Destiny's Cradle by Crawford Paul

Author:Crawford, Paul
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-18T00:00:00+00:00

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August 1, 2916 “Myska, give it up!” Devin Canterbury pleaded. “It's not your fault. No one is blaming you. It just happened. You've done your best. Everyone knows that. Everyone understands. Let it go!”

Myska sat hunched over the computer terminal, hiding from Devin the tears of frustration that were cascading down her cheeks.

“You've been beating your head against a wall for over two years now, and for what? Everyone else has moved on with their lives. They’ve accepted reality. Myska, I thought, when we got married, that you were finally over it as well, but you're more obsessed now than ever. It's not your fault!”

“I can't quit,” Myska whimpered. “I just can't. I don't really care whether people think it was my fault or not. That's not the problem. Don't you see? There are thousands of people in cryo. I have friends in there. I can't just abandon them.”

Devin's voice trembled. “I have friends in there too, Myska. Don't you think I care? But you've gone over every aspect of the cryo system a hundred times and you're no closer to a solution now than when you started. What makes you think going over it yet one more time will make any difference? Face the facts. Everyone in cryo, your friends, my friends, everyone, they're all dead.”

“Have you given up on Lia, too?”

Devin stiffened and stared at her in stunned silence. Myska immediately regretted her words.

“I'm sorry,” she said.

Devin slumped down into a chair, as if exhausted from the argument. After a moment, he murmured, in a slow pitiful voice, “It doesn't matter, Myska. They're all dead. All of them. Including Lia.”

Myska sobbed for a long while. Then, pulling herself together, she said, almost pleadingly, “Devin, there's no hope for any of us, unless we can get the cryo systems working again. We don't want to be imprisoned in this biosphere for the rest of our lives.”

“Myska, even if you claimed that you fixed the system, no one would risk it. No one's ever going to go into cryo again. They'd rather live the rest of their days here in the biosphere, where life may be simple and dull, but it's safe and it's long.”

Myska shook her head defiantly. “No! No. There's no future here. Without the people in cryo, no one will ever be able to get off this ship, even when it reaches Delphis. Devin, sooner or later the Destiny's life support systems will break down. The biosphere can't go on forever.”

“Well, we'll be long dead by the time that happens. Our children will be long dead by then. Hell, this ship will likely outlast our grandchildren's children. Myska, we have to get on with our lives. I love you, and I don’t want you to end up like Peter.”

This reminder pained Myska, as surely as her mention of Lia had hurt Devin. As the months had worn on, Myska had seen Peter Cowper grow increasingly despondent. She could do nothing to reassure him. One night, wracked by guilt, he had slit his wrists.

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