by T I WADE
The island in Australia was where Ryan and Kathy relaxed. They had everything they wanted, thanks to the Australian Government, which received its fair share of cargo arriving every couple of years from Mars, and then from Ceres once Astermine began to purchase the raw asteroid ore from the two private companies on the planet who only had an interest in mining for money, and not the metals.
On every second flight to Mars, America Three joined her sister since there was far more cargo to return from Mars than Ceres, and under command of the Richmond sisters and their husbands, both ships travelled with full cargo holds to the red planet and back returning with thousands of tons of fine treasure.
Apart from one other ship, they were the only ships allowed to return with mostly the Rare Earth metals, and lesser amounts of gold. The silver metals always went up in value, but more than 40 tons of pure gold imported at any one time reduced the world’s value of the yellow metal down by sizeable amounts.
Kathy refused to travel anywhere apart from into retirement, and made sure her husband did the same. It took a year of planning and giving out Ryan’s workload to others, but a year after they had lunch in Washington, they made their home in a beautiful new house on Astermine Island.
Ryan headed back to Base Nevada every now and again for the second year. His last visit was to see the shuttles bringing down the ingots of metal from Mattville II. Martin had joined him on the trip, after Ryan was flown in to Tel Aviv by his new robotically flown private jet.
Like many of the OldGeners, Ryan and Kathy also retired from flying. Even VIN who was far younger than Ryan believed that he was too old to fly, and this job was left to the NextGens.
With Ryan and Kathy went many others of the old crew back to the island. Ryan had again handed out retirement packages, the rest of the diamonds and gold from the cavern below the airfield, and payments from the ingots they had brought back.
Only the very large basketball diamonds remained in the near empty secret cavern underground. There was no market for these, and unbeknown to Ryan would become very valuable sometime in the distant future.
Ryan and Kathy spent much time with the OldGeners as each one decided in which direction to go for retirement.
Bob Mathews was now in his last year or two of fishing. So were Beth and Monica and Bob always joked that his boat was full of geriatric fossils wanting to catch the next big one.
Jonesy and Maggie built a new house on the island. So did VIN and Suzi, but fishing had been their wanted retirement hobby for a few decades now and once Jonesy got what he wanted out of his old boss over a dozen private meetings, headed out with Maggie, VIN and Suzi to plow the fishing grounds shown to them by Bob and his crew.
In their third year of retirement they returned just once to Nevada, were shocked at the growth the base had seen. It wasn’t recognizable anymore, and they scampered back to the peace and quiet of the island. They had left the growth of Astermine to Dr. Smidt, Igor and Boris, and they never went back to space, until both were ready to visit the place on Mars people were dying to get into.
Lunar flew five more flights to Mars and back before she retired at the grand age of 41. Lunar Richmond and her husband returned to the island to spend time with her aging parents. Her husband, Michael Price was also close to his family. Lunar’s son James Richmond Price became America Two’s second commander.
Pluto Katherine and Gary Darwin lasted 6 flights before they retired to the island and allowed Lunar’s second son Mark to become America Three’s Commander for the next twenty years, until both ships were taken out of service due to new, faster and larger ships supplying the ever-growing solar system.
Like their grandparents and parents, a special place on Mars became their resting place many years later, transported there by their sons and daughters. The Richmond family had their special family area in the resting place of all past, present, and future Astermine Astronauts.
The Astermine Crew
With the return to earth, the end of the war of the worlds, many of Astermine’s crew called it a day going to space. Only the dedicated astronauts, astro-biologists and physicists, and others who liked zero gee kept launching into the large black vacuum of a growing society.
Pluto Jane Saunders loved teaching and became the Director of the Astronaut Training School on Nevada Base. Her best friend Hillary Pitt flew with America Two a few times with her friends Lunar and Michael, then joined Pluto Jane to teach.
With the two very competent astronauts in command of the “The Astermine Astronaut Training School” several years later, commissioned many new astronauts every year from many different countries.
Penelope Pitt retired from politics and spent the rest of her life with her family in California where she kept in contact with her old friends and was one of the few who was buried on Earth. She and her best friend’s sister Shelly Saunders purchased a wine farm, and often had competitions on which planet produced the best wines.
Dr. Rogers and Nurse Martha spent the rest of their lives together lecturing about space-medicine at John Hopkins University before joining Ryan and Kathy Richmond on the island for a peaceful last few years.
Dr. Nancy and Captain Pete enjoyed their island home, theirs the first of 37 houses on Astronaut Avenue, which grew around the hill overlooking the main beach of the island and just south of the marina.
Captain Pete gave up trying to produce the world’s first blue shield. It took Homo sapiens another decade after his death to finally achieve the captain’s work. Dr. Nancy visited the Nevada Base Medial Center a couple of times, and was a guest lecturer at John Hopkins a few times. Other than that, they enjoyed each other’s company, their neighbors and were of the many who one day retired to another planet, laying with the Rogers at the Retreat.
