After Tomorrow: A CHBB Anthology

by Samantha Ketteman

  “Don’t go getting sentimental on me.” I scowled.

  “No, I won’t. I just want to show you the files on your fellow crewmen.” He picked up five DataCards. “These will tell you their personal history and service records.”

  “And do they have the same information on me?”

  “No. You are an Archivist, not an officer.”

  “So everyone else is an officer?”

  “No, Doctor Ewert is not. He is going the same way you are, voluntarily. His card details his history and his trade performance, as your card would, if there was one.” He gave me a soft smile.

  “There is. Oh, don’t look at me like that! Everyone on the colonies and the station has a personal record DataCard. Who do you think catalogues them? The Archive. I’ve seen every Deadman’s card for the time we’ve been in space. I probably have all the data in my binder.” Smarting off to Grandfather was probably not my best idea.

  Lucky for me, his smile broadened. “I should have known that. Oh well, you are free to use my terminal to view the cards.”

  “No.” I insisted.

  “Why?”

  “Why should I know more about them than they know about me?”

  “Use your head, Kohana. A good scout knows what lies before them and looks for signs out of the ordinary. If you know their personalities and their habits, you can better protect yourself.”

  “You don’t trust them?”

  “I do. I chose each personally. I just want you to come back. There have been three missions to Planetside and only static responses return. I want you to return. I want this team to return.” Grandfather ran his hands through his white hair.

  “If you wish me to read them, I will.”

  “I will order our meal.”

  “You don’t have a Generator?”

  “I prefer something fresher. This is a special occasion.”

  “Abuse of power,” I playfully chided. It was unusual to have any sort of food that wasn’t made of processed atoms from the Generators.

  He did not honor that comment with even a chuckle, but abruptly left the room.

  I went to his terminal and slid out the first card from its plastic sleeve.

  Lieutenant Peter Callahan

  From the correspondence that I had received in relation to my mission, I knew Callahan was to be the leader. His rank was low, but his record showed a brave man. He was a present day legend among the colonies; although, I never understood why. I slid the card back, wishing to meet the man firsthand before learning what secrets lay in his past.

  I pulled the next card.

  Private Solita Sabin

  Another name I recognized. Sabin was a spitfire. She had raced through the ranks and had been demoted even faster. She was young and would still have a chance of making a high rank, someday. For now she was a Private because of a skirmish or ten. Most likely she was with us for security purposes. I put her card away.

  Grandfather had said he had hand-picked every member of the team. If that was true it was unlikely that I would not know them all. The next card slid from the sleeve and fell to the floor. The corner chipped from the card and I knew it wouldn’t process even if I wished to look at it. I read the name:

  Sergeant Leigh Aerd

  Aerd? I had grown up down the corridor from Aerd. We had never been close, but we knew each other. Well, at least by glance. Perhaps that was her reason for being along. Grandfather might have thought we were childhood friends. We hadn’t been, but maybe we could start. I wouldn’t know her history.

  Two cards remained. I had already heard the doctor’s name. Ewert. His first name was Kyne. An unusual name, although I had no room to talk. My name was pure Lakota in origin. I placed his card aside. The last card didn’t have a name on it, just a position.

  Pilot

  Could this mean Grandfather wasn’t as prepared as he made out to be? I put the card into the terminal. It took a few moments to process. I went only as far as the overview.

  McLean, Daniel Christian

  Overview:

  Age: 27

  Height: 5’ 7”

  Weight: 185 lbs.

  Hair: Blond

  Eyes: Blue

  History:

  Came from Outer Colony to satellite, age 14, after core engine explosion killed both parents.

  Mustered out of United Defense after two years, age 25.

  Freelance courier pilot.

  Will come to UD aid if requested. Request must come from highest authority.

  I read no further; I didn’t need to. This explained Grandfather’s odd wording when ordering McLean to prepare himself. He had said requested. Not ordered, or transferred, just requested. No one ranked higher than Grandfather.

