The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books

by John Thornton

  SB Joseph Crater spoke to Jerome and Monika. “You asked about local life, so I assume you mean indigenous, and sentient life on Serendipity. Therefore, I will make a report. Visual observations confirm both an active aquatic biome, and an active biome on the land mass nearby. While making planet-fall I am used passive sound and light projections to encourage the local life to disperse. This was in addition to the excessive noises of the rockets. I am saddened that some natural life here on Serendipity likely perished because of our making planet-fall, but as Alpha settles into the water I am still using those measures to encourage the local aquatic life to vacate the area. There was no other way to do this, and it was a difficult decision, but was unanimous by the AIs and SBs.”

  “So, we have landed?” Jerome asked. “Finished and completed? I felt the gravity manipulation come back on.”

  “Yes, Alpha has made planet-fall. The shell is intact in all measures. We have 0.056% rocket fuel left. As to gravity manipulation, it is only being maintained in the shell, so as to keep the humans and animals who are in the shell in safe orientations. Within the biome itself, gravity manipulation has been shut down. The biome is now only affected by Serendipity’s natural gravity. The Loop River’s flow has been altered a bit, but that will do no harm to the biome.”

  “The Island of Alpha is now part of Serendipity,” Monika stated. “We once were an island in the black ocean of space, now we are an island in the blue oceans of Serendipity.”

  “May I quote you on that?” Jerome asked.

  “I would not be surprised if you do, but you will probably do more of a paraphrase, right?”

  Monika hugged Jerome and they cuddled their babies while they did that.

  Epilogue

  “Oh, just missed!” the dark-haired teenager lamented as the game continued.

  He scooped up the ball and sprinted across the court. His opponent, who was nearly identical in size, but just a few shades lighter in hair color, chased after him. Both were wearing only shorts and footwear. They scrambled for the ball, and when one got it, he glanced down, then let it fly with a quick snap of his arm. The small leather ball caromed off the corner and smacked into the goal.

  “Great shot Kalur! Nice score! You are so quick,” Brink yelled. His pale blue eyes were wide in the warm yellow sunshine. He leaped off the red colored triangle on the sloped floor of the court. He caught the ball in a smooth motion and jumped. Tumbling through the air, trying to avoid the blocks of his opponent, he hurled it as soon as his foot touched down on the blue triangle.

  The ball glided right toward the other goal.

  “Tricked me!” Kalur called out with a hearty laugh. His brown eyes were the same shape and size as his brothers. His hair was darker, but just as thick. Running quickly to the side wall, he planted his foot on a raised corner and leaped.

  Brink bounded off a slope and jumped to catch up to his brother. Sweat was dripping off his short hair, but it did not bother him. The ball bounced off some of the wall angles, and both youth missed it. They turned quickly to see where it had gone.

  The angular floor of the court made for wild bounces, and immense levels and variety of play. Grabbing the ball, Kalur saw his foot was on a red triangle and that Brink was blocking the red goal. He leaped toward a blue triangle, but he doubted he could land there. Brink intercepted his jump, and so Kalur threw the ball against the sidewall to start a new round. As the ball left his hand, the two brothers crashed into each other and sprawled out on the floor of the court. The ball ricocheted off the clear ceiling and dropped back to the court’s multi-angled floor.

  “Wow! That was intense!” Kalur said with a laugh.

  “Not as intense as that!” Brink pointed up into the light blue sky. Through the clear permalloy sides of the court, above the grayish green color of the tree line in the distance, something was in the air. “What is that?”

  Kalur turned and looked. He used his had to shield the sun rays from his eyes. “It sort of burns my eyes. Bluish purple colors.”

  “It is not a bird, or a mammal flyer,” Brink replied as he stood up. “Moves too straight.”

  “Hey you two. Yes, my idiot twin cousins!” a girl’s voice called. “Do you see that craft in the sky. It is not a shuttle of ours, and it is purplish.”

  “So, what, Little Lorna. Maybe the science team designed a new fuel for the old shuttles,” Brink snapped back.

  “I am only a year and a half younger than you, so you can stop with the Little Lorna comments,” she replied as she stood just outside the ricochet ball court. “My name is Lorna, and need I remind you that purple was the color of the Apex Predator Ships? The Jellies?” She flipped some strands of her straight, dark blond hair over her shoulder. Her oval eyes were much like her mother’s and she glared at the twins. She was wearing a cloth top, shorts, and high-topped shoes. “You are always saying, ‘We were there’ but did you learn nothing from your father and mother, or from listening in school?” She turned and sprinted away down the paved trail.

  “Jellies?” Kalur said in a startled voice. “Is she teasing us again?”

  “Mother! Mother! Did you see?” Lorna yelled as she ran.

  “Nope. She is not pulling a prank,” Brink answered.