Bob Mathews went to space on his last flight and beat Beth and Monica to their resting places on the red planet by a decade. He was taken up by the son of a good friend and placed in his resting digs by a couple of youngsters he had helped teach to fly.
Igor and Boris did not outlast Dr. Smidt, and they were taken up to the red planet aboard the mother ship they had helped design as young men, America Two. They died within a year of each other, and headed up on the same flight. They were some of the early colorful holograph residents outside The Martian Club Retreat. They helped build Base Nevada to become the largest space technological center in the world, and enjoyed what they were doing to the very end.
The Pig’s Snout became a retreat for Matts returning on the flights to vacation on Earth. Ruler Roo’s mother looked after the temple long after her husband’s death, and was buried in the same place she was born, many centuries later. She lived longer than all of the Homo sapiens she had met on her travels.
Roo, Joanne and the boys visited her twice before Joanne joined the gang at the Retreat.
The Matts lived longer than the Tall People and Ruler Roo ran Mattville until his son took over from him a century after the launch of the base. He lived out his years teaching young Matts about Homo Floresiensis and Homo sapiens, Earth Matts and Europa Matts, and making sure that the history of the Earth Matts was never forgotten.
Mattville changed much over time and during Ruler Roo’s later years. He saw many come and go. He watched as generations of NextGeners became adults and commanded expeditions and odysseys deep into the solar system. Roo made many pilgrimages to The Martian Club Retreat to visit his old friends, and play poker, and saw much of the new world where people travelled the entire solar system, fought new wars, met old adversaries, and made new friends, but that is another story.
Jones
It took Jonesy a year before he got comfortable walking around like his partner. With Maggie’s help he was pretty confident standing when the President of The United States pinned the same medals on him that he had received from an earlier President.
Jonesy told the Vice President that day that he and Maggie were retiring from running around the solar system without alcoholic beverages,
and that the Vice President should retire and spend the rest of her life with her family. That was something Penelope’s parents Michael and Penny Pitt would have liked, and he had a great plan for her in California.
Maggie described how proud her parents were of Penelope, and her sister, as Allen and Jamie were proud of their daughters, and when the Vice President asked about Saturn’s future, the Joneses replied that she was already extremely busy, and that was all they said.
The Gulfstream was put into the Astermine Museum in Nevada. Nobody flew such antiquated aircraft anymore, and the yellow aircraft was placed under the wing of the still white “Dead Chicken” each aircraft having the names of its pilots on a plaque for visitors to see. There were also red and silver vintage cars in perfect condition in the museum, old military vehicles, and whole and parts of famous spaceships, returned from space.
As it grew, decades later the large establishment where Hangar Two once stood, became a well-visited museum which held extremely valuable antiques.
Fishing was the order of the day once Jonesy had a dozen very long orderly chats with his old boss back on the island. Over drinks, and as usual General John Jones demanded this and that, and many which made Ryan smile and feel young again. Life without Jonesy would have been very boring in space.
Ryan didn’t really care anymore, his daughters and trusted employees ran Astermine, and he granted Jonesy all his wishes. He signed any papers Jonesy wanted from him, and as he left the last discussion, he watched and smiled happily, as his mischievous ex-Chief Astronaut walked out on the latest robotic legs headed over to continue his discussions with Saturn and Mars Noble, and had a solar system-sized plan ahead of him.
In return, Ryan’s last wish was to be buried with his family on the other side of the Retreat’s cemetery, not the side Jonesy and the rest of his society’s members would be buried in the future.
Noble
VIN and Suzi were younger than most of the others, and enjoyed many years of traveling the waters of the world.
The Noble family was entwined to the Jones family by marriage, and that lasted far into the future. VIN often remembered his younger years and often Suzi was told of the antics he and his partner got up to before they became astronauts. Suzi baked her famous chocolate cake whenever neighbors came over and now named her cake “Rose’s Chocolate Cake”. It had taken her a long time to get over the death of her best friend on America One.
VIN and Suzi enjoyed fishing with Jonesy and Maggie and tied up at all their old watering holes and haunts like the Seychelles to reminisce about the old days.
Thanks to VIN and two more visits into space, much of the work of the future was begun, and then left to a very specialized group of younger astronauts
After a decade of nonstop space flight after VIN, even Mars and Saturn took it easy and moved in close to them on the island.
VIN and Jonesy always knew with a smile why all their grandsons were so busy. They did really miss them, but life’s too good to worry about all the youngsters’ futures. They were already doing far better than they ever had. Also, the grandkids always visited them when they visited Earth.
VIN and Suzi Noble had never asked for much, had enjoyed their work, had many stories to tell their great grandchildren, and enjoyed every day together for the rest of their lives.
Astermine’s Secret Society (ASS)
For many of the crew the story didn’t end there. Friendships and alliances had always blossomed on the long space voyages, and often many topics were discussed that would have been discussed on planet Earth.
Many of the early discussions had to do with the consumption or production of alcohol. During the days that Ryan, or the astronaut’s wives ordered a dry ship on the long space journeys, Astermine’s Secret Society strengthened.
