Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life (3 page)

‘I followed the plans, like my father,’ Zoren said agitated, ‘and Zuki has checked them.’

‘You’re both as bad as each other,’ Gulco said in a condescending voice. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you both got it wrong. Come here and see what you can make of these readings.’

Zoren approached the work-bench. He glanced over the plans and then at the readings from the test.

‘This doesn’t look right,’ Zoren said. ‘Based on these readings, the drive was never going to work. Look at the size of the injectors, they’re far too small.’

‘What do mean they’re too small?’

‘The inlet ports would have to be at least fifty percent larger if they were going to supply enough fuel. The plans are wrong.’

‘The plans can’t be wrong-’

Zoren interrupted him, ‘Well they are!’

‘Shut up, Zoren!’ Gulco said. ‘If everything was made exactly to the specification provided to us, then it should have worked.’

Zuki said quietly, ‘Whoever designed it could have made a mistake.’

‘It’s a bloody big mistake. Look at the state of that drive,’ Gulco said, and then shouting at the engineer added, ‘Are you sure these test results are correct?’

‘Well, unless the computer’s screwed up, then yes, Gulco,’ he replied.

Zoren knew that Gulco was now wondering about the computer results.

‘I don’t trust these damn machines, never have,’ Gulco shouted. ‘Zoren, I need to know what size you think the fuel injectors need to be. Two bloody years’ of work were destroyed today. Now get back to work!’

At the end of the working day, all the engineers felt a sense of failure and there was concern that there could be more design errors in the shuttle’s plans. Unusually everyone left engineering quietly, whereas normally they would have been chatting about their work or the evening ahead. Zoren was feeling disheartened and needed to try and relax before returning home, so he went to the large flight-deck simulator of the shuttle, to take his mind off the events of the day, for a while.

…Keep the nose up,
he thought, while sitting at the controls of the shuttle.
Wait! There’s that alarm again. Damn! I’m coming in to fast. I’ve got to try and come in slower.

There was a purposeful knock on the door of the simulator, just as he was about to land the shuttle. Distracted he lost control and the shuttle struck the ground. The simulator froze.

I’m going to land this damn thing one day.

‘Who is it?’ Zoren shouted in a frustrated voice.

‘It’s me,’ the voice replied.

Zoren recognised his wife’s voice.

Sabri, what’s she doing here?

He got up from the pilot’s seat and opened the simulator door. He noticed she was wearing a long red evening dress.

‘Thought I’d find you in here,’ she said, looking annoyed. ‘You know we’re supposed to be meeting Supora and Valon tonight.’

‘Oh bugger! I forgot,’ Zoren replied.

‘Zoren, I told you this morning. Don’t you listen to anything I say? Come on, or we’ll be late.’

‘But I need to change,’ Zoren said, glancing down at his slightly soiled boiler suit.

‘Change? No way! We’re not going to be late, Zoren. You’ll have to go as you are.’

‘Look, I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to upset you,’ Zoren said and quickly switched off the simulator before leaving.

Oh dear, she’s definitely not happy with me tonight. How did I forget?

‘It’s about time you acted like an adult, Zoren. You’ll be a father next year.’

‘I know.’

‘Well this sort of thing will have to stop. I’ll need you at home, not enjoying yourself playing on that computer simulator.’

They entered the main corridor on deck three of the space station. As they sauntered along, Zoren brushed his boiler suit with his hand to try to remove some of the surface grime. He tried to be optimistic about his appearance, but there was always another patch of dirt, which he needed to try to remove in some way with his hand.

They arrived at Supora and Valon’s home. Zoren quickly brushed a few more patched and then asked Sabri, ‘Do I look all right?’

‘Erm… It would have been nice if you could have made an effort.’

‘Look, I said I’m sorry. I forgot! It hasn’t been a good day at work. I needed to unwind, take my mind off things.’

Sabri shook her head slowly and then pressed a button adjacent to the door. A few seconds later it was opened.

Zoren could smell a blend of freshly cooked vegetables slow filtering through the open doorway.

‘Sabri, Zoren, come in,’ Supora greeted them.

Seeing Supora in her smart cream coloured top and black skirt, made Zoren feel even more conscious of his own appearance.

‘Valon is just finishing off in the eating room. He’ll be about ten minutes,’ Supora commented. ‘The children are in their bedroom. Asnica, Doine!’ she called out, ‘Zoren and Supora are here.’

