We were about four, maybe five weeks from Earth and MC3 when I was startled by someone buzzing the door of my berth. It was just after twenty hundred hours. I was in my shower and getting ready to lie down for some much needed sleep; I was due to go on watch in another four hours.
I stepped out of the shower and checked the monitor to see who was there. I was surprised to see Ronald standing there looking sheepish.
At first I didn't know whether or not to answer him. I thought about just ignoring him and pretending I wasn't in. I figured he could catch me when I was on watch later on or tomorrow when I went on watch again at eighteen hundred hours. I was tired and wanted to get some rest before I went on duty. Besides, there hadn't been any trouble for the past couple of weeks.
I have to give Father Ray the credit for that. First, he convinced everyone that Satan was not trying to destroy the James Cook and that they should ignore fabricated rumors that the ship was jinxed. Then he pulled Ronald aside and had a nice long talk with him.
Using his quiet diplomacy, he persuaded Ronald to cooperate with the officers. He told him that if he really wanted to show those who found him guilty that he was in fact innocent, then he would stop trying to get revenge against them. He would work with the officers to try and convince the others that the ship was no danger -- from anyone or anything. This way although it couldn't change the guilty verdict, at least the officers might rethink their ideas of him always being the bad guy.
I wondered if that was why Ronald was buzzing my cabin.
I decided that as the captain of the ship it was my duty to talk to the crew whenever they requested an audience. I quickly slipped on some pants and a shirt. Then I glanced into my mirror to make sure I was at least somewhat presentable. I frowned. It was obvious that I wasn't wearing a bra. I reluctantly opened the hatch but I didn't close it once he entered. I don't trust him.
"Good evening Ronald. Come on in. What can I do for you?"
"Good evening Antoinette."
I overlooked his refusal to address me as an officer. We weren't on the bridge or anywhere where someone could overhear us. Besides he had come to my berth in the evening when I was not on duty. I figured that maybe it was something personal that he wanted to talk about.
He looked at the open door and fidgeted slightly.
"I can't close the hatch Ronald both for your safety as well as mine."
"Yeah, I understand."
I could see that he was nervous so I offered him my chair. I sat on the edge of my bed.
He glanced around the room. "Your berth is a lot smaller than I expected."
"Yes, Joshua, Chantelle, Yves and I might have our own private cabins but they are very small. I've seen larger walk-in closets back on Earth. But I'm sure that's not what you've come here to talk about. How can I help you?"
"Some of the crew asked me to come and talk to you."
He paused.
"About what?" I was trying to make him feel comfortable.
"Look, I know there ain't any good feelings between us . . . between you and me but I . . . that is, some of us figure that maybe if we heard it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, then maybe we would know the truth."
My first thought was that Ronald was up to some kind of trick and that I better be careful about what I say to him. My second thought was that he was tactfully admitting that I never lied to him or the crew about the explosion.
I mean, here he was asking me to tell him the truth about whatever it was that was on his mind and it sounded like he was going to accept that whatever I told him would be the truth. At least I half figured it was something about the explosion.
"Go on," I encouraged him. I wanted him to feel at ease and to tell me what it was that was bothering him.
"Since you've allowed the crew to view the Earth, I've been on the upper and lower flight decks a few of times to look at it and so has some of the crew. I was there just a couple of hours ago. It looks about the size of my thumbnail, like a little blue marble. It looks real pretty through the telescopic camera monitor." He laughed nervously.
"Yes, I know you've been on the flight deck. For security, the officer in charge of the bridge keeps a log of every unauthorized person who comes on the bridge or the lower flight deck, when he or she was there and the purpose of the visit."
"Well, some of the crew has come to the conclusion that that ain't Earth we're heading for. I ain't stupid. I believe it is Earth; I can see the continents through the monitor and I recognize them. But something has changed about it. We were hoping you'd tell us about what's going on."
"You know Ronald; I was discussing this very issue with Joshua, Joseph and Chantelle this morning at breakfast. We have no idea what the problem is. We cannot raise anyone on the long range antenna and the computer tells us that it's working properly."
"What about the short range antenna?" he asked.
"We are still too far away from Earth and MC3 to use the short range antenna. It will be at least another week to ten days or more before we are within range for the short range antenna to be able to pick up anything."
"Yeah, some of us have heard about you're not being able to raise anyone on the radios and that channel eight has nothing but snow. There's gossip that the lightening bolt damaged all the antennas."
He paused. He wanted to say something but didn't quite know how to word it. He gave another nervous laugh.
Then, "Some are even saying that we're in some other solar system, some other galaxy or something. I don't believe that either but . . . well the whole sky has changed. The rumor is that there are no space colonies on Mars or anywhere. Mars has a ring of debris surrounding it. Phobos is gone. The background constellations and stars are all different. What the hell gives Antoinette?"
"To be totally honest Ronald I do not know. No one onboard knows what the problem is. I can only tell you the facts and hope that you and everyone else believe me."
I too paused, wondering whether or not to tell him about the hole in space that we encountered and went through. To my knowledge only a few officers knew about it and none of them were talking. They were under strict orders from me not to discuss conjecture and science fiction with the crew.
I decided against telling him. No sense in telling him about something that I myself didn't understand. Besides, if I told him about something that sounds like it came from fantasyland or some science fiction story it would only increase his distrust of me and the officers.
"As you know Ronald, we were in an electrical storm between Jupiter and its satellites. A bolt of lightening knocked out our long range antennae and maybe even our short range antenna too for all I know. Then another bolt exploded one of the liquid oxygen tanks breaking the James Cook in half. The explosion also threw us across the solar system in the vicinity of Mars. That's it Ronald. That is all I or any other officer knows. If you don't believe me then there is nothing I can do to change that."
"Well like I said, I believe that. But some of the crew ain't so well educated and they're into believing all kinds of superstitious nonsense. I'm not all that educated myself; I dropped out of school when I was in the tenth grade. But it's hard telling them the facts when all they believe in is science fiction and fantasy. I guess I was just hoping you had something else to tell me, something I could tell them."
I finally had it; straight from the horse's mouth, to use his own words. Ronald didn't believe in any conspiracy bullshit.
"You can tell them that I will give them the whole truth as soon as I myself know the answers. Until then, we are only a few weeks away from home. Tell them to be patient. Then they can air their gripes and grievances to whomever will listen to them."
Suddenly Chantelle appeared at my door.
"Good evening Chantelle," I said with a smile.
"Good evening Captain Antoinette," she answered me formally. "I'm sorry I thought you were alone. I'll come back."
"That's alright," Ronald cut in. "I was just leaving. Thank you Captain Antoinette. I appreciate your talking with me. I'll pass on what you said to the rest of the crew."
"I promise you Ronald. You'll be the first person I talk to as soon as I know anything." I wondered if his addressing me properly was because Chantelle was present or because he was actually thankful for our little chat.
"Thank you ma'am. Is it alright if I go to the flight deck and have another look at the Earth through the telescopic camera monitor? I sure do like looking at it."
"Sure Ronald. You can go as often as you like and stay as long as you like. Just tell the officer of the deck that I said it was OK and be sure he logs you in and out."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you again ma'am."
He squeezed past Chantelle and went toward the elevator. I pressed the close button and the hatch slid close.
"What did he want?" Chantelle asked. There was contempt in her voice.
"Seeing that we are close to home, I'm not sure if he was trying to mend fences or if he was genuinely seeking information. He admitted that there wasn't any conspiracy and that the explosion was caused by a bolt of lightening."