First, it was called the “Allegiance of Space Travelers”, then “The Odyssey Society”, then “The Drinker’s Code” when they secretly met in Ryan’s office aboard America One, the same office Captain Pete and Dr. Nancy nursed back to Earth. Thanks to ASS there were always secret stashes of luxury food and drink for secret meetings in the office. Dr. Nancy did thank ASS’s Chairman, once only for their lives. They wouldn’t have made it if Captain Pete wasn’t a knowledgeable member and knew what was hidden where.
Nobody really knew who actually formed the society first, but all the blame was put on one man. In the beginning less than a handful of the crew knew about “The Club” as it was often called.
Most of the crew on the Bridge of America One certainly didn’t know about this secret society of space travelers, and only when the solar system got its communications back did this organization really flourish.
Initial meetings were often toasted with forbidden alcohol in the ship’s engine rooms. Then when Mr. Rose joined as an active member, much to the surprise of many, many meetings were then held in his office. Here they tapped the new brews, and monthly production. Taste meeting were held to better the production quality, and Suzi never knew that many of the people around her belonged to this forbidden type of society.
The members were of different nationalities and tribes. There were tall and short members, and each one took the secret oath, never to give up on the others in the group.
Suzi often had thoughts that her husband could belong to a group like this. He was caught with others in the office one time when Kathy Richmond banned alcohol for months aboard the mother ship. What put Suzi off the scent, was that Ryan himself was caught, and he would never belong to any club, or immature boy’s thing!
Maggie often discussed their husband’s plight and childish misdeeds with her girlfriends. Suzi often mentioned that anything was possible with this bunch of misfits, but Maggie never knew about the society. Nor did any of the other wives, or many of the male astronauts.
Allen Saunders or Michael Pitt were never members, but Mars Noble was a member before he was even old enough to drink, thanks to his then girlfriend Saturn who as the only female member of the society, was the gofer at the time.
Vitalily was the third initial member of the group, Dave Black was next who brought young Max Von Braun into the fold, who finally persuaded Mr. Rose who was offered a lifetime honorary membership, which the man gracefully accepted. Others also became important members. Dr. Smidt took years, but he finally joined after a raucous party at The Martian Club Retreat one very late night when the rest of the crew were asleep. Martin Brusk was the only non-space traveler member, and he was invited due to his enjoying a few with the club members secretively one night at the Pig’s Snout. One of the more interesting members was Roo, who became an honorary board member once he partook in alcoholic beverages. He became the Society’s third chairman many years later and thanks to him the society continued long after the underground retirement of many of its initial members. His son took the Astermine’s Secret Society into the next century as Fourth Chairman further than his father had done. But again that is another story.
VIN, the second member, enlisted the Captain of the mother ship, and youngest member of the group ever to be part of the Society, his grandson at the age of seven. Little Mikey Noble had a lifetime of success working inside the secret society and became its second Chairman once its one and only honorary chairman finally stepped down once he had organized the new solar system and had really retired.
Thanks to ASS’s first chairman, The Sammy Davis Junior Bar and Grill was a rousing success in Base Nevada, and with its one-piece 50-foot Redwood bar counter.
The Martian Club retreat was purchased from Ryan for one U.S. dollar. The very successful massive 300 seat “Sinatra Club” with its 60-foot Redwood bar counter in Mattville I was organized by the Mattville’s new mayor. So was the very expensive 25-foot “Fruit and Juice Bar” in Mattville III’s medical center organized by the traveling suppliers Mars and Saturn Noble, and it didn’t sell juice.
The Ceres Bar and Grill was one of the Society’s best investments, and millions were made from the thirsty asteroi
d miners who spent much of their earnings in this establishment.
These are only the beginnings of a hundred famous stops around the solar system. They flourished and became the “steps” around the solar system. Even real aliens and even a space shark or to were said to drink in them now and again.
Liquid supplies, casino machines, dancing girls, and anything space travelers wanted were shipped in very modern secret space ships made in California by a very famous motor car and spaceship company. Cargoes of up to 40 tons flew into and between the society’s establishments, and at all times cargoes of 40 tons of gold or Rare Earth metals were shipped back to earth in ships far faster than Astermine had ever had.
Sometimes three flights could be achieved to Mars each Opposition and many more to Ceres where the miners were really thirsty, and badly in need of entertainment.
Astermine’s Secret Society gave back to Astermine in many ways. There were always secret supplies stashed away on long voyages by its members, for its members. The cemetery at The Martian Club Retreat was a giving, benevolent part of the society, and strangely enough the resting place of all of its members, and many non-members. Even the society’s only Earth Member was buried in the cemetery years later.
Much is still secret what this very powerful solar system-spread society did over time, its foundations, its simple decree, its growth, its famous members, and how Astermine’s Secret Society ran the entire solar system for centuries to come, but that is another story.
Books by the Author
The Book of Tolan Series (Adult Reading)
Banking, Beer & Robert the Bruce —Hardcover and eBook
Easy Come Easy Go —Hardcover and eBook
It Could Happen —eBook draft format only
AMERICA ONE Series (General Reading)