  “Find anything interesting?”

  I fell from my chair at the sound of the unexpected voice, “Mc- McLean!” I stammered.

  The pilot stood over me and offered his hand to help me up. “In the flesh. The Admiral asked me to escort you to the Dining Hall.”

  “Dining Hall? I thought we were going to eat here.” I took his hand, and with a quick jerk of his arm, I was back on my feet in a second.

  “His personal dining hall; away from the crowd.” He looked down at the pile of DataCards.

  “I-” I started.

  He brushed away my explanation with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it. It only makes sense for the Admiral to prepare the crew, especially if the crewman is his granddaughter.”

  I looked down. “I don’t want special treatment.”

  “Ha! It isn’t special treatment. Everyone else knows each other. The UD crew has worked together before and the doc has been training at the satellite for ages now, so he’s become familiar, which leaves you out of the framework. Why shouldn’t you read up and find out what we already know?” McLean leaned over and read the screen. “Is that all they got on me?”

  “No, I only looked at the overview.”

  “Hmm, why my card first?” He looked over his shoulder, a glint in the corner of his eye.

  “How did you know it was the first?”

  “Log on time,” he pointed to the corner of the screen. “No time for you to look at the others.”

  “Oh.” I should have realized that. “Yours was the only one that didn’t have a name on it, only a position.”

  “That’s interesting.” McLean turned away from the screen. “The Admiral must have been debating for some time on a pilot. Lucky you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He smiled cheekily, “You got the best.”

  “Cocky, aren’t you?”

  He turned back to the terminal and pulled up a new screen. “My record speaks for itself. Now, I suggest you grab your cards and follow me to the Dining Hall.” He pulled his card before I could read the screen. “You’ll have time to snoop later.”

  “I wasn’t snooping!” I protested.

  His smile broadened. It was genuine and reached his eyes. “I’m teasing. If you’re going to make it on a crew with Aerd and Sabin, you’re going to have to lighten up. I’m nothing compared to those two.” He placed an arm around my waist and ushered me out of Grandfather’s office. He grabbed my binder and the five cards containing the crew bios from the tabletop beside my plate.

  “Is the Hall far?” I asked as we made our way through the crowded corridors.

  “Not really, it’s just a matter of getting past the riffraff.” McLean mused as he pushed a short, blond woman out of his way.

  “Who you calling riffraff, space trash?” the blonde whirled to face us. Her face, contorted in anger, lightened when she saw McLean. “I should have known. What’s going on DC?”

  “Solita Sabin, I’d like you to meet Kohana Ohanzee.” McLean introduced us, biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

  “Oh, the Archivist! Nice to meet you. I need to get some things done before the debriefing, so I’ll talk later. Although, I bet we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” She laughed and playfully
shoved McLean before she disappeared into the crowd.

  “And that would be Sabin.” McLean quipped, running a hand through his hair. “Understand why she’s easily demoted?”

  “I’ve never seen anyone switch emotions so fast.” I was staring wide-eyed in the direction Sabin had taken.

  “It’s just her way. I knew she wouldn’t swing once she saw me.” He started walking again to the Dining Hall.

  “How?”

  “She’s not as tough as she acts. She’s more playful than malicious. She just feels she has to prove herself because she’s so short.”

  I arched an eyebrow and asked. “Demotion is a method of proving herself?”

  He shook his head. “Every skirmish Solita’s been in, she didn’t start but was the higher rank. The higher ups believe she should have known better.”

  “Oh.”

  We came to an open doorway.

  “This is the Dining Hall. The glassed off portion,” he pointed to a smoked glass cubicle in the corner, “is your grandfather’s private dining room.”

  “You mean the Admiral.” A gruff male voice came from behind us.

  We turned. The voice belonged to a stocky man with graying brown hair and an officer’s uniform. His arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed at the pilot.

