Chapter No.13.

The crew remained more contemplative during the journey to Titan. However, their concern became more elevated when they saw the terraformed moon up close.

"You were right about the oxygen," Margaret told Carl. "The level is up to what we would experience on top of Mt. Everest. We'll still need oxygen masks, but that's it. The temperature is still low, about 90F below zero."

"Amazing!" Carl reacted. "It's amazing how quickly they caused all of these effects. Unfortunately, they inadvertently caused all sorts of timeline problems to do it."

"I assume that we're going down there," Alice said.

"Yes," Carl said. "We need to get more environmental data. Besides, we can get more photos to send back to Mission Control."

After gathering up needed sensing devices, cameras, thermal suits, oxygen masks and tanks, the crew went up to the hanger deck and boarded the shuttle. After decompressing the hanger, Carl began the careful maneuvering to get the shuttle out of the hanger and in position to fire the engines to send it down into Titan's atmosphere.

The flight down was without much buffeting from winds, probably because the atmosphere was so cold it was almost frozen, especially at higher altitudes. Carl brought the shuttle down near a lake where the ground was level. After putting on their oxygen masks and gathering up equipment, the crew set foot upon the frozen surface of Titan. The weather was calm with only a slight breeze that barely stirred some strange looking large leafed plant stocks.

"How the hell are these plants growing here at this temperature?" Alice asked.

"They must like the cold," Janet said. "Maybe they came from a cold planet as seeds."

Carl didn't say anything until data had been recorded and photos taken. That's when he said something that surprised them. "I want to get a photo of all of us standing together with the view of Saturn behind us. I can set a camera to take it remotely like a selfie."

Janet stared at him for a moment before reacting. "Why would you want a photo that would make us look like we're on a vacation?"

"Just humor me. Oh, and remove your breathing masks. We can tolerate low oxygen for a few minutes."

They hesitated at first, but then removed their masks and gathered around him with Janet and Margaret on his right and Alice and Janice on his left.

"Everyone smile!" Carl ordered before he activated the camera to take several photos.

Once it had been completed, he went to the camera to make sure it had captured what he wanted.

"So, why did you want this?" Margaret asked.

"I want them to realize that we know what they're up to without actually confronting them."

They stared at him as if he had gone bonkers, but eventually they understood.

"You are the sly one," Janet said with a grin. "You know that they'll put the photo out to the world and never realize what your real reason for making it was."

"Yes," he said with a grin. "It's my way of secretly thumbing my nose at them."

"I still don't understand why anyone would want to come here. It's too damn cold."

"It's the idea of being out in space without the inconvenience. Only moguls with plenty of cash can come here."

"Collectively, we're like a mogul," Janice said.

"Yeah, but we're working on a mission, not on a high-priced vacation," Janet said.

"What gets me about all of this is the fact that they're not concerned about timeline changes," Alice said. "I would think they would be frightened by the idea."

"Maybe they don't really know that they're changing the timeline," Carl said. "They might be ignoring small changes. Remember that we're aware of it. They're not."

"They're out of their gourds!" Janet exclaimed.

"Well, I suppose it's the way big organizations work. They plod along believing that they're under control, not realizing that they aren't."

No one could dispute that. The crew gathered their equipment and returned to the shuttle. Carl piloted it up into Titan's atmosphere and then cruised around so that they could get a last view of the amazing moon.

"In a way, this moon is probably one of the most beautiful places in the solar system," Alice said. "I could easily see why people would want to come here."

"They'll have to spend big bucks to do it," Margaret said.

Carl piloted the shuttle back up to the Explorer and parked it in the hanger deck. After the hanger was compressed, the crew was able to exit the shuttle and climb down to the quarters deck. The women returned to their bunks to rest while Carl went to the command center and began the process of uploading the photos they had taken on Titan. He realized that he wouldn't get any response back from Mission Control for at least an hour and a half, but when he did, even he would be surprised.

Carl was running diagnostics on the ship when he got a response from Mission Control. When he read it, he laughed, which attracted the women's attention.

"What's so funny?" Margaret asked him, half smiling in sync with his reaction.

