The upper decks of the ship were equipped with heating wires to prevent the vessel from becoming top heavy with ice, even though the itinerary seldom called for cruises after Columbus Day in October. But the heating system was not enough to cope with the sudden drop in temperature. Thick ice began to form along all exposed outer decks.
“Doug, if the ice continues to thicken along the upper decks we’re as good as fucking sunk. Call the Coast Guard.”
First Officer Stewart tuned the radio to the emergency channel.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is American cruise ship Victory 1 in northern Lake Michigan. Come in please.” He then read the coordinates of the ship’s position.
“Read you loud and clear, Victory. This is Captain James Hennessy of the Coast Guard Cutter Moneghan. We’re about five miles south of your position. Describe your problem, captain, over.”
“This is Captain Pettibone. Our ice mitigation system isn’t working and our upper weather decks are becoming encrusted. Also, our main engine is down. We have no steerage. I’m concerned that we’re going to founder. How many people can the Moneghan accommodate?”
“We can only take on an additional 75 people, captain. How many do you have aboard?”
“Counting the crew we have 590 people aboard. I’m preparing our life rafts now, but the people won’t last long in a lifeboat in this weather, over.”
“I’m closing on your position as soon as possible, but we can’t go much faster with these waves. I’ve alerted the Coast Guard Station in Waukegan. Two large cutters are based there. I’ve told them to carry a minimal crew so they can accommodate the survivors from the Victory, over.”
Survivors? Captain Pettibone’s stomach took a turn when he heard that word.
“Please hurry, Captain Hennessey. I don’t know how many more rolls my ship can take before she founders, over.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Pettibone speaking. I would like to say some soothing words, but I can’t. Our condition is critical. I’ve alerted the crew to assist all passengers to abandon ship. Your one and only goal is to climb into a lifeboat as a crewmember directs you.”
Bill and Mellissa Thompson staggered down a passageway to their lifeboat station. The winds and seas had calmed down in the past 15 minutes, but the ship was still taking dangerous rolls. They came upon an elderly couple trying to walk a straight line.
“Let’s help these two, hon,” Bill said. “They can’t make it to a boat on their own.”
They each stood beside the two and gently walked them toward the launch platform. It was comforting to see three large Coast Guard cutters standing off to starboard. A gush of water droplets splashed them as a wave broke against the ship’s hull. They were surprised that the water didn’t hurt them, as the temperature of Lake Michigan, especially after the July heat wave, was still relatively warm compared to the wind and snow.
The Thompsons helped their new/old friends climb aboard the lifeboat.
“Rick, I think we should watch this report on the TV.”
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, Monica Jackson for NBC News coming to you from the United States Coast Guard Station in Waukegan, Illinois. The scene here can best be described as happy bedlam, happy because what looked like a looming tragedy, had a good ending. Earlier we had reported that the beautiful Great Lakes paddle-wheel cruise ship, the Victory 1, got blindsided by this insane weather as the ship steamed toward the Straits of Mackinac on its way to Lake Huron. The upper decks became encased in heavy ice, and the main engine failed. Thanks to the fast action and courage of the crews of three Coast Guard cutters, all the crew and passengers of the Victory 1 were rescued, with only a few people reporting minor injuries. It was not a moment too soon. Within minutes after the last person climbed aboard a lifeboat, the Victory 1 foundered, capsized, and sank in 900 feet of water.”
Monica Jackson walked across the room to a couple wrapped in a blanket, sipping coffee.
“I’m talking to a couple of passengers from Philadelphia, Bill and Melissa Thompson.”
“Holy shit,” Ellen screamed as she increased the volume on the TV. “They weren’t scheduled to leave until the end of this week.”
“We’d like to send our love to our wonderful daughter, Ellen Bellamy, who is actually a colleague of yours at NBC,” Bill said. “We’ve been trying to call her, but, as you know, cell phone service is out. Ellen gave us this cruise as an anniversary present. So, thanks to you TV folks, we’re able to send our love in person. Hey, Ellen, next time you book us on a cruise, can you arrange for better weather? Love you, baby. See you soon.”
Any good producer knows that surprises make for great television. The photo of Monica Jackson’s face would be printed and hung on the walls of NBC studios.
Ellen looked at her watch.
“I’ve got a show in 30 minutes, but I’m a fucking wreck.”
“Hey, hon, don’t be a wreck. Just thank God your folks are okay.”
Chapter 17
Space Station Stargazer, July 18
“I don’t think we were supposed to do what we did last night,” Bill Cranston said to Nancy Mullin.
“Show me where there’s a written regulation against it,” she said. “Besides, don’t you consider it an honor to be an astronaut who got a blow job in space?”
Cranston looked around jokingly in an exaggerated circle. “Are you sure there’s nothing floating around,” he said.
Nancy laughed.
“I’m very thorough when I need to be,” she said with a wink. “Hey, we’re both single and horny. Nothing wrong with a little zero-gravity sex.”
“No, nothing wrong at all,” Cranston said as he reached over and stroked her thigh. “Let’s finish up today’s chores so we can explore some more new worlds.”
“You’re on, cowboy.”
Bill Cranston and Nancy Mullin are both former military officers. Cranston was in the Marines, and Mullin in the Air Force, both having left active duty two years before. They were both 35 years old and each held the rank of captain when they left the service. Nancy Mullin stands at five feet nine, has short brown hair, and the figure of a gymnast, which she was at the Air Force Academy. Cranston is a big man at six feet two with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and sandy blond hair. The Rosetta Corporation hired them to work on Stargazer, the private space station that was owned by the company and controlled from its corporate headquarters in Billings, Montana. Like other space stations, Stargazer is equipped with minimal propulsion. It can’t take off or land by itself. Service to the station, including resupply and crew changes, is accomplished by visits from rocket-launched replenishment pods. As of 2018 only two space stations are in orbit and operational, the International Space Station, or ISS, and Stargazer. Other space stations in the past include: China’s Tiangong-1 (defunct); and Tiangong-2 (launched in September 2016, not permanently manned); Skylab; Mir; and the Almaz and Salyut series. Stargazer is similar in design to the International Space Station, ISS, on which the Rosetta Corporation was the major contractor. The station is 240 feet long, 370 feet wide, and 70 feet high. It can carry a crew of six, but is currently manned by only two astronauts, Mullin and Cranston. Nancy Mullin is the mission commander.