The Last Post...

As some of you may have noticed, there have been a few glitches with Blogger blanking out some of the text in various chapters, particularly Chapter Three and Chapter Ten. So I have opened a new blog over at http://jaysspacebook.wordpress.com/ where you will find all twelve chapters and whatever I write from hereon in. That means this is my last post here. It's also easier for me to connect with my Facebook and Tumblr from the new blog. Keep a look out for shared posts from my NaNoWriMo writing buddy, Kate - she's a proper writer and her work is amazing. See you on the other side - Jay xxx

Chapter Twelve

Bly Shepherd did come over for dinner that evening after all, and he was just as charming as he had been at the party two nights before. He was very different from his brother, more expressive as one would expect an artist to be. He was obviously very fond of his brother’s children and zhis partners, playing with Dera and Myki and chatting way to Maxie and Neesh. He was delighted to find out that Jude had extended her stay for a week at the very least.

While their parents took the little ones off to get ready for bed, Jude and Bly found the time to chat.

“Tell me about your paintings.” She prompted him. Being the daughter of musicians almost constantly on the road had meant that Jude’s early life had been subsumed in that art form and it had left very little time for others. As a result, her knowledge of visual art was severely limited.

“I get my inspiration from the landscape, the sky, whatever I see. And somehow that translates itself into the colours on my canvas. To me,” he explained to her, “there is no mystery. I see what I paint and using my eyes, my hands and yes, my heart, I share it. It must be like that with you and your music.”

“Oh no, “laughed Jude,” music to me is what my folks do, what other people do. For me, it was always a chore, a means to an end. I can do it but it’s not how I communicate with the world.”

“You could have fooled me the other night.” Bly seemed a little taken aback.

“That was different – I had a made a promise to sing for Kris and, well it just seemed and felt like the right thing to do. But it isn’t enough to do that all the time.”

“So what does get you up in the morning Jude? What brings out your fire and passion?”

She really didn’t know and told Bly so. “I’m still searching I reckon. When I was on the space station before…well before, I liked what I was doing. Being part of a team, it was so different from the solitary and nomadic life I had with my mum and dad. It didn’t matter so much what I was doing, as being with other people. If you get me.”

“I do, “Bly said. “It’s like that in our family, as you maybe saw the other night. We all go off and do our own things, live our lives but in the end we have a home to come back to, a history, a tradition, that’s sees us through the good times and the bad the ups and downs.”

Jude had to admit to herself that she was envious of the Shepherd tribe. All her life it had just been her and her parents, constantly on the move and then even with the short time she and Coop had been together, they had been travelling all over. Apart from the seedy little apartment in T-City, she had never had a rooted place.

Bly said something and it brought her back from her longings. These needs and desires were maybe for another time.

“I’m sorry, Bly. I was miles away there.”

“No, it’s fine. I was thinking too. I promised to show you around. Are you free tomorrow? I’m taking a trip out to Endurance to pick up some supplies and then maybe we can stay over there, catch a movie and have dinner, before heading back here the following day?”

That sounded like a lot. Plus a sleepover – too soon. Bly must have realised because he added, “When I say “stay over”, I mean in our own rooms of course.” His cheeks reddened. “Oh fak – I mean you’re an attractive woman.” He struggled.

“It’s cool. I know enough about Martian geography that Endurance is some distance from here, so it would be silly to go all the way out there and rush back. In all my journeys, it’s once city I’ve never had the chance to visit. So yes, let’s make a couple of days of it.”

Maxie and Neesh came back from putting the children to sleep – and a little longer, Jude mused, to give Bly and her some room to get to know each other. They told the couple of their plans over coffees, before Bly headed off.

“I’ll pick you up early tomorrow. Is seven okay?”

“Of course. I’m looking forward to it.”

The next morning, Jude was wake before six. Dera and Myki were already up and she made them breakfast along with her own. She hadn’t been around children much in her life but these two seemed like fine examples and she enjoyed their company.

They questioned her about her excursion.

“But I want to come with you and kaʼéé Bly, “Myki protested.

“You’ve been to Endurance plenty of times.” Dera tried to placate zhis sibling.

“But not with you, my Jude-dee. I want to go with you!” Zher noisy pleadings must have woken her mother, as Neesh sleepily wandered into the kitchen.

“You should have woken me or Maxie.” She said.

“It’s not a problem. Anyway, I needed to be up for Bly coming over. I don’t know much about parenting but I do know you appreciate a little lie in now and again.”

“True,” Neesh chuckled. “But I do need to be up. I have a meeting in A-P City later on.” She turned to her youngest offspring. “And if you behave yourself between now and then, little Myki-mo then Maxie-baxi could bring you and Dera along.”

The small child let out and excited whoop and ran off to zhis bedroom to get ready.

The doorbell chimed and Maxie, now too awakened by the commotions (and no doubt Myki bouncing on the bed to get him up to take zher to Aderin-Pocock) let Bly in.

“Am I too early?” he asked, seeing Neesh and Maxie still in their sleeping attire, Dera having followed Myki to get ready.

“No, just a typical morning. “Maxie joked. “But Jude here is all set.”

Jude picked up her jacket and a small overnight bag. Maxie hugged her and Neesh pecked her cheek with a “Have fun!”

Jude and Bly took the train out of Olympus and then changed at Victoria for another to Endurance. The former mining town, founded in the early days of planetary settlement to process the vast seams of gypsum to be used in the construction of the first habitats. It had a large earth Chinese population, of doctors who used the mineral in their remedies and chefs who used it in cooking as well as farmers, architects and sculptors. Bly told her he was experimenting with it as a gesso in a series of works based on old Earth illuminated manuscripts. Their first trip was to his supplier, who had stayed open for them then to a quaint little hotel which put Jude in mind of one she had stayed in in Xi’an during a whistle stop tour of the province back in her J-pop days. Bly as promised had booked two rooms for them and after checking in, they each headed off to freshen up with a promise to meet in the bar in an hour.

Jude changed out of her travelling clothes and after a shower into something more suitable for a night on the town. Having only brought one dress, the one she had worn for Kristof’s night, she teamed a sleeveless but floaty top with some dark trousers and a pair of heels which Neesh had loaned to her. She checked her messages – one from Chief Howe at Kakuda, asking for her to give him a call (which she would do on her return to Olympus) and one from Coop just saying hello. She rattled off a quick reply and a promise for a longer catch-up soon. Nothing from Hennessey, she noted. Not that she had been expecting anything. She assumed her was immersed in his new venture.

Bly was waiting for her in the bar as arranged. They took a taxi to a very swanky restaurant where she had some Tom-Yum soup followed by crispy bean curd pancakes while Bly ordered tiny vegetable dumplings and some Ma Po tofu. They shared a dish of caramel bananas with soy cream and several glasses of delicious Moutai wine. The cinema was showing a retrospective of Tony Leung classics so they plumped for Infernal Affairs which they both enjoyed immensely. Bly was delightful company and they talked easily throughout the evening. However, there was no spark of more than friendship between them and when they returned after midnight to their hotel, Bly bid her a cheerful goodnight.

After some amicable sightseeing the next day – Bly was the consummate gentleman – they headed back to the station and then on to Olympus, where he delivered her to Neesh and Maxie’s building. They parted as friends, with promises to look each other up and stay in touch and these, Jude felt, unlike with Wib or Glass’s family, would be kept. Jude was mature enough to know that sometimes it happened with people and sometimes it didn’t – and she would have felt that any sexual assignation with Bly would have crossed the line into pity-sex on account of his brother – and although she wasn’t averse to the occasional one-nighter or fling, she was glad to have made a good friend rather than conquest.

Of course, she was barely in the door when she was bombarded by the combined forces of Myki and Dera. As she extricated herself their clutches long enough to shed her jacket and boots, Neesh caught her eye.

Her host’s expression was a question and Jude replied with a wan smile and a shrug. “Later?” Neesh mouthed towards her and Jude nodded.

Once the twin tornadoes were settled in bed, Jude relaxed with Neesh, Maxie and a couple of bottles of wine.

“So how was it?” Neesh prodded.

“We had a lovely time and Bly’s a really good guy…”

“But that’s it. Ah well, if it’s not for you, it won’t go by you.” Maxie said. “Talking of which.” And he nudged Neesh.

“Well,” she said, sitting upright and looking semi-serious.  “You know that I had a meeting yesterday in A-P?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I had meant to ask how it went.” Jude apologised.

“No, it’s cool. Anyway, it was with the Winston Foundation.” Even Jude had heard of one of the biggest medi-tech organisations. “I haven’t said much to you about it but before I came to Mars, I was a bio-scientist working in fertility and reproduction.”

“You had mentioned that you had a doctorate but I hadn’t made the connection, no.” Jude admitted.

Neesh smiled at her and Maxie took his partner’s hand, indicating that she should go on.

