Life Support
by Hall Jameson
Captain Eliza Crane leaned forward, peering through the ship’s front shield, frowning as she swirled her fingertips over the control pad, magnifying the pill-shaped craft entangled with a space buoy. Its single porthole glowed amber and a jagged scar marked the flank, obscuring what might have been an identification number.
“Hmm. That’s interesting, skipper,” Halverson, her chief engineer, said. “The heat sensors are firing. We’ve got definite signs of life.” He swung the monitor toward her; the screen danced with cardiac and respiratory rhythms.
“How could anything be alive on that thing?” first mate, Lucas, said. “It’s pretty mangled.”
Eliza glanced over her shoulder at him. “Some might say the same thing about the Meddybemps,” she said, referring to the prehistoric space tug under her command.
A knot formed in her chest as she studied Lucas staring through the porthole, his mouth set in a grim line. He shared an uncanny resemblance to her brother Ryan in both appearance and mannerisms. Perhaps this was why she and Lucas had formed such an easy friendship. But occasionally the similarities between the two men reminded her of what she had lost. Today was one of those days, especially since today was Ryan’s birthday.
She sighed. She hadn’t spoken to her brother in over five years. They had had a falling out when she embarked on a lengthy mission just after their mother had fallen ill. Ryan had begged her not to go, but Eliza had been in denial about the severity of her mother’s condition and had accepted the assignment, at her mother’s insistence. A few days into her travels, her mother passed away. A devastated Eliza had returned to earth weeks later only to discover that Ryan had already scattered their mother’s ashes in the Puget Sound. After that, the siblings said horrible things to each other that couldn’t be unsaid, and their once rock-solid relationship deteriorated, leaving a huge void in her life.
“Looks like approximately six hours and forty-eight minutes of life support remaining on the mystery craft,” Halverson said. “Which means we’ve got just enough time to grab this and still make it back to base. Want me to intercept?”
Eliza blinked, shaking off thoughts of her brother and forcing her attention back to the present. Was Lucas ready for a spacewalk? It had been months since the malfunction with his suit, but was it too soon to ask him to go out there? She and her crew were a tight-knit group, friends outside of work, and ready to make the ultimate sacrifice during their work, if necessary. She went out of her way to look out for them because one thing she had learned since losing her mother: Don’t take anyone or anything for granted. Ever.
Eliza glanced at the fuel gauges and frowned. “You sure we have the resources for both this tow and the return boost?”
Halverson pecked at the keyboard and nodded. “Given the excess fuel we burned during entry, combined with the thruster damage sustained during the last push, intercept’s a slight risk, but feasible.” He drummed his fingers on the console. “Could be a stowaway, like that kid they found in the Stellar’s cargo hold.”
Eliza frowned. “I hope not. They’d be in pretty rough shape.”
The number of people trying to reach the new colony was staggering and the uptick in stowaways, troubling. Many families had been separated after the wars and would do anything to escape, including hiding in incredibly dangerous places. Between that and the recent freighter collision, her team had been busy towing space junk and checking for unwarranted passengers.
“Might be a lab rat,” Lucas said. There was a moment of awkward silence. “That was a joke, guys. I’ve become really fond of Glitch,” he said, grinning, referring to the white rat he had rescued from the lab pod the day of his spacesuit malfunction. “Who else can say they have a mouse with three tails as a buddy?”
Eliza sighed. “Well, it’s likely some type of interference triggering the monitors, but we should grab it either way.” She moved to release her harness, but Lucas held up a hand.
“Skipper, I’ll do it.” He paused and took in a deep breath. “Not sure when I’ll get another chance before we dock. Whoever or whatever’s aboard Heartbeat needs our help.”
Eliza couldn’t help but smile at Lucas’s habit of naming mundane things, providing them with an identity. Ryan had often nicknamed things too, from the stray dogs that hung out in their childhood neighborhood (Chompy and Bitey) to the neighbor’s beater truck (Pops) to the neighbor himself (Weird Beardy). She wondered what he was doing on his birthday.
“Heartbeat, huh? I like it, but let me be clear: If you’re not ready, one of us can do it,” she said. “Nola’s below repairing the john, but I could pull her off that. I’m sure she’d be delighted. Plus, it’s only been three months since the issue with your suit. Nobody’s going to judge you if you’re not ready.”
Halverson had been watching the exchange in silence. He glanced at the monitor. “Guys, sorry to interrupt, but we have a limited timeframe for this if we’re going to do it.” Eliza shot him a look.
