Orion Colony Complete Series Boxed Set J.N. Chaney (books for new readers .txt) 📖

Amongst the groans and complaining of the others on the level, Ricky and I made do. I cleaned my face with a wet disposable cloth that had been provided, then rinsed out my mouth with some mouthwash. My long unruly hair was an easy fix. It went behind my head in a knot.

As we were getting ready, the complaints from the other users of the restroom were growing. Every time someone came in, there was the same conversation to be had.

“Are you serious? No water?” one hefty man said to another. “What’s going on now? Problems with the pipes?”

“Not a good sign so early on in our trip,” another large man said as he disrobed. “How am I supposed to use these little disposable wet nap towels to clean my whole body?”

I wasn’t fast enough to look away before he dropped his towel. That was an image that would be burned into my corneas for a very long time to come.

“Stranger nudity is like looking at the sun, man,” Ricky said as he used one of the small hand towels to clean behind his neck and ears. “You get a glimpse of it somewhere in your peripheral vision but then look away. Never glance directly at it, or you’ll go blind.”

“Noted,” I said as we finished our meager baths at the sink.

“I guess I’m just cleaning my pits and bits today,” a little boy said as he ran into the bathroom next to his father. “That’s okay with me.”

“They need to get this water working fast,” his father said with a frown. “This can’t go on for long.”

We walked out, heading up toward the spiral staircase on the end of the level that stood next to the elevators. We were only a few levels from the Assembly area, and it would be easier to take the stairs instead of wait.

“Man, I still can’t believe that there could be invisible Disciples on board, just waiting to slit our throats while we sleep,” Ricky said, letting a puff of air escape his lips. “I mean, that’s terrifying.”

I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling him to shut it. A woman passing us on the stairs stopped to stare at us with wide eyes.

“Sorry, ma’am,” I said, pushing Ricky along. “Nothing to worry about. Just talking about a premise for a book we want to write.”

I’m not sure she believed me, but I didn’t wait around to find out. Ricky and I walked on, joining a gathering throng as we made our way to the Assembly level.

Although it was still full, the level wasn’t as packed as when we had the initial launch speech there days before. The windows lining the gigantic room were all displaying the wonders of slipspace. The multicolored light that played across the glass windows was still something everyone was getting used to.

Iris walked to the podium, set to address the crowd as both Arun and Elon joined her. The sounds in the Assembly level quieted while we waited for their explanation.

I didn’t see Stacy in the room, but I knew she was there somewhere toward the front of the crowd.

“What’s happening with the water?” someone shouted.

“Tell us, is there something wrong?” a woman screamed from the middle of the pack.

“Please, all your questions will be answered in a moment,” Iris said, trying to pacify the crowd. “There is no reason to worry. We have things under control.”

“Then why don’t we have water?” another voice shouted.

“Yeah!” more angry voices added.

“I can see that you are all concerned and rightly so,” Arun said, taking the podium while Iris moved to the side. The microphone allowed her to drown out the questions being hurled at her. “We can start the meeting a bit early, and we will have time to answer questions. Please, allow us to tell you what is going on.”

The room seemed to realize they weren’t going to get anywhere with everyone throwing questions at her at once. A stressed silence filled the area.

“Thank you,” Arun said. She stood straight, wearing her grey uniform. Her white hair was braided in a long design behind her back. “First, allow me to tell you that we have enough drinking water for every single member until we reach Kronos Five. Once there, we will be able to pull moisture from the atmosphere and tap into the water reserves found on the planet.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Heads nodded in agreement and smiles were exchanged. An unexpected relief descended on those gathered.

“There’s been an issue with the water that we are currently working on,” Arun said. “Understand, we have our best minds on it. In the meantime, water will be rationed and the use of the showers, washing of clothes, and dishes will be minimized. We will figure this out together, but the main thing is that we stick together. There is no reason to panic. We are hoping to have a solution to showering soon. I’d be happy to take anyone’s questions now.”

“Well, what happened to the water in the first place?” a woman asked, somewhere to the right.

“We’re looking into that, and we should have answers for you soon,” Arun lied.

I was torn as I stood and watched. I understood exactly why she was lying to them. Telling them the truth would start a mass panic. Cloaked Disciples on board, poisoning their water and tampering with their air, would put everyone on edge and having neighbor accusing neighbor.

Then why was I so disheartened by it? I would do the same thing in her position. It just left a bad taste in my mouth to lie to so many people.

The meeting went on with more questions asked and answered. By the time we were done, the colonists of Kronos Five weren’t exactly happy, but it seemed they understood what was going on and that it was being worked on now.

Ricky caught my eye as the meeting was adjourned.

“What?” I asked.

“So that’s it?” Ricky motioned to the space around him. “That’s all there