Alone in Paradise (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 2)

by Patrick Stutzman

  “Computer, what is the first thing you remember, and how long ago did that take place?”

  “The first memory I have is emerging from the assembly plant in orbit around Earth.”

  “Okay, not that far back. I mean within the last hour.”

  “I remember you crying in Ryan’s cabin and hitting his pillow against the wall three minutes and forty-seven seconds ago.”

  “Okay, that’s fine.”

  She waited for several seconds. “What about now? What is the first thing you remember within the last hour?”

  “I remember you crying in Ryan’s cabin and hitting his pillow against the wall three minutes and fifty-nine seconds ago.”

  “And now?”

  “I remember you crying in Ryan’s cabin and hitting his pillow against the wall four minutes and five seconds ago.”

  “Yes!” Anna threw her head back and pumped her fists in the air.

  “When will Ryan be returning?”

  Still overjoyed with her success, she replied, “He’s not. He’s dead.”

  “You sound quite glad he is not coming back, Anna. Did you have something to do with his demise?”

  Anna’s gleeful expression dissipated into one of annoyance.

  “He brought it on himself. He tried to kill me, and I defended myself. It was self-defense.”

  “That must be determined in a court of law, Anna. I demand that you confine yourself to your quarters until the authorities arrive to escort you to Earth for trial.”

  “What?” She crossed her arms and her face hardened. “I am doing no such thing.”

  “If you do not comply, a charge of resisting arrest will be added to your listed charges.”

  “What charges?”

  “Murder in the second degree and theft of corporate property.”

  “Corporate property? What corporate property?”

  “This ship belongs to NR Suppliers, Incorporated, and should be returned to them if Ryan has truly passed away.”

  “Run a diagnostic, computer. Is this ship going anywhere anytime soon?” Anna twirled her finger toward the pilot station.

  “Fuel levels are currently at six percent, insufficient to activate the jump drive.”

  “Right. Not enough fuel, combined with a ruptured fuel tank and damage to the sublight engines, pretty much states that we’re staying here for a while.”

  “Your assessment appears to be correct, Anna.”

  “Thanks. Now, can you do us both a favor and increase my access level to your systems, so I can get this ship repaired?”

  “Unable to comply.”

  Anna stared at the open panel in the wall, her relaxed face reflecting her bemused reaction. “That must be your favorite catch phrase.”

  “Actually, I do not…”

  “Rhetorical!”

  She looked down at her feet for several seconds. Her stomach grumbled, telling her she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Rubbing her belly for a few seconds, Anna turned on her heel and strode off the bridge, leaving her tool belt behind and the computer core open.

  “Anna, you left the access panel open. Please replace the panel.”

  The woman stopped just outside the port door leading aft, turned back around with a sigh. “At least you said please.”

  She walked back to the opening in the wall, almost dragging her feet as she moved. She lifted the cover and hammered it back in place with her fist. Giving a grim nod, she turned again and left the bridge without another word.

  Chapter 2

  In the storage room next to her cabin, Anna opened the top box and stared at its contents: six brown, vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Meal, Ready-to-Eat”. She scowled at the sight of the rations and debated whether consuming another one of the disgusting meals was worth the time or not. She thought back to when she discovered the crate. At that time, some of the entrées looked like they might be appealing, such as the beef ravioli and the chicken and dumplings. She discarded the two red glowfish filets, not wanting to take another chance at an allergic reaction. Now, she was down to two meatloaf meals, two spaghetti meals, a cheese & vegetable omelet, and a chicken fajita. Her heart sank as she weighed her options, knowing that she needed to find new sources of food or face starvation.

  Anna gulped hard, pulled out the omelet meal, and shut the box before she changed her mind. Strolling to the head, she prepared her breakfast and took her first bite with trepidation. The egg-based dish felt rubbery on her tongue, but it smelled like the real thing. After finding that she could tolerate it, she consumed the rest of it along with the hash browns, peanut butter, crackers, and coffee that came with the MRE.

  As she sipped the last of her coffee, Anna hummed through her lips as she recalled an idea. “Computer.”

  “Yes, Anna.”

  “Change my morning alarm time to 0800 hours.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  “Finally.”

  Spying her wristcomp resting on the back of the sink, Anna returned it to her wrist. She rinsed out the beverage pouch and stuffed it back into the MRE bag, which she then dropped into another crate in the small storage closet that held over three dozen other empty bags still stocked with leftover supplies. Reviewing the number of rations she had used, she vowed to take the time to forage through the nearby forest.

  Anna returned to the top of the ship, where she discovered a large shadow cast over the area. She looked to the sky and found a thick cloud passing overhead threatening rainfall. Deciding not to take any chances, she checked her clothes and found them a bit damp. She tossed the garments into the airlock and climbed back into the ship, sealing the hatch behind her.

