33.

“What do you think?” Sarah asked.

Captain Moon looked at the latest version of the uniform that they were working on designing for wear aboard the Keeper . She chewed her lip, debating. “It’s the same as the dress uniform we’re presently wearing, except the colors are different.”

“Yes. The light violet color is the same as the surface of the Toormonda. The green is the color of chlorophyll, to represent our connection to earth. The blue is for Earth as well, to represent our waters. This other shade of green is the color of chlorophyll on Totolla, to represent our connection to the Yonohoans,” she explained.

Captain Moon nodded. “Okay. I like it. It’s a lot brighter than our dusky black and red uniforms, but it’s the same cut and style. That represents a continuity of service and a connection to our past.”

“Exactly, ma’am,” Sarah agreed.

She was still sedated. She seemed to be accepting her diagnoses, and had confessed to several additional symptoms including trouble sleeping, hearing whispers, and seeing things in shadows. She had withheld them out of a paranoid fear that she would be taken away from Diego. Whom she still believed was in love with her. The medical professionals had advised not to press her on that point yet.

“How are you feeling, Sarah?” Captain Moon asked.

“Honestly, I’m relieved that it’s out in the open now. I was so terrified while I was hiding it. It’s frustrating that I’ve been relieved of duty, but I understand the reasoning behind it. And I’m hopeful that the Yonohoans will figure out a cure. Or at least a treatment,” came the answer.

“I’m relieved that you’re doing better. And the meds?” she pressed.

“I feel a little off, to be honest. Part of it I’m sure are the ones that are keeping me calm while I cope with the fact that the Yonohoans have taken Diego from me. I understand why I have to take them, but they are making me feel strange. I can’t tell if the ones that are there to treat the brain damage are working or not, or if they’re the reason I’m feeling strange and not the sedatives,” Sarah said.

“We all want you to get better, Sarah. What’s happening to you is happening to all of us to some degree. I’m sorry that your case was the first one to go critical, but others have been hiding symptoms as well,” Captain Moon said.

“I know. It’s stupid, why were we hiding it when we knew it was probably going to happen sooner or later? We read a thousand pages of science on the matter and thought ‘no, that’s not what’s happening to me.’”

“There were other factors to consider,” Captain Moon reminded her. “But yes, I wish that it had come to light sooner. We’re lucky that it was exposed now, while we’re in Yonohoan space and have access to their technology.”

‎ “Yay for conveniently timed emotional breakdowns,” Sarah joked.

Captain Moon laughed politely. “Are you okay going back to the Seeker to clean out your room?”

“I’m not made of eggshells, Captain. There’s nothing in there that will set me off except a few letters I wrote to Diego while he was trapped on the flagship,” Sarah said.

Captain Moon nodded. “I’m going to have you escorted all the same. Once you’ve cleared out your room, you get first pick of the cabins on the Keeper . I get second.”

“Yes ma’am,” Sarah said. “So is the uniform approved? I’d like to get changed out of this jumpsuit.”

“Yes. We’ll be using the standard Toormonda spacesuit, which should go over the uniform just fine. Although calling it a spacesuit isn’t really doing it justice, considering that it’s really just a belt and some jewelry.”

The devices in question would create a shield around the wearer, keeping in a significant bubble of atmosphere and protecting against the harsh radiation of space. The full set consisted of a belt, two wristbands, two anklets, and a circlet. The Yonohoans had assured them, however, that a single device was enough to power the bubble-shield for hours. The entire set was only necessary because they were for children, and thus redundancy added layers of protection.

“So, are you really going to put everyone who scored level two or higher on the exposure scale on medical leave?” Sarah asked.

“If they’re a civilian contractor and choose to remain on the Seeker I believe we’ll respect their decision,” Captain Moon answered. “All military personnel will be placed on administrative medical leave, however. That was always the plan for if people began showing symptoms. It’s one of the reasons why we have redundancy in personnel, aside from the ability to run multiple shifts.”

“Captain, please be honest with me. Were you read on the part where this was a human experiment?” Sarah asked.

“That we were to study the effects of the Tunnel Drive on our bodies as we traveled is not in dispute, Sarah,” Captain Moon pointed out. “We were always monitoring for signs of deficit or impairment, and our goals would have shifted if we’d detected symptoms sooner. The part that most of the crew finds offensive is the idea that they were selected specifically to see if their ethnic or medical background had some factor which might be a variable in the response to Tunnel Drive exposure or not. And before you ask, I was not in charge of selecting the crew. I was selected by an international focus group from a vast list of candidates, the same as everyone else.”

“I guess you’re not wrong that it was sort of out in the open,” Sarah admitted. “It’s just that nobody likes being treated like a guinea pig.”

