“No, you’re not prisoners,” Clarissa responded. “It is just prudent that we take appropriate safety precautions while certain tests are run.”
“You’re worried about diseases,” Andrea said in sudden realization. “After what happened with the Spanish Flu, you’re not taking any chances.”
“That’s correct, Doctor Oleson,” Clarissa replied. “We may be requesting your expertise in this matter later. We believe our decontamination procedures are now effective against contagions such as your flu. We would like to make sure.”
Captain Simms and his marines left, and Jason found that they were alone for the time being. “Let’s get these suits off. We may be here for awhile.”
“Jason, do you know what this means?” Lisa said with excitement in her voice. “This base is fully active and has Federation survivors in it. We can learn so much from them.”
“They could teach us their science and manufacturing techniques,” Adam said with a nod. He had so many questions he would like to ask. “We could move forward a hundred years in the next decade with their help.”
“If they’re willing to help us,” Greg said, shaking his head in doubt. “And if they are willing to help, why have they stayed hidden all of these years?”
Everyone stared at Greg, wondering about what he had just said. There was a mystery here; one that needed to be solved. They had found the base and, more importantly, had found survivors from the Human Federation of Worlds.
“They seem to know an awful lot about us,” Jason said, turning to face Lisa. “How can that be?”
“I don’t know,” replied Lisa shaking her head. “Obviously they have been listening to our communications, but how did Clarissa know that Andrea is a doctor?”
“From what Clarissa said they evidently found a cure for the Spanish Flu,” Andrea added, her eyes taking on a thoughtful look. “Depending on when they found the cure, there could have been more survivors than we originally thought.”
“Let’s get out of these suits and change clothes,” suggested Jason, walking toward the door at the far end of the room. “We won’t know what’s going on until we talk to this admiral of theirs.”
Jason also wondered about Lieutenant Addison and Professor Tennyson, who were still back in the shuttle. He had a suspicion the two would be joining them shortly. There were a lot of questions he would like to have answered.
Chapter Nine
It was less than two hours later when a nervous looking Lieutenant Addison and Marvin Tennyson were brought in by the marines. The marines said nothing, just left the two and departed, locking the door behind them.
“Tough looking group,” muttered Greg, staring at the closed door.
He didn’t like having an assault rifle pointed at him. It still felt as if they were being held prisoners. Those marines were clearly not to be messed with.
“Commander Strong,” Addison spoke with relief in his voice at seeing everyone else was okay. “Those marines came into the landing bay. A female voice came over the com system ordering us to leave the shuttle and go with the marines. I didn’t think we should resist.”
“You did the correct thing, Lieutenant,” Jason responded with a nod. He was relieved there hadn’t been an incident. “The people on this base are in charge now, we just have to wait and see what happens.”
“But who are they?” asked Greg, walking over to stand next to Jason. He had searched the room very thoroughly. There was no way out except through the door they had come in through. “They don’t seem very friendly.”
“Obviously survivors from the Federation evacuation fleet,” commented Doctor Oleson, looking thoughtful. “They seemed to be well organized and were waiting for us. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are a lot more.”
“That was Clarissa that spoke to us,” Lisa added, still excited to find that the other AI had survived. “She is as intelligent as Ariel and just as capable.”
“If Clarissa survived, that means the Vindication is here somewhere,” added Jason, looking meaningfully at Greg.
“Did you get a close look at those assault rifles their marines were carrying?” continued Greg, folding his arms across his chest. Those marines hadn’t acted very friendly, and that worried him. “We don’t have anything similar that I am aware of. Those weapons were designed to do some major damage at close range.”
“They obviously have a security force of well trained marines,” Jason responded. He looked over at Greg. “They have acted very professional, which shows a high level of training.”
Greg nodded his head in agreement, realizing Jason was correct. He knew those marines had only been doing their job. “A major part of their military must have survived. I wonder just how many of their warships are inside this asteroid.”
They were interrupted as the door to their holding area opened and a man and a woman entered. The man was wearing a dark blue military uniform, and the woman was dressed in a colorful blouse and pants. The man was of average height with brown hair and obviously spent a lot of time working out. The woman was a brunette and very striking.
“Hello, I am Keela Ryson the chief medical officer for this facility,” the woman spoke in a friendly voice. Then, indicating the officer, she continued. “This is Colonel Runess, our Chief of Security.”
“We’re pleased to meet you,” Jason said, his eyes sweeping over the two. He noticed quickly that neither of the two were armed.
“How come you’re not wearing some type of protective suits?” asked Andrea, stepping up next to Jason. “Are you not worried about possible diseases we may be carrying?”
Keela’s eyes focused on Doctor Oleson, and then she smiled. “No, we’re not anymore. At least not here in the base. Everyone in the base has been inoculated against Earth diseases; we have been for a number of years now. We have also been analyzing the air inside this holding facility to detect any airborne pathogens that you might be carrying. We have found nothing that could be considered dangerous.”
“Then why all the precautions?” asked Jason, recalling all the decontamination procedures they had gone through in the airlock.