“Captain, seriously, I’m ready,” Lucas said. “I just want to get back on the horse, so to speak. This is what I trained to do. Plus, if there’s someone or something aboard Heartbeat, and it appears that there is, they’re probably a heck of a lot more scared than I am, right? I have a feeling we’ll all feel better once I do this.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Seriously, Eliza, I’m good.”
She hesitated a moment before finally relenting. “Okay. And for the record, I know you can do it. It’ll be a quick maneuver. Reel it in. Tie it down. You’ll be back aboard in no more than thirty-three minutes.”
“Thirty-three, huh?” Lucas repeated, a wry smile forming on his lips.
“You got me. Maybe thirty-four. If we go thirty-five, I’ll owe you a brew of your choice. Actually, however long it takes, dinner’s on me when we get back to base, okay?” She looked him in the eye. “I’ll be right there with you every step. All the suits have been triple-checked. They’ll be no oxygen issues, I guarantee it. We just have to keep an eye out for debris.”
“Got it.” Lucas exhaled and stared out the shield. A moment later, he clapped his hands and released his harness. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
“You got this sailor,” she said.
Lucas clung to the exterior of the ship while Eliza monitored from the bridge.
“I forgot how incredible it is out here,” he said, gazing at the moon for a moment. “Almost as pretty as the view from my front porch back in Maine: The sunrise over the Atlantic; humpbacks breaking the water’s surface; lobster boats heading out to check their traps; all the clams you could want, there for the digging. Have I told you about Maine, skip?”
Eliza grinned. “Only about a thousand times. Looking forward to seeing it all in person when we get back to earth.”
“You’re going to love it. You can bring your brother after you patch things up. I know Glitch is excited,” he said. “I’ll tighten the cables and we should be good.”
He navigated to the starboard side of the ship and pulled himself toward the stern using the ship’s exterior railing. Eliza watched as he disconnected his tether and reconnected it to the far railing. He tightened one of the straps, looping it through a bar on the Heartbeat’s bow.
“One more to go and we’re good,” he said, shooting her a thumb’s up.
She raised her hand to return the gesture, but gasped as a dumpster pod came out of nowhere, curling around the back of the ship and rolling up on his blind side.
“Look out! Behind you!” she cried.
As Lucas turned to look, the container struck him squarely in the head and chest, knocking him from the side of the ship. A starburst rippled across his face shield. He somersaulted once and flailed his arms, trying to regain his grip on the ship’s railing.
“Lucas!” she exclaimed, releasing her harness. Not taking her eyes off of him, she pulled herself across the console and hit the alarm button. A bleating sound filled the ship.
It’s okay. He’s tethered.
Except that he wasn’t. The tether curled away from his body, attached at his belt, but the clip at the far end that should have been attached to the ship, trailed behind, loose, connected to nothing.
How could he not be tethered? I watched him reattach. I’m positive.
She frantically punched knobs and cranked controls, trying to get the ship to turn in his direction.
Halverson, who had been below, appeared next to her. “Skipper? What’s happened?”
“Lucas was hit by debris!” She gulped a breath. “He’s not connected!”
Halverson’s eyes grew wide. “The navigation’s partially disabled at the moment. We can’t—Oh man…Nola!” he shouted, pulling himself back toward the engine room.
Lucas and the dumpster pod drifted away as she watched, helpless to do anything. By the time they turned the ship around, it was too late; the dumpster was gone.
And so was Lucas.
Outside her ship, Eliza finished tightening the errant cable and clung to the rails next to Heartbeat, shivering inside her suit even though it was temperature-controlled. They had spent the last hour searching desperately for Lucas with no luck. She scanned the star-dappled void, still searching, but space had swallowed him up. She pressed her helmet against the capsule as if she might actually hear the living thing inside. Lucas’s face bloomed in her mind; he had feigned bravery, but hadn’t his expression been doubtful, frightened? He hadn’t really wanted to go out there, had he? He hadn’t been ready, but she had pressured him. And for what? Likely some faulty readings. They should have let this pod go. Then Lucas would still be with her.
Halverson’s voice crackled in her helmet. “Captain Crane? You good? We have to move soon or we may not make it back to base.”
She planted her boots on the side of the ship. “Never better,” she said as she bent her knees and pushed off with her legs. She rocketed away from the ship.
“Captain, what the hell are you doing?” Halverson exclaimed.
Eliza somersaulted away from the ship, the Meddybemps popping into view with each rotation of her body. The speed at which her ship shrank was terrifying. How long would it take to die out here? She spread her arms to embrace her surroundings willing the universe to take her.
