The World Settlers by Callan Mulligan

Author:Callan Mulligan [Mulligan, Callan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

System Log, Day 94:

Astraeus, Terminated.

‘Unidentified vessel, this is Captain William Greeley of the World-Settler Class S, Astraeus. Identify yourselves, immediately.’

The crew stood breathless, without celebration until they would hear the voices of their potential saviour. This far out of the bubble, anything was possible. It could be a warship, or a deep space salvager, though both seemed unlikely. No matter who it was, it was hope.

‘Astraeus, this is Captain Doren of the World-Settler Class B… Gaia.’

The crew erupted in cheers, crying and hugging, as they simultaneously felt free of the weight of death. Cassian turned to face Greeley; they were both in shock. The navigator smiled. ‘Captain, it’s a rescue.’

It was a miracle. Cassian waved his arm behind him in search of a seat, before falling into the closest one and laughing. ‘How?’

‘Permission to come aboard?’ the voice called through the bridge’s radio.

‘We’re very low on oxygen here,’ Greeley replied. ‘And we have a hundred thousand refugees. Any talks are time-sensitive.’

‘Don’t worry Captain,’ came the response. ‘We lost navigation halfway into our journey but picked up on your FTL wake. Figured we’re all heading the same direction, more or less, so we’ve been following you for some time now… It was a good thing you put out that distress call.’

Greeley sighed with relief. ‘Is there room for everyone?’

‘We’re half your size, but only have ten thousand of our own. We’ll make it work.’

Cassian ran to find Trisha, his lungs feeling full for the first time in days. ‘I’ll be back to make announcements,’ he called as he exited the main hatch.

‘Good!’ Greeley shouted back. ‘We’ll need every Tender we have.’

The second evacuation went much smoother than the first because the colony was now largely calm. Whispers of the miracle travelled from bow to stern, so that by the time boats had been organized to transport them, they were all aware of their rescue. Cassian was pleased to announce the evacuation nonetheless, feeling as though his burden as a messenger of bad news had been lifted. It was several hours before the last ship left the Astraeus, Cassian choosing to evacuate last, with Greeley by his side. He had managed to convince Trisha to go ahead, though she didn’t wish to leave his side again. He just wanted her to be free of this nightmare, without failing at his own duties by leaving with her. The ferry took several minutes and was so small in comparison to the two world settlers that it may as well have been a piece of dust in the wind, seeming to fly between artificial worlds without reason. They eventually landed on board the Gaia, Cassian feeling the thud of their arrival in his ankles. Artificial gravity had been restored to their bodies, even if only by a small margin, and it made them uneasy. We must have adapted, Cassian realized. He shook off the feeling in his legs and raised his chin. The doors then opened.

Inside the landing bay, the latest arrivals were packed into lines.

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