( Read the previous episodes of Journey to Centauri.) |
Journey to Centauri : Episode 26 [Note: Saratov's name is now Zakharov, reflecting feedback from Russian fans on Saratov being an unrealistic name. And now, back to our story...] "The ship is falling apart." Zakharov’s words blanketed the command center, shadowing the faces of the assembled staff. "We are not far from Planet, but the stress on the Unity’s structure is reaching critical levels." "Implication?" asked Garland tersely. "We should prepare for the worst. The whole structure may shake apart before one of us touches the new world." "We’ve come all this way," said Miriam. "Why now?" "Physics," retorted Zakharov. "Perhaps it is better this way," murmured Deirdre, present in the command center to debrief after Santiago’s capture. The Captain ignored her, if he heard her at all. "Should we break away now?" he asked, rising to his feet. "Are we close enough to pilot down the landing pods.?" "Too soon," said Zakharov. "But we should begin our preparations. Awaken everyone, move people to their destination pods, redistribute supplies. Accept that only one pod, or none, may make planetfall." "Or all of them? Is that even a possibility?" asked Lal. "Yes, of course," said Zakharov, his voice neutral. "Captain, we have assembled a report from the first wave of landing pods," broke in Ensign Cotter, the ensign on duty. "Excellent," said Captain Garland. Behind him Deirdre tensed. "Send the next wave. Seed the surface…we don’t know who will need them or when." "Captain," said Deirdre, rising to her feet. "I must object to this. Are we now interstellar litterbugs…is this our welcome to Planet?" "This is not the time," he said simply, coldly. Deirdre took another breath but saw anger in Garland’s eyes, and she suddenly could smell a new sense of desperation in the command center. Now the mission was about survival, not philosophy… "Very well," she said, and headed for the observation bay. Continue to part 2 |
