After one game of bowling, Sam’s new friend, Mark, informed Team Burns that he had begun shuttle pilot training, and so far, it was a good experience. He would be doing a lot of simulations on board before actually flying one into space.
“Would you like to join my family for the second game of bowling?”
Mark said, “Sure.”
They bowled together, and it was pretty obvious to Tom that Mark and Sophie clicked. Mark had a few laughs with Sophie. Mark and Sophie might make a good couple. He really liked Mark and knew that Sam could count on him as a good friend.
Everyone said their goodbyes and gave each other a hug. Of course, Mark and Sophie had the biggest hug in the group.
The next night Tom ate with his wife, Sarah, and family.
Sarah said, “Thank God we are safe now. For a while, I really thought we were going to be goners. Thank my great and dear husband for keeping us safe through this adventure. I am willing to follow you anywhere.”
This made Tom blush, which was something that did not happen often.
Robert said, “That was the scariest thing I have ever done. It was way worse than any rollercoaster I have been on.”
Sophie then said, “I am sorry I panicked so badly. I, too, am thankful to be alive, sitting here with my family. However, I want to get some things off my chest, so please be good listeners.”
Everyone at the table nodded for Sophie to keep talking.
Sophie continued, “First of all, in a short time, and before we even really began our trip, we have almost died twice. This is not how I thought life would be when I was in high school. How often are we going to be almost killed? We are lucky to be alive. Eventually, some disaster will happen, and we may not be so fortunate. And either one or all of us will perish in a matter of seconds. I know Dad is a great commander and pilot, but even the best pilots can make a mistake. Also, we do not know what lies ahead of us. Wil the ship be hit by a giant meteor or a comet? Will the engines fail, and we’ll find ourselves drifting in space forever or crash on another planet? Have you ever thought about those things? We could be facing a disaster every day for the next fifty years. It is terrifying to think of all the problems that we will face. I do not know how I am going to be able to cope with all the pressure. I do not want to die tomorrow or very soon. I do not even have a boyfriend yet, although I had a nice time with Mark yesterday.”
That last sentence brought a smile from Sam and his mom.
Sarah and Tom looked at each other as if determining who wanted to respond to Sophie. Sam and Robert were quiet, waiting for one of them to speak up. After a few moments, Tom replied, “Sophie, I am also glad to be alive. When I started planning this trip, I had no idea what lay ahead of us, except for the fact that I would be trying to save my wife and children and as many others as possible. I know there are some things I can prepare for and some things I can prevent from happening, but I cannot honestly promise that we will have a comfortable, safe trip for a hundred years and there will be no major or minor problems. There is just no way I can foresee everything. I do not have a crystal ball. However, if we want to try and have a successful voyage, we cannot focus on the negative all the time. If we always think of the worst possible scenarios, we will go crazy.”
Sarah, Sam, and Robert nodded in agreement.
“I selected the people on Imagine because I have the utmost trust in them to get the job done to the best of their ability. All of them have promised they will do everything they can to make life as enjoyable as they can. If you feel the need to talk about your feelings to us or a counselor on the ship, please do so. It is going to take time to get used to this way of living for everybody on board, and that includes you. I do not expect everyone to accept everything that happens here, but we must make the best of it if we want to survive.”
Sophie looked intensely at her dad the whole time. She said, “I will do my best to think more positively and be more optimistic about this journey, but I am still going to worry every day and need to talk about it occasionally.”
Tom said, “Thank you. Now I must attend to my duties and meet some people. Do you think you can all go get some of that great ice cream in the cafeteria and perhaps mingle with people there?”
They jumped at the thought.
When his family went to the cafeteria, Tom and Sarah met with Dr. Sato in the conference room in the medical quarters. She was probably the busiest person on the ship after the attack. Bob and several others also joined them for the meeting. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss maintaining the health of the crew as well as researching various methods of prolonging life. Tom wanted to know what her plans were going to be for the next few months and perhaps years to come.
Dr. Sato had several members of her team with her, which included Sarah. “Thank you for inviting us to meet with you to discuss various issues related to the health of everyone on board the Imagine. There were no major medical incidents during the launch or during Operation Debris. My team is looking forward to working with you and ensuring we get to our destiny in good health, if that is possible. First, we need to discuss everyday health habits and suggested protocol. I am recommending that every passenger on the Imagine take time to have their vital signs measured every two weeks until further notice. There are several reasons for this. First, it will give us useful baseline data of each person’s current medical status. We will be able to identify any pathological changes people have. Second, if they do become sick, we hope to catch the problem immediately and provide the necessary care. This is especially important if someone comes down with a contagious disease. We do not want an epidemic to overwhelm the people on board.
“As you know, we are now living in a closed space, and some of these diseases and bacteria have no place to go except into another person. We do not want everyone to be sick. Are you all right with the two-week checkup plan?”
Tom said, “When it comes to medicine and the health of this crew, you are in charge. I have no reason not to listen to you. In fact, if you believe that I am putting lives at risk and ruining the health of people on board, you need to tell me. I will make sure that everyone adheres to a certain standard of cleanliness, including cleaning the ship regularly. Also, if you believe that my health has deteriorated at some point on the journey, you will have the right to relieve me from duty. Therefore, your two-week checkup plan is approved. Are you all right with this?”
Dr. Sato nodded.
Tom looked at Sarah and added, “If people fail to adhere to these rules, I am sure my wife, Sarah, will make sure people do follow them. She can be very persuasive right?”
Sarah laughed and said, “I will do my best to police everyone regarding their health and checkups.”
Dr. Sato said, “Thank you, Dr. Burns. I also need to talk to you about the research that will be vitally important if anyone is going to live long enough to see another galaxy or a new planet to call home. My cryo team has been working very hard to get the equipment ready to test our first subjects. Now that we are in orbit, we need all the equipment to be tested again to adjust for being in space. What was done in Colorado may not work here.”
Tom asked, “Who will be the first subject, and do you have any details about what you will do? If things go well, when will we be able to use this on humans?”
“Our first subjects will be two mice. We plan to put them in stasis for twenty-four hours and monitor all their vitals. After twenty-four hours we will hopefully revive them and see if they are back to normal. We need to study how long it takes to revive someone and how long it takes them to function normally again. If we are successful with the mice, then we can try again with a dog or monkey. I do not know how long it will take someone to come out of stasis in good health until we perform the tests. We are going to have to test their memories as well as their personalities to see if there are any changes.