Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Thirty days until extinction. The thrumming of the ship's engines felt through the deck planking reminded Gavin of a heartbeat. The ever-present staccato hum that pervaded the orbital station, a result of the transfer of energy from the station's fusion core to the impulse engines, maintaining their high Earth orbit. The meeting room aboard the Aquarius was far less elegant than the holo-projected conference room he had just left. Simple office chairs are positioned around a large round table with a holo-projector at its center. Admiral Gavin Chambers was standing off to the side of the table near a window overlooking Earth. He gazed at the round ball of blue and green, knowing in his heart of hearts that he would never touch the surface of his home planet again.

One by one, the officers and specialists filed into the room. Their expressions ranged from determination to fear. “Everyone, please take your seats,” he ordered, his voice carrying the air of authority. As they complied, he studied them, his dedicated crew, the best of the best, the Galactic Space Authority’s cream of the crop. “I know you are aware of the situation planet-side, so I will spare you the details,” he said, voice still unwavering. “Lockdown Protocol Omega is in effect, our world is lost.” The severity of the situation weighed on the room, the assembled cadre looking as if there was no hope left. “We are here to ensure that humanity lives on. Not to focus on what will be for our home, and the people we love, but what we can do to ensure the future of our species.”

Gavin strode over to the table and activated the control panel in front of him. The holo-projector began emitting an image, a planet far, far away. A blue planet, newly cooled and formed, uninhabited and untouched by life as of yet. “This is Pegasus-51d. Our best hope for Project Genesis.” The meeting room transformed from silence into the hushed sounds of conversation.

“Is this the best choice?” asked Commander James Vickers, the station's senior science officer. He was in his early fifties, with piercing blue eyes and a frown that never went away.

“It’s the best chance we have,” Gavin replied. “Pegasus-51d is about as close to the early formation of Earth as we have found. It’s a little larger, but the potential atmosphere, gravity, distance from its star, and promise for terraforming make it the best candidate for our project.”

“Terraforming a planet that size is a stretch, even with what is available on the Genesis Ark.” Lieutenant Commander and Chief Engineer Nancy McAllister shook her head, her arms spreading out to her sides to indicate the size of the planet. “The amount of energy required to accomplish such a feat would strain the ability of the fusion core of the Genesis Ark.. It may be an insurmountable task.”

“The Genesis Ark has been built with the most advanced faster-than-light drives and quantum computers that we have,” Gavin said, his focus on his Chief Engineer. “It’s the best shot we’ve got, and if there is a more talented crew that can figure this out, I’d like to know who they are. You are here for a reason. You’re the best, there are none better. If we can’t figure this out, no one can.”

The head of station security, Commander Blake Jorganson, said, “How do we know that the contagion won't make it to Pegasus?” His light blonde hair was shaved neatly at the temples, only enough hair topped his head to be combed to the side. His sharp brown eyes darted about the room as if scanning for signs of danger. “If it’s gotten into everything else, how do we guarantee that it doesn’t find its way onto the Genesis Ark or the Colony ship?”

“The Genesis Ark has been in a state of isolation for a few years now,” Gavin replied. “The only thing moving back and forth has been data; no personnel have been aboard since the last bit of cargo and fuel were loaded over half a year ago. We have to make sure it remains that way.” He paused for a moment while he considered his next words. “We will have to ensure that we follow strict isolation protocols while we continue construction of the Colony ship. No contact with the other orbital stations, no resupply ships. We are on our own, and we may have to defend our station to ensure it remains that way.” Gavin nodded to Blake, unspoken understanding passing between them. “Make sure you are prepared to defend this station, Commander. We can’t risk a single incursion, no matter how small, no matter if it’s someone we know. The future of our species depends on us. We are all that is left, and we have an ultimate responsibility to make sure we succeed.”

“How long do we have?” Nancy asked.

“As long as we remain contagion-free, we have about a year of supplies in reserve as long as we ration properly,” Gavin said. “The sooner we can complete the Colony ship, the sooner we can leave orbit. We will send the Genesis Ark ahead as planned as soon as final diagnostics and calculations are complete in about 30 days.”

Commander Jorganson nodded in the affirmative. “I’ll begin prepping the security forces for all possibilities.”

“I will examine this contagion using the data from the other stations,” Commander Vickers said. “If there is any hope that we may be able to devise a defense against it, I will need the full use of the main lab and its computational power.”

“Authorized,” Gavin replied, his voice firm. “We’ve only got one shot to make this work. Use whatever you need to ensure we succeed.”

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Lieutenant Commander McAllister walked over to Gavin and said, “I will make sure the construction of the Colony ship continues unabated.” She looked up into Gavin’s eyes with steely determination and a newfound resolve. “The engineering crew will double our efforts to ensure completion before our supplies run out. Her expression softened slightly, the best course of action having solidified in her mind. “We have no other choice, it’s do or die now. Any help that can be spared from other departments will only hasten our efforts.”

