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"Oh, I thought they'd be separate. One in India, one in Canada." he replied, dealing out the cards.
"We're not the only casualties, Jones... There were two dead in the infirmary already, and another who wasn't going to make it... Do you have any sevens?"
"Go fish. So one big ceremony, huh? I kinda like that... I like the idea that my family might get to meet your family," Jones smiled at the thought. "Do you have any, um, Jacks?"
"Tamana, do you have any Jacks?"
"Tamana?" he urged, shaking her shoulder.
At ten percent oxygen, she had told him, they would pass out. It wasn't a magic number. It varied by a few percent from person to person depending on a variety of factors. The O2 was low enough that Jones knew she wouldn't wake up again unless they were rescued.
He cried.
Jones didn't have the energy to be angry anymore. He had no one to reassure. So he just cried.
"I want your ideas if you have any," Patel had told him. "I need you to be strong when I can't"
He did have one more idea. It probably wouldn't do any good though. But it couldn't really hurt anything either, so... might as well.
***
It was a tapping sound that woke Patel. She was chilly and disoriented for a moment before she realized she was floating again. Looking over at the command screen instinctively, she saw the readout flashing "Atmospheric O2: 19.60%". The clock read "156:15". That didn't make any sense.
As she tried to wrap her mind around the impossible numbers she was seeing, Patel heard the tapping sound again. She turned and saw a person on the other side of the view port. She couldn't see a face—it was concealed behind the helmet of a space suit—but the person outside the viewport gave her a thumbs up.
Overcome with emotion, with tears in her eyes, Patel choked back a sob and returned the thumbs up sign.
"Jones!" she cried out, "Jones, wake up, they're here!"
She pushed herself over to where Jones slept, wrapped in blankets floating nearby.
"Jones, wake up! Lewis is here!" she repeated, shaking his arm. And then she saw the empty sedative bottle still clutched in his hand.
Epilogue: STAR Alliance didn't spare any expense. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries and celebrities, even heads of state. Media from every nation carried the event live. Jones' brothers were both brought up with their families; it was their first trip off-planet. The maiden voyage of the Earth Star Ship Hawking was a global event celebrated by all of humanity.
The Hawking would be the first vessel to carry human beings beyond the solar system to Proxima Centauri. The mission would be lead by Captain Lazslo Jones-Patel.
The Captain gave a speech to the crowd assembled at STAR Alliance's Luna headquarters. When he extolled the bravery of his crew, he recounted the sacrifice of his own father, whom he had never met. His mother sat in the audience with his uncles, and they could not have been more proud.
Special thanks to:
PuckIt for organizing the 2018 Geek Pride Day anthology
Etaski for the perfect title
JerseyGirlDownUnder for double checking my math
Blind_Justice - he knows what he did
- COMMENTS
TaleWeaver4u3 months agoNot where I thought this was going to end damn you. Good job.
sailandoar9 months agoI wasn't expecting that, Great Work/Writing . . . thanks for what you do!
Rambling_Chantrix9 months agoThis was a really good story! I don't like the idea that anyone "deserves" sex, though... I wish that Patel's motivation had been more nakedly horny from the get-go, rather than altruistic... (or that they'd had more obvious chemistry from the start) but the sex was a minor part of the story, all told, and I am quite impressed with how you've woven this one. The math, science, and pacing were all enjoyable.
In a tale of unfortunate consequences and scientific rigor, it's quite... fortuitous that this one encounter resulted in a viable pregnancy. But I guess it's good drama. Thanks for sharing!
