The Buck Stops Here
Too many threads. Too many voices. Too many things to do. That was the reality of his life now and Devon was at least a little confused at how it came to be like this. The more they learned, the more they realized they did not know. It had gotten a little better after they resolved the Sub-Omega issue- the people from the domes in the port sub-quadrant were far more comfortable with technology, but they also had limits.
For some reason, when limits were reached they always seemed to land in his lap. Omega had told him that people needed a leader figure, even if that person was no more than a figurehead- it helped to focus both effort, and good order.
“So I can just hand these issues off to you and you can tell me what I should do?”
“Devon, has our interaction ever taken such a turn? No, I can advise, I can even decide if there is nobody else to make the decision, but people prefer being led by other people, not machines. There is a long list of studies and experiments to prove this out.”
Omega and Devon spent a lot of time in those kinds of discussions. Devon could feel Omega was leading him towards something, and he was uncertain if he would like it when he arrived.
“Devon, there is an event that requires your attention,” Omega announced. The Auxiliary Bridge was almost crowded, with half a dozen people working issues either on the bridge itself or remotely with another team.
“Another waste channel cleanup?” Those were the most common issues as they re-opened sections of the Ark. The Domes themselves were almost entirely self-contained and processed their own waste, but there were systems in the crew and working areas of the Ark that had been dormant for centuries. They did not always start right up.
“Negative. There is a breach in Connector Access 21 tac India, venting atmosphere. There was a flash on the debris warning system- this appears to be an impactor.”
“20 tac India… isn’t that?”
“The main connector between Avalon and Picharie Domes,” Morty chimed in from his console a couple seats away, “We opened it to provide additional atmosphere conditioning while repairing the Picharie side. Current loss is slow- I can send a team to lock it down.”
“Do it, and keep an eye on it.”
“I’m on it.”
The room quieted, not that there had been a commotion, but everyone had certainly been cupping their ears to hear what was going on. Devon returned to his console- he had been running through all the working exterior cameras that had only recently been brought back into service. The details they revealed were critical to efforts going forward. He was beginning to slip into an easy rhythm when a sudden exclamation shattered the air.
“FUCK! DEVON!”
“What?” Devon leapt to his feet, making his way to Morty’s seat.
“Venting is escalating rapidly, the impact was near a coupling that is starting to come apart… I can’t… can’t get ahead of the pressure drop!” Morty’s fingers flew across the controls as he attempted to route additional air to the section.”
“Seal them up- we can send in a team in suits…”
“We can’t- Picharie’s main hatch f
ailed open when we entered the dome, it hasn’t been repaired!”
“Omega! Options?”
“I began routing additional resources to the quadrant- we can maintain breathable pressure for a short time.”
“Evacuate Picharie- how many?”
“Twenty-Nine Thousand and change. Rate is climbing.”
“Devon,” Omega interrupted, “Breathable atmosphere can only be maintained for another 11 minutes. We risk a failure of the Avalon Dome and with it, possibly the remainder of the quadrant.”
“My team is only a couple minutes out,” Morty said, “Let them get eyeballs on it at least.”
“I am afraid that will be pointless, Morty. The breach is growing; we are 8 minutes from loss of pressure.”
“How long after you run out of air to pump in there- how long until…”
“No more than ten minutes. Less if the breach continues to grow. Devon, recommended action is seal Avalon now. The pressure drop is accelerating. Devon- this decision must be made by a human being.”
“We still have teams in there!” M
orty shouted, but Devon felt his ears start to ring, drowning out the other man. It was an oddly peaceful sensation, just shutting out the outside world, if only for a moment. His eye slowly swept the room- all the eyes on him, some frightened, others concerned. Finally, his gaze rested on the chair in the center of the room, just for a moment.
Devon returned to his console and switched to a camera near the breach. He could see the white plume jetting from the rupture, pieces of material torn away by the rushing air. It almost felt as if that escaping atmosphere was sucking something out of him directly… because he knew what he had to do, what he had to say.
“Seal Avalon. Give a sixty second warning. Close all pressure doors in the quadrant; stop routing extra atmosphere to the area.”
“Wha.. Devon?”
“Do it.”
Omega had been leading Devon somewhere since the very first day. Hints and clues, carefully worded suggestions, all coaxing him down a path towards something he knew he did not want, and that he knew he must accept. On his console, he could see the escaping atmosphere begin to slow.
“Avalon is sealed. All India sector pressure doors are closed. We have reports that some people made it into shelters before…”
Devon turned away, staring at the floor.
Twenty-Nine Thousand people.
Gone.
Not an accident. Not a failure.
A decision.
His decision.
“There was no other option, Devon,” Omega said.
Devon didn’t respond.
“Why did I have to decide?” he asked quietly. “You knew what had to be done.”
“I can calculate outcomes,” Om
ega replied. “I can recommend actions. But I do not bear responsibility for them.”
Devon let that sit.
The room was silent now. No one speaking. N
o one moving. Just the low hum of systems that were still alive because of what he had done.
Because of what he had chosen.
His eyes lifted, almost against his will, and found the chair at the center of the room.
It had always been there.
Empty.
Waiting.
No one told him to move.
No one asked him to.
Devon took a step.
Then another.
And sat.