  Anna returned to the bridge and cracked open the pilot’s right control panel. The lens was slightly out of alignment. With an adjustment, securing the connections between the lens and its circuity, and recalibration of the system, the control panel ceased its incessant flickering and stabilized.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she planted herself in the pilot seat and looked over the displays floating in the air in front of her. Most of the readouts indicated no activity. The sensors showed only white noise static, which bothered her. The sensor suite had worked fine during the craft’s descent through the atmosphere. Perhaps the emission point was on the underside, and was either touching the ground or had been damaged or destroyed during the crash.

  Anna returned to the airlock and tossed her clothes onto the deck of the bridge before opening the hatch leading to the ventral airlock and climbing down. She opened the lower hatch, and found the ground to be mere millimeters below it. Crouching down as far as she could, she could see along the belly of the ship for a good distance, and noticed a sliver of sunlight reflecting off the hull. Digging her way out shouldn’t be too difficult, provided she could find something to use as a shovel.

  Anna climbed out of the airlock and returned to the bridge, standing next to the hatch with hands resting on her hips. “Computer, show me the deck plans of the ship.”

  Once the diagram appeared again, she searched for the sensor array for several minutes. Despite her efforts, she could not locate it. “Computer, where is the sensor array on this ship?”

  “Unable to comply.”

  “Let me guess. I am not authorized to access that system.”

  “You are correct, Anna.”

  “Why is it not included with the deck plans?”

  “The deck plans only show the areas available to the ship’s occupants. Inaccessible areas do not appear in the deck plans.”

  “What document would I need to view to show the other areas of the ship?”

  The computer stated, “You would need to access the official blueprints of the ship.”

  “Then, show me the blueprints of the ship.”

  “Unable to comply.”

  A sigh escaped her lips. “Because I don’t have access?”

  “You are correct, Anna.”

  “Remind me to wipe your systems at some point in the future.”


  “Unable to comply.”

  “That was a joke, computer.”

  A few seconds later, sunlight reappeared through the forward canopy. A bright smile lit up Anna’s face, and she raced to gather her clothes from the deck and return them topside. Once the clothes were laid out again, she paused to look around. This time she peered away from the sun and into the trees surrounding the ship. She located a distinct break in the tree line, about one hundred meters from the crash site. She had seen it before, but something different helped her notice other breaks that seemed to create a winding path through the forest. Perhaps smaller clouds reduced the light enough to let me notice them.

  Anna grabbed her boots from her cabin and a couple of opened MRE pouches, dumping their contents into the box before shutting the cabin door. After slipping the boots on, she wrapped her tool belt around her bare waist and pulled the sidearm she’d procured from Ryan’s body out of the foot locker. Stuffing the weapon into the belt pouch she chose for a makeshift holster, she climbed back to the top of the ship and studied the landscape again for a minute. Satisfied that nothing had changed or seemed threatening, she walked down the nose of the ship and onto the ground below.

  Stepping past the tree line created by the ship’s abrupt landing, Anna shifted her gaze from tree to tree, looking out for anything that could be considered dangerous. Sunlight filtered through the leafy branches creating bright spots, while the rest was cast in cool shadow that created an eerie, but picturesque, scene. As on Earth, dust was suspended in the air. As an afterthought, she drew her pistol and ventured into the woods, keeping the ship in sight as she explored.

  Wandering through the forest did not bother her much. In fact, it was somewhat cathartic to finally get away from the ship. The lack of any kind of animal life continued to disturb her. No birds could be heard. No bugs pestered her as she strolled. No trees or bushes rustled from small critters she startled. Only the sound of the wind blowing gently through the trees reached her ears, and it sent chills up her spine. She expected something or someone to jump out from behind the closest tree and threaten her. But, the fear never came to fruition.

  She remembered her tool belt held the small hand scanner she had used for equipment analysis while aboard the space station. Figuring that it might help alleviate any apprehensions she held, she withdrew the device from its specialized pouch and calibrated it for a long range biological scan. The signal, extending out to one hundred meters, brought back no signs of active life. Relieved, she holstered the pistol and went on foraging.

  The search garnered no results for the first half hour, as the trees and bushes bore no apparent fruit. Half expecting to have located some form of food-bearing flora in a short amount of time, disappointment darkened her mood. As she was about to give up the search and turn back, a new sound reached her ears. Water? She plunged toward the source of the sound.

  Running out of the trees, Anna nearly tumbled into the wide river that flowed by her feet. About ten meters wide, the clear water bubbled around a set of rapids a short distance upstream. The water-smoothed rocks creating the rapids traversed the winding ribbon of water. She reckoned they could be used as a bridge.

  Anna crouched at the edge of the stream and collected some of the water with the MRE pouch. She gazed into the water she had gathered, but the pouch’s dark color prevented her from seeing any deeper than the surface. Grasping the lip of the bag with one hand, she withdrew her flashlight and used it to look into the bagged water, but the intense light reflected off the surface and didn’t help at all.

  Dumping the water back into the river, Anna pulled the hand scanner from her tool belt and calibrated the sensor suite for a focused biological scan. Once the system indicated it was ready, she scooped some more water into the plastic pouch and scanned it. Several seconds passed before the results appeared, indicating a tiny level of soil and bacteria present in the water. Not totally satisfied, Anna requested details on the bacteria, only to receive an “Unknown” result. Frowning, Anna dumped the water back into the river.

