The Pathfinder Project (12 page)

“
Are
you planning some
kind of attack on the Brotherhood?” she asked.

“Contrary to what most people
believe, no.” Dennis said firmly. “But I do have every intention of trying to
determine for certain whether any of our people survived. If we can possibly
locate and provide relief to them then that’s what we’re going to do.” He
paused, continuing to work with the new equipment. “However, I do believe that
in trying to find survivors an encounter with the Brotherhood is very probable.
That’s why we’re working so hard to be sure we’re ready for them.”

“Are you coming to the Memorial
ceremony that they’re holding in the Chapel this afternoon?” asked Mary. “I
don’t know if you heard, but the Chaplain is planning to say a few prayers and
honor the memory of all those who have died.”

“Yes – I’ll definitely be
off-shift by then,” Dennis replied. “I have to stop by my quarters and pick up
Joseph, but we’ll be there.”

*    
* * *     *

Mary felt a lot better later
that day after the prayer service concluded. She sat near the edge of a pew,
watching all the people file past her and back out into the corridors of the
Pathfinder
.
Some of them wore military dress uniforms as she did, but most were civilian
technicians, science specialists and their family members. Captain Kaufield and
Joseph had sat next to her, but she had softly commented to them that she
wanted to remain behind for a few more minutes and so they had left with the
others.

The Chaplain was an older
Priest and his words were wise. He had gracefully counseled them to accept the
things that they could not change, also pointing out that – although many had
died – everyone should hold out hope that at least some of their family and
friends had survived and would fight back. It would be awfully difficult for
even the Brotherhood and their surprise attack to have exterminated everyone.
Such an outcome was almost unthinkable to most, and his words were more than a
little reassuring to them.

The Chapel was located in a
dome-shaped auditorium a short distance behind the
Pathfinder
’s Command
Dome. It had been a short walk for her after going off shift but she had still
arrived a few minutes late and had almost missed getting a seat. Fortunately
Dennis and Joseph had made room for her or she would have had to sit in one of
the extra chairs that had been hastily set up at the rear of the large room.
They had quickly filled in after she sat down, giving the Chaplain a full house
to talk to.

Standing prominently alongside
one of the large, open exits near the rear of the Chapel was a statue of Jesus
Christ with his arms open and extended in greeting. Half of the traditional
‘stations of the cross’ lined the left wall of the dome next to her, situated
equally apart all the way to the altar at the head of the Chapel. Images of the
remaining stations hung along the right side of the dome all the way back to
the second doorway behind her. Between the images were tall, thin stained-glass
windows through which the stars of space were mostly screened. There was,
however, an oval skylight above them that allowed an attractive view of the
heavens beyond. Other artwork in the Chapel included colorful, decorative wall
hangings, handmade banners suspended from the light fixtures that descended
from the ceiling, and a series of tall candles that adorned the altar itself.

Mary sat quietly for a few
minutes longer, unable to leave just yet. Her thoughts were focused on her two
brothers and sister – wondering if any of them could possibly still be alive
back in Kansas. She noticed that others had stayed behind, too… still seated at
various points in the auditorium and saying silent prayers to themselves or
crying gently. Her good friends Julie and Nori had been unable to attend due to
being on-shift at the time of the ceremony, so she concluded her silent prayer
by wishing their families good luck too. Glen had also not shown up, and that
disappointed her more than anything. As she stood to leave she noticed Corporal
Henderson, his left arm protected in the new cast and sling, smiling at her. He
walked over and politely said hello.

“Praying for your family?” Mary
asked, slightly uncomfortable as to just what to say to others after such a
hideous tragedy. Adults of all sorts had been talking around the uncomfortable
truths they had recently faced all day. That was the challenge after all,
during a crisis like this one. Offer comfort, but do so tactfully by at least
partially ignoring the brutal violence that they had been witness to.

“Yes, and also saying thanks to
God for sparing our lives,” the Corporal responded quickly. “I’m still not sure
if I believe in Intelligent Design or evolution or the possibility that a
predestined plan might already exist for each of us, but after yesterday I’m
even more confused than ever!”

