Survival Plan
The captain had ordered that they travel to a nearby celestial body that appeared to be a planet. But the decision had required some deliberation.
Hours earlier, as Denn was alongside Neil Gobi, working on the search for the supposed intruder, Val had sent his technicians to try and repair the jump systems, without success. Upon discovering that there would be no way of putting the systems in working order, Captain Val approached the Control Room to explain the situation to the people who were trying to communicate, still unsuccessfully, with some system or vessel. He was going to explain the situation to his subordinates.
“Jin and Gor have not been able to repair the jump system,” he told them, “but the navigation systems appear to be in perfect condition. We have sufficient resources to survive on the station for at least eight weeks. But as you already know, we are in the middle of nowhere, and we can’t be sure that someone will come for us. We must take measures immediately, or we’ll all die here.”
“What do you suggest we do, captain?” said someone.
“That object you see over there,” he said, pointing into space, “is a star. Find out if there are planets orbiting it. Our only hope is to find a habitable planet.”
Thanks to the advances in genetic engineering, the human body was not the fragile entity it had been centuries before. Humans were now able to tolerate much greater atmospheric pressures than those on Earth, survive with limited quantities of oxygen, and tolerate high doses of toxic substances, such as carbon dioxide, without dying. Furthermore, the humans could now be exposed to micro gravity atmospheres for long periods of time without suffering significant damage, and acclimatise quickly to planets with strong gravity.
The radiation that was once the most dangerous enemy to humans in space was now a problem of the past. All of that made finding a planet on which the humans would be able to survive a little easier than it had been centuries before. The captain thought that the only option for the salvation of the people on the station was to find somewhere with the conditions to sustain life.
Following Val’s orders, the navigation officers carried out the necessary tests to find any celestial body close to them. They worked as fast as they could, and after an hour, they already had something to report back with to the captain, so they called him to the control room to present their discoveries:
“We have the results, sir!” reassured a very animated officer. “It’s good news. There appear to be several bodies producing large gravitational fields. Two of which are relatively close. We’ve carried out tests, and calculate that it’ll take us just under three weeks at full power to reach the most viable one.”
The captain did not look as enthused as his officers had wanted. The finding of these bodies did not mean that they were habitable planets, and it would be a mistake to think that they were now out of danger.
“What about the other one?” he asked calmly.
“The other body is closer at the moment, but it’s moving away, following its orbit of the star. It would take us perhaps seven or eight weeks to reach it. The first one, on the other hand, is approaching us. That’s why it’s the most viable option.”
The captain did not say anything for a few moments, sat down on a chair, and reflected. The planets are on opposite points. We only have the possibility of trying to reach one of them. If we make the wrong decision, that could be our downfall, thought the captain.
“Do you have any idea which one could be the more suitable for sustaining life?” asked the captain.
“We’re sorry, sir, but half of our instruments are damaged. Due to the fact that the studies we have been able to carry out have been limited, we aren’t sure. I would say that the one moving away may have some ten per cent more possibilities, but it balances out since the second is approaching us.”
The captain considered what the officer had just told him, but before even thinking about making a decision, he asked again, this time addressing the other officer.
“What do you think?”
It wasn’t that the captain was unable to think for himself; he was well known for including his subordinates in his decisions. He had never underestimated the value of advice.
“It’s a difficult decision, captain. Taking into account the limited time and scarce resources, the safest option is to set course for the one approaching us.”
“And you, do you think the same?” he asked a third.
“One must take all into consideration, captain. If the station’s propulsion systems were to be damaged, we would still have the opportunity to use the auxiliary systems in order to guide the station directly towards the orbit of the planet coming towards us, and thus wait to meet it. However, if we try travelling towards the one moving away, and the propulsion systems were damaged, we would not be able to reach it, and there would be nothing more we could do, the auxiliary systems would be of no use in that case; they’re very weak.”
The captain analysed the situation; it was a critical decision. I need to make a decision soon, even a few hours could be crucial at the end of all this, he thought.
“Get Senlar in here immediately. I need to consult with him,” said Val, and opened the door to the Captain’s Room, going inside to wait for Senlar.
The officers called Senlar, who, after a few minutes, arrived to assist the captain. He opened the door to the room that only he and Val had access to, and went in.
“You called me, captain?” asked Senlar.
“We need to make an immediate decision, Senlar.”
“How can I assist you, sir?”
“We don’t have much time, so I’m only going to tell you the situation we’re in. There don’t appear to be any inhabited systems or other stations near us. The jump system has sustained irreparable damage, and we only have resources for eight weeks. It seems to be that there are two planets orbiting a star near our current position.”
