strange voice that filled the room than by the interruption of the quiet that had permeated the station.  Instead of the soft feminine voice of Lieutenant Carol Barnes, they were greeted with a deep masculine voice, somewhat reminiscent of Captain Mikhailovich, but without the thick accent.

“Space Station Alpha…Space Station Alpha…Do you copy?  This is NORAD, North American Aerospace Defense Command, do you copy Space Station Alpha?”

Susan took a deep breath and responded to the inquiry.  “This is Commander Susan Corin aboard the International Space Station Alpha, we copy you NORAD.  It is good to hear from you, we were getting worried that you might be having more problems down there.”

“Commander Corin, this is Captain Samuel Greene, I will be your contact for the next twelve hours.  I hope you all are doing well.” The Captain’s voice was very business-like, very military, without warmth or emotion.  Susan did not feel quite as comfortable with the Captain as she did with Carol.  She found herself imagining him more like a military robot than a real person, someone who would get the job done without getting personally involved.

“Captain Greene, we are all doing fine up here.  How is the situation down there?”

“We are still sorting out the pieces.  Mostly everything here is functioning okay, though we have had some minor problems.  There has not been much real news to speak of in the last few hours.  We did hear that the President will be making a statement in the near future, but we have no definite time on that.”

Susan hesitated, she wanted to ask about Lieutenant Barnes, why was she not on the radio now.  She wanted to explain to Carol that it was all right, that she was all right, and to thank her for her efforts.  Susan looked at Paul, who was standing in the entrance to the sleep compartment Jerry was in, and remembered that the Lieutenant was going to set up a phone link for him to his sister.  She had to find out if that had been completed.  “Captain Greene, is Lieutenant Carol Barnes available?  She was going to set up a phone link between Paul Holland and his sister.  Has that been arranged?”

The extended silence on the other end of the communications link put neither Susan nor Paul at ease.  Finally the Captain’s voice filled the compartment. “Commander Corin, I do not have any information about a phone link to Mr. Holland’s sister.  We are checking on that now.  We are looking—”

“Is Lieutenant Barnes there?  She would know.” Susan interrupted, but was abruptly cut off.