“Mr. Jameson, why are you out of your seat?” Deke’s voice boomed loudly in the
enclosed cabin.
Terry whirled to find Deke Jacobs standing right behind him.
“I was chatting with some friends,” he answered.
“That’s enough jawin’. If you’ve taken care of your business, get back to your seat. The
sleep-wave generators turn on in fifteen minutes.” Deke’s look left no room for argument. Terry
turned back for a moment and glared at the four friends then headed back toward his seat. Deke
moved to the side, letting him pass, but there was no sign of backing down by either party.
Deke waited for another fifteen minutes and then motioned for silence. Satisfied that
everyone had taken their seats, Deke addressed the children.
“We are going to lower your harnesses and engage the sleep-wave generators
momentarily. When you wake up we should be in the atmosphere over our landing zone. From
there it should be smooth sailing. Any questions?”
He waited for a few moments before continuing. “Okay, then let’s get this show on the
road.” Deke walked back to his seat next to Terry and sat down with a sigh.
The crew made a quick pass through the cabin making sure that all personal items had
been stowed. The crew chief signaled the pilots that everything was ready. With a soft whir, the
safety harnesses slowly descended from the ceiling. As they neared the seats a red scanning
laser ran over each child, measuring each for a perfect fit of the harness. The safety harnesses
locked into place with a thunk, molding themselves to their occupant. There was hushed silence
for a moment and then the cabin was filled with a low frequency hum. The sleep generators
located in each harnesses began to hum deeply. The low rumble could be felt deep inside,
causing everyone’s stomachs to flutter for a moment. Then, everyone strapped in their seats was
enfolded in deep sleep.
Sure that everyone was asleep; the crew busied themselves with a few last-minute tasks
and then strapped themselves into their own harnesses. They soon joined the students in deep
sleep. The pilots stayed awake, monitoring the progress of the
Boadicea
, ready to get underway
as soon as they reached orbit above Forrestal.
Chapter 9
A piercing whistle jarred Devon from a deep sleep. Wind rushed by his face, making it
difficult to gain his bearings. The ship shook violently, making it even more difficult to focus.
After a few moments, he realized that the whistling was coming from wind whipping through the
cabin of the drop ship. He immediately knew something bad had happened.
Devon forced his head to the side to check on his friends. Flim looked at him in terror,
his eyes pleading. From where he sat, he could not tell if Jacinda and Merrell were awake.
Devon could not imagine anyone sleeping through the chaos and noise, but if their sleep-wave
generators were still operating then they could still be asleep.
The ship bucked again, clacking Devon’s teeth together. From his place in the front row,
he could not see how the rest of the expedition was faring, but if everyone else was being thrown
around like him, he felt sorry for them. With effort Devon turned his head the other way, trying
to glimpse something out of the small window. Blue sky and clouds raced by at an amazing rate.
The shaking increased and the whistling of the wind was accompanied by a new sound.
The sound of roaring engines rumbled under the shrill wind, but it did not sound right. The
engines stuttered, not the constant, reassuring howl Devon expected. A claxon rang out through
the ship, even louder than the engines and the wind. From the corner of his eye, he caught the
flash of green through the window.
Before what that meant could register, the ship slammed to a stop. For a moment there
was utter silence, then came the sound of moans and frightened voices. The cabin lights
flickered for a moment and then went out. Devon could see Jacinda and Merrell immediately
stirring. He struggled with the safety harness for a moment.
“What are you doing,” Flim asked his voice on the edge of tears.
“I have to check to see if anyone is hurt,” Devon responded, his voice more confident
than he felt.
“Won’t the crew do that?”
Devon hesitated for a moment. If they were okay, the crew would already be hard at
work helping everyone. Suddenly the harnesses relaxed in unison and rose up, freeing the
passengers.
“I’m just going to go check to see if I can help out.” He winced in pain as he slipped
around Flim and into the aisle. His shoulder was sore, but he could live with it. With the cabin
lights off, the only light came from the small windows next to each row of seats. To make things
even more difficult, dirt swirled through the air of the cabin from several broken windows.
Devon checked the door to the crew cabin but it did not budge. It must be locked from the other
side. He banged on it but there was no answer. He thought for a moment and then decided that
he needed some help and started toward the rear of the ship.
He checked everyone as he made his way back. Everyone was confused and upset, but
nobody seemed seriously hurt. Near the rear of the ship he finally found Deke. Deke was sitting
in the window seat, still seemingly asleep. He had a large, purple welt on his forehead and the
window next to him was cracked. Devon realized that Deke’s head must have hit the window
during the crash. Terry was seated next to Deke, but just sat there staring at nothing. Leaning
close to Deke, over Terry, Devon could tell that the unconscious man was still breathing.
Suddenly Devon felt someone tugging at his jumpsuit. He realized that Terry had grabbed him.
“Please help me! I can’t die young. I’m too important. My parents couldn’t handle it.
I’m an only child.”
Devon took Terry by the shoulders reassuring him.
“It’s okay Terry, don’t panic. I’m sure everything will be fine.” Devon hoped he
sounded more confident than he felt. He was still very concerned that no one had emerged from
the crew cabin at the front of the ship.
“No, it’s not gonna be okay!” Terry shouted. “We’re all dead!”
The children around Terry listened as he began to lose it. As he continued, the others
looked on the verge of panic as well.
