Chương 11: [b1] 011 - An Unexpected Visitor

Clara Wilnur rubbed her temples, trying to fight through the brain fog. It was a common occurrence, to the point where she questioned if she'd ever not had it. But she was certain there had been a time before the fog, maybe a year ago. It didn't matter. All that mattered was getting through the day. And to do that, she had to get through this meeting.

"I understand that, but what you don't seem to understand—""Refrain from raising your voice, Reed," Wilnur heard herself say. It was an automatic reaction, one of the thousands of commandments they now lived their lives by. Reed locked her jaw, frowning, "we are behind schedule. We aren't going to make it in time if we don't start a burn, and an aggressive one at that." She tapped the tablet screen, a chart modeling their estimated arrival time at various burn rates. Reed wasn't wrong, the numbers didn't look good.

Heli sighed, tension lacing his thick Boston accent.

"I get it, Reed. But the fact of the matter is we don't have enough fuel to burn hot as long as you want. If we do burn that hot, we won't have enough fuel left to slow down on reentry."

"Then we'll deal with that when the time comes. If we don't get there in time, there won't be anything to reenter, don't you get it? DIJKSTRA are coming to destroy the colony world whether we're there on time or not." Wilnur closed her eyes, her mind drifting toward that dark spot in the back. Her connection to their God had been dormant for so long, yet she still found herself poking it occasionally. From the medical reports she knew most of the crew had given up on him.

It had been a violation to read the psychological reports, but she needed to know. A crew without hope was a dangerous thing. A crew who believed they'd been abandoned by their God, well… It was—wait.

"What is it?" Reed said, her voice hopeful. Wilnur kept her eyes closed but could still feel Reed and Heli's attention on her. She focused on the connection to their God, poking and prodding. A blinding burst of static buzzed through her mind, causing her to wince. Ah, Captain Wilnur. It's good to see you again. The voice boomed through her mind, deep and relaxed. She could feel it in her bones. Lord, you have returned? Is everything okay? Of course, why wouldn't it be? How have you been?

She was taken aback by his casual tone; Lord Niloc never spoke so frankly, never concerned himself with the wellbeing of his followers. I—I don't know. You've been gone for a long time, my Lord. We are surviving, trying our best to follow your teachings. Lord Niloc was quiet and she had to poke their connection to make sure he hadn't disappeared again.

"Captain?" She opened her eyes, Reed and Heli both staring at her with fear marring their faces.

"Heli, prepare for the burn Reed wants. I want to start it in two days."

"Ma'am, I really think—" Before Heli could object, Wilnur was out of the chair and leaving the engineering conference room on Deck 11. She marched toward the lifts that would bring her to Deck 1 where her office was, all the while poking her connection to Lord Niloc and ignoring everyone she saw along the way. Once she was in her office she locked the door and carefully lowered herself into her chair. Lord Niloc, have you truly returned? Her God ignored her question, which was honestly comforting in this moment.

Maybe he really was back. Things seem messier than I remember them being. What has happened while I was gone? She let out her best attempt at a laugh, but it came out more as a shaky breath. What hasn't happened? We were hit by a freak asteroid field that took out a fuel tank. We've had illnesses running rampant through the ship. We've had morale issues. People are scared, Niloc. Her God grumbled in her mind, a rather childish response. She kept that to herself, however.

I've been slightly busy, but I am back now, somewhat. Are you telling me the teachings of Niloc have not helped you overcome those issues? There are over a thousand scriptures, surely you could have gleaned some Godly insight from one of them to help you with your problems. She took out a stapler and started stapling the air with it. Why did a spaceship have a stapler? She had no idea. But since the metal got recycled, and staples were cheap to print, it had become one of her go-to sources of stress relief.

The teachings of Niloc have been very helpful, yes, and we've been doing our best to follow them. But some of these problems can't be overcome by simply thinking rationally. All problems can be overcome by thinking rationally, he said in the most infuriatingly smug tone. She hammered down on the stapler three times rapidly. Tell me how rational thinking can overcome a fuel leak. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

She knew it was dangerous to speak to her God like this, but she was frustrated. He had been gone for over a year. Countless emergencies too big and too small to even mention had come up. Crew members, passengers, children, all abandoned in their times of need. All turned their eyes, and their problems, to her. It was too much. Lord Niloc sighed, something he seemed to do more than the average person. Granted, he was a god, but still. Have you tried looking for a refueling location along your route?

She wanted to scream. Of course we have. There isn't one. He sighed. Try again. Jaw aching from clenching her teeth, Wilnur paged Jacobs, the sensor array technician on duty.

"Jacobs, scan our predicted path for a fuel source."

"Uh, not to question you, but we've done this… several times now."

"Just do it again." She rubbed her temples, the fog crowding her mind. A moment later Jacobs came back astonished.