  The boys’ eyes met and their game was forgotten. They raced to catch up to Little Lorna, but got delayed by the latches on the clear permalloy door to the court. They both tried to open the door at the same time, but ended up jamming one of the latches. Finally, after what seemed like forever, but was just a few moments, they got the door opened and left the court.

  “Little Lorna! Wait!”

  She was well down the winding path heading for the small city of Unity. Her fleeing form ran around a bend in the path and she was hidden by a copse of trees. The large trees, roughly twenty meters high, with their light brown intertwined trunks, and uplifted and heavily leafed crowns, made an effective barrier to sight. The palm-sized gray and green spotted leaves rustled in the breezes which blew in off the ocean and the bay. A few trees were still blooming with their vibrant colored flowers which shimmered as sunlight illuminated their stripes of reds, yellows, greens, and oranges.

  Part of the local tribe of goats was standing underneath the rainbow trees. The goats hardly even looked up as the boys ran. Those goats were busy chewing away at the three-limbed grasses, or nibbling on some of the earth-transplants which had seeded in among Serendipity’s native growth.

  As Brink and Kalur ran around the bend, the vista of the harbor was visible before them. The Island of Alpha sat in the center of the bay. The gray permalloy of its hull reflecting the sunlight, but not as efficiently as did the clear waters around it. The docks and catwalks which surrounded the last part of the Colony Ship Conestoga were small looking from the distance, but the boys knew they extended all around it. Two gaping holes were in the upper sides of the habitat where hanger bays doors were sitting open, as they had for as long as the young men could remember. The deep blue waters of the bay extended out and beyond the Island of Alpha as far as the youth could see. Small whitecaps were in the surf as the water lapped against the rocky coastline. A few boats sailed around the bay.

  “Do you think mom and dad know?” Brink asked with barely a huff in his breathing to show he was running as fast as he could.

  “I hope so,” Kalur replied. “Can it really be?”

  “A surprise invasion would be horrible!”

  They ran on, but Lorna was faster, and she was still calling out for her parents.

  “Momma! Papa!” Lorna called. “Come quickly!” She was just entering the curving streets of the town. A mammal flyer, which had been sleeping in a conical-shaped yellow bush, leap up and flapped its wings. It soared upward while honking its discontent at being frightened. Its green fur was bristling up as it tried to make itself look bigger than its half-meter length. It glared at Lorna and then at the teens chasing her with its strangely mottled orange eyes.

  “Lorna! Wait for us!” Brink y
elled, ignoring the harmless mammal flyer.

  “What is it?” Someone called from a neat and attractive two story house. “Why all this yelling and running?”

  “Something strange is flying in the sky!” Kalur cried. “It looks like the Jellies!”

  “Oh, nonsense. That mammal flyer is not a mythical monster. Quit playing pretend. Birds, hawks, and mammal flyers, they are always in the sky. Maybe a stray water-ray from out of the ocean. No reason to bother people on a nice afternoon,” the man called. “Especially with stupid wild stories of the boogeyman.” He slammed his window shut.

  “But it is purple!” Brink added as they raced past.

  “He is always grouchy,” Kalur stated. “Mom and dad will know what to do. I know we saw something mechanical. That was no animal, not even an earther animal.”

  Some other people noted the three youth who were running, and yelling, but they quickly returned to their own affairs. Some were working in gardens in their yards aided by green automacubes. Other townsfolk were building in small open-air shops, or cooking meals, or playing with small children. A few did pay attention to the youth. Mostly by making comments about how irrational and excitable the young people were. Or how they would disrupt the egg laying of the chickens. None were terribly frightened by the term “Jellie” which the youth had been yelling.

  Reaching her home, Lorna yelled even louder, “Momma! Papa!” But her calls were unneeded. Her parents were already waiting in front of their house. The house was a sprawling ranch style with pretty white siding, numerous windows, and flower boxes underneath the windows.

  “Little Lorna, we are here,” Alizon said. “What has so startled you?”

  “Papa, I saw a Jellie machine in the sky!” Lorna stated. She gathered herself for a moment and took a few deep breaths. Her running had been more vigorous than she had intended. After a few deep breathes, she continued, “At least I think that is what it was. A Jellie spaceship! It had a bluish-purple contrail, and its light was irritating to my eyes.”

  Cammarry walked over and hugged her daughter. “Now, this is very serious, Little Lorna. Tell me all that you saw. Give me the whole story.” Cammarry’s short dark hair was streaked with a few flecks of gray, but her face had a pleasant calmness about it. “Take your time, and just give me the facts.”

  Lorna, who did not resent it at all when her mother or father called her Little Lorna, told the facts clearly and concisely. Just as she was finishing, Brink and Kalur ran up as well.

  “Uncle Alizon! Did you see it?” Brink asked.

  “No, I did not,” Alizon turned to Cammarry, then back to the twins. “This is not a hoax of yours? Not some mixing of chemicals in some pipe, or bottle rocket, or a kite, or something else like that?”

