Memories from his great-grandfather lead Mazatl to a critical realization. (Prompt: 021 Pack)
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Hear the Signs
The sound of the water dripping was almost enough to drive him mad. Hadn't Yale said that this was supposed to be an unusually cold and snowy winter? If that were true, they shouldn't be having so many nights where the temperature stayed above freezing.
With a harsh sign, Mazatl turned over in his cot and pulled the pillow over his head. He'd never understood why Yale was so sure about the Leap Winter idea anyway. After all, it was young Ulysses — and Alonzo — who had direct lines to the Terrians. But even they had never wintered over on G889 before. This was new territory for all of them on the Eden Advance team.
But you can see the signs if you pay attention, whispered a voice in the back of his mind. You don't have to see the wolf pack to know its size. You need only see its tracks.
That whispering voice sounded more like his great-grandfather than he cared to admit.
His family had been among the first emigrants to the station, as they'd been workers and supervisors on the construction crews. It had meant less debt than many other families, but it had also meant that many of their traditions pre-dated the amalgamated, homogenous culture that had developed once the majority of humanity had left its world behind.
Our people were different, Great-Grandfather had insisted. We never lived in competition with the world to begin with. And even now, it speaks to us. As a young man, charged with keeping track of the old man, he'd spent hours in the remote sensing labs. His ancestor had been determined to pass down the old Earth-based lore.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Mazatl grimaced into the pillow. Trying to lose himself in memory wasn't going to work, especially given that the memories weren't all good. Being different wasn't an advantage on the stations, especially when it came to esoteric topics.
Even if our knowledge of the world that created us is academic now, Great-Grandfather had once said, it still needs to be preserved. Learn to read the signs. The world will speak if you but listen. Are you listening, young one?
Yes, he thought sourly in response now. But all I can hear is the water dripping outside despite it supposedly being a harsh winter. It should be ice. Why doesn't it freeze?
Abruptly, he sat up and pushed the covers back. Yale had clearly said that tonight was going to be the beginning of another cold snap, and had cautioned Walman about wearing extra layers when he went out for his late patrol. The water should be frozen. Why wasn't it?
He switched on a lumalight, but that proved unnecessary when his feet hit the ground and discovered that it was soaked with something that didn't smell like water at all.
"Damn it!" he yelled as realization finally hit. "Danziger! Baines! Wake up! The generators are leaking coolant!"
They raced around to the other side of the bio-dome and, sure enough, all three generators were in the first stages of overheating. Baines swore a blue streak as he threw switches and scrambled underneath. "Shankin' insulation's been chewed off! What the hell got hold of —" he broke off, shaking his head. "We're going to need to patch 'em and then pack something around them until I can re-insulate properly."
Mazatl thought quickly. "I have some polyfill in my supplies."
"Perfect. Find me a couple hoses, too, will you? We can cut them apart to make the patches." Then he straightened up. "How'd you know the coolant lines had ruptured?"
"I heard dripping and smelled the coolant."
"Nice job, Maz," said Danziger. "This would've been a lot worse if we hadn't discovered it until morning. It's good you were paying such close attention."
"I…" he trailed off. "The signs were clear, once I noticed them."
You don't have to see the wolf pack to know its size.
You didn't need to see generator leaks to know they were there, either.
Somewhere, he knew, his great-grandfather was laughing.