“Time to test my comm link,” Brad said.
He and Felicia were sitting on the sofa in their sitting room. The impromptu going-away party in the Crystal Palace was long over. Tomorrow Brad would go into the isolation area and then, three days later, to the surface of planet Gamma.
Felicia tried to smile, and almost made it.
“Comm crew,” Brad called out. “Please cut the link until daybreak tomorrow.”
Instantly a voice in Brad’s head replied, “Cutting link.”
“Thank you.”
No response.
Doubtfully, Felicia whispered, “Do you think they’ve really cut it?”
Brad nodded, then realized he hadn’t spoken. “Yes. I’m sure it’s okay.”
“You trust them?”
“I have to.”
He got up from the sofa and held out his hand to Felicia. He realized she was trembling.
“It’ll be all right,” he said, trying to sound reassuring.
Her face blossomed into a genuine smile. “Well, if they are watching, let’s give them something worth looking at.”
Brad grinned at her. “And listening to.”
Hand in hand, they walked to the bedroom.
* * *
The chief engineer eyed Brad sourly and said, “Let’s go through it one more time.”
Brad groaned inwardly. All morning long they had made him go through the procedure for safely removing the defecation package without breaching the integrity of his biosuit. Now they stood facing each other, Brad encased in the specially designed suit, the chief engineer in rolled-up shirtsleeves and baggy shorts.
“Didn’t I get it right?” Brad asked.
“One time out of three,” said the chief engineer. “That means twice you got yourself killed.”
“No it doesn’t. Breaking the suit’s integrity for a minute or so shouldn’t be dangerous.”
The chief engineer gave the impression of being far larger than his actual physical size. He was swarthy, shaved bald, with a stubbled jaw and narrow gray eyes. His normal expression, it seemed to Brad, was a disgusted scowl.
Planting his thick-wristed fists on his hips, he countered, “And you’ve been on the planet’s surface so many times that you know that for a fact?”
Brad’s chin drooped. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll do it again.”
The biosuit was necessary, everyone told him. But they didn’t have to wear it, Brad thought resentfully. It was like trying to live inside a sarcophagus. The suit was stiff; it smelled faintly of plastic and lubricating oils. The helmet, shaped like a bullet to resemble the heads of the Gammans, was made of one-way plastiglas: Brad could see out, but anyone outside could not see in, even through the two bulbous false eyes on each side.
Brad went through the removal procedure again, feeling somewhere between indignant and embarrassed.
The chief engineer actually smiled at him! “You got it right two times in a row,” he said. “You might get through this after all.”
Before Brad could recover from his surprise and respond, the man demanded, “Now what do you do with your package of shit?”
“Seal it, bury it, and make sure its transponder is emitting its signal so we can find it and return it to the ship when I leave the planet.”
The chief engineer nodded. “Okay. Now we go through the feeding procedure.”
Brad had an urge to wash his hands first.
* * *
The night before he would leave the orbiting starship Brad called Felicia for the final time.
“How are you?” she asked.
Sitting on the edge of his cot in the isolation suite, glad to be out of his suit, Brad replied, “I’m fine. Everything’s going on schedule. How’re you?”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, honey.”
“I wish I could sneak down there and go with you.”
He laughed shakily. “You could just about fit inside the suit with me. Kinda snug, though.”
“Snug is good,” Felicia said.
He saw that she was struggling to keep a happy expression for him.
“When I get back we’ll spend a solid week alone, just the two of us.”
“That would be wonderful.”
“I love you, Fil.”
“I love you, too, Brad.” She hesitated, then added, “Be careful down there. Come back to me safe and sound.”
“Sure,” he said, trying to appear brave.
“Sure,” she repeated dolefully.
They chatted aimlessly until Emcee’s soft voice interrupted, “Curfew time, I’m afraid.”
Almost glad to end this increasingly painful farewell, Brad said to Felicia, “I’ll call you from down on the surface, as soon as I get a chance.”
“Good night, Brad.” She was fighting to hold back tears, he realized.
“Good night, darling.” He almost said good-bye.