TWO

 Cassie Mulligan, first officer was on her third circuit of patrolling the communal leisure area, after all there was nothing else to do since the SS Odyssey had stopped moving. Though in truth there had often been long stretches of mind numbing inactivity throughout the last three years and very little security work to do. The community of the SS Odyssey was on the whole a well behaved lot, except for the recent verbal outbursts and building insurgence of “the colony resistance” who had now gone to ground. The hard working and efficient officer in her late twenties paused for a moment and retied her auburn pony tail, then straightened her immaculate uniform, her unused truncheon dangling from her belt. The smell of fried bacon wafted in the air from a nearby canteen, causing her freckled nose to twitch and her empty stomach to rumble. With a heavy heart she sighed for the long day that lay ahead, they were behind schedule, some days it seemed they would never reach the new planet. Cassie’s mind began to wonder, as was often the case when she was on a solitary patrol but her thoughts usually returned to her childhood on Earth and to the friends she had left behind, although this past week she had been focused on recent developments or rather lack of developments on board the Starship. The paused flight course and the stalling of the engines for almost a week was unprecedented, the young officer who had been brought up and trained not to question authority now found herself doing exactly that. Cassie could not see any immediate cause for alarm but then again she was perfectly aware she had done no investigations. As soon as the engines had stopped, the colony resistance had said that everyone on board was in danger but could offer no explanation for their warning and then Cassie had overheard Katrina Haverstock talking to Captain Peters…That was yesterday evening and now officer Haverstock was nowhere to be seen, latest report on the network said she had been committed to the “vulnerable persons” asylum ward. Though Cassie did not know on who’s orders, she shuddered to herself as she leaned over the balcony and did a spot of people watching to cheer herself up, some of the good citizens were exercising, the rest socializing. Cassie smiled contentedly as she watched the children chasing each other around, for many of the kids their home planet had become a distant dream. The SS Odyssey had seen all of life, there had been births though mercifully deaths had been kept to a minimum.

 “Hey Cassie…There you are.”

  Cassie turned round and smiled at her good friend and security officer Daniel Gilbert, during this voyage they had kept each other sane and entertained with late 20th century rock/ ballad music and holographic reruns of a strange British TV show called Red Dwarf, though the pair of them had to admit that the humour and vision of their ancestors was rather perceptive. Even though Cassie wasn’t impressed by her occasional nickname of Rimmer. There was something about Officer Gilbert, he could not exactly be called handsome with his long drawn face and slightly bent nose. On first impression, he came across as being the shy, kind type, though upon longer acquaintance he was known to have surprising moments of brilliance and would say the funniest things, he was one of those guys who grew on you. And now the voyage was nearing its end, Cassie wondered whether it was time they went for that drink because if it all went wrong it would be easier to avoid each other on the new planet. They had both been tentatively dancing around each other for months now, though maybe they had been friends for too long.

 “Hello Gilby…” Cassie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the bacon sandwich which Officer Gilbert was passing into her eager hands. “Oh you life saver, now that’s what I call breakfast.” Cassie took a bite, leaning blissfully against the high balcony she winked playfully at her friend. “You know how to treat a lady.”  

 Daniel Gilbert’s morning had been made, the woman who burned at the centre of his Universe had smiled at him, nothing could spoil his day now. Cassie Mulligan was the kind of woman who didn’t fall prey to easy charm and smarmy men with their dodgy chat up lines, numerous male officers had tried to get her on a date but all had failed. In some circles she was known as Officer Stunner whilst others mean spiritedly called her the ice maiden.

 “You ain’t seen nothing yet sweetheart…” Daniel beamed in his slight cockney accent conjuring a coffee and a sweet pastry from behind his back.

 “Jesus Gilby…It’s like you can read my mind…Well if you’re trying to fatten me up…” Cassie wisecracked in her native Irish tones, after scoffing down the sandwich she swigged back her coffee and held on longingly to the pastry.

 “Well I’d have to be going some to do that, you super skinny…Gorgeous woman you…” Daniel’s words trailed off awkwardly, he was flirting again…badly and it was more embarrassing than last time. Cassie thought it best to feign deafness as Daniel cleared his throat. “It’s simply not genetically possible for you to gain weight…” Daniel finished quietly and then blushed, his hand self-consciously brushing against his rounded stomach, it had been a constant battle since he’d hit thirty. Sometimes, Daniel wondered whether he was deluding himself about a possible future with Cassie but it was her smile that kept him hoping, she didn’t smile like that at anyone else.

 “Daniel…Will you walk with me for a moment? There’s something I wanted to talk to you about?” Cassie asked suddenly, pointing out the route she had just taken moments ago.

 Daniel Gilbert took a deep breath of anticipation, she had called him by his first name, it must be important. Yet he could not help hoping that this was the momentous moment he had been waiting for, the moment Cassie Mulligan asked him on a date.

 “It’s about the Starship, it’s been a week now and we’re still not moving…At first I was told there was a problem with the engines. I have since spoken to engineering and they said they’re resting the engines, for our imminent landing, the extra thrust we need for entry into the new planet’s atmosphere but… I’ve never heard of that procedure before.” Cassie moved in closer to Daniel, chewing thoughtfully on her pastry. “I just know they aren’t telling me something.” Her eyes widened childlike. “Maybe we have broken down…What do I know? After all…”

 “After all…You, Captain Peters and the rest of the crew are just the ones who press the flashing buttons on the flight deck…” Daniel grinned cheekily and yelped like an over grown kid as Cassie smacked him on the arm. “Though you do get to wear the nice, shiny suits…” Daniel pondered winking at his friend as her cheeks dimpled into a smile which she could not resist.

