Chapter 14

Yuri, Orson, Nash, and the other kids jogged along the corridors behind George until they reached the medical centre. They found Commander Best lying on a hospital bed, gripping the sides of the bed as she glared at the nurse.

George advised them that Commander Best had fainted and had been stretchered into the medical centre. ‘She’s obviously pushed herself too hard,’ he said. ‘She should have come to see the nurse hours ago.’

‘Tell them I’m perfectly fine,’ she said, fixing Orson with a fierce stare. ‘And that they can’t bring that thing near me!’

‘She won’t have a needle,’ the nurse explained, holding up a syringe. ‘Says she doesn’t need it, but I can’t reset her broken wrist until she has some pain relief.’

Commander Best gulped. ‘I hate needles. I have, er, a phobia.’

Nash immediately felt sorry for the commander. She wasn’t an easy person to like, but it was clear that she worked hard and had dedicated her whole life to serving others, first in the defence forces and now on Misty. She was tough, but she had fears just like anyone. He reached out a hand to touch her arm. ‘It’s okay,’ he said gently. ‘I used to be afraid of needles too.’

Commander Best looked startled. ‘Isn’t danger your middle name?’

‘And trouble!’ Raj piped up.

KC elbowed him.

‘Ouch!’ Raj gasped. ‘Your elbows are as sharp as needles.’

Nash shushed the others, trying not to laugh at their antics. ‘Yes,’ he told Commander Best. ‘Really. My mum always told me to think of something that I liked and by the time I did, I’d forgotten about the needle and it would all be over.’

‘Humph,’ Commander Best grunted. ‘I’m not sure that will work for me.’

‘Why not give it a try?’ KC said, approaching Commander Best on the other side. ‘You can hold my hand if you like.’

Commander Best shot KC a suspicious look, but she still held her hand.

‘You know that old saying, don’t you?’ Nash said,

‘Which one?’ Commander Best asked.

‘The one about it being okay to be scared but still doing something.’

‘Oh, that one.’ Commander Best sniffed. ‘I suppose I remember it.’

‘So, what’s something nice you like to think about?’ Alex asked.

Commander Best turned to Nash. ‘What do you usually think about?’

Nash grinned. ‘That’s easy. Lollies. Lots and lots of lollies. In fact, I often imagine an entire world built from lollies.’

‘Like a lolly kingdom?’ Raj said.

‘Exactly!’ Nash replied.

‘I’d think about animals,’ KC said. ‘Sloths or meerkats or maybe piglets.’

‘They are cute,’ Commander Best agreed.

The nurse winked at Nash so he knew she was about to give the injection.

‘What’s your favourite animal?’ he asked the commander.

‘Well, they’re extinct in the wild,’ Commander Best said, ‘but I did see a pair in a zoo once, it’s giraffes. I love them.’

’What is it you like about them?’ Raj said.

‘Definitely their gangly legs.’ Commander Best laughed, surprising herself and everyone else. It had been a long time – if ever – that anyone had heard Commander Best laugh, herself included.

‘All done!’ the nurse said.

Commander Best’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Already?’

‘Yes,’ the nurse said. ‘The pain in your hand should subside now and we can set it. You’ll need to wear a brace, but it will heal fine.’

‘That’s good news,’ Commander Best said. ‘Thank you.’

The nurse tipped her head towards the Nash and the others. ‘I think you might have someone else to thank too.’

Commander Best took a deep breath. ‘I do indeed, you’re right. I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you kids, and I was wrong when I said you wouldn’t be any help on this mission. You’ve been terrific. Time and again you’ve shown that, especially you, Nash. Thanks for the tip about needles, I won’t forget it.’

Nash’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s okay. I’m always happy to help.’

‘Now that problem is fixed,’ Orson said as the group headed out of the medical centre, ‘we still have the problem of the power system.’

‘What’s the problem?’ George asked as they walked along together.

‘Yeah, Dad,’ Nash said, ‘the repairs seem to be taking a long time.’

Orson nodded slowly. ‘The Martian dust is causing havoc with the engines and several parts have worn out. Problem is, I’ve searched high and low and can’t find any replacement parts and I don’t have the equipment here to fix the machinery.’

‘What about the old rovers and shuttles outside the dome?’ Raj said. ‘Remember we talked about salvaging parts from them.’

‘You read my mind,’ Orson said. ‘I checked the journals and I believe there’s an abandoned spacecraft not far from here that could hold some of the pieces we need. If we can locate the right parts, I should be able to make them work. At least until we can get newer ones. I can’t go with you, I still have the crop irrigation system to work on, but I can give you a list of items I need.’

‘Us kids can go,’ Nash said.

‘You’ll need to take an adult with you,’ Orson said.

George offered to take them and Orson and Yuri agreed.

‘Before you go,’ Yuri told Alex, ‘make sure you release the pressure valves for the heating system. That’s your job. Don’t forget.’

‘I won’t,’ Alex said.

Like Nash, Raj and KC, Alex was entrusted with jobs other kids might not normally do. When it came to living in space, it was always all hands on deck.

‘While you’re gone, I’ll put in an order for new parts,’ Orson said. ‘Hopefully it won’t be too long before they arrive.’

‘Can’t we use V2?’ Raj said. ‘To make the trip quicker to Mars?’

‘Eventually, yes,’ Orson said. ‘But V2 is only a protype and there’s no approval to use it widely or in bigger ships. Plus …’ Orson hesitated, eyeing the kids for a moment before continuing. He was holding back, Nash knew it, and suspected it was because he didn’t want to alarm them. ‘When we landed, V2 sustained damage some damage. We don’t even know if she’ll make it back to Misty yet.’