Colony (Terran Chronicles Book 3)

by James Jackson

  During this time, George stays with Lisa, as her recovery is alarmingly slow. His concern for her outweighs his feelings of obligation. His absence is keenly missed by all, especially Cindy, who reluctantly accepts that he should stay with his wife, until she is well again.

  Cindy spends this time pondering their first trip to this planet. She finally concludes that, as it was a volunteer only mission, those who felt unwell simply did not return to the base camp.

  Fortunately, there have been no deaths from the flu-like virus, which is a relief to all. The medical staff continually assures the crew that the average person will recover on their own, given enough time. Also, like the flu virus on Earth, the elderly, and infirmed would be at risk of dying. However, the crew members of the Terran are mostly in their prime, or fit and healthy for their age. Cindy, and the scores of doctors document their findings, along with their recommendations.

  Once again, Cindy leaves the Terran with Emma and a team of planetologists. This time they land far away from both sites. Once again, they go through the routine of gathering samples and analyzing the air and water. Over and over, the team repeats this process, until they have investigated nine separate areas.

  Cindy gathers the bridge crew to discuss their options. She gazes at those present, then begins, “Well, we have reviewed a number of sites. Dryer, cooler areas are populated with wolf-cats, while warmer, moister, areas have the small flying bugs. These New Earth mosquitoes not only drink blood, but a percentage of them carry the virus that currently infects our crew.”

  Emma stands up and speaks, “Basically, we can set up in wolf-cat territory, or in mosquito land.”

  Peter puts a hand to his chin, and asks, “Once we build the colony, won’t the mosquitoes be less of a problem? Whereas, displacing the wolf-cats may not even be possible?”

  Emma answers quickly, “No matter where we set up the colony, it will have a profound impact on the local environment, and the creatures that inhabit that area.”

  Cindy glances at the group, and seeing that no one else has anything to offer, says, “Well, I say we set up in the natural valley between the mountains, far away from the wolf-cats.”

  Emma nods, “I prefer that option myself.”

  George has been listening, and simply nods. It does not matter to him where they go, he just wants his wife to get well.

  Cindy smiles, “Okay then, let’s get planning.”

  While thousands of people on board await the New Earth inoculation, a small group flies over the proposed site of their new settlement, Hawking. Cindy slides her chair forward and almost level with John’s, as he pilots them downward through the cloud cover. Patrick, his lap covered in papers, sits on John’s right, while Emma occupies the remaining sliding chair. The women, being scientists, spend nearly as much time gazing out the expansive windows as they do sliding back to their computer terminals.

  The shuttle breaks through the clouds coming in over the ocean, revealing the future settlement from a new perspective. Patrick points down at the river mouth where it meets the ocean. He glances down at the pile of print outs before him and says excitedly, “Look at that!” He quickly adds, “John can you hold us here?”

  John nods, “Sure can.” He brings the shuttle’s descent to a halt, then hovers in place.

  Patrick glances at his papers once more, then begins, “You can see the river as it comes down from the mountains and divides the valley. The mountains being on both sides, funnel all the water down to the forest areas, then into the wide plains.”

  The other three follow his gaze, letting Patrick continue with his commentary. He points to river, “There is a lot more land area on the left hand side of the river, so that’s where we will build our town. We will leave the right hand side as undisturbed as we can, allowing the expected flood water somewhere to go. The city planners do want to add walkways and bicycle paths in this area.”

  Emma asks, “Do you plan to build these paths and walkways into the forests?”

  Patrick nods, “Just the right hand side, because on the far left, we’re going to build a huge spillway to cope with the heavy rains we think this area sees from time to time.” He gets a little more excited, his voice picking up in pace, “The entire city will be built on a slight slope away from the river, directing all the run off away from the river. We have a filtration plant planned for the causeway’s end. This is designed to prevent the contamination of the ocean, by the garbage and junk that always seems to make its way into storm water systems.”

