A World Too Far (Terran Trilogy Book 1)

by Sheron Wood McCartha

  “Don’t do that. With the fleet in tight orbit and moving at a constant speed, it gives us the opportunity for an overdue face-to-face. I also want to bring a few friends along, if that’s okay.”

  “How long can you stay?”

  “No more than a few hours. Emmy may come. She wants to see you and John. It’s been awhile.”

  “Gads, it’s been ages. I’d love to see her.”

  “She’s younger than me, now,” he reminded her.

  “Cryo.” She shivered at the memory.

  Charles chuckled. “Also, prepare for a longer term guest. You’ll want him to stay, and you’ll want it to be somewhere nice.”

  “So who?” She was intrigued.

  “It’s a surprise. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Entering shuttle bay, she watched his craft swoop in and berth. As she stepped forward, she noticed Trajan join her on her left, sporting a big grin as if he knew the secret…which he probably did.

  A door opened and Charles hopped down, holding out a hand for an attractive female that she recognized. Had they ever looked so young?

  Emily Dance descended. She paused to look up over her shoulder as the smiling face of Carter Wright appeared at the top of the stairs.

  “I’m baaacck,” he mocked, throwing out his arms just as John Luttrell strode up.

  “Oh save me, Mother.” Luttrell hit his head with the palm of his hand. “Is he the surprise that Trajan was so worked up about?”

  “Hello, John. Good to see you, too.” Carter smirked as he descended to join them.

  Ignoring Carter, John thrust out his hand to shake Charles’ and leaned in to hug Emily. “So good to see you again, Em. You don’t look a day over twenty-five.” He scowled at Carter.

  “John, it’s been ages.” Emily beamed at him.

  “No hug for me?” Carter gave him a wide grin.

  “Gag. When did you say you were leaving?”

  After a laugh, Elise said, “I’ll hug you.” And promptly did, eliciting an immediate frown from John.

  “Good to see you, Carter.” Trajan put out a hand.

  She had forgotten her manners. “Trajan, I want you to meet Captain Charles Dance and his wife, Emily, from The Explorer. You already know Carter.”

  Trajan dipped his head. “A pleasure to meet you, and good to see you again, Carter.”

  While all the introductions were going on, a young boy appeared at the top of the steps and jumped down.

  Elise stared into the bright blue eyes and generous nose that mirrored Charles’s face. It was like looking into a time long past.

  Elise put out a hand. “You must be Charlie, the captain’s son.” With a smile, she welcomed him. “I’m Captain Fujeint. Welcome to the New Found Hope.”

  The young boy stuck out a hand and smiled. “I’m his clone, not merely his son.” He paused to study her. “You’re even prettier than the Captain described.”

  “He has your charm, I see.” She glanced at Charles as she solemnly shook the kid’s hand and then introduced him around.

  The kid gazed at John and Carter. “You realize you two guys are legends within the fleet? Everyone talks about you and all the cool stuff you’ve done. Mr. Wright’s robots are amazing, and I actually owe my existence to you, Dr. Luttrell. So, thanks.”

  John nodded with a grin, basking in the kid’s words while Carter laughed, saying, “Creating all those robots was a lot of fun. Still is.”

  Elise didn’t need all of the ego fallout the boy’s comments would bring from those two. They were hard enough to deal with as they were, so she stepped up. “We need to go in. Lunch is ready, complete with drinks made by our infamous Medlab distillery.”

  Charles popped a knuckle. “Show the way. I could use a drink after the last few shifts. Besides, I’ve wanted another taste of John’s famous concoction ever since I tasted that first one. What’s on tap, John?”

  “Trajan, will you join us?”

  Her ex-guard startled. “I’d love to.” His face showed his delight at being included.

  Elise had alerted Brad to set up in her stateroom and asked him to join them. She also invited Tango, but Jazz and Jensen stayed on assignment, watching over the bridge. On impulse, she’d invited Lisi and wondered how the two young clones would get on.

  The two twelve-year-olds eyed each other like dogs sizing up an intruder on protected turf. After an introduction, Charlie checked the food and asked for a sandwich. Lisi rolled her eyes and got Trajan to pass her one too. Each took a bite and glared at the other.

