Circle of Retribution: A Future Chronology Short Story (Future Chronology Series Book 6) Read online

  “Yeah he knows that, and he knows that you are the one pilot who wouldn't lodge that complaint. You just take what comes at you and make it work,” said Maxine. “How do you do it Gardener?”

  “Maxine, my family has always had the biggest influence on my life. I have a great-great uncle who wrote books about personal responsibility. And his writing, and his attitude towards life has been passed down now for several generations. When you grow up with that kind of background it becomes second nature.”

  “What was your uncle's name? Have I ever heard of him?” asked Maxine.

  “Not likely,” said Gardener. “His writing was not too popular during his lifetime. People on Earth at that time, and since as a matter of fact, have had no use for his kind of philosophy. And those people who probably would find it motivating, frankly they are already motivated and don't need such instruction. I once heard it expressed this way; 'The power of instruction is seldom of much efficacy except in those happy circumstances where it is almost superfluous.' See, people have developed a mindset long before they are ever formally educated. It comes from the family setting.”

  “Yeah,” said Maxine. “And now that the Ems are feeding, clothing and housing them they don't need family or family approval. I'm glad I was born and raised on Mars.”

  “Well,” she continued, “my family wasn't a bunch of philosophers but my dad put it this way whenever I'd ask for something; 'Get it yourself, I ain't always gonna be here to get it for you'.”

  “Sounds like he was a philosopher,” said Gardener. “The best kind, the one that helps you learn to help yourself.”

  “I guess so,” said Maxine. “That's why I like you Gardener you're unpretentious but competent.”

  “High praise,” said Gardener smiling.

  “Anyway,” said Maxine, “when are we going to go flying outside on the surface?”

  “I think my suit will be ready tomorrow afternoon, is that a good time for you?” asked Gardener.

  “Sure,” said Maxine.

  4

  Excursions on the surface of Titan required a dry suit to keep out the minus one-hundred eighty degree celsius temperatures and a bottle of liquid oxygen for the breathing apparatus. The bottle needed little refrigeration in the cold atmosphere. The density of that atmosphere is over four times the Earth's and because Titan's gravity is only one-seventh the Earth's it is possible that humans can fly over its surface with wings attached to their arms. Others on the base had and Maxine and Gardener were determined to try.

  Donning their flight suits and breather masks they stepped into the airlock. In a couple of minutes the airlock cycled and they stepped out onto the surface of Titan. The 'sand' under their feet was like an organic soot, hydrocarbon polymers clumped together with about one-third the density of terrestrial sand. Gardener and Maxine carried their 'wings' with them. The wings were airfoils about six feet long and weighing almost nothing on Titan. Gardener himself weighed only about twenty pounds on the Saturn moon.

  They started off in the direction of a nearby hill that had been christened 'Kitty Hawk' by other fliers. Gardener had drilled one of the other pilots, Lance Germaine, about how to handle the wings. Lance had 'flown' already from Kitty Hawk. He was taller than Gardener by almost four inches with long arms and legs. Gardener wondered how he cramped into the cockpit of his ASC.

  “Gardener,” said Lance, “figure out the wind direction and run into the wind just like you were piloting a plane. I would glide a couple of times to get a feel for how to balance myself in the air. Then when you are comfortable with gliding, take off as usual but flap your arms just like a bird on Earth. You can glide back down when you get tired. Just one other thing, make sure you always keep up with the direction of the wind. The airfoils we use for wings don't travel down wind very well.”

  Gardener had explained what Lance told him to Maxine. When they reached the top of Kitty Hawk Gardener keyed his mic and asked, “You first or me?”

  “You first,” said Maxine, “I want to watch you to get an advantage.”

  “Okay,” said Gardener, “here goes.”

  The flight suit was similar to the old wing-suits used on earth. A web of material between the legs allowed the pilot to run on the ground and use his legs for stabilization when in the air. Another web of material extended from each arm tapering into the body at the waist creating a triangle. The arm material extended as much as two feet beyond the fliers hands. Unlike the old wing-suits, Titan's flight suits had active compensators built-in to help maintain proper flight attitude. This kept the suits from rotating around the fliers yaw axis as was common with wing-suits.

  From the top Kitty Hawk sloped downward in all directions. Gardener consulted the heads-up display of his face mask to note wind direction, the data came from the base weather center through the rf-link. Gardener turned to face the wind and began walking down the slope into the wind. He spread his arms out and sped up his descent. Before long he could feel the pressure of Titan's atmosphere against the suit wings. He started to flap, the airfoil shape of the wings started to lift Gardener into the air. He was no more than a few feet off the ground when he noticed he was climbing at a high rate. Checking the wind speed he was surprised to find it had increased to twenty kilometers per hour. Enough to lift him without any effort on his part.