“Well, they want me to come back and spearhead a new project with them. I’d always intended to go back once Dera and Maxie were old enough for pre-school, which they are now.” Neesh looked nervous and bit solemn.

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Jude, following Hennessey’s bombshell a few days before meant she was now waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Yes, but it’s back on earth. In London. And, well, we,“ she nodded her head sideways to Maxie. “…we’ve discussed it and we don’t want to uproot the children or move us all away from the Shepherds, especially so soon after…” her voice tailed off. Maxie chipped in.

“…after Kris. Anyway, what my dear Neesh is trying to say is, would you consider staying on here with me? Maybe investigating a contract on Mars?”

“To help you look after Myki and Dera? An extra pair of hands. That sounds cool.”

Maxie coughed. Neesh took a gulp of wine.

“Yes, they have become very fond of you. Myki talks about you all the time and Dera, in zhis own quiet way, likes you very much too.” Neesh reached out and took her hand as Maxie spoke again.

“The things is, I know it’s a bit sudden, after all that’s happened, and it might seem a bit, well cold, with Kris just gone and… but…”

“We’ve talked about it…” Neesh now.

“…and I’ve, well, we’ve, grown quite fond of…of you. And what we’re trying to ask you is, would you consider joining with me, us? And be our partner? In our family?”

Bloody hell, thought Jude to herself. I never saw that coming. But what had she said to Bly, about feeling real among people, that that was where she saw her future heading?

She smiled, squeezed Neesh’s hand and reached out and took one of Maxie’s.

“Yes. Yes, why not?”

Waste of Space - Chapter Eleven

Jude finished her song with hot, salty tears running down her cheeks. Hennessey ran up to the stage and held her. The room erupted – face were tracked with rivers but these cut through broad, happy smiles. Jude steeled herself and motioned for quiet.

“For Kristof, a belated birthday gift. And for Wib and Glass too – I’ll never forget you.”

They returned to their seats, the community patting them on the back as they moved on through. Maxie and Neesh hugged them again, thanking Jude. Maxie held onto Hennessey for a long while.

Kris’ brother Bly was now addressing the throng. “I think we’ve given you a grand send-off my sweet. And now, let’s rip it up.”

Chairs and tables were shoved back and music came on over speakers. People were dancing and cavorting around. Jude found herself pulled into a circle dance, being spun about. She felt as light as air, as if a great weight had been lifted from her. She had survived, which wasn’t something to be ashamed of or sad about. Glass, Kristof and Wib wouldn’t want her to dwell – it was time to move on.

She danced with Maxie, she danced with Hennessey, and she even danced with Myki and Dera on each hip. As the night wore down, Jude found herself with Bly. He looked a little like Kristof but was taller.

“Will you be staying in Olympus for long?” he asked. “Because if you are, I’d like to take you out, show you the sights, that sort of thing.”

Ordinarily, Jude would have thought to herself “he’s a fast worker” but Bly was charming and good company. So she assented and he arranged to call her in the morning to make plans.

It was getting late, the children were nodding off and people were beginning to drift away. A group was heading back to the city and had offered them all a ride back. As Jude headed to join them, Ila caught her arm.

“Thank you again my dear for singing tonight. I know it must have been hard for you but it was beautiful.” Jude explained how she had agreed to sing it at Maxie’s request back on the doomed station but never had the chance.

“Zhe heard you tonight – I know zhe did. Your music brought zhim a great deal of joy.” The older woman patted Jude’s arm tenderly. “Now you head back and enjoy yourself with Bly.” And her eyes twinkled.

Was there nothing that got past this dear lady? Jude leaned over to kiss the woman on the cheek then rushed to catch up with the others.

They arrived back at Neesh and Maxie’s apartment. The pair went to put the sleepy but protesting children to bed. Jude settled on one of the couches and Hennessey fixed them some drinks.

“So, you’re a sly one, “ he teased her affectionately.

“Not at all. Bly just offered to show me around. I’ve only seen Mars from the inside of concert halls and hotels before. “

“I know. I’m only fakking with you.” He handed her a glass and sat down beside her. “I’d give you the grand tour myself but…” He paused.

“This is where you give me your big news, is it?” Jude enquired expectantly.

Hennessey shrugged. “I suppose now is as good a time as any. I’ve got a new job.” He didn’t look too pleased about it.

Jude made a face, trying to get her friend to smile. “It can’t be worse than cleaning waste chutes on Chinese space junk?” She playfully punched his arm.

“No,” he said. He put down his drink, took Jude’s glass from her and set it on the table. He then solemnly took both of her hands in his. “Chief Howe and Cee-Cee offered me pretty much any gig in the quadrant. Gave me the pick of the plum contracts. The Moon. Titan. Whatever I fancied.”

Jude understood – the company had told her there was no rush for her to return but whenever she did, she too could have make a choice on the location and role, with training, advancement opportunities and generous benefits. They had both heard horror stories in the aftermath of the disaster of how many organisations battled with employees who had been injured at work or the families of ones who died but Cee-Cee, both the woman and the corporation were quick to offer support to all of those involved in this instance.

“Only,” Hennessey continued, “I’ve decided not to take them up on their offer.”

Jude was aghast. What did he mean? He saw the myriad of questions in her eyes.

“They’ve been very good to me. But I can’t face it Jude. I can’t face being the guy who survived the Tiandong unscathed. I know how people are with these things. Wherever I go, I’ll either be seen as the Jonah or the albatross.”

“Nonsense.” Jude. “I won’t let them.” She tried to grin through the tears welling up again in her eyes for the second time that night.

“You can’t be with me, sweet. You have your own path to follow.”

“I’m not even sure what that is. Look, think about it…”

“I have thought about it, Sadsack,” he reached up to wipe a tear that had escaped. “There’s a new venture out in the Crab Nebula. The folks at Hibakusha approached me to join an exploration team to look at new energy resources – helium, for fuel and light. That sort of thing.”

The Crab Nebula – that was so far out, at the edges of human space exploration almost.

“How long will you be gone for?”

“My initial contract is for six years. It’s going to take that long to get it established. Then after, who knows. But I’ll keep in touch, Jude. “ She smiled as he used her first name. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”

She looked into those big brown puppy dog eyes of his. In e-romances, now would be the time to kiss him. She wondered for a second what those puffy lips tasted like. She leaned in close and felt him move towards her too…

…just as Neesh and Maxie came back in. The two of them jumped back.

“Are we interrupting something?” Neesh asked.

“No, no, not at all.” Jude composed herself as Hennessey quickly downed his drink. “Hennessey was just telling me about his new job, with the Hibakusha Corporation.”

“You jammy sod,” said Maxie. “I’ve heard about their operations out there.”

“Didn’t you look at them once, darling?” Neesh asked.

“Oh yes. But it was too long a commitment. Far too many years away from my family.”

“When do you ship out?” Neesh prompted Hennessey.

“I’m heading back to Earth tomorrow. Then a few weeks’ orientation. So I had better get some shut-eye.” He rose from the cushioned settee. “Goodnight. And thank you.”

About an hour later, Hennessey lay dozing in his guest room, the moonslight a sliver across his still form. The door slid open then closed again. He was aware of movement and then the weight of another body on the mattress beside him. He sleepily turned to face the intruder.

“What...” he murmured as lips caressed his neck.

“Sshh. This is your goodbye present.”

Hennessey left early the next morning. Maxie offered to accompany him to the spaceport over in A-P City, which he agree to, so Jude was left with Neesh and the children.

“Do you have any plans today?” Neesh asked as she cleared way the breakfast things.

“Let me help you there.” Jude got up from the table and began picking up mugs and bowls, which Neesh directed her to place in the open dishwasher. “No, I was going to check my messages. Then see what the day brings.”

“Maybe a call from Bly?” laughed Neesh. “He’s really lovely, so different from Kris. An artist. That’s one of his.” She pointed at a canvas in the living space, an abstract of riotous and vibrant swirls and shapes.

“It’s gorgeous.” Jude said.

“Yes he is,” giggled Neesh.

Jude settled down by the window overlooking the city and the plains beyond to peruse her inbox. A message from Chief Howe back at work, no pressure – just asking how she was and asking her to give his regards to Maxie and Hennessey. One from Coop, just the usual banter from her, and another from her father, passing on love from him and Jude’s mother. They would be visiting Phobos base for a performance – perhaps they could meet up? As she read them through, a message popped up on chat.

“Missing me yet?” Hennessey’s icon grinned out at her.

“Terribly. I’m forgetting what you look like already.” She typed, smiling.

“You wound me Sadsack. I’m going to grab a few zeds once we lift off. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“Didn’t you get any sleep last night?”

He posted a smilie in return, of a cat poking its tongue out. “Yeah, slept like a baby. You?”

“Me too. Smell you later.” She closed the connection.

