In only over an hour (mainly due to the decon process on E2), I stepped into the E2 offices to find Commander Callen working at his desk, filling out the bales of paperwork, never mind that he slaved away on his monitor, rather than using quill pen and parchment.
“Status?” I asked.
He hopped up, grinned, and motioned with his arm. “Have I got good news for you.”
I followed him toward the hospital building, where all the ill had been wedged in. It had originally been meant for three beds; now it had eight. Ah . . . One was vacant.
I surveyed the room. None, not one, of the patients were now on oxygen. All were sitting up. Three were actually talking together.
“Well,” I said, “since you said you had good news, I assume the vacant bed doesn’t mean that someone died.”
“Your assumption is correct. That’s Bally’s bed. He’s now up and around and working back into the work schedule. Feeling great.”
I surveyed the other inhabitants of the hospital. Aimee McCollough, Mary Krieger, and Paul Elliot were the three conversant patients, their interchange good-natured and lively. Of the ones who had been far sicker, Willis and Hamon, who had been very ill, were asleep, but looked comfortable and their breathing was soft and regular. Mackey and Cohn, also very ill at one point were awake, Mackey simply listening to the conversation with some interest, and Cohn holding an ebook and reading it quietly. Both also appeared without discomfort.
“Great progress,” I said. “You’re right. This is very, very good news.”
He waved to the awake team members. “This is Doctor Hays, checking up on you. I was glad to report that you are all doing well.”
They all waved, even Cohn and Mackey appearing on the verge of lively. “You had us worried,” I told them. “Glad to see that you are on the mend. Also glad that this particular problem was caused by an Earth-originated virus, although we are going to have to be careful to monitor the situation closely in the future to watch for mutations of Earth viruses.”
Aimee, the expert, spoke up. “It could be a problem, true, but it could also be a problem on Earth, where viruses of common diseases mutate constantly. As far as I’m concerned, we should be able to declare E-Two safe for colonization in the near future.”
A bit of a surprise, but on the other hand, we had discovered no particular E2-based pathogens that posed a threat to humans at all. Our animal pens had not had a single problem, and the various flora being cultivated had grown well with no issues.
“Glad to hear it,” I told her. “When do you plan to ditch the bed and get back to your regular routine?”
“Tomorrow,” she replied decisively. “I voted for today, but the medical powers-that-be decreed one more day taking it easy, just to be sure.”
“Me, too,” Krieger added. “I’m with Aimee—I think I could have gotten up today, but the medical czar said one more day. I think we’ll all be up in three to four days.”
We had turned the corner, and I felt extremely grateful. “Take care,” I cautioned. “For goodness sake, do not overdo the first day or two that you’re up. I’ll report back to IC that the outlook is good.”
To myself, I thought that perhaps, with luck, I would soon be addressing the colonists sans environmental suit, which would be both gratifying and also much more convenient. Communicating via hearing microphones and output speakers was a pain in the tail, and though I had gotten more or less used to it over the last few months, an E2 no longer subject to all the restrictions we had suffered through seemed quite appealing.
I bade farewell to the patients and went back to the admin area with Callen. “Looks like you’re the pioneer,” I said. “I am going to plump for a much larger contingent in the settlement and initiate the new building construction as soon as IC approves the incremental addition to colony personnel.”
Anxious to get back to Earth, I added, “Look, with your experience here, especially anticipating the added personnel, I’m approaching Overton today to make you operation commander, replacing me, as we discussed once before. I have a bunch of other fish to fry, and I don’t think the E-Two initiative requires me anymore.”
Bemused, he shrugged with his eyebrows. “If you think so. Overton has depended on me in the past—not sure he’ll want to let me go for this gig.”
“Leave that to me. Any other to-do’s I need to assign Overton?”
He grinned. “Tell him that hospital enlargement needs to go forward right now. Not even next week.”
“Got it.” I saluted him. “Congratulations on your achievements, Captain.”
“That’s Commander.”
“Not for long.”
I left him for the eons-long decon process, then went straight to IC headquarters. In the reception area to his office, I asked the lieutenant JG to see Overton.
“He’s in a meeting, sir.”
“Get him out. Tell him to adjourn the meeting for fifteen minutes.”
He looked doubtful. “Tell him . . . ?”
“Yes, or I personally break into his meeting. I know where his conference room is.”
“Uh, yes sir.” As I was in uniform—I had to be, I was still officially in the US Navy—he rose and went toward the conference room.
Overton appeared in half a minute. He gestured. “My office.”
“I hope this isn’t a new emergency,” he muttered as we sat, him behind his massive desk.
“For once, no. All the patients on E-Two are much better and soon should be up an around. The hospital expansion needs to happen today, and you need to get that accelerated.”
“No problem.”
“And, you need to promote Commander Callen to Captain, make him E-Two colonization operations director, and relieve me of duty, returning me to civilian life.”
He eyed me a bit sourly. “Callen as commander of the operation? You realize, if I do that, I will be giving up the best damn aide in IC. In the US military, so far as I am concerned.”
“Agreed. I sympathize, but he’s the right person for the job. You know what he did. He essentially risked his life, we thought, to ditch his environmental suit and take over on-the-ground ops on E-Two. He’s aggressive, take-charge, on top of things, and smart. Don’t even argue—do it and assure that the colony will move forward under outstanding direction.”
He looked that over for five seconds. “Damn it, you’re right. That will be taken care of by the end of the day.”
He now looked me over. “As to making you a civilian again . . . Okay, with one reservation for the present. We have got to resolve the Bug situation, and I understand from your colleague that we now have the power to communicate with our prisoners, though they don’t know it yet.
“Help me resolve the Bug problem permanently. Let’s make the move we planned, put a shot across their bow, send the prisoners home with a message, and get the Bug problem behind us. With that issue settled, I’ll release you to civilian life. As of now I want to make you initiative leader of the Bug attack and prisoner return. With you in charge of that, we can move quickly.”
I started to argue, but realized that as an active admiral in IC, I could make things move more rapidly toward our mutually desired end. Besides, I could use the appointment as a lever for one more favor.
“Agreed—if you put the full court press on increasing the colony population to forty immediately. I think they’re ready. If the increase goes well, we then remove the decon process and allow for full travel—with the appropriate vaccinations, of course.”
He didn’t even hesitate. “I’d been looking at that already. Especially with what we uncovered about the illness. We got a deal.”
I departed for home and Kaley, with the future of the colony assured.