Free Sedulity 2: Aftershock (Sedulity Saga) by David Forsyth Page B

impact. That wasn’t merely good
luck. It was the result of masterful seamanship and command decisions made by Captain
Krystos immediately after the impact and in the hours since. We all owe him our
lives and I hope you will display your gratitude when he joins us here. I can
tell you that he feels a heavy personal burden for every life that he couldn’t
save, so I hope your appreciation will lend him the strength he needs to lead
us out of this crisis and beyond.   Thank
you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen, and please remain seated until
the captain joins us shortly.”  
    The passengers erupted in what sounded like heartfelt
applause and Mr. Cohen bowed slightly before leaving the stage. He was
confident that his performance had set the mood necessary for Captain Krystos
to take control of the situation. In fact, Cohen suspected that most of these
people would soon be kissing the captain’s feet. Of course, there were bound to
be troublemakers and malcontents who wouldn’t accept or understand the new
realities, which was why Mr. Cohen had brought his security team along. There
were four empty bunks in the ship’s brig, commonly referred to as the “drunk
tank” due to the usual clientele. He could throw in a few more mattresses, or
take over another room, if necessary. It would just mean that many fewer
passengers in need of more desirable berths.
    *****
    Hank Donner chuckled when the man with the funny accent began
to describe their plight. Having been out and about on his own, going as far as
helping the Filipino bartender take injured passengers down to the sick bay,
Hank had a good idea of the death and destruction littering the rest of the
ship. He lost his grim smile at the mention of radiation and briefly worried if
the barkeep had been contaminated. Hank appreciated the lengths to which that
man had gone to help others, even shaming Hank into helping him do it. So he
could relate to the stories of heroic sacrifice by crewmen to save the ship and
passengers. He had witnessed a prime example of that. But the description of
the captain as their fearless savior brought a smile back to his face.
Nevertheless, he had to admit that he was still alive, and witnessing the fate
of millions on live television who were not so fortunate. If the captain had
saved the ship, then Hank figured he owed him more than a few drinks.
    The only part of the pep talk that got Hank rankled was the
announcement that his balcony suite on one of the upper decks was off-limits
indefinitely due to possible radioactive contamination. What else could go
wrong on this cruise? Where the hell was he supposed to sleep? He wanted a
shower, a change of clothes, and a long nap in the bed he had paid for. Well,
he could wait until after seeing the rest of the news coverage of the tsunami
play out on TV. This was a once in a lifetime experience that he didn’t want to
miss, no matter how horrific the images. He was sure that the most gruesome
scenes would be edited out of the reruns, and who would give up a ringside seat
to the end of the world? After this show was over, however, he wanted nothing
more than to go back up to his suite and relax in peace.
    “Excuse me, sir. Is it really that bad?” asked a sexy female
voice from behind Hank. “You were out there. Right? What did you see?”  
    Hank turned his head and saw an attractive woman in her late
thirties or early forties with long blonde hair and blue eyes, leaning her
ample breasts over the aisle railing behind his seat. She was clearly talking
to him.
    “Yes, miss. I’m sad to say it’s pretty bad out there,” Hank
replied honestly. “I don’t know anything about radiation, but I wouldn’t have
seen that, would I? The rest of what he said doesn’t come close to describing
what happened out there. At least what I saw of it. Lots of dead bodies. Lots
of people burned and banged up. Fire damage. Water damage. Broken stuff
scattered everywhere. The ship’s a real mess. I