Terraformer Read online

  The first manned mission to Tau Ceti was finally in the works. That was when the people of Earth were ultimately called upon to create a faster engine as well as a safer form of cryogenic technology. In 2212, the first ship of terraformers was sent to the Tau Ceti system, which arrived twenty-eight years later by their own reckoning. From the viewpoint of those on Earth, it took thirty-two years. Einstein’s relativity still had a way with shrinking time for those aboard a fast-moving spacecraft.

  The first terraformers littered the planet with SSF packets, or Seedling, Soil, and Fertilizer packets, which were really just compressed softball-sized tree/grass/weed starters. They also introduced various forms of algae into the oceans along with enough microbial sea life necessary to keep the algae in check. It would be the follow-up terraformer mission that arrived ten years later that would be responsible for introducing fish, insects, earthworms, birds, and rodents to the planet. They also brought along more fertilizer as well as seed for a variety of fruits and vegetables.

  Fifteen years after that, when the third ship of terraformers arrived, the planet was already becoming vibrant with the ongoing assistance of those hard-working terraformers who now resided on the planet. Oxygen levels in the atmosphere weren’t quite where they needed to be yet, so they mostly existed inside sealed tent-communities or when they were outside, they had to wear oxygen masks.

  No other ships would arrive on Inglenook for almost fifty years, by which point the planet had been deemed ‘acceptable’. This wasn’t an ideal rating at all, but it did mean that life was sustaining itself and that oxygen levels in the atmosphere were steadily increasing. It was even possible to exist outside of the habitats without oxygen masks most of the time.

  By then, ships were being built regularly and they began heading out to Inglenook nearly twice a year. This continued on for almost twenty years when suddenly an exceptionally violent global war on Earth strained the finances of most nations. After 2310, the space program was brought to an abrupt end and the concept of interstellar travel wouldn’t be visited again until the creation of the Frontier in 2417, over a hundred years later.

  This brings us to today, February 2445 by our reckoning, where Sydney and I found ourselves alone on the bridge gazing out at a beautiful field of shimmering stars. Actually, I was the one gazing out through the giant domed windshield while she busied herself at one of the command terminals.

  I turned to her, wondering just then why neither of us opted to change out of the white bathrobes and into something more appropriate. We had plenty of clothing because all of us had been permitted to bring ten complete outfits as well as a single suitcase of personal effects. After living the life of a billionaire, enjoying excess in every way, it was pretty hard for me to narrow down my future belongings to the contents of a single suitcase. That selfish thought was all it took to bring my thoughts back to our current grave situation.

  “So, what’s it look like?” I asked as I approached the terminal where she was seated.

  She quickly swiped at her cheek, but not before I saw the tear that had betrayed her current emotional state. She cleared her throat, then shook her head.

  “These deaths could have all been prevented,” she choked out as she pointed at the screen before her, “The doses of the M4S were far too low! I mean, look at that! Everyone was supposed to receive twenty milliliters of M4S along with a ten-milligram tablet of Wilomene. Those people might as well have died of a severe case of the bends!”

  “I’m not following,” I muttered as I moved to where I could see the screen she’d been pointing to, “What’s M4S or the bends?”

  She pointed to the list of names, “M4S helps the blood to get rid of needless gases that could harm a person during cryogenic revival. When a diver rises too quickly from a deep sea dive, the nitrogen in the blood decompresses and bubbles up quickly, eventually killing the person in a violently painful manner. Something very similar happens when reviving a person who has been frozen for extended periods of time. Twenty milliliters of M4S along with Wilomene prior to cryogenic slumber will prevent any issues from frozen blood gases. Look at this.”

  I followed her finger down the line of names. Ten milliliters had been given to all of us instead of twenty. The Wilomene dosages were correct, but it looked like we all were given half of the correct dose of the M4S.

  “But why did you and I survive?” I asked, “I didn’t have a heart attack and really I didn’t have much trouble waking up at all.”

  She clicked my name, causing my file to appear. We both looked for anything unusual, but nothing seemed to stand out at me.

  “What’s this?” she asked, pointing to a notification, “You threw up?”

  “Well… I was getting really nervous at the time. I had never gone into cryogenic slumber before,” I muttered.

  “None of us have before, Cuttar,” she turned to look at me for a moment, then pointed to the screen, “So I take it that Cornelius found out and gave you something to settle your nerves.”

  She chuckled as she pointed to something else, “He injected you with five milliliters of Relaxoral and ten milliliters of M4S. He probably figured you’d be the first one put under, so he gave you what was believed to be your full blood gas injection. Instead, you apparently got the same dose as the rest of us an hour later.”

  “So, I should have been the only survivor,” I breathed, “All because I puked! And why or how was I able to save you?”

  “Well, clearly I was dying like everyone else. The Wilomene would have helped the inflated blood gases to slowly disperse toward the intestines, unlike what occurs in someone who has the bends. Until that occurred, there were many opportunities for those expanding gases to create an embolism and stop the heart,” she said, looking over at me again, “Until those gases dispersed, you kept my heart beating, I guess.”

