by Neely Dobbs
* * *
Kyell Trandic, solemnly reflecting on his newly remembered role and sudden responsibilities as a Commodore of the Kepren Alliance, shifted restlessly on his room's reclining couch. "No position on this couch is going to be comfortable," he groused out loud, "since any position is uncomfortable when my mind is in such turmoil!" He knew for certain that the enforced rest period irked Jazon just as much as it did him. And—I suspect— Sabanda is probably equally vexed, too. But, unlike us, she will find a way to remain pleasant. Plus, it probably won't take her long to regain her usual serenity.
"I wish I could do that," he muttered angrily.
His mind skittered from one direction to another — constantly returning to worries about how destructive Kepren's final collision with the Wasp could be, especially to Ganlon. With the thought the peril to that city far above him, an image of its rare beauty came to mind, and he almost smiled.
Ganlon! Situated less than two degrees below Kepren's equator, in an alpine plateau at an elevation of over 7000 feet— with even higher mountains completely surrounding the plateau—Ganlon experienced only two delightfully moderate seasons year-round: an extended spring, followed by a colorful autumn. And the city was unlike any of the invariably crowded metropolises Kyell had visited all across the cluster. Ganlon's designers had assured that its more than a million inhabitants— at least when it was populated, he glumly thought— lived exceptionally well, enjoying massive open spaces and unparalleled vistas. By building comfortable living areas in graceful, towering structures which were placed only along a wide ring well outside the central hub— rather than being crowded close together inside it— Ganlon's planners had created a cityscape unlike any other. The resulting circular central hub was several miles across, containing only a minimal number of low-rise buildings, dominated by lushly green park-like areas, occasionally interlaced by boulevards artfully shaded by towering trees. One of Kyell's favorite features was the gently splashing stream that meandered throughout the area.
Acres of lake-dotted parklands surrounded the hub's architectural centerpiece, the Kepren Roster of Planets building, located at the heart of the hub. The majestic edifice had been constructed from a type of stone specially transported across the Cluster from a distant mining colony on one of Maljier's moons. The stone had been chosen because if its unique qualities: its outer surfaces changed color with slight temperature variations, and it was nearly transparent when viewed from the opposite surface's side. This meant that — while visitors outside this building saw an shimmering opaque surface that displayed gradually changing colors— those inside the building were rewarded with a mildly muted view of the natural surroundings outside the building.
The Roster of Planets building also hid features the average citizen was neither aware of nor privy to: concealed entrances to the system of underground corridors and lifts descending to the Mathlen Science Center's location far below Ganlon's surface.
As the thought of the Center came to mind, Kyell once again— and not for the first time— thought about the comparison between his challenging current reality, versus his comparatively ideal existence on far away Earth. There his main worries had been what effect the weather might have on his farm's crops, and the care and feeding of his two dogs, Patch and Ranger.
That thought reminded him about how his dogs had been given their names— by their former owner, George Sanders. Patch got his name after an accident injured one of his eyes, requiring a patch over that eye for a short time. His other dog, Ranger, had perpetually left home to "range all over" the countryside, forever looking for something that forever remained undefined.
Those recollections brought a smile to his lips. The gentle chime of the visitor-alert— followed immediately by a loud knocking on the door— interrupted his thoughts. Then came a laughing shout: "Hey Kyell, wake up! It's time for your nap!"
Now wearing a broad smile, he shouted his reply as he hurried to the door, "Sabanda, if you got Jazon to take a nap with everything that's facing us, I salute you." He flung open the door and was greeted by the childishly grinning faces of his two best friends.
"Get a move on, soldier," laughed Jazon. "We're escaping!"
"Fine by me!" Kyell responded, closing the door behind him. "Where we going?"
Sabanda answered, "We're going to get some real R&R! Doctor Sabanda has prescribed a relaxing two hour vacation for the three of us. We're going for an outing — complete with a picnic, plus one of Kepren's finest wines— up top, in Ganlon's central hub. Remember how beautiful and peaceful it is up there?"
""I was just thinking about it!" Kyell replied enthusiastically. He took two quick steps toward the exit, glanced back over his shoulder and shouted, "So what are you waiting for? Let's bust out of this joint!"
