Pilgrimage (The New World)

by Kurt Winans

  On this clear and crisp January day of 2017, he was about to be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, and he still didn’t quite understand how he got there. Ross had been married to Patty for almost forty-four years, but they had never spoken once about someday residing in the White House as the Chief Executive and First Lady until less than two years prior to this moment. They, like all married couples, had seen the good times and the bad, but found a way to make it work. Throughout the early military deployments, the dangerous yet exhilarating space shuttle flights during his NASA years, the extended time away from home while serving in state or federal office, Patty had faithfully stood by him. She had given him two beautiful, intelligent, and successful daughters, so she deserved to be called the “First Lady” in his eyes.

  His sister Jessica had also been an instrumental part of his overall success. She had been his partner since the earliest days of their childhood, been a close friend to Patty during the lonely times, and a wonderful aunt to the girls throughout their entire lives, but it went beyond all that. Jessica alone held the ultimate secret that Ross had kept from the public and his wife and children throughout the years, so he knew deep down that she was the one he trusted most. On top of that, her legal skills had proved to be most valuable to Ross during his two terms as United States Senator, so he was the one who felt privileged when she had agreed to become part of his White House staff for as long as he occupied the office.

  Ross smiled broadly as he realized he could finally give his kid sister, who still wore the leg brace, a birthday present worthy of how much she meant to him. Jessica would be able to celebrate her sixty-second birthday in grand style, as she would join the first family at several inauguration balls later that evening.

  His moment of peaceful contemplation was then interrupted by the secret service agent on his personal detail who informed him that it was now time to go. With a nod of acknowledgement, and a handshake of thanks for what the man was sworn to provide, Ross moved towards the door for the short descent of stairs to the podium.

  For as far as the eye could see along the length of the National Mall spectators stood and waited for their newly elected President to emerge from the Capitol, and then showed their support via thunderous applause when he came into view. Ross knew some of them had not actually voted for him, but they had come to see a moment in history and for that he was thankful.

  He shook the hands of several people as he made his way to the podium where he would take the oath of office, and gave a broad smile to the four most important women in his life, his lone son in law, and his two grandchildren before taking his position. Luke, now four and a half, was old enough that he would remember the events of this day, but Janet would have to be informed later that she had witnessed a presidential inauguration from no more than twenty feet away when she was less than three months old.

  Ross put his left hand on the bible, raised his right hand, and took the oath of office. In the blink of an eye it was over, and the nearby Marine Corps Marching Band played “Hail to the Chief” as he was now officially the President of the United States. After congratulatory handshakes from the Supreme Court Chief Justice, outgoing President Barrack Obama, and a kiss from Patty, Ross delivered his acceptance speech. A throng of people, perhaps more than one-hundred thousand strong, had braved the long wait in the cold to witness the event, and a television audience of millions throughout America and other parts of the world had joined them.

  A short time later Ross clasped the hand of Patty, and climbed the stairs back into the warm confines of the Capitol Building with their daughters and the rest of the family following close behind. Once back in the rotunda there was a group hug, which was then followed by seemingly endless handshakes with members of Congress and other well-wishers. President Ross Martin and Patty were then escorted by the secret service to the waiting Presidential motorcade for the long slow drive towards the White House, as a multitude of jubilant observers cheered them on.

  ALTHOUGH ROSS KNEW there would always be something to attend to while he held the office of President of the United States, he decided that he owed it to himself, and the rest of his family, to exhale for the remainder of his first day in office. The upcoming multitude of formal inauguration balls that evening would surely lead to the first of what would be many nights of less than adequate sleep during the next four years, so he wanted to relax beforehand. He would become fully immersed in his new responsibilities the following day, but he wanted to explore every inch of the White House with Patty. That would give them both an opportunity to meet with each member of the staff, so they could personally thank them in advance for their hard work and dedication. Ross also planned to make a few phone calls from his new desk in the oval office when their exploration was completed, because there were several people from around the country who he intended to invite to the White House in thanks for helping him win a very close election.

  His old friend and Annapolis roommate Shaun Jamison had become a prominent businessman in the Boston area, and had throughout the years become a strong advocate of rights for people with physical disabilities. Shaun had been working closely with Jessica to help gather financial support and votes for Ross from disabled veterans and others who faced daily challenges due to physical limitations. When they spoke of Ross’ historical voting record at both the state and national level in support of rights for the disabled, the word spread quickly around the nation. Their combined efforts helped Ross to overwhelmingly carry a previously uncalculated demographic of American society, and in some cases was the difference in winning a county or state.

  Another Annapolis roommate, James Franklin, had done his part by helping with some much needed support in the Pacific Northwest. After retiring from a lengthy stint in the Marine Corps, James returned to his hometown of Seattle and started up a private security business. He and his personally trained staff had been responsible for providing protection for a few local politicians or wealthy businessmen over the years, and James used those connections to their fullest by requesting that some of those people endorse Ross for President.

