Colonization
Book 3
The Seamus Chronicles
K. D. McAdams
Copyright © 2015 by K. D. McAdams
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are figments of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: Jade Designs
Interior design: K. D. McAdams
Version 8.17.15
Caveman Worldwide LLC
ISBN: 978-0-9889588-3-8
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The Seamus Chronicles
Annihilation – Book 1
Evacuation – Book 2
Colonization – Book 3
Confrontation – Book 4
Part 1
Chapter 1
We didn’t so much choose this planet as crash into it. The third warp jump must have been too much for the computers. It was the furthest jump ever attempted and we came out of it close to ten thousand miles off course. We were well into the atmosphere of our target planet, instead of floating in space some distance away.
I want to calculate the odds of more or less bumping into a planet. The solar system we entered was supposed to have six planets. These planets are spinning in a space several hundred light years wide. Hitting a material thing should have a small percentage of a fractions chance of happening. But we did.
My analytical mind struggles with how much I’ve had to rely on luck lately. It seems that every situation I am ‘lucky’ to escape lands me in another where luck is the only chance I have to escape.
Eight months ago it was a viral apocalypse. Someone put a lethal manmade virus out into the atmosphere and most of the Earth’s population was wiped out. My family and I were lucky enough to have been vaccinated against the virus because of my dark energy research.
After that I was lucky enough to meet The Crenshaw’s, a mother-daughter NASA physics team. They were also part of the vaccination program and were very helpful in getting my dark energy reactor completed and working. It just so happened that they were also hiding a secret about the need to destroy all life forms on Earth.
Once we realized that they were not going to save Earth I was lucky enough to invent a functioning warp drive. With one successful test under our belt we equipped three craft with warp functionality and came up with a plan to get the 21 survivors across the galaxy to a planet capable of supporting human life.
Jane Crenshaw had a list of eight planets to check for supporting human life. It was our plan to visit them all until we found a new home. We were lucky enough to find one on the third try. Unfortunately we crashed into it.
Henry, who was piloting our plane, did an amazing job of getting us on the ground. The C-5 Galaxy we configured as our warp craft is more or less destroyed, but the only injury was to Jake, who had been sitting in the co-pilot’s seat.
I’m sitting on the rear cargo ramp, which was lowered but still hangs several feet off the ground. Looking around at our new planet there are more things to make me feel lucky.
There’s liquid water. This is the basis for life so I’m pretty glad to see that. We still don’t know if the water is potable or if we’ll need to filter it, but that’s minor. Off in the distance I can see foliage, indicating that at the very least there is plant life here. We may be able to eat whatever is growing, or at least grow our own food, also pluses.
The atmosphere is breathable. Clearly a very good thing, since breathing is pretty fundamental to human life as well. My initial opinion is that the air is thinner than on Earth, but I can’t be sure. My adrenaline is pumping and there is quite a bit of anxiety taking its toll on me.
My luck seems to stop there. Our plane came down hard and left a scar across a barren swath of dirt and mud. The nose of the plane, and its warp reactor, are buried in the water. I can’t see a sun anywhere and it is already hot. Our instruments are in Celsius and I know the conversion to Fahrenheit is C x 1.8 + 32, which means that it’s ninety-seven degrees.
There were two other planes with us in the last solar system. One was a space plane carrying three people; the other was a second C-5 Galaxy with ten souls on board. Our two-way radios were working well enough and I can remember them agreeing on the coordinates to make the jump to this solar system. I just don’t know where they are now.
Supplies and people were evenly distributed through the two cargo planes. Foolishly we packed specialized and precious cargo only on the space plane. For some reason right now I am thinking about the 3-D printer. Without that tool, manufacturing parts to repair some of our tools will be next to impossible. We all assumed that the space plane had the best chance of a smooth landing and that fooled us into putting all of our fragile eggs into that basket.
Somewhere behind me I hear a chicken scream and the egg analogy makes me smile. I’m glad that my ship had chickens, seeds, and a bunch of hand tools. And of course my family. These things should be enough to colonize this new planet even if it requires hard work and plenty more luck.
Sofie arrives from the belly of the plane and sits down next to me. It’s hard to believe that she and Remmie have been with us for less than a year. I have to remember to be grateful for her every day on this new planet.
“Jake is still unconscious and his breathing is labored. Your dad thinks he’s going to make it but can’t really say why.” Sofie says to me before leaning her head on my shoulder.
“Dad likes to talk positive. He has no idea if Jake will make it or not.” I say to her.
“I know. That’s one of those comments you need to learn to keep to yourself. Your Dad’s positive thinking has probably kept all of us going at one point or another.” She’s been trying to teach me how to be nicer.
“Sorry.” I never thought I would change for anything, but Sofie has shaken up my world.
“How do you think we’re going to unload the plane? That has to be like five feet from the bottom of the ramp to the ground.” She’s looking down at the brown soil below us.