Maxie returned from seeing Hennessey off and as he tried to remove his outerwear while being clambered on by Myki, he gave Jude a message.

“Bly called me while I was on my way back. He has some meetings today about an exhibition but he said that he’ll pop over later. I invited him for dinner.” He looked to Neesh, who smile and nodded then to Jude. “We don’t want you to be uncomfortable, so tell me if that’s not cool.”

“Don’t be silly.” she chided. “I said to Bly last night we would meet up. And I’m looking forward to it. It will be nice to have someone to show me about.”

“Jude,“ Neesh spoke up. “Maxie and I have been talking. If you’re not in any great hurry to get back to Tokyo, it would be lovely to have you stay here for a while. If you like.”

“I don’t want to impose, or for you to feel…”

“We don’t feel any obligation to you Jude, if that’s what you mean.” Maxie cut in. “Of course, we are more than grateful to you for…for what you did for me. But we love having you here. Dera and Myki have taken to you too. Please?” He made a silly face at her and she laughed.

“Okay, okay. For a little while, but then I need to get back home. And decide what’s next.”

“Well, I’m scheduled to talk to Chief Howe next week to look at my options. Let’s see where we are then. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

At that instant, Dera and Myki ran into the living space and hugged Jude around her legs, almost toppling her and them onto the settee.

“Are you really staying, Dee-dee Jude?” Dera asked, hesitantly, using the clan term for auntie.

“Looks that way, kiddo.” She answered. “Looks that way.”

Waste Of Space - Chapter Ten

The passenger cruiser landed at the Martian spaceport and a still somewhat drowsy Jude disembarked, followed by an annoyingly more chipper and less drained Hennessey. Maxie was waiting for them in the arrivals lounge. He stood with his arms wide open in welcome and enfolded his two former colleagues. They stood together for a few moments then released.

“It’s so good to see you both.” He smiled with no hint of the strain and pain that Jude and Hennessey had become accustomed to seeing on the faces of relatives. Maybe he was putting on a brave show for them – Jude doubted that he had got over what had happened to Kristof so soon.

They collected their luggage and headed to catch the over ground shuttle train into Olympus City proper. The three of them arrived soon after at Maxie’s apartment where they were again greeted warmly, this time by a strikingly beautiful woman, who introduced herself as Neesh. Maxie took their coats and bags and Neesh guided them into a spacious living room with a huge window that looked out toward the vast shield volcano which gave the city its name. From a side room, two small figures ran in expectantly.

“Is it them? Is it them?” they chimed in unison.

Neesh scooped them both up in her arms to prevent them careening into the surprised friends. “Yes, yes. This is Jude and…” She seemed unsure whether to use Hennessey’s surname. “I’m sorry. Kris and Maxie always refer to you as Hennessey. I don’t know your first name.”

That’s cool.” He smiled. “Everyone just calls me Hennessey. And you two wee scallywags must be Dera and Myki.” The children scrambled from their mother’s hold and pulled Hennessey onto a couch between them.

“I’m Myki,” The smallest of the pair exclaimed then pointed at the older one. “And zhe is Dera.” “Did you work with our baxi?” The shyer one used the neutral term for parent.

As Hennessey answered their questions, Jude spoke with Neesh.

“They are just gorgeous,“ she noted. Then hesitantly added, “They look very much like Kris.”

Neesh squeezed her Jude’s arm. “Yes, zhe was their biological parent.”

“Oh, “Jude felt like she was treading deep waters. “Zhe and Maxie had told us you were their birth mother. “

“I am. It’s okay – we’re used to it.” She smiled but there were tears forming in her eyes. “We had spoken about having another one or two perhaps, with Maxie as the other biological parent. He’s as much Dera and Myki’s father, for want of a better word, as Kris is. Was.” She paused. “We were going to try when Kris and Maxie finished with…” Neesh choked back a sob. It felt right to Jude to put her arm around this sweet but sorrowful woman and her gesture was welcomed.

Maxie came back in after stowing a way Jude and Hennessey’s belongings with a tray of drinks and snacks. He placed it on a low table then shooed the little ones off. Myki had been clambering over Hennessey, who, give him his credit was gleefully tussling with zhim. The women sat down on chairs opposite.

They chatted together for a while, catching up on each other’s news. They skirted around the funerals of Wib and Glass and Jude managed to divert them with stories of how the music business had attempted to woo her back. She then remembered how she never had sung for Kris on zhis birthday after all.

Maxie seemed to read her mind. “It’s fine – being around you was more than enough for zher.”

After their refreshments, Maxie coaxed his energetic offspring to their sleep rooms for a nap.

“But I don’t want to sleep, Maxie-Baxi, “protested Myki as zhe yawned.

“Hennessey and Jude will still be here when you wake.” Neesh told her child. “And then we can get ready for Baxi Kris’s party.”

“Party?” queried Hennessey.

“Oh yes.” Nesh replied.

Jude had gone to freshen up and change. She had a shower and stood wrapped in a real silk robe, staring at the ensemble she had laid out on the bed. Neesh gently knocked on the door.

“Do you need any…?” Neesh stared at the outfit Jude had put together. It was pretty much what she had worn to the previous commemorations ceremonies back Earth side.

“Too much, huh?” Jude sighed. “I just don’t know what’s appropriate anymore.”

“What else did you bring?” Neesh asked Jude swept up the dark weeds and shoved them back in her case.

“Just casual clothes. And this.” She brought out a simple dress, made from a sea-green satin, embroidered with small cerise flowers. It was the one she had worn for promotional shots to accompany her album of enka songs.

“Perfect. “Neesh smiled. “Kris would have been thrilled.”

A short time later, they all gathered in the living room. Maxie beamed when he saw Jude, recognising her outfit. Hennessey, dressed in a dark blue suit of jacket and trousers with a plain white shirt, looked pretty stunning. He mouthed back at Jude when he saw her “Wow!”

Maxie, Neesh and the children were likewise decked out in their best finery.

“We do scrub up well for space garbage collectors, don’t we?” Maxie joked as they headed out.

They travelled by overland transport, across the vast open plain of Tharsis to the gentle slopes of Alba Mons and the settlement of A-P City, where Kristof’s family still resided.

The gathering was in a large, domed hall. It was decked out with flowers and paper garlands and brightly lit with strings of twinkling lights and flickering candles. Their group had barely stepped in when Myki broke free and ran into the arms of delighted older woman, dressed in clouds of chiffon. “Chi-nay”, zhe giggled.

“Kris’ mother,” Neesh introduced Jude and Hennessey.

“Call me Ila, please. “She greeted them both with soft embraces, not awkward but like greeting old friends.

Maxie led them over to a round table, where more introductions were made. Jude was seated next to a handsome man, called Bly. His features…

“I’m Kris’ brother. It’s an honour to meet you.”

There definitely was a festive atmosphere to the room. It was filling up with people of all ages from babes-in-arms to elders. Drinks were poured, food was served up and noisily eaten and everyone chattered and laughed. This was unlike any funeral or memorial either Jude or Hennessey had ever been to. Once the plates and cutlery were cleared away, the room quietened and an older man rose from his table. He walked to a dais near the front of the hall. Behind him, a large screen lit and pictures of Kristof appeared, melting into each other.

“We are gathered here together on this night to celebrate the life of our dear ghuye Kristof. 
A life well lived, he was his own Dine and we miss him terribly."

Neesh leaned over to Jude and Hennessey. “Zhis tsóyéé – grandfather. He speaks for Kristof, as the oldest of his male relations.”

The gentle man told tales of Kristof’s life – of zhis childhood growing up in the large extended family, zhis education and working life. Then he invited Kris’ mother up to speak. Ila beamed with love and pride as she spoke of her beautiful child, who from a defiantly young age refused to be categorised or labelled – “zhe even chose zher own name, after Agota Kristof, one of zhis favourite writers”. She recounted all the scrapes that Kris had got into, zhis love of music and seeing zhim graduate from university with a Bachelor’s degree in InfoTech. The picture behind her was of her and Kris, in robes and mortar, both beaming

“But zhis proudest achievement was zher family – my darlings Maxwell, Nichelle, Dera and Mikey.”

She sobbed a little. “No tears, I promised myself. Kristof, my darling, I love you.”

Maxie was at her side and helped her from the raised stage. He stood, an image of him, Neesh, and Kris with a toddler and a new born baby.

“Kris was my life, my love...” He looked to their wife and children. “Our life, our love. When I met Neesh, I thought my life was complete but when Kris came into our life – and love - it became perfect. Zhe was my lover, my friend, my rock.” Maxie was fighting tears, as were most of the gathered clan and kin. “I miss you every day, I love you. Verlabena – which as you taught me, means forever.”

Neesh had joined her husband on the dais and she took his trembling hand in hers.

“I can’t add anything to that. Kristof, I see your eyes in those of all of our children and I hope you will watch over them with the pride we all share.” She paused, looked to Maxie and he nodded.