  Looking around her table, Elise already felt better. “So what do we do now?” she asked Charles.

  He rubbed his nose and shrugged. “I had a talk with Reardon. We’re glad the whole fleet didn’t land or we’d be decimated by now. The good news is that this part of the galaxy is not so spread out. Earth is situated on a spiral arm toward the edge where star systems are spaced farther apart. However, the fleet has moved inward and across the Milky Way where everything is closer. But, that just means star systems are billions rather than trillions of miles apart. It’s still a lot of real estate to traverse.”

  Charles nodded. “The Pilgrim’s Pride and The Invictus have been searching for habitable planets.”

  “And?” Carter squinted at Charles.

  “They did find several systems with promising worlds. I’m not sure what they look like.”

  Elise put up her hands, palms out. “So we pick the most suitable one that is the nearest.”

  Kicking the table, “Lisi added, “I want to see more planets like we just saw. Big worlds with fancy rings or spewing volcanoes.”

  Charlie nodded, rubbing his nose in imitation of Charles. “Me too. Let’s find an interesting star system with even stranger worlds.”

  Emily looked up with a frown. “I just want a world like Earth, so I can build a home, plant crops, and raise a family safely.”

  Charles reached for her hand, saying, “Me too.”

  “Before we move on, we’ll have to resupply at one of the ice moons. The fleet needs water and metals,” Carter added. “Once we’re out of this system, it’s a long way before we find any more resources.”

  “Not only that,” Tango looked up. “We can use the nearby planet’s gravity to slingshot forward.” He picked up a drink. “Our speed has dramatically slowed by being in orbit. If we’re going to get anywhere in my lifetime, we’ll need to increase our velocity again.”

  Sighing, Charles said, “I had so hoped this world …God, it was awful to watch.”

  Nods went around the table. A silence fell.

  “We’ll find a place,” Charles finally said.

  “It just won’t be today,” John grumbled. “But, I’ll get to work on my current project some more.”

  Elise raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

  “Oh,” John fiddled with his sandwich. “Inserting assisting devices into the brain.” He grinned. “Actually, now that you’re here, Carter, maybe you can help.”

  Eyes lighting up, Carter grinned. “Computers in the brain to enhance human performance sounds exciting. I’d like to see what I could do.”

  Elise slapped the table. “Are you two serious?”

  “I’d say they’re serious.” Charles smiled. “Let me know how the project goes. I have a few crew I’d like to volunteer for a brain upgrade.”

  “I also have some crew in mind I would like to volunteer,” Elise added.

  The conversation turned to other topics as Elise caught up with news from the various ships.

  Sad to leave, but having enjoyed the visit, the Dances returned to The Explorer.

  However, Carter stayed.

  Chapter 35

  What Next?

  “Space is boring.” Twelve-year-old old Lisi sat in the new co-captain chair and fidgeted. Elise had brought her onto the bridge to observe and become better acquainted with the area since she was getting older and could understand the procedures.

  In front of them, Jensen sa
t at the helm so Tango could leave for lunch with a new love interest. The bridge was quiet. Jazz had also gone off shift somewhere with playboy Brad Cameron.

  Rumor had it that Brad and Jazz were the new hot couple. Elise grumbled to herself. Oh well, Brad’s extensive list of girlfriends left her dizzy. Let her vivacious communications officer deal with him. As captain, she lacked enthusiasm for his party mentality.

  “Just boring,” Lisi repeated her comment and punctuated it by kicking the chair with a foot.

  “Boring?” With a frown, Elise’s attention returned to her clone.

  “Well, I just been sitting here like forever, looking at nothing. I’d rather go play with Jennie.” Lisi hunched forward on the armrest, slanting her chin into the palm of her hand and leaning on her elbow.

  Elise put a finger on her larger monitor. “What do you think that is?”

  Lisi pursed her lips and waggled them from side to side as if thinking. “Looks like just a spot of light among a bunch of other spots.” She shrugged. “Not much. Boring.”

  “Well that spot of light is a really far away star system with fifteen planets and looks like this closer up.” Elise scrolled to a nearer view.