Senlar was listening carefully as the captain laid out for him the state of their situation. It was not the first time that he had helped Val to make difficult decisions, which was why he was held in such high esteem by the captain.
“Continue, please.”
“One of the planets,” proceeded the captain, “the one further away from us, is approaching our position as it follows its orbit. It will take us three weeks to meet it. The second planet, the one that is closer, is moving away from us as it follows its orbit, and will take us around eight weeks at full power to reach. According to the limited studies we could carry out, this has a ten per cent greater chance of potentially being suitable for life. What do you suggest we do?”
It was no surprise to the captain what followed, he had always trusted fully in this man. Senlar answered immediately:
“Let’s go to the second, captain. That extra ten per cent is enough to take the risk. I will ration all the resources, and make it so that instead of eight weeks, they’ll last twelve. That way, if we arrive at the planet after eight weeks and it turns out not to be suitable, we’ll still have a small margin of time to take new measures.”
The captain was completely satisfied with Senlar’s response. He did not flatter or congratulate him, because it was not necessary for him to do so. He was his right-hand man, and the only thing he expected of him was his good performance. So far, he had never disappointed him.
He immediately activated a transmitter, and gave instructions to the navigation officers to follow the planet that was moving away, just as Senlar had suggested.
“Do you need anything else, captain? I would like to begin immediately with the preparations,” asked Senlar.
“What do you think of that Bornew?”
“He seems to be a good person, captain,” answered Senlar, in total sincerity.
“Don’t you think it strange for a Sergeant of Tau Ceti to have come to this station? S4-07 only connected with Sector 4. The jump-gate stations in Sector 4 only go to Indi or to Neeve. Denn must have been heading for one of those systems, or even further. Either of the two destinations would distance him from Tau Ceti.”
What with all the commotion, Senlar had not had time to analyse it very much. He took a second before replying to the captain.
“Maybe it has something to do with the robot, captain. It doesn’t seem like a common robot; he could be taking it somewhere, perhaps.”
The captain was not so sure.
“An important politician from the planet Nec was travelling to Earth this week,” continued the captain. “Bornew was part of the escort. On the database, there appears a permit for entry into the Solar System with that mission. Could it be that on Earth he was entrusted with another mission? It’s strange, don’t you think?”
“Do you think he has something to do with everything that’s happening?”
The captain moved his head.
“It’s improbable. Why would a soldier from The Union do something like this? Even so, his presence here is strange. We need to monitor all the people on board until we resolve the situation.”
“Understood, captain.”
“When Bornew gets back, bring him here. Then inform Neil of the plan to follow. That is all, Senlar.”
“I’ll take my leave, sir.”
Senlar’s discipline and obedience had turned him into Captain Val’s person of trust a while back. They knew each other long before working on the station. Val had him under his command in several colonisation missions, and in some battles when they were still part of The Galactic Union Army. Led by Val Afkbar in battles against enemies of The Union, such as pirates, rebels, Vialikis, and the remaining threats, he had gone along earning the trust of all his superiors.
Senlar returned immediately to the main plaza to wait for Denn and Neil. He did not have to wait long. They were already back from their search. After taking Denn to the captain, Senlar prepared to inform Neil of the new developments. He called him via the communicator, and asked his location.
“I’m in the dining hall,” answered Neil.
Without wasting any time, he went straight there.
“How did the search go?” Senlar asked Neil.
Neil was leaning against a wall, in the dining hall that was designated to the station officers, with one leg on the ground and the other against the wall. He was eating an apple, whilst looking at the floor, as if he were not worried at all.
“What, you mean that sergeant hasn’t told you?”
“I want to hear it from you. Denn isn’t an officer of this station, you are.”
Neil screwed up his mouth whilst he shook his head.
“We haven’t found anything.”
Senlar looked at him for a few seconds, whilst Neil carried on eating his apple without demonstrating any concern.
“We now have a plan,” Senlar told him. He hoped there would be some reaction of interest from Neil, but there was none. “Perhaps you don’t want me to tell you?” Senlar persevered in the face of Neil’s indifference.
“You never consider me in the important decisions; don’t expect me to show interest in them. If you have to say, then say, but the truth is it’s all the same whether I know or not. All the two of you do is give me orders, like the rest of the officers on the station.”
Senlar wanted to turn right back round and leave, but the captain’s order was to inform Neil. After all, he was the third person in command on the whole station.
“You’re still the Second in Station… I’ll tell you anyway. Everything’s indicating that there is a planet near our position. We’re setting course towards it. It’s expected we’ll take eight weeks to get there. We’ll ration the foods so that they last for twelve weeks. If you want more details about the planet, go to the control room.”
