SWNOVELS Chapter 16: Star Map
Tom just lay there and watched her. The sheets rose and fell with her every breath. Dust motes swirled in the sunbeams, as they drifted in heralding the morning sun. Joan’s eyes flickered and she smiled, catching Tom at what he felt was a guilty pleasure. A sense of voyeurism came over him and he glanced away, a bashful look on his face.
Then a slender hand reached out and stroked his arm. “I should get a pen and do dot to dot on you.” Joan joked, as she continued with her gentle stroking. Tom did have an unusually large number of moles spread over his body, and he stiffened with a recollection of his father now passed on. But as he now recalled, suffering from the same blemishes on his skin.
The alarm rang, and Joan was up and in the shower, before Tom had time to recover from his reverie. “Don’t forget I’ve arranged that meeting with doctor Pitt”, she called from the bathroom. And Tom forced himself to get up. After all, you didn’t go messing up a job interview your girl friend had set up. Especially if it meant you could spend your days with her, as well as the nights. He was up and followed her in to the shower, while Joan was dressing and readying her self for another day, at the Edwin deep space research centre. “Now don’t forget it’s eleven o’clock sharp, in the main reception” Joan reminded him, as she kissed Tom goodbye at the door. Tom spent some time tidying the breakfast things. Then he went over the notes he had made for his interview with doctor Pitt.
The new worlds mission space telescope project, was a monumental undertaking. And a sudden interest in exoplanets, now the colony ships were being constructed, meant a windfall in the project’s budget. They needed a bigger team to help, with all the data coming in from the satellite. Results were wanted, and they were wanted quickly. Tom just hoped he could join the supply, for the required demand.
At ten he was out the door, and cycling towards the Edwin deep space research centre. By the time he had locked up his bike, he was just five minutes early. So he spent the time remaining in reception, examining a display of a sky tower recreated in crystal. It was impressively accurate, and stretched to the ceiling twenty feet above. “Pleased to meet you Tom.” Doctor Pitt strode across the lobby offering Tom his hand. They shook, and then the doctor led Tom back towards the offices. “Joan has been telling me of your thesis on neutrino stars, and the dangers of galactic jump drives.” Tom beamed, and inwardly swelled with pride, that Joan had prepped the doctor on his pet subject. “It’s a very rare phenomenon, but one which I think should be accounted for in astro-navigation.” And on they went, as if the two men had been discussing such topics for years.
Doctor Pitt had an easy way of putting you at ease, which Tom thought was probably why he was head of the new worlds mission space telescope project. “Well I certainly think you’re the man for the job Tom.” Eric as Tom now knew the doctor informed him, and with a handshake that was it. The formal paperwork could be signed in due time. Meanwhile Tom would be coming in with Joan the next day, to start work. Tom spent the afternoon making a celebration dinner. When Joan arrived back, she was beaming with the good news, for doctor Pitt had already given it to her. Tom took her in his arms and they kissed, until gasping for breath Joan broke off first, to pant her congratulation to Tom. “You really impressed Doctor Pitt. Let’s get that cannelloni, and then have an early night. Got to be fresh for the morning.” She led Tom by the hand to their kitchen.
The sun broke through their window, as Tom and Joan stretched and yawned. Although they had got an early night, they were too excited to sleep much. So Tom stumbled in to the kitchen, to make them coffee and waffles, while Joan hit the shower first. They were soon ready, and Joan took the lead, while Tom cycled behind her. When they got to the Edwin deep space research centre, they chained both their bikes to the same post, interlocking both their chains for double protection.
“What we have here”, explained doctor Pitt. “Is a deep field shot from the new worlds mission space telescope, from six weeks ago.” He indicated the screen behind him. “And I need you to use the various techniques available. Such as shadowing, light intensity drop, and of course orbital pull, to give us a hit list.” “Do we need to apply spectrographic analysis of the atmosphere?” Tom asked. “Yes all the information you can get on the exoplanet, atmosphere, orbit, gravity, distance. Anything you can get. The better picture the colony ship program will have, for the most efficient routes out there. Like bee pollinating the stars. So I’ll leave you with it.” With that he left Tom to his task. Over the world thousands of researchers like Tom, were busy re mapping the skies. With the latest tools mankind could build.
