The Commander sat in his cabin reviewing the points he wanted to make when he spoke to the passengers. He had studied the latest notes on them the night before, checking for particular issues that might come up. He had seen Enaida's message about being prepared for an angry response.
While Nireem didn’t believe the passengers would resort to violence, he decided to post two crew members in the central passageway near the lounge modules. They would be armed with stun lasers and could lock the lounge module airlocks if necessary.
He would make the announcement from his compartment and be visible on a large screen in each passenger lounge. He waited for the scheduled time, perusing notes on those who had indicated they wanted to run the colony.
In the four lounges, the travelers occupied almost all the seats. Competing conversations created a low din. A wide aisle along one side of each lounge provided access to toilets and food dispensers. It connected to the passageway that ran through the ship's core. The medical specialists stood there answering questions and helped latecomers find seats.
At the scheduled time, a message appeared on the screen announcing the meeting was about to start. Then the Commander appeared. Conversations stopped. In a confident, command voice, Nireem began.
“Good Morning. I am Commander Nireem. We are now 414 days into this mission. We have gone farther across our galaxy than anyone from Tridon has ever gone before. We have crossed one of the most dangerous and unknown regions in space and finally reached the star system of our destination planet. That would seem enough for one mission, but we are just beginning.
On the night after we departed from Tridon, I received a final communication from the Space Directorate. It gave the complete explanation of the reason for our mission and critical last orders.
This communication used the most advanced technology to ensure its authenticity – a hologram of the Director speaking. It is impossible to make this kind of presentation without an elaborate studio. And for those of us who have met the Director personally, there can be no doubt this message came from him. I want you to see it now.”
The lights in each module dimmed slightly, and the projectors created a lifesized image floating before each group. It captured everyone's attention. The life-size figure, pacing back and forth, started to speak. It was as if the Director was in their lounge with them.
The passengers gasped when they heard the words engulf Tridon in intense radiation that would end all life. Facial expressions told Enaida the shock was as great as she feared. The passengers stared at each other in disbelief for the rest of the Director's message.
Processing the Director's words paralyzed them. Tears filled their eyes, and many stood to hold whoever sat next to them. Their facial expressions revealed despair, grief, anger, and disbelief.
The Commander reappeared on the screen at the front of each lounge. His face conveyed sympathy and understanding. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke.
“When I first viewed the Director's message, my reaction was like yours. It was disbelief. I knew he would not have said those words if he had any reason to believe Tridon was not doomed. It explained the reason for this mission and the frantic preparations that violated all space mission standards. When it ended, I wasn’t sure I had heard anything after he revealed Tridon's fate. I wasn’t sure what I had heard.
I replayed the message and now will do that for you.”
After the hologram ended the second time, sounds of grief filled the lounges. Passengers comforted each other by pressing their foreheads together. Tears stained their cheeks.
Then, slowly, some started speaking with whoever was nearest. Most were in denial. Some quietly swore. Some blamed the Space Directorate, and some blamed the Director. Some just closed their eyes and stood in silence.
The image of the Commander reappeared, patiently waiting for the initial shock to pass. Then, he spoke again with compassion and understanding.
“I know this is the worst news anyone from Tridon could hear. Our thoughts are with the family and friends left behind.
But this tragedy makes our success in this mission all the more critical. We are in this together. We are the last chance for the survival of our species.
I will be candid. We don’t know what we will find when we land on the surface. All we know is the temperature and atmosphere should be tolerable.
We do not know what life forms live there. We do not know if any intelligent life lives there. Our survival depends solely on us. I will be blunt. Our survival will demand more from us than anything we have ever experienced.
There will be one more sleep mode cycle before we orbit our new home. Everyone will be up for the last few days before we arrive, and the image of our home planet will be on the passenger lounge screens.
We plan to stay in orbit for at least a week, observing the surface with our telescopes and radar. Then, we will select our landing site and compute the descent flight parameters from those observations.
Before we land, I will have another meeting to update you.
Now, if there are any questions or comments…”
Enaida looked around the group in her module. No one responded to the Commander's invitation. Grief and denial held them speechless. After a few minutes, the Commander thanked everyone for their attention. The screens went blank.
Enaida and Aterga moved around their crowded lounges, looking for any who needed comfort. Suddenly, Enaida felt a hand. It was Salguodir who was obviously angry.
“Enaida! The Commander can’t overrule the senior Mamlaka on this ship,” he hissed.
“You heard the orders from the Space Directorate. His words were unambiguous.”
“But the Commander isn’t a Mamlaka. I think the Commander must have edited the message. He's just hungry for power.”
“He's the Commander of this mission. The Space Directorate must have thought he was the most qualified. I think he is. He has faced this kind of challenge before.”
Salguodir jerked away, muttering, ”Halkopez! The Commander will learn his place.”
Aterga circulated through her lounge, observing reactions. Everyone was upset. Many had thought they would be returning to Tridon. Some were asking friends to confirm what they heard. No one wanted to believe Tridon's fate.
Others argued. There was a lot of anger and bitterness. Their trainers had told them this was an adventure, and they would return to accolades. She caught phrases: “They lied! …not fair. ..don’t believe it.”
The medical specialists in all four modules observed the same traumatized response. Some of the colonists complained the Commander was lying. They expressed their emotions in a hundred different ways. Their crew caretakers could only listen and express their sympathy. They all doubted two days would be enough time for their passengers to accept the dreadful news.
The Commander Watching his Monitor
The Commander understood what he saw. Tridonians have to make physical contact when consoling someone. Most were holding hands, hugging, or pressing their pronounced foreheads together. And he understood the expressions of denial. He had the same reaction when he first saw the holographic message. He felt compassion for their pain.
But there were small, isolated groups behaving very differently. Nireem noticed clenched fists and what looked like heated conversations – typical indications of extreme anger. He focused the screen view on one angry group after another, taking screenshots of the participants for future reference.
Later, he compared the passengers in the screenshots with pictures of passengers on his DAP. The pattern was evident. At least one in each screenshot was someone he had flagged as a troublemaker – almost always a Mamlaka.
He understood what gave rise to their anger. It was the final order issued by the Space Directorate. The Mamlaka resented the direct order for him to lead the colony until it was established and growing in numbers. The Commander knew some had ambitions and felt their class gave them power over everyone else. Their behavior confirmed they would challenge his authority at some point. But when and how?
Soon, all the troublemakers will be in sleep mode until the ship reaches its orbit around planet 26q395-3. And he knew they depended on him and the crew to land on the surface. So that's where they would make their move.
Nireem smiled as he thought about another decision he had made. He wouldn’t announce it until the first descent craft was ready to leave for the surface. He knew this pronouncement would provoke more anger.
Commander Nireem was also concerned about the number of passengers with abysmal physical condition scores. These travelers would barely be able to leave the descent vehicle. Some might not survive reentry. Most would need help, and he couldn’t spare able men and women to care for them.
He considered banning anyone with a PPS score below four from landing. But that was a death sentence. So, instead, Nireem decided to use that as a threat to motivate them. He could make that decision later.