  Ross also received help from members of Dennis Strickland’s family in Colorado. Although Dennis’ parents had both passed away many years before, the family had always been aware of how close Dennis and Ross had been. It was their pleasure to use the family name and local political influence to help Ross with the election, so he had won the Electoral College votes of Colorado with ease.

  Another demographic that sided with Ross was that of the military. He was rightfully thought of as “one of their own” because he had served in active duty for nearly a quarter of a century, and earned additional respect by seeing front line action in a foreign war. In that regard it was much easier for an active member of the military to address him as Commander and Chief as opposed to someone who had never worn a uniform.

  The only contact from his days at the Naval Academy that Ross didn’t seek help from during the campaign was the last of his original roommates. Davis Lee Wakefield III had been an almost constant source of anguish during their time together at Annapolis, and had by last reports fallen on bad times. He had somehow found a way to squander the fortune that had been left to him by his parents, and in turn their family name carried little, if any, weight in South Carolina anymore.

  In spite of the turbulent history that existed between the two men, Ross gave Davis Lee a call several months before to see if he needed anything. They were after all brothers of the Naval Academy class of 1972, so Ross wanted to make sure he was doing all right. Davis Lee carried sharpness in his tone when he said “I can’t believe a man who decided years ago to side with our two Yankee roommates, instead of a southern brother, is attempting to become the next President of the United States. There is no way that I need, or will accept, any help from such a traitor!” At that moment Ross knew that they would never have any further contact, and if he was to win the election he would inform the Secret Service to keep a watch
ful eye on the future actions of Davis Lee.

  Now at his desk in the oval office Ross had completed the calls to the list of those he wished to thank, and was about to venture upstairs to the residence when Mrs. Patterson knocked on the door. Wendy had been his personal assistant for the twelve years he had served in the United States Senate, and there had never been a doubt in Ross’ mind that she would continue her excellence as a member of his White House staff.

  As had always been her custom, she moved through the door without waiting for Ross to reply and offered an apology for the interruption. She informed Ross that she had just received a call from the Commandant of the Naval Academy, and he was respectfully requesting a moment of the Presidents time. With that Ross picked up the phone and greeted the Admiral on the other end of the line. A moment later Ross said he would be honored to do so, and would make sure his schedule remained clear.

  As he hung up the phone and vocally summoned Mrs. Patterson back into the office, he glanced over to where the fishing pole and Grandpa Hank’s flag had their place of honor. Ross had placed them next to the mantle of the fireplace, which was the only spot in a room absent of corners that the fishing pole could lean without potentially falling over. He then took a glance and reached out to rub the emblem that he had worn around his neck for so many years. Before beginning his recent phone calls, Ross had removed the necklace and hung it from the reading lamp on the Presidential desk as a constant humbling reminder of his limited power.

  As Wendy entered the oval office Ross beamed with excitement, and announced to her that he had just accepted an invitation to give the commencement address at the Naval Academy graduation for the class of 2017 during the upcoming spring. He was as honored to celebrate his forty-five year anniversary of graduating from the academy by delivering the speech, as they were to have him do so. Annapolis had just equaled the United States Military Academy at West Point by having a second graduate become Commander and Chief, and wanted to honor President Ross Martin for doing so.

  THE ELECTION OF 2020 had gone much easier than the previous one, and President Ross Martin won a second term in office by an overwhelming margin of nearly seven to three in the nation’s popular vote. Within the Electoral College the margin had been even more lopsided, so Ross, and the remainder of his political party, had much to smile about.

  The first four years of his presidency had gone very well for Ross and the nation as a whole, so the citizens of America had shown their faith in his ability to run the country for an additional four years. Of course those first four years almost didn’t happen, as Ross had won the election of 2016 by the narrowest of margins in a clean campaign that had a competent and viable candidate representing both sides of the isle. That in itself was somewhat of a shock for the standards of any election, but Ross had emerged as the man to follow the eight years of Barrack Obama. In this particular election, the other major party had put up a candidate that most viewed as inferior to Ross. That coupled with the positive upturn in the economy during the previous four years, had made the choice obvious for many of the voters.

  Ross had become a seventy year-old man while on the campaign trail the previous summer, but looked and felt much younger. He had taken care of himself physically since he was a boy in Texas, and that attention to his health was paying off a dividend during his so called senior years. Patty was also still in good health, but her long straight blond hair of yesteryear had been replaced by a shorter cut of grey. She still possessed the intoxicating eyes and beautiful smile that had caught the attention of Ross nearly sixty years before, and he still believed a room looked better when she was in it.

  Roughly four months after the election, a lull in the schedule would allow Ross to have a little downtime. In typical fashion the holiday season had been rather hectic, and that had been followed by his fifth state of the union address to Congress and the American people. February had then brought forth lots of foreign travel for diplomatic reasons, so Ross was ready to take advantage of the opportunity for a few days of peace and quiet. Normally in early March he would venture back to Texas if the schedule permitted, but in this case he felt the need to do something different.

