Sedulity 2: Aftershock (Sedulity Saga) (8 page)

Amanda looked confused for a moment, then realized that Lydia
was referring to the late Staff Captain Stevens’ gear. She suppressed a shudder
before saying, “Are you sure it’s okay for me to wear his clothes? I mean, I’m
not even part of the crew.”

“It’s quite alright, dear,” Lydia said. “He was a charming
man who would like nothing better than to have a beautiful woman inside his
slicker. Besides, your figure will do it more justice than his ever did.” It
was a weak attempt at humor, but even Amanda smiled. After a moment of
explanation to her daughter, Amanda and Lydia went back into Staff Captain
Stevens’ stateroom to get Mandy geared up.

*****

Captain Krystos entered the theater to thunderous applause.
Whether it was from gratitude for saving their lives, or simply the hope of
good news and being released from their sequestration was a moot point. What
was important was that the vast majority of passengers gathered there were
eager to hear what he had to say and openly displayed confidence in his command.

For the captain this demonstration of confidence was almost
painful. His feelings of guilt for sending so many passengers to their deaths
at the muster stations felt like a burden he would never be able to shrug off,
especially in front of those who had undoubtedly lost friends and family due to
his orders. Nonetheless, he had a duty to perform. He was here to explain some
new realities. By the time he was done there might not be as many hands
clapping.

Kevin and Professor Farnsworth followed the captain onto the
main stage to join Mr. Cohen and Lieutenant Reiner. The applause lasted longer
than it did for most of the professional productions performed on that stage,
but the stakes were obviously higher than at a regular variety show. The volume
on the television had been turned down, but the live video of catastrophes in
progress continued to be displayed on the screen deployed from the ceiling
above the stage. Captain Krystos had decided that it would be a fitting
backdrop for the message he had come to deliver.

The ship was rocking noticeably now, as a result of the
mounting wind generated swells that were hitting the stern and overtaking the
slow moving ship. The stabilizers prevented any significant side-to-side
rolling, but had no effect on longitudinal rocking. The passengers in the
theater, sitting in forward facing seats, must feel as if they were indeed
sitting in rocking chairs. Captain Krystos hoped that the sensation would have
a calming effect on the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, passengers and crew of the
Sedulity,
it is with a heavy heart that I
come to speak to you today. We can all see what is happening to our world,” he
gestured at the projection screen that was showing a muted rerun of the
destruction in Panama. “Everyone in this room, and anyone else alive on this ship,
should feel blessed to have lived to see this darkest of days. Millions of
other people across this ocean, and more than a thousand who were with us
aboard this ship yesterday, were not so fortunate. Their lives have ended, but
our new lives are just beginning.” He paused to let that statement sink in.

“This is not the same ship, or even the same world, that you
remember from yesterday. Both have taken a beating, but are not beaten, at
least not into submission. The
Sedulity
is
still afloat and the world beyond has not ended, however, much of what we took
for granted has. The impact event last night, an asteroid striking the ocean
very close to us, will reshape the world we knew in ways that none of us can
predict. Many of those changes will seem cruel and unfair, especially for those
who don’t survive them.” He pointed again at the TV images, which happened to
be showing another cruise ship being destroyed in the Panama Canal.

“For those of us who have survived the impact, this dark day
marks a new beginning. We, the survivors aboard the
Sedulity
, will have to chart a new course into an unfamiliar world.
We will do so with hope for the future and grief for what has been lost, but we
will go on. We will do what we must do to survive and, by the grace of God,
thrive in whatever the future holds in store for us.” He paused and there was
another spontaneous round of applause.

“Now wake up!” Captain Krystos barked. His outburst silenced
the crowd instantly. “Enough of the pep talk. It’s all true, but it won’t come
on a silver platter from room service. We’re all in this together, as a team.
The
Sedulity
has suffered serious
damage, but I am confident that the crew and I can bring her into port safely. I’m
counting on the surviving passengers to cooperate in our common goal of
survival. This is no longer a pleasure cruise. My crew will provide you with
food, water, and other basics, but we will not have time to cater to your every
desire. Half of my crew are either missing, dead, or seriously injured. The
other half will be working overtime to make vital repairs to this ship and
provide the necessities for your survival. They will also be feeling the same
emotions of loss and distress as you are.” The captain paused again and saw
that his point was getting across.
 

“We will all be under extreme stress in the coming hours and
days. I will not tolerate any violence, disrespect, or demeaning behavior from
or towards anyone aboard this ship. That goes for passengers and crew alike. Do
not take your grief, anger, or discomfort out upon anyone else aboard the
Sedulity.
Now, more than ever, we must show
compassion and focus on cooperation to promote our common goal of survival. I
hope I am making myself clear on this point. We
must
work as a team for as long as we remain together aboard the
Sedulity.
” The captain was pleased to
see most of the passengers nodding.

“Now I will tell you a bit more about the condition of the
ship and my intentions. We have suffered many fatalities and we have many
injured who require proper hospitalization, so we are setting course for the
port of Darwin on the west coast of Australia. That is the closest coastal city
with a suitable port that we know to have survived the tsunamis. The Australian
Navy has invited us there to re-provision and make emergency repairs.” There
was another round of applause in the theater. Everyone was happy to learn of a
safe destination.

“In the meantime we will have to do as best we can to keep
the ship functional and living conditions tolerable. Many of the balcony
staterooms have been damaged, and we have concerns about contamination by
particles from the asteroid that are falling with the rain. Weather conditions
have deteriorated due to all of the vaporized sea water blown into the
atmosphere by the asteroid strike. In fact, the cloud cover is so dense in this
region that it is dark as night outside this morning. We expect the rest our
voyage to Australia to be rough, with continuous heavy rain. Therefore, all
open deck space is off limits until further notice, including the Resort Deck,
Sports Deck, and Sky Deck. Additionally, with the exception of a few outside
accommodations that have fully intact windows remaining, all balcony staterooms
and suites are off-limits to passengers until such time as repairs can be
made.”
 
