Deleted scene from The Serpent Fleet
December, 3126 N.E.
A small, mousey man with a carry-on bag under his arm walked through the grand passenger entrance of the luxury liner Daphne. He passed false columns lined with fresh flowers and gold framed photographs of the ship’s former Captains until he reached a man standing at attention, holding a data pad.
“Welcome aboard the Daphne, may I have your name please?” Bill Grandy asked.
“Locke,” the small man said, shuffling his carry-on from one arm to the other.
Grandy looked down his list, and checked off the name Locke, and checked over the related information. “Yes, here you are. Do you have any special requirements or desires for your trip?” He quickly brought up directions that he would relay to help Locke find his room.
“It is a business trip for me, so I will be needing computer net access,” Locke said.
“Certainly, Sir,” Grandy answered, a hint of pride entering his voice. “All of our rooms have net access, or if you need increased computing power, each deck has its own computer lab. You have an interior room. Take the hallway between the elevators, and then the second right. Third door on the left. You will find your room still has a majestic simulated view outside the ship.
The Daphne was a huge ship, but Bill Grandy knew every inch of her concave design that offered most of the rooms an unobstructed view of the majesty of space. Over the next two weeks he would get to know all Ten Thousand passengers, just as he knew all four thousand crewmembers.
“Are they all aboard yet, Mr. Grandy?” Misty asked, her grey hair was currently dyed brown.
“Almost. Just a few more,” he said. “Did you leave your post just to ask me that?”
“No. I wanted to tell you. The TSU invaded the Tylor system, declared the system to be a protectorate subjectable to party policy.”
“But, Tylor is a neutral independent.”
“I know. The war is spreading,” Misty said. “Good thing we’re too old to be drafted.”
Grandy took a deep breath. “No telling how this will change the scope of the war. Just remember, our job is to keep the passenger’s minds off the troubles of the outside world. We are to provide distraction, and don’t mention the War unless directly asked.”
“I got it, Mr. Grandy,” Misty said, and nodded towards the main entrance. “Here comes another one.” She silently backed away.
“Welcome aboard the Daphne. Could I have your name please?” Grandy asked. They were a family of three.
“The Mayflower family; Jim, Carol and this is little Cindy,” the well-dressed gentleman said. Cindy looked to be about eight years old.
“Ah, yes,” Grandy checked his list, and marked the second Mayflower name on the passenger list. Another family of Mayflower had checked in earlier. “You have one of my favorite rooms on the ship. Take the third elevator, go down nine levels to the Majestic Deck, and it will be the fifth door on the left. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your voyage more comfortable.”
“Thank you,” Jim Mayflower said.
“Is the Christmas Star really as amazing as they say?” Carol asked.
“Even more so, I have seen it many times and it is well worth the trip. I would recommend viewing it from the Central Deck; it is usually not as crowded as the upper or lower decks, and it affords a greater panoramic view of the pulsations.”
“It must be difficult, working through Christmas like this,” Carol said.
“It does have its trials,” Grandy said, “But since no one is at home to spend the holidays with, I manage to find my joy here, with families like yours.”
“Did the war take your family?” Jim asked.
“My son has enlisted, but my wife was already gone,” Grandy said, “but you are not here for such matters, you are here to forget the outside world and enjoy yourselves, free from any worries or cares.”
“Thank you,” Carol and Jim both said as they corralled their cowering daughter towards the third elevator.
“Be sure to enjoy your stay,” he called after them.
Another crew member approached, “That’s the last of the passengers, we are sealing the ship.”
Grandy could already see that, as another crewman and one of the station personnel were assisting each other in closing the airlock door. He stayed at that post until the door was completely sealed, then manually checked that the seal was intact. Assured that it was, he systematically went to each of the ship’s other airlocks and made sure that they were secured as well.
“Excuse me, sir,” a passenger wearing a long coat said, “but where is the Launch Buffet being held?”
Grandy paused in his inspection of the next airlock, and gave his full attention to the passenger, along with a smile. He discretely printed out a ship map, which he handed to the passenger. “Yes, sir. Up two levels, and then all the way forward to the Bow Lounge, here.”
“Thanks,” the man said, taking the map. He moved along his way, while Grandy bowed a farewell before returning to his inspections.
At the end of his rounds, Grandy arrived on the Bridge. Captain Morris always insisted on his personal presence when reporting on the passengers. He did not make his presence known right away, the captain was busy with other reports.
“Has our course been approved?” The captain asked someone on the video panel.
“Yes, sir. The Government officials have approved your course and guarantee its safety, as best they can during times of war. There are no known incursions or planned actions along your route to the Christmas Star. You are cleared for departure at 4pm local.”
“Thank you; Daphne out,” the Captain signed off, then turned to Grandy.
“All passengers are aboard, and the airlocks have been sealed. Once the gangways have been retracted, we should be ready to go.”
“Good. Are any of the passengers likely to cause any problems?”
“No sir, it looks like we have a very calm batch this time.”
“Until they hit the open bar at least,” Captain Morris said.
Grandy felt unfairly blamed for a couple of unfortunate incidents with some of the passengers in the past. Now he tried to head any unpleasantness off in advance. “I will review the list, and give you a proposed rotation for your Captain’s Table this evening.”
*****
It was nearly the halfway point of the voyage when the Daphne approached the “Christmas Star.” Grandy watched from a distance as the festivities unfolded in the central port lounge.
The passengers gathered in the lounge had separated into various groups of friends made over the course of the voyage. They clustered in front of the floor to ceiling windows, and around silver tinsel trees. Some of the groups were engaged in overlapping indistinct conversations, while others were sampling snacks and drinks from the family friendly bar.