Despite the sad occasion, Mary
smiled, recognizing him. “You’re the Corporal they sent along in the shuttle to
Bravo Point yesterday.” She offered him her hand.

“I am,” replied Henderson.
“Corporal Benjamin Henderson at your service.” He shook her hand firmly.
“Pictures can give you a very detailed idea of what’s out there, but you
wouldn’t believe what that trip was
like
,” he said firmly. “As far as we
could see everything was so absolutely black and empty – then whammo – the ship
changed its position and there were these Galaxy clusters that just looked so…
so huge and beautiful and organized and…
created
.”

“I’ve seen the pictures,” Mary
commented. “Even if they are simple photos, it
is
quite spectacular.”

“It’s a sign, I’m telling you,”
insisted Ben. “It’s a sign that we were meant to survive – us having the
technology to travel like that right when all hell breaks loose.”

“Be careful Ben,” warned Mary.
“It’s good to have faith, but any counselor will tell you that developing the
spiritual part of yourself takes time. There are a lot of people on this ship
right now who feel the exact opposite of the way you do because they’re still
in emotional shock from all that’s happened. They’re blaming God for abandoning
us.”

“It’s tough on me, too. I’ve
been temporarily reassigned to lighter duty,” he commented. “I can’t
stand
just sitting in my quarters doing nothing… and to top it off this cast just
keeps
itching
to no end.” He rubbed the covering on his left arm for
emphasis.

“Then
volunteer
for
something during your off duty hours,” Mary suggested. “The Lab and Observatory
wing personnel have a
lot
of extra work right now, storing and
processing all the new data we’ve received. The Canary probes and your trip
recorded an awful lot. Even if someone assigns you simple busy work it’ll keep
you from worrying too much and you’ll be contributing something back. Or…” she
paused, thinking through the possibilities, “You could visit the kids in their
school rooms. I know for a fact that they’re still holding classes because the
Captain’s son attends. I’m sure they’d love to hear what it’s like to be a
rough and tough Corporal who took on a member of the Brotherhood.”

“There were
four
of us,”
Ben pointed out, chuckling. He quickly added, “But I got the best grip on him
and he got the best grip on me. That’s why
I
was the one who landed
against the wall! So I guess you could say I was the closest of anybody to
capturing him alive.”

They continued to chat for a
bit, but were unexpectedly interrupted by raised voices from the rear of the
Chapel. Turning, they noticed that the Chaplain was doing his very best to calm
down an angry, red-faced civilian male. Their curiosity raised, both walked
back to join the two.

“What seems to be the problem
here, Father Dixon?” Ben asked carefully, watching the frustrated civilian out
of the corner of his eye.

“This fellow belongs to a
religious sect that doesn’t recognize traditional Christian symbols,” the
Priest explained cautiously. “So he’s naturally a little bit upset that this is
the only Chapel aboard the
Pathfinder
.” He shrugged helplessly and
addressed the angry looking man. “Give us
time
to set up additional
areas…”

“How am I supposed to worship
my
God with those
other
pagan images in here?” the man exclaimed loudly.
“It’s absolutely outrageous I tell you!” Ben watched the man work himself up to
an even angrier state, then cautiously tapped him on the shoulder.

“Do you mean to tell me,” the
Corporal asked carefully, “that Earth has suffered a nuclear annihilation,
we’re out here fighting for our lives, and you’re upset because the ship that
saved you has a few statues you don’t like in its Church? Do I understand you
correctly, sir?”

“
Yes!
” the man shouted
back heatedly. He took a second look at Ben’s sizable frame and lowered his
voice slightly. “Yes. My spirituality requires complete lack of distraction
while I meditate – something that is practically impossible in a setting such
as this.”

“Why don’t you close your eyes
while you’re in here, then,” the Corporal suggested. “Or better yet, meditate
in your quarters. That would eliminate the problem.”

“This is a
public
Chapel.
It’s supposed to be open for use by
everyone
. They shouldn’t have
any
Christian images in here as far as I’m concerned. Otherwise those other related
religions are validated as legitimate, and
that
’s something my sect does
not permit.”

