He stood dead in his tracks. The Alien Cabal looked over at him and their telepathic communication stopped. “The Arwen has returned?” He asked.
They all sent him the same reply. Yes, we now doomed.
******
Fran sat uncomfortable behind the large table in the conference room. This was where they would meet to discuss any crises. This is where she first remembers seeing Kel. She remembered that day so well it was as if it had just happened. She was standing here while the Professor and Captain Cook talked. He stood behind the Captain looking strong and a bit annoyed. Professor Ricter had that effect on people before he warmed up to them, and even after that he could still have that effect on people.
She recalled clearly how handsome he was, standing tall in his uniform. His skin was what really drew her attention. It was dark with a slight red tinge to it. He was born on Mars, which is why his skin was red. It had something to do with skins pigmentation adapting to the increased amount of radiation Mars got on a yearly bases. It didn’t matter though, she thought he was the most perfect man she had ever met. He told her later that they had met before that meeting but she was too busy yelling at the Professor. He told her on the first night they had made love that was when he fell for her. She knew it was probably just talk, just something sweet he wanted to tell her to make her feel good. But, whatever the reason she had fallen for it and loved him even more.
The door opened and in walked Professor Ricter followed by Juliet. She was very shocked to see both of them. Last time she saw either one they had taken a walk together and never returned. She felt her hands start to sweat and her heart race. She knew she could lie to the Corps, tell them that Captain Cook died and they had no other choice but to return. She could spin a story of how it was Commander Pippleton who decided it would be best to leave and head back Ulliam and how he too died during the journey when half the crew mutinied and wanted to go back. They would believe it, they wouldn’t question her but the Professor knew her. He knew her well enough to know she was lying.
She whipped the sweat from her forehead and stood. Juliet walked over to her and gave her a hug. Professor Ricter just looked at her, eyeing her, judging her. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile on his face. She would hate to play poker with this man.
Wordlessly he sat across from her and placed both his hands on the table, palms down, looking at her. She smiled, “Professor, it’s good to see you alive. We had no idea what happened.”
“Our story is interesting; I hope to share it with you one day. But, I would like to discuss this story, the one you told the Corps.”
“I didn’t know I was on trial,” she replied trying to remain calm. Everything in that report was a lie. A lie she and the surviving crew agreed to tell. Did one of them cave in? Did one of them tell the truth? No, if that happened it wouldn’t be the Professor here talking to her, it would be someone there to arrest her.
“You’re not,” Juliet replied sitting next to Professor Ricter. She reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it the way she used to hold Kel’s hand. “Professor Ricter needs to know what happened, he needs to know how she died.”
Placing her own concern aside for a moment she looked at the Professor more carefully. He was still looking at her with a stern face, rock solid, unmoving. His eyes never left hers and as she studied them she saw how moist they were. How red around the edges they looked. Had he been crying or was he holding back tears now?
“I thought it was all in the report.”
“I want to hear it from you.” He said as Juliet squeezed his hand.
“You two are together?” Fran asked, unable to keep the question inside her head.
“We’re engaged,” Juliet replied with a half smile.
“Wow.”
“We’ll discuss that later,” Professor Ricter snapped. “Tell me what happened to the Captain.”
“Well. We arrived on this planet where we were supposed to stay the rest of our lives. Pretty soon we ran out of medicine for her Fullerton’s and before long she wasn’t able to move. We all took turns taking care of her, making she sure she was comfortable and then, one morning when I went to check on her she had died.”
There it was, a twitch from his lip and his eyes softened as if holding back something. He was deeply hurt by the news, he had to be. Him and the Captain were more than just friends, they treated each other like family. Hearing about her death would devastate him. It would also make him ask more questions. He had the kind of mind that needed to know answers to questions and he would not stop until he understood everything. “And what happened to the crew? Why did you decide to return?”
What did she say in the report? Suddenly her mind was blank. Keeping track of the lies was hard. She knew the Professor had to have read the report and if he hadn’t he would soon. He would comb through every detail looking for some hope that she was lying. Looking for some clue which would allow him to call her a lair. She did her best to recall her story. “The decision to come home wasn’t unanimous. It was split down the middle and once the emotion of the moment passed those who wanted to return tried to take over the ship.”
“And that is when Commander Pippleton died?” Professor Ricter asked.
“Yes, he was one who wanted to keep going and he was the first one killed. They came after me and there was a huge firefight, in the end I guess I won but it didn’t feel like much of a victory.” That part was true, the crew did rebel and she did have to fight them back. “I had the dead bodies spaced with honor.”
“Including the Commander?”
“Especially the commander. He saved my life.” Did she place that in the report? She couldn’t remember, it was something she wanted to put into the report to make it seem more authentic.
“Well, that’s a fascinating story,” Professor Ricter said. “I really hope the computer collaborates with what you said.”