  “I just wish… Man, I shouldn’t have taken such a long shower,” I groaned, “I could have probably saved everyone in your room. I just know it.”

  She shook her head as she returned her attention back to her terminal, “If you were as freezing as I was, then you really had no choice. The chill was far too deep to ignore.”

  I sat down at the terminal next to hers, then swiveled my chair to face her. I wasn’t about to touch any of the controls at this station for fear that I’d hit a self-destruct button.

  “When I’d asked a moment ago about how it looks, I’d actually been referring to our potential success or demise,” I said, “Not that I’m heartless about those that we’ve lost. It’s just that there’s nothing we can do about those people anymore.”

  She shook her head as she continued typing on that keyboard, “Well, I needed to know.”

  “I get that. And it-”

  “I needed to know whether or not I could trust you,” she finished, never looking in my direction.

  I swallowed as I watched her, “And… and what have you determined?”

  She finally looked at me, expressionless, “You’re just as lost and worried as you portray. Not sure whether that’s a good thing or not, but at least you’re not my enemy.”

  SIX

  I had finally decided that I served no purpose on the bridge while she continued her search through the ship’s computer systems. She also didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk, so I retired to my suite where I quickly went about locating something more fitting to wear.

  I opened the top dresser drawer only to discover that my socks and underwear were situated exactly in the same way as I’d placed them over twenty-five years ago. I grabbed a pair of white socks and a set of blue boxers, then I closed the drawer. In the deep drawer beneath that one, I located my shirts and pants, all still folded and undisturbed after all these years. I wasted no time picking out a simple outfit, then I quickly discarded the bathrobe onto the floor.

  After I slipped on my boxers, I suddenly recalled my suitcase of personal effects that should have been located underneath my bed. I don’t know why that though
t commanded my attention just then, but it did. I knelt down next to the bed and reached beneath the foot of the bed. I felt around for a moment before my fingers settled onto the handle. I grabbed hold and then tugged it out from beneath the bed.

  I hefted it up from the floor and then set it down flat onto the bed. I flipped the two chrome latches open, causing the overstuffed suitcase to almost burst open. I then tossed the fabric lid back, revealing all the treasure that I had left in this world. Out of everything I owned, whether at my home in L.A. or at the beach house in North Carolina, this was all that remained of my entire existence. I reached out to grab my most treasured possession when suddenly there was a knock on my door.

  “Yes?” I hollered, quickly drawing the lid back and then forcing it down so that the latches would connect.

  “Cuttar, are you decent?” she asked.

  I looked down at my underwear, “Actually I’m not. Hold on a second.”

  I quickly finished getting dressed, then I rushed over to the door and opened it. I was pleased to note that she too had chosen to forego the bathrobe in favor of actual clothing. Now she sported a set of dark blue jeans and an oversized yellow and black football jersey.

  “Hi, I uh…” I sputtered.

  “Listen… you’re right, Cuttar. I’ve been rude ever since you and I woke up inside this frightening alternate reality. You didn’t say that I was rude, but I saw it in your eyes and it’s true! Let me explain,” she began as she seemed to fidget in my doorway, “No, I can’t do that here. It wouldn’t be right. Wait, what about that fake restaurant you added? Can we go there?”

  “I’m confused,” I stepped back.

  “Cuttar! Do I have to spell it out for you? I need to explain some things and the hallway isn’t really the place. I came here to…” she shook her head as she looked up at me, “Would you care to join me for dinner?”

  I laughed, causing her to immediately step back and wave her hand at me. The look on her face told me right away that she’d misinterpreted that laugh.

  “You know what? Forget it!” she hollered.

  “No, listen!” I gasped as I quickly joined her in the hallway, “I laughed because it was no big deal. You being rude to me, I mean. I laughed because it felt like you were asking me out on a date when in reality, I should have been the one asking you. I mean, only one of us is ugly here and he happens to be the one in the red t-shirt, so it sort of tickled me when you said that. Yes, please let me join you for dinner.”

  She took another step back as she seemed to examine every little innuendo that might be hidden in my expression. She truly appeared to be searching for something as she finally raised a finger and pointed it at me.

  “Are you patronizing me? I’ve had my share of bullies over the years and I won’t think twice about leaving you here to die,” she growled.

  “Not in the slightest. And if you were serious about happily allowing me to die here without a second thought, I’d like to really discuss that because now you actually hurt me. Before when you claimed to have been rude, you hadn’t ever hurt me or upset me in any way. But now?” I said with a tip of my head, “Now I guess you have something to apologize for if you really didn’t mean it.”

  Her shoulders sunk just then as she looked up at me. Sydney was about four to six inches shorter than me, so unless we were seated, it seemed that she was always looking up at me.

  “You’re absolutely right. I think it would be best to talk over dinner, so Cuttar…” she began in a kind and resigned tone of voice, “Would you please join me for dinner?”

  I reached over and closed the door to my suite, “Yes, I’d be happy to.”

  SEVEN

  The restaurant that Sydney had been referring to was no different than the automated food dispensaries on the ancient interstellars. The only difference was that I’d spent a good portion of my donations on aesthetics. I wanted to believe that I was in a nice restaurant, even if it was nothing more than the ship’s automated cafeteria.

