Second Moon (The New World Book 2)

by Kurt Winans

  The answer further solidified his already intense belief that his alien friend was a member of a truly noble species. The planet of origin for the Mermaid species had been destroyed thousands of Earth years before when the host star had gone super nova. The entire solar system had been vaporized in a matter of seconds, and all life forms that had not already been relocated to other worlds were lost to the galaxy forever.

  Nodding with understanding, Ross pressed on. Next on his mind was the thought of other people from Earth. He asked quite plainly, “Other than our colony, or the Mayan civilization, did your species transplant any other humans from Earth to this moon? If so, then please tell me exactly which civilizations.”

  Even after all that Ross had seen transpire over the previous few years, what he heard in his mind was shocking. His alien friend informed him that a small segment of two other ancient Earth civilizations had been transplanted to this moon long ago. In fact, some of their descendants still lived on the surface. Additionally, it was highly doubtful they would ever encounter either one of those civilizations unless Ross took on the almost impossible task of initiating the contact. The two ancient Earth civilizations were separated from each other by a vast distance, and each of their locations was nearly on the exact opposite side of the moon from where Ross’ colony resided. The alien thought projection revealed that he would not provide Ross, or anyone else, with the location of either civilization. Without that vital information, several months of exploration through some very hostile terrain would be needed to find them.

  Although disappointed to learn of the near impossibility of contact, Ross again nodded with understanding. If he had learned nothing else in all his years of both military and political service, it was that some things were just not meant to be. Even so, he yearned to know who the other people of Earth were. With that he bluntly asked, “Can I at least know which civilizations you brought here?”

  A segment of both the ancient Egyptians and the Incas of Peru had been transplanted, and a few things suddenly made more sense to Ross. With the presence of pyramids and other structures of engineering marvel, the locations of each of those civilizations had been a source of inquiry for many years. They were also two of the locations where modern day pilgrims had boarded the transport vessels to this moon. Now Ross had confirmation to his belief that previous landing sites had been used for the effort. As a pilot, he also understood this approach as being more favorable than using an unknown site.

  The recent communication with the alien had also made Ross ponder something else. Perhaps the Mayans were correct to a certain extent with their assessment. Maybe his old friend was a member of a species that was somewhat Godlike. The thought of various life forms suddenly appearing on one world or another as a direct link to alien transport could easily be interpreted as Godlike behavior. If not already known, Ross had just learned another lesson in how truly limited his supposed power was when compared to the alien species. With that thought, he prepared to delve into the final topic on his list. Staring directly into the eyes of his alien friend, Ross asked the all-important question of, “Can you please tell me what became of Earth?”

  Ross paced nervously just outside the medical shelter, while Gabriela sat patiently nearby. He was pleased to have her by his side, because she provided a desperately needed calming influence for the moment at hand.

  Perhaps it was due to the realization that he now had more time to devote toward an individual, as opposed to the constant effort needed to insure the survival of the colony. Or perhaps the knowledge of his mother Janet falling in love with Colt, becoming his wife, and now expecting their first child had been the cause. For that matter, the overly dramatic adventure of Aurora falling in love with and becoming the wife of a Mayan hunter may have been what brought forth his most recent enlightenment. Ross had been unable to pinpoint exactly what had been the trigger, but he was glad that it happened. After inwardly denying his feelings for several months, he realized that he could no longer squelch them. Ross was in love with Gabriela, and thankfully, she felt the same way about him.

  Ross flashed back to the memory of when he first spoke to her about his feelings. Gabriela had made the moment much easier than he had believed it would be, because she instantly responded that she had been in love with him for a long time. They had now been married for a few months, and no longer needed to pretend when in the presence of the Mayan King.

  Hearing a shout of pain from within the medical shelter, Ross snapped back into the present moment. Gabriela briefly halted his pacing, and attempted to calm him with a gentle kiss. Holding his face between her hands, she said, “I’m sure the doctor has things under control.”

  Inside the medical shelter, Colt wondered if any of his bones would break under the pressure. His facial expression showed minimal signs of distress, but it was becoming more difficult for him to control. Colt knew enough to be aware that his pain paled in comparison to what Janet was going through, so he did not dare ask her to ease up. Janet was squeezing his hand tightly with relentless intent, but fortunately for both of them, the current ordeal would soon be over.

  Along with Ross and Gabriela, Jessica and Aurora had been hearing the sounds of Janet’s discomfort and pain for a few hours. The most difficult aspect for all of them was that there was nothing that they could do about it. As her brother continued to pace nervously about, Jessica said, “She’s going to be alright Ross. Try to relax.”

  He responded, “I can’t Jessica. It sounds as if she is having a really tough time of it. We lost her once many years ago, and I for one don’t want to lose her again.”

  “Well neither do I, but this situation is vastly different from when we supposedly lost her before.”

  “True, but this result would be irreversible.”

  Aurora, sensing that her father was becoming overly worked up about the current situation, stated, “Dad. Gabriela and Jessica are right. You need to relax. The people with Janet know what they are doing. They will see her through this.”