By lunch Tom was feeling the dark of the screen. With only the tiny pinpricks of light from the stars the exoplanets orbited, to give contrast to the gloom he had to concentrate on. When he met up with Joan in the canteen, it was like a breath of fresh air. “How’s your morning gone?” She asked. Placing her hand on his, and an intense look on her face. The look on Tom’s face told it all, and the realisation almost shocked Joan.
Tom tried to put in to words, what they were both feeling. “I think concentrating on a dark screen may be it. The work is just so interesting, but don’t you think all those dark skies pull you in, like an oppressive magnet? I kept having to look round the room, to readjust when it got too much.” As Tom had explained it, Joan had been able to give retrospect to a deep feeling, that she too had been experiencing. “I never thought about it like that. After work, I’ve always had a relaxing bike ride to free me up before I got home.” She looked in to his eyes. “If you don’t want to carry on, I’m sure doctor Pitt would understand.” “It’s not that, a minor thing like that.” And he trailed off with a blank look in his eyes. But the look of concern on Joan’s face snapped him back.
With animated excitement, Tom explained the idea he’d just had. “Why don’t we just invert the colours at this stage. We can still pick out the planets.” Joan let it sink in for a moment. Then beaming she cried “Aren’t you a clever boy.” Clasping Tom’s hand anew she continued, “Let’s try it this afternoon and compare notes.” So setting off with a spring in his step, Tom got back in his office. Where he adjusted the settings on his screen. Immediately the room brightened up, and he set to work again.
At the end of the afternoon Eric dropped by, to see how Tom had got on. A little fazed by the inverted screen colours, he compared the progress Tom had made in the day. “It looks like you have improved in the afternoon Tom. That was a good idea of yours to invert the colours. Well see you tomorrow; I’ll have your contract to sign then. So if you drop by my office; I’ll see you then.” He left Tom to meet up with Joan in the lobby. Beaming she gave Tom a hug. “That was a great idea, I feel much more relaxed. How did you get on?” They swapped notes as they collected their bikes to go home.
The week seemed to fly, and by Friday Tom had made good headway with his workload. “We’ll have the back log cleared in no time, good work.” Eric commended Tom, when he dropped by to wish Tom a good weekend. “See you on Monday.” Tom leaned back on his chair, glad to be here at this exciting time. “Penny for your thoughts”, Joan popped her head round the door. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Tom swivelled on his chair to face her fully. “Just counting my blessings love. Come over here so I can get my best in hand.” Giggling she swayed her way over to him.
Saturday morning found Tom in bed, watching some magpies through the window. They were fighting over a morsel, while Tom listened to the gentle sighs of Joan, as she dozed. “You’ve got Messier sixty seven on your left shoulder.” “Pardon dear?” Tom wasn’t sure if he had misheard Joan. Or if she was mumbling in her sleep. But with conviction she said it again. “You’ve got the star cluster Messier sixty seven. It’s there on your left shoulder, picked out in moles. I’ve never realised before, but with all that colour inversion we’ve been doing this week, I’d recognise that cluster anywhere.” Tom could see her reflection in the window, as she traced the star cluster with her index finger. There was an intense look on Joan’s face, as she found more star systems. “There’s Canis Minor, and here’s Procyon.” Joan turned Tom over, as she picked out more astronomical objects, from his neck down to Tom’s groin. “Why this must be a hundred light years long, give or take a parsec.” “That’s because I’m pleased to see you.” Then Joan put on a serious face. “Tom we’ve got to get you mapped, this is just too much of a coincidence. Do moles run in your family?” Tom thought, “My dad sure had a lot I suppose.”
By now Joan was routing through a draw. “Ah here it is, just stand there and cool your ardour.” She had a camera in her hand. “If we take this to work, I don’t want to lose my job over improper images.” Tom did as he was told, and soon Joan had got his whole body mapped, with a myriad of images. “Do you think doctor Pitt will approve of this use of facility time?” Tom was suddenly concerned. After all he had only been in the job a week, and Joan wanted him to goof off on some idea she had. Standing like a professional photographer, Joan got one last shot of Tom, arms akimbo with the concerned look on his face. “One for the album. We’ll just not tell him until we get any results.” “If we get any results,” corrected Tom still sceptical. “Besides which” Joan rode over him. “We’re ahead of schedule; so think of this as extra curricular activities.”
