Escape Measures

“Will you keep me safe?” her tiny voice echoed from the past.

He flinched back from the memory and stared through the portal at the stars. Somewhere out there was Earth and everything he was escaping. He activated the external window shield.

The solar system’s largest planet loomed in the void, a massive sphere of swirling gases. Its colossal red spot churned, a storm larger than the entirety of Earth. Amidst this chaos, a tiny metallic glint flashed above the swirling tempest.

SPACESHIP: Godwin

CLASS: Ibis Class Heavy

MISSION: Jupiter Exploration

CREW: 8

LAUNCH DATE: 10/25/2043

A chrome jewel reflecting starlight, spaceship Godwin represented the culmination of human ingenuity. She was a sleek line of 12 modules housing scientific labs and living quarters with a pair of dragonfly-like solar panels mounted on the aft.

Dr. Sean Rush secured the internal shield onto the portal when a drink pouch flew at his head; he caught it just in time.

“Oh! My bad, Doc,” Pilot Elroy Jackson called out.

“Sorry! I was supposed to catch that,” Hiroshi Saito, Lead Scientist, added sheepishly.

Sean smirked. “You guys have a ‘drink’ing problem.”

Elroy and Hiroshi groaned in unison.

“Dad jokes hurt so much,” Elroy lamented dramatically.

Hiroshi moved next to Sean and pointed down the long corridor of modules toward the front of the ship with an intense look. “Please break Elroy’s record.”

“He’s not breaking anything,” Elroy shot back playfully.

Sean spotted a red warning sign in the command module 200 feet away. He brought the drink pouch to his eye and took a steady breath before pushing himself off the wall behind him. The pouch sailed away straight as an arrow as he released it.

Sean, Hiroshi, and Elroy floated after it, cheering and talking smack the whole way. They passed by living quarters, science stations, and stasis pods.

Planetary Scientist Verochka Ivanova poked her head out of a module and followed the boys in amusement. Chief Engineer Robert Finny raised an eyebrow as he watched the drink pouch soar past him, nearly getting tackled by the crowd chasing it.

In the command module, Captain Oscar Delhart consulted data on a monitor. The drink pouch came floating up to the red warning sign, but Captain Delhart snatched it out of the air before it made contact. The crowd groaned as he opened it and took a sip.

“Oh good! You’re all here,” he said with a wry smile. “I’m about to record a message for mission control.”

Captain Delhart pressed record on his tablet. “Houston, this is Godwin. We’ve implemented all safety procedures in preparation for the solar storm’s impact. Engineers Cross and Barton remain in their stasis pods, as planned since departure. We are still on schedule for Jupiter orbital insertion in eight days.”

He paused, a smile creeping onto his face. “Oh, and one last thing.”

Captain Delhart raised the tablet to take a selfie video with the five other crew members of spaceship Godwin. “This is for Director Franklin.” They broke into singing "Happy Birthday,” their voices echoing through the spaceship.

Captain Delhart smiled as he pressed send. “It’ll take an hour for that song to show up and embarrass him. By then he’ll already be 61.”

Finny looked up from a wall panel filled with wires and tubing. “Found it.” He resecured a velcro strap around a bundle of wires. “You shouldn’t hear that rattling anymore.”

“Thank you, Finny,” Sean said with relief. “That was driving us crazy.” The rest of the crew agreed.

Finny removed a screwdriver from a pocket toolkit and screwed the panel back into place.

***

The crew were strapped in their seats wearing orange flight suits and helmets.

Elroy glanced at Captain Delhart. “You think it’s going to hit us like a solid jolt or maybe just vibrate everything?”

Captain Delhart raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been through three solar storms. Each felt different, but I’ve never faced one as big as what’s coming.”

Finny looked at a monitor, his expression tense. “Radiation levels rising. We’re losing radio communications.”

“It’ll be out for a few hours until the storm passes,” Captain Delhart replied.

Suddenly, the ship began to shake.

“Everyone got barf bags?” Sean chuckled. “You think I’m joking but—” Before he could finish, everything slammed to one side. Alarms screamed through the cabin as Sean's limbs ragdolled.

Godwin was tumbling in space.

Verochka pointed. “Elroy is hurt!”

Sean ripped off his seatbelts and climbed to Elroy, heart racing. Everything was thrashing about. Blood floated from a hole in the face shield of Elroy’s helmet. Sean's stomach sank. Elroy was gone.