  Cindy glances at Emma and nods in appreciation for the town planner’s forward thinking. The two women once again, follow Patrick’s hand as he points at the distant mountains.

  Emma gazes at a distant lake that is barely discernible in the forest on their left, “Are there any plans for the lake?” She asks, pointing toward it.

  Patrick glances at his notes, then replies, “No. All we’re planning on doing is building bridges over the causeway, but that will be at a later date.”

  Emma nods stares at the landscape below, then says, “It sounds as if you’ve covered everything we talked about.”

  Patrick waves his hand at the forward view and points to the grasslands on the right, “Yes, I believe so! By leaving that grassland over there in its natural state, flood waters will be able to flow unhindered to the river. As for the river itself, we have a flood gate system planned to protect the city from rising waters.”

  Cindy casts her gaze across the landscape, as Patrick continues on she imagines the town and smiles. Three and four story buildings will make up the city center. The industrial park will sit far away, and draw its water from the river at the base of the mountains. Each industrial complex is to be as environmentally friendly as is possible, and even so, every drain from these buildings will lead to the causeway. Nothing from the settlement is to enter the river. The residential areas will be spread out, with main roadways and freeways planned for ground traffic. Cindy half listens to Patrick and Emma as they discuss the sprawling settlement. The valley is actually much larger than it appears, and has enough area to accommodate a sizable city.

  Cindy is brought back from her daydreaming as Patrick’s voice becomes even more energized. He points enthusiastically at the mountain peaks, “The wind generators we brought with us will be spaced out along both mountain ridges. As for Barbara’s radio telescope, it took quite a while to find the best location for it, but this is where it will go.” He points directly down the mountain ridge on the left hand side. “That peak at the end is the highest in the area, and though it will be tough to construct, it’s the best place for it.”

  Emma stares at the distant mountain peak, “You’re not planning to build a road up that are you?”

  Patrick shakes his head, “No, and although we will be laying a road along the top of the mountain ranges, we won’t be constructing any connecting to the town until we have time to review the stability of the mountains.”

  Emma nods, “So any vehicles we place at the top will be staying there.”

  Patrick replies quickly, “Yes, but this won’t be permanent, once the Liberty arrives, we will have a much larger workforce and can expand our plans. For the time being, we need the housing and related light industries built.”

  Emma stares out at the natural landscape before her, then asks poignantly, “What about heavy industry?”

  “Yeah,” Patrick says slowly, “we will build a mini-steel mill, sawmills, and other related facilities, in this valley. Everything else, like the Gamin power plant, and gravity plants, will be built away from here.” He shrugs his shoulders, “We don’t know where yet, so that will be another task for the Liberty’s crew.”

  Emma glances at Cindy, lifts her eyebrows in appreciation, and says, “It sounds as if you have thought of everything.”

  A nervous half smile crosses Patrick’s face, “To be honest, I would rather George be making these decisions.”

  Cindy feels a brief flutter of alarm, then qui
ckly says, “He is spending time with his family, but he will be ready to help us when the time comes.”

  Everyone accepts the answer, and moves on to continue discussing the many finer points of the settlement’s planning. Cindy rests her head against the back of her chair and quietly sighs, worrying, Lisa, like so many others, is not recovering very well.

  John’s question brings her back into the conversation, “When can we start ferrying supplies down here?”

  Cindy frowns as she tries to recall what was just said, then answers, “Anytime you want.”

  The others had been expecting a more definitive reply, but acknowledge her response with huge smiles. John slaps Patrick on the back, “You had better warm up that suit of yours, ‘cause we have a lot to do.”

  Patrick pauses for a second and thinks, the suits don’t need warming up, then he gazes at the mountain ridges, “Oh crap. You want to set up the wind generators first!”

  John grins with enthusiasm, “Yep,” then while still grinning broadly, he pilots the shuttle away from the mountains.

  The trip back to the Terran takes mere minutes. John lands the shuttle on the same elevated pad they took off from, then opens the shuttle’s side ramp. The group walks away, all except for John, who stops and stares at the largest shuttle in the hangar area.

