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.”

Diamond Bogs

I'm here, sitting on a cold pan, Far above the world. I am on the loo, And there's nothing you can do...

Waste Of Space - Chapter Four: A Piece of Piss

The small shuttle sat on the runway, the early morning rays of sun glinting off of its silvery tiles. Six weary looking passengers and 2 pilot crew boarded her silently.

The team from Cosmic Cleaners were all clad in grey-blue overalls with the Cee-Cee emblem of two joined crescent moons on an embroidered patch on the left breast pocket. Jude sort of missed the cosy cocooning of her training suit – the fact that she was now dressed in corporate work wear sunk home that shit had got real pretty fast.

The cabin of the shuttle was fairly cramped, since most of the hold was taken up with vital equipment and specialised cleaning materials. There were also food supplies and personal protective clothing but very little in the way of home comforts, Jude suspected. In their final post-launch briefing before setting out on to the tarmac, good old Cee-Cee herself had graced them with her presence (this being the first time Jude had seen her since her initial interview, an event which now  seemed to her like ages ago in someone else’s life) and as well as telling them what a prestigious and hard-won contract this was, how very important it was that they did a most excellent job, what it would mean to the company, etc., etc., she also took great pains to stress emphatically to them that this trip was designed to make a profit, not cost her any more money than was deemed absolutely necessary. They had been allowed five weeks to get the job done but there would be a generous bonus incentive if they came in under time.

They took their seats .Unsurprisingly, Maxie and Kristof chose to sit together and began chatting away in which couples do when they are with other people around . Glass and Hennessey had taken one each of the remaining two pairs. Jude hesitated but as Wib slid past her and in next to the German (maybe he was taking keeping their assignations hush-hush a bit too rigidly), she had no choice but to take the last place beside Hennessey. It wasn’t that they had fallen out but he had been noticeably frosty towards her since she had shared the news she had taken up with Wib. She had never given him any indication of any romantic or sexual attraction during their time working together and she and Wib were (as much as they could be in such a small group) being as discrete as possible.

“Alright?” she said to him as she buckled in, hoping to at least make the short hop up to the space station  a little more convivial. To her surprise and delight, he turned and smiled. He’s excited, she thought, like a big kid on his first ever moonshot.

“Oh yes, Sadako (he had recently gone from called her by her first name to using her last and this gave her pause – maybe things were still chilly after all?). All set. I’ve done this a zillion times but it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.” He ran his hand through his freshly shorn hair, trimmed from his usual mop. “Not that I have that much now.”

Before she could formulate an answer, a voice came on over the comm.

“Good morning folks. My name is Kimiko Goro and my co-pilot here is Ed O’Reilly and we will be your flight crew today. Our jaunt up to the CSS Tiandong will take  us approximately 4 and a half hours, give or take. We’ll be setting off in just a few minutes, once we get clearance.  Please remain buckled in to your seat once we take off and then until I or Ed give you the nod. Thank you.”

Hennessey pulled a pad out from one of his many pockets. He seemed to look to Jude for permission. “I’m just going to read a bit, if that’s okay?” he said.

“Carry on, “she replied and closed her eyes.

The first, and thus far only, Chinese Space Station Tiandong was launched in 2021 as a research facility into life support and further space exploration. It had been designed for use for up to a decade but had remained functional until 2043 when the Beijing government had set its sights on its burgeoning Mars mission. The craft itself was an old-style third generation modular station and sat in a low Earth orbit of 400 kilometres and at 43 degrees. The main module was the core cabin, which housed the station’s main life support and thus its crew living quarters. It was also home to control systems such as orientation and propulsion. There was also a small kitchen, toilet facilities plus the station computers, scientific and communication hubs. It was also where the shuttle carrying Jude’s team would dock.

From there were two laboratory modules with navigation and backups for the CCM (core cabin module) which also contained all the system cables and piping. The CSS garnered its electrical power from a large solar power array, one of each fitted to the three modules. The power was stored in photo-voltaic cells and back-up energy was stored in the station’s own mini power station to enable continuous station function when it passed into the shadow of the Earth.

