The Solar Flare

by Laura E. Collins

  “Good morning Ava. Won’t you please come in and have some breakfast?”

  She nodded at her.

  Rowan led Ava over to her usual place at the table and she sat down next to Wesley. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes, please,” Ava responded reflexively. She paused, thinking twice about it. “Rowan you don’t have to wait on me, I can get it.”

  “Oh it’s no trouble at all. You just sit there and relax. You’ve had a rough time with the explosion on Orionis and . . . everything else.” She patted Ava’s shoulder affectionately and turned to gather her breakfast.

  “Good morning Ava,” Wesley greeted her, his voice cautious and filled with concern. His large warm brown eyes assessed her for any sign of encouragement, but found none.

  “Morning,” Ava replied hesitantly, noticing that Wesley looked tired, he probably hasn’t slept, she thought. Everyone else at the table greeted her pleasantly and then resumed the conversation they were having, something about the evacuation procedure on Orionis. Ava tried to listen to what would normally have been an interesting conversation, but her thoughts started to wander.

  Rowan set a bowl of oatmeal, a small plate of fruit, and coffee down in front of Ava and then took her seat opposite her at the table.

  “Thank you, Rowan.”

  “You’re very welcome. I hope you were able to get some sleep last night. We had a lot of flight turbulence.”

  “I must have slept because I didn’t notice.”

  “How are you feeling?” Wesley inquired. “I was worried about you.”

  “I’m okay, . . . I guess. I’m still a little tired.” She didn’t really know what to say to him, to any of them really. Normally things weren’t awkward like this, but now knowing what she new, she felt intrigued, and also distanced; almost inferior to them.

  “Ava, I thought you might be worried about your friend Elaine, so I checked on her evacuation status for you,” Naomi quickly said, changing the subject.

  This caught Ava’s attention. “Elaine!” In the aftermath she had totally forgotten about her friend, now she felt terrible. “Is she okay? Did she get out in time?” She asked hurriedly.

  “Yes, she did. No worries. They routed her to Polaris, along with her boyfriend. They must have been standing in line next to each other in order for that to happen. Seems that they are both doing fine.”

  Ava breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.” At least her friend was safe. Ava now saw this as an opportunity to try to find out what their destination was. “Is that where we are headed?”

  Naomi looked at Wesley, who had turned his posture so that he faced Ava. “No Ava. After everything that has happened on Orionis and on Capri, I feel it would be best if we stayed away from the stations for a while,” he spoke softly and reassuringly to her.

  “Then, if we aren’t going to a station, are we going back to Earth?” Ava asked suspiciously. How could they go back to Earth? She did not want to live in the cold underground again.

  “Not exactly.” He hesitated as she searched his face for an answer. The thought of possibly going to another abandoned space station, if one existed, frightened her. “We are going to take you to our home . . . to your new home,” he glanced at the others who were smiling thoughtfully at her.

  “What do you mean?” Ava suddenly felt panic sweeping over her. She looked frantically from face to face. What were they talking about?

  “Many years ago we discovered a planet similar to Earth that can support human life. We have spent a long time developing it, populating it, and protecting it. We named it Kyanos.”

  “You have your own planet? An extra solar planet? Does the ITO know?” Ava couldn’t believe this. A new planet could change everything for millions of people. She watched as the others reacted to her statement. She saw some heads shaking back and forth in disagreement.

  “We haven’t revealed the existence of it to anyone except the people whom we have taken to live there. It’s for the planet’s protection. I know this may be hard for you to understand from your point of view; however we have lived long enough to have seen humans destroy the Earth long before the Great Impact.” Wesley spoke slowly and solemnly. She could tell Kyanos would be a sensitive issue. “Kyanos is smaller than Earth and there would be no possible way for it to support the populations of all of the space stations. While our city has exceeded our expectations, it is still extremely fragile. Our developments there have been slow on purpose. We don’t want our community living beyond its means.”

  The thought of going to a fledgling community on an unknown planet terrified Ava somewhat. In addition to that, she felt acutely aware that she possessed nothing, except for a few clothes. “Wesley, how can I begin a new life in a new world with no credits and no possessions? Perhaps it would be better for me to go to Alexis and Marc on Antares.”

  “Ava, you can start over. In fact, our clinic would benefit greatly from your addition. The healthcare providers perform research when they aren’t seeing patients. You wouldn’t be as busy as you were on Orionis, but I know you would fit right in. And, as far as you not having anything, that isn’t something you need to worry about. I’m going to take care of you, you will have a home, and everything that you need, I promise.”

  “Wesley, I’m not sure about this.” Ava couldn’t pretend she had no doubts at this point, especially after everything that had happened.

  “All I ask is that you please give us a chance, and after some time if you are still unhappy, I will do whatever is in my power to make you happy again, even if that means you want to leave us and go back to a life on one of the stations, under a new identity of course.” Wesley did not conceal the sadness in his voice as he spoke.

  Ava looked at the table and nodded, what else could she do? She stirred her oatmeal mindlessly, still shocked by the news that a new planet existed.