“Doc! Over here!” Hiroshi shouted.

Sean launched himself toward Hiroshi, who was checking on Captain Delhart. The captain’s shoulder was a bloody mangled heap. Bruises covered his face. Breathing present. Pulse detected. Possible hypovolemic shock.

“Everyone hold on!” Finny shouted. “Activating A. I. stabilization!”

The crew grabbed onto anything sturdy. Puffs of propellant rattled off from the maneuvering thrusters.

It took several minutes, but Sean managed to stabilize Captain Delhart.

Godwin's tumbling slowly ceased.

***

Sean floated into the command module and joined Finny, Hiroshi, and Verochka.

Verochka immediately asked in her Slavic accent, "How is he?"

"Stable," Sean replied with his well-practiced ER delivery. "He’ll be unconscious for a while. Where's Elroy?"

Hiroshi's face fell. "I put him in his sleep compartment."

Verochka whispered, "Do we know how it is he was... killed?"

Hiroshi pulled out a pocket tool kit. "This. It got thrown through the module and struck Elroy and then the captain."

"You don't know that," Finny snapped.

Verochka tried to soothe him, "No one is blaming you, Finny."

"I told you I secured that thing," Finny insisted, his face a mix of guilt and frustration.

Hiroshi raised his hands to calm him.

Finny took a deep breath and finally spoke. "You need to see this." He brought up a visual on his tablet. "The solar storm pushed us off course. We're falling into Jupiter. In 11 hours we cross the point of no return and…"

“We become permanent residents of Jupiter.” Sean said.

"You've already tried to put us back on course, right?" Hiroshi asked.

Finny nodded grimly, "Yes, but we're too heavy to pull out of this steep angle."

Sean processed the information. "So we throw some weight out. How much are we talking?"

"Approximately 800,500 pounds," Finny admitted.

The crew gasped.

Verochka whispered, "This is more than half of ship’s weight."

Finny offered a solution. "We can detach this command module. It's designed as an emergency rescue vessel."

Hiroshi consulted his tablet, "We'd still need to drop another 700 pounds."

"Correct," Finny confirmed. "We'll strip this module down to essentials—life support, navigation, and propulsion. Everything else goes."

The crew nodded and sprang into action.

They stripped out everything from the command module that was non-essential, transferring equipment to the ship's main section. Soon the command module was just exposed wires snaked along the walls, pipes jutting out at odd angles, and shiny insulation peeking through gaps in the paneling. The two stasis pods, housing Astrophysicists Melissa Cross and Kevin Barton, were attached to a wall. As they surveyed their work, a sobering realization hit Sean: Our survival depends on this stripped-down tin can. Great.

Finny consulted his tablet. "It's not enough. We need to drop more weight."

Hiroshi took a deep breath. "Elroy."

Everyone understood. Sean knew it was hard for Hiroshi, Elroy's friend since college. Without waiting for approval, Hiroshi moved his friend's body to the main ship.

***

“Will you keep me safe, daddy?”

Amusement park screams and laughter mingled with smells of popcorn and ice cream waffle cones.

“It’s okay sweety. I’ll be here with you.”

She held his hand tight, as their rollercoaster cart approached the top. When that first drop came she squealed with delight. He joined her screams and delirious laughter. They were cheering even as the cart careened down the last hump. But, the brakes never engaged. Screams echoed.

***

Sean flinched awake, finding himself back in the harsh reality of their crisis over Jupiter. He released himself from the velcro holding him to the bulkhead. Verochka and Hiroshi slept nearby. As Sean floated to the food locker, he spotted Finny crouched behind a stasis pod disconnecting its life support hoses.

"No, don't!" Sean shouted.

Finny squared off with Sean. "We need to drop more weight."

"But, she's alive," Sean protested.

"And if we don't do this, in six hours she'll be dead with all of us," Finny countered.

Verochka floated to Sean's side. "What is trouble?"

Sean, still addressing Finny, demanded, "Who are you to choose who lives and dies?"

"The captain's incapacitated. I'm next in command. I made a command decision," Finny asserted. "I could have told one of you to do this, but I'm taking on this burden myself."

"You seriously think you're doing us a favor?" Sean retorted.

