Russell Moran - A Climate of Doubt

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Pettibone speaking. I would like to say some soothing words, but I can’t. Our condition is critical. I’ve alerted the crew to assist all passengers to abandon ship. Your one and only goal is to climb into a lifeboat as a crewmember directs you.”

Bill and Mellissa Thompson staggered down a passageway to their lifeboat station. The winds and seas had calmed down in the past 15 minutes, but the ship was still taking dangerous rolls. They came upon an elderly couple trying to walk a straight line.

“Let’s help these two, hon,” Bill said. “They can’t make it to a boat on their own.”

They each stood beside the two and gently walked them toward the launch platform. It was comforting to see three large Coast Guard cutters standing off to starboard. A gush of water droplets splashed them as a wave broke against the ship’s hull. They were surprised that the water didn’t hurt them, as the temperature of Lake Michigan, especially after the July heat wave, was still relatively warm compared to the wind and snow.

The Thompsons helped their new/old friends climb aboard the lifeboat.

“Rick, I think we should watch this report on the TV.”

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, Monica Jackson for NBC News coming to you from the United States Coast Guard Station in Waukegan, Illinois. The scene here can best be described as happy bedlam, happy because what looked like a looming tragedy, had a good ending. Earlier we had reported that the beautiful Great Lakes paddle-wheel cruise ship, the Victory 1 , got blindsided by this insane weather as the ship steamed toward the Straits of Mackinac on its way to Lake Huron. The upper decks became encased in heavy ice, and the main engine failed. Thanks to the fast action and courage of the crews of three Coast Guard cutters, all the crew and passengers of the Victory 1 were rescued, with only a few people reporting minor injuries. It was not a moment too soon. Within minutes after the last person climbed aboard a lifeboat, the Victory 1 foundered, capsized, and sank in 900 feet of water.”

Monica Jackson walked across the room to a couple wrapped in a blanket, sipping coffee.

“I’m talking to a couple of passengers from Philadelphia, Bill and Melissa Thompson.”

“Holy shit,” Ellen screamed as she increased the volume on the TV. “They weren’t scheduled to leave until the end of this week.”

“We’d like to send our love to our wonderful daughter, Ellen Bellamy, who is actually a colleague of yours at NBC,” Bill said. “We’ve been trying to call her, but, as you know, cell phone service is out. Ellen gave us this cruise as an anniversary present. So, thanks to you TV folks, we’re able to send our love in person. Hey, Ellen, next time you book us on a cruise, can you arrange for better weather? Love you, baby. See you soon.”

Any good producer knows that surprises make for great television. The photo of Monica Jackson’s face would be printed and hung on the walls of NBC studios.

Ellen looked at her watch.

“I’ve got a show in 30 minutes, but I’m a fucking wreck.”

“Hey, hon, don’t be a wreck. Just thank God your folks are okay.”

Space Station Stargazer , July 18

“I don’t think we were supposed to do what we did last night,” Bill Cranston said to Nancy Mullin.

“Show me where there’s a written regulation against it,” she said. “Besides, don’t you consider it an honor to be an astronaut who got a blow job in space?”

Cranston looked around jokingly in an exaggerated circle. “Are you sure there’s nothing floating around,” he said.

Nancy laughed.

“I’m very thorough when I need to be,” she said with a wink. “Hey, we’re both single and horny. Nothing wrong with a little zero-gravity sex.”

“No, nothing wrong at all,” Cranston said as he reached over and stroked her thigh. “Let’s finish up today’s chores so we can explore some more new worlds.”

“You’re on, cowboy.”

Bill Cranston and Nancy Mullin are both former military officers. Cranston was in the Marines, and Mullin in the Air Force, both having left active duty two years before. They were both 35 years old and each held the rank of captain when they left the service. Nancy Mullin stands at five feet nine, has short brown hair, and the figure of a gymnast, which she was at the Air Force Academy. Cranston is a big man at six feet two with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and sandy blond hair. The Rosetta Corporation hired them to work on Stargazer , the private space station that was owned by the company and controlled from its corporate headquarters in Billings, Montana. Like other space stations, Stargazer is equipped with minimal propulsion. It can’t take off or land by itself. Service to the station, including resupply and crew changes, is accomplished by visits from rocket-launched replenishment pods. As of 2018 only two space stations are in orbit and operational, the International Space Station , or ISS, and Stargazer. Other space stations in the past include: China’s Tiangong-1 (defunct); and Tiangong-2 (launched in September 2016, not permanently manned); Skylab ; Mir ; and the Almaz and Salyut series. Stargazer is similar in design to the International Space Station , ISS, on which the Rosetta Corporation was the major contractor. The station is 240 feet long, 370 feet wide, and 70 feet high. It can carry a crew of six, but is currently manned by only two astronauts, Mullin and Cranston. Nancy Mullin is the mission commander.

“Anything new on earth to change the subject to something less exciting?” Cranston asked.

“Still totally fucking weird, Bill. The last we heard from Montana was that the temperatures nationwide are still well below freezing, and the blizzard shows no signs of letting up. I’m glad I volunteered for this mission. Playing around with a handsome hunk like you beats the hell out of shoveling snow in July.”

“Let’s check on our newly-launched satellites,” Cranston said. “Do you have any idea why we’ve launched so many? Twenty satellites seem like a hell of a lot for one company.”

“Bill, I don’t ask a lot of questions. Do you wonder why?”

“Yeah, why don’t you ask questions? Lack of curiosity?”

“No, I’m curious as hell,” Nancy said, “but last I checked I earn $305,000 a year, and I know that you earn the same. If they want to pay me that kind of money, I’m happy to keep my mouth shut as I’ve been politely requested to do. For that kind of dough, if it’s legal, I’ll do it.”

“What if they want to make a video of you and me fooling around?”

“Make me an offer, big guy.”

“Hey, let’s get back to work,” Bill said. “Headquarters wants us to send photos of earth. We also need to put each of the satellites through a round of tests. I wonder what these satellites are for.”

“Like I said, Bill, I don’t ask questions unless I have to. At $305K a year, I don’t care if they use the satellites to raise chinchillas.”

“I’m sending the earth photos to headquarters now,” Bill said. “It sure as hell doesn’t look like the earth we left behind. Instead of the beautiful colors, mainly blue, it now looks like a friggin snowball. Hey, stop that. Let’s finish the tests first.”

July 19

The alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. and Ellen slept right through it. She was exhausted from back-to-back shows, each of which required extensive interviews with guests. She was still emotionally drained from seeing her parents being interviewed as disaster survivors.