Children Of Earth (Tales from the 23rd Century Book 1)
Page 31
The communications channel was closed and Marcus visibly shrank a few inches, exhaling loudly as he glanced behind him and then lowered himself into the Captain’s chair. It was only a statement, a grouping of words which he had so eloquently presented, but he felt physically drained and exhausted from the effort.
‘Marcus?’ Maddox’s voice called over the ship’s speakers. ‘So how does it feel to be the widely recognised leader of a new colony then?’
Marcus raised an eyebrow as he gave his response.
‘Well it’s a little daunting I suppose,’ he said with a smile at Praia who joined him and nodded supportively to him. ‘I have a good team about me, so I hope I can do well enough to justify the faith they are putting in me.’
‘You’re doing great. Just relax, be yourself and keep up the good work over there. Ezri has a response coming through I believe so we’re about to find out how everyone has perceived your message,’ Maddox replied and allowed the incoming signal to take precedence over his own and for Marcus to concentrate on his new role.
Marcus waited nervously for the few moments as the message was retrieved and channelled through to the bridge speakers.
‘Children of Earth, this is Chairman Mannheim of the Aries Corporation on Mars speaking directly to you on the behalf of the established colonies of the Solar System and associated settlements. We have received your message, together with your data packet of information and I would like to be the first to welcome your return to our solar community, extending the hand of friendship to you all after your trials and much too long absence from our midst.’
‘I thank you Chairman Mannheim, on behalf of all of us here,’ Marcus replied simply, a feeling of jubilation filling his being as he tried to remain calm externally.
‘Furthermore,’ Mannheim’s voice said from the bridge speakers. ‘The information you have sent through will be reviewed by an independent body we are convening to look into not only the events of some years past now, but the subsequent contact and acts of aggression your group has been blamed for in error. The council of colonies has decreed that any punitive action in search of your group will cease with immediate effect awaiting the results from the independent review body. Finally, but by no means least of all, I would invite your vessel to continue it’s journey to Earth where preparations are being made even now for your arrival. We will send escorts to rendezvous with you to ensure your journey is without further upset.’
‘My thanks again Chairman,’ Marcus replied as he took in the scope of what had just been achieved. He was slightly sceptical when Maddox had suggested simply broadcasting a blatant accusation upon their return, implicating the largest company the Solar System had ever seen in devious plots and possible collusion with their AI, but had to bow to the Captain’s understanding of the Core worlds and how things worked there.
His only sticking point was the fact that Maddox point blank refused to be pushed forward as a hero. He wanted nothing more than to see them return safely and then go on about his own business. Marcus and his peers agreed out of respect for the crew of the Erstwhile and all they had done for them.
With a flurry of farewells transmitted between the two ships, Marcus watched the sensor scope as the Erstwhile drew away from them, in search of what Maddox had referred to as some damned good coffee.
Turning his attention away from the departing tramp freighter and to their own endeavours, he beamed a big broad smile as he gave his next order as the genuine leader of their recognised group of survivors.
‘Alyssa? It’s time. Make the rendezvous and take us home.’
35 And Finally….
Maddox had turned his seat around to face Ezri, who was at her station and busy checking the updates which were arriving from Phoenix about the state of affairs and the occurrences during their absence. His attention was drawn by Maia as she wandered onto the flight deck, her hands and face smudged with grime but seeming not to mind as a big beaming smile was firmly fixed upon her lips.
‘Captain Maddox, Ezri, I would like to report that our engines are now ship shape and I’ve even tidied up some of the rather dubious wiring down there.’
‘Our engines?’ Maddox replied with a raised eyebrow. He glanced over towards Ezri. ‘I only recall you being on the crew roster of this ship unless you’ve made some changes I’m not aware of.’
‘Captain…I meant …’ Maia began quickly but Ezri cut across her in reply to Maddox.
‘Indeed not Captain Maddox, I would not make any additions to the crew roster without your prior approval.’
Both pairs of eyes turned to look at Maia as she appeared to be uncertain of what to say or even what to do whilst she stood nervously wiping her hands with a cloth just inside the main hatch of the flight deck.
‘Well then Ezri, I think you should update that roster to reflect the addition of Maia to our esteemed ranks,’ he said in his best official voice he could manage. ‘That is if you want to be part of this motley crew?’
Maia quickly glanced from him to Ezri, who nodded at her encouragingly and even turned her mouth up into her best representation of a smile.
‘Hell yes! I mean, yes please Captain. I would be pleased to join this motley crew,’ she replied in her own representation of an officious reply.
‘Then that’s settled, good to have you on board.’ Maddox said as he beamed a big friendly smile at her. ‘Now, all crew business aside we are bound for some much needed rest and relaxation and more importantly some highly desired simulated coffee which I believe we’ll find around Damon’s, a quirky little place I know which is not too far away from our current position near to the inner fringe of the belt. You’ll love it!’
He turned his seat about with a flourish and began settling himself back as he quickly plotted a course into his control panel.
Maia idly wandered over to Ezri at her station, glancing about the potential positions she could adopt when she arrived and settled for leaning with her back against the bulkhead slightly to the left and behind Ezri’s seat.
‘Need another chair up here,’ she said as she tried to converse with the digital entity beside her. ‘So, have we heard anything since Marcus and the others departed? Must admit I’ve had my attention absorbed by trying to work out which wires went where down below. Was a bit of an interesting set up. There was a metal spoon acting as a relay contact you know,’ she added conversationally.