Fran didn’t understand the statement. She had purged all the logs that were kept, she had wiped the system of everything. He must have known that, she reported Captain Cook had ordered it after they arrived to be sure it didn’t fall into the Handler’s hands. “You won’t find much.”
“Oh, we know about the Captain’s orders to purge the computer. That seems like something she would do. But, the Arwen is always alive, always recording, always keeping track of things and once we get her sentient we’ll know the full story.”
“What do you mean sentient?”
Juliet spoke up this time. “We were able to share technology with the other survivors of the Handlers. One of them helped us with a program that give ships sentient minds, almost making them seem human.”
“It’s a simulation,” Professor Ricter said. “But the personality of the ships come from the logs and other files that has been stored inside its walls. The ships are always on, recording, seeing, observing. Once the program runs it uses that information as its memory and can recall anything ever said or observed, even if the databanks have been erased.”
“We’re getting the Arwen ready for it now,” Juliet replied.
Fran sank deep in her chair. They would know the truth. They would know everything and all her hard work and reputation would be lost. She started to cry. “All I wanted to do was go home.”
“I know,” Professor Ricter said, his voice softening. “So, why don’t you start telling the truth and let us know exactly what happened?”
Chapter twenty-nine
Marjorie grabbed her electronic binoculars when she saw the bright light appear in the early morning sky. She had hoped that maybe it was a star going nova or some other natural occurrence. Something other than what experience told her it was. She didn’t want them to come for her, she didn’t want them to find her, she had hoped that whatever tale Fran had spun would be enough to keep them away. But, here she was, looking at the sky and seeing a wormhole slowly dim from existence. She couldn’t see the ship, but she knew it had to be a corps ship coming to get her.
Of c
ourse, it could be a totally different race that had discovered wormhole technology. It could be a chance for her to meet someone else, make first contact, become their friends and maybe move onto exploring the galaxy again. She tried not to get her hopes too high. She reached into her back pack and pulled out the communicator. Her hand hovered over the on button, did she really want to turn it on? If she did they could find her easily, if she didn’t they could still find her with a simple planet scan but it would take a lot longer. With a sigh she decided it would be best if she turned the communicator on, if just for a second, to see if they were calling her.
The device came to life with a crackle and a few seconds later she heard a voice. “Captain Cook, this is the Arwen, please respond.” The voice, she was happy to recognize, was Professor Ricter. A weight seemed to lift off her shoulders. She had worried about him, wondered what had happened to him. Leaving him was the hardest thing she had ever done and every day she wished she hadn’t. Hearing him sent a wave of relief through her body. A joy she never thought she could feel filled her heart with warmth. She pressed the button and said, “Professor, it’s so good to hear your voice again.” She felt the tears well up inside of her as she spoke the words.
His reply was brief, “Captain, it’s good to hear you as well.” She heard the same relief in his voice, heard the same joy she felt in that one sentence.
The next voice she heard was familiar, but she didn’t recognize it right away. It was female and sounded very chipper. “Captain, Professor Ricter can’t talk right now. I think he has something in his eye. This is Juliet, er, I mean Ensign Monrow. I used to be the Sensor officer on the Arwen.”
“Yes, I remember you. Are you still a crew member?”
“Not exactly. The Professor will explain it when we land. He’s getting himself ready, we’ll be down shortly.”
“I look forward to your visit. Marjorie Cook, out.” She turned the communicator off and sat on the ground, thinking about the day she was about to have.
After a few moments of reflection she stood and did her morning stretches. She found they helped with the muscle cramps and the Fullerton shakes. It also helped her pass the morning and get her ready for the next walk of the day. Ever since she had been left alone on the planet she decided to go back to doing what she had before the crisis, which was mapping the world.
She was thankful she downloaded all the maps the Arwen had made before it left. It made her job a bit easier and it made her steer clear of any natural barriers she might encounter. So far the planet didn’t seem to have large oceans or long rivers. Most of the water seemed to be in the ground in underwater streams and rivers. She had wished she asked for a deep scan probe to prove her theory and now she might have that chance. To get to know this planet better, to live the rest of her life here would be a joy.
She finished her stretching and grabbed her pack. She smiled when she thought of Professor Ricter. He was alive, he was alive and well. Nothing could break her good mood knowing her closest friends was alive. She found she missed him, missed his sarcasm, missed his mood swings, missed the debates they would have but most of all she missed his support. She knew that support was going to be important when she told him she wasn’t going to leave the planet.
Her muscles felt warm and ready to go so she took her first steps into the new day. It would take the Arwen a while to reach the planet if they followed standard procedure she figured they would arrive sometime at night. Plenty of time to walk around, planting markers and making detailed maps.
As she walked around, planting a marker every mile or so, she couldn’t help but wonder if she should give the planet an official name. She never thought they’d find her or they would come for her so she never gave it much thought. Everyone at the settlement wanted to name it after her but she refused. Maybe if she named it after the Professor he’ll be more willing to listen to her request to stay. He always wanted a planet named after him and now he had his chance.