Asnica peeked out from the doorway to look at them.

‘Hello, Asnica. Where’s your sister?’ Sabri asked her.

‘She’s playing with her toy bricks,’ Asnica replied.

‘Please, take a seat,’ Supora said, pointing to a cloth covered bench. ‘I’ll only be a few moments. Valon needs a bit of help with shredding the karnlip.’

Through the open door to the girl’s bedroom, Zoren noticed that Doine was sitting on the floor building what looked like a stone house. Asnica sat down alongside her.

Supora went over to the large tinted window to look out at Linud, which was dominating the view.

‘Hi, Valon,’ Zoren said, popping his head in through the doorway of the eating room. ‘Hope she’s not working you too hard.’

Valon was cutting some vegetables with a shredding machine. ‘Hi, Zoren. I won’t be long.’

‘Can I help?’

‘No, I’m fine, just got the karnlip to do now.’

Zoren decided to go over to where Sabri was standing. He stared out at Linud and said,

‘Appears to be a very stormy down there today, especially on the southern continent.’

‘That’s odd,’ Sabri said. ‘Zoren, can you see what looks like a smiley face in the cloud formations over there?’ she said pointing. ‘See those two dark-grey cloud formations, they’re the eyes and below you can see a nose. The bottom of the largest southern continent is the mouth.’

‘Oh yes,’ Zoren replied. ‘It does look like a face, why?’

‘Well, it must have been earlier this year, but I remember seeing the same face in the clouds.’

‘Are you sure?’ Zoren replied.

‘I remember it made me smile at the time,’ Sabri added.

‘There must be a similar pattern of weather today.’

‘I suppose so,’ Sabri remarked. ‘It’s just looks the same.’

Supora entered the room. ‘Drink anyone?’

‘Yes, please!’ Sabri said, turning towards her.

Strange that cloud formation being almost identical to what Sabri had seen before,
Zoren thought.

‘Zoren?’ Supora asked.

‘What? Oh sorry! Yes please,’ he replied.

‘I have something new for you to try,’ Supora said, sounding excited. ‘Valon has been brewing this for the last ninety days. It’s from the root of the karnlip plant.’

‘Really?’ Sabri said. ‘We normally recycle them for plant feed.’

Supora got a tall red bottle and four very short glasses from a small dio-plastic cabinet. She squeezed out the red liquid into them and then handed them a glass.

Zoren could smell the pleasant, fragrant aroma of freshly cut karnlip flowers.

‘Here’s to your first baby,’ Supora said, glancing to Sabri and then Zoren. She raised her glass.

They all took a sip of the drink.

Wow!

‘This is good. So sweet!’ Zoren said in surprise.

‘Supora, I’m amazed!’ Sabri added. ‘I would never have thought a karnlip root could be turned into something so nice.’

‘Ready!’ Valon shouted, from the next room.

‘Would you like to come through,’ Supora said to them, and then called out, ‘Children! You too.’

Asnica rushed out from the bedroom and straight into the eating room.

As Sabri and Zoren entered, she said, ‘You can sit here,’ looking to Sabri, ‘next to my sister. I’m going to sit next to mum. Zoren you’re next to my dad.’

Supora seemed stunned by Asnica’s instructions to everyone.

‘Well, looks like the seating plan has been agreed,’ Zoren said in jest. ‘So I’m here, Asnica,’ he said, placing one hand on the back of the chair. He then placed his glass on the table.

Asnica nodded to him.

They all sat around the table, while Valon placed the last of the dishes in its centre.

‘Smells fantastic,’ Zoren remarked, admiring the array of vegetable dishes laid out in shallow dio-plastic bowls in the centre of the table.

‘You look like you’ve come straight from work, Zoren,’ Valon remarked. ‘Did Gulco keep you there late?’

‘No-’

Sabri interrupted him. ‘He forgot! He was playing in the shuttle simulator again.’

‘I had a go last week,’ Valon said. ‘I was useless. Just as well we won’t need a pilot for some decades yet.’

‘Please, help yourselves,’ Supora said, indicating towards the food. ‘Doine, what do you want, dear?’

‘Trimi please, mum,’ she replied.

Supora dished up some trimi onto Doine’s plate and then turning to Asnica asked,

‘Asnica, what about you?’

‘I’m all right. I can do it myself,’ she said, acting like an adult.