"Ma'am, there's a star that wasn't there before. A month or so out from here at current speeds." The stapler slammed three more times.

"That's great. Send the details to Heli and Reed, tell them to prepare for a refueling mission." See? Rational thinking, Niloc said, sounding entirely too smug. Is there anything else I can assist you with while I'm here? Yeah, get rid of this brain fog for one. Two, can you make an announcement to the crew that you're back? Niloc was quiet for a moment, her connection to him receding. She grasped at it, desperate for it not to leave. She had just gotten him back. When did this brain fog start?

Captain Wilnur racked her brain trying to come up with an approximate date. Then she thought better of it and pulled up the ship medical logs. She had to scroll for several seconds before she found the first reported date. 16 months ago, right after you left. She heard Lord Niloc muttering something she couldn't quite make out but it sounded like numbers. Interesting. Were there any times where it faded or increased in severity? Perhaps, twenty-two hours ago? Captain Wilnur's heart quickened.

Twenty-two hours ago they'd ran into a catastrophic power loss that lasted for over fourteen hours. No matter what Engineering did, they couldn't find a cause. Then, out of nowhere, the power restored itself. The fog has been consistent. However we did encounter a power outage during that time. It lasted approximately fourteen hours. She felt Lord Niloc press in against her mind, looming large and pushing out all other thoughts from her mind. Interesting. I hadn't expected that. One moment, please.

Her God pulled back, leaving her breathless and cold. The whole room seemed to grow dimmer in his absence. This has been very… enlightening. Thank you Captain. I hadn't expected the, well, the brain fog is an interesting result to an interesting situation happening up here. She wanted to ask more, but knew it was no use. Lord Niloc was very guarded with his secrets. As for if I can fix it, the short answer is no. The longer answer is yes, but it will take some time.

But know the problem has been identified and your Lord Niloc is on it. Captain Wilnur tried her best to wrap her mind around his words. So there was in fact a problem? It was good to know she wasn't going crazy. She waited a moment for him to continue with the answer to her second question but when he didn't, she prompted him. And for the announcement? I know the crew will be overjoyed to hear you have returned to us. He paused for another moment, then cleared his throat.

As for the announcement, that will not be happening. I am back, but I will be back more sporadically. There are a lot of things going on up here that I must attend to that make it hard to visit as often as I once did. Wilnur rested her forehead along the back of her hands. When will you be back? Her God cleared his throat again, clearly uncomfortable which was not at all worrying. Not sure, maybe a week? It's hard to say. But, know that I will be back.

And in the meantime, you have my teachings to guide you, and a brand new star to fuel from. You are doing very well, and I am proud of you, Captain. Thank you, Lord Niloc. It is an honor to serve you. Then an idea hit her. Before she could think through the implications, she went with it. Is there anything I can do for you? Lord Niloc laughed, loud and warm. That is very kind of you to offer Captain, but I know how full your plate is.

Though I do have a humorous anecdote you are responsible for if you'd like to hear. I'd love to, if you don't mind sharing. She was honestly nervous and had no idea what it might be. You could never be too sure with Lord Niloc. You know how you throw parties whenever a mission is successful? Well, I used that same tactic up here—to much success. So thank you for teaching me that. Captain Wilnur wasn't sure what to say. Who did he have to throw a party for, and what mission was he doing?

It certainly wasn't one that involved her and her people. A creeping sense of dread crawled up her spine at the realization that perhaps their God had more than one set of people he looked after. What would happen if her people were fully replaced? She couldn't let that happen. Captain Wilnur chuckled, because it was that or cry. I'm glad to have inspired you, Lord Niloc. And congratulations on your success. I'm sure it was well earned.

She felt him pull away, the connection dimming slightly and she worried she'd misstepped. When he returned, his voice was clipped and hurried. Very well, I must be going now, but it was a pleasure speaking with you Captain Wilnur. I will return soon, and good luck. She'd never heard him so frantic before, and spoke without thought. Is there something wrong? Perhaps I can help. Book Of Niloc 11-4, Captain. She felt the God leave her mind, the spot darkening to utter blackness.

Captain Wilnur sat back in her chair, staring up at the bleary and flickering lights.

"Every cycle spent in doubt is a cycle stolen from the work," she said, quoting the passage from the Book of Niloc. Despite the fact that having her God back was irrefutably good news, she was left with a sinking feeling in her stomach. A report pinged her desk tablet from Heli and Reed. They'd come up with a plan to refuel and a new route that saved them time. Based on their estimates, they'd still arrive three days ahead of schedule to the colony world, even with a refueling stop.

How their God magically created a star that definitely was not there the last time they checked, she had no idea. Those were the types of questions you didn't bother asking Lord Niloc.