  The winter along the eastern seaboard had been rather mild that particular year, so there wasn’t much snow to speak of. With that in mind, Ross decided to visit Camp David in northern Maryland with as minimal amount of staff and secret service as possible. Ross really enjoyed the retreat that had been used by every President on numerous occasions during all seasons for well over half a century, but he usually only went there in the summer months. No one else in the family had ever really liked the retreat very much, especially in the winter time, so Ross knew he wouldn’t hurt anybody’s feelings by not inviting them.

  With the exception of the White House itself, the grounds of Camp David were perhaps the most secure location on the entire planet for the President of the United States. For that reason it became a favorite place for Ross to visit as often as possible. Only there could he take a long walk through the woods by himself with no secret service standing in his shadow, so it was a great place to think. His protection detail knew to give him plenty of space, but Ross had agreed to always carry a whistle in the event he needed their assistance.

  On this particular solitary walk, it also became a place where he was visited by an old acquaintance. As Ross rounded a gentle corner of the walking trail through the woods, a familiar figure was standing some twenty meters in front of him. He smiled, looked around carefully in all directions before speaking, and then softly said, “Hello old friend. It’s good to see you, but why have you returned for another visit?”

  Ross had not expected to ever see the alien again, because their last meeting of nearly sixteen years before was supposed to be a final contact. At that time Ross had been informed that the aliens wanted to avoid further technological or spiritual contamination of Earth, so Ross was understandably surprised as he reached out with a welcome handshake.

  Ross believed that the main topic of their conversation would be the human space endeavor, or recent lack of it, because mankind had not returned to the Moon since his mission more than thirty-five years before. Even the shuttle program had been discontinued for nearly a decade, as Atlantis had flown the final mission in the summer of 2011. The fleet had frankly outlived their original intended life span, but at this time there was no replacement that could serve as the next generation vehicle. All was not lost however, as in spite of drastic budget cuts to NASA during the time of Barrack Obama’s administration, the space program had not been completely abandoned. There was still an ongoing American presence at the International Space Station, but those astronauts needed to hitch a ride with the Soviets in order to get there. NASA was also involved in a few other unmanned projects, and had been able to get some good results with a program that sent small robotic probes to the surface of Mars.

  The budget cuts to NASA had been necessary to help rebuild a national economy that had been left in ruins by former President George Bush, and Ross knew all too well that many other segments of American free enterprise had been hit just as hard. It had been a long slow process to bring back a healthy and robust economy for the nation, which had literally taken the entire eight years of the Obama administration and the first three of Ross Martin’s. With the unemployment levels back down to more satisfying numbers, and a strong housing market in place, Ross felt he could use his second term in office to help reestablish a larger budget for NASA. If successful, perhaps mankind could soon return to the Moon to construct a long term livable habitat as had been planned in the 1980’s.

  As had been the case during their two previous encounters, Ross could hear the thoughts of the alien without ever seeing his mouth move. Unfortunately for Ross, his jaw fell wide open soon after they began to communicate. The alien had not returned to discuss how the people of ₹-829-Ԅπ-3, or Earth, had been advancing with their space station or the new wave of robotic probes sent to explore Mars, because t
hey were well aware of that activity from their observations of us. The alien wanted to discuss something entirely different, but it did involve space.

  Ross listened intently as the alien projected his thoughts towards him, and learned that the people on Earth who are responsible for gaining knowledge by studying the stars would soon discover that a large asteroid is headed in this direction. The discovery of the object will intrigue them enough to take a closer look at the trajectory, but they will inherently want to disbelieve their findings. Further meticulous examination will reveal that an impact is eminent, and they will not know what to do about it.

  The alien continued by revealing that he had been sent to Earth by his superiors to inform Ross that the impact of that asteroid will alter the conditions that support life on the planet significantly. Although some may survive, most of the inhabitants be they human, animal, or plant life will perish. In conclusion, Ross heard that this knowledge was given to him well in advance of any discovery by the scientists of this planet. The reason for that was because of what Ross had done to help the alien tend to his friend during their first contact while on the surface of Earth’s moon. His humanitarian actions then, and at other times during his life, along with those of some other people from various areas around the planet, had showed the aliens that the human species had potential beyond the technological side. Their continued observations had also indicated that Ross currently held one of the most prestigious and powerful positions on the planet, and was therefore in a position to help save some of the species.

  The news was beyond shocking, but Ross also knew that the source of the terrible information was reliable beyond the comprehension of most people on Earth. He knew he had to speak with his top scientific advisors as soon as possible about what was going to happen, and then somehow explain how he knew it was going to take place. Ross asked his alien friend the two part question of how long it would be until the astronomers of Earth discovered the asteroid, and how much longer after that would it be until the actual impact? What he heard as the response to his questions made Ross feel sick to his stomach, as he was informed that in roughly half a cycle around our host star the discovery would be made, and after that it would be almost one additional cycle before the impact. The main reason for the delay in the discovery was because Earth currently was in a position on the opposite side of our host star from the incoming direction of the asteroid.