But what about somebody like Ed? What’s it like for someone like him to know that we’re totally dependent on machines that are fundamentally beyond his comprehension?”
“I don’t know if you’ve ever had occasion to visit that part of the ship,” Lamont was saying, “But it’s bloody incredible. One moment you’re looking at something that is at least vaguely familiar, a machine or instrument that has an evident function, even if you don’t know precisely what it is. Then, lift a panel or pull a bit out and—” He made an inarticulate gesture with his hands, waving them in front of his eyes. “Completely inscrutable. Totally alien. No clue what it does.”
“What’s your point?” Rosemary asked, her words muffled by the food that stuffed, squirrel-like, into her cheeks.
Lamont shrugged, his eyes idly watching the bustling activity of the observation deck. The bar, where they were sitting, was the only part of the deck that was still usable for eating. The area behind the bar had been stacked with boxes of nonperishable food supplements from storage. “I expect to be baffled by technology, if it’s sufficiently advanced,” the newspaperman shrugged. “It’s not shocking for me. But what about somebody like Ed? What’s it like for someone like him to know that we’re totally dependent on machines that are fundamentally beyond his comprehension?”
“Terrifying, I’d wager.” Rosemary gulped down her food and tore open a third protein bar.
Lamont looked at her with a bemused expression. “Aren’t those being rationed?” He asked.
“Aye, but I was off-ship for nearly two days,” Rosemary explained, taking a large bite out of the dense brick. “Anyhow, I’m ravenous.”
“Didn’t you have anything to eat in the tower?” Lamont asked.
“Sort of,” Rosemary answered. “There’s this fruit that grows there, something a bit like an olive. We’ve found that if you start to feel a bit hungry, popping one in your mouth will fill you up.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that. You’re too full to eat a second one.”
Lamont looked down at the half-eaten supplement bar lying on the countertop in front of him. “We should bring some back here,” he suggested. “A little variety would do no harm.”
“Oh, if only I were a scientist with a modicum of curiosity!” Rosemary bemoaned. Then she rolled her eyes. “I put a couple of ‘em in my bag so Milo and I can run them through the lab. Speaking of which, I should get going. I overslept.”
She hopped off her stool, wiping crumbs off her uniform shirt.
“I’ll come with you,” Lamont said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to Faust.”
“Brilliant,” Rosemary said, picking up her medical satchel. Then she turned her eyes toward the protein brick that Lamont had left behind on the bar. “Oy,” she asked, “Are you going to eat that?”
Space Ozempic. The new Tang.