  “Yes, Sir. The Admiral’s private dining room.” McLean’s eyes were hard as he addressed the other.

  “Listen, McLean, just because you aren’t officially UD anymore doesn’t mean you can gallivant around and balk authority. Especially on this mission. I’m the commander, not you.” The man, Lieutenant Callahan, glared at the pilot, his hazel eyes so menacing that they sent shivers down my spine.

  “Did I question it?” McLean asked, turning away from the lieutenant. “Come on Ohanzee, your grandfather, I mean the Admiral, is waiting.”

  “That’s Callahan?” I asked when we were well into the room.

  “Yes. Don’t worry, that was all show.” McLean looked at me and smiled. “I’m supposed to be the playboy pilot and he’s the tight-ass officer. We have to keep up appearances. He isn’t that bad of a guy, once you get to know him.”

  “I see.”

  McLean was turning out to be more complex than I had originally taken him for. Since he had been chosen to escort me, I had assumed he was a UD pilot and his lack of a uniform was merely for his own comfort during flight. I wasn’t sure what to make of him with what I had discovered.

  When we reached the glass door, he turned to me with a flourished bow. “Here we are. I’ll see you at the meeting, then.” He winked, turning before I could answer.

  I pressed the intercom button to announce my presence.

  “Come in Kohana.”

  I entered the closed off room. The smoked glass kept the prying eyes of the regular Dining Hall inhabitants from seeing in, but those inside could see out. The exterior wall looked out on the emptiness of space. I inhaled sharply at the sight.

  The woman that was seated at the table stood. “Don’t worry. It’s three feet thick. We can’t lose the Admiral to a glass breach, can we?”

  I smiled weakly at her.

  “Leigh Aerd,” she greeted with a faint nod in my direction. She brushed her bangs out of her startling green eyes before picking up a pile of papers from the table. “I’ll tell the others, Sir.” She saluted toward Grandfather.

  “Thank you, Sergeant. Make sure Sabin’s there on time.”

  “No problem. I already told her thirteen hundred.”

  “But the meetings at fourteen…. Oh, yes, that should work out well.”

  Aerd laughed, and I found it very pleasant and warm. She walked past me quickly. “See ya at the meeting.” She whispered quickly, making me wonder if I had heard correctly.

  “Are you going to eat standing up?” Grandfather asked.

  My head was spinning from the brief encounters with my crewmates. I shook my head to clear the static and to be able to answer Grandfather. I took the chair across the table from him.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  “No. I just met everyone but the doctor on the way from your office.”

  “Really? Well what do you think?”

  “As first impressions go, they are a very interesting bunch.”

  “Yes. You won’t be bored. Don’t worry. It’s a good crew; they’ll pull together when it counts.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, you were with McLean. That would alter their reactions and behaviors.”

  “Why?”

  “Not everyone was happy when Daniel left UD for freelance flight. If they knew his reasons, they wouldn’t judge him so harshly.”

  “Reasons?”

  Grandfather chuckled. “If you want to know, read his card. It’s not my place to tell you.”

  “But aren’t you indirectly telling me since you gave me the cards?” I suddenly felt panicked and patted at the restrictive uniform jacket knowing there was no way to hide anything in it. “He has the cards!”

  “What?” Grandfather asked, startled by the change in my demeanor.

  “McLean has the Archive binder and the personal DataCards. He picked them up from your desk.” I stood quickly.

  Grandfather placed a hand over mine. “Don’t worry. He’ll either return them here, bring them to the meeting, or pack them. I’m betting on packing. The Archive is unrestricted information, so he can view it if he chooses, and you can’t get upset.”

  “The regular Archive, sure, but that binder contains everything, including the TS reports of the Defense!” My heart was racing with the knowledge that I had been so careless with my responsibility.

  “Hmm, I thought you were over your anxiety attacks.”

  I hardly heard him; my breath was shallow and fast. I sat again, trying to calm my breathing and my thoughts.

