The Christmas Star Disaster

Chapter 4

"I guess we might as well shut off the power transfer beam," Jonah said as Glen approached the huddle.

"Actually," Glen said. "If it's not causing any problems, I think you should leave it for now. It's a nice little symbol of hope for the passengers. Even if only a small handful can see it."

"We'll leave it up as long as practical." McLaughlin shrugged.

"I'm heading back to my passengers, but I really need a way to communicate with all the ship. Can I ask you to make the comm system a priority?"

"The trouble is, half our battle is identifying which relays need to be replaced. It's all going to be a little random."

"Okay. What about alternate ways to communicate?"

"We're very busy here, Mr Price. We don't need any distractions from getting the systems back on line."

"It's going to take hours to get everything back on line regardless, right?"

"Yes."

"So, let's just accept that, and give a little priority to helping me reassure the passengers."

McLaughlin let out a long breath. The emergency lights have independent power supplies. They also contain speakers, so they emit alert tones." She began to pace. "Maybe we could set up a system that lets you easily upload and play new tones. They way, you could speak to people in short segments, with only a minor delay between sentences. The quality wouldn't be good, but you could get a message out."

"Wonderful."

"That's a lot of messing about," Jonah said. "I really think we need all our time and effort focussed on the relays."

"No, Glen is right," Miller said. "Get this up and running for him."

Jonah nodded.

"Thank you, Captain."

*

The Lido deck seemed the appropriate place to send out his message. Glen gazed up at the star. He knew the technology behind it. He knew it was just a shuttle and a bright light. But in that moment, it became something else for him. A symbol of Christmas. A symbol of hope.

A crackle came out of the emergency light units.

"Cruise Director to terminal One-Beta-Nine." Sarah McLaughlin's voice.

Glen carefully walked through the crowd until he reached the location of the terminal. He opened the panel revealing a computer terminal with a physical screen and keypad. He plugged a small power pack that McLaughlin had given him into a slot and the terminal came to life.

"Here goes nothing." He selected a control to record a new alert. "This is the cruise director, Glen Price. Please do not be alarmed."

He pressed the button to upload and play, chuckling at his use of an alarm to deliver such a message.

"There has been a failure in our power system. Our engineers are hard at work rectifying the situation, but it will take many hours to get everything working."

Upload.

"I want to stress that you're not in any danger. Life support has a redundant power supply so heat and oxygen will not be a problem."

Upload.

"But we're in for a dark and silent night. We had a fun evening of music and lights planned for you, and I apologise that this will no longer happen."

Upload.

"In fact, I take personal responsibility. It was an idea of mine that caused the problem."

Upload.

"But, guys, it's still Christmas. We don't need loud music or flashy shows. This is a season to come together."

Upload.

"So, here's what I want you all to do. Find a group of people. Those nearby. Find somewhere safe and comfortable to sit."

Upload.

"And I want you to tell each other stories of Christmases gone by. I want you to sing carols to each other. If you're near the Lone Tree Pub, I'm sure the bartender, Brian, has some of his famous stories to share."

Upload.

"I want you to make this a meaningful time. Because in years to come, when you look back on this cruise, on this night, you won't remember the planned entertainments you missed."

Upload.

"You'll remember the connections you made. The friendships that were sparked. The shared humanity."

Upload.

"So, everyone, let's make this a Christmas Eve to remember."

Light applause wafted across the lido deck. It was impossible to know how people were responding on other parts of the ship, but Glen had faith that it was similar.

"Thank you everyone, and please, have a very merry Christmas."

*

Glen stood near the teleport chamber as passengers, laden with suitcases, made their way off the ship. He gave each a smile.

"Thanks for making Christmas Eve special, Glen." A middle-aged woman said as she passed.

"That Christmas night reminded me of my youth," an elderly man said.

"I'll never forgot those stories we shared," said a man in his thirties.

"That star looked amazing," a teenage girl enthused.

In the distance, past the crowd, Glen spotted Doctor Clark. She gave him a thumbs up and a huge grin. Glen smiled back. For the first time, he knew what kind of cruise director he wanted to be.