  He tried to adjust his speed of ascent by pulling his arms in to lower the lift on the airfoil. Something happened, his right hand slipped out of the grip glove. The airfoil on that side dipped, the other side rose. Before he could correct he found himself upside down and falling. He pulled his knees up and hit the ground on the back of his heels before rolling the rest of the way down the hill and landing sprawled on his back.

  Before he could stand and make an inventory of himself Maxine was bending over him. He could see her yelling something at him from behind her suit mask. He realized that something had happened to his communications module. Maxine bent closer, he didn't need his comm module to hear her.

  “What are you doing you idiot, trying to kill yourself!”

  He shook his head and motioned for her to help him up. When he finally got to his feet he was surprised to find that he was whole and in one piece until he started to flex his right hand. The fingers on that hand didn't want to flex which was bad enough but the thumb was absolutely immovable and throbbing with pain.

  “You okay, can you walk?” yelled Maxine.

  He nodded and yelled back, “My radio is out but I'm fine except for my right hand, it's throbbing.”

  “Let's get you back to base and have the doctor look at that hand,” said Maxine.

  5

  Gardener winced when the doctor took his hand. “You've sprained the ulnar collateral ligament of your right thumb Mr. Jackson,” said Dr. Kaye. Dr. Hilton Kaye had come to Titan as chief medical officer for H3 Industries, the conglomeration of companies that provided the private investment for the Titan base. Dr. Kaye was slightly taller than Gardener, still in his thirties and already on his way to becoming rotund.

  “What does that mean doctor?” said Gardener.

  “It means that the ligament on the inside of you middle thumb joint, the metacarpophalangeal, is strained and that's causing the pain and incapacity.”

  “What can we do about it,” asked Gardener.

  “We need to keep your thumb completely immobile for the next three weeks. That means you will have to wear a cast continuously for that amount of time. After that we will apply a splint which you can take off for rehabilitation exercises but wear at all other times for three more weeks. I expect by then the swelling and tenderness should have subsided.”

  “So you expect a complete recovery?” asked Gardener.

  “I don't see why not,” said the doctor, “as long as you are careful during rehabilitation to keep that thumb as immobile as possible.”

  “I will,” said Gardener.

  “Okay,” said Dr. Kaye. “I'll send the nurse in to get that cast started.”
r />   After the nurse finished Gardener left the infirmary and headed for the common area. The main building was arranged around a central igloo shaped hub which housed the common area as well as administrative offices. Around this hub there were remote work areas such as the infirmary, similar in shape but smaller. All five of these remote work areas were connected by corridors to the central hub in a starfish pattern. This design had been simpler for the automated three dimensional printers to weave as they worked to build the base.

  Gardener walked carefully along the corridor. A supply robot rolled past on its way to the infirmary.

  Because of the low gravity on Titan it was easy to find yourself moving too fast and bounding too far and high. The corridors and hubs had high ceilings to accommodate but new residents could still hurt themselves until they got used to the change. Gardener had adapted quickly and moved along the corridor quickly, almost like a pro.

  He was sitting at a table and trying to open a sugar packet for his coffee when Maxine and Lance walked up.

  “A cast,” said Maxine. “A cast is going to be a problem with flying the ASC isn't it?”

  “I don't know,” said Gardener. “I think I can work around it, I only have to wear it for three weeks and then just a splint which will allow more mobility for my fingers.”

  Just then Lt. Macland walked into the room.

  “Jackson!” yelled Macland, the room got quiet. “I heard that stupid trick you pulled. Why do you think the citizens of Mars paid for your training? So you could sit on your ass drinking coffee in the canteen? Do you have any idea what you've done?”

  “Lt. Macland, sir,” said Gardener. “I have a minor injury and I assure you that it will in no way affect my performance. I will be ready to do my job when needed.”

  “We'll see about that,” said Lt. Macland. “You will report to the Captain's office in the morning and tomorrow afternoon you will be in the simulator. I want to know exactly what you can do with that injury. Your first mission payload from Saturn will not be delayed, if you cannot perform to my satisfaction in the simulator tomorrow someone else will fly that mission. Do you understand?”

  “Yes sir, Lt. Macland,” Gardener said, seemingly without concern, “I understand.”

  Most of the people in the room followed Macland out the door before turning back to Gardener with a look of astonishment.

  “Boy that guy is going to get what's coming to him someday,” said Lance. “You aren't the only one he belittles but you do seem to be his favorite. Why is that Gardener?”

  Gardener shrugged, “I don't know, some kind of fundamental incompatibility I guess.”

  The server robot brought Maxine and Lance coffee.

  Sipping her coffee Maxine said, “I'll tell you why, because Macland can't and Gardener can, it's as simple as that.”

  Lance stared at Maxine, Gardener just smiled.

  6

  Titan is tidally locked to Saturn, meaning that its period of rotation, sixteen days, is the same as its orbital period around Saturn. But the base stuck to a Martian schedule of slightly over twenty-four hours for its day. Since the thick atmosphere obscured any markers in the sky this wasn't a hardship for base personnel.

