Chapter 14
Paul decided to wait till his current batch of people in the rejuvenation tanks were out before making a trip back to Earth for more. In the next four days, seventeen people would be finishing their treatment. He prayed they would all decide to call Verron home. He knew he would have to make an exception to that decision for General Zarman, who he would bring to Verron about the time his Mother and Uncles would be coming out. Then each day after that, there would be more. Amber, who checked in on her Mother and Grandmother every day, pointed out something that had not even crossed Paul’s mind. Asking, “Papaw, you do realize that Mom, Donald and Crystal and from the looks of the others, everyone else in those tanks, will not be able to wear the clothes they arrived in, nor will they want to.” Paul had forgotten just how much his ex-wife and his daughter loved to shop, and he doubted the shopping gene was absent from any of the other women, and the men would not fit into their clothes either. His brother had been 300 pounds, he was now a good solid 170. He was certain they would all prefer a younger and better fitting style of clothing. He directed the problem to Tlase and Zimuel who informed him that there were plenty of male and female uniforms available that they could wear until something else was arranged. He had them show him the blue Xhondarian style work uniforms from the warehouse. It reminded him of the outfits on Star Trek. He thought his Mom, with her red hair, would look like Dr. Crusher. He smiled thinking, “Dr. Crusher was a fine looking woman.”
Paul was enjoying getting back to his routine, even if it was only for a few days. He felt bad about not spending more time with his Nephews and great-nephews and nieces. Amber and Hunter had taken very well to the younger cousins and they were exploring Mountain City together. He had no doubt that they already knew their way around it better than he did. Hunter and 99 had begun wearing the language translator helmets designed so 99 could communicate with non-Cronari speakers. The two of them had been taking Paul’s small transport loaded with Marcus, his three children, Daniel and Amber out to the Ship Factory every morning. While the cousins played in the simulator room, Marcus would walk around speaking to Lucy through a communications link built into a small ear piece. He would start at one end of a ship and work his way to the other, discussing every item. Then he would find a quiet place on the ship and attach a neurological interface and allow Lucy to download information about the ship directly to his brain. After it was over, Marcus would walk back through the ship and everything he didn’t understand before was now perfectly clear. He would often ask Lucy, “Where were you when I was in school?”
Hunter, Amber and 99 had instructed Katelyn, Chase, Daniel and even Tala on how to use the simulators. They kept telling Tala that she was too little, but she wouldn’t hear it. She would keep reminding them that she was as big as 99. Today was a momentous day. Both Hunter and Amber, in only one week, had finally reached the Level 10. Chase, in the four days he had been there, was already at a 7 and Katelyn and Daniel were both making consistent 6s. Tala was just having fun, so no one paid any attention to what her score was and didn’t even bother to track it. While they were standing around discussing their scores and congratulating Amber and Hunter, they looked in shock at Tala’s simulator. Xhondarian designed simulators were a perfect sphere that rode on an electromagnetic levitation field. Inside the cockpit it looked and felt exactly like every other Xhondarian made spaceship, with one major exception, there was a headset that operated as a neurological interface attached to a teaching computer programmed to record your every move and thought pattern and to feed into your brain exactly what should be done. Without the neurological feed, learning would have taken months, even years. Since it was in an electromagnetic suspension, the sphere had completely unrestricted range of motion. You could do barrel-rolls, tail slides, inside and outside rolls, Chandelle, even a hammerhead stall turn, 360s and 180s. As the other kids looked on, Tala’s sphere was rotating in virtually every direction possible. Over the hum of the electromagnetics they could hear the delirious laughter of a 9-year-old having the time of her life.
That evening, there was going to be a celebration supper for the two high scorers. Paul, being a man of his word, asked Lucy, “How many Speeders are ready and fully operational?” She answered, “Two; the one you gave 99 and one at the plant.” Paul did not want to do that to 99. He may have made a promise, but he would never ask 99 to sacrifice his Speeder, but he had also made a promise to his two grandchildren. He thought a moment and then conferred with Dalhia. The two of them called 99 aside before supper and asked if he would be willing to trade his Speeder for a Class X Fighter, adding that he would the first pilot on Verron to be assigned one of the new ships. If he smiled any bigger you could have seen his tonsils; that is if he had tonsils. Paul thought a moment and added, “Ninety-nine, how would you like to be the first official member of the Verron Air Force?” This time Paul imagined he did see his tonsils. His ridiculous hooved dance was hilarious. Paul had never seen Dalhia laugh so hard. Then she got a somber face and told 99, “If you’re going to be a Fighter Pilot and a member of the Air Force, then you will need a rank to go with it Lieutenant.” Paul actually saw a small tear in 99s eyes. He told him, “In a few days the new General of the Verron armed forces will be here. He will be your commander, and I expect you to obey his every command. He will teach you things about being a flyer and a soldier that I never could. If you let him teach you, you’ll learn more than just how to fly a Fighter, you’ll learn how to win a war.”