 “But seriously, what do you think?” Cassie felt a quickening in her pulse, on board the SS Odyssey something was going on, it was almost exciting as well as being cause for concern. Cassie wanted Daniel to be in tune with her feelings, she wanted her best friend to feel the same way.

 “Well now you put it that way… I’d like to get to the back of it. Yeah.” Daniel nodded, the three years of ennui and inactivity beginning to fall away. “I don’t know about you but I don’t know how much longer I can stand waiting for our arrival on the new planet… After the probes sent back their reports, they said it’s how Earth used to be, unspoilt…Just imagine it, to be able to walk in the sea Cassie…The sea…” Daniel uttered dreamily, remembering the old films. He also wanted his best friend to feel the same way.

 Cassie looked into his eyes and felt the same desire, not only did she want to be by the sea, to feel the cool, salty water and the sand beneath her toes, she suddenly wanted Daniel Gilbert beside her…She cleared her throat, determined they would get to the back of this mystery, to the business in hand.

 “Will you come with me now and we’ll both go and talk to Captain Peters?” Cassie asked hopefully.

 “Of course Cass, I’m with you all the way.” Daniel smiled, excited by the little adventure they were going on together. “Oh that reminds me, heard anything from the resistance?”

 Cassie shook her head; she thought that Daniel looked unusually relieved that all was silent in that quarter but she wondered how much they actually knew.

 “And if engineering are getting their orders from above, than perhaps we can persuade the Captain to get in contact with Earth’s authorities…” Cassie licked her dry lips, in part to get rid of the crumbs of pastry, though also as a nervous reaction, it was going against the grain to question authority. But Cassie Mulligan was fed up of being treated like a fool, for someone in her position of authority she had a right to know. Officer Mulligan had spent the last three years of her life, performing what she considered an important role on board this ship and she didn’t want to be kept in the dark any longer.        

 Captain Simon Peters glanced at the photograph of his wife and two daughters. How he ached to hold them, to gather his three “girls” up in his arms. They would be on the next flight out of Earth, they would join him on the new world. One day they would all be together again, Captain Peters held onto that wonderful, shining thought. It was all he’d had to sustain him on the journey as he reluctantly returned his attention to the intimidating and demanding figure who had invaded his office, his one place of sanctuary. James Caruthers, head of human resources sat opposite the Captain of the SS Odyssey, they both knew who was really in charge, the one who had been in charge right from the beginning of the three year flight as the head of HR finger’s drummed impatiently upon the Captain’s inferior and untidy desk.

 “The resistance sent a distress signal. It has been blocked now and rest assured we will bring them to justice for causing such panic and hysteria on board the SS Odyssey.” James Caruthers drew a sigh of satisfaction and smiled his fake, subservient smile. “Won’t we Captain?”   

 “Of course James…” Captain Peters smiled weakly, running his hand through his peppered greying hair, his brow creased into a permanent frown.

 And though in theory he was only a figurehead, if anything went wrong he would be the one in the firing line. The fate and the expectations of the SS Odyssey rested upon his shoulders, as Captain the lives of his crew and colonists were ultimately his responsibility and it was beginning to weigh him down. Throughout his twenty year career, the captaincy of the colony ship was the pinnacle of his career, selected out of hundreds, it was a great honour bestowed upon the Peters family but this past week Captain Peters was feeling the strain. He was the Captain of a Starship that was no longer moving, his authority was completely undermined and Peters was powerless in a way he had never felt before. And because he lived in constant fear of demotion or even disgrace by questioning authority, Peters knew he was unable to ask Caruthers what was really going on, even though he strongly suspected that the Head of Human Resources knew more than him and was following orders from Earth’s authorities. The Captain had received reports from some of his officers that Caruthers had even been in confidential communication with an unknown spacecraft in a neighbouring galaxy, he was certain it was something to do with another colony…But the Captain of the Starship Odyssey still did not think it was his place to ask and therefore would not risk it.

 “Though of course the resistance group isn’t actually posing a threat to anyone on board…” The Captain added matter-of-factly, testing the waters as he thought “Why can’t Caruthers leave them alone, they aren’t harming anyone.”

 “Yes that’s as may be…” Caruthers pondered considerately, nodding with agreement. “But when we reach our new home, those types of people are bound to cause trouble. And we need to eliminate it now. Well I’ll leave you in peace Captain, I have a lot of admin to catch up on.”

 He glanced down at his wrist and the figures that were counting down, only a few hours to go and then everything would change on board the Starship…By keeping security and the crew occupied with their search for the resistance, the people of SS Odyssey won’t have as much time to react when the “visitors” finally arrive, the ones from the spacecraft whom Caruthers had been communicating with for the past week, which was currently crossing numerous galaxies, tearing relentlessly through space and on its way to the SS Odyssey. Of course Caruthers would be long gone by then… Caruthers rose to his feet, his conscience clean as he convinced himself on the spot and therefore absolved himself of any blame, that whatever happened next wasn’t his fault. It would be over quickly and he had been told it would be done humanly. And if it was possible, of course he would have saved some of his fellow colonists but he also knew that such an act would cost him his life. Though James Caruthers found himself unable to look Captain Peters in the eye, there was a slight tremor in his smile as he lied through his teeth, adding as an afterthought to pacify the increasingly bewildered Captain.

 “Oh by the way, I’ve heard from engineering…We should be on our way soon Captain.” It was a paltry gesture, Caruthers turned quickly on his heel and was out the door before Captain Peters could say anything.