Addie hands Harvey a mild painkiller and a hydration drink. Apart from a headache, he seems no worse for wear from his space walk. Harvey sighs and downs the pill followed by the drink, shuddering involuntarily as the sweet-salt liquid hits his taste-buds. ‘This stuff never gets any better!’ He watches Addie as she updates his records on her computer.
‘Don’t be too hard on Noona, she knew what she was doing… No harm done, eh?’
Addie glances up and sees the genuine concern in Harvey’s eyes. ‘No, no harm done this time Harvey. But, as your Doctor, I advise you to stay well clear of moonshine for the rest of the mission.’
‘So, this won’t go any further then?’
‘…No, this won’t go any further.’
‘But the company will pick up your report about treating my hangover?’
‘The doctor smiles at his anxiety. ‘I have to account for every item used, Harvey, including headache tablets. I have simply noted that you reported for your shift with a headache that required medication. OK?’
Harvey grins at her, ‘Yep, that’s OK. You can call me Harv, you know, everyone does. So, can I get back to work?’
‘Yes, go on, get out of here!’ Addie watches as Harvey leaves, his large frame squeezing through the small airlock door. Life on board the Gibe is very different to how she imagined it would be. Already she felt as though she was being inexorably drawn into the close-knit world of the crew. Losing sight of her impartiality and they were barely two weeks into the mission.
‘Sometimes people just need to let off steam.’ Addie jumps at the sound of Dougal’s voice. She had forgotten he was in the infirmary too. ‘I know it goes against the grain not to report this to the company but this is such a small incident in the great scheme of all that could go wrong on this mission. I guess crater life isn’t quite what you thought it would be like at the Academy?’
Addies smiles and shakes her head ruefully, sometimes it felt as though Dougal could read minds.
‘Don’t worry, Addie,’ he continues, ‘Out here there is no right and wrong, there is only the ship and the mission between us and the freezer. Most of us tore up the rule book long, long ago and what the company doesn’t know won’t hurt them as long as the mission is completed and the ship returns. I am sure, when it comes to it, in the big issues, you’ll make the right decisions. Now, I have to go and finish those sunspot calculations for Noona. Nice canary, by the way, I didn’t know we were having live cargo on board.’
The GEM bird! Addie starts guiltily as Dougal gestures to the birdcage, containing a small yellow bird, visible through the isolation laboratory window. In her outrage over Harvey she had left it uncovered. ‘Oh, it’s just an experiment for a research paper I’m working on for the company…’
Dougal smiles and leaves the infirmary chuckling to himself as he catches the momentary look of alarm on the Doctor’s face. Experiment indeed. He knew an illegal Genetically Engineered and Modified creature when he saw one. Looks like the new doctor was well on her way to tearing up her own rule book already.
20090603
20090519
chapter one cont.
Noona lies back in her bunk and stares up at the two holographic clips on the cabin ceiling above. She doesn’t click on them, preferring the still images to the 3D movie clip. One shows her husband Chris and their son, Chip smiling as they play spacetrax together. The other is of her and Chip, taken when a Chip was still a baby, his large tawny eyes smiling out from his cheeky face as she cradles him in her arms. Today, Chip and Chris felt a long way away and the last thing she needed on this trip was Harvey drunk and incapable. The crew was too small to be a man down and, as Chief Engineer, the ship needed him. Sure, integrated robotic nano-circuitry could run the ship without any crew but the payload, the salvage mission, well, that required an engineer. How dare Harvey think he could get away with going on a drinking spree while on company time. In frustration, she punches the padded wall next to her bunk, feeling the wadding give under her fist. The indentation remains for a moment and then the memory foam springs back into perfect shape with a soft thunk sound. This is followed by the electronic bleep of the cabin door bell. The door light winks on and off impatiently and Noona sighs, gets up and presses the door release. Never a moment alone.