  Patrick glances back, then shouts out, “It will fit out the hangar bay doors.”

  John nods and waves, “Yeah, I know, but it’s a close shave,” I brought it in, he thinks to himself, and she’s a tight fit.

  Eight more days pass before the crew of the Terran is given a clean bill of health. These days find Emma busy with her team of planetologists, as they examine the numerous samples from the various landing sites. Cindy devotes her time to assisting the medical staff in confirming that the vaccine is both effective, and safe.

  Cindy arrives at the bridge, then gazes out the main view at the planet before her. She smiles, sits in her command chair, then activates the ship’s internal communications. “Attention all, attention. We will begin transporting equipment, and work crews to New Earth immediately. Everyone is to read the documentation on the planet’s main features. For those of you that won’t bother, this is a brief summary of New Earth’s key features. Its gravity is slightly heavier than Earth’s, the air will feel thinner, and the temperature a little cooler. The atmospheric pressure is slightly different as well, simply yawning upon landing should alleviate any discomfort. The planet has a twenty-six hour day, with a three hundred eighty-five day year. That’s all.”

  George frowns as he listens to the announcement, then turns to his sleeping wife. His emotions are torn between his duty to the crew, and his family obligations.

  Lisa opens her eyes, yawns, stretches, then gets out of bed. She wipes sleep from her eyes, then says, “I feel so much better. I need a long shower and some breakfast.” She offers George a warm smile, “and you have spent enough time playing nurse maid, now go and help your friends.”

  George grins, “I’m so glad you’re feeling better. I have to find Johnny, I promised him that he could come with me on my first trip.”

  Lisa steps to George and gives him a huge hug, “Watch our son, he tends to get himself into places he shouldn’t.” She follows this up with a stern look.

  George recalls the day Johnny explored this ship, prior to its completion. “I will keep an eye on him.” Still holding Lisa close, he says with concern, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She steps back, puts her hands on her hips, then says defiantly, “I am fine, and have spent far too much time resting.” She glances up at the room’s speakers, “Besides, it sounds like there is work for you to do, Mister.”

  As if on cue, Johnny comes running into the room, his face beaming with excitement. “Are we going? Are we going?”

  George ruffles his son’s hair while gazing at Lisa, then sighs, “Very well, it looks as though I have been out voted.” He turns to Johnny, then says sternly, “You have to keep out of everyone’s way, young man.”

  Johnny looks up, “I will, I promise.” He can barely stand still, he is so excited.

  George nods, walks to his suit, then steps backward into it. As the suit closes around him, he feels as if his mind is synchronizing with it. The visor is still up, which allows him to give Lisa one more smile, before he and Johnny leave.

  The second they are out of sight, Lisa flops onto her bed, exhausted. The effort of maintaining her guise of being well has been taxing. She lays on the bed, closes her eyes, and tries to fight off her nausea.

  Patrick arrives at the hangar deck in his bodysuit, and is pleasantly surprised to see George is waiting for him. Spotting George’s son causes him to frown, this is not some field trip, he thinks in annoyance. He immediately chastises himself for his thoughts, George has earned the right to take his son if he wishes. He walks up to George, and smiles. He is reminded of the time they worked together dismantling an ancient Gamin construction dock on the Oglan’s planet. George grins back, he too, is happy to be doing something.

  They turn to see Robert sprinting across the walkway toward them. A large camera dangles from his left hip, its long strap hangs over his far shoulder. Bulging pouches are attached to his belt loops, while a small backpack completes his wares. He comes to a halt, and between deep breaths, asks, “Mind if I come along? I am supposed to be reporting everything, you know.”

  John interrupts them when he calls out from the ramp of the largest shuttle in the hangar, “Let’s get this show on the road! We don’t have all day to hang around here.”