Verochka turned to Hiroshi, who had joined them. "Finny wishes to throw Cross and her pod out."

"That's not going to happen," Hiroshi stated firmly.

Sean's gaze fell on the food packets in the open locker.

"There's no other way to drop the weight!" Finny snapped in frustration.

"Wait!" Sean shouted, "If some of us went into stasis, we don’t need food or supplies. If we got rid of that food and supplies, would it be enough weight?"

"For this to work," Verochka calculated quickly, "three must go into stasis."

"So it would work?" Sean pressed.

Hiroshi nodded. "Whoever stays awake would also be on half rations, but yes. It can work."

Sean looked at Finny expectantly.

Finny moved away from the stasis pod. “Okay. Verochka, Doc, you two handle getting rid of that food and supplies. Hiroshi, help me bring in the stasis pods.

They floated off to their respective tasks.

***

As Sean and Verochka gathered food packages and supplies for removal, they spoke in hushed tones.

"I am not comfortable if Finny stays awake when we are in stasis," Verochka whispered, glancing over her shoulder at Finny and Hiroshi across the module.

Sean furrowed his brow. "I agree, but he's the most qualified."

Verochka tossed food packages into the main part of the ship. "You should be the one who stays awake. You have much piloting time. More than Hiroshi and me together."

Sean was about to respond but- He spotted Finny's hand as he secured a stasis pod in place. Finny's right hand trembled uncontrollably. Sean got Verochka to look toward Finny’s hand. She turned back at Sean in shock.

Sean whispered, “Stress.”

The implications were clear - Finny's condition could jeopardize everyone’s lives.

Verochka said, “He must not pilot us.”

Sean whispered. "After we’re safely away from Jupiter."

***

Spaceship Godwin hovered above Jupiter's swirling clouds. A ring of misty pressurized air escaped as Godwin's command module separated from the main ship. Inside the command module, Sean, Finny, Hiroshi, and Verochka were strapped into their seats.

Sean held his breath as he watched the main ship float away, noting the damage from the solar storm on one side.

Hiroshi spoke solemnly. "We commit Elroy Jackson to the universe. He was a father, husband, son, and… friend. May he find peace among these many stars."

A heavy silence followed Hiroshi’s words. In unison, they echoed, “May the cosmos carry you gently to your final resting place.”

The silver cylinder of Godwin’s main body drifted away carrying Pilot Elroy Jackson.

Sean swallowed hard. "Separation sequence complete. Go for trajectory correction maneuver," he confirmed, his eyes fixed on the monitors.

Finny's fingers danced across the control panel, coordinating the critical maneuver. "Initiating main engine burn for 17 seconds. In three… two… one."

The ship groaned and shuddered as the thruster fired, fighting against Jupiter's immense gravitational pull.

"Davay, davay," Verochka whispered in Russian.

Sean's eyes darted between Finny's trembling hands and the trajectory monitor.

Suddenly, Sean's monitor beeped. The graphic displaying Godwin's trajectory shifted, the angle changing ever so slightly.

"We did it," Sean breathed, relief washing over him. "We're on course."

The crew of spaceship Godwin cheered, gladly accepting this much-needed victory. They had survived the first hurdle, but they knew more challenges awaited them in this eternal night.

***

Sean and Hiroshi prepared their incapacitated captain for stasis while Finny worked on the other side of the module. Captain Delhart's head and right arm were bandaged and immobilized. Working in hushed tones, Sean confided, "Verochka and I are worried about Finny's condition."

Hiroshi nodded grimly. "Same here. He had mental lapses when installing these stasis pods. Don’t worry I double checked his work."

They maneuvered Captain Delhart into the pod, cut his shirt off and applied electrodes onto the correct spots on his torso.

"Verochka wants me to pilot us home," Sean whispered.

"I agree," Hiroshi replied. “Finny might eject us at the first sign of trouble."

Sean reached for an auto-injector from the nearby tray. "It seems redundant to use a stasis sedative. He's already unconscious," he mused. "But I wouldn't want him to wake up mid-journey."

Sean pressed the auto-injector to the captain's shoulder and mashed the button. They sealed the stasis pod.

Sean disposed of the empty auto-injector in the sharps container.

Verochka came out of the lavatory wearing a shirt lined with electrodes.

Sean cleared his throat. “Finny, can we talk?”