  “So anyway, I’m sorry for being rude to you all this time and no, I wouldn’t wish death upon you,” she said, depressing button number 8 on the machine.

  I watched as the frozen box dropped onto her plastic tray. She slid the tray along the stainless steel railing, pausing while I examined my ten choices. I selected number 6 which happened to be “chicken white pizza”. Everything we would be offered on this ship would be in the form of frozen wraps or pockets. These would be dropped onto the tray inside a box which would then be sucked into a heating machine while we selected our drinks and snacks. Snacks would be limited to nothing but dried fruit or honey graham crackers.

  “Thank you, Sydney. That actually does mean a lot,” I said, selecting lemon seltzer water, “You probably see me as an imbecile because you’re a scientist and I’m nothing more than a financier. Well, I have news for you – I am nothing more than an imbecile! I was merely along for the ride! I needed to get away from my own bullies forever, so yes, I understand how it feels to be bullied.”

  “Yeah, I don’t believe for a moment that you’re an imbecile, but that’s neither here nor there,” she said, taking the cooked meal that now slid out of the automated oven, “Your dad was big on education, so don’t try to play that card.”

  “Dad is dead and he’s been dead ever since I was twelve,” I chuckled, turning to her while I waited for my food to get heated up, “Bet you didn’t know that! Supposedly he died last year, right? Not last year, but you know what I mean – a year before we left. But no, I’d been the sole owner of Larkin Industries ever since I was twelve years old!”

  “Wait, that doesn’t make any sense,” she turned to me, “Larkin Industries had been the main contributor to this endeavor for over five years. Your dad was a leader in this the whole…”

  She paused as she watched my grin slowly begin to grow. She bit her bottom lip as she shook her head. I took my heated food from the automated oven, then led the way over to one of the nearby glossy tables.

  “You mean to tell me that the Frontier and the mission to Inglenook was nothing more than the dream of a child?” she blurted.

  “An uneducated child,” I nodded, “A kid who fantasized about getting away from all the corporate bullies who insisted I hand over the company to all those high-ranking board members.”

  “No way!” she was finally smiling for the first time ever, at least as far as I was concerned, “This is world-altering news! A twelve-year old began and funded the Frontier program?”

  “No, I was seventeen by then when I actually got the ball rolling and started selling off shares of the company. I was only twelve when I became the sole owner.”

  I sat down and Sydney sat across from me. We both began to open our steaming boxes which contained the ancient premade food from decades past.

  “You just made my day, Cuttar. Forget the fact that you aren’t educated or the fact that you don’t know anything about shipboard operations,” she said, shaking her head as she looked down at those two steaming food-pockets, “You tricked the world for years, causing them to believe your dad was still running the company.”

  “Hey, my aunt helped a lot,” I grinned, “It’s not like I was a lone wolf all that time. She was the one who suggested we hide Dad’s death.”

  We carefully bit into our dinners, hoping not to burn ourselves on the blazing contents of the meal-pockets. We respected each other’s efforts to cautiously chew these extremely hot bites, pausing our conversation during such times.

  “Listen, I need some help from you. A lot of help,” she said, setting her wrap down, “Besides the heartfelt apology, it’s the main reason I came to talk to you.”

  “Anything!” I replied, “I’ll do whatever I can to make this work. I very much want to set foot on Inglenook.”

  She leaned forward and clasped her hands together, “I need a vow. I need a promise, vow, swear… I need your word, Cuttar. I have to have this.”

  “Sydney! I’m not your enemy! I’m not
a spy and I didn’t kill these people! What can I do to gain your trust?” I pleaded.

  She didn’t waver, “You can give me this vow. Vow to me that you will help me no matter what.”

  “I promise! I swear!” I insisted, “This is nothing new, Sydney. I already told you I’d do whatever it takes.”

  “No matter what?” she held my gaze.

  “Listen! I’m dead! I’m already dead as far as I’m concerned! We’re trapped up in space - a terraformer and a financier. Unless you’ve got a miracle up that jersey sleeve of yours, I’m already a dead man. So yes, Sydney, no matter what! I vow to you that I will help.”

  “Good, then you should know that we don’t have enough fuel or supplies to make a return trip to Earth. This is nothing new to either of us,” she said.

  “Just give it to me straight,” I blurted, “Just tell me now that you don’t know how to land this ship on Inglenook. I already figured that neither of us understand such things. You can’t surprise me at this point.”

  “Inglenook is dead,” she breathed.

  “Wait… what?”

  “We’ll be orbiting the planet tomorrow morning and its oceans are green while the land is brown. In case you didn’t know, neither are the colors of success. The terraforming of this planet, as near as I can tell, is a complete failure,” she said.

  EIGHT

  I set down that pizza pocket and stared at the woman in front of me. If what she spoke were true, then her expression should have been more along the lines of terror, fear, or dread. Instead, she held my gaze with an expression that might as well have said “Hey Cuttar, did you hear that the Steelers might be going to the playoffs this year?”