“However, were it not for one person, I would be standing here alone today. Jude.” All eyes in the room turned to her. Her instinct was to shrink away but something inside her said no. She felt a wave of love come towards her, enveloping her in its warmth.

She rose and walked towards Maxie and Neesh, glancing back toward Hennessey, who smiled and motioned her forward. They hugged her tightly.

“Would you like to say something? Kris is listening.” Neesh and Maxie stepped down and walked back together to their seats.

The room was silent. What could she say? The people assembled here wouldn’t want to hear about how zhe rushed to Maxie’s side following the second horrific shockwave, or how zhe had frantically tried to ascertain if help as on its way and to bring systems back on line, before the fireball cruelly snuffed out zhis life. She had only known zhim for a couple of months and Jude didn’t know much about Kristof at all. Except…

Jude steadied herself and breathed in.

“Star love, though there’s a galaxy between us…” she sang.

Waste Of Space -Chapter Nine

Jude left hospital on a befittingly wet and cloudy morning. It had been a fortnight since what the media was calling “The Heavenly Palace Disaster” – which, being what Tiandong roughly translated into English means, the news noddies had quickly latched on to. To their credit, and Jude’s eternal gratitude, the press relations department at Cee-Cee were diligent and masterful at keeping the three survivors shielded from the majority of intrusive glare. Of course, that didn’t stop the papers and news programming from running with headlines such as “J-Pop Darling Survives Space Hell” or “Composers’ Daughter Caught In Solar Storm Horror”. Jude did not mind, particularly as it seemed to keep the spotlight away from Hennessey and Maxie. Of course, as always, journalists clamoured for stories and gossip about the unfortunate victims but again the company, spear headed by Colette Chouinard, did their utmost to keep prying eyes and ears at bay.

There had been much discussion about where Jude would go once she was discharged from medical care – her parents, especially her mother, were keen to have her with earnest promises to cut short their current tour, and Coop offered her home as hideout. However, Jude felt she needed some time and room to gather herself so, again with the assistance of her employer, she rented a beach house near Araihama. Hennessey came to visit and she suggested that he stay for a while. He gracefully declined, as they knew it was still too painful and worse was yet to come. He had no ties with Belfast any more, he said and instead took up he management’s offer of a trip to Brazil, for what the press releases called “relaxation and recuperation” but what he confided to Jude would be the final stages of his transition. “Next time I face death, I’m going to face it a whole man.”, he had quipped.

Maxie, unsurprisingly, returned to Neesh and their little family on Mars as soon as he was able to. He called Jude and they talked but the formerly jovial tech was visibly devastated and he broke down into wracking sobs not long into their call.

Jude spent her days walking on the beach and reading. She travelled into Tokyo once a week for physiotherapy on her arm and some dermal treatment for her burns. Like Hennessey and Maxie, she had been offered the very best in modern counselling but she declined. One afternoon, she received a visitor. Huey Matsuda stood sheepishly on her the porch. He was full of sympathy and commiserations but she knew why he had come personally to see her and not sent flowers or a card as most people had. Downloads of the entire Flying Hearts catalogue and especially her solo releases had skyrocketed once people made the connection between the edgy songstress and the tragic astronaut. The music press were clamouring for a return and the rest of the band had tentatively assented. Try as she might, Jude was unable to feel anger towards the pathetic little figure as he perched on the beach house settee. Politely and with grace, she explained to him that the doctors had told her that her larynx and oesophagus had been badly scarred in the aftermath of the fireball and that she probably would never sing again. This was, of course, a slight embellishment – she more than likely could perform and she knew even if she could not, it was her, the brave survivor that the public wanted to see and her saviour of old, auto-tune would save her any embarrassment; the broken song bird, fallen from the sky. Huey promised that he could access the finest of pharyngeal physicians, “far better than any guilt-ridden corporation can ever provide” and even spoke of coaxing Ayumi Hamasaki or Hitomi to coach her back to tunefulness. But Jude was adamant – there would be no return to the glory days of Kiki Kokeshi. She knew, sadly and with impending dread, that set of different stages awaited her.

The first funeral was in a little woodland just outside of Altrincham in Cheshire, England. The sun shone on the small gathering as James Gilbert Wibberley was laid to rest under a cherry tree. Jude stood with Hennessey, who had flown in from Sao Paolo, as a Humanist celebrant spoke of the gifted young engineer and his promising career cut short. Afterwards his mother and father, who looked like they would have been a very lovely couple of middle-aged people had their faces not been drawn in grief, spoke with her. Wib’s mother took Jude’s hand and spoke of how good it was of them both to come. She had no idea that her son and Jude had briefly been lovers and Jude didn’t mention it. Mr Wibberley asked after “that poor lad from Mars” and wept as he recounted what Chief Howe had told him of his discovery of the two men in the sleeping compartment, Wib in Maxie’s arms, shielded from harm in echo of how his son had protected his team-mate earlier in the fateful day.

A few days later and Jude was in Hamburg this time. There was no body to bury and no casket to grieve over, just a quiet memorial in the stark surroundings of the synagogue for Doktor Wendelin Ruth Glassman. Again, a small sea of faces met Jude and Hennessey, including Glass’ elderly father and her brother. Much was made of Jude being the last to speak with her and Jude spoke warmly of her colleague – and yes, she admitted to herself – friend’s bravery and stoicism in her last hours. Once more there was the uneasy connection in that they had lived while this family’s child, like the Wibberley’s, had perished. Promises to keep in touch and visit again were made in the full knowledge that they would never be honoured. Both Jude and Hennessey envied Maxie for having decided to return home to Olympus City and stay there.

Therefore, they were both more than taken aback when he got in touch with them a week or so after Jude had returned to Araihama.

“Thank you both for giving Neesh, the children and I the space and time to mourn the loss of dear, sweet Kris.” He looked much better than the last time Hennessey had seen him, he later told her – Jude hadn’t seen him face to face since she had suggested that he monitor Wib back on the station and he had departed from Earth while she was still unconscious.

“I would, well we all would like to invite you both here for a few days.” He must have seen Jude’s face fall at the prospect of another sombre funerary rite. “No, no,  we had Kris’ cremation shortly after we got back. This will be a celebration of zhis life.” Jude wasn’t sure she wanted to go but Maxie made a little pleading face, which made her laugh for the first time in a long while, so she agree to make the trip. Hennessey wasn’t long on the comm to her.

“After England and Hamburg, I’m not sure I can stomach any more of this. But Maxie’s a good mate. Plus I have news.” He wouldn’t elaborate but reassured Jude that it wasn’t doom-laden so they agreed to meet at the Space Centre just outside of Mexico City, which was sort of a mid-way point for both of them and travel from there.

The cruiser left Neri-Vela in good time. Their pilots and crew assured them that they would arrive in Aderin-Pocock base the day after next. Jude decided to elect to sleep most of the way, since she hadn’t had much natural sleep over the previous weeks and welcomed the chance to rest, even if it was artificially assisted. Hennessey, as ever as excited as a puppy with a new chew toy over the prospect, chose to remain awake for almost the entire journey.

“I want to give these babies a try-out in hyper drive.” He cupped his new pectoral implants, which he had also picked up in Brazil. He had also kept the facial hair, trimmed into a neat moustache and goatee. “Wait til ol’ Maxwelly gets a load of me.” He preened.

“Is that your “big news” then? You’ve cheated on a few months’ with weights in the gym so you can go topless?” She teased him gently, knowing how important his developing physique was to him.

“Nah, this is just the icing on the cake. I’ll share it with you when the time is right on Mars.” He sounded secretive, like he was keeping something she wouldn’t like from her, despite his repeated protestations that it wasn’t bad news.

“Just so long as you don’t take a notion to whip out your new piping bag too.” She said, smiling as she headed for her bunk. “Wake me when we near Diemos.”

He threw a pillow at her. “Pleasant dreams, Sadsacko Sadako.” Hennessey thought it was good to see her happy again – he hoped he wouldn’t spoil it.

Jude did dream – of Dirk Middleston, her long-time pin up and major crush, ever since she had seen him in The Revengers, one of the many comic book novels that she had grown up reading on her pad. Her Ojichan had a collection of real paper copies from back in the day and she had spent many a dark night in Luna City reading the under the covers by the light of her pad torch. She was glad to dream of romance but, her heart still wounded from losing Wib. They hadn’t been together that long, she kept telling herself, it was only a work-based fling. But he had been good to her and maybe… But maybes was all she would ever have. Dirk’s Hollywood-handsome features dissolved into Jimmy’s (“Wib” had been her colleague but Jimmy had been the man in her bed) with his stupid Lancashire face. She woke herself weeping into the pillow. Her fantasy man would have to do for the coming spell – it would be a very long time before she would give her love to anyone again.