Finny looked up from his station, his brow furrowed. “What’s up?”

“You did a great job with the maneuver,” Sean began, choosing his words carefully. “And we’re all very grateful.”

“But…”

“But we think someone else should take over the next part of this.”

Hiroshi chimed in, “We don’t think you should pilot the ship home. Not in your current state.”

Sean wasn’t thrilled at Hiroshi’s interjection.

Finny straightened, a flash of defiance in his eyes. “I’m fine. I can handle this.”

“Handle what?” Verochka challenged. “You have mental lapse installing stasis pods. And don’t forget tool kit!”

Finny flashed Hiroshi a look before sighing. “Look, I know I’ve had some rough moments, but I’m still the best person for the job. I can do this.”

Sean exchanged a worried glance with Hiroshi and Verochka. “But what if something goes wrong? We need someone who’s completely focused.”

“I get that,” Finny floated to the captain’s stasis pod, looking at his captain while addressing the rest of the crew. “I have a lot to atone for. I’m trying to make up for things.” He turned back to them. “Let me do this for you. Let me get you home.”

Sean, Hiroshi, and Verochka exchanged looks. One by one, they nodded.

“I won’t let you down,” Finny promised.

Hiroshi and Verochka floated to their stasis pods. Finny joined Hiroshi. Sean noticed Finny’s tablet attached to his thigh; it displayed graphics for seven stasis pods, each marked with a red X and the word “Ejected.” Sean saw that Verochka had noticed too.

Verochka climbed into her stasis pod. Sean helped connect her electrodes, ensuring everything was secure. They spoke in hushed tones.

“You saw his tablet, yes?” her eyes darting toward Finny. “He wishes to eject us.”

Sean continued connecting electrodes, “This isn’t good.”

“If we are gone, no one can report how Elroy died,” Verochka replied urgently.

Sean glanced at the tray of auto-injectors and took one, presenting it to her. “Don’t worry.”

Sean pressed the auto-injector to Verochka’s shoulder and mashed the button. “I have a plan.” 

He sealed her stasis pod. “See you in 18 months.”

***

Sean sat in his stasis pod, donning a shirt lined with electrodes. Finny floated over to help him attach the electrodes to the stasis pod. His hand started shaking. He tried to hide it, but Sean had seen enough. “Finny, I don’t think you should be flying.”

“Thank you for your input,” Finny replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Let me consider that.” He considered for a total of- “I have decided against your findings.”

Sean glanced at the tray where one auto-injector lay. He reached for it, but Finny grabbed it first. 

Before Sean could react, Finny stabbed the auto-injector into Sean’s shoulder and mashed the button. 

Finny slammed the stasis pod shut. “Goodbye, doctor.”

Sean clawed at the interior release of the pod, but Finny held the lid shut.

“Finny! What are you doing?” Sean shouted, desperation rising in his voice. Finally, Sean stopped moving.

***

“Will you keep me safe, daddy?”

Screams. Not her happy amusement park screams. His daughter lay in the wreckage of rollercoaster carts. Twisted. Unrecognizable. Blood everywhere. He knew blood as a doctor. But, blood as a father… 

He assessed her injuries even as he bore his own injuries. A boy in the seat ahead of them- his injuries much worse than his daughter. Dr. Sean Rush automatically slipped into ER doctor mindset. I can save both! I can save both! It was the last decision he ever made as a father. She succumbed to her injuries before he was done treating the boy.

***

Finny sat in the control seat, focused intently on the cold equations on his tablet. Suddenly, an auto-injector jabbed in his shoulder.

Finny yelled and turned to see Sean floating there, auto-injector still in hand.

“How did you… “

Sean’s expression was resolute. “You used an empty injector on me.”

Sean remembered when he was injecting Verochka earlier. He told her, “I have a plan.” And then instead of putting the empty auto-injector in the sharps container, he placed it on the tray next to the last unused auto-injecter. He pocketed that unused auto-injector.

In an instant, he was back squaring off with Finny. Finny lunged at Sean, who didn’t lift a finger. The sedative was doing its job. Finny's punches connected feebly. Finally, he went limp.

***

Finny lay bound and unconscious in a stasis pod wearing a shirt lined with electrodes. Sean closed the pod’s lid. He looked over all the stasis pods- his crewmates and nodded.

“Will you keep them safe, daddy?”