Starship: Unbound

Approach-With Questions

Six Years Later

Even when the goal was planting a colony, the voyage of a starship was also journey of exploration. Odysseus was returning from GJ 2238c, or New Eden as the colonists had proclaimed it, with a fresh trove of detailed observations about the planet, the red dwarf system it was a part of, and descriptions of interstellar matter, particle profiles, and magnetic fields between that system and Earth's. The return voyage of the Odysseus to the solar system of its origin had included an prolonged political debate among the crew—a debate with deep personal implications for all aboard.

For months after the ship left the colonists on New Eden, the crew had worked to refurbish the ship. The crews' duties were divided into four main categories, command, science, ship-keeping, and personnel. Many served more than one role. Everyone aboard helped with with ship maintenance. With three thousand five hundred members of the Ascendency now departed, cabins that had been reconfigured to accommodate a variety family groups were restored to their standard configurations. The ship's environmental and ecological systems were reworked and purged of excess contaminants to return them to their nominal condition.

Starships could cruise almost indefinitely, but refurbishing and reconditioning the Odysseus underway meant their turnaround time at Earth would be minimized. Some of the crew would use the layover time in the Earth system to travel and see the sights on the Earth and Moon, they all lived aboard. While the ship's voyages took ten to twelve years of relativistic time round trip but for the crew and passengers, on Earth two to three times that amount of time or more would have passed. After just one or two trips, no loved ones would remain to great them upon their return.

Meller had started holding crew meetings early on the return voyage so they would understand and discuss the questions raised by the starships' concerns with the way the ships were being used to dispose of political and social problems on Earth. Now they were nearing Earth at the end of their journey.

Waving his hand, Meller called for the group's attention. He tried to run crew meetings as community gatherings because they were. He was captain of the starship, but at these meetings he tried to act more like a mayor of their small community. The ninety-plus members of the crew and their families, lounged around the forward recreation center in family and social groups. Gradually they quieted.

"Okay, thank you," he started. "As you know, we have about a month until we arrive at Earth. Our particle field interference is low enough now to make ourselves heard directly over regular comm channels." Special error checking coding allowed signals to be sent through the ship's particle wake when it was traveling near light speed, but it slowed and reduced the capacity of their outbound transmissions considerably. "Plus," Meller added, "the time delay in our communications is down to about twelve hours—short enough we can begin talking to the Space Service directly. So,"—he looked around the room—"it's time to start figuring out what is store for us."

"Anything new?"

Looking around the room, he spotted Nance Gatterman, the interstellar magneto-dynamicist and hydroponics technician. "Nothing since the Artemis arrived back at Earth, Nance." Meller glanced down at his wife. Seriph smiled back at him to show she was pleased he had used the man's first name. She had drilled him to unbend with the crew more. Stiff and formal were necessary for focused, command functions, but moderating a group discussion that was designed to arrive at a consensus decision about their future required a more casual, intimate approach.

Meller added, "In our next communication we are going to ask for updated plans for the survey sweep scheduled for our next mission."

"I really hope they add the UH 437 system."

Meller turned to see who had spoken. Seriph helped him out. "Jon Tace."

"Thank you," he responded to Seriph before saying to the group, "Jon, we sent your request in our last CODIF transmission. They have your updated information as well as your research proposal to consider." He shrugged. "We'll just have to see what they say."

Several more asked questions related to their own particular interests before Sara Vatman asked, "Any news from the Artemis?"

He shook his head. "Nothing direct. Just the usual confirmation of her arrival in Moon orbit and taking up station at the L-4 service point. We are going to send her a request for a status update when we open communications with the Space Service." He paused to make sure everyone was listening. "Artemis will be our independent confirmation of the situation Earthside."

He looked around the room, but there were no more comments. It was time to sum up. "I think these sessions have let us reach agreement that we will have to make our own decision about how this starship will be used. In a short time we will start getting new information—information from a variety of sources. I will send you regular updates, but let's start having these crew meetings every week and sooner if we have something to talk about." He looked around the room one more time, but everyone was silent. "Thank you all for coming, and I'll see you in a week."

#

Back in their cabin, little two-year-old Sandy was in his bed, but he bounced up and demanded attention when his parents returned. Darla Pettis's daughter Tieg smiled at Meller and Seriph. "He's getting to be such a cutie! Tonight he asked Odysseus to tell him a story."

"Odysseus was busy, wan't he?" Seriph replied.

"Oh, yes, but he did promise Sandy that his daddy would read him a story when he got home." Tieg giggled as Meller shook his head in exasperation. There were not many children aboard the starship. There were a long list of challenging precautions necessary to minimize the environmental risk to the developing embryo, but Meller and Seriph had wanted a child, and they had willingly put up with all the requirements.

"So, are we going to Earth?" Tieg was a precocious thirteen.

Meller nodded. "Prometheus has given up on our home planet, but Odysseus wants to solicit an opinion from Artemis who is currently in the system. We haven't heard directly from her in some time."

"I'd like to go hiking in the Himalayas." Tieg was a free spirit.

"Better up your time in the fitness center." Seriph smiled. "Those are tall mountains."

"You've seen them?" the girl gushed.

Seriph nodded. "We traveled to Nepal when I was about your age," she said. "The Ascendency thought the Hindus would be ripe for their message, but no." Seriph shrugged. "I did get to see some of the mountains—from a distance anyway."

By this time Tieg had gathered her things. She said good night to Sandy before she left. Once they their son settled after he was read a story, Meller and Seriph went to their own bed. In the dark before they went to sleep, Seriph asked, "What do you think will happen?"

Meller sighed before he answered. "I want to think every thing will be fine."

"Want?"

"The altered data on GJ 2238c makes me deeply suspicious." He sighed again and reached out to take her hand. "We'll see what Artemis has to say when we're closer."