“They
are
legitimate.
The
Pathfinder
’s Chapel reflects the entire ship’s crew,” Mary argued
softly. “We have representatives from many nations and every major religion
aboard. There are even people serving with us who don’t believe in God… they
still come here to meditate or ask the Father’s advice. Our Chapel was
intentionally
designed to acknowledge, respect and
honor
the religious beliefs of
everyone on our project team. It’s a reminder of everything that Earth has been
historically and respects today’s modern blend of cultures.” She gestured
toward a stone replica of the Ten Commandments.  “Like you, many people have a
favorite religion that they subscribe to.” She paused for a moment, trying and
failing to understand the man’s point of view. “This Chapel is a tribute to
your faith as well. Send us a symbol or two, and I’m sure that the Chaplain
will find a place for them.”

The man pointed toward the
altar. “I can’t meditate in there,” he snapped. “And being on this ship is
not
my fault. I was supposed to have been transferred off of Khyber Base a month
ago, but there was a delay in assigning a replacement for me.”

“You’re really something else,
you know that?” growled Ben irritably. “And I don’t mean that as a compliment.
You should consider yourself lucky to be alive.” He shook his head before
continuing. “If you can’t meditate in the Chapel, that’s just fine and dandy by
me. Do it
in
your quarters. Move along.” He nodded to Father Dixon and
turned to leave.

“Did you hear me? I
can’t
meditate in there! I
demand
that you do something about it!” the man
repeated. He grabbed the Father’s arm seconds before Ben slapped the hand away
and stepped ominously in front of him.

“Did
you
hear
me
?”
the Corporal asked. “I said move along –
now
!
”  He pointed toward
the exit and the angry man slowly began edging cautiously backward. “If I hear
that you’ve bothered Father Dixon again, I’m going to come find you and show
you an alternative form of meditation… it’s called unconsciousness! Do you
understand me, fella?”

“Yes, sir.” The man said,
frowning deeply. He turned and stormed off in a huff. The Corporal stood
shaking his head, then turned back to the Father. “It looks like there’s a bad
apple in every bunch,” he noted.

“There are a lot of people on
board who are just as upset,” Father Dixon replied. “They don’t know if their
families are alive or dead, where they’ll end up next, or even what their lives
will be like in the near future…” He flashed a wan smile. “I don’t think it’s
the little things they complain about that are truly bothering them – it’s the
larger possibility that everyone they knew and loved may be dead.”

“The stress comes out as anger
displaced onto other, normally minor things,” Mary agreed. She chuckled to
herself. “I’ve been bothered by little things too that I would normally just
shrug off and just deal with.”

“Yes, but you and those other
people aren’t making a public nuisance of yourselves,” stated Henderson. “Right
now we need people to behave themselves, not stir up a pot of trouble over
nothing.” He pointed toward the exit behind them. “If that guy gives you any
more trouble, you just let me know,” he said firmly. “I mean that.”

“Don’t worry,” the Chaplain
said confidently. “Part of my job is to listen to people get rid of the
negative emotions that are bothering them. It’s not the first time someone’s
had harsh words for me and it won’t be the last.” He paused, smiling warmly.
“So many people are still under the mistaken impression that the symbols you
pray to or how often you go to Church are the most important things. I do
believe in important family and Church traditions, but I’ve also tried to
remind people that giving reasonably of their time, treasure, and talent should
be our biggest priority. The more we help and care for each other, the better
off society will be as a whole.”

Ben glanced out the exit after
the angry man who had just left. “Not everyone shares your enlightenment,
Father,” he observed wryly.

*    
* * *     *

It wasn’t until Glen put his
hand on Thomas Roh’s shoulder that the young Software Specialist realized he
had been staring at the same sentence on his computer screen for quite some
time. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, absently rubbing his
forehead to clear his thoughts. Glancing up at Glen, he tried flashing a
friendly smile but still couldn’t conceal the fatigue that he felt.