The shuttle docked with the CCM airlock. The Cee-Cee crew all wore small oxygen masks.

“It’s been a good long while since anyone’s breathed up there, “Chief Dug Howe had informed them at one of the briefings. “So until Maxie here gets the station life support up to full speed, you’ll need to use portable back up systems.”

The CSS had been designed as a low-density grav environment, so all of the team swam in and around. Goro and O’Reilly were good enough to pitch in and aid with the off-loading of the supplies and equipment from the hold. Glass and Kristof coordinated the storage of the various crates and boxes while Maxie and Wib worked on getting the basic systems online from their dormancy.

Jude and Hennessey busied themselves with stowing the team’s belongings. In the aft of the CCM they found a door with the Standard Chinese characters that they had learned indicated sleeping quarters. To Jude’s (and possibly Hennessey’s) dismay, there were only three berths.

“Kuso!” she exclaimed. Where the fak were the half dozen of them supposed to sleep? The heavy schedule of tasks needing to be completed within the next forty days certainly wouldn’t take into account any kind of system where three of them could work while three of them slept – they had been contracted to take as little down time as was necessary to get the job finished.

“Looks like we’ll have to spread out into the lab modules.” quipped Hennessey. “Either that or double up.”

“I hear Glass is a heavy snorer,” Jude retorted, then regretted her remark. But it was too late – Hennessey had move on to inspect the other habitat facilities.

The other four members of the team were equally dismayed by the cramped facilities. The kitchen was equally spartan, so they would have no choice there but to take meal breaks in twos or threes. And the prospect of toilet facilities made Jude shudder. Fortunately, as they were there to work and not to experiment or have any leisure time beyond their minimal sleep and rest breaks. She just hoped that the next month or so would pass at hyper-speed.

The six crew member had each been allotted tasks according to their specialty. Maxie, as indicated by the work he was currently undertaking, would work on the modular systems, running diagnostics, installing updates and new hardware. Glass, with her more scientific background, would be assessing the experimental modules. The Tiandong wasn’t going to be repurposed as a research facility, more likely a habitat or stopping off point for lunar travellers. Hell, it could even be a private orbiting porno palace for all Jude cared! It wasn’t her job to ask. Her presence here was to provide support. As the least experienced and qualified member of the team, she knew she would be doing a lot of the grunt work. Probably assisting Wib with some EVA hull repairs – in training she had shown some skills in no-grav tasks requiring some dexterity and precision. Kristof’s main priority, he had told her, would be a station wide inspection and inventory so would no doubt call on her for help with that. She knew Hennessey wouldn’t probably be looking to her – his specialism in satellite technology meant the majority of his time would be taken up with updating the avionics and the latest solar-power grabbing tech. That suited her just fine – if he wanted to take the huff because she’d taken up with Wib that was his problem and not hers!

However, it hit home pretty clearly that Jude was going to be the one with all the dirty and boring jobs here. Thankfully a no gravity environment resulted in no dust or dirt. There were still 20 plus years of residue and human (and animal) detritus with the additional years lying empty for it to become ingrained. She would be primarily responsible for the hydration collection and recycling mechanics, not only sanitising and upgrading it to current intergalactic standards but also, in these early days, getting it and keeping it running to accommodate the needs of six hardworking souls. A system designed for 3 at a push would be bound to struggle with six. And, as Coop had gleefully reminded her on several occasions after she let it slip, she would be cleaning out human waste remnant that had accumulated for almost as long as she had been alive and using distinctly less efficient or sophisticated plumbing than the modern space traveller was accustomed to.

“You could be sitting on a goldmine though, love,” her former partner had joked. “I knew someone who was in the crew when they salvaged and dismantled the old International Space Station. Found a crystal of uric acid the size of your fist in a waste pipe. Made claims that it was from good old Chris Hadfield himself. Sold it on U-bay for half a million yen. Word is that the Canadian Queen wears a chunk of it in her tiara.”