Waste Of Space - Chapter Eight

The second wave was far more powerful than the first. The station rocked and spun, shaken by the cataclysmic solar burst. The four crew, including Jude, who had managed to find refuge in the blackness of the shelter were petrified with fear. Kristof was making low keening noises, barely audible above the roar of the storm outside, but Jude could feel the sobs wracking through zhim next to her. She tried to offer comfort by her mere presence. Almost as suddenly as it had begun, the jolting and jarring ceased. No-one made a move then Hennessey shifted.

“Wait,” said Glass, in hushed tones. “We don’t know for sure if it is over.”

“Fak that,” replied Hennessey as he pushed open the door of the sleeping compartments.

Kristof had quickly composed zhimself and the two of them edged out. Jude slipped out of the one arms of the harness that she had hastily managed to grab onto and followed. Glass reluctantly exited shortly behind them.

The scene that greeted them was one of chaos. Anything that had not been stowed away or secured floated like driftwood around the cabin, in as many broken pieces. Their attention, naturally, was drawn to their two crewman. Maxie was still hunched under the console where he had been frantically attempting to bring the heat shielding back on line, his arms wrapped around the supports. His hands were ice-white where he had held on for dear life. Kristof barrelled to his side and gently prized zher partner’s rigid fists off. Jude looked round – Wib was nowhere to be seen. Then her eyes were drawn upwards – his still form floated above their heads, almost plastered to the ceiling of the cabin. With Glass and Hennessey, they humbly eased him down.

“To the first lab cabin.” Glass indicated and she and Jude manoeuvred Wib through into the space next door. Hennessey meanwhile scrabbled about, searching for the medical kit. He found it, broken open in the second lab, its contents strewn and drifting around it. He managed to gather together what was not damaged or broken and returned to his companions.

Glass checked Wib for signs of life. The blast of radiation and searing heat had caught him initially on his back and his overalls were charred and melted into his skin. Thankfully, although there would be as yet immeasurable damage to his throat and lungs, the brave Lancastrian was still breathing and clinging onto life. Jude located an oxykit from amongst the debris and gently placed it over his burned nose and mouth. Hennessey had managed to save some vials of antibiotics and loaded them into the vaccinator, firing them into various sites on Wib’s arms and legs.

“For sepsis – these burns look as if they could be as much as fourth degree.” He then ripped open dry dressings and with Glass began affixing them tenderly to the worst areas, of which there were many. Jude had affixed a small medi-monitor, which miraculously had weathered the battering. Wib’s vitals were low, his pulse binding.

“Kristof,” Glass called through to the Martian, who was still with Maxie in the main module. “How’s he doing?”

There were tears in the Martians eyes but ones of relief. “He’s fine. Badly shaken and some minor lesions, but good.”

“Great. Now, I know it’s hard but you have to leave him. I need to know what our status is. And if there’s anyone coming to our aid.” She had regained her composure and was taking charge again, for which Jude was thankful. She herself was barely holding it together, looking at the charred face of her recent bed-mate. His eyelids fluttered and she could see that one of his beautiful blue orbs was opaque and dry.

Hennessey was securing the last of the bandages that he could locate. Glass motioned for him to give her his attention.

“Maxie mentioned the airlock being compromised. We’re all still breathing so it must be holding but go and check it for me, please.” He nodded and kicked off in the direction of the aft section. Jude and Glass made Wib as comfortable as they could. He seemed to be stable for now but his injuries far outstripped their expertise.

Kristof spoke up from the charred and smoking console. “I’m getting nothing here. I’ll try to re-route it through the back-ups in one of the labs.” Zhe scooted past, zhis eyes glancing from Maxie then to Jude.

“I’ll see to Maxie.” Kristof nodded, temporarily reassured. The systems tech was still huddled in a protective ball, his face showing signs of shock. Jude grabbed the remains of the medkit and swam over to him.

“I tried…I tried. “ He murmured.

“I know. “Jude reached out. “Here, let me see your hands.” Maxie unclenched his now swollen fists. They weren’t badly burned so Jude applied some topical antibiotic cream and small dry wound dressings to his knuckles.

Maxie winced. “Sorry, “Jude was being as tender as she could.

“No, it’s okay. How’s Wib doing? He saved my life.”

“He’s pretty bad, Maxie, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m worried that if help doesn’t come, he might die.” Jude gasped. Saying it out loud cut her like a knife.

“I think…I hope, I managed to send out a distress before the second wave hit us.” He retched.

“Are you feeling sick?” Jude was aware that, although he might seem unharmed, Maxie could have taken as much of a dose of radiation as Wib. However, his feeling nauseous was a good sign. Fatal doses could be asymptomatic. “Any headaches? Are you dizzy at all?”

“No, I’m alright. Well apart from these I think.” He held up his gauze covered hands and tried unsuccessfully to waggle his fingers. “My piano playing days are over.” He tried to smile, then winced.

“I’ll go and speak to Glass, see what’s what then I’ll try and find you a drink, okay.” She patted Maxie and moved back towards the labs.

“If the brandy has survived, crack open some of that. I think we could all use some.”

Jude returned to their erstwhile commander’s side. Wib looked peaceful but still in pretty rough shape.

“Is he still unconscious? Or sleeping?”

“The former, I think. I found some sedatives and gave him a small dose.”

Jude scanned at him, unmoving apart from a slight rise and fall of his chest.

“I was thinking, maybe we should move him to the sleeping compartment. We can pad him in there til help arrives.”

Glass nodded in assent. Together they guided their patient towards the cubicles. Jude cleared some space and reverently, they anchored Wib inside.

“Shouldn’t we be giving him some fluids or something?” Glass tried to remember her first aid training but she was hazy.

“I didn’t see any in the supplies Hennessey managed to gather.” Jude responded. “I’ll have a look, see if any made it.”

“Good idea. I’ll check up on Kristof, see if he has managed to get comms or systems working. Then I’ll find out from Hennessey what’s happening with that airlock.”

As Jude entered the core cabin, Maxie called out to her. “Is there anything I can be doing? I feel so, I don’t know, superfluous here.”

Jude thought – there wasn’t much he would be able to help with, not with the injuries he had.

“You know, you could sit with Wib. Make sure he stays steady.”

“I’d like that. Thanks.” He gingerly pushed himself up and back.

The central cabin was a mess. Broken equipment hung from the walls, cables and wiring bare. Jude could smell burning. She looked around for the source of the acrid smell, as well as any extinguishing equipment that may have survived.

“Glass, Kristof, can either of you smell burning?” she called into the adjoining lab.  “I can’t locate a source in here.”

“Yes, we can too. I think it might be in the ventilation ducts, coming from another part of the station.  Good news though.” Glass sounded slightly better. “Kris thinks the OSO picked up our distress beacon. Thank fak. We can’t send or receive comms yet but help should be on its way.”

Jude’s heart lifted. Well done Maxie, she thought. I’ll head back and tell him.

“Hennessey’s in the airlock right now. Poor guy had to suit up and exit the hatch. But he’s isolated the problem so we should be space tight soon.” Good old Hennessey.

“I’m just doing a sweep for any more medical gear, like you asked. If I find any more sedatives, I’ll maybe get Maxie to take a few. He’s holding up but just barely.”

“Brave guy. Yes, you do that.” Glass craned her neck so that she could see Jude down the small corridor. “In the meanwhile, I’ll check on this burning smell. Don’t want any more drama, now do we.”

Kristof piped up “Perhaps it’s my birthday can...WOOF.”

Why did he just make noise like a dog? Jude wondered. Then the blast of heat hit her, flinging her against the bulkhead.

Jude slowly opened her eyes. The lights in the room were dim. This isn’t the Tiandong, she thought. It’s too tidy. And what was her mother doing here. With Coop. That wasn’t right at all. And Oji, he’d been here but now he was gone. A lump rose in her raw throat.

She tried to call out but the words wouldn’t come. But her mother and ex-wife jumped up and rushed to her side.

“Darling, darling. “ There were tears in her mother’s eyes.

“I’ll get the doctor,” Coop said as she left the room.

One of the nursing techs had raised Jude’s bed so that she could sit up. Her left arm was encased in a layer of bio-gel. The doctor, a stern but affable Japanese woman, had told her she had fractured it. Jude also had third degree burns down the right side of her back and leg. She would be able to leave the medical facility in a day or two.

Chief Howe and Cee-Cee herself, the usually haughty but this time obviously strained and subdued Ms. Chouinard, had come to see her. There had been a small fire, in one of the port ventilation shafts right enough. There had also been a rupture in one of the hydrogen feeds, caused most likely during one of the two shock waves and it had been leaking into the station for some time. Fires in microgravity don’t behave like ones elsewhere - instead of rising, the heat had expanded out into a sphere, then all of a sudden, a fireball that had ripped through the modules.