Over Sunday Joan worked on their home computer, trying to patch the photos together. “I can see it works, but we’ll need a morphing program at work to get exact correlation between the systems. And then we can compare it to the actual pictures, from the new worlds mission space telescope.” Tom was impressed, and he handed her a cup of coffee he had just made. Still he though, if this is not some flight of fantasy Joan was on, what does it all mean? Was he destined to map the stars by the genetic badge he had been given, or was he as Joan seemed to be suggesting, a star map in his own right? That night while Joan slept the sleep of the innocent, Tom lay awake pondering just what he was, and where he fitted in to the world. No forget the world, where he fitted in to the universe. He finally nodded off, and had a dream of being a globe slowly rotating. While schoolchildren would point out bits of him, and giggle.
Tom’s eyes flickered open, and he followed the arc of Joan’s back. Up to her smiling eyes, as she too was roused by their alarm. “First dibs on the shower” she lazily called. Tom headed for the kitchen. “Are you sure its a good idea to do this?” Tom enquired over the breakfast table, wiping a crumb off Joan’s cheek. “Not getting cold feet are you dear? Look I’ll do the work, and if doctor Pitt catches me, I’m sure I can explain it. Besides I’ve been there ages, they’ll not pull me over the coals for this.”
Assured by Joan’s confidence in the plan, Tom followed behind, as they cycled in to the institute. “All refreshed and ready to go again?” Doctor Pitt greeted Tom, as he headed for his office. Tom beamed; and opening the door he called over his shoulder. “I certainly am. I hope to get some interesting results this week.” He wasn’t sure if this enigmatic reply hit a spark in doctor Pitt, by the look the doctor gave him. Perhaps it would draw attention from Joan, who would be busy on those photographs.
At lunch Tom had to hold himself down, as he strode up to Joan. She waved him down to a seat and leaned in, least some one should overhear. Then in muted tones she began. “I morphed the photos, and it seems to be a perfect fit.” She did a double thumbs up. “Have you though about comparing it to the original?” Tom whispered back. At this Joan beamed even more. “You look like the cat that’s got the cream.”
Eric had just sidled up behind Tom. And the guilty look on Tom’s face was swiftly replaced by one of pain, when Joan kicked his shins under the table. “Is it cramp again love?” She leaned over to Rub Tom’s leg, and Eric drifted off to chat with other researchers. “Sorry dear, I had to put him off the scent. And don’t give me that mock hurt look, I’ll kiss it better tonight.” Tom immediately dropped his frown, and leaned in keenly. “So what have you thought of to compare the two maps?”
After a brief look about, in case any more well-wishers should approach. “I know it would be a needle in a haystack search, to cover the whole area. After all, it’s just a hunch on a freaky coincidence. So to speed it up, I thought I’d flick between the two maps. To see if anything flashes off and on.” “Vive la difference” Tom exclaimed in amazement; then he looked at his watch. “We’d better get a bite to eat. Got to keep that noggin of yours well fed.”
After lunch Tom strolled back to his computer, and continued his search. Wishing he’d had the nerve to carry out the search, Joan was doing right now. At home time he met her in the lobby. “Wait until we get home honey”, was all he got out of her, before she mounted her bike. Tom tried to judge Joan’s mood from her back, but either she was doing a good job at hiding it, or Tom just was not good at this supposed skill.
They put their bikes away in conspiratorial silence; then closed their front door behind them. “Well”, Tom was at bursting point. Joan sat back on her chair. “There was one difference, on the real map is a star that doesn’t appear on your map.” She raised her hands to indicate inverted commas. “So I did a batch of tests on it and”, she paused. “There is a planet that could potentially harbour human life.”
Tom whooped and jumped up, but Joan just sat there with a strange grin on her face, until Tom had calmed down enough to realise. “Is there something your not telling me?” asked Tom, concern on his face. “I did another test today.” Joan spoke in to her lap, and she took out a pregnancy tester from her pocket. There was a tick in the window on the end. Her eyes rose to meet Tom’s, and a calming smile spread over her face. As she met the look she was so desperately searching for. Tom held her hands, and spoke through his tears of joy. “Then our baby can be born on a colony ship with its parents. Let’s go find its destiny.”