Exploration 2127 by Raymund Eich

Author:Raymund Eich [Eich, Raymund]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CV-2 Books

Chapter 13

Alpha Centauri B System | Bravo Charlie | Gagarin Station

28 July 2127 (Earth reference frame) | 28 September 2125 (Concordia reference frame)

From the garage tent, Ulanovas’s whoop carried across the sun-baked equipment yard. Louder than the rustle of wind and the hum of d’Arbaud and McIlroy’s equipment in the science tent, it reached Jaeger near the water condensator’s towering half-funnel on his way back from the latrine. The excitement in the shout made Jaeger’s heart beat a little faster.

Bloops chimed. A trio of red exclamation marks popped into the lower right corner of his vision, and blinked. A priority video call. He answered.

A window appeared over his view toward the garage. Ulanovas, tousled hair and teeth bright in a laughing smile. “We did it!”

The others came on the call, in windows in line with their locations. From the main room of the tent, Feng said, “Do what?”

“Varanathan and Sandford gave in! I’ll share it.”

Another window popped up. It slid over the background, and the windows showing the others at Gagarin Station, to stay in the center of Jaeger’s vision as he went into the main tent. Varanathan and Sandford, side by side in one of the conference rooms off the control room.

The window seemed to brighten in the shaded light inside the tent. The cool and rich air filled his lungs.

Varanathan made a little half bow and said, “…We plotted against one another, and against all of you, out of fear.”

“We feared our superiors, Coalition and Alliance, would punish us if we came home without following their secret orders.” Sandford looked more humble than Jaeger could ever remember.

“We feared one another.” Varanathan glanced at Sandford. “Or rather, we feared the labels we each assigned to the other.”

“Above all,” said Sandford, “we feared you would consider us traitors, to Alliance or Coalition, if we worked for the common good.”

Jaeger sat with Feng and Ingvarsson, each in their habitual spot in the sitting area. The Swedish woman parted her lips with a puff of breath. “She’s done a skilled job with eye makeup.”

From the science tent, an aha moment lit up d’Arbaud’s face. “That’s it. Something looked off about her that I couldn’t put it into words.”

“Sounds like she wants to sell it,” Jaeger said.

“Sell what?” McIlroy jutted out his chin. “I hear a lot of talk but no substance.”

Jaeger listened for the substance, but none came. Just more lofty words, about a meeting of the minds between them, about mutual assurances they both sought the common good, about humbly accepting the revealed will of the crew and the scientists, about realizing their highest loyalty was to all the people of Earth. An act? Almost certainly. But they both looked and sounded sincere….

Too sincere. “They don’t mean it,” Jaeger said.

McIlroy’s fingers paused from scratching his beard under his jaw. “I reckon so too.”

Silence filled the group video call, broken by Feng. “What are we to do?”

“Call them out.” Jaeger cracked his knuckles.

Ulanovas looked to the side. His mouth scrunched up. “Most posts in the crew forum are taking their word for it.

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