Glass had been killed instantly, practically vaporised, Howe told Jude solemnly. And Kristof had been caught in the flow of hot air, as all oxygen was burned up in the lab section, asphyxiating zhim. Jude had been close to death when they found her in the CCM. Maxie and Wib had been protected from the blast by the luck of being in the sleeping area. However, Wib’s injuries from the second wave had been too severe.  He’d had low-level radiation poisoning too and he had died shortly after the rescue team had got them back to Earth.

And as for Hennessey, well, the sheer damn luck of being in an EMU while repairing the airlock meant he was just fine. In shock, of course, as he had witnessed the fireball tear through the CSS. But not a scratch on him. He came to see Jude just before she was discharged, once her parents and Coop had stopped fussing around her. He stood in the doorway, his face pale apart from the dark stubble of a beard.

Jude beckoned him to come in. Her voice was still rasping from the burning and it hurt to speak.

She scooted over in her hospital bed and he climbed up wordlessly beside her. She curled her good arm around his shoulders as he lay his head carefully on her chest. And they cried together.

Waste Of Space - Chapter Seven

Jude turned her neck and a motherfakking pain shot through her upper body, like a lightning strike. She looked up and could just about see out of one of the windows. It had spider web cracks across its surface but she could still make out the inky black of space and, if she really, really squinted despite the agony, she imagined she could see a sliver of Earth. A face appeared, obscuring her view of home. It seemed kindly but concerned but she was ill-placed to remember who it was.

“Easy, my darling Sagiso,” her grandfather used his pet name for her, the little orchid with the angel-shaped flower which had grown in his garden in Tokyo and that he had carefully nursed in his dome on Luna City.

“Ojichan, I’ve missed you so much.” Jude tried to reach up to touch his now smiling face but her arm felt so very, very heavy.

“And I have missed you too, my beautiful girl. I wish for nothing more than to take you in my arms and carry you away.”

“Then do it, my dear grandfather.” Jude willed herself to raise her head, another bolt of myalgia slicing through her like a samurai blade.

“Not yet, precious petal. Your life isn’t done with. “The crinkled features began to go foggy.

“No, “Jude pleaded. “Stay, Oji, stay.”

He leaned down, with ease for a man of his years, and his lips grazed her forehead. “And remember always, my thoughts will always follow you into your dreams.” And with this, his traditional farewell to her, he was gone.

“Oh-jee,” she cried.

At the edge of her blurring view, with tears as much as any pain, Jude could make out a figure in an orange helmeted bio suit thrashing toward her.

“Chief, we’ve got a live one here.”

“Thank fak.” She barely registered the tones of Dug Howe from Kakuda before the darkness overtook her.

The mood on the station following the news from Boulogne and the Tereshkova was low. Although the crew managed to busy themselves with making the three modules as safe and sturdy as they possibly could, there was a palpable air of joylessness.

“Why don’t they just send up a shuttle and get us the fak out of here?” Wib had protested at the next morning’s meeting. The same thought had crossed Jude’s mind too.

“Because it might be a false alarm. Cee-Cee is a business concern, with shareholders and profits to make.” Glass replied. “They are not going to send up a shuttle just on the off chance we might hit a bit of rough space weather.”

“And we are so close to finishing up – if all goes well, we’ll be home in a few days anyway.” Maxie was trying hard to sound cheerful but Jude could tell he was covering up his concerns.

“Yes, “Glass grasped at the support from her systems technician. “Plus, if there is any minor damage, we can get that sorted too before they ship us out. In that way, everyone’s happy and we return from a job well done.”

“We’re just drones to them.” Wib snarled. “Stuck up here, out of sight, out of mind.”

“We’re no different from any other workers on energy platforms or test bases.” Hennessey put in his two yen’s worth. “You knew the deal when you signed on, so stop moaning.”

Jude could feel the tension prickling in the air. She could soon be seeing her first low-gravity fist fight.

The normally silent Kristof spoke up in zher modulated and measured Martian tones. “The latest real-time telemetry coming in from the Advanced Composition Explorer seems to indicate that this particular event will be pretty minor. SOLO, the solar orbiter, is predicting some minor soft errors. However, I believe I have made sufficient adjustments to minimise this and any reparations will be not at all problematic.”

“Thank fak for Spock here,” Wib said. “But what about us poor soft-bodied apes, eh? We’re going to be battered about like nobody’s business.”

Jude felt his jibe at poor Kristof was uncalled for and told him so. “Lay off zhim Wib – Kristof is just doing zher bloody job and so are you. We all are. Look, Glass and I have converted the sleep spaces into a pretty decent shelter, with plenty of anchor points and protective padding” Glass gave Jude the thumbs up, visibly grateful for her contribution both to the safety preparations and the now raucous debate. “It’ll be a tight squeeze but we can ride out pretty much whatever this oncoming storm throws at us. We’ll be fine.”

Glass took back control of the meeting. “We’re all tired and stressed, I appreciate that. Since we got the warning, we’ve been…how do you say it…knocking our pots in to ready ourselves. And we’ve done brilliantly.”

Maxie spoke up. “Everyone – I wasn’t going to say anything much really but seeing as we could all do with something to look forward to – it’s my lovely Kristof’s birthday today.” Kristof motioned to zhis lover to pipe down but Maxie continued. “So, once this little bluster is passed and we’re all ship shape again, I have a couple of bottles of brandy and some pouches of space pudding stashed away in my locker. And,” he nodded to Jude, “our delightful Ms. Sadako has kindly agreed to entertain us with a song. Or two maybe if we can persuade her?”

“Well then, “Wib conceded, “That might be well worth going through this for.”

Messages came in thick and fast over the comms from Boulogne and both the stellar monitoring stations. There was a fair-sized coronal mass ejection timed for 15:30 hours, station time. That gave the crew forty minutes to make final checks and get strapped in to Jude’s shelter space. Hennessey had shut down all the top line avionics and set attitude to a minimum. Maxie and Kris had switched off all computing systems, bar life support and minimal lighting. With some difficulty – their body shapes varying from Kristof’s slender 2.1 metre height to Glass’s matronly solidity – they all managed to cram into the safe space. Maxie and Kristof snuggled together and welcomed Glass into their huddle on one side while Jude found herself sandwiched between Wib and Hennessey on the other. The station hummed then shook slightly, feeling like a small paper boat rocking on a vast ocean. Then the proximity alarm sounded.

“Here we go, “muttered Glass as a massive burst of solar wind crashed into the Tiandong. It was hard to tell up from down as they seemed to roll right over. Jude’s mind rushed back to that first training day with Hennessey as burning bile rose in her throat. She reached out and grabbed his hand and held on tight. His hand was warm in hers, which she was sure, like the rest of her was clammy and shaking.

“Nearly done,” he craned over to whisper.

As suddenly as they had been tossed about, all was till and quiet again. Jude released Hennessey’s hand quickly and moved to unfasten her padded harness.

“Not yet,” said Wib, who had remained rigid like a statue throughout, all his bombast of that morning now gone. “There might be some aftershocks.”

The six of them waited but nothing more happened. They all began unclipping and unhooking themselves from their protective cocoon.

“Thanks Jude. And Glass. “Maxie spoke for all of them. “I was like a bug in a rug.”

Glass grinned. “Yes, all snug. Now, back to work, people. Let’s have a sit-rep as soon as we can.”

They all headed out of the makeshift bunker and headed to their zones. From the CCM, Maxie powered up the on board computers. Everything seemed to have weathered the storm just fine. Then he noticed a flashing display on one of the monitors.

“Fak, I knew it was too good to be true. “

“What’s up buddy?” asked Hennessey as he glided past, his arms full of tools.

“The far aft airlock could be set to breach. Dammit, I thought it was too good to be true.”

“Not a problem”, the Irishman said. “I’ll go and check it out. Probably just needs some Kapton tape.”

Kristof’s voice came over the station-wide comm. It was tinged with alarm. “I’m getting readings in from the OSO. That wasn’t the last of the storm. There’s another CME and it’s headed our way.”

“Return to the safe zone. I repeat, return to the safe zone.” Glass’ yelled.

Wib swam past Jude and pulled her in his wake. “In there. Now.” And he unceremoniously shoved her into then sleep locker. Glass and Kristof struggled in beside her.

“What about the airlock?” shouted Hennessey.

“Forget the fakking airlock.” Jude had never heard Maxie exclaim like that before. “The heat shields are down.”

“Leave them and get your Martian arse in here.” The typically subdued Kristof screamed at zhis partner.

“I can’t. Without them, even a small blast will leave us dead in the water. We could even lose life support.”

Kristof began unhooking zher anchors but Wib put out a hand to stop zhim. He was nearer to the door. Hennessey began unclipping his harness to follow. Wib turned and shook his head.

“Keep her...them safe.” And he spun out and toward Maxie, who was still valiantly trying to revive the heat shielding. They all watched helplessly as Wib reached the slighter man, just as the violent shock wave hit the station. The Mancunian enveloped Maxie and dived under the computer work station as the viewing window bulged inwards. The cabin was illuminated in a dazzling white light.

