This story is for persons of eighteen years or over. All comments, good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered.
Part Four
We were six weeks into the journey when Kim had herself checked by Doctor Bara and pronounced pregnant so our child would be the first one born in space and we hoped she would survive. We knew from the injections that it would be a girl for that was the thinking before we started that all the first babies would be females and the second male.
Each woman was expected to have four children before arrival and at least eighty of them to either have at least one child as well, so we expected to be a total of nearly three hundred souls on board. That was why we had such large gardens being cultivated to provide food for this quantity. A lot of what was produced if not eaten, would be frozen and stored for the latter end of the voyage.
We reached maximum speed just within our three months and another three of the woman were found to be pregnant, so we now had four future settlers already on the way. It was a week later that the event occurred that put the whole thing into jeopardy.
Up in the control room was a board that monitored every section of the ship for oxygen content and with just a slight dip, Kim and I would be sent to investigate. It had been expected that minor leaks would occur for which we were prepared and on this day, it was just after breakfast when we were called into action. It was in number ten section of the gardens and so we put our pressure suits on and went down there.
Now each part of the ship is sectioned off with air locks which were, in the case of the gardens, in the centre of the ship. The gardens being divided by a path running down the middle. So with the air locks there, we then had cavity walls running out to the ships sides. The air lock section was normally left open only to be closed in an emergency, and it was in between these two doors were the inspection hatches. With the air lock closed both sides, we could open a hatch to gain entry into the cavity wall that led to the space between the inner and middle skin.
This we opened and went in and closed the hatch behind us which was then sealed and the air locks could be opened again for the passage of people and oxygen. We carried our oxygen packs on our backs for we were now in a vacuum but when we entered the space between the skins, there were supply points for us to connect our hoses to. We were also tethered together, a safety rule that we always followed. I would have my safety line fixed by Kim and I would go off and do my search with the oxygen leak detector strapped to my wrist that would tell me if I was near to a leak. When I reached the end of my line, I would anchor myself and she would unhitch me from the other end and then follow me and continue ahead doing the same check.
We could communicate which each other through the head sets inside our helmets and so we progressed. It was on my suggestion in the ship's construction that lights were placed in between the skins to indicate the oxygen and tethering points. It would seem peculiar to a stranger when in a vacuum for the first time for you cannot see a beam of light, only the spot it is directly aimed at and it could be quite disorientating if you weren't used to it. That is because in an atmosphere there are many particles of microscopic dust and it is this that reflects so that you can actually see the beam.
`It's lunch time,' Kim said through the head set just as I found the leak.
We'll take the second sitting,' I said. I've found the leak and it won't take long to fix it.' I had a pouch with me of various sized metal patches and my laser welding gun and so I repaired that small leak. I waited a moment before checking again with the detector and found that it was okay and that was when the alarm bells went off.
`Are you tethered Kim,' I shouted out as I checked my own, not knowing for where the alarm bell was sounding.
`Yes, I'm fixed. What do you think it is?' she replied. Then we both felt a slight whomph but had no idea what it meant.
Control room,' came crackling through my head set. Jon, Kim, are you alright?'
`We're both fine, what's happened?' I asked.
Outer door number four was opened,' that was the one just forward of the kitchens. Also the two inner doors, five and six.' There was a sob in her voice. We can't raise anyone in either the canteen of kitchens and the place is devoid of atmosphere. I'm afraid we've lost some of the crew.' Her sobbing could quite clearly be heard now. Captain Bea here,' came another voice. Where are you Jon?' I told her. Right. Proceed, you and Kim to hatch twenty five and enter the air lock and tell me when you've sealed the hatch and we'll open the air lock door to the canteen area. Take care and make sure your safety lines are secure. We believe that all three doors are open and that we've lost all persons that were there.'
I was stunned but acknowledged and heard that Kim was crying.
`You heard the Queen Bea Kim, now pull yourself together and let's go.'
We carried on between the skins until we reached the hatch that led us through the cavity walls to the air lock I'd been told to go to. We entered it and sealed the hatch behind us.
Okay control. We're in the air lock now,' and then the door slowly opened for us to pass through, one at a time until I was tethered and Kim could then follow me. We're in. You can close the door now,' and I saw it slide shut and then I went forward into where the canteen was.
It was completely devoid of furniture that wasn't bolted to the deck, except for four chairs that I could see jammed underneath one of the tables. All the other chairs had gone as well as cushions, papers, pictures and people. Kim and I leapfrogged our way across to the kitchen and found it somewhat battered but again devoid of all utensils, pot, pans, trays, towels and food.
The doors that led through to the stores on the other side were missing, and the surrounds had been really hammered, dents and smears of what looked like blood covered both sides. We moved cautiously and double hooked our safety lines for just through this gap and to our right would be the doors to the outside.
I went through the doorway and looked out into open space. I couldn't see if the outer door had been damaged for it had been fully retracted. This door being opened alone would have set off the alarm bells and now I could see what had made the ship tremor and the faint noise we had heard.
The two inner doors had been completely torn away. The sides where they would normally slide into had been literally torn open and the metal was jagged and very dangerous. The slides at both top and bottom had been pulled outwards. I reported what I could see and I was asked if the outer door was still intact? This I couldn't answer and I asked if they could operate the outer door so that I could inspect it.
No,' was the answer. Is the manual control box still there?'