Waste Of Space - Chapter Three

The following days flew by so quickly. Jude got into the routine of rising early, meeting Hennessey at the station and travelling with him to the base. On day five, they were joined by a further 4 trainees. Glass was a no-nonsense woman from Hamburg and James Wibberley (or Wib for short) was Indy North English. Add to that Maxie and Kristof, who seemed to be a couple, from Mars Central. They all appeared competent and far more skilled than Jude, who was struggling with some of the more engineering-focussed aspects of the orientation. Fortunately, this was where having been originally teamed with Hennessey proved to be in her favour. He patiently went over the basics of topics such as propulsion, thermal control and orbital dynamics with her. Still, it was clear that Jude was the only one of them who didn’t seem to come from some kind of technical background. However, she was pleased to find that it did, in its own way, make sense to her in the way that music had never done.

Jude devoured every piece of information she had been given. For someone who had never given astrophysics a second thought as she travelled the planet or flitted between moons with no more thought than she ordinarily gave to hopping the train for T-City to the Kakuda training, she was now fascinated. She read the old time classics of Sagan, Hawking and de Grasse Tyson (and an Indy North English guy from the early two-kays that Wib had put her onto. He was a bit of babe, this Brian Cox. Pity he was long dead.) She bugged Hennessey for information, getting him to tell her about his satellite training. He was in a much better frame of mind nowadays, as Chief Howe had pulled some strings for him. On the train in one morning, he could barely contain his excitement.

“Chief has managed to pull some strings for me. He says they want me on the team and for that I need to be fit and well. So in a couple of weeks, I’m going to Yokosuka, to the US Army hospital of all places.”

“They’re going to do your surgery? That’s wonderful news.”

“Well, only the first stage. Chief convinced them that my heart and lungs will respond better to space working if I’m not restricted. And he says after a few months, once I build up some credit, they’ll put up the cash for the full works.”

In the second week, Chief Howe gathered them together in one of the labs. He reported back that they were all progressing well and that it had been decided to move them on to their first paid assignment. The company had won the contract to refurbish and bring online one of the first generation space stations, which, like so much of what had been launched into space had been left there, no matter whether it was in use or not. A large part of Cee Cee’s (as everyone seemed to refer to the organisation, although Jude had also heard it being used in reference to the boss, the waspish Miss Chouinard) operation was taking these decommissioned habitats and bringing them back into service. There was a large and vocal lobby of what the media called “space hippies” who challenged every new venture by pointing out the amount of broken down and malfunctioning (if it was functioning at all – most of it was dead floating space junk) tech already in low orbit, interfering with not only satellites but travel and trade. The days of “Big Sky Theory”, where space had seemed limitless were far behind. So it made sense that companies such as theirs take on lucrative contracts to recycle and repurpose what was already up there.

This particular space station, one of the earliest commercial ones, had been launched by the Chinese a decade ago. It was a fairly standard set up, comprising of a basic cargo block, the service module and habitat, research and storage modules and several add-on nodules, airlocks and hubs. The plan was for the team to ensure it was space-tight and fit for re-use.

“So, are we going to be jetting back and forward each day then?” asked Kristof

“Oh no, that would be far too costly,” Howe replied. “You’ll be going up and staying up til the jobs done.”

There were groans from some.

“And just how long do you think that will take?” said Maxie.

“We’re hoping you can turn it around in, say, 5 weeks. At the most.”

Five weeks, thought Jude. From what she had managed to pick up on so far in her training that seemed like a really short window in which to completely gut a station, never mind have it ready to be redeployed.

“A long time.” Glass contradicted Jude’s musings.

“You think?”

The German fixed Jude with her gaze. “You ever been up there for more than a couple of days? Not travelling but just up there?”

Jude shook her head.

“A long time. A long, lonely time.”

Jude didn’t have time to ponder her colleague’s lack of enthusiasm. She busied herself with cramming as much tech into her head as she could – Hennessey teased her on the trips back and forth on how she devoured manuals and spec. He went off for his surgery and returned literally a new man. He wore the skin tight coveralls now with pride.

