A New Beginning Ch. 01

Nevertheless, I knew that the only way the situation could get worse was if another lightening bolt struck us. I didn't want that to happen as I was sure the James Cook couldn't withstand another lightening strike. I didn't need Joseph the chief engineer, Beth the engineer's first mate or even Kerri the engineer's second mate, to tell me that the lightening was causing all our problems.

I quickly glanced across the bridge. The chief navigation officer was not at her station. I radioed below to the flight officer, "Joshua has Connie reported in yet?"

"No ma'am," he radioed back. "Neither she nor her assistant Constansia are here. Aleks is the only navigation officer on duty at present."

"Then work with her and the two of you plot me a course away from the electrical storm now."

I didn't wait for him to answer me; I radioed the chief engineer, "Joseph, throttle up the engines to one third power."

"One third power, roger that," he answered.

Next I looked over to Juan sitting to my right, "Juan turn her hard to port and steer us away from the storm now! I'll give you some coordinates later. For now just turn us away from the storm."

"Yes ma'am."

I had to assume that Connie and Constansia were among the dead. That's why I told Joshua to stay below and to work with Aleks to plot us a course. I needed someone to work with whatever navigation officer we had to chart us course away from Jupiter as soon as possible.

In case you're wondering why the navigation first officer couldn't plot a course by herself is again due to Butler's orders. He wanted all navigational courses checked by either me or Joshua. He didn't trust Juan because he was just a junior flight officer. Nor he did he trust George because he felt George was incompetent. Captain Butler was not alone in that belief.

It was just Butler's way of making sure we didn't stray off course or something worse. Plotting a course in outer space is a lot more difficult than charting a course across a lake on Earth. I didn't bother changing his rule.

All the senior officers had two assistants, except Joshua, Tom and Louis. These assistants were junior grade officers who were onboard mainly to get experience. Joshua and Tom each had only one assistant and Louis didn't have any. Butler made the decision before we left MC3 that the flight officer and the supply officer only needed one assistant each and the recreation officer didn't need any assistant.

During emergency situations all senior flight officers except navigation were to report to the upper flight deck and their assistants were to report to the lower flight deck; unless they were already on duty on the bridge, in which case they were to just remain where they were until relieved. All navigation officers were to report to the lower flight deck.

George was to report to the bridge because Butler wanted him where he could watch him. Juan, who was Joshua's assistant, and I were to report to the lower flight deck during emergencies.

Since I knew the captain was dead, I stayed where I was on the bridge. Juan was also on the upper flight deck right next to me; I told him just to stay where he was. With Joshua on the lower flight deck and George still not reporting in -- at that time I thought he might be among the dead -- I thought it better if Juan just stayed where he was.

He was taking everything in with extreme calm for someone who had never been in this type of emergency. I was proud of him.

Joshua was the only senior flight officer who did not have a regular watch to stand or a particular duty station. He was really just an extra first officer but he didn't out rank me. He and Butler were close friends and the captain originally wanted him to be the second officer. But George used his political influence and took that away from him. He outranked Joshua by several months of service.

So Joshua came on as a reserve officer, a spare captain if you will. Butler told Joshua that during emergencies he was to use his own judgment to determine where he should go, to the bridge or to lower flight deck.

My first concern was to get us as far away as possible from Jupiter as fast as possible. That's why I ordered him to remain below and to work with Aleks and work up a flight plan.

On another more personal note, I was glad to have Joshua on board. Frequently, Butler would send me a text message on my cell TV-phone ordering me to meet him in his cabin. It was always about something important that he wanted to discuss with me.

Sometimes it was actually about some onboard problem that he needed to talk about. But other times, after I would get there he and Joshua would strip me and then take turns screwing me, sometimes one at a time and at other times both at the same time. They made me feel like I was a shish kabob with one man in my mouth and another man in my vagina.

I didn't mind. In fact, I enjoyed the two of them humping me. As for the text messaging, I also enjoyed the mystery. I never knew whether I was going to his berth to recommend a solution to some onboard problem or for some great sex.

About two or three minutes lapsed from the time of the explosion to the time I ordered the chief to boost up the engines and for Juan to turn the ship to port. It may seem as though I was negligent in waiting so long to issue my orders, but not so.

