by William Wood
The engines shut down quietly. Calvin took off his seat harness and stood up. Astra didn’t move.
“Baby, it’s OK,” Calvin said. “Come on.”
Astra took off her seat harness and followed him to the airlock, holding Calvin’s hand tightly. Calvin opened the airlock and the boarding ramp extended. Calvin led Astra down the ramp, into a large group of shocked and exuberant people.
“It is him,” a voice gasped. “Who’s that with him?”
The crowd parted, and Captain Delik stepped forward, a huge smile on his face.
“Lieutenant Calvin Range,” he said, his hand extended.
Calvin took his hand, but Delik pulled Calvin in and hugged
him.
“When they told me Sorenia was home, I thought they were
joking, but here you are. I can’t believe it.”
“Sweetie, this is the Captain of the Sorenia,”
“Was,” Delik corrected. “You did what I couldn’t do; you brought her home.”
“I highly advise you to restrict access on board. There is some very sensitive equipment that really should be safeguarded.”
“I understand,” Captain Delik said with a twinkle. Calvin was about to ask where his father was when suddenly an unmarked silver hover came to a stop next to the crowd.
“This way, lieutenant,” Delik said.
Calvin started to object.
“Trust me; we need to go right now.”
Calvin’s mind raced uncontrollably. There was so much to say, but he felt himself being taken to the hover car and forced inside. Astra held onto him with a death grip.
The door to the hover car shut tight, and they sped off away from the tarmac.
“We had no idea you were coming,” Delik said. “The planetary scanning network went crazy when you entered the atmosphere. In less than sixty seconds it was all over the news, before the government had a chance to shut them down. Senator Range contacted me, and gave me specific instructions to get you out of the city. It’s not safe for you here right now.”
“What do you think they’ll do with the Sorenia?” Calvin asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” Delik said. “We’re going to lock it up in Hangar One. No one’s going in there.”
“Good,” Calvin said. He sat back and tried to relax, but that was impossible. Things were moving so fast he was having a hard time keeping up with it.
The car moved quickly through the city. Astra stared out the window at the passing buildings, the moving sidewalks covered in glass. She relaxed her grip on Calvin’s hand, but still held onto him.
At the edge of the city, the car entered a well-lit tunnel. Calvin didn’t notice when a solid black air car, with highly tinted windows pulled in front of them.
Calvin turned to look at Astra. She was looking at him; she didn’t look happy.
“You trust me, right?” Calvin asked gently.
“Of course,” she said.
“I promise you, it’s going to be OK. I trust these people. They will do whatever it takes to protect us.”
“I just wish they didn’t have to.”
“I know,” Calvin said. “Me too.”
The black car slowed down, forcing them to slow as well. When they stopped, Captain Delik jumped out. Before he could react, both back doors were opened and men were forcing Calvin and Astra out of the air car. The tunnel was cold and the air was stale. Calvin tried to look around; there were no other cars in the tunnel.
Calvin and Astra were pulled into the black air car. Captain Delik jumped in the front. The doors closed and they drove away. The transfer took a total of ten seconds. The silver air car turned and drove back into the city.
Captain Delik turned around. “You can’t be too careful,” he said with a smile.
The new air car took them into the countryside; down a narrow, windy road under the cover of trees. Calvin wondered where they were going. Clearly they were heading east, into the mountains.
“Our perfect option for this scenario would have had us do this at night,” Delik mused, staring out the window from the front seat.
Astra stared out the window, her eyes wide, taking everything in.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said.
The world moved quickly past the window. Wherever they were going, they were trying to get there in a hurry.
Forty-five minutes later, they reached a clearing in the trees. A blueish gray jet sat in the middle; its engines were running, side door open, and six armed guards stood around the perimeter with the weapons out and ready.
Calvin wanted to ask Delik why the Laurite Base was empty, but stopped himself, unsure if he was part of that organization or not. Better wait, and ask his father. Hopefully he’d be able to do that soon.
The jet rose into the air and flew low over the mountains. Two hours later, they landed on a landing platform, high in the mountains.
As soon as they touched-down, the jet shut down its engines and a crew quickly moved it under a covering on the edge of the pad, out of view.
They exited the jet, and Captain Delik escorted them to a nearby elevator that took them up the inside of the mountain to a luxurious home. Most of it was built inside the mountain, at the top. All the widows looked out over some of the most spectacular views of a wide green valley with a lake in the middle. Tall snow covered peaks lined the horizon in all directions. On the west side was a loud waterfall that dropped hundreds of feet into a crystal clear lake.
“This place is amazing,” Astra said.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” Calvin said. “But I would really like to see my father, and get some answers. What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry,” Delik said. “My instructions were to bring you here. I’m afraid I don’t know any more than you do.”
“Oh, that’s just fine,” Calvin said unhappily. But, they didn’t have to wait long. The roar of engines announced the arrival of another jet.
Calvin went to the window to see what it was, but by the time he got there, the jet had descended below the window.
