“Great.” Derek gave him a tired smile. “We did it, Connor. We did our best.”
“Yes.” Connor let his eyes lose focus as he stared into the middle distance. Is that it? Is it over? He felt strangely deflated: both on edge and relieved at the same time. Perhaps his message would bring rescue and a return home, perhaps not. There was nothing he could do about that. He knew that his words were already on their way to Earth, but would they be heard? Would they be understood and acted upon? He had no way of knowing and no way of finding out. All he could do was wait.
EPILOGUE
The Rift Valley
Siobhan perched on one of the boulders that littered the valley floor and smiled up at the cloudless sky. After running a series of tests, they’d decided that they could all remove their helmets so long as they stayed well away from the valley’s entrance, and it felt good to breathe the cool air. She turned her head, taking in every detail of her new world: the delicate fronds of greenery clinging to the cliff walls, the droplets of glittering moisture coating the narrow leaves on the gnarled trees, the creeper berries hanging ripe on the tangled vines. This place was a wilderness, an oasis of life hidden in a heartless expanse of ruined land. Beyond the valley’s steep walls, this planet had been tainted, reduced to a deadly wasteland by a loathsome coalition of greed and ruthless ambition. But this glorious valley had survived. It was a triumph of nature over disaster. And it was more than that. It was hope. Hope for the future, hope for Siobhan’s generation and for those who came after. The settlers might one day leave this planet, but until then, so long as they pulled together, they could do more than survive. They could thrive, and in the end, if they worked hard, they could carve out a life, a good life, and live out their days beyond the wall.
Base Camp
David blinked. Over the last few weeks, he’d grown used to manning the comms room without interruption. He’d come to enjoy the peace, the routine. But now, a rush of excitement washed over him, thrilling him to the core. His heart beat faster as he reached out to the console, his hand trembling, his mind in a whirl. With great care, he pressed the control that would skip back to the start of the automated recording. He turned up the volume, pressed the play icon and leaned forward to listen.
“This is Steven Marks of the Terran Alliance calling for Evelyn Naidu and the survivors of The Pharaon. Your message has been received. Know that we stand with you. Your cause is our cause and we will do everything we can to help you. Our plans are already underway. We’ll get you home. All of you. Stay strong. Message ends.”
Hardly aware of what he was doing, David paused the playback and leaped from his chair. As he hurried along the corridor, he rehearsed what he’d say to Lyndsey. And then a thought struck him, an idea he must pursue. Lyndsey was probably in lab one; she’d spent most of her time alone in the lab since the death of Jim Clennan. But before David went to find her, he must make a quick diversion through to rec room one. He had a locker there. It held the few personal effects he possessed, and hidden at the very back, behind the treasured books and photographs, was the bottle of whiskey he’d been saving since they landed. It was almost half full. But that was about to change.
Thank You for Reading Colony B
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Liked it? I think you’ll enjoy this:
Dial G for Gravity
Brent Bolster isn’t worried about the alien who’s just appeared in his bedroom.
For one thing, Brent is an approved PI and immune from abduction. For another, he has something hidden under his pillow: a snub-nosed pulse pistol.
So everything will be fine. Probably.
Join Brent as he tackles Earth’s new overlords and uncovers a deadly plan. Mainly by accident.
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Also by Michael Campling
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The Brent Bolster Mysteries
Dial G for Gravity
Dead Men Don’t Disco (November 2018)
The Downlode Trust Series:
C0NTINUE? - A Downlode Trust Prequel
CHEATC0DE - The Downlode Trust Book I
The Trust - The Downlode Trust Book II
Colony B Series:
Skeleton Crew - A Colony B Prequel
Wall - Colony B Book I
Trail - Colony B Book II
Control - Colony B Book III
Rift - Colony B Book IV
The Darkeningstone Series:
Breaking Ground - A Darkeningstone Prequel
Trespass: The Darkeningstone Book I
Outcast—The Darkeningstone Book II
Scaderstone—The Darkeningstone Book III
The Short Horror Collection
After Dark - Thoughtful Horror Book I
Once in a Blood Moon - Thoughtful Horror Book II
A Dark Assortment - Thoughtful Horror Book III
Other Fiction
The God Machine
Changes
Destinly’s Hand
The Expanding Universe 3
The Expanding Universe 4
About the Author
I know it’s traditional to write these things in the third person, but tradition can be a crutch, so here I am, writing to you, making it up as I go along, which is not just my job, but also the way I live my life! I confess, I’ve never been much of a planner, as you’ll see from this potted summary of my chequered career.
I have been a computer programmer, a website builder, a full-time dad, and a primary school teacher, and those last two roles are the ones that fill me with the greatest pride. Bringing up our two children was the most wonderful, fulfilling, challenging, and exhausting thing I’ve ever done. Our son and daughter are both adults now and away at university, but as all parents know, the job never ends (and we wouldn’t have it any other way).
I’m known to friends as Mikey, so if you’ve read this far, go ahead and drop the formality. My books are listed on michaelcampling.com, but my blog (and scintillating newsletter) are run from mikeycampling.com where you can sign up for my readers’ group, which is called The Awkward Squad, and I’ll send you free books and stories, plus a newsletter that’s actually worth reading. Here’s the only link you’ll need:
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Copyright
© 2018 Michael Campling All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the copyright holder, except as permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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