Now, though, Holly and her mother stared out at the ocean below with their continent in the distance, green and with the white capped mountains inland. A wiggling blue line of the New Columbia wound its way to the sea while three patches of brown smudge showed where Vybber cities and New London were placed. Zoflum was too small to be seen from this height but hundreds of rectangles of green, yellow and brown represented the farms that filled The Haven and the first valley.
That's our home, Mom, Holly grinned. You can certainly see the cultivated land from here.
Andrea tucked a hand on Holly's shoulder and was about to speak when the inboard computer, also called Admiral, spoke. An incoming shuttle craft, a thousand meters behind and above us is closing in. Do you wish to make contact?
The four on board were momentarily stunned. They had only left the shuttle all clamped down by the cranes at Base Alpha. How could it be here now?
Stay silent, Toby who was in the pilot's seat, snapped and glanced at Andrea.
Give us more details of the craft and its destination, Andrea added.
It is a Model 239 Shuttle craft, manufactured on Earth and used to transport personnel from Earth designed starships. Admiral hesitated. One moment, please. Information is arriving.
Once again the four humans just stared apprehensively at one another, questions rushed through their minds with only Admiral being able to supply any answers.
A starship is in a descending orbit over the planet. Speed and angles are too sever for the craft to land. It is estimated it will hit the atmosphere in forty minutes and disintegrate on impact, the computer reported.
And the shuttle? Andrea snapped.
It contains an estimated five thousand life forms.
What! gasped Holly. We'd like more details, please.
In rounded figures, there are six hundred and fifty mammal species, two hundred bird species, six reptiles and the rest insect species.
The insects? Andrea asked.
They're commonly known as honey bees.
Any species of the type that attacked Pinin on Starship 43? Holly added.
Negative. The shuttle is heading in this direction and will be beside us in five minutes.
It's from Earth, That's for certain, Toby grunted.
And there it is! Graham nodded out the windshield.
It was! A shiny sphere approached from over the curve of the horizon and headed directly for them.
I am receiving no voice communication with the craft, Admiral reported, but electronic data received confirms it departed from a starship thirty-one hours ago. Since then it has been in orbit around the equator. It fired its motors forty three minutes ago to intercept this FanSpeed.
So they found us and decided to investigate, Holly whispered. Her eyes were glued on the sphere increasing in size by the second.
It appears so, Sweetheart, Andrea replied. Only a tiny pulsing vein in her neck portrayed any emotion as New Washington's president reached out to touch the window ledge.
The foreign shuttle was upon them before they really had time to discuss the situation. As they watched, small retro-rockets could be seen sending white smoke from exhaust tubes and the gigantic craft, twice the size of the shuttle they knew slipped in beside them.
Well, It's not hostile, Graham grunted. Is there any voice or video contact?
Negative, Admiral replied.
So they're purposely keeping the radio off air, Andrea commented.
We are being electronically probed, Admiral reported. Do you wish to cut the outgoing signal?
No, Andrea gave a twitch of a smile. Let them find out what we are.
Look! Holly cried. Up in the top section.
A row of panels slid down in the shuttle to reveal eight dark windows that lit up as they watched as if someone had turned on a light. Movement could be seen inside and three of the windows showed silhouettes, profiles of the upper half of creatures with two arms and flowing hair ... One waved!
They're humans, Holly sighed in relief. She waved back.
Wait a minute! Toby added. They're holding up some cards in the windows. Can you read them, Holly? Your eyes are stronger than mine.
Holly leaned forward and squinted. The windows were filled with white cardboard with black lettering. Help us! it spelled out.
No voice communication, Admiral reported.
Can you transmit a signal without using radio waves? Toby asked.
At this distance we could send a primitive signal using laser light, Admiral reported.
Good, Andrea replied. Tell them to follow us down. When we land they are to come in beside us. Can you get that message through.
It has been acknowledged, Admiral replied a moment later, but they wish to know who we are.
Tell them the president of New Washington welcomes them to the planet of Delpe. Is that wise? Graham cautioned.
Of course, Andrea smiled. If they're hostile, I doubt if we can do much, anyhow. There are no weapons aboard FanSpeed.
When the shuttle dropped vertically down onto the landing field outside Zoflum, hundreds of citizens, both human and crucnon had gathered to watch. Three DPF vehicles screamed onto the field and Holly could see officers fanning out to surround the craft. Already barriers were being put up to keep the crowds back.
Well, let's go and meet our visitors, Andrea said.
Jaddig and Ron Cotterell met them on the tarmac, both with serious expressions. Andrea, though, appeared serene. She grabbed Toby and Holly's arms and walked towards the shuttle that had just powered down and stood on six monstrous landing pads towering above the field.
A car roared in beside the president and an officer shouted out a question.
No, we'll walk, Andrea replied.
Graham fell in beside Holly and reached hack for Jaddig's hand. Come on Vice President Qarte, he stated in a determined voice. You are needed here with us.
The five, ringed by a dozen or more armed DPF officers walked up until they were in the shadow of the shuttle and waited.
Lower the weapons, Andrea ordered. Imagine how they feel.
The DPF officers immediately complied and a hush fell over the crowd as a ramp lowered down beneath the shuttle and the visitors appeared.
Oh My God! Holly whispered.
Two lines of more than a hundred human children marched out. They ranged in age from kindergarten to teenagers carrying toddlers and babies. There were Europeans, Asians and Africans, girls and boys. Everyone was dressed in a blue and white uniform with the girls in knee length skirts and the boys, shorts.