She had to give up her apartment, which was a wrench as she really liked it and knew that she probably would never find as one as good again for the price – but she was a cosmic cleaner now, and as Chief Howe kept stressing to the, home was now other people’s flotsam and jetsam. Jude didn’t have much to put in storage – her lives on the road had resulted in her travelling light for the most part.  She also had to put off another task that she had been meaning to deal with for a while now.

Coop was waiting for her in the bar, seated at the booth in the far corner. It was quiet for a Saturday night, just a hum of blues in the background. Jude slipped into the seat opposite her ex-wife.

“So, this is it, huh? Leaving me for the wide blue yonder. Cast adrift for the promise of glory among the space garbage.”

Jude smiled. Coop could always raise a laugh from her, that’s one of the things she had loved about her. Still did, maybe.

“Yep. But I’m going to be up there watching you, making sure you stay out of trouble.” Jude reached across and took Coop’s hand in her own.

Coop laughed. “Chance would be fine thing. I’m really proud of you babe. Always was, always will be.”

Jude looked into the eyes of her lost love – why couldn’t it have worked out for them?

As if reading her mind, Coop spoke. “But I’m too much of a player.”

“We were kids. The J-pop sensation and her roadie. We had fun.”

Jude had met Coop, or Annie Cooper, as it said on her ID pass, back in the brief period of her pop music career. Annie had been working tech for one of the stadiums in Hà Nội. Jude had liked how she had sound checked for her, among other things. They had married in New Taipei City, shattering the poor little hearts of thousands of fan girls. And that of her mother.

“You’re only a child.” Dory had protested via uplink from Phobos, where she and Tomeo were on tour of the Martian moon colonies.

“I’m eighteen, Haha (in the days when she still called her mother that – this was probably the very last time she remembered doing it, to be honest). I’ll be nineteen in a couple of months.”

“And she’s twenty eight.” Her mother disconnected and Jude stubbornly refused to call her back.

Her mother didn’t come to the wedding. But her father sent her a small jade pendant in the shape of an Iriomote cat, which had belonged to his mother. “For my yamapikaryaa, “the hand written note with it said, “That which shines on the mountain.”

“Yeah, but fun wasn’t enough for us.” They both sighed dramatically, as they always did. There was no animosity here, just a little sadness.

Coop let Jude’s hand go and took a sip from her glass. “So when do you ship out?”

“Early Monday. I’m heading to the base late tomorrow and from there we’ll hop over to Uchinoura for launch.”

“I’m going to miss you kiddo. But I bet you’ve already got your sights set on someone, if I know my girl.”

Was it that obvious? Jude blushed a little. Coop laughed again.

“Fakking knew it! Who is it? Some shiny fly boy? Or one of those cute receptionists? Whoever, they’ll never love you like I did.”

Or still do, Jude thought.

Sunday evening found Jude in a hotel room in Chōfu. The bulk of the day had been spent packing away her T-City life in preparation for her first long space stay. As she had said to Glass, apart from hops between Earth and Moon or Mars, or the occasional week-long cruise with her parents on tour, she had never been off-world for as long as this upcoming sojourn. And in low gravity too. Again, Chief Howe had stressed to them how much he’d love for them to work mostly in normal g, budgetary constraints meant for the most part they’d be working in the minus zone. Fortunately, Jude enjoyed working in lower gravs. And she was looking forward to trying other things.

Talking of which, she rolled over to face the sleeping form beside her. She reached under the sheet. Eyes opened, forest green with long dark lashes. A mouth sought hers.

“Mmm, what time is it?” her lover groaned.

“It’s only nine. We have to check out before eleven and head over to Kakuda by three a.m. to make final preparations.

“Plenty of time for this then.” Wib rolled onto Jude and kissed her again.

Waste Of Space - Chapter Two

The rain against her window slowly woke Jude from her dream. She surfaced reluctantly from her passionate clinch with Dirk Middleston and threw back the covers.

Another day, another step on the road to failure. It was hard being the talentless one in the family.