Three minutes later, the elevator doors opened and out stepped Calvin’s father, dressed in a dark gray suit, and his mother, wearing a long blue dress. Dawn rushed forward, embraced her son, and cried.
Calvin’s father wrapped his arms around both of them.
“I can’t believe it, “Foster said, wiping tears from his eyes. “When we didn’t hear from you, we thought for sure you were dead. I can’t believe you’re here!”
When he stepped back, Calvin was about to introduce Astra to them, but before he was able to, his mother stepped forward.
“This must be Astra,” she said.
“Mom, Dad, this is Astra,” Calvin said formally. “My wife.” Calvin watched their expressions change from surprise to joy. It was awkward for the first few seconds, but Foster and Dawn Range hugged their new daughter-in-law.
“Come on,” Foster said warmly. “We have a lot to talk about.” They moved to a spacious living room. Calvin and Astra sat together on a couch. Foster and Dawn sat on a couch facing them with a glass covered coffee table between them. Two lieutenants brought out silver trays with drinks and sandwiches and put them on the coffee table, then went to the kitchen and closed the door.
“What happened out there?” Foster asked. “The last time I talked with you, you were on your way to a place called Pentazia.”
Calvin explained what happened during the final battle at Pentazia. Both his father and mother listened intently. They leaned forward as if absorbing every word. Foster occasionally interrupted Calvin for more details, and Astra chimed in from time to time.
“I kept a journal, just like you told me to,” Calvin said. “I left it on the Sorenia. By the way, I really think we need to isolate the ship. There’s a lot of equipment on there that needs to be protected.”
“Don’t worry about Sorenia,” Foster said calmly. “I’ve had it moved to a safe place.”
“Good,” Ca
lvin said, sitting back. “I tried to contact you, by the way, about a hundred times. What happened? Why couldn’t I reach you? And while we’re at it, we went to the asteroid base first and there was nobody there.”
“Two months ago, the government launched a surprise inspection. They demanded that all Space Command personnel report for duty. We usually keep a skeleton crew on the asteroid base, but because of the recall, everyone had to report. They grounded all of our ships and halted all operations while they conducted the audit. Captain Vinder was the last man out. He was supposed to set up an automatic transfer circuit in case you tried to contact us. Apparently it didn’t work. I’ll have to talk to him about that.”
“And the audit?” Calvin asked.
“Yes, the audit,” Foster said with an air of defeat. “It’s not going well. The inspectors will determine whether or not there will be a Space Command in the future.”
Foster let that thought hang in the air for a moment. Everyone sipped their drinks.
“Here’s the thing,” Foster continued. “We’ve had a year to think about how we were going to explain your disappearance. I had eight different plans. We were going to do it very carefully. You know how prone to panic the population, not to mention the government, can be. Well, let’s just say, having you land the Sorenia in the middle of the day, without warning, in full view of the entire planet, was not one of the scenarios we envisioned.”
“I’m sorry sir,” Calvin said. “It wasn’t my intention to cause problems for anyone.”
“No,” Foster said. “You might have done me a favor. Now that the world knows you’re here, we can just get it over with instead of dragging it out.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do,” Foster said with determination. “I’m going to go to the Security Council, and tell them the truth.”
“Everything?” Calvin asked.
“Well, not everything,” Foster said. “We’re not telling them anything about the Laurite Group. That must stay a secret at all costs. As well as any advanced technology you may have picked up on the way. No, we’ll restrict the truth to what happened to you, and how you defeated the Goremog and the No’Rath. I know this is the rotten part, but you won’t get the parade though the center of the capital like you deserve. Maybe someday you’ll be recognized.”
“Don’t you think it would be better if I addressed the Security Council?” Calvin asked. “I mean, I was the one out there, after all.”
“No,” Foster said sternly. “Not yet. The situation is too unstable, I don’t want you out in public yet. I don’t trust any of those knuckle- heads to make the right decisions, not at first at least. No, and I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’re both going to have to stay here for a while. Things are going to get bad, very bad, and you’re safe here.”
“I can’t think of a better place to get stuck,” Astra said. “This place is beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Foster said. “This house contains everything you need. You have no reason to go outside, so don’t. The last thing I need is for someone to see you, yes, even this far away from civilization, and report it.”
“Yes sir,” Calvin said.
“I’m leaving a security detachment here,” Foster said. “They’ll stay in the complex under the house; you won’t even know they’re here. I’ll leave the kitchen and housekeeping staff too.”
“Thank you sir,” Astra said.
Foster and Dawn stayed and shared a meal with Calvin and Astra. They sat outside, on a covered balcony where they could be hidden. Even though they were high in the mountains, Foster was worried that aircraft or low flying vision satellites would inadvertently see them. The mountain air was very cold. They sat at a table next to a fire pit. The kitchen staff set up a small buffet table and hovered nearby to ensure everyone’s needs were met.
“I’m just amazed,” Foster said to Astra. “Your Arlandian is excellent.”