“I thought everything was broken down to hand carry size? Remember I wanted to bring an ATV to haul stuff? Dad gave the lecture about needs vs. wants, though it probably wasn’t more memorable than any of his other lectures.” We’re both laughing a little at my Dad.
Suddenly everything starts to shake and Sofie grabs onto me tightly. A loud rumbling fills the air and the plane bounces up and down. I throw myself backwards away from the edge and search frantically for something to hold onto. At one moment we’re fifteen feet off the ground, the next we’re almost slammed into it.
I never experienced an Earthquake, but here I am on some new planet experiencing a quake.
When the shaking finally stops the edge of the cargo ramp is resting on the ground. My luck continues.
“Did you feel that?” My brother Liam stumbles out from beside the stack of cargo.
Sofie and I look at each other and burst into laughter. It’s good to know that some things are still the same.
“I can’t believe that we’ve been on this planet for less than an hour and we’ve already had an earthquake.” My sister Grace also emerges from the cargo bay.
“Are Mom and Dad behind you?” I’m nervous that the cargo shifted and trapped them.
“They were but they went back towards the cockpit to make sure the guys up there are okay. Dad wants us to get out of the plane in case there is an aftershock. He thinks we’ll be safer if we’re on the ground and not near anything that can fall.” Grace conveys the message
that Liam probably forgot.
Liam is already out, standing away from the plane. The light reflecting off the moon is bright and gives an almost daylight feel to things.
My brother is naturally full of energy and I’m sure being cooped up in the plane for thirty-six hours was driving him nuts. The cast on his leg isn’t slowing him down. I watch him spin with his arms out. He looks like a little kid twirling in the rain, except that he’s sixteen and there is no rain.
I’m surprised at how quickly he stops. After only a few minutes he’s walking back to the tail section of the plane. I can see sweat on his forehead and his breathing is labored. We already seem to be forgetting that we’re not on Earth anymore.
“It’s wicked hot out there.” Liam says before flopping down on the ramp.
“I feel like this is still night too. We may be in for some high temperatures during the day.” I’m no meteorologist, but I can’t imagine the daytime being colder than the night.
“How long do you think the days will be here?” Sofie is asking an interesting question.
“I can’t even guess. We’ll have to go through a few cycles and keep track, I should find a notebook.” I love gathering data and measuring concrete things.
“What are we going to call here?” Grace is looking to each of us.
Naming the new planet never entered my mind. Jane probably remembers the designator, but whatever it was didn’t really roll off the tongue. Overall it’s less important of a task than deciding where we’re going to build some shelters and how we’re going to grow food.
“Is New New Hampshire too lame?” Grace asks.
“Yes.” I answer, though I try not to sound cold.
“I just miss home. Not Ames home, but home home.” The strain and exhaustion of what we have been through is written on her face.
“How about New Terra?” Liam can’t just say something, he has to wave his hands to try and indicate grandeur.
“We’re not in a bad sci-fi movie, Liam.” Sofie dismisses him playfully.
“How about Locus?” Dad arrives and jumps in like he had been listening.
“Locust? Like the grasshopper?” Sofie is confused.
“No. L-O-C-U-S; it is Latin for opportunity.” Dad is surveying the landscape behind the plane.
“Seriously Dad, Latin?” Grace is surprised more than anything.
“Where did you come up with the Latin word for opportunity?” Liam asks incredulously.
“It’s not like we didn’t know this was coming. I’ve been trying to figure out a name for this planet for a while.” Dad’s not offended but he has a right to be.
“I like it.” I support him but I do really like the name.
“How cool is it that we get to name a planet? Seriously, hundreds of years from now people will be talking about life here on Locus and it’s a name we picked!
Dad steps down from the cargo ramp. He looks up to the sky and then runs his hand back over his neck. I’m waiting for a comment about the heat but he says nothing. He turns and heads down alongside the fuselage towards the water and the front of the plane.
We haven’t inspected the water from outside the plane yet. In fact, Liam was technically the first human to set foot on Locus. I’m glad for him, that is quite an honor and he deserves it. We really need to start recording some of these firsts, they could be important and they are definitely special.
I step off the plane and follow Dad to the water’s edge. He’s standing a few feet back and surveying the water more than the nose of the plane.
“Everything okay?” I ask him.
“If there’s life here it will likely be living in the water. I’d hate to have survived all this only to be eaten by some monster crocodile thing.” He is not very precise with his words, but his logic is sound.
“It looks like the water is pretty shallow, not too much of the plane is submerged.” I observe, but still take a step back from where I was standing.
“Right. And even then it looks like we’re more submerged in the mud than the water. I’m just nervous. I thought we stopped short of the water.” He’s looking around for other clues about how high the water goes.
