Hopefully, a helping hand

Twenty-five hours until rescue ship arrival

My display had a message when I woke up.

Vega, please see me at your earliest convenience. Overseer Pasu.

I wasn't in the mood to visit the Overseer. Several hours had passed since my fight with the idiot, but my mood remained foul. The uncomfortable living arrangements and ongoing stress surrounding the rescue ships worsened my temperament.

Still, I had nothing else to do, so I bounced toward the Overseer's home half an hour later. The heavens seemed calm as I traveled. Only the non-threatening kind of star shone above me today. It never hurts to make sure., I thought as I slid the display out of my pocket. I activated it with a press of a button. "Cerviel, are you there?"

"Yes, pilot Vega."

"Are the skies clear?"

"Yes. I’m not detecting anything on radar."

"Good." I nodded to no one in particular. "Are you holding up okay?"

"Power core levels at sixty-three percent. No anomalies in energy consumption detected."

"Good. Let me know if you see something."

"Yes, pilot Vega."

"Thanks."

I'll admit to being upset when the Overseer summoned me to his home. Thoughts of him sleeping in his bed while the rest of us did so in cramped vaults did little to improve my mood. I subtly asked some scavengers about it on my way to the Patlix dome. Imagine my surprise when they confirmed the Overseer did spend the first night inside the vault. He only retreated to his home after yesterday's confrontation.

Patlix's airlock approached as I slid the display into my pocket. The airlock doors had some emergency batteries, so a lack of power wouldn't bar entrance to the dome. I assumed this would be to gain entrance if the transport system became inoperable or some other system-wide problem arose. My hunch turned out to be correct. With Asbestos' main reactor destroyed, the airlocks were the only way to enter the domes. The protocol was to go through a decontamination procedure if a person entered through the airlock. This went away with the lack of a primary power source.

My oxygen meter beeped happily when I stepped into the dome. It further proved the efficiency of the airlocks. I should theoretically be able to breathe inside the dome despite the absence of power. The lack of heat was the problem. The dome had some thermal isolation, but the temperature wouldn’t last long against Asbestos' native minus one hundred and fifty degrees. Father Alcor said the vault supervisors had opened the vault doors and advised people to breathe the dome’s air shortly after the fight with the Duke. It was an attempt to ration the bottled oxygen. Supposedly, that initiative lasted a few hours before the cold became too much. Some of Asbestos' more daring citizens started a competition to see who could hold out the longest against the cold. It took a little under three hours for a winner to be declared, after which frostbite gel was applied to two noses.

Like the last time I visited, Patlix's citizens were more active than I anticipated. Several groups wandered around while carrying all manner of objects. Some had slung bags over their shoulders, whereas others carried anything from computers to books. I understood the reasoning - everybody had something important to them. I spared a thought for the rescue ships. They would meet nine hundred tired, worn-out colonists with half their livelihood attached to their person. Hopefully, the evacuation does not occur during an attack, or all hell will break loose.

A muted crash shook my thoughts, and some colorful words drew my attention to a lady picking up fallen objects around her feet. Judging from the fallen objects' shapes, the heap she carried would be precariously balanced. The number of items didn't help either.

Help thy neighbour, I thought as I stepped closer. Her movements stopped when I came within range, and squinted eyes met mine when I crouched beside her.

"Here." I picked up a book and held it to her.

"Oh, thank you." She took it from me with a brief smile.

"Is something wrong? You seemed hesitant just now."

"Oh, not really." She shook her head slightly. "Some of us are slightly on edge, considering what happened yesterday."

"Why? Have there been other incidents?"

"I wouldn't quite say that. A few shouting matches when people's nerves wear thin. One of the two ended in a minor scuffle, but nothing too noteworthy. But you never know when there might be trouble brewing." She picked up another book. "Maybe it's just me. I lived in Atara for thirty years before coming to Asbestos. On Atara, you learn to look over your shoulder wherever you go."

"I see."

"It's like everybody running for a vault when they feel the ground pulsing." She picked up something resembling a trophy before sighing. "I'll be glad when all of this is over."

"That makes two of us," I said.

"I'll bet. Why are you here? Checking up on the Overseer?"

"He asked me to visit him." She took the picture frame I held out to her. "I'm not sure why."

"Maybe it has something to do with the incoming rescue ships?"

"I'm sure he'll broadcast if that's the case."

"Maybe he'd keep it to himself like these other secrets." She blew out another breath. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. He's done his best to keep us alive. As have you."

"I had sixteen others to help me."

"And now it's just you and nine hundred of us." She added another object to her growing pile. "Listen, don't take Halanu's words to heart. We know Nova wasn't part of a demonic pact or something. It's the frustration. It makes us see things that aren't there."

"Thanks. Hopefully, everybody will calm down once the rescue ships arrive."

"That's the hope."