She’s ship captain, but she owes her soul to Biotime, the only outfit that’ll hire her on. After her little escapade. You remember the story?”
“Yeah, Teeg, we all remember the story.”
“How she was the only one got out of that orbiter alive?”
“That was a long time ago, Teeg.”
“The oxygen went. And the six of them shared the emergency supply. They huddled around the oxygen packs on the suits and took snorts, until they figured out that they weren’t going to make it. Then they drew straws, and Russo won. And she sucked on that air all the way through reentry, and watched them die, man. Watched them die.”
“Shut up, Teeg.”
He looked startled. “Guess you ladies like to stick together, huh?”
“Just shut the fuck up.”
Teeg swung around toward the control panel, and silence reigned on the bridge. Clio glared at the back of his head.
What an asshole
.
Off shift, Clio was sleeping hard. The kind of sleep where you feel like you’re lying on the bottom of the ocean with a mile of water holding you down. She was nearing the surface, hearing a knocking sound. It persisted.
“Clio? Clio?”
She woke, rose up on one elbow. Somebody at the cabin door. “Yeah? Come in.”
Zee sidled through the door, leaned back against it. “You awake?”
“No.”
“Because you need to know what’s going on.”
Clio staggered over to the water dispenser, swabbed her face, ran her wet hands through her hair in an effort to restrain it, flatten it. It still stuck out in every direction.
“You look great,” Zee said.
These days he was anxious to please her, still trying to heal the rift between them. She wanted to turn on him, say, “Look, Zee, I don’t care, all right? I just don’t care if you slept with Hill. It’s over anyhow, right?” But she restrained herself. The kid was in love with her. You had to have a little sympathy.
Clio groaned and lay back down on the bed. “So sit down and tell me what’s up.”
Zee folded his body down into the desk chair. “Russo’s calling for a ground mission.”
“So? What we came for, right?”
Zee sprang up. “Not just a ground mission, a camp. She’s going to set up a camp!” Zee began pacing. “She can’t do this to me, this isn’t what I signed on for!”
“Wait a sec. What do you mean,
camp?
Remember, I’ve been asleep, probably missed something.” Clio was starting to track, the mind was warming up, but slowly.
“I’m an astrophysicist, not a soldier. I’ve never even used a gun before.” Zee was waving his arms, pleading with Clio.
“Goddamn it, Zee, sit down and start from the beginning or I’ll throw you out.”
Zee continued pacing. “Niang’s the jackpot, Clio. The science team is so turned on, nobody’s slept for a day and a half. It’s perfect. It’s an Earth clone. Everything looks great from up here, even the elevated CO 2 levels. The atmosphere has heightened methane, the temperature’s ideal. And the planet’s forest goes on forever. It’s a match. It’s Big Green on wheels. And Russo’s gearing up for a prolonged stay. She’s ordered a camp, and nine of us are going down. Nine of us! I’m supposed to help with camp security. Wear a gun!” He crumpled into the chair.
Clio snapped fully awake. “What about me?” She sat up, and swung her feet over the bunk to the floor.
“You’re staying aboard. Commander Shaw’s in charge of the mission. Hillis, Estevan, Meng, Posie, and Liu and Shannon are the science squad. I’m on security. Teeg’ll pilot the shuttle.”
“What’s Hill say?”
“He’s all for it. He’s so pumped up, he hasn’t left the freeping monitor since last day shift. And he ignores me, completely.”
“He’s ignoring everybody,” Clio said. She stretched her legs to chase the sleep out of them.
“No, I mean he
ignores
me. Like I don’t exist.”
“Hill doesn’t have a lot of room in his life for people, Zee, if you never noticed.”
“He had room for me
“Yeah, Teeg, we all remember the story.”
“How she was the only one got out of that orbiter alive?”
“That was a long time ago, Teeg.”
“The oxygen went. And the six of them shared the emergency supply. They huddled around the oxygen packs on the suits and took snorts, until they figured out that they weren’t going to make it. Then they drew straws, and Russo won. And she sucked on that air all the way through reentry, and watched them die, man. Watched them die.”
“Shut up, Teeg.”
He looked startled. “Guess you ladies like to stick together, huh?”
“Just shut the fuck up.”
Teeg swung around toward the control panel, and silence reigned on the bridge. Clio glared at the back of his head.
What an asshole
.
Off shift, Clio was sleeping hard. The kind of sleep where you feel like you’re lying on the bottom of the ocean with a mile of water holding you down. She was nearing the surface, hearing a knocking sound. It persisted.
“Clio? Clio?”
She woke, rose up on one elbow. Somebody at the cabin door. “Yeah? Come in.”
Zee sidled through the door, leaned back against it. “You awake?”
“No.”
“Because you need to know what’s going on.”
Clio staggered over to the water dispenser, swabbed her face, ran her wet hands through her hair in an effort to restrain it, flatten it. It still stuck out in every direction.
“You look great,” Zee said.
These days he was anxious to please her, still trying to heal the rift between them. She wanted to turn on him, say, “Look, Zee, I don’t care, all right? I just don’t care if you slept with Hill. It’s over anyhow, right?” But she restrained herself. The kid was in love with her. You had to have a little sympathy.
Clio groaned and lay back down on the bed. “So sit down and tell me what’s up.”
Zee folded his body down into the desk chair. “Russo’s calling for a ground mission.”
“So? What we came for, right?”
Zee sprang up. “Not just a ground mission, a camp. She’s going to set up a camp!” Zee began pacing. “She can’t do this to me, this isn’t what I signed on for!”
“Wait a sec. What do you mean,
camp?
Remember, I’ve been asleep, probably missed something.” Clio was starting to track, the mind was warming up, but slowly.
“I’m an astrophysicist, not a soldier. I’ve never even used a gun before.” Zee was waving his arms, pleading with Clio.
“Goddamn it, Zee, sit down and start from the beginning or I’ll throw you out.”
Zee continued pacing. “Niang’s the jackpot, Clio. The science team is so turned on, nobody’s slept for a day and a half. It’s perfect. It’s an Earth clone. Everything looks great from up here, even the elevated CO 2 levels. The atmosphere has heightened methane, the temperature’s ideal. And the planet’s forest goes on forever. It’s a match. It’s Big Green on wheels. And Russo’s gearing up for a prolonged stay. She’s ordered a camp, and nine of us are going down. Nine of us! I’m supposed to help with camp security. Wear a gun!” He crumpled into the chair.
Clio snapped fully awake. “What about me?” She sat up, and swung her feet over the bunk to the floor.
“You’re staying aboard. Commander Shaw’s in charge of the mission. Hillis, Estevan, Meng, Posie, and Liu and Shannon are the science squad. I’m on security. Teeg’ll pilot the shuttle.”
“What’s Hill say?”
“He’s all for it. He’s so pumped up, he hasn’t left the freeping monitor since last day shift. And he ignores me, completely.”
“He’s ignoring everybody,” Clio said. She stretched her legs to chase the sleep out of them.
“No, I mean he
ignores
me. Like I don’t exist.”
“Hill doesn’t have a lot of room in his life for people, Zee, if you never noticed.”
“He had room for me
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