They circled around and formed into four straight lines. No sooner had they assembled when a second group walked out and another hundred children assembled. A third line followed, a fourth and fifth until six hundred or more children assembled in six groups beneath the shuttlecraft.
Holly, Jaddig, Toby and Graham stood in a line behind Andrea, and waited with mixed emotions. When the last child lined up, a girl of about fifteen with her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail stepped forward and marched towards the president.
My name is Tania Wilkinson, she stated in a quivering voice. We are from Starship 67 and were told you would protect us. Her voice broke. There is nobody else, she choked. We were selected as the last representatives of humankind and sent to find the last colony of humans. She glanced up with tears now streaming down her cheeks and plopping onto the grass. We found you, she cried.
Oh you poor Dear, Andrea replied and grabbed the girl in her arms. Yes, Tania, we will look after the children, every last one of you.
Within two hours the children, and there were exactly six hundred, were taken down to the caves and allocated dormitory space. It was crowded but everybody in Zoflum arrived to help, food was set out, the two dozen tiny babies ranging down to three months old were fed honey solution unloaded from George's convey. Dormitories were allocated and every family, human or crucnon allocated a group of children to care for.
We called our ship The Ark, Tania who, wi
th a youth named Xen Chan, an Asian boy, were the two leaders and oldest aboard. Inside you will find a herd of twenty dairy cows, a hundred sheep, hogs, ducks, chickens, a hive of bees and our pets.
Your pets? Holly asked.
Yes, Xen replied. We were all allowed to bring one pet per family. Most have cats or dogs but there are also some goldfish, a couple of lizards and a dozen turtles. He hesitated. I hope you don't mind. We thought it might remind us of Earth.
So you're in families? Holly added.
Yes, Tania replied. I have a brother with me. Xen has a sister.
But no adults?
No. There was limited space and the adults voted to just send us, Xen added. Like Tania there was sadness in his voice. It was thought we deserved the right to continue humankind.
Very interesting, said Toby who was listening. I'll get the animals off the shuttle. He turned and issued orders to the DPF officers waiting behind him.
There are also computer records, books, clothes, medical supplies and machines for manufacturing items, Tania said, but no weapons of any sort. Everything we thought would help humanity is included.
It really is an ark, Andrea replied. And what could be more welcome than the children, animals and creatures from Earth.
Starship 67 was an experimental craft with special cloaking devices aboard, Xen explained. We circled the galaxy for a century before coming here through a time bridge. Our starship was programmed to burn up in your atmosphere so no trace of our existence would remain. We should be safe from the Darugors.
They're the octopus type creatures? Andrea asked.
Yes, Tania nodded. Her face creased into a frown. If they find us here we will be annihilated. They have weapons that can wipe all animal life forms off a planet but leave plant life intact. They then just colonize the planet with their own kind.
And that happened on Earth?
Our computer confirmed it did, Tania replied. We left and were placed in suspended animation before it happened. All the details are available on board The Ark.
The car screeched to a stop outside the little white house. The teenager jumped out with her ponytail flying in the wind and ran across to the back door.
Bikut, Tania shouted and ran straight inside. Come on. Holly's on her way.
Bikut came out of the bedroom with her eyes all-aglow. Now? she said. She's not due until next week.
Come on, Tania coached, Hurry! Everyone's there.
But the babies!
Tania grinned, picked one of Bikut's children up and grabbed a tiny blanket to wrap around him. I'll help, she laughed. Where's Clay?
Bikut picked up the other baby out of the cot and smiled. He's down on the bottom farm putting another crop in. We can catch up with him later.
Right, Tania replied and almost ran out to the car. She flung the back door open and handed the infant in.
Why me? eight year old Scott moaned as his sister plunked the tiny Crucnon on his lap.
Because I have to drive. Tania glowered.
Okay, Sis, Scott replied and cuddled the tiny crucnon in his arms. He didn't really mind holding the baby as long as his school friends couldn't see him.
Bikut sat in the front with her daughter and they were off down the dirt road with clouds of dust shooting from the tires and covering the adjacent fields.
And don't you say anything stupid to Holly, Tania scolded Scott as they pulled into the curb by the hospital. It was funny how things quickly became the norm. Tania and Scott had been a part of Holly and Graham's family since their arrival all those weeks before and now they were about to have a little sister; Tania could think of the new arrival as nothing else.
She opened the back door, relieved Scott of his burden and with the baby on her hip walked sedately indoors. Bikut grinned and followed.
Everyone was there; Andrea with Toby, Jaddig, Snimel and Wunep, Suzi and Nathan, Pinin holding her little boy, all their other crucnon and human friends and Graham, of course. Even old George stood self-consciously in a far corner and watched the center of everyone's attention.
Holly lay on the bed in a blue floral brunch coat looking quite beautiful with her long red hair brushed out over her shoulders and a rosy face that smiled at the crowd. Beside her, wrapped up, so only a wrinkled head showed out, was a tiny baby.
This is Susan Andrea Jurjevics, she smiled and picked her baby daughter up. In the old system she would have been our first Generation 8 child but that doesn't matter any more.
She reached up and kissed Graham before her eyes glanced around the room at her mother, Jaddig, her other friends and finally her new family. Would you like to hold your little sister, Scott? she asked.
Ah, Mom, the eight year old went a bright red and glanced at his feet. Do I have to?
The End
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