Addie barges past Noona into her cabin and immediately launches into a tirade over Harvey. ‘How dare you put Harvey outside! He should be in the infirmary, probably on a rehydration drip not out in space, he could be unconscious for all you know…not to mention it’s completely illegal to keelhaul anyone! Studies have shown the psychological damage by prolonged exposure to…’
‘How dare I ? How DARE I? I’ll tell you how. As Captain of this ship it is my duty to protect the crew from all dangers, including that drunken idiot, by whatever means necessary…’
‘Article 24711 of the company code clearly states that intoxication…’
‘DON’T YOU DARE QUOTE company regs at me you jumped up little academy bitch! When you have flown as many missions as I have, when you have your own ship, when you have any understanding of the risks involved then you come and tell me what to do with MY crew… MY CREW…’
Dougal arrives just as Noona takes a step towards Addie, anger etched into every line on her face. Involuntarily, sensing the sudden danger, Addie steps back against the bunk and sits down suddenly.
‘What do you want Dougal?’ Noona asks, without dropping her stare from Addie.
‘Well, just wanted to make sure you two weren’t about to do something you’ll both regret later.’ Dougal squeezes into the cabin as well, making it impossible for anyone to move, let alone fight. Noona looks away from Addie and snorts, gently chiding him to move back out. ‘Go on, get out, there’s no room. Addie and I were just agreeing to disagree about Harvey’s punishment, that’s all.’
Addie can feel the tension drain out of the confrontation. Noona hits the intercom button by the door and the cabin is suddenly flooded with loud music.
‘What the hell are you doing Irv?’ she asks.
‘Just a little therapeutic mood music captain. The good news is that Harvey’s begging to come back in and has promised to never touch another drop of alcohol again.’
‘Turn that noise off and get Harvey back in! Make sure he reports immediately to the doctor at the infirmary.’
‘Yes Capt. And technically it’s not a noise, It’s The Mightful Wrath of Noise, very good band. Saw them once…’
‘Just do it, Irv.’ Noona turns off the intercom and looks at Addie and Dougal. ‘Well, go on, Harvey will be at the infirmary before you both are…oh, and Dougal, if I catch you brewing moonshine again, it’ll be you out there, not Harvey.’
Noona watches them leave and then shuts the cabin door. Sleep seems a million miles away now so sits down at her desk to work instead.
Addie barges past Noona into her cabin and immediately launches into a tirade over Harvey. ‘How dare you put Harvey outside! He should be in the infirmary, probably on a rehydration drip not out in space, he could be unconscious for all you know…not to mention it’s completely illegal to keelhaul anyone! Studies have shown the psychological damage by prolonged exposure to…’
‘How dare I ? How DARE I? I’ll tell you how. As Captain of this ship it is my duty to protect the crew from all dangers, including that drunken idiot, by whatever means necessary…’
‘Article 24711 of the company code clearly states that intoxication…’
‘DON’T YOU DARE QUOTE company regs at me you jumped up little academy bitch! When you have flown as many missions as I have, when you have your own ship, when you have any understanding of the risks involved then you come and tell me what to do with MY crew… MY CREW…’
Dougal arrives just as Noona takes a step towards Addie, anger etched into every line on her face. Involuntarily, sensing the sudden danger, Addie steps back against the bunk and sits down suddenly.
‘What do you want Dougal?’ Noona asks, without dropping her stare from Addie.
‘Well, just wanted to make sure you two weren’t about to do something you’ll both regret later.’ Dougal squeezes into the cabin as well, making it impossible for anyone to move, let alone fight. Noona looks away from Addie and snorts, gently chiding him to move back out. ‘Go on, get out, there’s no room. Addie and I were just agreeing to disagree about Harvey’s punishment, that’s all.’
Addie can feel the tension drain out of the confrontation. Noona hits the intercom button by the door and the cabin is suddenly flooded with loud music.
‘What the hell are you doing Irv?’ she asks.
‘Just a little therapeutic mood music captain. The good news is that Harvey’s begging to come back in and has promised to never touch another drop of alcohol again.’
‘Turn that noise off and get Harvey back in! Make sure he reports immediately to the doctor at the infirmary.’
‘Yes Capt. And technically it’s not a noise, It’s The Mightful Wrath of Noise, very good band. Saw them once…’
‘Just do it, Irv.’ Noona turns off the intercom and looks at Addie and Dougal. ‘Well, go on, Harvey will be at the infirmary before you both are…oh, and Dougal, if I catch you brewing moonshine again, it’ll be you out there, not Harvey.’
Noona watches them leave and then shuts the cabin door. Sleep seems a million miles away now so sits down at her desk to work instead.
20090518
chapter one cont.