She yelped when her tether grew taught and snapped her back toward the ship. When she reached the airlock, she punched the door with her gloved fist with all the force she could muster. She took one last look between the stars, searching for any sign of her friend. He was out there somewhere, between those pinpricks of light, floating alone in the darkness, where she had left him.
‘I’m sorry, Lucas,” she murmured.
They pulled into the station, the Meddybemps running on fumes, and shuddered to a halt. Eliza left the ship, staggering a little in the artificial gravity. “We need to get this open ASAP!” she shouted, gesturing toward Heartbeat strapped to the side of her ship.
It took several dockworkers to pry the damaged hatch open. It fell forward with a crash. A faint beeping drifted from within. She nodded at Halverson. “Take a look.”
Halverson peered inside. “Oh wow…” he said. He glanced over his shoulder at her and shook his head.
“What?” she croaked, taking a step back. “Is it…is it him?”
“Who?” Halverson eyed her with a puzzled expression, replaced by a look of understanding. Then pity. “Oh…no skipper…no…It’s not him…It’s a—”
“Of course not,” she barked, cutting him off, warmth spreading across her cheeks. She shook her head and looked down at her boots. “No…of course not…no way he could have gotten aboard. What a ridiculous thing to say,” she said, backing away.
“Hey, hold on a sec, skipper,” Halverson said. “You should see this…”
“No…You take care of it, whatever it is…I don’t want to know. I’m done.” She walked away without looking back.
Back in her quarters, Eliza woke her computer. Her letter of resignation sat in the queue; all she had to do was hit submit. Immediately upon her return, she had debriefed her commanding officer about the accident. “Accidents happened during space walks,” he had assured her, “and you followed all the proper protocols. Blah, blah, blah.” There would be many more questions in the weeks to come, but she didn’t care, the answer was the same for each question: It was her fault, protocols or no protocols.
On the sideboard next to her, the metal wheel in the glass tank squeaked as Glitch the three-tailed rat jogged with determination.
“How could you let this happen?” she muttered to the rodent, but he ignored her, seeming to increase his pace. She sighed, rested her head on the desk, and closed her eyes.
The phone in the center of her kitchen table was an old-fashioned clunker with a rotary dial. A half-empty glass of prune juice sat on one side of it; on the other, a single leather shoe. The phone honked like a goose. Once. Twice. Eliza reached for the quivering handset.
“Hello?” she barked, slumping as the line disconnected. There was a sharp rap on the door and it slid open. Relief flooded through her. “Lucas!”
He floated there, smiling, Lucas, emblazoned on his spacesuit over his heart.
“Hey,” he said, offering her his hand.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered, taking his hand. “I thought I…lost you…”
“No such luck, skipper,” he said. “I see you’re looking after Glitch for me. Thanks.”
She shook her head. “Don’t thank me. I promised you that everything would be okay. I made you go out there… all for nothing…”
“You didn’t make me. I volunteered. I was ready. I signed up for this, remember? All the risk. All the rewards.”
Stars and space flowed through the open door like water. He turned, pulling her along with him. “Let’s go! I’ve always wanted to do this without a helmet.”
He grinned as they slipped out the door and into the silky blackness. They floated for seconds, hours, days, she couldn’t tell. She didn’t care; she wanted it to last forever. Then the sound of their laughter morphed into something else.
Knocking.
No! That’s not right.
“It’s okay, Eliza. Answer the door,” Lucas said, giving her hand a squeeze. His form faded. She could no longer feel his hand in hers.
“No! Come back!” she exclaimed, snapping awake.
The knocking repeated. She was in her quarters, slumped over her desk. She willed her mind to reenter the dream. Another knock. She cursed and swiped at her eyes. She passed the rat’s cage where he jogged, his three tails straight in the air, the wheel squeaking. She frowned. How had Lucas tolerated that constant squeaking? Glitch never stopped running! She should probably oil the damn wheel.
Eliza went to the door and smacked the wall button. The door slid open. A man she did not recognize stood there. He wore a smart gray suit, silver dreadlocks spilled over his broad shoulders. A white German shepherd stood by his right leg.
“Yes?”
“Captain Eliza Crane?”