As soon as he finished telling Neil the plan, he got ready to go, but before he could leave the dining hall, he was held up by a question.
“What’s Bornew supposed to be doing here?”
Neil chucked the rest of his apple in the bin and went up to Senlar, who was turning around to reply.
“We still don’t know,” said Senlar. “The captain is also asking himself the same question.”
“And what’s up with that robot? It doesn’t seem like a common robot. Don’t you think it’s strange? I don’t trust that Bornew guy one bit.”
Senlar understood why the Captain and Neil had doubts regarding Denn. His presence on the station was strange to him also.
“We’ll see,” answered Senlar. “I’ll keep him monitored. You do the same. But please be respectful, he’s still an officer of the galactic army.”
“That’s what he says,” answered Neil, in a sardonic tone.
Senlar left the dining hall to begin the preparations for the coming eight weeks. He hurriedly gathered a small group of people, and they began preparing a plan for rationing out the station’s resources.
At the same time, in the captain’s room, Val was finishing up telling Denn the details of the plan they ought to follow, if they did indeed want to have any opportunity of surviving. He explained to him why they had chosen the one planet over the other, and he spoke of the sacrifices and the effort that everybody on the station would have to make in order to make the foods last for the long voyage awaiting them.
“What’ll we do if this planet turns out not to be suitable for survival?” asked Denn, who was still worried.
“That’s why we’re rationing the foods so much. It’ll give us some time to decide what we’re going to do. We could try reaching the next planet.”
Denn relaxed a little. He calmly analysed all the information they had, and the situation in which they found themselves, and after a few moments, he came to the conclusion that the captain had made the right decision.
“It’s a good plan,” said Denn, after breaking his silence.
“It’s a terrible plan,” answered Val. “But it’s the best one we have for now.”
“Yes. It’s definitely the best option. You don’t need to think hard about it.”
Val looked at him for a moment, and decided to give him some advice:
“A sergeant shouldn’t be all right with making rushed decisions. When you’re on the battlefield, and the lives of your soldiers depend on your decision, you shouldn’t give yourself the luxury of not analysing things well.”
Denn noticed that the captain had changed his tone a little. I didn’t think this guy could get any more serious, he thought. He guessed that Captain Val must have had to make difficult decisions in the past. He wanted to ask, but he knew he would not receive any answer, so he simply avoided it.
“That’s good advice, captain.”
“I wanted to be sure you would understand it.”
“How can I help, captain?”
The captain reflected on Denn’s personality. A few minutes ago, he was very worried, and now he seemed very enthusiastic, and willing to help. He was certainly still an inexperienced young man, but he appeared to have good intentions. The captain understood that Senlar considered him to be a good person. He still didn’t want to trust Denn completely, but he sensed that he was not a bad man.
“Go to the main plaza,” Val said to him. “I’ll soon be announcing to everyone over the loudspeaker what we’re going to do. I’ll tell the officers they can ask your help if they need it.”
“I’ll go then, sir,” said Denn, as he was leaving, and before going out through the door to the captain’s room, he stopped for a moment. “Now I understand putting faith in luck, captain. I hope it all turns out well.”
Denn walked to the main plaza where everybody was still congregated, waiting for instructions. C0-UN1 was playing with Qein in the plaza. Denn did not want to interrupt them, and, without delay, he approached an officer to ask how he could help.
The officer explained to him that the captain had already prepared to notify everyone of the situation. Therefore, they would be waiting for Val to inform those on board the station of the circumstances first.
After a short wait, the captain’s voice could be heard coming through every loudspeaker on the station.
Val shared all the information he had with everybody. He explained that all of the areas except the main plaza, along with some restricted areas, were being completely disabled. They would turn off all the energy systems in the interests of economising resources for the long journey they had ahead of them.
He warned that if there was anybody hiding on any part of the station, they had three hours to come to the plaza, or they would die, given that the oxygen systems would also be shut down in the rest of the station.
He ordered that everybody slept in the plaza, in sacks that were going to be handed out. As it was a vast area, which usually harboured two thousand people, they would not be pushed for space. The officers would sleep in their regular rooms, whilst some would keep guard in the plaza.
They would be able to use the different facilities found in the plaza, and in general they would live entirely in that area for the rest of the time on the station.
The issue of the intruder continued to bother the captain; as such, they would interview every single one of the people, trying to find anyone suspicious. They all cooperated, and all the interviews were completed.
The first week drew to a close, and they were unable to find anybody suspicious. The people were beginning to forget that amongst them there was a person who had hijacked the station. The time continued to pass by, and the intruder still was not found. Four weeks later, it had already ceased to be so important; the only thing that mattered was whether they would be saved or not.