Addie reaches the resources suite and finds Dougal busy with the algae filters. The food on board the Gybe was part pre-packed, freeze dried proteins and carbs and part grown in the farm beds as part of the resources suite. Rows of water tanks, each with complex algae filters kept the recycled water system clean and provided nutrients for the larger photosynthesising plants on board, mainly micro-salads, seaweeds and soft fruits.
‘Dougal?’
‘Hmmn?’ Dougal does not look up, recognising the ship’s doctor’s footsteps long before she reaches him.
‘Where’s the freezer?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Noona said she was putting Harvey in the freezer to sober up. I didn’t realise we had a coldroom on board. I want to check he’s not got too dehydrated...’
Addie stops mid-sentence as Dougal bursts out laughing.
‘What’s so funny.’
He taps the bulkhead wall. ‘The freezer is crater slang for outside, space, the chiller, the freezer, the big cold… Noona’s keelhauling his sorry drunken butt.’
‘She’s what! You mean he’s outside the ship, in the state he was in!’
‘Yep.’
Addie can scarcely believe what she is hearing. Keelhauling! She’d heard of the practice at the Company Academy but presumed, since it was outlawed, no one used the technique any more, let alone applied it to someone who’d been drinking moonshine for twenty-four hours.
‘But it’s illegal!’
‘Yes, well, I wouldn’t tell Noona…’ But Dougal’s words are addressing the empty space where Addie had been. ‘..that. hmm, I think the proverbial is about to hit the fan!’ he sighs and pulls the lid shut on the filter he was working on. The new doctor was brilliant but a little too eager to do everything by the book. A few years working the craters would knock off those sharp Academy edges. Dougal heads for the decks hoping to intercept Addie before she manages to pick a fight with Noona.
‘Dougal?’
‘Hmmn?’ Dougal does not look up, recognising the ship’s doctor’s footsteps long before she reaches him.
‘Where’s the freezer?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Noona said she was putting Harvey in the freezer to sober up. I didn’t realise we had a coldroom on board. I want to check he’s not got too dehydrated...’
Addie stops mid-sentence as Dougal bursts out laughing.
‘What’s so funny.’
He taps the bulkhead wall. ‘The freezer is crater slang for outside, space, the chiller, the freezer, the big cold… Noona’s keelhauling his sorry drunken butt.’
‘She’s what! You mean he’s outside the ship, in the state he was in!’
‘Yep.’
Addie can scarcely believe what she is hearing. Keelhauling! She’d heard of the practice at the Company Academy but presumed, since it was outlawed, no one used the technique any more, let alone applied it to someone who’d been drinking moonshine for twenty-four hours.
‘But it’s illegal!’
‘Yes, well, I wouldn’t tell Noona…’ But Dougal’s words are addressing the empty space where Addie had been. ‘..that. hmm, I think the proverbial is about to hit the fan!’ he sighs and pulls the lid shut on the filter he was working on. The new doctor was brilliant but a little too eager to do everything by the book. A few years working the craters would knock off those sharp Academy edges. Dougal heads for the decks hoping to intercept Addie before she manages to pick a fight with Noona.
CRATER
CRATER*
(* the name given to the galactic class freighter and recycling space ship, it being a reference to the crates that they hauled between planets that make up the bulk of these ships’ payload.)
Chapter One
‘Will you LET ME IN, I’m freezing my ass off out here!..’ Harvey presses his head to the small porthole camera and on the screen in the central communications hub his face looms large, distorted through the space helmet’s thick curve of gold particle shielding.
‘Are you gonna stop drinking?’ Noona presses the intercom back on… ‘because unless you promise to get back on that wagon, this ship is off limits to you.’
‘Let… ME… IN!’ each word is punctuated by Harvey headbutting the camera lens.
‘Fine, see you back at space port.’ Noona flicks the switch off on the intercom and sighs. Sometimes Harvey stretched her patience to the very limit.
‘Urghh..’ Harvey stops banging his head against the docking bay door, it was starting to make him feel nauseous. He turns his head to one side, leaning up against the smooth hull of the ship and he can see letters, painted along the hull running away from him before the curved metal disappears into the deep embrace of nothing. GYBE. He spells it out in his mind. The Gybe. The newest of the craters. A flagship for the company. His baby. The magnets on his suit pull him tight to the side of the ship, Noona may well not be prepared to open the door but she wasn’t going to let him go either. Harvey sighed, his tongue felt like sandpaper and his eyes throbbed. Whatever Dougal brewed his moonshine from, it left a dog-rough taste in your mouth the next day. Was it the next day? To be honest and brutal honesty was something Harvey was all too familiar with, he could have been drinking for several days and not know it. Still looking on the bright side, it had been 157 days since last time.
