this
was the cargo compartment. All he could see was a narrow, passage ending with what looked
like an airtight door.
Devon knew that he had to check to see where this led. He assumed that it was the cargo
compartment, but it could just be a service hatch. He looked up at the watching children and
smiled again.
“I’ll be right back.” He swung down on to the ladder and climbed to the bottom. The
yellow light was harsh and its slow flashing made it difficult to make out many details but he
could see enough to move around. It only took a few steps to reach the door. He examined it
carefully, but could not find any indication of where it might lead. Still determined to find the
cargo compartment, Devon took a deep breath and levered open the latch on the door. There was
a short hiss as the pressure equalized and then the door swung inward.
Dust wafted in from the compartment beyond, making it hard to see inside. Devon
waited for a moment for the dust to settle and then peered inside. Success! He had found the
cargo compartment. Racks of baggage filled the compartment in rows. Several had broken free
from the deck in the crash and spilled some of the children’s bags into a large pile, blocking part
of the floor.
He climbed over the mound of spilled luggage to see where the dust could be coming
from. He was able to wriggle through to the row of racks against the far right-hand wall of the
compartment. The source of all the dust became apparent as he neared the far wall. There was a
large tear in the side of the ship. The jagged edge of a large boulder protruded into the cargo
compartment; the obvious cause of the large gash in the side of the ship. The gash was very
large, large enough, for a person to crawl through with no trouble at all. Dirt and debris had
spilled in through the gash, but there did not appear to be any other damage. Unfortunately, that
gash meant that this ship would probably never be space-worthy again.
After a quick look around he did not find anything that looked like it might have supplies
in it. He wondered if they would be marked in some way to make it easier to find them. Devon
thought he had better go check with Mr. Jacobs. As the leader of the expedition, he obviously
would have a better idea of what kind of supplies might be down here.
After scrambling back over the mound of luggage, Devon began climbing back up the
ladder into the main cabin. Several faces peered down at him. He recognized them as Flim,
Jacinda, and Merrell.
“What are you doing?” Merrell asked.
“Just checking on something for Mr. Jacobs.”
Flim snorted a laugh through his nose as Devon climbed up through the hatch. “Deke
asked for your help?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, he did. He hit his head and isn’t feeling well. I think he passed
out.”
“Oh, no,” Jacinda’s breath caught in her throat. “We had better help him. Everyone at
the colony is taught to be a medic, just in case there is an accident. That’s because we practically
live inside the mine. I’ll go check him out.” She immediately jumped up and hurried toward
Deke’s seat. Merrell followed her a moment later, like a lumbering shadow.
“You guys shouldn’t be out of your seats,” Devon brushed the dirt off his coveralls as he
gave Flim a stern look.
“With Terry sitting in your seat? Not likely. It didn’t take him two minutes to start bad
mouthing Deke and the crew. He said that he would have them all fired.”
Devon gave Flim a pained look. “He may not get the chance.”
Flim stared in confusion at Devon for a moment and then blanched. “Oh, dear. You
think it’s that bad.”
Devon pulled Flim close. “It could be, but we can’t let anyone else know. We have to
keep the others calm. If everyone panics surviving this gets ten times
was the cargo compartment. All he could see was a narrow, passage ending with what looked
like an airtight door.
Devon knew that he had to check to see where this led. He assumed that it was the cargo
compartment, but it could just be a service hatch. He looked up at the watching children and
smiled again.
“I’ll be right back.” He swung down on to the ladder and climbed to the bottom. The
yellow light was harsh and its slow flashing made it difficult to make out many details but he
could see enough to move around. It only took a few steps to reach the door. He examined it
carefully, but could not find any indication of where it might lead. Still determined to find the
cargo compartment, Devon took a deep breath and levered open the latch on the door. There was
a short hiss as the pressure equalized and then the door swung inward.
Dust wafted in from the compartment beyond, making it hard to see inside. Devon
waited for a moment for the dust to settle and then peered inside. Success! He had found the
cargo compartment. Racks of baggage filled the compartment in rows. Several had broken free
from the deck in the crash and spilled some of the children’s bags into a large pile, blocking part
of the floor.
He climbed over the mound of spilled luggage to see where the dust could be coming
from. He was able to wriggle through to the row of racks against the far right-hand wall of the
compartment. The source of all the dust became apparent as he neared the far wall. There was a
large tear in the side of the ship. The jagged edge of a large boulder protruded into the cargo
compartment; the obvious cause of the large gash in the side of the ship. The gash was very
large, large enough, for a person to crawl through with no trouble at all. Dirt and debris had
spilled in through the gash, but there did not appear to be any other damage. Unfortunately, that
gash meant that this ship would probably never be space-worthy again.
After a quick look around he did not find anything that looked like it might have supplies
in it. He wondered if they would be marked in some way to make it easier to find them. Devon
thought he had better go check with Mr. Jacobs. As the leader of the expedition, he obviously
would have a better idea of what kind of supplies might be down here.
After scrambling back over the mound of luggage, Devon began climbing back up the
ladder into the main cabin. Several faces peered down at him. He recognized them as Flim,
Jacinda, and Merrell.
“What are you doing?” Merrell asked.
“Just checking on something for Mr. Jacobs.”
Flim snorted a laugh through his nose as Devon climbed up through the hatch. “Deke
asked for your help?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, he did. He hit his head and isn’t feeling well. I think he passed
out.”
“Oh, no,” Jacinda’s breath caught in her throat. “We had better help him. Everyone at
the colony is taught to be a medic, just in case there is an accident. That’s because we practically
live inside the mine. I’ll go check him out.” She immediately jumped up and hurried toward
Deke’s seat. Merrell followed her a moment later, like a lumbering shadow.
“You guys shouldn’t be out of your seats,” Devon brushed the dirt off his coveralls as he
gave Flim a stern look.
“With Terry sitting in your seat? Not likely. It didn’t take him two minutes to start bad
mouthing Deke and the crew. He said that he would have them all fired.”
Devon gave Flim a pained look. “He may not get the chance.”
Flim stared in confusion at Devon for a moment and then blanched. “Oh, dear. You
think it’s that bad.”
Devon pulled Flim close. “It could be, but we can’t let anyone else know. We have to
keep the others calm. If everyone panics surviving this gets ten times
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