Dark Nights by Christopher A. Gray

Author:Christopher A. Gray [Gray, Christopher A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sunbow Press
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

– 64 –

On the last day of their journey, the crew of the Copernicus was again strapped into their seats as the engines applied full thrust for the five hours it would take to slow them down enough to enter orbit around FLO. It felt more physically punishing than the launch due to the fact that even with the counteracting drug at maximum dosage, their muscles had atrophied a small amount from six weeks of near constant weightlessness. Once in orbit they were again able to move about the ship to check systems and prepare for the landing, which was only a few hours away.

On top of the physical punishment they had endured, everyone was suffering a wide range of anxieties about being so close to landing on FLO. Foley’s fever had not subsided and he had to be sedated. He had become increasingly argumentative and short-tempered, which was interfering with the ship’s operations. Doug helped secure him to his seat as the rest of the team strapped in and prepared for landing.

As the ship entered the atmosphere Doug thought about one of his conversations with Stan a couple days earlier. Just before returning to his bunk Stan had said “Whatever happens now is up to God’s plan.” Doug had just stared at him in silence.

God’s plan? Stan Foley had spent a grand total of one day in a church as long as Doug had known him, and that was for his wedding. Now he was finding religion? Stan’s fever wasn’t high enough to cause hysteria or hallucination.

Unstable or not, Stan was still right about a couple of things. The actions Mekhos had taken would save FLO at the expense of Earth. It was easier to let someone die if the act which was causing the death protected yourself and your family from the same fate. It wasn’t as if Earth was right next door, its worsening conditions within view of anyone on FLO. Earth wasn’t going to blow up in some massive conflagration that would singe FLO. Exactly the opposite, Doug whispered to himself, we’ll just fade away into evolutionary history well out of sight of anyone on FLO with a conscience.

But they were there to facilitate change. The mission was clear. They were not in it to fail.

Doug did not know if they’d be given the chance to talk directly to Mekhos, or if the minders would insist on a FLO intermediary who would likely be biased. It nagged at him. How do you negotiate persuasively with a computer? How do you play cards with something that has all the cards? Part of him was utterly fascinated at the thought of having a conversation with a thinking computer, but he was also unnerved. Its intellect had not been measured, but it was clearly a formidable mind.

Doug was jolted back to reality as the ship hit heavy turbulence. The rough ride was accompanied by several minutes of flaming ionization covering the windshield. Once they leveled out in the lower stratosphere the ride smoothed out.

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