During dinner, Paul announced 99 being the first appointed Officer in the Verron Armed Forces. He was absolutely beaming as those around him applauded and congratulated him. He had come a long ways in a short time. Paul realized that his genetic engineering had created a being with exceptionally high intelligence and unbelievable strength for his size. Tlase was studying his genetic design to try and see if the enhancement units and regeneration units could be used on him. He was already far smarter than an unenhanced human. He was like a sponge when it came to learning. Show him once and he had it. Paul hadn’t seen him at Jxansa Gha, but Xhing Li and Gljarne had been working with him and claimed he was beginning to control that lightning speed and reflexes of his and become a darn good fighter. Paul told everyone that 99 would hold the rank of Lieutenant and as soon as General Zarman got situated, they would decide on rank insignias to be used and uniforms. Then Paul announced that Hunter and Amber had officially qualified as Speeder pilots and that tomorrow morning they would both receive their own Speeder. That produced an eruption of, “What about us and that’s not fair and can we get a Speeder too if we can make a 10.” Paul knew he had opened a major can of worms, but since these were the only children on Verron and they were related to him, he knew he really did have to be fair. He sat silent for a moment acting like he was upset because they had the nerve to ask, and looking to see what kind of reaction he was going to get from their parents sitting at the table with them. He finally looked at Marcus and said, “Marcus, it’s your Spaceship Plant, how long do you think it would take you to have three more Speeders ready.” Marcus, getting the drift of where Paul was going with this, answered, “It will all depend on how much help I can get finishing their assembly.” Before he could even finish, Chase, Katelyn and Hunter were volunteering to help, Daniel jumped in almost immediately and Amber nodded her agreement to be part of the plan. Tala half screamed and half cried, “What about me? I want to help build spaceships and get my own too.” Marcus and Paul, never comprehending the promise they were about to make, made a typical adult decision based on the fact that they figured she was too young to do it anyway. Paul said, “Of course you can help, and when you’re big enough you can have your own Speeder too.” That seemed to satisfy this demanding 9 year-old dynamo.
Paul went for a late night run after dinner. It was actually beginning to get pretty dark at night and in the mountains the light from the two suns was often blocked. He ran using his night vision enhancement. It was a real challenge since it did c
hange depth perception a little. He found himself often running right past some scared animal that couldn’t see him in the dark. When he got back, Hunter was waiting on him in the kitchen. It seemed everyone knew that Paul was starved after a hard run, so he was often stalked in the kitchen by those who needed to talk to him. Hunter looked down in the dumps. “What’s up?” Paul asked. Hunter leaned back in his chair and said, “In two more days Mom, Grandma and Donald finish their treatment. Tlase says that it takes another couple of days to get full use of your muscles after being unused so long and to get use to the fact that they work better than they ever did. What if Mom wants us all to go home? Amber and I talked and we both want to stay. I’m old enough that they can’t make me go back, but Amber would be crushed if she had to go home and I didn’t go with her. Is there anything you can do? Josh hates you and Mom isn’t about to leave him just to stay here. I feel almost sick. I want this, waving his arms to indicate Verron, so bad I’m becoming obsessed. I never felt like I belonged anywhere as much as I do here, and I know Amber feels the same. Will you talk to Mom and Grandma and make them understand?”
Paul thought a moment about how much he loved and respected this young man and how badly he hoped he would be a part of his life on Verron. He told him, “I have some pretty big plans for Leona and Donald and I’m certain both of them are going to be a part of Verron. I think your Grandma will be a big influence on Renee. I also have plans for your mother and Josh that far exceed anything they will have on Earth. I’m hoping that after he sees for himself the changes in Renee, Donald and Leona that it will get through to him that he is better off with me than fighting against me. I don’t hate Josh by the way. The hatred is all one sided, in fact I appreciate the fact that Josh cares so much for his wife and family and tries to protect them, however, his blind hate may make it difficult for him to make the right decision when it comes to his family living on Verron. I promise I will do everything in my power to change his mind.”
Amber drug into the room about the time Paul finished speaking, gave him a squeeze on the shoulder and said, “Thanks!” Paul knew then that she had been listening to the entire conversation but was too hesitant to ask him about it herself. He had to admit, neither of them knew him very well, but at least Hunter had been around him for five years before he disappeared from his life. Paul stood up and told them, “I think we are all three in bad need of therapy.” Amber replied, “Now you sound like Mom.” Hunter nodded his agreement and Paul laughed as he opened the side-by-side freezer to retrieve a fresh ½ gallon of his second favorite ice cream; Blue Bell Banana Split. He placed it in the middle of the table along with syrupy nuts, cherries and fudge topping. His friends had polished off the Magic Shell and his Mocha Almond Fudge. He got bowls and spoons and said, “Ice Cream Therapy.” It always works for me; look how sane I am.” Amber rolled her eyes and Hunter laughed but didn’t agree.
