case.”
“Are you certain, sar?” I asked. “This is important code.”
He laughed at that. “I think it might be safer with you than me. Just keep it locked up. It can’t hurt to have a backup.”
I shrugged. “Aye, sar. Anything else I can help you with, sar?”
“I think saving the ship is enough for one day, Mr. Wang. Why don’t you go stow that, and see if you can give Ms. Smith a hand in environmental. You’re dismissed, Mr. Wang.”
“Aye, sar. Thank you, sar.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wang,” he said.
I headed back to environmental. If nothing else, I would get a few more days aboard while we made the long pass around the back side of the planet and finished our emergency repairs.
Chapter Seven
Betrus System
2352-June-04
The ship was settling down. I could feel it as I left the bridge and headed to drop off the portable and program cube in my locker. It was nothing I could put my finger on—more of a general sense. The passageways were still using emergency lighting, which meant the main reactors and generators remained offline. Given the burning in the data cabinets, I was hoping they stayed that way until everything could be thoroughly checked. I didn’t fancy having a reactor lose containment just two hundred meters away.
I was feeling almost chipper when I stepped back through the hatch into environmental. But the smell hit me the moment I entered.
“What’s the matter?” I asked as I opened the hatch.
Brill, Diane and Francis were gathered around the console. It was still running diagnostics. They looked up when I spoke and Brill said, “What do you mean? The ship’s had EMP damage.”
“No, what smells?” I asked.
Diane laughed. “It’s environmental. It’s supposed to smell.”
Brill frowned and straightened up, testing the air with her nose. “He’s right. The smell is off.”
Diane said, “Can’t be. Most of the smell comes from the scrubbers, and I checked them when I first got here.”
“Check them again,” Brill ordered.
While Diane and Brill went off to check the scrubber cabinets, I turned to the console. “Something wrong with it?”
Francis shook his head. “Nothing. Just waiting for ShipNet.”
“ShipNet is up. I just came from the bridge.”
He looked startled and punched the reset to kill the diagnostic run. The console came up with the standard displays. Water was good. Air was good. CO2 was climbing. Not a lot but definitely on the rise.
“Brill?” Francis called.
I heard Diane say, “Uh, oh.”
Francis and I looked at each other and bolted for the scrubber cabinets.
When we got there, Brill was already on the radio to Mr. Kelley. “Yes, sar,” she said, “all four scrubbers are contaminated. I don’t know by what, but the matrices are already showing deterioration.”
“CO2 levels okay?” I heard him ask.
Brill looked at Francis who nodded but pointed upwards. “Yes, sar, for now, but they’re climbing.” She watched Francis to confirm what she was saying and he nodded.
“Do what you can, B,” he said. “Lemme know if it gets worse.”
“Aye, aye, sar. Environmental, out.” She turned to Diane. “What have we got?”
“Dunno. Never seen anything like this. It’s like they’ve been poisoned by something.” Her face pressed close to the matrix. “Seems like the phycoerythrin is breaking down in the cells.”
Phycoerythrin was the pigment tracer that identified the photosynthesis receptors in the bacteria. No phycoerythrin meant no photosynthesis and no carbon dioxide scrubbing. Normally the algae was a reddish-brown, but presently they were turning a kind of blue.
“Would particulates do that?” I asked.
“What kind of particulates?” Brill said.
“Smoke, burned circuits, melting plastic? I don’t know. When I was on the bridge I checked levels, we were okay on O2 and CO2 but the particulates were high. I bipped it to you, remember?”
“Yeah I do, but that shouldn’t cause this. That’s what the
“Are you certain, sar?” I asked. “This is important code.”
He laughed at that. “I think it might be safer with you than me. Just keep it locked up. It can’t hurt to have a backup.”
I shrugged. “Aye, sar. Anything else I can help you with, sar?”
“I think saving the ship is enough for one day, Mr. Wang. Why don’t you go stow that, and see if you can give Ms. Smith a hand in environmental. You’re dismissed, Mr. Wang.”
“Aye, sar. Thank you, sar.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wang,” he said.
I headed back to environmental. If nothing else, I would get a few more days aboard while we made the long pass around the back side of the planet and finished our emergency repairs.
Chapter Seven
Betrus System
2352-June-04
The ship was settling down. I could feel it as I left the bridge and headed to drop off the portable and program cube in my locker. It was nothing I could put my finger on—more of a general sense. The passageways were still using emergency lighting, which meant the main reactors and generators remained offline. Given the burning in the data cabinets, I was hoping they stayed that way until everything could be thoroughly checked. I didn’t fancy having a reactor lose containment just two hundred meters away.
I was feeling almost chipper when I stepped back through the hatch into environmental. But the smell hit me the moment I entered.
“What’s the matter?” I asked as I opened the hatch.
Brill, Diane and Francis were gathered around the console. It was still running diagnostics. They looked up when I spoke and Brill said, “What do you mean? The ship’s had EMP damage.”
“No, what smells?” I asked.
Diane laughed. “It’s environmental. It’s supposed to smell.”
Brill frowned and straightened up, testing the air with her nose. “He’s right. The smell is off.”
Diane said, “Can’t be. Most of the smell comes from the scrubbers, and I checked them when I first got here.”
“Check them again,” Brill ordered.
While Diane and Brill went off to check the scrubber cabinets, I turned to the console. “Something wrong with it?”
Francis shook his head. “Nothing. Just waiting for ShipNet.”
“ShipNet is up. I just came from the bridge.”
He looked startled and punched the reset to kill the diagnostic run. The console came up with the standard displays. Water was good. Air was good. CO2 was climbing. Not a lot but definitely on the rise.
“Brill?” Francis called.
I heard Diane say, “Uh, oh.”
Francis and I looked at each other and bolted for the scrubber cabinets.
When we got there, Brill was already on the radio to Mr. Kelley. “Yes, sar,” she said, “all four scrubbers are contaminated. I don’t know by what, but the matrices are already showing deterioration.”
“CO2 levels okay?” I heard him ask.
Brill looked at Francis who nodded but pointed upwards. “Yes, sar, for now, but they’re climbing.” She watched Francis to confirm what she was saying and he nodded.
“Do what you can, B,” he said. “Lemme know if it gets worse.”
“Aye, aye, sar. Environmental, out.” She turned to Diane. “What have we got?”
“Dunno. Never seen anything like this. It’s like they’ve been poisoned by something.” Her face pressed close to the matrix. “Seems like the phycoerythrin is breaking down in the cells.”
Phycoerythrin was the pigment tracer that identified the photosynthesis receptors in the bacteria. No phycoerythrin meant no photosynthesis and no carbon dioxide scrubbing. Normally the algae was a reddish-brown, but presently they were turning a kind of blue.
“Would particulates do that?” I asked.
“What kind of particulates?” Brill said.
“Smoke, burned circuits, melting plastic? I don’t know. When I was on the bridge I checked levels, we were okay on O2 and CO2 but the particulates were high. I bipped it to you, remember?”
“Yeah I do, but that shouldn’t cause this. That’s what the
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