Judith Marie had been born 24 years ago. Her parents were Tomeo Sadako and Dory Anderson-Sadako. They had been on tour with their new compositions and a pregnant Dory had convinced herself that she had at least another month before she’d have to put down her drumsticks but with what was to become the first of many inconveniences, baby Jude had decided to make her entry into the world.

It had been a marriage of unlikelihoods – the sober, studious Japanese composer hiding behind his biwa and the wild child Scottish drummer – but somehow they had made it work and their blend of traditional Gigaku strings and crashing percussion saw them travel the world and off-planet.

Little Jude became part of that world – home-schooled in as much as anyone can be without a place to call home, moving from one city to another, her life in a suitcase. The Sadakos loved their little girl but they loved their music more. Jude wanted for nothing and knew no life other than rehearsal rooms and recording studios.

They had tried – lessons in flute, piano, guitar. Singing teachers, dance classes. Even a brief flirtation with J-pop and an album of enka ballads. Jude just wasn’t cut out to be the prodigious product of their union that they had hoped for.

So she found herself here, in a clean but cramped Tokyo apartment block on a dull and wet morning, looking for some purpose in life. Her parents paid her rent and gave her a small allowance and she was grateful for that. They had also told her that anytime she wanted to come back on the road, which would be fine, maybe some PR work or bookings. Jude knew how easy it would be, so of course it was out of the question.

So, today meant job-hunting. In a city of almost nine million people, there was always work for those who wanted it. Waitressing, bar work, admin. But nothing that fired her up. Nothing extraordinary.

Her phone pinged.

“Hey Jude,” – that joke had got old fast. It was Coop. “Word is that there’s some cleaning jobs going out near Sandai University. Interested?” Jude scribbled down the details.

The Yamabiko train took her from town to Sendai, where she changed for one to Funaoka station, where she jumped a cab out towards the university. The address that Coop had given her was the Kakuda Propulsion Centre – the propulsion of what she had no idea. From the outside it looked like any other ramshackle of collegiate buildings, except for the tall tower ahead of her.

“Jude Sadako to see Colette Chouinard.” The security guard directed her to a lift.

The sign above reception stated “Cosmic Cleaners” and the smiling young man there directed Jude to a seat. A few minutes later, he called to her. “You can go in now.”

Colette Chouinard looked up from reading a file. “Ah, Ms. Sadako. An interesting resume. You come highly recommended.”

Highly recommended? What in hell had Coop told this woman? “I’ve had some cleaning experience, yes. Whatever you need, I’m sure I can turn my hand to.”

The woman smiled weakly. “What exactly did Doctor Cooper tell you? About the kind of work we do here?”

Jude stifled a giggle. DOCTOR Cooper – that was new one. Composing herself quickly, she replied.

“He told it me it was specialised but he didn’t go into many details. He mentioned it wasn’t the run-of-the mill assignment. That I’d maybe be working off-world?” The slippery sod hadn’t told her much, in point of fact.

Chouinard sniffed. “Yes. The mainstay of our business is in space, hence the name. Much of what we do involves the maintenance, upkeep and repair of satellites, space stations, geosynchronous habitats, interstellar craft and moon bases. We also recycle and salvage. The nature of our business requires that our staff move around a lot. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Not a problem. Where do I sign up?”

“It’s not as easy as that, Ms. Sadako. “ It never was. “There have to be checks. Your health and fitness, including your psychological well-being. Your suitability for working in low-grav environments. Then there will be training. Moving and handling, health and safety, working with specialised chemical and materials. This isn’t sanitising telephones, you know.”

Bitch, though Jude. “Yes, I gathered that.”

“Here.” Jude was handed a slip of paper. “If you are still interested, report back here tomorrow for assessment and orientation.”

Jude hailed a cab that took her back to the station. On the way she called Coop.

“Dude, what the Fak?”

“And hello to you too, Miss Ray-Of Sunshine.”

“Seriously. What have you got me into? And since when were you a Doctor?”

“It got you in. So, are you going to take it?”

“I don’t know. Sounds kind of lame.”

“Yes, but it’s a living. And a good one from what I hear. You can thank me later.”

I’m sure I will, Jude mused.