“Thank you,” Astra said. “Calvin taught me.”
“For the longest time we were dependent on translators,” Calvin said. “When they were destroyed by an EMP, we realized we had to learn each other’s language.”
“You can speak Alerian?” Foster asked.
“Yes,” Calvin said. Foster got up to put another log on the fire. Calvin leaned back. He was sitting on the couch with Astra, who snuggled next to him.
“There were times,” Calvin said. “More than once in fact, I didn’t think I was going to make it home.”
“Well, you’re home now.” Foster said. “Both of you.”
“Apparently you didn’t get my message,” Dawn said. “I gave specific instructions that you were not allowed to get married without your father and I being there.”
Calvin smiled. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t plan it that way. It just sort of happened. It seemed right that her parents should get to see it before they left.”
“Oh, I see.” Foster said.
“So, her parents got to be there, but not us?” Dawn said playfully.
“I’m not sure your marriage will be recognized here,” Foster said seriously. “I mean, you weren’t even married on your home world. How do we know it was legitimate? We weren’t there.”
“There’s only one way to make this right,” Dawn said. “You have to get married again.”
“We’ve talked about that,” Astra said. “I would love to do that. This time we’ll have a traditional Arlandian wedding.”
After dinner, Foster and Dawn put their coats on and walked to the elevator. When the doors opened, Captain Delik was standing inside.
“Remember, just relax and stay out of trouble,” Foster said. “We’ll be back to get you in a few days.”
“Yes sir,” Calvin said.
So, for three days they did nothing but relax. Calvin showed Astra videos of New Arlandia. They talked, ate and did mostly nothing. There was a large pool inside the house, a gym and sun room. There was no reason for them to leave. It was bitter cold outside, so they didn’t want to go out.
The first three days were wonderful. But on the fourth, Calvin began to get concerned. He wondered how things were going. They were able to watch news broadcasts, and there was no indication the planet was melting down, so it wasn’t going that badly, at least, that’s what Calvin wanted to think.
On the fifth day, they received visitors. They were sitting on a couch watching a news report about a new breakthrough in medical technology, when they heard a loud noise that Calvin knew could only be from a jet.
“Someone’s here,” Calvin said. They hurried down to the main level and stood by the elevator. Calvin wondered if they should hide, but decided it wouldn’t make a difference.
When the door opened, Foster, Captain Delik and a man Calvin had never seen before stepped out of the elevator.
“Son,” Foster said. “I trust everything is going well here?”
“Yes sir,” Calvin said. “All quiet.”
“This is Senior Minister Davis Stronberg, from the Security Council.” Foster said with a smile.
“When your father told me what happened to you, I didn’t believe him,” Stronberg said. “I’m still not sure I believe it, so I had to meet you in person. That was some impressive work you did out there son.”
“Thank you, sir,” Calvin said.
“That’s one unsolved mystery we can close. Now the entire crew of the Sorenia is accounted for.”
“We can’t forget Jax,” Calvin said. “He’s part of the reason I made it home, and I take full responsibility for his death.”
“That wasn’t your fault Lieutenant,” Delik said. “There wasn’t anything you could do. I read your report. Not nearly as apocalyptic as the council would make you believe, eh, minister? I’d say a promotion is in order for the Lieutenant.”
“A promotion is the least we could do,” Stronberg said. “But that’s not my department, nor is it the reason I came here. I met with the Security Counci
l this morning, and I believe we reached a general consensus. We’ve agreed not to throw all of you in prison for withholding critical information from us for over a year. Although I must point out, many members want to.”
“So what happens next?” Calvin asked. “Will Astra and I be allowed to leave the house?”
“Not just yet,” Foster said.
“We would love to believe your claim that the Goremog and No’Rath have been destroyed, there’s just no way to verify it.”
“Computer scans,” Astra said. “We have the computer scans from the Sorenia.”
Calvin cringed when Astra mentioned the Sorenia. The last thing he wanted was to create interest in the ship, especially to the Security Council.
“That’s an excellent idea,” Stronberg said, you could almost see the wheels in his brain turning behind his eyes. “We would like to examine the Sorenia.”
“I’m sorry sir,” Delik said quickly. “That is out of the question. The Sorenia is in quarantine. No one may be granted access to it.”
“Be careful, captain,” Stronberg said. “You’re talking to the head of the Security Council.”
“I know, sir. But in the interest of public safety, especially the council, I must insist. Access to the ship is forbidden.”
“A compromise then,” Foster suggested. “I’m sure we could get access to the database?”
“Yes, that can be arranged,” Delik agreed.
“Very well,” Stronberg said, not hiding his irritation. “We’ll analyze the sensor data. If what you say is true, it could mean a new era for our planet.”
“I imagine the hard part is going to be breaking this to the public in a way that it won’t cause a panic.” Delik suggested.
“You can let me worry about that,” Stronberg said. “I’m afraid that means you will be confined here a little longer, Lieutenant. We’ll let you know when we need you.”