They were halfway through the ½ gallon of ice cream when Hunter asked, “How come you always run by yourself? Do you have a hard time keeping up with the others? Amber and I have been running on the lower trails below Mountain City and looked up to see them doing what they call freestyle running. There’s no way we could keep up with them, could we run with you?” Paul felt a little embarrassed and a bit arrogant thinking of how he would answer. He promised he would always be honest with people so he answered, “This is probably going to sound a bit boastful, but they don’t run with me because they can’t keep up with me. I would love to have someone to run with, but no one seems able or willing to run where I run.” Hunter asked, “Where do you run?” He replied simply, “Robert’s Range.” Amber looked at him and commented, “Might have known. If no one can keep up with you on the fighting floor, why should they be able to keep up with you on a run? So you’re saying you freestyle run in those huge mountains?” Paul smiled and told her, “I actually mix freestyle running with freestyle climbing. It’s dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or if you run out of energy at the wrong time.” Amber suddenly blurted out, “We just wanted to spend some time with you before we have to go back to Earth. I want to get to know you, so I can form my own opinion of you and not someone else’s. Hunter has good memories of you from when he was younger, I have none.” Paul was almost in tears, but managed to hold it back. He knew they both saw how watery his eyes were. “I’ll tell you what, how about tomorrow morning after breakfast the three of us take the transport and we’ll go for a hike. I’ll show you one of the prettiest valleys on Verron. I’ll even pack some lunches and we can make a picnic out of it. Hunter, be sure and bring that camera you always carry around in your backpack. I’ll bet you’ve got a hundred pictures to show your friends back home; don’t think they will believe you do you?” Paul left the dishes and the empty ice cream container on the table; he loved drones. He told them both goodnight and headed for bed.
At breakfast the next morning, Hunter and Amber were already sitting at the table when Paul arrived. The kitchen table was almost full. Paul thought, “When those in the tanks come out, he will need to move to a larger eating room. At least until they have places of their own.” He made one of Hunter’s favorite meals from when he was five. Skillet fried toast with an over-medium egg cooked into the middle of it, potato cakes made from left over mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits and gravy; not exactly low fat or low cholesterol, but very filling and delicious. They threw sandwiches and sodas in a cooler and headed for the hanger. Paul decided to sit in the crew seat behind the pilot/copilot seats and let Amber and Hunter fly. This would be the first time for either of them that they flew through the Robert’s Range and not over it. Paul made certain to take them through the widest passages possible. As Amber gazed out the window at the solid walls of rock, steep cliffs and ravines, she commented, “So you run through this stuff. One day I want you to show me how. I’d love to try it.” Paul said, “If you are able to stick around, I promise I will teach you everything I know.”
Hunter landed the transport in a small clearing about 50 yards from a beautiful waterfall and a crystal clear lake. It was surrounded by tall trees and colorful flowers. When they walked by the lake, it was so clear that they could see fish very much like trout, except they were at least four feet long. Hunter took out his camera to take pictures of the waterfall and the rainbow that was formed by the mist. He took pictures of the fish in water so clear there was no distortion of the image. They walked down the steep grade following the creek that flowed out of one end of the lake. There were all kinds of wildlife either watching them or running from them. Hunter got photos of most. At the bottom of the hill it opened out into a clearing. They were walking across the clearing following the creek when they noticed something move to their left. In a moment an animal that looked like a bear, but was the size of bull elephant, entered the edge of the clearing and was looking at them. Paul told them it was called a “Tree Bear.” Not because it lived in the trees and not because it climbed trees, but because it ate trees. Paul joked, “It’s sort of like a 10 ton beaver.” Hunter moved closer to get a better picture and Paul assured him that they are usually not aggressive. However, this was not usually. When Hunter was about 40 yards away, the 20,000 pounds Tree Bear charged after him at a speed that defied the laws of physics. Hunter turned to run, but the behemoth was closing fast. He tripped on a rock in his path and crashed to the ground and looked up just in time to feel the breath from the bear’s mouth. Suddenly the ground under the bear exploded and 10 tons of raging bear went flying through the air and crashed into the trees fifty yards away in a loud collision with shattering timber.
Paul and Amber ran to Hunter’s side. He stood up and dusted himself off, unharmed. Paul looked to the Tree Bear now stranded and trapped upside down in a tangle of broken trees. He looked at Hunter and Amber and said, “Stay here.” He raced to the sight of the flailing animal and began to toss enormous sections of broken trees to the left and right, uncovering the bear. The bear, still on its back, was as helpless as a turtl
e in the same position. Before their eyes, Amber and Hunter watched the elephant sized bear rise from the ground and rotate 180 degrees to its feet, gently descending to the ground. Paul walked over to the confused animal and scratched it under its huge jaw. It was then that he noticed three young cubs cowering in the bushes a few yards away. When they saw that their mother was alright, they came swiftly to her side. They were at least 200 pounds, but obviously very young. One of them came over to check out Paul and got a scratch behind the ear. He looked up to see Hunter and Amber standing close behind him. They followed his example and made friends with the upset mom. Amber even took out some fruit from her backpack and offered it to the cubs. They scarfed it down instantly and sniffed her pack for more. Obviously one piece each was just a tease. Paul looked the she-bear over to make certain she had no injuries and directed Amber and Hunter to follow him back to the trail by the creek.
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