In spite of the extreme nervousness of the people on board the station, they had remained calm enough to follow Captain Val’s orders without protest. They had worked together to save the station’s resources in order to survive as long as possible, and for the moment, everything was going according to plan.
On Earth, they still had no answers regarding the station’s whereabouts, and tensions were rising.
C0-UN1 and Denn had become good friends, and Senlar had learnt to trust both of them, for their constant cooperation.
Val maintained his doubts regarding Denn; he was still wondering what he was doing on the station. He did not believe that he had been the hijacker, but he did believe he was hiding something. Even so, he had seen how Denn was trying to help with everything he needed; he considered him to be a good person.
What concerned the captain more was the fact that the hijacker had still not been found. He knew that he was still among them, and feared for the passengers’ safety, but with the important voyage they still had ahead of them, he needed to focus on the target to which they were heading. Now, they were sufficiently close enough to better analyse the composition of what they were now certain was a planet of similar size to the Earth.
The analyses they were conducting regarding the planet had already allowed them to verify that it contained suitable elements to sustain life. However, they were still unable to know whether they were in the quantities necessary. Due to the fact that their instruments were partially damaged, the only way of confirming it was to get further to the planet.
The time continued to pass by. They had rationed out the foods as best they could, and now everything depended on their being able to reach the planet before the supplies were depleted. Impatience was beginning to get the better of people, and although almost all of them were accustomed to living on space stations, the concern at not finding a solution before the resources ran out was causing them fear.
When they finally reached the planet, it had taken them ten weeks to get there. The captain decided that it was time to speak with the people afresh, who were now hungry and without much hope.
This time, he was not only going to speak via the loudspeakers. The captain approached the plaza to speak in front of everyone. Neil was in charge of getting everyone’s attention. “Attention, everyone,” came Neil’s voice through the loudspeakers, as he was in the control room next to Senlar, looking at the image of the plaza on the monitors. “The captain is going to say a few words. Everybody make your way to the central plaza.”
Everybody left what they were doing in order to listen to what the captain was going to say. “Move!” he insisted unnecessarily to the people still hurrying to the centre of the plaza.
The people congregated anxiously in front of the captain, who was as serious as always. Finding any emotion in his face was a difficult task. Nobody in the plaza could guess whether it was going to be good news or bad.
“We have arrived at our destination planet,” said the captain, without beating about the bush, and the very second that everyone was gathered to listen to him. “We are still in orbit. We’ll begin with the preparations to send a probe. Soon, we’ll be completely certain of whether or not it is habitable.”
Immediately, there could be heard various murmurings amongst the people. They were all impatient to learn more details. With the exception of Denn and the station officers, nobody ever knew how far it was to reach their destination during the journey, and now that they had finally arrived, they were on the verge of finding out if they would have any chance of survival.
“How long will it take to prepare the probe?” asked Dani, who was by now already well known for being somewhat impulsive. “We wouldn’t be averse to a bit of good news.”
“Patience,” replied the captain. “Now is the time we must be more patient.”
The captain moved his hand in front of one of the cameras in the plaza, so as to give a signal to the control room where Senlar, Neil, and other officers were watching him attentively. After the captain’s signal, Senlar ordered one of the officers to activate the shutter system covering the station’s windows.
“Perhaps this view will motivate you whilst you wait,” said the captain, pointing to the windows that had been covered during the last few weeks, with the intention of preventing people from becoming discouraged at seeing the void.
Everyone rushed to the windows. The cover began to slowly lift, revealing the planet they had been pursuing for so long. The open-mouthed faces of some, and the sounds of surprise from others, united with the azure beauty of the planet lying in front of them to create the first joyful moment in weeks.
“It has clouds… and water…” said someone in the plaza. “Those are continents… it seems…”
“Vegetation!” cried another.
The people were shouting and celebrating. Others were hugging. ‘We’re saved!’ could be heard. The guffaws and exclamations of the peoples’ jubilation was enough recompense for the captain, who had taken a risk in telling everyone they had reached their destination, still not knowing whether it would be safe to descend to it.
Senlar himself had made him consider not sharing the news before making sure that the planet was fit for life. He had feared creating false hope, but in the end the captain’s desire to try and raise the depressed morale of the station’s passengers won out. ‘Even if the planet does not turn out to be good for us, at least they’ll see we have reasons for travelling here,’ Val had told Senlar hours earlier.
On seeing the peoples’ reaction of happiness and hope, Senlar was glad they had shown them the planet. It did not matter what happened afterwards, the people were smiling again.