Devon freed himself from Terry’s grip and tightened his grip on Terry’s shoulders. He
looked angrily into his eyes and spoke, a threat in his voice.
“Terry, you need to stop this. You are scaring the others. If you don’t stop, I’ll pop you
one. I swear it.”
Devon’s anger snapped Terry out of his panic. He pushed Devon away, an angry look on
his face. “Get your hands off me,” he growled at Devon.
“Now, that’s the nasty attitude I have come to expect.”
“Oh, shut up and get away from me.”
Devon gave Terry another angry look. “I need to check on Mr. Jacobs. I can’t get
anyone in the crew cabin to respond and I can’t get the door open. Mr. Jacobs is the only other
adult on board.”
“What? The crew is gone?” Panic crept back into Terry’s voice.
Devon showed Terry his fist. “Remember what I said about scaring the others. Now, go
sit in my seat and I will see if I can wake up Mr. Jacobs.”
Terry rolled his eyes, but got up from his seat. He pushed past Devon and headed toward
the front of the ship. Devon slipped into Terry’s now vacant seat and began to check Deke’s
vital signs. Part of his training for this trip had included basic first aid, but he could no find any
injuries on Deke, other than the bump on his head. Devon reached over and gently prodded
Deke. The unconscious man stirred, moaning in pain.
Devon prodded him again.
“Mr. Jacobs, we need your help,” he said, trying to wake Deke.
Deke’s eyes fluttered open. He turned to Devon, looking at him in confusion.
“What happened?”
“I think we crashed”
Deke reached up to feel his head. He winced in pain when he felt the bump. “I must
have hit my head. Where is the crew?”
“I’m not sure if they made it,” he whispered. “I tried to get into the crew cabin, but the
door won’t open.”
Deke rubbed his head again, trying to gather his wits.
“I had better check it out. Is anyone else hurt?” Deke asked, wearing a worried
expression.
“I don’t know. You were he first one I really checked on.”
Deke unbuckled his seat belt and nearly swooned as he tried to stand up.
“Whoa, Mr. Jacobs. I don’t know if you should try to get up yet.
“Maybe you’re right, but we need to check on the crew. We need to find out if they were
able to send a distress call.”
Deke sat silently for a moment, gingerly probing the bump on his head.
“Devon, I need you to do some things for me. First, I need you to check the emergency
exit and see if it is blocked. We may need to get out that way if there is a problem.”
He paused for a moment, blinking slowly.
“Second, I need you to keep an eye on the other kids. You are the only one who
managed to keep their head. If I get worse, I need you to keep everyone calm. I’m betting that
the
Boadicea
is already mounting a rescue operation. It is just a matter of time before they come
for us. We need to sit tight and not panic.”
Devon nodded, “I can handle that. How long do you think it will be before they come?”
“I can’t be sure. It shouldn’t be more than a day or two. We will need water and food in
the meantime. There should be plenty in the galley at the front of the ship. If we can’t get that
door open we may have to look elsewhere. That means we have to get to the baggage
compartment in the belly of the ship.”
“So, what should I do now?”
Deke looked thoughtful for a moment.
“See if you can find the hatch that leads below deck.” He closed his eyes and moaned.
His chin fell to his chest, unconscious.
Devon gently prodded Deke. “Mr. Jacobs, what do I do after that? Mr. Jacobs?”
Devon turned with a sigh. The only thing he knew was that he had to check the
emergency exit and then find the hatch that led to the cargo compartment. Before the drop the
crew had pointed out the emergency exits. One of them was just down the aisle. He walked
over to the row with the emergency exit as casually as he could.
“Excuse me,” Devon said as he leaned over the students sitting in that row. “How are
you feeling? Any injuries to report? Mr. Jacobs asked me to check around.” He tried to keep
the attention of the children as he checked out the emergency exit. Everything appeared in order
and the door did not appear to be blocked from the outside.
Satisfied that they could use that exit if necessary, Devon excused himself. He then
began moving back toward the front of the ship, eyes focused downward, searching for anything
that might be a hatch. He noticed a seam in the carpeting. Devon kneeled down, trying to peel
back the carpet. It took him a moment, but he found a recessed release switch at the edge of the
aisle. The children sitting in the nearby seats watched him intently. Devon gave them friendly
nod.
“Just running an errand for Mr. Jacobs, nothing to worry about.”
The children relaxed visibly, reassured by his casual attitude. Pulling the switch, Devon
stood back as a section of the floor slid back. He could see a flashing yellow light below,
illuminating a metal ladder leading below. Devon peered into the opening, trying to see if this
was the cargo compartment. All he could see was a narrow, passage ending with what looked
like an airtight door.
Devon knew that he had to check to see where this led. He assumed that it was the cargo
compartment, but it could just be a service hatch. He looked up at the watching children and
smiled again.
“I’ll be right back.” He swung down on to the ladder and climbed to the bottom. The
yellow light was harsh and its slow flashing made it difficult to make out many details but he
could see enough to move around. It only took a few steps to reach the door. He examined it
carefully, but could not find any indication of where it might lead. Still determined to find the
cargo compartment, Devon took a deep breath and levered open the latch on the door. There was
a short hiss as the pressure equalized and then the door swung inward.
Dust wafted in from the compartment beyond, making it hard to see inside. Devon
waited for a moment for the dust to settle and then peered inside. Success! He had found the