  Just then, they all heard a horrific scream from inside the medical shelter. Surprisingly, Colt had also let out a yelp as the bones in two fingers of his left hand had finally succumbed to the pressure. The few ever so brief seconds of silence that followed seemed to last forever, and they were agonizing. Finally broken by the sound of a slap, and then the resulting cry of a newborn baby, a collective sigh of relief ensued. Janet had done it. For the third time in her life she had delivered a child, and as a result, Ross and Jessica now had a younger sibling.

  Emerging from the shelter, a nurse announced, “It’s a boy. Even though he’s two weeks early, he looks healthy.”

  Jessica beat her brother to the punch and asked, “What about our mother, is she alright?”

  “As expected, she’s very tired, but she’s doing well.”

  “Can we see them?”

  “Give us a few minutes to get her and the baby cleaned up, and then all of you can come in and see them.”

  Janet had become the latest of those to deliver a baby on the new world, but her child was no more, or less, important to the colony than any of the others. Up to that point, most of the newborns had survived, with only a few succumbing to poor health and the misfortune of bad timing. In each case, those babies had been born a day or two before, or during, the long and bitterly cold environment of an eclipse cycle. In spite of the two weeks earlier than expected delivery, the upside for Janet was obvious. Her baby had been born five days after the most recent eclipse. The newborn would benefit from thirty-five days of warmth to gain much needed early strength before his first experience of the black void.

  Relieved from the stress of the previous few hours, Ross smiled from ear to ear as Gabriela hugged him. While still in her embrace, he turned to Jessica and said, “Do you realize that we must be the only seventy-three and sixty-eight year old people in the history of mankind to have a newborn sibling?”

  “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it Ross, b
ut he will probably treat us more like grandparents than as siblings.”

  Moments later, the same nurse who had announced the birth interrupted their discussion with, “Dr. Schmidt has said that you can come inside to see Janet and the baby now.”

  Once inside the medical shelter, the four of them could see Janet holding her newborn son. Jessica reached her side first, and after kissing Janet on the forehead said, “How are you doing mom?”

  “I’m alright now, thanks.”

  Ross then moved in to provide comfort and express his congratulations by adding, “I’m very proud of you mom, you and Colt did great.”

  Dr. Schmidt, who was tending to Colts broken fingers, stated, “The labor probably sounded worse than it actually was for those of you who were outside. During the past few months I have had patients with much more difficult deliveries. Janet and the baby are going to be just fine.”

  Ross moved toward him and said, “Dr. Schmidt. I would like to thank you on behalf of the family for everything that you did for my mother and the baby. In addition, I thank you for all the positive work that you and the rest of the medical staff have provided for the colony.”

  “It was my pleasure sir, and if I may speak for the other doctors and nurses, thanks for the kind words.”

  Turning to Colt, Ross added, “Now, how are you doing?”

  “Other than my fingers, I feel great!”

  “That’s good news. I’m sure that the doctor has already congratulated you, but I would like to be the first person not involved with the delivery to offer the same.”

  After a firm handshake, Ross and Colt made their way back across the room to Janet’s side. A moment of collective admiration toward the baby by all those present was followed by Aurora removing a small notepad from her pocket. With regard to the recently developed moon calendar, an official record of the newest arrival needed to be noted. She scribbled in birth, followed by 05/12/01. As the baby had been born after the eleventh eclipse, those numbers signified the fifth day of the twelfth month during the pilgrims first year on the new world. Raising her gaze from the notepad, Aurora said, “For the record, have you decided on a name for the baby?”

  Janet looked over at Colt and he nodded with approval. Then she turned to Aurora and replied, “Yes we have.”

  “That’s great. What’s his name going to be?”

  Looking proudly down at the tiny face of her newborn son, she announced, “We would like to introduce all of you to Henry Travis Jensen. His middle name is for Colt’s grandfather, as he taught Colt so many aspects of wilderness survival. Henry is of course for Ross and Jessica’s grandfather. I’m sure that no explanation is needed as to why we wanted to name our baby after a man of such tremendous influence. Just like that man did, our son will go by the name of Hank.”

  Walking into the shelter that most of the colonists now jokingly referred to as “The hall of records”, Jessica spotted Aurora. As with every other month since their arrival, Aurora and a handful of others were busy with the figures of the post-eclipse population count. Looking directly at her niece, Jessica said, “How close are you to confirmation?”

  “Well good morning to you too Jessica. What are you doing here?”

  “Sorry about that. Good morning everyone. Ross asked if I could meet with you today to discuss the results of the count. His immediate attention was needed at the irrigation ditch leading to the crop fields, and he didn’t know how long that would take.”

  “I hope everything is alright.”

  “I’m sure it is. You know your father. He thought that it would be rude to keep all of you waiting for him, so he asked me to help him out.”

  “Well in response to your question, we just completed our triple check of the figures. You should consider the number to be officially confirmed.”