  Gardener had a good nights sleep and was in Captain Wingham's office promptly at nine the next morning, Titan time. Lt. Macland began, “Captain Wingham if I may.”

  “Continue,” said Wingham.

  “As you know Captain, Gardener Jackson is scheduled to fly the first mining mission in two weeks. However, he has now put that mission in jeopardy because of his poor judgment. As you can see he has an injury requiring him to wear a cast on one hand. I believe that this injury will be detrimental to his ability to perform his flight duties.”

  “Captain if I may,” said Gardener.

  “Yes Mr. Jackson,” said the Captain.

  “I admit to poor judgment in my choice of recreation with the flight only a couple of weeks away. However, I believe I can perform up to my full potential even though this cast does restrict my mobility somewhat. And by the time of the mission I will only need a splint on my hand which should give me even greater mobility.”

  “Captain,” said Lt. Macland. “I admit it is possible that Mr. Jackson can fly the mission in his present physical condition. We will find that out this afternoon, I've scheduled a simulator session with Mr. Jackson. However his flight readiness is not in question. What is in question is Mr. Jackson's decision making ability. His actions show a disregard for the importance and success of this mission. As much as we need an aviator with superior flight skills, we also need an aviator that can make the right decisions under pressure. And that is not a skill that Mr. Jackson has demonstrated recently.”

  Before Gardener could speak up Captain Wingham began, “Well Lieutenant as I understand it Mr. Jackson's activity that led to his injury is common enough on the base. Surely we should expect some mishaps. And I think that such activity, the chance to stretch your legs outside, is important for maintaining morale. Perhaps we should give Mr. Jackson the benefit of the doubt as far as his decision making ability. From what I have seen his simulator results are excellent. And I believe you have prepared him quite well for any emergencies. I commend you on your efforts.”

  Lt. Macland stuttered, “I, I have always tried to prepare all the pilots to the best of my ability sir. I wouldn't do any less, our mission is quite important to me. That is why Mr. Jackson's recent actions are of concern...”

  “I understand Lieutenant but why don't we wait and see how Mr. Jackson handles the afternoon simulation you have prepared for him. We can discuss any further actions necessary afterwards.”

  “Yes sir,” said Lt. Macland.

  “Thank you sir,” said Gardener.

  Gardener and Macland rose to leave the room meeting at the door. “I'll see you this afternoon Mr. Jackson,” snarled the Lieutenant.

  “Of course Lieutenant,” responded Gardener.

  7

  Gardener arrived for his afternoon flight simulation on time. He was surprised to see all those in attendance. Of course he expected Captain Wingham might show up but he didn't expect to see most of the other pilots including Maxine and Lance. They stood against the back wall trying to remain out of sight and mind. Both nodded to him when he entered the room.

  Gardener was a bit disconcerted until he took his seat in the simulator. Then his mind focused and it was as if he were home. He felt so comfortable that he almost fell asleep while the technicians readied the simulator.

  “Mr. Jackson,” he heard Lt. Macland call.

  “Yes Lieutenant,” said Jackson.

  “Are you ready?” asked Macland.

  “Ready when you are Lieutenant.”

  “Flight simulation oh nine five three two, pilot Jackson ready, begin when ready flight,” he heard the Lieutenant say.

  Gardener focused on the controls, his breathing was relaxed. “ASC1 this is flight control, you are cleared for takeoff.”

  Gardener's screens came alive. Looking out from the ASC it seemed he was aligned on the runway outside Titan base. He began his pre-roll procedures. “Roger, flight control,” said Gardener. “Beginning pre-roll.”

  Take-off was flawless and he climbed immediately. He allowed the ANI to take over and it wasn't long until the ASC was in the upper atmosphere of Titan.

  “Flight control this is ASC1 I am about to begin trans-Saturn orbital lock. Nuclear-thermal rockets nominal, flight system nominal, guidance nominal, beginning orbital insertion, now.”

  The nuclear-thermals kicked, or that's what Garener called it each time he engaged them and broke free of the atmosphere of Titan. The ASC1's viewing screens showed the blackness of space and the majesty of Saturn. He was now on his way to a rendezvous with the upper atmosphere of Saturn.

  Here the simulation would skip the cruise phase of the mission and forward to Saturn orbital injection. In this way all major mission goals were simulated but the relatively quiet times between these mar
kers would be cut.

  “ASC1 this is flight control, Titan escape velocity achieved ready to move to Saturn orbital injection.”

  “Roger flight control.”

  The mission continued without incident. Major mission goals were simulated and Gardener completed the mining with a full load of He3 for transport.

  “ASC1 this is flight control, prepare for trans-Titan orbital insertion.”

  “Roger flight control,” said Gardener. “Ready when you are.” Gardener relaxed momentarily and turned to get his thremos. As he turned his thumb cast caught on the toggle switch controlling the storage tanks. Before Gardener could react a dump of the He3 tanks began. Because it was an emergency procedure the tanks were half empty before Gardener could cycle the system.