‘That would be one of the Captain’s repairs which he meant to get around to replacing when we were in dock next,’ Ezri replied whist still filtering out incoming signals and monitoring communications channels. ‘That would have been a few stopovers or so ago probably, don’t worry about it. You’ll find more utensils as you go through the ship probably. In answer to your query, the Chairman has made good on his welcoming gestures and probably in light of scrutiny from the entire establishment, the Aries Corporation has commandeered the luxury interplanetary liner ‘The Lunar Gambit’ to be docked with the Martian patrol craft in geostationary orbit about the Earth, providing the colonists with luxurious accommodation whilst the company invests a substantial amount of credits and manpower on providing a more permanent facility on the surface of Earth.’
‘A facility?’ Maia enquired. ‘I thought they were to be reunited with their families?’
‘There are a number of difficulties with that desired outcome, albeit still a goal of the facility according to the news reports flooding SOLnet. In my summary of all the various news feeds and information sources, the colonists are to be provided with a location where they can gradually be rehabilitated and reunited with their families. Obviously locating relatives is another issue being faced as if they are outside the protectorate system then the task becomes difficult to nigh on impossible, but the Martians have determined that they will try their best.’
‘Of course,’ Maia said quietly in response to the obvious statement. ‘I didn’t think about that. I wonder what will happen to those whose families cannot be located,
’ she wondered out loud.
‘Marcus has released statements too, declaring that although they are welcoming the efforts of the Martians and do indeed look forward to reuniting families, they will be remaining within the established facility as they are all a large family themselves, and desire to remain together as opposed to apart.’
Maia smiled at this news. Glancing over to Maddox who had turned his chair slightly to listen in on the conversation and the updates on the colonists’ progress. There was a slightly distant look upon his face as his gaze was fixed upon a point in space somewhere over towards Ezri, however it was tinged with a furrowed brow and general appearance of concern.
‘Captain? Maddox?’ she prompted to gain his attention. ‘What’s up, you looked like you were somewhere else for a moment. You hear that? They’re being provided with a facility and rehabilitated. Looks like the Martians are doing all they can to prove how nice they can be should they want to deflect attention from the bad things they’ve done.’
‘Yes,’ Maddox muttered in response at first, then seemed to realise he was being looked at, turned to face Maia and returned her gaze. ‘Well at least they’re finding their families and resolving their past, no matter the Martian’s true reasons for being so altruistic in this affair.’
‘Is everything okay?’ Maia asked tentatively.
Maddox nodded to her with a smile, obviously disguising his true emotion over the subject but enough to deflect her attention at the present moment.
‘Yes, I’m fine. I’m still wondering about that mad AI’s comments around some organisation pulling the strings behind everything. I don’t know, I suppose I was just content knowing the Martians were the bad guys as opposed to some faceless group.’
He shrugged dismissively as if to shake off the concerns he harboured that they had not heard the last of the matter.
‘Things will resolve themselves given time and right now I’d rather focus on that steaming mug of simulated coffee that awaits my eager consumption at Damon’s!’ He said with a charismatic flourish as he turned his chair back to the console and reached forwards to check their navigational settings and commit the engines to full power, but his fingers began to move slower as Ezri spoke to bring incoming information to his attention.
‘Captain, despite her understanding that we have just returned from an arduous escapade as she has phrased it, Dana from Phoenix would like us to quickly divert to check up on one of her old friends.’
Slowly Maddox turned his seat back to face Ezri, a look of resignation on his face as he fixed her with a level stare. Maia was looking at the screen on the console over Ezri’s shoulder and almost gushed with excitement as she read the incoming request.
‘This guy was investigating traces of aliens at a mining operation? Aliens? Epic!’ she said, with a slight apologetic look for her over enthusiasm as Maddox raised an eyebrow towards her in a slightly reproachful glance.
‘Yes Maia,’ Ezri replied whilst still regarding the face of her Captain who was trying not to appear intrigued, but failing and looking ever more so the more he tried to appear passive and uninterested. ‘The professor was on an expedition from the New England Institute with a group of students to carry out an excavation at the site on an asteroid not too far from the edge of the belt. It appears the family owned mining operation has uncovered something rather strange within the rock strata of the asteroid and made contact with the Institute a short while back, but even though the professor and his group were sending daily reports of their progress, there has been no contact from either them or the mining facility itself for at least two days now. They could simply have faulty transmission equipment which would be an easy fix should we need to make a field repair for them.’
Maddox scowled at her for a moment. Then at the happy pleading face of his newest crew-member and then back to Ezri as he gave a well practised shrug and the expression of resignation returned to his face.
‘Okay then, one quick check and then we’re definitely heading to Damon’s for that coffee!’ in the best mock grumbling tone he could manage.
‘Yes Captain!’ Ezri and Maia said almost in unison and Maddox turned back to his station, a wry smile creeping over his expression.
Yes, the coffee could wait a little longer.
‘Let’s go find the professor and his little aliens then,’ Maddox said as he engaged the engines.
Paul J. Fleming
I’ve quite often scribbled short tales and stories, or snippets of adventures which fired through my imagination, but none of these saw the light of day - they were purely for my own amusement.
Now after many years of Dr Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly / Serenity, and many other sci-fi shows and books (too numerous to list here!) being absorbed cerebrally and mentally digested – I have finally taken that step to put some of my scribblings into print, depicting a universe I like to describe as ‘classic sci-fi with old school ray guns and rocket ships, with a little hint of modern tech thrown in.’
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