  Leaning sideways, Lisi’s brow furrowed. “Wow! That planet has a bunch of colorful rings around it.”

  “And ten moons--some icy, some cold rock, and some with volcanoes spewing out hot lava.”

  “Are we going there?”

  Scrolling through the images, Elise revealed an even closer image of the large gas giant.

  “Okay, that’s awesome.” Lisi’s feet kicked the chair again.

  “And extremely dangerous.” Elise straightened up. “We’re hoping to get water and metal from one of its nearby moons. It’s covered mainly in ice, but Jensen’s scans reveal liquid oceans below the crust and an abundance of metals on the surface.”

  Elise pointed to one of the larger, closer moons. “There’s where we’re headed. It has taken two years to get this far because we started from orbit with a slow velocity. We finally got our speed up, but now, we’re slowing down again, so we can achieve orbit.”

  Lisi stared at a bright white moon draped in icy peaks and valleys.

  “We have to be careful that the gravity of the nearby planet doesn’t pull us in, or its radiation get too high to be dangerous. Also, those rings may look pretty, but they’re made up of various sizes of rocks that could easily damage our ship if even the smallest chip breaks through our magnetic shield.

  “Oh.” Lisi tapped her lips with a finger and blinked dark lashes. “The moon looks beautiful but cold. It makes me shiver.”

  “Would you care to name it?”

  Lisi jerked upright and turned her lavender eyes on Elise. “Could I?”

  “Jensen usually is the person who labels objects for our maps, but he might let you name this one.”

  Hearing them talk, Jensen swiveled around. “Sure, you’re welcome to name it. What would you like to call it?”

  “Snowball.”

  He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Snowball it is.” He made an entry into the data bank.

  Excited to have named the moon, Lisi tapped Elise’s arm. “Let me call that big planet Jaba. Earth had a movie with a big ugly monster in it called Jaba.”

  “Yes. Star Wars. Loved it. I’ll put that in the data bank too.” Jensen whistled as he tapped in the name.

  “So what are we going to do on that moon?” Lisi no longer appeared bored.

  Elise scrolled to a close-up of Snowball. “Trajan is going to lead a team down to watch over the miners while they extract water and metals. After what happened on Poseidon, we don’t want any unexpected attacks from native lifeforms. We have no idea what could be lurking in the waters beneath that icy crust.”

  “That sounds scary.”

  Elise agreed. “A bit.”

  “Meeting an alien would be totally awesome, especially if I could talk to it.” Lisi rubbed her forehead.

  “Don’t get your hopes up. The life we saw on Poseidon is the only life we’ve seen in hundreds of years of crossing space, and they didn’t talk to us; they tried to eat us.”

  “But you never know, huh?”

  “No, you never do.”

  Not long after, the fleet circled Jaba and established a stationary orbit around its nearby moon, now called “Snowball.”

  Inside the ship where the lockers lined the walls, Jacob jumped up and down in his new spacesuit, trying to wiggle into it. He then checked it for rips or breaks. He remembered the time Trajan had almost died out in space when an adhesive oozed into his helmet, got into his eyes, and blinded him. But Jacob had made a daring rescue and saved him. Then Ed, from the Explorer, nearly drowned when a sip tube had sprung a leak and water filled his helmet.

  Jacob flexed his gloves, examining them for flaws. He studied his helmet and wiggled all the connections, making sure they were tight.

  Next to him, sitting on a bench, Trajan fussed with his boots. Mika grunted and pushed on his left boot to get his foot inside.

  “Ow! Don’t shove so hard,” he complained.

  “I didn’t think your feet could get any bigger.” Mika handed him his other boot. “Seems I was wrong.”

  Trajan grimaced. “Jacob had to get a whole new suit since he’s outgrown his previous one.”

  “He’s a growing kid,” countered Mika. “Went from a boy to a man.”

  Jacob grinned at her and turned to Trajan. “Are you sure you want to go?” he asked for the umpteenth time. “You’re getting rather old for this kind of thing.”

  Trajan eyed him. “You’re getting back at me for that time I kept asking you, aren’t you?”