"Read this," he told her, pointing at the message on the screen.

"You are the hit of the internet. Your group photo has become viral on several platforms. Your good work will earn you bonuses."

"How much?" Janet asked.

"What?" Alice said. "They're happy with what we did?"

"It sure seems that way," Carl said. "This is not the reaction that I assumed I would get."

"Well, I'll take the cash," Janet said, grinning. "We sure as hell deserve it."

"Evidently, they don't care about the effects that their idea caused," Janice said. "Money trumps everything."

"Amen to that," Carl reacted. "I suppose we'll just have to forget about trying to reform them."

"In a way, it probably doesn't matter in the long run," Alice said. "Apparently, there are an infinite number of timelines. The fact that we were able to jump to several of them does not change the fact that they exist and are running at the same time."

"You're probably right," Carl said. "Hopefully, we can stay in this timeline, or at least realize that we're in it. We need some way to convince them that there are timelines and that their terraforming process resulted in timeline changes, In the meantime, our job is to get back home without any problems."

No one could argue with that goal.

However, it was time for the crew to shut down the deck wheels and get into their G-chairs for an engine burn. It made them grouchy and full of anxiety.

The suffering lasted for an hour, but it accelerated them out of the Saturn system and on a path to home, and when it was done, they dragged their abused bodies to their bunks to rest.

Be that as it may, the biggest problem is boredom, a serious malady for those confined in a spaceship hurtling through space at close to five hundred thousand miles per hour without experiencing any physical feeling that they were.

It wasn't until the next day that they all gathered at the command station. Carl, of course, was already there checking to make sure that the ship was on course for Earth.

"Any new messages from Mission Control?" Alice asked.

"They verified our course and warned us about a comet that's working its way through the solar system near Jupiter."

"Are we in danger of being hit?" Janet asked.

"I'm still running the data on that. I don't think so, but I won't know until I get the computer run finished."

"What would we have to do to avoid a collision?" Janice asked.

"We would need a correction engine burn. The good news is that we could ride it out in our bunks."

"Well," Janet said slapping her hands to her thighs. "I think I'll go on a run." She stood up and trotted off.

The other women joined her. Carl noted their departure but continued his scan of the region of space they were headed for. After several minutes, he noted their run past the command station. He bit his lip to avoid smiling when he noted their breasts bouncing, He assumed that they were doing it to tease him, but he realized that it was mostly because NASA had failed to include bras as part of their stingy wardrobe.

His attention was diverted when he noted something moving on the main screen that was displaying in front of the ship. It glistened in the dim light of the Sun. It seemed too bright for an asteroid. Maybe it was part of a probe. He thought about sending a message to Mission Control, but he wouldn't get a reply in time. Fortunately, it wasn't on a trajectory to collide with the ship.

His attention was again drawn to the women running past the command station, but this time he was astounded by the fact that they were minus their clothing. Were they doing this to prank him? He decided to avoid any reaction to their provocative behavior. However, the sight of female flesh in elastic vibrational motion was very interesting in a sexually entertaining way. He considered it a perk for having to put up with them.

Janet noted his momentary attention and smiled. She felt that her female assets were all she had to provoke a reaction from him even if it was only a sign of amusement.

Margaret also notes his attention. She realized that her provocative actions were probably irrational, but it made her feel free.

Alice was goaded into doing it by Janet. She felt embarrassed but she did it anyway. She often fantasized about running naked.

Janice did it because she wanted to be like the other women, but she realized it was the result of boredom.

Carl entered data into the computer system to avoid colliding with the object. The sudden correction rocket blasts made the women fall.

"Sorry about that, but we were going to collide with a metallic object from a probe," with only a brief look back at them lying in disoriented pile on the floor.

They got back up and Janet walked over to him. "We didn't mind." She grinned. "Do you like our new fashion style?"

"Yes, I do, but I doubt it's in NASA's approved dress code."

She laughed. "Very funny!" She turned and ran off to join her astronaut sisters.

Carl smiled to himself, avoiding laughter, which would only instigate them to be even more provocative.