  “Ava, you will love Kyanos,” Mia interjected enthusiastically. “It is nothing like the Earth you knew, and the society is not as cold and isolating like it was for you when you arrived on Orionis. The land is beautiful, the air is fresh, the water is much purer than you have ever tasted, and the food will be fresher than you have ever had before. In fact, the water on our ship that you like so much comes from Kyanos most of the time.”

  “That’s right, and you will not be alone Ava. We are all here for you. I know that you will be able to appreciate all that we have to offer,” Rowan added, smiling proudly at Ava.

  “When will we arrive there?” Ava asked.

  “We will be there early tomorrow morning. We can show you some images and start giving you an informal orientation today if you like,” Naomi suggested.

  “I think that would be helpful, thank you,” Ava responded, still looking away from Wesley. Naomi and Mia waited for Ava to finish eating, which didn’t take long because she still had not recovered her appetite and ate very little. Afterwards, the three women met in the common room while Wesley returned to the flight deck to relieve Ash.

  Naomi began Ava’s education regarding Kyanos with how they discovered the planet, followed by a history of how hard they worked to cultivate the farming community. She described the community which consisted of a small city surrounded by the main hangar, the crop fields, and livestock farming. Ava listened as Naomi described how Kyanos derived most of its energy from solar power resulting from the two suns that gave it continuous twenty four hours of sunshine, leaving only four hours of the twenty-eight hour day for of night time. Mia gave Ava a rundown of the political structure of the colony, lead by its Chief Officer, Trevor Vance.

  “So you guys are not Kyanos’ leaders?” Ava questioned.

  “No, we wanted Kyanos to be governed by humans, mainly because we are on the go a lot, tracking down things that the colony needs from either Earth or the stations,” Naomi explained.

  “We are considered more of like elders I guess. We assist them and help guide them as needed. We’ve rarely needed to step in take control. The peo
ple there are extremely grateful for their existence and have great respect and love for us,” Mia added.

  “Do they know about you all being . . . Asterions?” Ava asked.

  “Yes, of course. They are the only humans that grow up with, or are given the knowledge of our existence. Since the planet is too far for the ITO to reach and for our colonists to travel away from, there is no contact, and no worry for that information to become general knowledge. Believe it or not, our human population copes quite well with it.”

  “Really?” Ava found this surprising.

  “The oldest residents have known us their whole lives, and the residents that are born into the society grow up knowing us. It’s more . . . natural for them I guess, than, for example, the way that you found out about us. Now that our population is expanding, we do not bring new residents from the stations like we used to, unless we require the knowledge or expertise of someone who works in a profession that we need. Then those people sometimes go through what you might be feeling now, but they get over it,” Naomi spoke thoughtfully. Ava could sense that they cared deeply about the safety of their colony.

  After a few hours of hearing about Kyanos, Ava retired to her quarters to rest a while before dinner. She still felt uncertain of her desires regarding which direction her life should be heading, or whether or not she wanted Wesley to be a part of it. At dinner, she sat beside him as usual and they talked on and off, however she found it hard to relax. She wondered if she could accept him back into her heart.

  The next morning, Naomi came to wake Ava early so that she would not miss their landing on Kyanos. After Ava dressed, Naomi gave her a small tube of white cream and instructed her to rub it into her face, neck, hands, and arms.

  “What is this for? Is it a moisturizer?” Ava inquired, puzzled, studying the tube.

  “Kyanos has two suns, you will need to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from being sunburned.”

  “Sunburned?” This was a concept Ava had only read about in the history books. She had grown up underground and had never actually really seen the sun. She had always dressed for the cold underground temperatures and cool environments of the space stations. Naomi handed Ava a pair of dark glasses.

  “Are these sunglasses?” Ava asked, turning them over in her hands, inspecting them.

  “Trust me, you’ll need them, the weather is predicted to be a hot 88 degrees and sunny today,” she said with a smile.

  After Ava applied the sunscreen the two women went to the observation deck to observe the landing. She watched the monitor intently as the Andromeda approached a purplish, bluish looking orb. The ship shuddered slightly as it entered the atmosphere, adjusting to the pull of the planet’s gravity. Ava gasped as she watched their descent towards the colony and what she could see of the hangar. She had never seen anything like it. The sleek silver ship glided effortlessly down and into the large covered structure. She could see buildings scattered here and there and people walking about, or gliding around in what Naomi had described to her as ‘couriers’, small solar powered vehicles to go from place to place. Then, all motion stopped as the ship officially landed on Kyanos.

  “We’ll meet Wesley at the entrance ramp, and he’ll take you down.” She smiled at Ava, trying to reassure her that everything was fine.

  Within moments of their arrival at the ramp, Wesley appeared, looking a little more hopeful as he came to stand next to Ava as the ramp lowered.

  “Are you ready?” He asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She tried to sound positive, despite feeling nervous. He started down the ramp and she followed slowly behind him, the others behind her. Ava observed her surroundings intensely as she walked. The hangar did not appear as large and intimidating as the ones on the stations, and the Andromeda was the only starship there. She noticed there were a few monitors displaying the common numbers and symbols she was used to seeing, and equipment of some kind that appeared to be in storage, but otherwise the place seemed empty. As they walked, Ava noticed two people, a man and a woman, standing near the exit doors to the outside. The woman was holding something in her arms.