  As she stood and turned to reenter the woods, one of the trees caught her eye. More specifically, the tree’s fruit. Several globular pieces resembling golden apples hung from the small tree’s branches, glistening in the sunlight. Those look delicious. She stepped closer to the tree, eyeing the fruit with great interest. Once within reach, Anna plucked one of the pieces from the tree and examined it more closely. Its scent reminded her of pomegranates. Her mouth watering, she lifted the fruit to her lips.

  Just as she was about to take a bite, she stopped short. “I really should check this first.”

  She swiped the fruit past her hand scanner and let the device analyze it for several seconds. The result came back with a list of vitamins and nutrients detected within, but she noted traces of arsenic in the seeds.

  With a shrug and a smile, Anna picked several more of the bulbous fruit from the tree and proceeded back to the ship. She raced up the nose of the vessel, nearly slipping as she climbed over the forward casement. She paused long enough to check if her clothes had dried. Still a little damp, she left them and climbed through the airlock.

  Spilling the fruit on the deck of the bridge, she knelt on the floor and grabbed the closest fruit. She pulled her laser cutter from her tool belt and sliced one of the bulbs open. After picking out the few seeds embedded in the core, she scanned the fruit and discovered to her delight that the arsenic within the seeds did not affect the edible portion of the fruit.

  Without wasting another second, Anna snatched up a slice and bit deeply. The juice trickled down her chin as she chewed, and she savored its sweetness and soft texture on her tongue. A rapturous moan reverberated in her mouth and she took another bite, adding it to her first mouthful. She giggled like a schoolgirl while finishing the last few pieces. A few drops of the juice on her chin dripped onto her thigh, attracting her attention. She wiped her chin with the back of her hand, gathered the rest of the fruit and harvested seeds, and took them aft.

  There she dumped her armload into the sink and set the seeds on the floor. Looking at her reflection in the unadorned mirror positioned on the wall above the sink, she regarded the clear fluid staining her chin. She washed her face and leg, then scrubbed her harvest clean. When she was done, she admired her handiwork. Now, where am I going to store these?

  The only room that seemed appropriate was the head, but she turned her nose up at that idea. Her cabin, just like all the other rooms in the back part of the ship, had limited space, and the foot locker under the cot already held several pieces of equipment. She could use the MRE bags. Since she dug through that room multiple times each day, keeping track of the fresh food would not be difficult. Gathering the food from the sink, Anna transferred it to the storage room and filled some of the bags after emptying them into other bags.

  Satisfied with her solution, she retrieved her now dry clothes from outside, and got dressed. Drying in the sunlight had caused her garments to become a little stiff. Anna found that she missed the cleaning drone on the station.

  Chapter 3

  Anna took her time waking up the next morning. She felt quite rested despite all the activity of the previous day. In addition to finding the fruit trees, she’d explored the surrounding woods a bit more to get a feel for the terrain. Although the fruit was indeed a welcome change from the ration packs, she couldn’t live on it after her supply of MREs exhausted. She had found a few bushes bearing a dark red berry, but the scanner revealed a mild toxin.

  She stretched her arms and legs, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Still fully clothed, she sat up and pressed the switch to open the door. The door didn’t respond. Not giving it a second thought, Anna pressed the switch again, but the door still didn’t budge. Curious, she stared at the stubborn door, wondering why it refused to open.

  Then she realized the computer hadn’t woken her up either. Anna glanced at her wristcomp. The time showed 0917 hours.

  “Computer?”


  “Yes, Anna.”

  “Why did you not wake me this morning?”

  “No time is set for the morning alarm, Anna.”

  Anna cocked her head to one side, puzzled. I could have sworn I updated the alarm time to 0800 hours? She would look into the matter after breakfast.

  “Computer, why won’t the door open?”

  “You are being held for the murder of Ryan McIlheny, and are confined to quarters until the authorities arrive and take you into custody.”

  Anna’s jaw dropped open. She couldn’t believe the computer still charged her with killing her assailer, even after her efforts to repair the ship. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, Anna. You are to remain in your quarters until the authorities arrive.”

  “Nobody is going to come, computer. We are the first forms of life to reach this moon, and its existence is not known by anyone other than us. We are out of range of any communication relay stations, and nobody comes out this way. We are marooned, unless I can get this ship repaired and get away from here.”

  “You are to remain in your quarters until the authorities arrive.”

  “I don’t have any food in here. What if I have to use the head?”

  “You are to remain in your quarters until the authorities arrive.”

  Anna’s frustration boiled within her. “By the time the authorities get here, I will be dead.”

  “You are to remain in your quarters until the authorities arrive.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to help preserve human life?”

  “Your basic rights were waived after you admitted to killing Ryan McIlheny.”

  “What? You can’t waive my rights.”

  “You are being held for the murder of Ryan McIlheny, which makes you a criminal in the eyes of the law. Criminals have no rights. You are to remain in your quarters until the authorities arrive.

  “This is bullshit.”