Space Rescue One (45 page)

      "Look at the nose!" Jimmy exclaimed.

      Everyone stared at the picture coming from an outside camera on some other ship in the stricken liner's area. The scene they saw revealed that part of the nose and upper structure was missing and open. Just along the bottom of the torn metal were what was left of the ship's identification. All they could read was the word 'titan i c.' of the corporation name. The rest of the lettering was torn or scraped away.

      Richard quickly recognized the significance of what he saw. He said solemnly, "The
Liberty
is never going to be remembered by its true name from now on when the rest of humanity sees that. She'll only be remembered as space's equivalent to the
Titanic.
We're going to have our work cut out for us in spades. Everything we do or say is going to be analyzed afterward nine ways to Sunday and back. I doubt if anyone's going to remember that we saved millions of lives a few days ago. They're going to remember this and how well we do. You don't have to believe me, but it will soon become apparent if you don't. The closer we get to the
Liberty,
the more likely it will become that people will expect us to perform a miracle. Chiefs, I'll be available for rescue duty when we arrive. I'll turn over command of
SRO
to the First Officer while I help out. If nothing else, it gives us one more warm body to rely on."

      Isaac nodded. His own insight told him that Richard was right. The image of the ship's identification being reduced to only 'titan i c.' would catch and fuel the public imagination. Like the real
Titanic,
it would probably become a legend that refused to ever fade away. He thought some more about Richard's idea to let every team member move independently. It was a big risk before they knew of the image he sat with his eyes transfixed upon. It was too much of a risk he knew at last. He couldn't accept the idea no matter how bad the circumstance was when they arrived. The minimum would have to remain pairs of team members though he knew he couldn't order Richard to have anyone accompany him.

      Shelly glanced away from the monitor to study briefly the faces of Richard and Isaac. She was absolutely certain that her trainees weren't ready to make life and death decisions on their own. However, Richard's recent words about the
Liberty
becoming a legend made her realize that anything they did wouldn't be enough. She wasn't sure, but it might be better for everyone if they did attempt something radical under the circumstances. Still, she worried about whether she might be creating three more Richards with nightmares haunting them in their sleep because they couldn't save everyone. She glanced at Amanda, Irving, and Sheila momentarily. She could see it in their faces that they were scared about what they would be facing soon. They didn't have near the experience that Richard had on the
Southern Pride
and he was nearly a wreck after living through his ordeal. How would they fare trying to corral scared passengers possessing less sense than a green merchant crew? She didn't like the odds against them alone, let alone in pairs with someone else from the
SRO.
There was only one way to protect them. They could only be paired with other team members. She knew she'd have to oppose Richard no matter how much she loved him.

      Suddenly, she realized she had the answer to her own problem. At last, the answer stared her in the face. She got up and walked around to stand behind him. She bent down and whispered, "Can you and I talk privately?"

      He looked up at her as he replied, "Sure. You lead, I'll follow."

      Shelly led him back to Isaac's quarters since it was closest. She pushed the hatch closed as soon as they were both inside. Shelly said, "I do love you. I just needed a crisis to discover that I did and that my love is strong enough for you. I want to be your wife."

      Richard felt his eyes tear up and blur his vision of her. He knelt down and said, "I promised I'd ask for your hand properly if you decided that you really wanted to marry me. Now I'm asking. Will you marry me?"

      "I will. With all my heart and soul, I want you, Richard, as my husband. Can we marry today?" Shelly answered.

      "I guess we can. At least it'll provide everyone with one bright spot to remember."

      "Fine, then let's tell everyone else and marry in about an hour. I have a feeling that we're not going to have a very long honeymoon," she said.

      "I'll try to make it up to you later."

      Shelly said, "I'll hold you to that promise," as she opened the hatch and walked out arm-in-arm with Richard. As they reached the table, Shelly said, "Isaac, could you turn the volume down for a moment. I have an announcement to make."

      Isaac glanced up at Shelly to see her holding arms with Richard. His insight didn't fail him in the least as he took in their stance and behavior. He knew then that she was forever Richard's. He reached over to the monitor and manually lowered the volume.

      "Richard asked me long ago to marry him. I wasn't sure until now. I just accepted his proposal. We'll be marrying each other in about an hour," Shelly said.

      As expected, her announcement temporarily lifted the gloom from the faces of the team members as they responded to the good news with congratulations and expressions of joy for both Richard and her.

***

Richard and Shelly stood in their dress uniforms in the ready room. For once in his life, Richard wore his awards proudly on his uniform rather than letting those rest among the ghosts in his travel chest. As well, each wore some confetti strewn upon them in place of flowers by some of the crew as they approached the First Officer when the ceremony began.

      The First Officer stood in front of them reading from his Bible. Despite the disaster they raced toward, he managed to smile often during the ceremony as he intoned the solemn words to bond the two people together in matrimony. Around them, the rest of the rescue team members and some of the crew stood and watched as two people they respected spoke their vows. Chief Dickson stood beside the Captain as the best man. Somehow, he came up with a ring for the occasion and held it at the ready for Richard to give to Shelly. On the ready room table behind them, a small bottle of bourbon whiskey missing only two shots stood at the ready for the toast that would be given shortly to their health and happiness.

      Richard and Shelly managed to blurt out their "I do's" to each other and the universe just before the First Officer concluded the ceremony by pronouncing them husband and wife. More confetti flew through the air to land gaily upon them as they turned to face their friends.

      After a quick toast that emptied the bottle, Richard and Shelly made their way from the ready room to his quarters, accepting the congratulations from more friends as they passed them in the corridor. Richard stopped at the hatch to his quarters and faced Shelly.