“What are we waiting for? Why don’t we go down right away?” one person asked the captain.
The captain allowed them to enjoy the view for a few seconds before interrupting the passengers’ premature celebration.
“Listen!” said the captain, in a loud enough voice to calm the celebrations. “We mustn’t declare victory prematurely.” There was a brief pause whilst the captain continued his explanations. “Now is the time that we must be more cautious. It is necessary that a probe be sent, in order to confirm whether we can survive on the planet. Even when everything seems to indicate that it is habitable, there are many things we must analyse first.”
The people reined in their euphoria. They immediately understood that their survival was not assured. In the middle of a sudden silence, the captain could see the doubt returning to the peoples’ faces.
“Don’t be afraid,” said the captain, in a more serene tone. “I trust that the results will be good. We even have a contingency plan. I promise you that I will do everything possible to save our lives. We’re going to go ahead,” he said, and smiled with an incredible serenity.
It was a sight that was unheard of. A smile from the captain. Some people went back to being hopeful. They understood that the captain was doing the best job he could. Many of the officers had never even seen Captain Val smile ever. They could definitely sense his good intentions.
After what could be called an insipid speech, the people were calmer than might have been expected.
“I will inform you the minute I have news,” concluded the captain, and as always, he turned around and left the plaza.
Immediately, everyone returned to the picture windows to carry on contemplating the planet. The lack of features on C0-UN1’s face prevented anyone from perceiving the admiration with which he looked at that beautiful world. Qein came up to him, to share his excitement with his robot friend.
“I hope it’s habitable,” he said to him, as he took his hand.
“Look, little brother. We could go and live there,” said Dani, as she joined them.
Qein hugged his sister with an enormous smile on his face, without taking his eyes off the gigantic planet.
“It’s beautiful, Dani. It’s so long since we were last on any planet. And this one’s special. Look at that… It’s green… I can’t wait. We’ll finally be leaving this cold place.”
C0-UN1 placed his hand on Qein’s shoulder with tenderness. It was clear that he now felt affection for the boy.
“Be patient, Qein,” said C0-UN1. “We will soon be there.”
The boy rewarded him with the same smile that a moment earlier he had given to Dani. They did not see him as a robot. He was a friend. In recent weeks, their mutual appreciation had grown.
The hours passed, the probe was sent, all of the data were analysed. Nobody else, apart from Captain Val, Senlar, and an officer specialised in the subject, studied the probe data, so as to avoid undesired leaks within the station. They did not want anybody jumping to conclusions before they could decide whether or not it was prudent to travel down onto the planet surface. Besides, they hoped to give themselves some time to think about what to tell the station’s passengers in the event that the information from the probe was unfavourable.
After taking all of the data, and revising all of the information, Captain Val, Senlar, and the specialised officer, deliberated for hours; so much so that the people on the station went to sleep without hearing any news. When they awoke, it was still the same. After a few more hours of tension, the captain was finally ready to share the results with everyone else. The same as always, he announced for everyone to go to the centre of the plaza.
Highly anxious, they gathered as quickly as they could in order to listen to the awaited news. The captain was very serious as always, some even thought that C0-UN1 was demonstrating a more expressive facial expression.
Nobody dared to try and guess whether it was good news or bad news. The eternal reserve in the captain’s face left little room for it. Even Denn shared the same anxieties as the rest. He was as much in the dark as they were. He was on the verge of finding out if it was possible that the people he had put in danger would have any opportunity to be saved.
“We have the results,” said the captain as soon as everybody had finished congregating in front of him. “The planet is habitable. We will begin the preparations for the journey as soon as possible.”
The cries of jubilation were instantaneous. The people jumped for joy and delight. It seemed as if the danger had passed; at last, they would be safe. Between hugs, they celebrated the excellent news.
The captain stopped them. There was no reason to lose even a second more; everything had to be ready right away. They would be going immediately. Val ordered his men to prepare the evacuation ship for descent onto the planet. Denn and C0-UN1 helped at every moment. The robot’s strength was of special help for loading the different machines and objects they would be taking down to the planet. A fusion reactor for providing them with energy; machines for research, and various materials for construction; some turrets that they would use in the control of disturbances; and a medical capsule, in addition to ten guard drones. Things that would possibly make a difference in their endeavour to survive.
“Will we need these weapons?” the robot asked Denn, as they loaded everything into the ship.
“We don’t know what could be down there, C0. We need these weapons to defend ourselves.”
“What is this?” asked the robot, showing Denn a protective vest.
“It protects people from weak gunshots and impacts.”
“And this?” he asked, and held up a small