Once again everyone nodded their agreement.

“What else is in limited supply?” Jake looked around at the others. “We don’t know how long we’re stuck at sea, what can we not live without, and how much of it have we got? Food has to be the next priority, after water and fuel.”

“We’re well stocked, but of course supplies are finite,” Silvia leapt in, glad to be back in her comfort zone. “I suggest we close all the restaurants and bars immediately. Anything non perishable should be preserved. The freezers are going to need power, they have to be a priority, no?”

“Agreed. We can’t afford to let any food spoil. Martin, can we keep a supply to the freezers and still cut other non-essential services?”

“Yes, they’re run on a separate supply. They draw a lot of power, but sure, we can keep them running.”

Jake was scribbling more notes on the surface of the table. He had added two more headings and drawn vertical lines between them, creating columns for water, fuel, and food. As tasks we assigned, he noted them in the relevant column along with the initials of the person responsible.

“I know it’s a big job Silvia, but can you organise some of your people to take an inventory of all the food we have available? Then get the head chef to get a team together and figure out a menu that can feed everyone on board three meals a day for at least the next five days, and still have five days food in reserve?”

Silvia whistled through her teeth. “It’s not going to be easy. Five days? With as much again in reserve?”

“I’m not talking fine dining here. We need basic meals, the minimum required to provide everyone with enough calories to live on. Chef will love it, a new challenge.”

“Try and work it so that the frozen stuff gets eaten first. Any freezers we can empty, we can switch off,” Martin said.

“Alright, we’re getting there. This will buy us some time that we can use to work out a longer term plan. I’ll make an announcement, let everyone know what’s happening. Is there anything else we need to deal with urgently?”

“There is one other matter,” Max said. “We need to deal with the dead. There are a lot of bodies down below, people who got caught up in that dust cloud. Grau’s got them in some kind of chiller, but they’re going to go off pretty quick.”

“Your suggestion?” Jake feared he already knew the answer.

“Those bodies should go over the side. It ain’t gonna be popular, I’ll grant you, but for the safety of everyone else it has to be done.”

Jake sighed. “No, you’re right. It has to be done. But it should be done with dignity. I’ll announce a service, we’ll get the minister to say a few words, assuming he’s survived.”

Max rolled his eyes.

“They’re still people, Max,” Jake said. “Many of them will have relatives who have survived. We can’t just dump them over the side like a sack of spoiled potatoes. They get a proper sea burial, even if the service takes a whole day. And nobody is obliged to attend,” he added quickly. “Max, I need you to do what you do best. Get out and about around the ship, get a feel for the mood. Things are going to be hard going for the next few days, I expect not everyone is going to accept that. We need to be ready for problems before they arise.”

“You want me doing community policing?”

“You could call it that, why not. Call it intelligence work if it makes you feel better. You’re head of security, and the way I see it, maintaining the peace is one of the most important things we can do if we are to survive this. But put that weapon back in the locker please, we’re not at war, and I don’t think we need to worry about pirates. Walking around with that on your shoulder is just going to alienate us from the passengers. Martin, can you find whoever is in charge of maintenance and get them to organise a crew to go over this ship top to bottom and check for serious damage? Someone needs to fix the windows in here before we freeze to death, and no doubt the bridge isn’t the hardest hit area. Anything that can be fixed without using power, should be fixed, within reason. Windows, the deck thirteen roof, that kind of thing. Get the place weathertight.”

“Okay, shouldn’t be a problem,” Martin said.

“Great, then I think that’s all for now,” Jake felt relief that this was almost over. “Let’s arrange to meet back here at,” he checked his watch, ”twenty two hundred. That gives us six hours. I want everyone to try get some sleep before then, too, it could be a long night. Any problems, I want to know. Are the internal comms working?”

Martin nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’ll get them back online from the battery.”

“Okay then, let’s get to it. And by the way, I want all of you in uniform. Until we know otherwise, we are all still employees of Pelagios Line, and we need to show that the crew are still running the show.”

Max, Silvia and Martin filed out of the door, leaving Lucya and Jake stood at the table. Neither said a word until the door was closed.

“You did really well Jake, you’re going to be fine at this, really.”

“I’m winging it. Martin can tell, he’s going along with it for now, but he won’t take orders from me forever.”

“What is it with you two anyway?” Lucya tilted her head, looked at Jake with huge wide eyes.

“Surely you don’t need to ask that?” He felt suddenly very uncomfortable.

“Yes, I do. You two used to be such good friends.”

“Oh, hey, I’m taking up your table. You need to get to the maps to plot your course.”

“Don’t change the subject! And I don’t need the maps, I’ll just use the navigation computer.”

“I don’t think any of the computers have power yet. Looks like you’re going to have to work the old fashioned way. What do you think, can you remember how?” He grinned at her.

“Cheeky. You are a cheeky man. I will show you just what I can do with a map. But first I am going to get washed and changed before Martin switches off the water. I might even have a little rest, captain’s orders you know.” With that, she rounded the table, and slipped through the door.

Jake stared at his scrawled notes across the steel surface. He opened a draw and took out a pad of paper and a pen. He began to plan out just what he was going to say to everyone on board.

Eighteen

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN can I have your attention please. Your attention, please. This is acting Captain Jake Noah. Earlier today, Staff Captain Hollen addressed this ship and promised that we would update you with news of how the asteroid we witnessed, has affected the rest of the world. Surely everyone aboard has someone back home they are desperate to hear from. The news I bring is not what you will want to hear, but I am not going to lie to you. So far, we have not been able to make contact with anyone back on land. It is important we do not draw any hasty conclusions from this fact. It is possible, likely even, that the asteroid damaged radio equipment, or even that the dust and ash cloud which trailed it is casing interference. The only way we can know for sure if there are other survivors, on land, is to go and see. We are, however, limited by our fuel supply. The same fuel that drives this ship also drives all the services, including power and light. Tempting though it may be, we cannot just sail off and start our search, we must plan ahead carefully, to make the most of our resources.

Although this ship is large, it does carry only a finite quantity of fuel and food. If we wish to survive much further into the future, we must be smart about how we consume both. For this reason, effective immediately, we are introducing a rationing system ship-wide…”

Jake proceeded to announce all that had been discussed, the food and water rationing, the limited use of electricity and heating. He announced that a service for the dead would be held on the deck four rear terrace the following morning, anyone who wished to attend was welcome.