Noona looks up as Irvin arrives for his shift. She stretches and points to the intercom. ‘Only let him in when he promises to stop drinking.’
‘OKEY DOKEY, Captn!’ Irv slides into the seat Noona vacates and flicks the intercom back on. ‘Rise and err..no moonshine today ladies and gentleman. This your in-flight DJ talking, lie back and enjoy the ride!’
Harvey groans as he recognises Irv’s voice, must be shift change.
‘Now, let’s see, Harvey, I’m sure I can find a song just for you here…’ Harvey winces as his intercom is switched to the ship’s music catalogue. ‘Ooh, The Screaming Hangover’s 24 hour party mix! Enjoy!’ Irv settles back in his chair as the communications hub fills with the sound of loud, loud music. He was confident that Harvey would be promising not to drink again in no time at all.
(* the name given to the galactic class freighter and recycling space ship, it being a reference to the crates that they hauled between planets that make up the bulk of these ships’ payload.)
Chapter One
‘Will you LET ME IN, I’m freezing my ass off out here!..’ Harvey presses his head to the small porthole camera and on the screen in the central communications hub his face looms large, distorted through the space helmet’s thick curve of gold particle shielding.
‘Are you gonna stop drinking?’ Noona presses the intercom back on… ‘because unless you promise to get back on that wagon, this ship is off limits to you.’
‘Let… ME… IN!’ each word is punctuated by Harvey headbutting the camera lens.
‘Fine, see you back at space port.’ Noona flicks the switch off on the intercom and sighs. Sometimes Harvey stretched her patience to the very limit.
‘Urghh..’ Harvey stops banging his head against the docking bay door, it was starting to make him feel nauseous. He turns his head to one side, leaning up against the smooth hull of the ship and he can see letters, painted along the hull running away from him before the curved metal disappears into the deep embrace of nothing. GYBE. He spells it out in his mind. The Gybe. The newest of the craters. A flagship for the company. His baby. The magnets on his suit pull him tight to the side of the ship, Noona may well not be prepared to open the door but she wasn’t going to let him go either. Harvey sighed, his tongue felt like sandpaper and his eyes throbbed. Whatever Dougal brewed his moonshine from, it left a dog-rough taste in your mouth the next day. Was it the next day? To be honest and brutal honesty was something Harvey was all too familiar with, he could have been drinking for several days and not know it. Still looking on the bright side, it had been 157 days since last time.
Noona looks up as Irvin arrives for his shift. She stretches and points to the intercom. ‘Only let him in when he promises to stop drinking.’
‘OKEY DOKEY, Captn!’ Irv slides into the seat Noona vacates and flicks the intercom back on. ‘Rise and err..no moonshine today ladies and gentleman. This your in-flight DJ talking, lie back and enjoy the ride!’
Harvey groans as he recognises Irv’s voice, must be shift change.
‘Now, let’s see, Harvey, I’m sure I can find a song just for you here…’ Harvey winces as his intercom is switched to the ship’s music catalogue. ‘Ooh, The Screaming Hangover’s 24 hour party mix! Enjoy!’ Irv settles back in his chair as the communications hub fills with the sound of loud, loud music. He was confident that Harvey would be promising not to drink again in no time at all.
20090108
20090103
Who's Who...the New Dr. Who revealed tonight.
Find out tonight who is to play the next Dr. Who at 17.35 on BBC1.
The programme looks back at the ten Doctors so far.
Let's hope the new Doctor, whoever he/she/non-designated gender/collective noun/it is cleans up the tardis...
The programme looks back at the ten Doctors so far.
Let's hope the new Doctor, whoever he/she/non-designated gender/collective noun/it is cleans up the tardis...
20081214
Eight years to wait for a film review...big, big, moon
The remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still has been beamed into deep space, set to reach Alpha Centauri in about four years, which means, allowing for a return trip it will be eight years for the reviews...
A little closer to home, quite literally, saw the moon at perigee on Friday night.
A little closer to home, quite literally, saw the moon at perigee on Friday night.
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