“Yes, that’s me,” she said in an exasperated voice. She was on leave. She had decisions to make. Her resignation still sat in the cue and all she had to do was hit submit. And this man had suddenly appeared interrupting a perfectly incredible, life-altering dream. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t a good time—”
The stranger nodded. “I know you’re busy, captain, but this will only take a moment.” He smiled and offered her his hand. “Theo Bailey,” he said, as they shook. She caught her reflection in the mirrored sunglasses he wore, slightly distorted, all puffy eyed and tousled hair.
“Call me Eliza,” she heard herself say.
His smiled widened. “It’s indeed a pleasure to meet you, Eliza. A member of your crew, Ethan Halverson, gave me your address here on base. I hope you don’t mind. By the way, he said he’d been trying to reach you, with no luck.”
True. She had multiple emails and voicemails from Halverson and the other members of her crew, all of which she ignored. She gave a half-shrug.
“I know this is a difficult time and I apologize for intruding. I heard about the crewmember you lost recently,” Bailey said, “and I am truly sorry. As a physician, I understand the weight of responsibility for the lives of others and the challenges of loss. We have to make difficult, and often immediate, decisions in our positions.” He paused. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s not to turn away from those who support you. In your case, Captain Crane, it sounds like there are many.”
Eliza frowned. Did this guy come here just to lecture me? She resisted the urge to shut the door in his face, go to the couch, and bury herself under a blanket. Instead, she bit her bottom lip, glared at him, and said nothing. Her eyes drifted to the shepherd, a beautiful animal. The dog regarded her with gentle brown eyes and for a moment, Eliza couldn’t tear her gaze away. She forced herself to look up at Bailey.
Bailey tilted his head toward the dog. “This is Scout: my eyes. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
She nodded, before it dawned on her that he couldn’t see the gesture. “Yes,” she added.
Bailey’s smile widened. “We were scheduled to move to the colony for a two-year assignment, but when I was called up early for emergency duty, I arranged a special transport for Scout: a private company.” He folded his arms across his chest. “The transport was delayed because of missing paperwork.” He shook his head, his smile dissolving. “Then the freighter crashed…I thought I’d lost her…” He paused and cleared his throat.
“Yes, we’ve been doing a lot of cleanup since the crash. I’m sorry, doctor,” Eliza said, “but what does any of this have to do with me?”
The mirrored glasses turned toward her. “Well, everything, I’d say! Since you and your crew were the ones who saved her.”
She shook her head. “I’m not following.”
“That banged up pod you towed in a few days ago—”
“Heartbeat?” Eliza said, cutting him off. “But we didn’t make it in time. Whatever had been living on board didn’t survive. Lucas died for nothing.” Was that right? She thought back on that hectic day, rushing away from Halverson, not looking in the pod. Not wanting to see.
“Not so!” Bailey said. “The whatever was Scout! You got to her just in time. Your crew—your man, Lucas—saved her. Isn’t that right, girl?” he said, smiling. The dog looked up at him, her tail thumping. “I don’t have much in the way of family since I lost my husband Aaron a year ago. Three years ago he brought Scout home to me as a pup. My sight loss was complete by then and I was having a hard time coping. Since then, we’ve been a team, and the very thought of losing her was unbearable. She’s my lifeline and my last living connection to Aaron.” His mouth formed a sad smile. “So Lucas not only saved Scout, he saved me,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry he lost his life, but it wasn’t for nothing.”
Eliza’s eyes drifted to the dog—Scout—again. Damn, Lucas would have loved both the dog and this old man. After a moment, she said, “Would you both like to come in?”
Eliza stood by the door for a long time after Dr. Bailey and Scout had left. Sighing, she turned, went to her computer, and opened the draft of her resignation letter. She moved the cursor over submit. Her finger hovered over the enter button for a long moment, then she slid it across the keyboard and punched the delete key. The document disappeared. Her eyes scanned the list of emails from her crew and concerned friends. She would respond to them shortly, but she had another person to contact first.
Her brother, Ryan. There was a place in Maine with the most incredible sunrises she wanted to tell him about. Perhaps they could go there together.
She leaned back in her chair and frowned. Something wasn’t right. The room was silent. The constant squeak of the rat’s wheel had stopped. She turned and looked at the tank.
Glitch watched her from the corner with bright eyes, pink nose wriggling, tails curled beneath him. After a moment, he scampered back onto the wheel and continued his journey, the comforting squeak of his wheel filling the room.
_______________
Hall Jameson (she/her) is an American writer and artist who lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her short fiction has recently appeared in The Daily Tomorrow, Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores, and Nature Futures. When she isn’t creating, Hall can be found adrift on Puget Sound, wandering the forests in search of owls, or at home wrangling cats.