`Was there anybody down there?' came another quavering voice over my head set.
`Negative to that one and yes, the manual control is still there,' I replied.
`Releasing control to you,' the Captain said. This was a safety device fitted in that all door and air lock controls were up in that room up top and they could leave them open or closed against manual use. Like the air locks between the gardens could be opened by anyone wishing to pass through unless the control took over and barred the use of them. The outer doors would of course be constantly barred but somehow, they'd been opened.
`No good,' I said after trying the button to close it.
`Check the electrical panel.' I moved back from the open gap after another look out into space, marvelling at the fact that I was standing there and not really being able to visualise the fact that I was travelling at millions of miles an hour.
The front panel is missing and it looks a right mess inside,' I said when I'd got to it. This needs an electrician. I can't sort this out.'
`If we get the outer door moving and it checks out and can be shut, what about the two inner doors? Can you do anything with them?'
`No chance there. All I can do here is seal up the holes. We don't really need them now.'
`How long would that take?'
`Twenty four maybe thirty six hours. It's very dangerous with all this jagged metal about that will have to be cut away first.'
`Okay. Now will you both go down and check the sleeping quarters to see if anyone is down there for we're not getting any response from there either.'
Will do,' I said. Okay Kim, let's go,' and so we went off and checked but found no one but the place was a shambles. Where a door had been left open, the rooms was completely empty of bedding and loose items.
We then were told to go and check the gardens and the propulsion unit though no one was to be expected to be found, but we did. Two very frightened women in one of the gardens who cried with relief when we found them. They'd been scared so witless that they hadn't thought of using one of the emergency phones located at either end of the garden they were in.
Great!' was the response from control. Bring them up here.'
This meant going down into the storage deck and through air locks controlled by the bridge as we came to them, passing on into the shuttle bay and so made our way up from there, bypassing the accommodation deck as well as the canteen and kitchens.
Up on the bridge deck where the control room was, I gave my report on the damage. Two women were then sent down with an electrical manual to try and repair the fuse box and another two to the storerooms to bring food up to us all for nobody had eaten since breakfast.
It was only when I was up there did I realise the error that Captain Bea had made at the beginning for I appeared now to be the only male member of the crew left on board. With the doors being opened, I could imagine the carnage of everyone and things being sucked out in one sudden rush, killing all instantly. Not only had all the men gone but four of the women too.
This meant the end of the first attempt of conquering space and finding a new planet fit for humans to live on. But I hadn't reckoned on the forceful nature of Doctor Bara.
After Kim and I had eaten, we went back down and spent the rest of the day cutting away jagged pieces of metal to give us a surface upon which to weld up new walls instead of doors. It took the two at the fuse panel the same amount of time we were there to finally work out the wiring and thankfully, we saw the outer door close and on checking it, I found that it was secure.
Everybody slept wherever they could for the accommodation wouldn't be ready for use until we'd put these walls up, which we started on the next day. Only when these were up and with Kim and I on the inside between the new walls was oxygen allowed into the area. We checked our seals and found no leaks but we now had to have two other people come into this space while we went into the other section between the middle skin and outer surface wall. When in place, the two in the middle released a gas for us to check if the middle wall was sealed properly, which fortunately it was.
With this section of the ship now declared safe, we could do a proper inspection to determine the cause, which soon became apparent.
It couldn't really be called sabotage but more like suicide by some poor unfortunate that also killed more than him or herself. It had to be one of the electricians to be able to do the rewiring of the door controls without alerting the bridge. With the outer door opening, it set off the alarm but all it needed then was to open the other two just a crack for them to blow outwards, taking the operator first with the others following.
Unbeknown to me while I was sealing up the doorways, a meeting had been going on by the senior officers, that is the Captain, Vice Captain and the Doctor. What went on was later told to me by Doctor Bara.
`We've got to abort the mission and return to the moon,' Captain Bea had said.
Why?' Doctor Bara had asked. The ship itself is still safe and space worthy.'
`We lost thirty nine of the men, leaving only one. The whole reason for the voyage is now lost.'
`Again I ask why? He's young and lusty! He got Kim pregnant before we'd even left. Surely he can still perform and get us all pregnant. We'd look bloody fools to go back while we've still got one man aboard.'
It would take them years to get another male crew together as well as new females,' Vice Captain Tark put in. For we would certainly not be allowed to go when they did so, we'd be too old.'
`Exactly,' Bara said.
`But one man siring the next generation would be all wrong.' Bea said.
There's three women he didn't impregnate. Their blood would lessen his over time,' Bara said and so the argument went on until it was put to the vote and Bea was outvoted. Okay, the voyage will continue but only for another three months if he can get all the rest of us pregnant.'
`Six months to be sure,' Bara said.
`Four months then,' Bea said.
`No. The least would have to be five. It takes six weeks before I could be absolutely certain of pregnancy,' Bara had protested and so that was it, subject to my being willing to become the impregnator of the other thirty two women.
It was an opportunity that many men would give their left testicle for, though on second thoughts, make that an arm for he would need both his testes to achieve what they wanted. So on the second day after the disaster, I was called up to face the tribunal as I thought of it as being. I got a slow wink from Bara as Bea outlined what I was being asked to do and felt very flattered that they considered me to be stud enough for the task.
Being the randy sod that I was, I accepted the challenge that I get all thirty two women pregnant within five months, the sooner the better, Bara added.