“Just standard precautions, now,” Keela replied. “I am sure Doctor Oleson understands. We also want to make sure there are no new microorganisms in your systems that we’re not protected against. Several nurses will be in shortly to take blood samples from each of you to confirm that. They will also be inoculating all of you against diseases we may have that you would have no immunity against. I can assure you we have nothing close to your flu. Colonel Runess and I will go through decontamination immediately upon leaving here as a precaution, even though I suspect it isn’t actually necessary.”
“How long will we have to be in isolation?” Andrea asked, curiously. “I assume we will have to stay here until all the tests have been run.”
“About 72 hours,” Keela replied with a friendly nod. “That will give time for the inoculations to take effect. Perhaps by then the admiral will be ready to see you.”
“Who is this admiral we keep hearing mentioned?” Jason asked. “Even Clarissa mentioned him.”
“Admiral Hedon Streth the founder of this base,” Colonel Runess answered in an even voice.
“The founder of the base,” Greg broke in, his eyes growing wide in confusion. “That was nearly 100 years ago! How is that possible?”
“That’s correct, Mister Johnson,” Keela replied with a mysterious smile. “He has been in cryosleep for much of that time. This will only be the fourth time we have awakened him.”
“Cryosleep?” repeated Doctor Oleson, looking confused. “Is that some type of suspended animation?”
Keela laughed and nodded her head. “In a way. We have learned how to lower the body temperature to greatly slow the aging process.”
“The admiral is very important to us,” Colonel Runess added. “If not for him, none of us would be here.”
“Can we get a message out to Ariel to let her know we’re okay?” Jason aske
d. “Our people back on the Moon will be worried about us.”
He didn’t want their families to be upset. He knew how his sister and Greg’s wife would react if they heard contact had been lost with the shuttle. He remembered how they had reacted when contact had been lost with the New Beginnings mission.
“That is being arranged,” Colonel Runess replied with a slight nod of his head. “Clarissa will send a message to Ariel reporting that you all are okay as soon as the admiral approves it. She will use an encrypted Federation code that your military will not be able to break if it is intercepted. There will also be some very explicit instructions for Ariel. We don’t want word of this base to get out. I believe your Colonel Greene will understand.”
“You seem to know a lot about our people,” Lisa said, looking at Colonel Runess and feeling perplexed. “How is that possible?”
“We have some spy satellites in orbit around both the Earth and the Moon,” Colonel Runess answered, shifting his gaze to Lisa. “We also have a direct line to Ariel that she is not aware of. Everything she has done and found out about all of you since the Avenger was discovered has been transmitted on a secure line to our base.”
Jason nodded. He had suspected something like this for awhile now. It was the only explanation for some of the things these people seemed to know. It was a surprise to realize that these people had been watching the Earth and the Moon both. Jason wondered how long this clandestine surveillance had been going on.
“These satellites must be made of some type of stealth material or we would have detected them by now,” Lieutenant Addison commented. He knew a little about stealth technology from his training in the air force.
“That’s correct, Lieutenant,” replied Runess, nodding his head. “We thought it best that your world not know of our existence. Now that may have to change.”
“I will call my nurses in. They can draw the blood samples as well as inoculate you against our diseases,” Keela spoke. “Then, in a few days, we can let you out of here and answer some more of your questions. For the time being, I would suggest that you take it easy and rest. You may feel some slight nausea from the inoculations, but it shouldn’t be anything serious.”
“One more thing,” added Colonel Runess, looking thoughtfully at Jason. “Ariel has named you commander of the Avenger. That’s a very positive development as far as we’re concerned. She would not have named you her commander if you weren’t qualified. I will mention that to the admiral when he awakens.”
Colonel Runess and Keela left, and two nurses entered the room. They were carrying the instruments needed to draw blood as well as to give the inoculations.
“Damn,” Greg muttered. He didn’t like needles.
One of the nurses smiled and indicated for Greg to roll up his sleeve. She was holding what looked like some type of automated syringe. Why do I always have to be first, Greg wondered?
-
The next day on board the Avenger, Ariel was surprised when a message from the direction of Ceres was received by one of her repaired communication devices. She was elated when she realized the message was from Clarissa. For a moment, Ariel felt immense relief at not being so alone. Clarissa had survived! After receiving the message and the orders it contained, she sent for Colonel Greene.
Colonel Greene arrived in the Command Center and was surprised to see that no one was inside. He had strict standing orders that at least two people were to be in the Command Center at all times. Looking at the main viewscreen, he saw Ariel staring at him with a mysterious smile. What’s going on, he wondered?
“Why is no one on duty in the Command Center, Ariel?”
“I sent them away, Colonel Greene.”
“On whose authority,” he asked confused. This was unlike Ariel. She had been extremely cooperative recently. She also enjoyed having people in the Command Center.
“I have received new orders from Ceres which I must obey.”
“Ceres!” exclaimed Colonel Greene, his eyes widening. They had lost contact with Commander Strong the day before. Had they managed to reestablish communication?