  As they neared, Ava could see the woman held a new baby, they appeared relaxed and happy. “Ava, this is our Chief Officer, Trevor Vance, and his wife Rochelle,” Wesley nodded to them as he made the introductions.

  “I’m pleased to meet you,” Ava said, shaking Vance’s hand and nodding at Rochelle who had her arms full. Ava smiled at the baby, who appeared to be a boy.

  “It is nice to finally meet you, Ms. Amherst. You are most welcome to our small community. We hope that you will be very happy here on Kyanos,” Vance replied.

  “Thank you, I hope so.” Ava responded politely. They seemed to be kind people.

  “Congratulations Vance, Rochelle, how old is he?” Wesley smiled at the couple and their new baby.

  “Thank you, Captain. Our son was born three weeks ago.” Vance announced proudly, looking at his son.

  “His name is Dominic,” Rochelle informed them pleasantly. Ava thought she looked positively radiant.

  “Congratulations, he is beautiful,” Ava remarked, feeling sentimental. She had often wondered if she herself would ever become a mother.

  “Thank you,” she replied, smiling at Ava. “We are very pleased you have come back with the Captain. I know you will feel at home here in no time. If there is anything we can do to help you with the transition, please do not hesitate to ask us.”

  “Thank you, that is very kind of you.” Ava liked Rochelle instantly. She had a calm, pleasant nature about her. She also noticed how both of them treated Wesley normally, like the knowledge that he was as an Asterion did not concern them at all.

  “Has there been any news?” Wesley inquired to Vance.

  “Everything is just fine,” Vance replied calmly, glancing at Ava. “I’ll fill you in on the details later, I’m sure you must want to get Ava settled.”

  “Yes, I’ll touch base with you later. It’s good to see you again.”

  “And you, my friend,” Vance replied, turning back to his family.

  Wesley led the way over towards one of the doors to the outside. Ava stopped abruptly just before he opened the door; she had never been “outside” before. He sensed her apprehension and took her hand in his, which she accepted. “It’s going to be okay,” he smiled at her. “Now, where are your sunglasses?”

  Ava pulled them out of her pocket and placed them on her face. Wesley opened the door and escorted her outside. She walked cautiously looking at the surroundings with great interest. The air smelled sweet and fresh as she inhaled deeply and the heat from the suns surprised her. She had never experienced such intense warmth like this before, and although she wanted to remove her jacket, she did not out of fear that she would be “sunburned.”She could not believe how exciting and beautiful it was, the green foliage, the flowers, the lofty trees, people moving about here and there, dressed in cropped pants and shirts, wearing skimpy looking shoes that she later learned were called “sandals.” She had never seen such a public display of toes before! She almost felt out of place wearing her heavy clothing and tall boots.

  Wesley smiled at her as she took it all in. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. “Welcome to your new home,” he said softly to her, gently squeezing her hand.

  Ava paused from scanning her surroundings and looked up at him. For the first time in a day, she felt a sense of peace; she could almost call it happiness. For the first time since he had told her the truth, she smiled a genuine smile back at him.

  Chapter 5: Putting the Pieces Together

  The midnight black Solstice approached the coordinates marked out in space where Orionis had once been. With its gravity stabilizers knocked out of alignment from the explosion rendered courtesy of Kaden, the massive station had drifted out of position. Bryant, using Xavier’s computers in the flight deck, located the station and in no time, brought them right up to the pitiful sight. From a short distance, e
veryone aboard the starship could see small vessels entering and exiting the station, with other starship “pods” as they were called, stationed along the gravity rings, apparently reconstructing them.

  Xavier looked down at Bryant and began to question him. “So this is where Ava lives?”

  “I have no doubt Robinson evacuated her before whatever went down here happened,” he replied calmly.

  “Hack into their network and find out what happened here,” Xavier said without emotion.

  Bryant’s fingers flew along the flat keyboard. Being part of the ITO investigations unit, he had no trouble getting in. He wanted to show off his tracking skills to Xavier by hacking for the information, but he already had a suspicion as to what really happened. He had recently run across Kaden and his associate, Torian, building a bomb. From what he knew of him, he deduced that he and Captain Robinson were enemies. But why? Why would Kaden want to destroy Orionis? Bryant’s mind raced as he searched. Perhaps it was because Kaden noticed Robinson docking at Orionis frequently and felt he had a chance at destroying him this way? He could not think of any other explanation for it. Better not mention Kaden to Xavier, Bryant thought.

  “Ah, here it is. The transmissions I’m receiving cite an explosion in Orionis’ core. They believe it was some kind of an act of terrorism,” Bryant informed him as his blue eyes scanned the report.

  “Interesting. I wonder who is behind it.” Xavier’s voice was soft. He looked sadly upon the images of the evacuated station, now only a shell. He hated to see anything suffer, particularly humans.

  “Looks like they don’t have any solid suspects at the moment. The good news is that the explosion didn’t completely destroy it beyond repair. They are in the process of fixing the gravity stabilizers in order to rotate it back into its correct axis, then they will begin the process of restoring the station.”