“Yes,” I said. “He was.” I searched Ursula’s face for understanding of what we were discussing, but her expression didn’t change. She just leaned against her mother and looked back at me.
The Doctor returned too soon, with the Captain following. I stood to face them and the Captain smiled at me, again with that mixture of captainly authority and near-familial affection. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” I said.
He held out his arms, and I let him hug me. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered as he gave me an extra squeeze.
After he let go, the Doctor touched my arm. “You ready?”
I swallowed, and looked at Ursula.
Else took the cue and stood, gently pulling Ursula along. “Ursula, your sister is going for vacation. Can you tell her goodbye?”
I got down on my good knee so that I was nearly on a level with her. For a moment, we just looked at each other.
Then she gripped Galactic Lucy in both hands and held her out to me. “Lucy wants to go with you.”
My vision watered. “But I’m sure Lucy would love to stay with you, sweetie. She loves you.”
“She loves you, too. She wants to see where you’re going. Then she can go to space like she does on the show, and she can tell me about it when you bring her back.”
I reached for the little girl and hugged her close, letting a tear break loose to fall down my cheek. “Okay, Ursula. I’ll take good care of her.”
She laid her head on my shoulder. “I love you.”
I never wanted to let go of her. “I love you, too.”
The longer I held on, the longer I wanted to keep her with me forever no matter what happened, but I knew that soon the Doctor and the Captain would be pulling me away. Gently, but firmly.
We had to go.
I squeezed one last time, then released her. She pressed the doll into my arms and I took it, but couldn’t bring myself to stand up or to stop looking at her.
It was August’s hand that was finally held down for me to grasp and I did so, letting him pull me to my feet. Then he wrapped our little sister up into a hug. “See you soon,” he said.
She wrapped her arms around his neck until he put her down, then she clung to her mother again, watching us with those big, dark eyes.
“Will you be okay?” the Captain asked.
Else nodded with a smile. “We’ll be fine.”
It was time to walk away. I turned and did so, not letting myself think about it.
The Alacrity I sat outside the small nearby hangar, its yellow surface gleaming in the first hints of sunrise.
Before I realized he was going to, the Captain pulled me into another hug before releasing me and turning to the Doctor. I thought for a moment he was only going to shake his friend’s hand, but he hugged him also. Then he turned to August and did just shake his hand, making it somehow not at all awkward.
“Stay in contact,” he said.
“You too,” the Doctor grunted. “Who knows what trouble you’ll get yourself into without me and Guilders.”
It was only half a joke, and the Captain realized that and barely mustered up a chuckle. “I’ll be careful, Gerry. But hurry back.”
I cast a glance at the Surveyor, several yards across the concrete plain. The white metal and gray-blue emblem shone in the growing sunlight. I so rarely saw my home from the outside. It looked small. Almost disappointing. How could my whole world be only a tiny spot in comparison to the world of most of humanity?
“Come on, Andi,” the Doctor said, touching my arm, and I turned to follow him into the Alacrity I.
It was small, though not as cramped as I remembered. Normally Crash’s huge personality filled it until there was hardly room for anything else.
I followed the Doctor and August to the cockpit. August hesitated for a moment when he reached the pilot’s seat, and looked back at me. I gave him the best smile I could manage. He swallowed, and sat down.
“You’ll have to copilot if needed,” the Doctor explained. “I’m going to be finishing my research in the back. Crash has been out in that area enough that we should have maps, but I don’t want to transmit any tracking signals—no need to give Edmunds any idea what we’re doing. So that will slow us down.”
“I can follow the maps,” August assured. His voice was a bit shaky, but didn’t lack conviction.
The Doctor nodded. “Call if you need me.” Then he retreated to the aft of the speeder.
I slid into the copilot’s seat and settled Galactic Lucy in my lap, trying in vain to clear the lump from my throat.
“I’m not used to piloting speeders, especially not with such advanced controls.” As he spoke, August’s hands moved towards the panel in front of him.
I rested my hand on his arm. “You’re the best navigator in the galaxy. It’ll be fine.”
He took a deep breath, then touched the panel. The speeder buzzed to life, engines humming, lights blinking, screens alive with information.
I settled back into the seat as he began to initiate the takeoff. Lucy remained hugged against me and I watched as the Surveyor became smaller and smaller below us until it disappeared.
How long before I would be home again—if I even lived past the next two weeks? How long until I saw my dear little sister again?
No one likes to face their gestern, but no one can escape it.
“I’m glad you’re here, August,” I said.
He smiled, focus remaining on the readouts in front of him. “I’m glad, too.”
Maybe our gestern was just what it was supposed to be.
Lord, thank you so much for bringing us here safely. Please protect Ursula and Else, help Crash, the Captain, Guilders, Almira... and us. And please—please let us all come back safely to the Surveyor.
As Earth became a blue and green ball again, I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind.
I was going to die if we couldn’t find the radialloy fragments.
As if reading my thoughts, August spoke up.
“Don’t worry. God kept Ursula safe, right? He helped us get this far. Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
I only hoped he was right.
October 26th, 2321
2:53 p.m.
Baltimore, United States
Senator James Edmunds was not happy.
It was such an unusual sensation; the feeling of having things go so terribly wrong and not being able to do anything about it.
He didn’t like it.
Nor would his superior.
With any luck, he would have the situation back under control before he had to report recent events. He was not a praying or wishing man, but he felt very inclined just now to pray or wish for luck.
“Sir?” came the incredibly obnoxious voice of his assistant.
He swiveled to see the man standing in his office doorway.
“The Surveyor is under orders. Heading to the Viridi region.”
Far, far away. From both here and the Qandon system. That was good. Probably. “And the Alacrity I?”
The man’s stupid face tightened in what could only be apprehension. “We don’t know. They must be running on very limited tracking. No system connection to Earth or any other ships. I can’t even find any connected devices on board. I have no idea who’s even piloting it.”
Edmunds tightened every muscle in his body. People were so incredibly smart sometimes. He really disliked that trait in people who weren’t aligned with him.
Breathe, James. Breathe.
He loosened his body. “And Eagle Crash?”
Like magic, the name brought relief to the man’s facial muscles. “He’s past the border now. I’ve got four contacts ready to go at your command.”
Edmunds smiled. “Perfect.” He swiveled his chair back towards his computer and began typing. “I’m sure that Doctor Lloyd will find some way to return when he hears that his nephew is about to die.”
Did you read the prologue online before reading this
book?
Now it’s time to continue Harry’s story.
To read the epilogue, go to:
http://www.firmamentseries.com/gestern/epilogue/
and type in this code:
GUILDERS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Grace Pennington has been telling stories since she could talk and writing them down since age five. Now she lives in the great state of Texas, where she writes as much as adult life permits. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading good books, having adventures with her husband, and looking up at the stars.
You can find out more about her writing at: www.jgracepennington.com
Other books in the Firmament series:
Radialloy
In His Image
Machiavellian
Reversal Zone
Other books by J. Grace Pennington:
Never
Implant
Gestern Page 18