Supora raised her eyebrows, and then replied, ‘Ok, but be careful.’

Zoren placed some karnlip and frimti onto his plate and then said to Valon,

‘This drink is excellent. You should post it on the ideas board. I’m sure others would want to make this.’

‘Well there go all the karnlip roots,’ Sabri said cheerfully.

Zoren picked up a long ‘u’ shaped glass condiment and started to eat.

‘So is your baby a boy or a girl?’ Supora asked Sabri, while they ate.

‘We told Doc Korye not to tell us. We want it to be a surprise.’

‘Are, that’s nice. Have you chosen the names?’

‘Well if it’s a boy, then Zoren will get his choice.’

‘I thought Kantio would be a good name,’ Zoren said.

‘That’s a lovely name. What if it’s a girl?’ Supora asked.

‘Then my choice would be Elina,’ Sabri said. ‘However, I have feeling it’s a boy.’

‘Well a year will soon go,’ Valon remarked.

‘I know! I can’t wait,’ Sabri replied, looking very pleased.

‘Mum, can you pass me some karnlip, please?’ Asnica asked.

Zoren caught Sabri winking at him.

He smiled back at her and then mouthed, ‘love you.’ He noticed Doine staring at him, and a large grin grew on his face.

Supora moved the bowl of karnlip nearer to Asnica.

‘I heard you started the drive up today,’ Valon said.

‘Yep, it was a major milestone,’ Zoren said, ‘but unfortunately it didn’t go too well.’

‘Didn’t you feel the vibrations?’ Sabri said. ‘We could feel it two decks up in hydroponics.’

‘Yes, I heard it almost shook itself to pieces,’ Valon remarked.

‘You could say that. The damage has set us back at least two years. I’ve got to remake the injector housings, and there are numerous other components which will need to be replaced. I think the plans are wrong.’

‘Sounds like the designer didn’t want you to finish it,’ Valon said jokingly.

Erm… Interesting statement that
, Zoren thought to himself.
No, don’t be daft. Why wouldn’t someone not want us to complete the drives.

‘I’m sure the designer just made a few mistakes in the calculations,’ Zoren said. ‘What’s happened has happened, so we need to make sure we change what we need to and get the repairs done as soon as possible, then we can get on and finish the other three drives.’

Zoren ate some more of his meal.

‘This is very good, Valon,’ he commented.

‘Thank you. It was my turn to do dinner,’ he said, smiling at his wife.

‘Shame you don’t cook for me, Zoren,’ Sabri said cheekily to him.

‘I’d burn everything. You definitely don’t want me to cook dinner,’ he replied.

Sabri shook her head. ‘He doesn’t even want to try.’

‘You should have a go, Zoren,’ Valon said.

‘I’m not so sure,’ Zoren replied, and then to change the subject added, ‘So Asnica, I hear you’re going to be a maintenance engineer, like your mother.’

Asnica nodded. ‘You’re going to teach me when I’m a little older, aren’t you, mum?’

‘I’m not sure I will, but I’m sure you’ll have a good teacher.’

‘How are you getting on at school?’ Sabri asked.

‘You’re doing very well, aren’t you, Asnica,’ Supora replied for her. ‘She’s started-’

Supora stopped abruptly, hearing a distant rumble. The table shook momentarily.

‘What was that?’ Valon asked, getting up from his seat.

‘It sounded like it was a long way away,’ Zoren said, also rising from his seat.

‘It felt as though something may have hit the space station?’ Valon added.

‘There are no alarms sounding,’ Zoren replied.

The door buzzer sounded.

‘I’ll get it,’ Supora said, and then went to the door.

Zoren could hear Zuki’s voice. She came into the room with Supora.

‘Did you all hear that too,’ Zuki said. ‘It sounded like it came from outside the space station.’

There was a loud explosion. The room shook and the crockery visibly moved on the table.

‘That was closer. What’s going on?’ Zoren said.

Valon went into the living space and gazed out the window, Zuki and Supora followed. ‘I can’t see anything.’ Then turning to Zuki, he said, ‘Give Telaia a call, she’s on the other side of the station. See if she heard the same thing or can see anything.’

Zuki went to the communications console and pressed a few button. Telaia answered and they talked for a moment, before she turned and said, ‘She says the same. She heard a bang, but there’s nothing out there.’

Another more violent explosion rocked the room. Some of the dinner plates fell from the table onto the floor.