She had to laugh at this as she walked along the wooded path. The trees above her swayed gently in the cool breeze. She was moving north and, according to her map, into a higher elevation. There were no mountains on the planet, not like Earth, but there were many challenging hills she needed to walk. Her legs were strong now, stronger than they had ever been. In fact, she felt as if she were in the best shape of her life. She knew the Nanobots, now totally out of her body, had helped her grow the muscles but she also knew that her constant walking helped keep then strong. Strong muscles seemed to keep Fullerton at bay, or at least in a sort of slow remission. It wouldn’t last for long but until it stopped her she was going to take full advantage of her newly found mobility.
For the rest of the day she kept looking at the sky, waiting for the shuttle to come down for her. She had kept her communicator on so they could easily find her but she heard no call. Perhaps the Professor was just trying to give her some peace for what he thought would be her last day on planet Ricter.
She laughed hard and said out loud, “Planet Ricter! HA!”
She found a nice open space and sat down. She looked up and was able to see a small light as it moved across the motionless stars. That had to be the Arwen, they would be here soon. She gathered some wood and made a small pile. From her pack she pulled out her old laser gun and it set it torch. The wood quickly caught fire and before long she had a very nice and warm fire going. She gathered some more wood and placed it next to her then she folded her legs in front of her, leaned back on her hands and watched the sky for the shuttle.
Her communicator beeped, she didn’t pick it up and instead simply let it go. They were trying to find her and answering wouldn’t make any difference. Then she saw it. A series of small lights heading toward her growing larger second by second. She heard the sound of the shuttles engine, loud and whinny as it grew closer. The wind kicked up as it slowly lowered itself onto the ground no more than a hundred yards in front of her. The fire she had made pushed some of its smoke into her face.
The back of the shuttle opened just as she stood. She saw a tall man, the unmistakable figure of Professor Ricter stood there looking at her. He wore his usual suit and tie with a pair of black pants. Marjorie walked up to him and he walked out from the back. They were still a good distance apart when she saw someone else walk out from the shuttle. A woman, young, a bit shorter than the Professor and skinny. Marjorie recognized her right away as Juliet, her one time scanning officer.
Her heart filled with joy as she met with Professor Ricter. He placed both hands on her shoulders and pulled her into his chest, giving her a tight hug. “I thought you were gone forever,” he said. His voice cracked with emotion.
Marjorie’s eyes filled with tears and she found it hard to speak. When she finally did talk she said, “And I you.” That was all she could say.
Juliet stood to the side smiling. She too had to wipe some tears from her eyes and it was then that Marjorie saw the ring. She pulled away from the professor and said, “You two are getting married?” She then laughed and it felt better than any laugh she’s ever had in her entire life.
******
The night passed by quickly. Professor Ricter told her the story of how he and Juliet escaped the Handlers and how he ended up meeting the alien Cabal that had formed from the survivors. He told her of how it took him a while to convince the Corps the threat of the Handlers were real and they needed to build a defense force unlike any they’ve built before. It was only after the cabal showed them holograms and other images of the Handlers attacking their home worlds did they finally take action.
“Then,” he continued, “I had to convince the aliens to stay and help.”
“How did you do that?”
“I made it clear that helping us was their best chance to remove the Handlers as a threat. I also threatened to use their technology to help us. They didn’t seem to like the idea of us using their technology without keeping an eye on it and, after a lengthy debate, agreed to help. They’ve been
upgrading our computers, weapons, shielding, everything we might need to wage a war with the Handlers.”
“All we need now is time,” Juliet said.
“Yes,” Professor Ricter replied. “Time we lost when Fran brought the Arwen home.”
“What happened to her?” Marjorie asked. She felt actual concern for Fran, even if she did betray her. She knew Fran and the others were being manipulated by the Handlers. They were weak to give into it but they couldn’t betray the human instinct to return home.
“She’s facing some very serious charges. They may have made it home but none of the crew is going to have freedom for a very long time. Everyone is being help culpable for stealing the Arwen and murdering Commander Pippleton. The Ulliam government wants to hold the trial on Ulliam and it looks like that’s going to happen. If you return you could testify.”
There it was, the request she knew they were stalling to say. The offer to return to Earth and the hero who will set things right. “I’m not going back,” Marjorie said. “This is my home now and I plan on staying here until I die.”
“That could be in three hundred years,” Professor Ricter replied.
She laughed a humorless chuckle. “No, Professor, I’ll die at a normal age. Well, a somewhat normal age since the nanobots probably added forty years to my life.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
Marjorie told him the story of her hurried run to the colony. How she worked the nanobots out of her body, how they all died trying to keep her going, trying to keep her alive. He listened intently. She missed how he listened to her, how it seemed her every word was the only thing that existed in the world. It was the key to his success and she could easily imagine him in school listening to his teachers, absorbing all the information given to him, craving more.
The Arwen Book two: Manifest Destiny Page 23