  “No sir,” Kalur said. “We were just playing a match at the ricochet court when we saw something fly over, way up high in the sky.”

  Just then a beeping sound came from Alizon’s pocket. He reached in and pulled out the old com-link. He placed it over his ear and tapped it. “Alizon here.”

  For a moment, he had a puzzled look on his face, but then simply responded, “I understand. No need to search, they are right here. We will meet you there.” He tapped the com-link.

  “What is it papa? Is it the Jellies?” Lorna asked.

  “Jerome and Monika wish to meet us by the docks,” Alizon stated. “As I expected, our girl was truthful and did see something unusual. Our nephews as well. The mayors of each of the three towns are meeting with the council.”

  An odd look crossed over Cammarry’s face, and she hugged Lorna. “If they are coming by boat it will take some time. I wonder if I should change into my RAM suit, and gather my Willie Blaster.”

  “My dear beautiful woman, they are arriving at Another Listening Ear in five minutes,” Alizon stated. He rubbed his hand over his own graying hair, which was now too thinned out to spike up. He made eye contact with Cammarry, and she visibly relaxed. Her trust in him was complete, and he showed no signs of fear, anxiety, or stress.

  “Jellies, papa?” Little Lorna asked.

  “We will know soon,” Alizon responded in his typically calm manner. Lorna had never seen him lose his temper, even under severe stress.

  “They are using the teleporter? Interesting. Perhaps I was premature in being facetious and flippant.” Cammarry let Lorna go and clapped her hands lightly together. “Come let us see what is happening.”

  “But momma? Is it safe?” Lorna asked.

  Cammarry answered by hugged her daughter again, and that was sufficient for the young woman.

  “We will run down there right now,” Brink suggested.

  “Your parents will be teleporting over, and you know you are not old enough to enter Another Listening Ear without an adult. Please just walk with us. I assure you there is no need to rush,” Alizon said.

  “But it might be the Jellies!” Kalur replied earnestly. “We were there when the great space battle happened.” He then caught sight of Cammarry’s eyes, and looked down. “Oh, right. We were babies, but you two actually were there, sorry.”

  Cammarry reached over and tapped Kalur on the shoulder. “No need to apologize. Just remember, when you tell your stories, be sure to tell them accurately, and do not mislead.”

  “You are wise Aunt Cammarry,” Kalur said.

  Together they walked the short distance to the docks. People all about were going through their daily routines. The city of Unity was larger than the towns inside of Alpha: Aston or Wolf City. Some of the ship’s people did not care for the openness of being on the planet. Most who lived in Unity were people that had been revived from suspended animation, and their children. The town was thriving.

  As Alizon, Cammarry, and their daughter, walked along, the twin teens were almost bursting with excitement and eagerness. They were jabbering about what they had seen and asking questions too quickly to ever get an answer, and often speaking over the top of each other.

  The docks had some warehouses, and a few horse-drawn wagons parked about. The road which ran along the coastline, and crossed the river on the bridge was just beyond the pastures. The horses themselves were grazing happily in a paddock behind the warehouses.

  At the end of the dock, set off by itself, was the establishment called Another Listening Ear. It was in a separate building, next to the park where the carousel sat. The colorful top of the carousel was turning, as it always did, but the multitude of statues on the deck were sitting idle. The fun music would only be played as the carousel spun round and round. The word ‘Lark’ was illuminated in green letters at the top of the carousel. Kalur and Brink had ridden this outdoor carousel many times and preferred to ride it at night when it was fully illuminated and all the figures were packed with the children and young people of Unity.

  They studied the place, Another Listening Ear, looking for the people they were to meet. The establishment was part general store, part café, and a greater part tavern. Sitting in front of his place was Bigelow, rocking in his chair, brown hat dropped over his eyes. He may have been asleep. Jerome and Monika stepped out from between the swinging double doors at the front of Another Listening Ear. Their sons rushed up to them.

  “Father! Mom! We saw a Jellie spacecraft! Is it an invasion!” Brink asked.

  “What weapons do we need? How will we defend ourselves?” Kalur demanded, more than questioned.

  “Boys, settle down, you are as bad as your little sisters, or baby brother,” Monika chided, but with a good-natured smile.

  “Nice to see you again, Lorna,” Jerome said as he looked at the young woman. “Alizon, Cammarry, thank you for meeting us here.”

  “Jerome? What is this all about?” Cammarry asked. “You used the tele…”

  A thundering of hoofbeats echoed off the walls of the warehouses, and the front of Another Listening Ear. It interrupted the conversation, and prevented Jerome from answering.

  Khin and Vesna pulled up their heavily sweating horses. The horses l
ooked much like Bill and Poco, as they were descendants of those fine animals.

  “Something is happening?” Bigelow asked as he finally awoke. He knocked over the empty bottle which was sitting next to his rocking chair.

  “We saw the flying machine,” Vesna stated. “We rode here to find out what it is.”