The children had formed their own groups, away from their parents. One group of children was pressed against the handrail that prevented them from touching the window, but there was another, much louder group that was running around the tensile trees in a loud game that was as much tag as hide and seek.
For some reason, the kids were rapidly losing interest in the star, and were gathering at a corner, pointing to something else in the distance. Even the game of tag contestants joined in the huddle pressed near the window. Curiosity got the better of him, and Grandy went over to see for himself.
Approaching, but still distant, were two warships, just barely visible. He could make out a dot of red on the sides of their hulls, which he supposed was the Party symbol that the government was plastering on all the TSU ships. He thought about reassuring the kids that nothing was out of the ordinary about the ships, but a young boy would always rather stare at a warship than a star.
He found himself studying the ships more and more, as they came closer, and could not help but wonder what they were doing out here. He expected they were coming close to give the passengers a show, at least he couldn’t imagine another reason for them to be coming in so close to the civilian luxury liner.
Then he saw the flash.
His mind didn’t even comprehend what it was at first; for less than a moment a beam of yellow energy connected the Daphne to the closest warship. It was so quick, he wasn’t even certain he had seen it.
A second later, power flickered off and back on, and a deep thump sound rumbled through the hull. Automated alarms began to sound in the distance before the klaxon was sounded throughout the ship.
The screaming began with the kids, as they quickly ran to find their parents.
More flashes brightened the window, and larger thumps and cracking sounds echoed through the ship.
The ventilation system that continuously fed a breeze of fresh air into the passenger areas instead began pumping smoke into the cabin that smelled of burning metal and plastic. The alarms became more pronounced, as automated alarms were replaced by manual ones.
“Would all passengers please step away from the windows!” Grandy ordered the passengers away, and began backing them away to the center. “Throughout the ship, you may have noticed yellow arrows painted on the ceiling! Remain calm and orderly as you follow those arrows now to the nearest escape pods. Fill each escape pod until each seat if filled, then move to the next one. There are enough pods for everyone on the ship. Please make your way to the escape pods at this time by following the yellow arrows painted on the ceiling.“
“What’s going on? Why are they firing on us?” passengers demanded explanations that Grandy did not have. He ignored their demands questions as he ushered them into the hall.
Once the lounge was empty, he went to the nearest communications console, but before he could activate the intercom, someone else’s voice came over the intercom speakers.
“Attention. Attention. All passengers are requested to board the escape pods at this time. Repeat: All passengers are requested to board the escape pods at this time! All crew members not otherwise occupied are to assist with the evacuation of the ship.” Grandy rushed out into the hallway that was filled with near panicked people.
“Quickly… stay with your family groups,” Grandy said to the passengers who were busy making their way to the nearest escape pod bay. He checked his portable computer screen, the same one he used to keep track of the passengers checking in. He now used it as each passenger was checked off automatically as they boarded an escape pod.
Sounds from explosions within the ship were becoming more distinct, and the air vents continued to struggle to clean the air even as they continued to spew black smoke into the corridors, making it difficult to breathe or see where he was going. Now that he thought about it, Grandy wasn’t even sure exactly where he was going, except that he was headed back towards the more vital areas of the ship.
His progress was blocked by an airtight door sealing off the main corridor, the adjacent vent was spewing more black smoke than any of the others, and the side walls radiated heat.
A young boy cried while pounding on the doors.
Quickly checking a small readout on the door revealed two things; he was going to need to find an alternate route, and two, if the child knew anyone on the other side of that door, they were not there anymore.
“Come with me, son,” he told the boy as he scooped him up and headed back the way he came. The boy squirmed against him, trying to get down.
The corridors were nearly devoid of people as he rushed back to the nearest life pod bay.
The regular lighting went out suddenly, and the ventilation died down. Only the dim emergency lighting provided any illumination.
The escape pod bays were out of the way, designed to be inconspicuous; they were not intended to be noticed until they were needed. With only emergency lighting, they were better lit than the rest of the ship.
Another crewman helped the last passengers of his line into a pod; Grandy hoped the other Escape Pod stations were operating as smoothly as this one was.
“How many spaces left?” Grandy asked.
“Two more.”
“Take care of this one, and go,” Grandy thrust the boy into the other man’s arms.
He climbed into the escape pod with the boy. Grandy made sure the door shut firmly behind them, and stepped back. A second later, the pod vanished with a whoosh as automated systems launched the smaller life boat into space.
His computer showed that a good majority of the passengers and a sizable portion of the crew had evacuated the ship already. The only way to make completely sure was to check himself.
A voice in the back of his head was starting to become more and more insistent, how long did the ship have before it completely came apart? How long should he fool around, worrying about others before getting into a pod himself? What was the Captain doing, shouldn’t he have made additional announcements by now as to the situation and status of the ship? He continued to push such thoughts aside, his job, his duty was to see to the well-being of the passengers. He could not see himself leaving until he had seen to it the passengers were safely away. That included those on the other side of the sealed blast door, whose current status was unknown.
Grandy resolved to check each of the escape pod bays, keeping an eye out for any passengers as he went. He did not get very far.
Ahead of him, rounding the corner of the corridor he made out a group of dark shapes moving rapidly towards him. At first, he assumed it was passengers or crew, and was going to tell them to get to the pods, but then he noticed the way they moved. Then he noticed the guns.
Instinctively he raised his hands up, and moved to the side, even as they pointed their rifles in his direction.
They did not fire, but they did not lower their weapons either. They were soldiers, naval marines, wearing black uniforms with the red Peace logo that was the symbol of the Party, and another patch that represented the Terra Sphere Union.
As they passed, one of them turned him around and slammed him into the wall so hard that he could taste blood. There was additional pain as his hands were wrenched behind him and bound together. His world went black.