This caused an uproar among many
in the audience. The vast majority of these passengers had been staying in
rooms with balconies.
 

“Silence!” Captain Krystos shouted over the shocked crowd,
then continued in a more even tone. “This is exactly what I was talking about.
You
will
be inconvenienced. Of that I
have no doubt. Many of you will find that your personal belongings were
destroyed by fire or flooding. Your stateroom may not be habitable. You will
not enjoy the rest of your vacation. In fact, your vacation has already ended. But
you are alive! And I intend to see that you stay that way. My crew and I will endeavor
to keep you safe and healthy for as long as you are aboard the
Sedulity.
I can promise you that, nothing
more. In return, I hope that some of you will contribute to these goals as
well.

“Some of your fellow passengers, including half a dozen
physicians, have already stepped up to help treat the injured. If there are
more doctors, nurses, or others with medical training among you, please
consider assisting in the medical center. We have hundreds of patients and less
than a dozen trained professionals to treat them.

“The crew can also use assistance from anyone with
specialized skills such as carpentry and electronics repair. The
Sedulity
is in need of countless
repairs. The more passengers that pitch in to assist, the more time the crew
will have to service your needs too. Tables are being set up near the entrance
to the main dining room where volunteers can sign up and list their skills. You
will also need to go to these tables to find out if your stateroom is still
habitable. If not, we will work to find you alternate accommodations as soon as
possible. Finally, if you have become separated from a family member or
traveling companion, please enter their names on the forms at those tables and
we will do our best to locate them. They may be among the injured, or in
another part of the ship. Those who have lost friends or family in this
disaster have my deepest condolences and sincere apology for not being able to
save everyone. I would like to ask any members of the clergy, or those with
experience in grief counseling, to assist those who may have lost a loved one.”
That last issue brought a truly somber mood to everyone gathered in the
theater.

“Before we finish here, I want to take a moment to recognize
a couple of people whose quick thinking and wise counsel contributed to our
survival last night, starting with Mr. Kevin Summers.
 
I understand that he spoke to you earlier
about some of the conditions and challenges we face. Mr. Summers was one of the
few people who knew what to expect from an asteroid strike at sea. It’s really
not something that ever came up in any seamanship courses I’m familiar with. So
I want to thank Mr. Summers for his advice immediately after the impact, as
well as helping to formulate our plan for getting out of this mess safely. This
ship and all aboard her, including myself, owe him more than I have time to
explain now.”

Kevin was embarrassed to receive such recognition. All he had
done was share his knowledge of what to expect at each stage of the event.
Still, he waved and smiled in response to brief cheers from the crowd.

“The situation aboard this ship will become clearer to you
once you leave the theater,” Captain Krystos continued. “You were all very
lucky to have been here during the events following the asteroid strike. There
is one other person to thank for having the foresight to bring you here,
instead of to the muster stations as normal procedures call for.
 
Allow me to present my wife, Lydia Krystos.”
He gestured towards the back of the theater and one of the security guards
opened a door. Lydia walked in wearing her foul weather gear and there was a
collective gasp around the room as she walked down towards the stage.

“Yes,” Captain Krystos said. “I am truly thankful to God that
she survived being swept below decks after leading most of you here. She also
played a role in alleviating the flooding below in the medical center,
facilitating the care and treatment of hundreds of injured passengers and
crew.” The theater erupted in applause that became a standing ovation as Lydia
took center stage with her husband.
  

“Thank you,” Lydia said to quiet the crowd. “Thank you, but I
only did what I thought best at the time. It almost got me killed. I am so
happy to be back here and see all of you safe.” She paused for another round of
applause. She was clearly stealing the show. “My husband may have to play the
tough guy to get us through the coming days at sea, but I will dedicate my time
to helping make all of you as comfortable as possible. Please don’t blame the
crew for your misfortunes. I’m sure they will all do their best to accommodate
your needs. I will also try to be available to listen to any specific concerns
and help in any way I can.”
 

“Thank you, my dear,” the captain said as he took back the
microphone. “And now, for those of you who are hungry, or just want to get out
of this theater, we have opened the main dining room for brunch and it will
remain open as another secure place for you to relax. Forget about assigned
seating. We’ll be lucky if there are enough unbroken seats and tables for all
of you. If you leave the theater, please walk straight back to the dining room.
As you know, there are entrances on both Deck 4 and Deck 5 at the aft end of
the ship. So you can exit from either the balcony or main level of the theater
and go directly to the dining room.

“Please do not try to use the stairs or elevators to reach
other decks at this time. I have stationed members of the crew to prevent this.
Do not stop or touch anything on your way to the dining room. Do not be
surprised or overly concerned that it is still dark as night with very heavy
rain outside the ship. Be prepared for scenes of destruction in the public
areas. If you see curtains, or a sheet, or tarp covering something, it is
probably one of the less fortunate passengers or crew. Do not touch or approach
any of the bodies.” That brought gasps from the audience.

“For those who wish to remain in the theater, there will be
more snacks and beverages delivered here soon. I understand that many of you
are deeply concerned about the fate of Southern California, where we began this
ill-fated cruise. Our projections show that the tsunamis will reach San Diego
in about one hour, Los Angeles less than twenty minutes later. I leave it to
your discretion if you want to be here to watch those events unfold. If not,
please make yourselves comfortable in the dining room.” Captain Krystos looked
around once more, feeling empathy for those whose expressions reflected the
same pain and fear that he held tightly bottled up inside.