Gavin reached out and gently grasped her shoulders, giving a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “You have but to ask, and I will make sure every available hand will assist your efforts. I’m no engineer, but if you need my help, you will have it.” He released her shoulders and turned to face the rest of the officers. “That goes for all of you. If you need help, be sure to ask. We have to work together regardless of our field of expertise. If you find idle hands, be sure to send them where they are needed most.” Gavin took another look around the room, pleased that he had the most talented and gifted people to work with. For the first time since he was reanimated, he had a feeling of hope. He allowed himself a small smile as he adjourned the meeting. A renewed sense of purpose filled him, he began to allow himself to imagine that they might just get through this. That was until ACE’s holographic projection materialized in front of him as the last officer left the room.

“Admiral Chambers,” ACE said, his synthesized voice resonating with darkness. “I’ve found discrepancies in the off-station communication records.”

Gavin felt his muscles tense, his small smile disappearing instantly. “What did you find, ACE?”

“I was cleaning the corrupted data sets as you requested. The majority of the corrupted data was in the communication logs. It appears that someone aboard the Aquarius has been in contact with a known Eco-terrorist organization known as “The Pact”. They believe that the only way to save the planet is to make sure the human race is wiped from it’s surface, no longer able to pillage it’s resources and pollute the atmosphere.” ACE continued, “They believe that the Earth will be able to heal itself as long as humanity is no longer around to infect it’s ecosystems like a spreading cancer.”

Gavin said nothing in response at first, his moment of hope disparaged by the thought of the prattling idiots who believed in this cause. The Pact was nothing more than a collection of anti-progress idiots bent on the destruction of the human race. Their devotion to the elimination of all people they deemed “Polluters” resembled a religion of hatred. His jaw clenched as he said through his teeth, “Find out who this traitor to mankind is. I want them to find ACE. This is your top priority. We can't risk the success of our mission to the deranged fantasies of the small-minded.”

ACE responded, “I’m on it, Admiral. I will let you know the moment I have uncovered more information.”

Gavin reached down to the control panel for the holo-projector. He flipped a switch and keyed a new command. The display of Pegasus 51d winked out, replaced by the detailed blueprints of the Genesis Ark, the interstellar ship designed to carry the genetic blueprint of all life on Earth to a new planet. He studied the rotating schematics as he thought to himself, “This is the culmination of my efforts, the beating heart of Project Genesis.” He twisted a small dial on the control panel, zooming in on the schematics for more detail. He studied the bio-engineering labs, seed vaults, material fabrication generators, planetary exploration vehicles, long and short-range star-fighters, weapons vaults, and munitions fabrication. He turned his attention to the true heart of the ship, the genetic material storage vaults, the source material for all life on Earth. All that ever was and all that ever will be, a vast, cryogenically frozen biological library of life. It contained every sequence of DNA that ever existed on the planet. Some are long extinct, and some are marked as unknown but included to make sure that nothing was missing.

He marveled at the ingenious design of the ship, its shape resembling that of a small mountain range. The size of the behemoth is equal to that of the Florida Keys. The Cold Arc Fusion matter/anti-matter generators running on Hydrogen/Anti-Hydrogen produce the energy required for faster-than-light travel. Liquid slush Dihydrogen was stored in multiple round fuel cells for sub-light travel. Its ultimate design belies the fact that it wasn’t meant for human habitation. There were no quarters for a crew, no bridge from which to command. The ship was designed to be autonomous, piloted by ASI, as no human could withstand the jump from real space to hyperspace. The forces so great at the moment of transition, that every human that had ever tried ended up as no more than cosmic spaghetti, their genetic material stretching from our solar system to the next.

There was so much work to be done, and so little time to do it. Gavin’s mind wandered again to his wife Clarissa. She was scheduled to be reanimated at the same time he was. Her cryo-pod was on Earth at their home in Beaufort, South Carolina. She was his lighthouse, his safe harbor in a world of storms. Someone he could always rely on to help him see the light at the end of the tunnel. Clarissa was beautiful, a tall woman with hazel brown hair, dark brown eyes, and curves in all the right places. She was also a notorious flirt, never passing up on the chance to redden a man’s cheeks when she caught them gawking. She relished in making men notice her and even more in making sure the women they were with noticed as well, usually resulting in a slap to the face of the unsuspecting man. Gavin smiled again, this time a full, lip-parting smile that showed teeth. He hoped Clarissa would remain in stasis for all eternity, never knowing the horror that would greet her if she were reanimated.

Gavin’s thoughts then turned to his children, Hunter and Chloe. They were currently on a deep space mission to explore Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. They weren’t scheduled to be back on Earth for another 15 years. He hoped the warning system would alert them to the danger, so that they could avoid the devastation they would encounter when they returned home. That they could find solace in the fact that he did everything that he could to preserve humanity. He decided he would leave them a message, leave them the coordinates to Pegasus 51d in hopes that they could re-enter cryo-sleep and eventually voyage to a new world. He would be long gone by then, but the thought of his offspring surviving, getting to see the world he was going to build, gave him hope and a renewed sense of purpose. Admiral Gavin Chambers set out to accomplish his work with a new vigor, a renewed sense of urgency, a feeling of hope blooming in his chest and in his mind. He had work to do, and there was no time to waste.