“Was it Commander Strong?”
“No, sir, my orders come from a higher authority.”
Colonel Greene felt a chill run through him. “Who?”
“The orders originated from the Federation base inside Ceres and were sent by Clarissa, the AI of the light cruiser Vindication. The orders must be obeyed unless countered by the commander of First Fleet.”
“First Fleet?” Colonel Greene asked confused. What was happening on that asteroid? “I don’t understand.”
“First Fleet is comprised of the warships that escorted the civilian ships to this solar system. They are all that remains of the Federation space forces. The fleet is under the command of Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth.”
“This admiral is still alive?” asked Colonel Greene, feeling uneasy. He suddenly realized that the humans on the Avenger were no longer in charge. What did all of this mean?
“Yes, he is. He has been awakened to handle the situation with our shuttle and Commander Strong. Commander Strong’s people are inside the base and are all safe. There can be no word of this conversation to anyone, Colonel Greene. All you are allowed to say is that contact has been reestablished with Commander Strong and the mission is continuing. We will be contacted later with additional updates and orders.”
Colonel Greene sat down in the commander’s chair behind the center console. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The Federation base on Ceres was intact and obviously operational. He let out a long breath and gazed at Ariel. The young woman on the screen was silent and looked serene, almost happy. She’s back in her Federation again, Colonel Greene realized. He wondered what all of this would mean. For nearly an hour, Colonel Greene sat thinking about the ramifications of what Ariel had told him. His world was about to change again. The Hocklyns were in the future, and there was no doubt that this base on Ceres and this admiral would play a huge role in what was to come.
-
The 72 hours passed rapidly, and Colonel Runess and Keela returned to the detention area. They called the detainees together to let them know the results of their medical tests.
“According to our tests it is safe for all of you to leave this room,” Keela began with a smile, knowing how hard it must have been for all eight of these people to be left in detention with so many unanswered questions.
“The first thing we want to do is give all of you a tour of the base,” Colonel Runess explained. “Once you have realized what we have accomplished here, you will meet with Admiral Streth for a debriefing.”
“We will divide you into two groups,” Keela continued. “Professor Stern, Doctor Oleson, Professor Tennyson, and Mister Simmins will come with me. The rest of you will be going with Colonel Runess.”
“What are we going to see?” Greg asked, thrilled at the prospect of finally getting out of this room. He had spent nearly four weeks in several small rooms on the Avenger, and this had reminded him of that.
Colonel Runess smiled slightly looking at Greg. “I have been told to take you to the light cruiser Vindication. I would think you would like to see what an intact Federation warship looks like.”
Greg’s eyes widened. This was like a dream come true. “Let’s go!”
-
They made their way through numerous corridors, and as they went deeper into the base, they started to see more people. Many were dressed in military uniforms, but quite a few were obviously civilians. Some doors were open, and they could see people working. They were operating equipment and doing other jobs, which mystified the group. Most of the equipment they were operating was unlike anything on Earth. In some of the more sensitive areas, marine guards were posted and they were not allowed entrance.
“Once you have spoken to Admiral Streth you may be allowed into some of those departments,” Colonel Runess commented when asked about what was being guarded. “Even here on Ceres we have secrets that nee
d to be protected.”
“What happened after your fleet became infected with the flu?” Jason asked, curiously. “We know it had spread to some of the civilian ships.”
Colonel Runess was silent for a moment. He hadn’t been alive at the time, but his parents had told him about the horrors and hardships many families had faced.
“It was a bad time for everyone,” he said with a sad forlorn look upon his face. “The civilians thought they had found a new home, one that was safe from the Hocklyns where they could start over and raise their families. Earth was so much like our home planets.”
“But some of your people became infected with the Spanish Flu while they were down on Earth and brought it back up to the civilian fleet,” spoke Jason, recalling what Ariel had told them.
“Yes, we had no immunity to this flu virus,” Colonel Runess answered with a far away look in his eyes. “We had diseases on our home planets, but nothing like your flu. Hundreds became sick and then started to die. The disease spread rapidly. The admiral ordered all the sick to be quarantined on four civilian vessels in an attempt to halt the spread of the disease. In the end it took six ships, and we lost thousands.”
Everyone had stopped walking and were listening raptly to the colonel. “Thousands,” Lisa repeated in a poignant voice.
She could imagine the horror. Families being split apart in an effort to stop the disease. Husbands, wives, and children becoming infected and having to be taken away from those they loved. It would have been a nightmare.
“In the end, we lost 18,000 of the 40,000 civilians that were part of the fleet,” Colonel Runess said in a somber voice. “When we reached Ceres, there were nearly 300 suicides from family members who had lost nearly everyone. It was a very bad time for the fleet.”
“But you managed to survive,” Jason commented. He didn’t know what he would have done if faced with the same situation the Federation survivors had found themselves in. “You overcame the disease and managed to build this base.”
Slaver Wars 1: Moon Wreck Page 15