Eventually we both turn and look towards the rear of the airplane. In the distance I see the foliage I noticed earlier. As Dad and I study it a new detail emerges. The line of vegetation is above us. With the distance it is difficult to judge how high above us, but my guess is ten or more feet.
I look down at the soil and it is mostly dry. It’s not mud, but it’s not sand either. Water has been here recently, though I don’t know if that means days or weeks.
“We should probably start talking about how we are going to unload the plane and what we should do with all our stuff.” Dad is ready to walk back to the others.
I know my dad well enough to know that something is bugging him. The thing that’s missing is what. We are going to encounter so many strange new things on this planet; it will drive me crazy if my Dad goes all brooding detective every time there’s a mystery to solve.
“Dad. I was thinking about how lucky we’ve been the last few months.” I start, but I’m not sure where I’m going with this.
“Yeah Seamus, we’ve been lucky.” Dad replies.
“Well let’s just be glad for the luck we had to land here when it’s dry. There may not be another clear stretch of land on this planet.” It hurts my brain to admit it but I believe in luck.
“I just hope we have enough luck left.” Dad answers solemnly.
Chapter 2
A meal. I should have known that Mom would want to make sure we all ate. Dad and I weren’t gone for much more than ten minutes. When we got back to the cargo bay it had transformed.
Several of the boxes were lined up and had a tarp over top of them. There were smaller boxes placed along the edges for us to sit on. Some cups were in the middle of the makeshift table and Mom, Grace and Sofie were off rummaging through another set of boxes.
Over in a corner Remmie was asleep on Liam’s chest. It looked like Liam had his eyes closed too. It seemed peaceful enough; we could have been at an airfield in Middle America waiting for an air show.
Dad pulls a folded sheet of paper out of his back pocket and inspects it closely. After a minute he starts to walk into the stacks of boxes and bins. He’s reading labels and I am astounded that my Dad is the one using logic to find things while Mom tears through random boxes hoping to strike it rich.
Before any of the girls get back to the table Dad returns with a pitcher and a few bottles of water. He fills the pitcher with most of a bottle of water then pours the little bit left into his mouth. I’m almost positive that he’s going to go fill the bottle with water from the lake.
“Paddrick, these labels are all wrong.” Mom is back and she is waving her packing sheet in Dad’s face. She must have seen Remmie sleeping because she is keeping her voice very low.
“Are you looking at the third column?” Dad says to her calmly.
“I thought we were the first column!” Mom yells in a whisper.
“The space plane is the first column. They had the best chance at…” Dad trails off.
“Thanks.” Mom answers and heads back to the stacks with a better chance of finding what she needs.
I didn’t stick my nose into the inventory list for supplies. I wanted to, though. I remember hearing Liam talk about the fact that Dad wanted to keep separate lists for each plane. The thinking was apparently that if the people on board didn’t make it at least whoever found the ship could find where everything was packed.
He never thought about where the list would be kept or how people finding the plane would know where the list was. Plus the two big birds were packed with basically the same things and the space plane was packed with a subset of stuff.
It was Liam’s idea to keep one list and note the differences in location in a column for each craft. Unfortunately he didn’t think to use different labels. Even plain English labels would have been more useful
. My brother used numbers. Worse, he labeled the boxes before they were put on the plane.
Lunch is just the first example. Canned soup is in boxes 103 through 143. On our plane they are stowed aft left. On the space plane they were stowed center right. So mom was center right looking for boxes with between 100 and 150 and found nothing.
I know we’ll be able to figure things out, but inefficiencies kill me.
Grace comes walking back to the table and pours a glass of water from the pitcher. I can see that she’s sweating; it’s getting hot in here. Suddenly I remember that we still have no idea if the lake water is potable. We need to inventory and conserve every ounce of water we brought with us.
“Dad.” I say, keeping my voice hushed.
He doesn’t answer me, just looks at me and lifts his eyebrows and turns his hands so the palms are up. This is his lame sign language for ‘what?’ Before all this, when we would see him in public he would do this to us across a crowded room. Somehow he thought we could come up with the sign language for ‘You’re embarrassing me, find your seat and stop making a scene.’ Even though we never talked about it.
“We need to conserve water.” I’m not playing the sign language game with him.
He nods in reply.
That means nothing. Agreeing that we need to conserve water and taking steps to do it and tell the others is what I’m looking for, but I guess I will deliver the message.
We brought both a desalination plant and a distillery. I know we can turn bad water into something we can drink, but I don’t think Dad understands how long it will take to increase the yield of either process. If we have to process water we will get a few gallons a day, but there are so many of us that it won’t be enough at first. If we have to purify water to drink we are going to be thirsty, starting with a buffer would help.
Rather than spend more cycles worrying about the water I decide to act. From the makeshift table I grab the empty plastic water bottle and turn to head out the back of the plane.
Colonization (The Seamus Chronicles Book 3) Page 1