      "Well, it's customary for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold. I guess this is the threshold," Richard said. He opened the hatch before scooping her up in his strong arms. With ease he entered his quarters carrying her before setting her down gently on her feet. He planted a kiss on her before the hatch closed fully.

***

Richard and Shelly glanced up at the closed hatch as the gentle knock came from it.

      "I reckon our honeymoon is over," Richard said.

      With sadness in her voice, Shelly said, "Seems so. Know what? I forgot to bring my robe. Hand me one of your towels to wrap around me. I'll see you in the shower."

      "Sure you don't want my robe?" he asked.

      She answered, "You use it. It's not very proper for the Captain to answer his door while naked."

      Richard stood and slipped on his robe before he realized that he could cover himself with just a towel. He dropped it back off his shoulders and tossed it to Shelly before he took a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "I think I'm presentable enough this way. Here's a towel to dry on," Richard said as he tossed another to her.

      He glanced back to see that she had his robe on before he opened the hatch just as the knocking repeated.

      "Captain, I'm sorry to disturb you sooner than you asked. I thought you could use a little good news."

      "Yes, First Officer?" Richard asked.

      "The war on Earth is over. The allies won. We just received that in the midst of the transmissions concerning the Titanic," the FO said.

      "It's actually the
Liberty,
but I understand why you called it that. No need to apologize. Anything more concerning the
Liberty?"
Richard replied.

      "Yes, sir, some good news, some bad," the FO answered.

      "Give me the bad news first," Richard said.

      "Confirmed fatalities total three hundred so far. As well, the ship is still breaking apart. There haven't been anymore life pods ejected since the one we know of. That's about the extent of the bad news. There's not much good. So far, one life pod has been picked up by a freighter with two people alive in it. Transmissions continue to come from the, uh,
Liberty.
They show that people are still alive on board but we're unable to get a count from them. Apparently they don't know how many are alive, either. Oh, the Captain of the
Liberty
is alive. He's one of the few officers who survived. There don't appear to be hardly any crew members around. Not the kind who know how to run a ship, anyway."

      "I wonder why he isn't getting anyone into the life pods?"

      "Sir, he's not in any shape to command. The one time I saw him he looked like the walking dead. I guess he knows his career is shot to hell over this," the FO replied.

      "I think you're right about his career. Still, he should be doing . . . um, yeah, he must be in severe shock. I take it that they're still not receiving any transmissions," Richard replied.

"Correct, sir."

      "Okay, Shelly and I are going to shower and freshen up now. If more information comes in that appears important, just send someone there to find me. I'll probably be in the combined rescue teams' ready room afterwards. When we reach the
Liberty,
I'll put you in charge of the
SRO
so that I can lend a hand with the rescue operation since I'm qualified," Richard said.

"I understand sir. Thank you for your confidence in me."

***

"Hope you both had a good honeymoon, brief as it was," Isaac said.

"What we had was heavenly, Chief," Shelly said.

      "Thanks, Chief. I've thought about when we enter, we better be in armored suits. A lot of the passengers are going to be in a panic. We're less likely to be hurt by any of them if we're wearing armor," Richard said.

      "I agree. We could take our flex suits with us to give to anyone cut off from their own suits," Isaac said.

      "Seems reasonable. We may have to take additional air tanks along with the Air Link. It's my guess that some of the passengers suited up early and don't have anymore air for their suits. It wouldn't surprise me to discover that they've fought each other for any spare air tanks or whatever suits they could reach. We certainly don't want them trying to fight us," Richard replied.

      "We've got the blueprints now. I've thought about your idea. I'm still against it," Isaac said.

      "I've already been brow beaten by my wife into agreeing that my idea was a crock. We'll go inside in team pairs, though that leaves me with no partner," Richard said.

      "You could act as backup for any team pair that gets in trouble. Otherwise, we won't have any," Shelly said.

      "That sounds good to me. You're the one person I'd most prefer backing me up if I get into trouble," Isaac said.

      "The worst trouble I foresee is someone on board having a weapon. I think all our regular technicians should be armed. I suggest laser sidearms. We don't want the noise from guns creating a panic should any of us have to use a weapon," Richard said.

"You don't want the trainees to have a weapon? Why not?" Isaac asked.

      "I don't think they're ready to be faced with taking a life should it become necessary," replied Richard.

      "They won't be able to back up their partners then. I don't like that idea," Shelly said.

"Shouldn't we be asked if we're willing to carry sidearms?" Ceriga asked.

      Isaac glanced at Ceriga's eyes, seeing in them an image of himself years before. "She's right. We should leave this up to them."

      "If I run into trouble, I'd like to know that my back is covered," Ashika said.

      "Okay, okay, have it your way. Everyone will take a sidearm. I just hope we don't have to use them," Richard said.

      "We all hope that, Richard," Shelly stated.

      "Okay, besides laser sidearms, we're going to need Quik-Cut and Quik-Seal since the ship is still breaking apart. We'll need the Quik-Cut to free anyone who's trapped under anything and we might find a need for the Quik-Seal. Anyway, I'd rather have it on hand than not," Isaac said.

      Shelly and Richard both nodded.

      "Okay, entrance assignments. I'm going to send the pairs with trainees in them to the stern of the ship where the least damage took place. The rest of the pairs will make their entries at intervals along the remaining length," Isaac said.

      Richard asked, "I presume that you'll be with a trainee, Chief? You'll be in charge then at the stern?"