Wib raised his head and shouted over to his colleagues. “Close the fakking door.”

Hennessey pulled it tight and they were plunged into darkness, Wib’s contorted face burned onto Jude’s now tightly closed eyelids.

Waste Of Space - Chapter Six

Chapter Six

The next morning at the crew meeting, the EVA incident was discussed. Maxie and Hennessey made it a priority to upgrade the debris detection system to cover a wider range so as to give them much more warning of any future hazards. Wib requested that Jude come back out with him to do some more work, this time on tile and plating replacement. Jude was understandably reluctant.

“It’s like falling off of a horse, “ he reassured her. “Just get back on the bugger and show it who is boss.” Jude had never been near a horse in her life but understood the analogy. So, albeit with a healthy dose of trepidation, she climbed into her EMU and went back outside. Wib took her out again the next day and the one after that. Jude’s confidence was restored and the whole untethering incident was quickly put behind her.

Although each of the others had their own areas of expertise and responsibility on this job, none of them treated her with any less than the utmost respect. Even Hennessey was thawing to her slightly, requesting her input as he worked to recondition the station’s navigation and propulsion. He spoke to her fondly of his upbringing in the liberal and vibrant city of Belfast. He chatted about places and people but understandably said little about himself in those contexts. Jude did wonder about why, at such an advanced age, he had seemed to come so late to transition. Nowadays, young people found it a lot easier to navigate their gender and sexuality and many of them who wished to would transition from a very early age. To encounter someone in Hennessey’s situation was rare. However, Jude didn’t feel that current circumstances allowed for her to ask and pretty much felt that they probably never would.

She was managing to get to know her other colleagues a little better too. Glass had studied statistical mechanics at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and had gone on to work for Lovelace Industries before coming to Cee-Cee. Jude had expressed her surprise at her co-worker coming to work in this sector.

“Oh no, Liebling, “Glass told her, “Cosmic Cleaners may sound like a joke but you’d be surprised at how well regarded we are becoming. The future lies in repurposing technology and clearing up this Scheisse we’ve allowed to accumulate our home planet and we’re at the forefront in that.”

As the Earth turned beneath them, the crew worked solidly on and the geriatric modules started to look fresh and up to date. Jude busied herself with tasks such as evaluating the integrity and vacuum seals on the viewing ports – I must have the coolest window-cleaning job in the entire galaxy, she chuckled to herself. One time, she was engrossed in the task and didn’t notice Maxie hovering next to her.

“You have a lovely voice.”

Jude hadn’t realised she had been singing and blushed.

“Thank you. I’m sorry, I got carried away there. Did I disturb you?” Jude knew from the morning briefing that Maxie was working on some high level and particularly frustrating interfacing – the relics of the computer systems installed when the Tiandong was shiny and new didn’t like the upgrades he was attempting – and failing – to install.

“No, not at all. It reminds me of my darling back home. She sings beautifully to our children. Of all the things I miss, hearing her lullabies is one of the most bittersweet.”

Jude nodded, then a puzzled look crossed her face. Darling back home? Children? But Kristof was Maxie’s lover and Jude had guessed, partner. Maxie smiled, seeing his colleague’s confusion.

“We’re a poly family. On this occasion, Kris and I are working off-Mars while Neesh stays with the little ones.” Even in these more enlightened days, the concept of a relationship of more than two people was still rare. Martians, it seemed, were more progressive. Jude felt she didn’t want to pry but Maxie seemed happy to chat about it. “Neesh and I got together first and then we met Kris when zhe came to Olympus to study. We’ve all been together for about 6 years now and have two little ones, Dera and Myki.” He reached into the pocket of his overalls, activated his pad and handed it to Jude. A smiling group of three adults and two adorable kids beamed out at her.

“Aw, how sweet. You must miss them.”

“Yes, “the proud father agreed. “Dear Kris, even though zhe has me here, misses them most of all.” He paused, thoughtfully. “Look, I wasn’t going to bring it up but Kris is a big fan of yours. Zher birthday is in a few days and we were going to have a small celebration. Would it be impolite if I asked you to sing for zhim?”

Oh fak. Jude’s stomach did a few flips. So far Hennessey had been the only one to mention her brief pop career and that had been way back in their early days of training. She had been hoping no-one else had made the connection. Maxie sensed her hesitation.

“Blast, I’ve gone and put you on the spot, haven’t I?” He stammered. “Listen, just…”

“No, no. It’s cool. I’m surprised. Kris of all people. I’d have thought zhis tastes would have run to something, well, more sophisticated?”

“Zhe loves it – zhe has your music on all the time back on Big Red.”

“Okay, okay. What’s zhis favourite song?”

“Would you sing “Hoshi Ai?”

Star Love – what else?

Jude had hoped that she’d left her J-pop days behind her but here she was, hundreds of kays above the Earth and it still haunted her. Now, it hadn’t been an unpleasant experience. It had brought her and Coop together for a few sparkling years and she wouldn’t change a thing on that front. She hadn’t intended to go into the music business at all – sixteen years of travelling with her parents to concerts, galas, musical awards ceremonies and television studios meant that the show business life held little mystery nor appeal for her. However, years of being introduced as the offspring of the darlings of classical Japanese fusion, she had felt the adolescent urge to break out on her own. When word reached her on a trip to see her dear grandfather on Luna City and well beyond the influence her mother, who was off delighting the Los Angeles cognoscenti with her father in tow, that Huey Matsuda was looking for a new front singer for The Flying Hearts, she was on the comm like a shot.

Re-inventing herself as Kiki Kokeshi and thanks to a little assistance from auto-tuning, they topped first the Oricon, global and then galactic charts. Her trademark barefoot stomping (borrowed shamelessly from early two-kay girl band the 5678s) and Matsuda’s backing made her one of the biggest stars since even Ayumi Hamasaki herself who, according to insiders, came out of reclusive retirement to see “Kiki” and the Hearts play when they headlined the Fuji Rock Festival. Beloved Ayu, as she was known to her fans, even gave Jude permission to cover her song “Misunderstood.” Of course, this was all a huge source of chagrin to Dory, even before Coop appeared in Jude’s life. Jude would have thought her parents would be happy that she had followed them into music.

“Music?” Dory had snapped at her down a comm-link. “That isn’t music. It’s just as lot of jangling noise. I bet you don’t even sing.” The well-crafted New Town lilt broke down into her mother’s Wester Hailes’ origins. “Dinnae come wi’ yer fakkin’ heid in yer hauns, greetin’ to me when the bubble bursts.”

“Have you forgotten your punk days with Bare-Arsed Hairies then?” Jude snapped back.  They didn’t speak again til Jude had told her about Coop, and not for another year after that.

The bubble didn’t burst. The Flying Hearts went mega, touring the Moon and Mars. Even when Huey Matsuda moved on to the next big thing, they remained popular. In her guise as Kiki, Jude was approached by the Ghibli-Disney Corporation to sing the theme tune to their re-working of the old anime series, Planetes, which is where the song Maxie had requested came from. Through all of this, her father remained supportive and even wrote, to his wife’s brief outrage, a couple of songs for an album of enka ballads that Jude/ Kiki released. She was on tour when she received a call from him.

“Judith, “ his usually musical if quiet tone was instead deep and sombre. And he had used her full name. She immediately knew what was wrong.

“It’s Ojichan, isn’t it?” Her grandfather.

“Yes, my darling. He died this morning.” Hikaru Sudako was a sprightly man in his eighties and Jude had thought he would go on forever. He’d moved to Luna City in his retirement and Jude had visited often.

The tears started and wouldn’t stop. Coop negotiated with the promoters and the tour was postponed. They travelled up to the funeral in the glare of publicity – pictures of Jude in her black mourning dress with her parents and Coop at her side were flashed across the cosmos. They returned to Tokyo, his birthplace, with his ashes. Jude remained and never did go back onstage.

A tap on her shoulder brought Jude back into the moment. She turned to see Wib at her shoulder.

“Old Wendy’s called a big meeting. We’ve had a message from Cee-Cee headquarters in Boulogne. Better come see.” She followed him into the core cabin with a heavy heart.

Glass had anchored herself to the nearby wall and the team clustered around her, likewise tethering themselves as was the custom as opposed to being able to have a sit down confab in minimal gravity.

“Reports are coming in from the OSO (orbiting solar observatory) Tereshkova that there has been a marked increase in solar flare activity over the past few days. There haven’t been any warnings issued as of yet but we have been advised to take some precautions.”

“Such as?” enquired Kristof. It must be serious for zhim to pipe up, though Jude.

“Well, readings like this often, though not always, are a precursor to a coronal mass ejection so it’s vital that we ensure that the station is as robust as possible. Wib, “she looked to the structural specialist, “you need to make sure we have optimum integrity – we can’t afford to have any tiles flying off on the budget we’re on.”