  “If the boot fits, then … Oh wait, it doesn’t. The feet are too big.”

  “Wiseass kid.”

  “Grumpy old man.”

  “I’m not…”

  Mika handed Trajan his backpack, “Oh, stop it, you two. You’re holding up the team.”

  Trajan stood up and stomped down on his boot while Jacob hefted his backpack that held a computer, water, and compressed air.

  “Time to go,” Trajan said, settling his own pack on his shoulders. Jacob followed him to where they’d meet up with the rest of the guard team and ten miners.

  In the shuttle bay, Jeff, Pete, and the rest were already there helping load the equipment.

  The commander had chosen a time when the moon faced the sun. At certain times, the light was brighter, and they could better see what they were doing. Closer inspection revealed bare outcroppings of rock where snow had slid off in an avalanche or had been blown away by heavy winds.

  Maneuvering in the cumbersome suits made everything harder, but, everyone eventually settled and strapped into place.

  “Hope everyone’s buckled in ‘cause we’re on our way,” the pilot said over one shoulder, and the shuttle shot out into the glare of sun on snow.

  “Aaah.” Jacob jammed his helmet on so he could see in the bright light.

  The landing was anything but smooth. The shuttle jolted and scraped over ice, ending up plowing through a pile of snow that sprayed everywhere and hung in a curtain of mist due to the light gravity.

  “We’re down,” the pilot announced.

  “Say a prayer of thanks,” Trajan muttered as he grabbed his pack.

  Several passengers mumbled, “Thank you, Lord.”

  Because the moon was much bigger than any asteroid, all ten mining and reclamation stations easily fit on it. That meant ten stations operating simultaneously across one surface.

  Thirty-four large ships circled the moon. Those taking on water and materials rode into a low geosynchronous orbit while the next tier circled higher. The last to fuel hovered above them.

  Trajan surveyed the white landscape, his expression hidden behind the opaque helmet. He lifted a recorder to sample and test the atmosphere.

  Weak gravity allowed The New Found Hope to hover close enough so that flexible tubes could dangle within reach of the mine
rs below. They set up equipment that warmed and purified the snow, then filtered the water before they sucked it up to the ship.

  One of the miners, named Jeff, stuck a meter into Jacob’s hand. “Here, scan the ground where the rock’s bare, and let me know if it shows ilmenite. Ilmenite will blink red. If it blinks other colors, let me know that too.”

  “Ilmenite?”

  “Rocks that contains oxygen, titanium, and iron.” The miner tapped the meter. “Jensen swept this area with lasers of various wavelengths of light and said he noticed deposits of Helium3, ilmenite, iron, silver, magnesium and cobalt. Locate platinum or tungsten, and Jimbo in engineering might kiss you.”

  The thought of a kiss from Jimbo wasn’t a real motivator for Jacob, but wanting something to do, he started waving the meter about.

  Time passed, and he was about to give up, when near an outcropping of bare rock, a red light blinked. He commed an enthusiastic Jeff who bounced over, grabbed the instrument from him, and began joyously slicing bits of rock that soon filled his cart.

  That gave Jacob time to observe all the activity around him. The hovering ships reminded him of a flock of flamingoes with long graceful necks, foraging for food.

  On a high ridge, he spied Trajan overseeing activities. In either hand, the guard held a quantum phaser that swept the area, searching for signs of alien life. Clipped to his belt was a recorder that monitored the atmosphere. Strapped to his back rode a sniper’s rifle.

  Dialing over to Trajan’s frequency, Jacob asked, “See anything out of the ordinary moving around?”

  After some hiss and crackle, Trajan answered, “Nothing so far except us. Once we penetrated past the ice, the water reclamation process sped up. Should be done soon. How’s the rock collecting going?”

  “Jeff is like a kid in a candy shop. He found something called ilmenite.”

  He heard a bit of garble and then Trajan’s words, “Oh, that should please Carter and Jimbo.”

  “I’ll just be happy to be done with this operation without any problems.” As soon as he said the words, Jacob felt the ground shiver. “What was that?” He peered around.

  Several exclamations sounded in his helmet from a number of channels.