Next morning, Jude took a bus (taxis don’t come cheap, even on the stipend from her folks) and two trains back out to Kakuda. She’d managed to do a bit of research about the former home of JAXA, the Japanese space programme. This was where a lot of the groundwork on rocket technology and re-useable systems had taken place, so it made sense for a company who, she had also found out, serviced and repaired orbiting satellites to be based there.

Instead of heading toward the tower block, Jude made her way to one of the single-storey blocks. Inside, she was met by another smiling receptionist.

“I have a meeting with…” she rechecked the slip she had been given,”… Dug Howe.”

Directed to a waiting area, Jude sat down. She had expected there to be a few other people here for the first day of training but so far only one other person had turned up. A rather sullen looking guy, sitting uncomfortably, head down. He didn’t look excited at the prospect of assessment and testing. Maybe he was here on a government work programme?

The chirpy receptionist piped up.

“Miss Sadako and Miss Hennessey, Chief Howe is ready for you now. Please head to room 4.”

The guy – surely not “Miss” – muttered “baka yarou” as he got up. Jude followed him through the door.

Chief Howe was waiting for them inside.

“Welcome, welcome. Just the two of you today, is it? Not a problem.” He directed them to a desk and two chairs. “Now, we have Judith Sadako, “, he looked towards her. “Jude, “she indicated. “Cool, and…” “Shawn.”, her companion grunted. “Shawn Hennessey. Good, good. Today’s mainly going to be questionnaires I’m afraid and some physical testing. If you’d like to come this way.” They moved in behind him.  Howe chatted on.

“Nothing to concern yourselves with. Here at Cee-Cee we like to make sure our people know what they’re getting into. A lot of folks think it’s all going to be glamorous and exciting because we work in space. But really, it’s just cleaning. In space. Oh, we go to the habitat stations and we service some of the top of the line cruisers but for you newbies, I’m afraid you’re in at the bottom. Literally.”

He handed Jude and her fellow trainee a pad and stylus each.

“Just a few details, particulars, some questions then we’ll get you off for your physical exam.”

Jude and Hennessey sat down. Her companion busied himself with filling in the blanks, head down and silent. Jude stared at the pad. Name, address, all the usual stuff. Previous experience. Oh heck. She did her best, embellishing and evading as needed. It was cleaning, not rocket science, after all.

Howe came back over, took their completed pads from them and indicated that they should follow him. He took them into a standard looking medical room. Hennessey flinched.

“Nothing to worry about. Just a few measurements, more for your suit than anything else. Height weight, bloods, a bit of medical history. See if we need to do any preparatory work.

“What do you mean by that?” Jude asked. It sounded ominous.

“Oh, nothing drastic. As you can be on long rotations, of a few weeks, sometimes months, we like to make sure that you are in tip-top shape. Make sure there are no surprises, like a wisdom tooth waiting to erupt and that your blood pressure and cardio-pulmonary gubbins are fine. Sometimes, we suggest having your appendix out, especially if you are heading out to Mars base or beyond.”

Howe indicated two medibeds, side by side. “Just get out of your shoes and jackets, hop up on there and we can scan you.”

Jude and Hennessey did as directed, although she noticed that her fellow trainee was obviously out of his comfort zone. She whispered to him.

“I hate medicals too.” He made a “humph” nose back at her.

As they lay back on the couches and the diagnostic machines did their work, Jude wondered what she had got herself into.

A couple of med technicians hovered round, taking blood and other samples. One brushed against Hennessey.

“Watch it, ama, “he growled at the startled tech, who scurried away.

Nice, thought Jude. Just her luck to get stuck with a grumpy one.

Chief Howe swooped in again. “All done. Here, “and he handed them each a duffel-type bag as they got up from the beds. “Your training kit and light reading. See you back here at nine and we can get started. I have a good feeling about you two.”

I don’t, Jude said to herself. She pulled on her boots and coat and headed back out into the reception area. She turned to Hennessey to ask him if he was heading back to T-City and if he wanted to share a cab, but he was already gone.

Dirk Middleston

Courtesy of my dear writing buddy Kate.