“Maxie, you and Kristof call a halt to wherever you are in the systems and inventory and concentrate on maximising our heavy shielding. I want this crate to be able to withstand whatever Sol throws at us.”

They followed Wib out of the CCM, all looking stern. As Maxie passed, he whispered to Jude “So much for my party plans.”

“Shush, you’ll be fine.” She tried to sound positive.

“Hennessey, I want you to keep track of our attitude and propulsion. I need to know that we’ll be able to hold tight but also adjust our positioning should we get the nod from the high-ups.”

“On it,” As he passed Jude, he patted her gently. “It’ll be OK, Sadako. Brave heart.”

She smiled at him and he winked back.

Glass turned to her. “Ever been in a storm event Jude?” Jude shook her head.

”Not to worry. I was in one back in my days with Lovelace, en route from a research station in the Crab Nebula. Like a rough day at sea. If it comes, we just have to strap in and hold tight.”

“So what can I do to help?” asked Jude, trying to quell the uneasiness she felt in her gut.

“You and I – we’re going to build a safe zone.”

Waste Of Space - Chapter Five

Jude was surprised at how quickly the whole team got into the routines of living and working on board the decommissioned station. Their days were pretty standard although significantly longer than those typically worked by the previous inhabitants, due to the time and budgetary constraints imposed by the company. Jude’s day typically began at six a.m. when the alarm next to her ear buzzed and vibrated. She had been lucky enough to obtain one of the proper sleeping berths, which had come as a shock seeing as how far the pecking order she viewed herself to be. There was no command structure as such but as the most experienced member of the group Glass (or Wendelin, as Jude had found out during conversation one evening before sleep – “But you must never, ever call me Wendy, okay?”) was the one they tended to look to for leadership. Glass had elected to tether a sleeping bag in whatever section of the lab modules she happened to be working on and Maxie and Kristof had chosen to bunk together away from everyone else, which no-one seemed to mind. That left the three beds in the sleeping quarters for herself, Wib and Hennessey. Jude liked having a small space of her own, no matter how wee and cramped where she could stow her belongings in a net and listen to music if she liked. Upon waking, she would try to grab a quick turn in the bathroom – she could never, no matter how hard she tried though, get used to swallowing her toothpaste instead of rinsing and spitting – then some breakfast before a brief team meeting. Everyone pretty much knew what tasks they required to be getting on with, Jude included but often some issue or other would come up such as a repair need that had been noticed or, although rarely, a message from HQ with a new request. They would work on with a break for lunch and dinner til at least seven or eight at night and were all asleep or at least in bunks or bags by eleven.

Although Jude was tasked with most of the janitorial work, it did involve a lot of assessment and judgement and she found herself quite happily settling into a schedule of her own. Occasionally she was called over by one of the other team members, usually Glass or Maxie, to give them a hand with something or other. Whatever she was called upon to do, she did it with a glad heart and with interest and curiosity. It pleased and at the same time amazed her how happy she could be, doing something fiddly or that required her concentration and effort. As exciting and varied as her life before had been, whether on the road with her parents or in her own brief flirtations with the entertainment industry, she had never found the same peace and tranquillity that she found here in her new role. Even Hennessey’s continued coolness towards her could not dampen her spirits. He pretty much kept himself to himself these days and was never anything more than civil and polite to her, but she had to admit she missed the early days when it had just been the two of them on their train journeys to and from Kakuda. Still, people come and go and when it came down to it, you couldn’t really control that.

What she could control, to a certain extent, was her dealings with Wib. She was still fond of him and hoped that, once this job was finished and they were back in T-City, that they might be able to resume their relationship. But it was clear that one couple on board was more than enough – even though Maxie and Kristof were nothing but professional during work time and around the other four – and so although they remained friends and shared the occasional joke or aside, the physical dimension had pretty much cooled. They worked well together and she enjoyed his company and, looking on the bright side, Jude took this as an opportunity to get to know the person inside the body.

On this particular morning, Wib had requested her help at the daily crew meeting.

“I’m upgrading the antennae on the main CCM and I could use some backup, if you are up for some EVA, Jude.”

Cee-Cee had provided all of its trainees with robust extra vehicular training and experience at Kakuda. Jude had logged plenty of time in the low and no grav simulation testing areas under the guidance and tutelage of Professor Mori. She felt comfortable in the full body suit and helmet. However, this would be her very first opportunity to test all of that training within a real environment. Deciding to admit her concerns to Wib, she cornered him in the kitchen.

“It’s not that I’m scared Jimmy, “she hesitated, “but this will be my initial spacewalk and I want to do it right.”

“Jude, honey, you’re safe in my hands. I’ve done plenty of them in my time but I do remember my first one.” Jude was glad to hear this. Wib (Jimmy was what she called him in intimate moments together and it had slipped out) had told her of his time working on geo-orbiting comm satellites for Meta Media, before coming to work in Japan. “I don’t need you to work untethered alongside me on this one. It’ll be enough for you to do an SEVA.”

SEVA or stand-up extra-vehicular activity was when the astronaut (for that is what Jude was now – a bona-fide person who travelled and work in space craft) is not required to fully leave the ship or station and is remained tethered. Jude felt a little better about this. Although she was experienced in untethered operations, having that lifeline made her just a wee bit happier about this first trip outside.

Wib helped her into her suit. Before attaching her helmet, he adjusted her Snoopy cap and affirmed that her comm unit was linked to his. Then they were good to go. Jude would mainly be there to pass tools and equipment or to help move the antennae. Wib opened the airlock, stepped out and motioned for her to follow.

It was incredible. Jude couldn’t help but let out an audible “Wow!”

“It’s a doozy, isn’t it chuck?” Wib’s Lancashire tones drummed her awake. “Never gets old.”

Jude had been to Nepal and Olympus Mons on Mars so knew the feeling of being small but this was something else. Even I this low Earth orbit, she could appreciate what people meant by the vastness of space. Sure, she had travelled through it, but to be in it was something else entirely.

“When you are finished having your little thermal socks blown off, pass me that screwdriver will you?” Wib laughed.

And so they worked on, replacing and repairing where needed. Wib stepped back a few times and let Jude in to explain what he was doing – he was a good teacher and his enthusiasm for what could have been a technical and hum-drum morning’s work made it go in so quickly.

“Just a few final checks and diagnostics here and we’re all done. If you take this back to the Orbital Replacement Unit (external storage lockers and pumps, batteries etc.), then return to me to give me a bit of a hand, we can get back inside,” he said to her.

Jude turned, catching site of her home planet. A quote from Taylor Wang, the first Chinese astronaut, came into her mind – “A Chinese tale tells of some men sent to harm a young girl who, upon seeing her beauty, become her protectors rather than her violators. That's how I felt seeing the Earth for the first time. "I could not help but love and cherish her." She had to agree.

Her reverie was interrupted by a sudden loud alarm. It was the debris detection alarm. One of the hazard of working in the orbital junkyard was the increasing amount of free-flying and fast moving detritus as defunct and decaying tech began to disintegrate. One of the first things Glass had done to the station’s computer was set up the latest detection system, by which larger objects could be targeted and either avoided or, if necessary, vaporised into smaller and less harmful particles. However, even the smallest piece of metal could do a lot of damage.

Jude felt a jolt – whatever had come racing past her had hit her tether with enough force to unlatch it from her EMU. She was floating free. And away from the station.

She must have emitted an audible cry because Wib immediately responded via the comm.

“Jude, don’t panic. Remember your training.” What? Jude’s breathing quickened. Her mind was a blank and all she could see was her own death as she spun off into the black.

“Engage your SAFER, “Wib instructed her. Damn these acronyms. “Your jetpack. The control is on the left side of your suit. “Simplified Aids for EVA Rescue were, as Wib had said, small, self-contained back up propulsion units fitted and designed for emergencies such as this.

Jude’s left hand, so deft a few minutes previously, now flailed in at her side, desperately feeling for the SAFER controls. A hum and some momentum told her it was on. With what seemed like a huge effort, she turned to face the airlock. In seconds Wib was at her side and using his suit thrusters, guided them both back towards the ship and inside.

Hennessey and Glass, were there to help her out of her helmet and hard upper torso unit. They weren’t making a fuss but Glass exclaimed “We saw it all on the monitors. Are you okay?”

“I think so, “replied Jude, as she stepped out of the remaining lower half of the EMU. Hennessey caught her gaze, his face ashen. He patted her gently on the back. “Good lass,” he spoke in his soft brogue.

Wib had stripped off his suit and was beside her. “Well done out there. You kept your cool.”

“Really?” Jude was sure she’d made a bit of a fool of herself, panicking like that.

“Totally. “said Wib. “First time it happened to me, I crapped my suit.”