  “Wonderful. Now could you please brief me, and I’ll get the information to Ross as soon as possible.”

  “Tell dad that we expect to reach ten thousand before the next eclipse. The medical team has given us no indication of extreme illness or problems within the population that may lead to any deaths. There are also several women who are due to deliver very soon. Unless most of them experience severe complications, the newborns should more than compensate for any unforeseen loss of life.”

  “That’s great news. Now what is the exact population of the colony as we speak?”

  “As of this moment, our calculations have the number at nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-four. As usual, no Mayan citizens have been counted, but myself and the now two hundred and seventy-eight other pilgrims living with them in the midpoint village are included. Our village tally was easy to calculate, because one of our women gave birth, and there were no deaths. As for the original colony, the increase fits right in with the average range. There were fourteen newborns, and two deaths. All told, our population increased by thirteen at the two locations. That number was slightly lower than the average per month during the recovery period we needed to reach our original number. In contrast, you should know that the increase is higher than the average since that time.”

  “Please refresh my memory Aurora. Just how long did it take for the colony to fully recover from our lowest population count of less than eighty-nine hundred?”

  “That took us more than four planetary years of sixteen eclipse cycles each. The official date of recovery to the level of nine thousand eight hundred and twelve was 28/13/05.”

  “I remember now, a little Japanese girl.”

  “I don’t recall that specifically, but we could look the birth record up if you really want to know.”

  “No, it’s not that vital. Thanks for the report, and to all of you for taking such good care of the population records. If you will excuse me, I need to go speak with Ross.”

  Throughout the coming days and weeks, it seemed the main topic of campfire conversation was who would be the mother of the baby that increased the colony population to the magic number of ten thousand. For Ross, the question was moot. His concern was more about when the event would take place. Although it was true that several women were in the late stages of pregnancy, Janet and the medical team had informed him that it would probably be near the time of the next eclipse before at least six of them gave birth.

  Never known as someone who would just wait around for something to happen, Ross kept himself busy. He continued to monitor the progress of improving the overall infrastructure of the colony, and met with team leaders to discuss whatever concerns they might have. One such meeting was with Megan Crenshaw, and it was quite obvious from the start that she was less than happy.

  Hank stood like a statue between Colt and Janet, and listened to everything that Ms. Crenshaw was saying to his big brother Ross. Looking up he said, “Am I in trouble dad?”

  “It sure sounds that way doesn’t it?”

  “Yes sir, but I don’t know why.”

  Crouching next to her younger son, Janet added, “I think you know exactly why you are in trouble, and it would be best if you owned up to what you did.”

  “Yes ma’am, if I have to.”

  Ross excused himself from Megan for a moment, and made his way over to young Hank. He said, “Hey buddy, how are you doing today?”

  “I’m fine Ross, but I think I did something that got me into big trouble.”

  “I think you’re right. I have listened to what Megan has to say about it, and I think the time has come for you and your parents to have a talk with her.”

  Janet looked at Ross and said, “What did Hank do?”

  Before Ross could respond, Colt added, “It must have been something significant, because Megan looks really mad.”

  Ross attempted to prepare Colt and Janet for what was to come by saying, “Yes she is, and with good reason. You both know Megan well enough to understand that she is a woman who is very serious about agriculture. She is one of the reasons why the colony has enough food to survive each month. She means no real harm, but Megan doesn’t always
deal with the actions of children very well.”

  Colt responded, “Fair enough, but what did Hank do?”

  “Let’s just say that your upstart engineer of the future has creatively altered her precious irrigation system. She and Hank can fill you both in on the details. I’ll just watch the show from here.”

  Now standing directly in front of her, Hank said, “I’m very sorry for what I did Ms. Crenshaw, but I just wanted to see how it worked. I didn’t mean to break anything.”

  Megan, having calmed down considerably after meeting with Ross, responded, “You are growing up fast Hank, how old are you now?”

  “I’m five years and three months old ma’am.”

  “Already? Well, thank you for apologizing. It takes a real man to admit when they have done something wrong.”

  Looking at his son, Colt prodded, “Hank, what else?”

  “Ms. Crenshaw, I promise you that I won’t play with the irrigation system anymore.”

  Looking up at Colt and Janet, Megan said, “He’s very bright for someone his age, and that could be quite useful. I have an idea that might make everyone happy.”

  Janet replied, “Thank you, but what’s your idea?”

  “Well I feel that if Hank has the time to be destructive, then he also has the time to be productive.”

  “Fair enough, but what’s your point?”

  “Hank was caught red handed doing some damage to the irrigation system, and although I don’t have proof, evidence would suggest that he has done so before. What I propose is that we correct the situation by having Hank work with my team to repair the damage that he caused. I have spoken with Ross about my thoughts of expanding the existing system into an adjacent area, so perhaps Hank could also help with that when the time comes. He is obviously intrigued by how the irrigation system operates, and this would be a good way to teach him a lesson. Hank would learn some valuable skills that could then be used to help the long term goals of the colony.”