Off Course
Page 19
“I'll be on the first shuttle up to the Milwaukee.”
“I'll hold you to that promise,” she said. She kissed her fingers and held them close to the video camera, “Kisses my love.”
AJ did the same. “Kisses. I love you.”
AJ's live face vanished from the screen and was replaced with a photo of the happy couple on their wedding day. Heather's eyes lingered on the picture for a short time then turned and looked out over the vast expanse of the Keldan starport. What a difference three years had made!
A suitable replacement for the Keldan homeworld had been found in the massive Ba'Rutu database. The star system was located 76 lights years away. Luckily, it put the Keldans closer to Earth. The planet was rich in plant and animal life with a climate almost identical to that of Ishneb. The exploration teams that first set foot on the surface described it as being equivalent to Earth in its Precambrian stage of development.
Moving an entire planet's population was, of course, a massive undertaking. Four-hundred-thousand Keldans were now working around the clock on the new planet to begin the process of preparing it for occupation. Each ship that visited the new world brought more. Land had to be cleared for farms as well as cities. Every infrastructure that existed on Ashnib would have to be duplicated on Keldanon – the name the Keldans had chosen for their new home.
Heather watched as a Keldan-built shuttle lifted into the cloudy sky. It rose straight up and was quickly lost in the heavy clouds. A few minutes later, another shuttle, this one built by humans, broke through the clouds and landed. Within minutes, the cargo doors were open and it was being loaded with more machinery destined for Keldanon. This sort of activity went on around the clock and would continue for years to come. Elsewhere on Ashnib, the same scene was being repeated at a dozen similar starports.
High above, in the vacuum of space, were the giant freighters. Thirty-six such ships constantly shuttled back and forth between Ashnib and Keldanon. They carried the raw materials needed to transform a wild planet into the home of a technologically advanced, space-faring people. Ashnib itself was slowly being stripped of every possible resource without regard to the consequences of doing so. It looked like an industrial revolution gone mad.
Heather continued to watch the shuttles as a powerful thunderstorm moved into the area. The rain and wind did not seem to affect the Keldans in the least. A reflection in the window caused her to spin around and run towards the person coming through the door. A moment later, she was lifted off the ground by a pair of strong arms.
“I wasn't expecting you here until tomorrow,” Heather said, wiping her eyes.
“We made better time than expected,” her dad replied giving his daughter a long, loving look.
“I'm glad you finally made the trip to Ashnib.”
“So am I,” Rafael replied. Turning to look out the window he continued, “Quite a sight, isn't it?”
“It's hard to believe that in a few decades, all this will be gone,” she replied, waving her arms from one side to the other.
“At least all the Keldans will be safe,” Rafael replied. “It's amazing to think back and wonder how many of them would have perished had the Star-Pulse not been taken so far off-course all those years ago.”
“All those years?” Heather gave her dad a quizzical look. “It's been less than four. I hope you're not getting senile!”
“Not at all,” Rafael chuckled. “But when I do, I know the company will be in good hands. Congratulations on closing the forest deal – you did a good job.”
“You taught me well.”
“Your husband's been doing a wonderful job,” Rafael said after a moment. “I don't know how he does it. Within a month after he's taken a single trip on a freighter, the ship's efficiency rating seems to go up. Of course, he also causes us to spend a bunch of money up-front, but it's beginning to pay off. If he keeps this up, I'll have the most efficient fleet of freighters in the galaxy.”
“He loves his new job. He gets to stay in space and he always has problems to solve.”
Gesturing toward the window, Rafael said, “I hope the weather isn't always like this. I came here to see what a doomed planet looks like.”
“I thought you came to visit me?” Heather said, purposefully using a whining tone of voice.
“Of course I did,” Rafael grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I came to visit you, to check up on how well the next president of Trans-Stellar Cargo is doing her job, and to see this wonderful planet full of spiders you and your husband found. That reminds me,” Rafael tugged on her arm, pulling her towards the door, “I have something for you.”
Just outside the door, sitting in the hall against the wall was what appeared to be a roll-around travel-bag. Rafael unzipped the insulated top and pulled out a large, plastic bucket. Wisps of vapor rolled down the side as the humid air condensed around the cold container. “AJ said you might like to have this.”
Heather's mouth started to water. “Is that his homemade ice cream?”
“It is,” her dad replied as he produced two spoons. “I told him he could make a fortune selling this stuff but he refuses to share his recipe.”
Rafael popped open the container and together they shared in the creamy delight. Outside, the evacuation activities continued.
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This book is also available in both electronic and print formats.
Cover design by Heather Zak.
Author photo by John Gilbey
Books by Doug Farren
Galactic Alliance Series
Book 1 – Translight
Book 2 – Chroniech
Book 3 – Honor Thy Enemy
Book 4 – Peacekeeper
Book 5 – Peacekeeper 2
Book 6 – Peacekeeper Pathogen
Dragonverse Series
Book 1 – The Adventure Begins
Book 2 – Ishnef’s Revenge
Book 3 – Dragonverse Origins
Singles
Off Course
When Ships Mutiny
I can be reached at: author@dougfarren.com
You can find me on Twitter at: @author_farren
My web page is at: http://dougfarren.com/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Farren is a self-published author who published his first book in 2009. He is a proud member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America). He mainly writes space-opera style military science fiction as well as science fiction fantasy. Doug is a U.S. Navy veteran having spent 11 years in the Navy as a nuclear electronics technician. He sat on several panels during the 2015 World Science Fiction Convention which was held in Spokane, Washington. His blog focuses on providing helpful tips for new and existing self-published authors. At the time of this publication, he was working at a nuclear power plant as a Database Administrator in the Work Management department.