  The intercom buzzed.

  “Who is it?” Grandfather answered sternly. He had come around the table and was facing me. He brushed my hair away from my face.

  “McLean. I forgot to give Ohanzee her things.”

  “See, I told you he was reliable.” Grandfather softly reassured me and went to the door. He blocked McLean’s view into the room. I was still hunched over trying to center myself and breathe normally. “Thank you, Daniel.”

  “You’re welcome, Sir. I am sorry, though.” McLean tried to peer over Grandfather’s shoulder at me. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

  “We know. We’ll see you at the debriefing.”

  “Right,” McLean answered. Then in a lower voice, that only I could hear, he asked, “Is she okay?”

  “She will be. Now get yourself to your final business. I’m already prepared for a flood of tears to cover the Docking Bay when you leave, so you may as well start breaking it to the ladies now,” Grandfather joked before turning away and shutting the door in the pilot’s face. He placed the binder in front of me. I grabbed it and hugged it close. Grandfather was looking down at me with concern. “Are you sure you want… are able to go?”

  “Yes. I just need to take better care of my responsibilities.”

  The meal arrived, fresh salmon from the hatchery that still managed to produce moderate sized fish, along with vegetables that flourished in the hydroponics lab. It had been a long time since I had eaten so well. My colony didn’t often receive fresh items, and I rarely left my cubicle for more than a ration bar. We ate in silence, Grandfather watching me with concern while I avoided his piercing gaze. When we had finished, Grandfather looked at his pocket watch, a family heirloom from Planetside.

  “We need to get down to the meeting. Everyone should be assembled.”

  I nodded, wiping the corners of my mouth one last time before standing.

  We left the Dining Hall. I clutched the Archive binder to my chest even though we took a private elevator down to the meeting room. We travelled in comfortable silence where we knew the words the other wanted to say.

  The door to the meeting was open and the rest of the co
mpany was assembled. The only one I hadn’t met was the doctor. He was of Asian descent with some possible European blood as well. Planetside prejudices had not escaped the gravity well. “I’m glad we all made it on time.” Grandfather nodded as his eyes resting on Private Sabin.

  “Aerd told me the meeting was at thirteen hundred.” Sabin responded.

  “How else could I make sure you’d be here?” Aerd retorted. “You’ve only been waiting ten minutes, so hush.”

  Sabin stuck her tongue out in response.

  “Keep that out and someone’ll stick an energy cell on it,” warned Aerd, a malicious look in her eyes as her hand slipped to her pocket.

  Sabin quickly drew her tongue back in.

  “Ladies, you done?” asked a scowling Callahan.

  Grandfather was too amused by their antics to interrupt.

  “Yes, Sir.” Both Aerd and Sabin snapped to attention.

  “All right,” Grandfather started, straightening the seam of his jacket before continuing. “As you all know, there hasn’t been a successful journey to Earth, and because of this, although you were all chosen, no one is obligated to go. If anyone is apprehensive they can take that door,” the Admiral pointed, “and no shame will fall upon them.”

  No one made a move to leave.

  Grandfather closed his eyes and nodded. “If you all wish to stay, I must ask your reasons. Callahan?” His dark eyes fell on the lieutenant.

  “I have never shied away from a mission, Sir. I don’t plan to start now.” Callahan stiffly responded.

  “Aerd?” Grandfather turned to the red head.

  Before Aerd could respond, Sabin snorted and replied with a shrug, “Someone’s gotta come back.”

  “McLean?”

  “We’ll be returning. I never lose a ship.” McLean responded with cocky arrogance.

  Grandfather laughed. “I should have expected that.” He turned and faced the doctor and me. “Why did you two volunteer?”

  “It may give me a chance to practice my craft. The colonies are clean and disease is almost eradicated. Soon, doctors won’t be necessary.” Doctor Ewert responded, a scowl carved on his face.