  The four men won’t admit it to each other, but they’re quite excited. It’s not every day you get to establish a colony on a new world. Elsewhere in the hangar, other shuttles are being prepared for launch, as the rest of the crew galvanizes themselves into action. Johnny stares at the men with reverence, then quietly follows them onto the shuttle. He sits in the midsection next to Robert, and though he stays out of the way, he sneaks peeks at the dangling camera. Patrick and George stow their suits, then sit with John in the cockpit.

  Robert turns to Johnny, smiles, lifts his camera, then takes a number of pictures. From where he sits, he can see the cockpit and the hangar walls through the shuttle’s view screen. The shuttle lifts up, glides sideways, then slowly moves downward. The view tilts, with the shuttle, so that they can exit the Terran’s ramp. Ever so slowly, the long shuttle makes its way out of the hangar. Onlookers stare in awe as the shuttle’s sides seem to almost touch the Terran’s walls in its passing.

  John is busy monitoring their progress, and only relaxes once they are in space. He flies the shuttle downward with confidence, and enters New Earth’s atmosphere. Alarmingly, the shuttle begins to feel sluggish in his hands. The designers not only failed to compensate for New Earth’s slightly heavier gravity, but it has also been overloaded. John shouts to Robert and Johnny, “Hey guys, hang on, this may get rough.”

  John activates the shuttle’s thrusters, then with their speed building, aims at the proposed colony site. A bead of perspiration works its way down his face, soon followed by another. Patrick is surprised when he notices sweat rolling down John’s face. He gulps when he realizes how intently John is working the shuttle’s controls.

  Outer hull plates heat up, and begin to glow as they descend ever faster and faster, almost in a free fall. The thrusters begin to scream louder as John boosts their output, but still they plummet downward. The shuttle shakes and shudders as the forces at work threaten to tear it apart. Finally, with the thrusters at one hundred-ten percent, they begin to slow down. Robert holds onto his seat as the shuttle is buffeted by strong turbulence. Johnny grins in excitement, the fast decent thrills him. George sits by pensively waiting, there is nothing he can do, except to let John concentrate.

  John wipes more sweat off his brow, then says “Got this beast now. I am going to put her down near the site of the radio telescope.”

  Patrick replies, “Good. That’s where we plan to run
the first set of power lines down the mountain side. Another set will run down the other end of the mountain range, avoiding that lake completely.” He waggles his finger at the distant lake as it comes into view, then rapidly vanishes behind thick clouds. A sudden wind gust strikes the shuttle causing him to hurriedly grab the sides of his seat.

  George also holds on tight, then nods in understanding, as he adds, “Ah! That way, even if we lose one set of power lines, the town will still be connected to the grid via the other.”

  Patrick replies, “Exactly. We have no idea how stable this area is geologically, or how bad the rain fall gets.” He quickly adds, “Well, Emma did examine old rock falls, and many of the smaller mountain streams. She also ran surveys using the ship’s scanners, but, we can only learn so much from space.”

  John stares intently at the rapidly approaching landing area, and interrupts their conversation, “Hang on, we’re coming in pretty fast.” He extends the shuttle’s landing gear, then pulses the thrusters far beyond their tolerances for a fraction of a second, expertly arresting their descent. He grins a little sheepishly as the shuttle softly touches down. The whine of the thrusters immediately diminishes to a barely noticeable level.

  Patrick slaps John on the back, “All that sweat for nothing. Piece of cake.”

  John stares back at him, and thinks, he has no idea how close that was. John opens the side ramp, then gulps as the smell of charred hull plates assaults his nose. The odor brings back memories of his escape from the International Space Station before its destruction. Reminiscing, he sits in his pilots chair for a few seconds as he tries to recall the scientist who sat in the rear compartment of the Endeavour, Gustav! A smile breaks onto his face as he recalls the man’s name, wonder what ever happened to him?

  Patrick interrupts John’s thoughts, “You’re just showing us how good you are.”

  John smiles, “Well, I think I burned out a few thrusters, so while you guys unload the cargo, I will be checking them out.” His smile expands to a full grin as he taps the control which opens the rear hatch.