“You signed the documents, the same as everyone else, Sarah.”

“I know. But now I’m wondering if I ever really read them, you know? Kind of like the EULA on a video game. ‘Click yes to become an interstellar astronaut.’”

“Well, it’s too late to change now,” Captain Moon said. “All we can do at this point is limit further exposure and establish treatment protocols for the people who have suffered damage and/or are suffering from symptoms.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Right. Okay. I’ve sent the design to the clothes printer. I’m going to go change,” Sarah said, and she left the common room where they had been having this discussion.

Captain Moon sat back on the comfortable furniture, looking around at her new command. She wasn’t certain that whether it was a step up from the Seeker or not.

On the one hand, the Seeker was the most advanced vehicle ever created by Earthling hands. The Keeper was practically a toy to those who built it. The Seeker was one of a kind, experimental, and state of the art. The Keeper was standard, one of millions or billions of units just like it, and had been around for thousands of years. The Seeker represented the hope and dreams of an entire planet filled with billions of humans. The Keeper was a glorified school bus.

On the other hand, the Keeper was thousands, perhaps millions of years more advanced than the Seeker and its scientific powers far outstripped that of the experimental vessel. And, according to the Yonohoans, the Keeper wouldn’t turn your brains into jello if you drove it over the universe’s speed limit.

She sighed.

An image appeared before her showing the staff photo of Captain Anders.

“Captain Moon, this is Captain Anders on an unsecure line. Do you read me?” the other captain said.

“I read you, Anders. Keeper , please place a Red dot clearly in my field of vision when the connection is not secure. How can I help, captain?”

“Are you aware that several members of the returning crew have brought trinkets and technology from the Keeper to the Seeker without command staff approval?” Anders asked.

Ji-eun frowned. “I did not approve it on my end, Captain.”

“I didn’t think so. You would have run it by me even if you were still in command,” he said. “They will face disciplinary action for this oversight. However … I have to admit, the cat has been out of the bag for a while. We brought the wooden horse into Troy when we brought their probe aboard our ship. Considering what I’ve seen of their technology, I believe there’s very little benefit to gain from continuing to bar the integration of portable items from the Toormonda as we work to integrate its systems into our mission.”

“I concur with your reasoning, but ultimately that’s a discussion and decision for your staff. At present the Keeper is to be treated as an ancillary vessel of the Seeker . However, it’s ability to replicate technological marvels means that as long as it has mass in its food, clothes, and material printers, it’s effectively a self-contained factory. I have no issue with supplying the staff of the Seeker with any supplies they feel will assist in the completion of their mission.”

“Thank you, Captain. I will take the matter to discussion with my command staff and come to a decision at a later time. For the moment please limit the devices approved for transfer between our two ships to only the Toormonda vacuum exposure safety devices,” Captain Anders requested.

“Roger, wilco. I’ll put a note on the door,” she said. “Is there anything else?”

“I have finished the review of the first twelve segments for Project Radio Tower. It was your idea. Your segment will be the first on the air. I wanted to confirm that you have no second thoughts about the project as a whole or your individual contribution to it, in light of recent events,” Anders said.

“No second thoughts. Let’s let the universe hear what we have to say,” Captain Moon said.

“Roger. Do you have any items that require discussion, Captain Moon?”

“I’m approving a new uniform for the permanent staff members of the Keeper . Sarah will be returning to clear out her room and move full time aboard the Keeper . She designed it, and she’d like to show it off to the staff. It would do her some good to see some friendly faces, so I think you should throw her a going away party.”

“Roger. Anders out.”

“Captain Moon, Out.”

The holographic picture of the newly promoted Captain Anders vanished. She sighed.

“Okay, Keeper. Let’s try this again. Show me the local cluster of stars with Totola in the center.”

The room turned black and filled with stars.

“Now zoom out until we’re looking at the entirety of Yonohoan space,” she instructed.

The hologram zoomed out to show the local cluster of galaxies.

“Now hide all systems except for those directly controlled by the Yonohoans and the Sullivans,” she instructed.

Most of the stars in the sky vanished, leaving only a few hundred twinkling lights. She sighed. They were dispersed throughout the space, but they were so far apart and so few compared to the total number.

“Now show the local inhabited worlds that are considered close allies with the Yonohoans,” she said.

The galaxies lit back up. Not as brightly as before, but brightly enough to give the impression of what was there. She nodded.

“Save this view. Now show the systems of those forces which are considered unfriendly, dis-trustworthy, or hostile by the Yonohoan government.”

The sky once more lit up. Almost as brightly as the view that she had just saved. She sighed. It was just so difficult to get a grasp on the scope of politics involved in their position.

‎