You have to understand that right after I set foot on the bridge, the fourth bolt of lightening hit us and caused us to spin and for the next fifteen minutes or so everyone was in total confusion. Then no sooner had we gotten control of the ship back when the fifth lightening bolt hit us. It was like a one, two punch.

Not only that, because I could not rely on what the ship's computer was telling us, I also had to wait for a visual confirmation -- the two or three minutes -- before I could make a decision on what to do after the explosion tore the ship in half.

But as soon as I had that confirmation, I gave orders to get the James Cook away from Jupiter. It took me all of five seconds to make that decision.

I didn't make a decision to get us away from Jupiter after the fourth lightening strike because I wanted to inform Captain Butler about what was happening, what I thought we should do and to get his opinion on what he thought we should do. But as I stated, I never got through to him.

Within a few seconds after issuing my orders I felt the vibration of the James Cook's engines. I momentarily glanced up from the monitor and the controls in front of me to look through the windows of the flight deck and watched Jupiter begin to slowly move to the right as the nose of our spaceship turned to port. I said a silent prayer that the lightening would not strike us again.

Then it hit me . . . like a ton of bricks. With more than half of our officers, crew members and laborers dead -- I figured that at least that many had died when the ship broke apart -- and the cargo hold gone, the mission was over. Before we could even get started we were finished. I knew then and there that the only thing left to do was to head back to Earth. I was heartsick. I wanted to cry but I knew better.

I called over to our chief communication officer, "Vickie send a report to MC3 informing them as to what happened and tell them that the captain is dead. Tell them that I'll send a detailed report later."

She stared at me with a bewildered look on her face, "We don't have communication with anyone Toni. I tried to tell you earlier that both our main and backup antennae were out, but you shut me up."

It was another shock to my already frazzled nerves. "What about the short range antenna?" I vainly asked her; I already knew the answer.

"There's no way to tell if it's working until we're near Mars or some other space station. Until then the only communication we have is within the ship itself."

I momentarily closed my eyes in expiration. I knew that there was no way to inform MC3 of our damage, the lost cargo hold or of our dead crew members. There was no way to tell UNESA that we had to abort the mission.

After several minutes I radioed down to security and ordered Chantelle to get with her two assistants and to make a detailed inspection of the ship -- what was left of it. She radioed back that her second security officer had not reported in. I told her to work with what she had. I needed to know exactly what damage we had sustained.

The security officer was about the only officer I could spare at that time who had enough knowledge of the James Cook and the living section to make such an inspection. I didn't want to send Joseph the chief engineer or Beth his first mate because I needed them at their duty stations in case another lightening bolt hit us.

Beth had reported in just moments before and Joseph made a decision to remain below and sent her to the bridge. Kerri, Joseph's second mate, had not reported in at that time. I presumed her to be dead.

Next I called Louis on his cell TV-phone and ordered him to get a printout from the computer of all personnel onboard. Then go through the living section with Father Ray, the Catholic priest, count the live bodies and check off the names of everyone who was still living.

I needed a list of both of the living and of the dead. I knew that if we ever did get communications restored with MC3 then I would need their names for my report. Since the recreation officer was about the only person who did not have any assigned duty, I got him to make up the lists for me.

After about an hour Louis was able to get back with me.

From our original compliment of 159, we had 70 souls onboard, 19 officers counting myself, 22 crew members, 4 prostitutes and 25 construction laborers -- Father Ray was listed as a crew member. Of the survivors, only two of the laborers were injured -- the two men who had been struck by the bolt of lightening. Doc Yves reported that neither of them was expected to live.

The dead included Captain Butler, Connie the chief navigation officer, Constanisia the second navigation officer, Kerri the engineer's second mate, Brian the second security officer, Tom the supply officer and Nurse Brenda.

Of these seven individuals Butler, Connie and Tom were senior officers the others were junior officers. There were twelve prostitutes, ten crew members and sixty construction laborers among the dead.

Since the James Cook was on her maiden voyage and this was the first manned flight to Jupiter, I felt something akin to being one of the first class survivors of the RMS Titanic. Many of the Titanic's first and second class passengers made out OK; it was the third class passengers who took the brunt of the catastrophe. It was the same here. It was most of the construction crews who had their dreams destroyed.

As for my dream, I didn't know it at the time but my nightmare was about to begin.

To be continued . . .