The Battle for the Ringed Planet (47 page)

“The gravity here is similar to Selunia, but I think it’s a little warmer. It’s almost fall now.” He put his arm around her shoulder as they viewed the parking lot full of all sorts of hover vehicles, taxis, and buses. A warm breeze tugged at her grey and blue dress and blew open his white geometrically patterned shirt while tussling their hair. 

“Is your brother here?”

Torian led her to an oak bench with advertising for a local college as they spied a few others waiting for rides or hailing taxis, “Texting him now.”

Then the tall young man with light brown hair looked up suddenly, “Oh no …”

“What?”

“Damn, he spotted us …”

Just then a sporty white hover pick up pulled up with an animated display on either side of the front of running black and brown horses and an array of strange horns and scanners on the roof. The occupant wore a blue and black plaid shirt and a white cowboy hat sporting a wide grin as he punched the steering wheel, setting off a series of horns in a loud annoying rhythm.

“Not so loud …” people milling about waiting for shuttle buses or rides all stared at the truck and Torian sunk on the bench.

The passenger side door slide open and a youth with Torian’s eyes grinned and waved, “Bro!”

“Trevan! Meet Siiri.”

“Whoa ho! I knew ole Torian would bring back home some cute colony babe!”

“This is a colony, Trevan.”

“You know what I mean, come on in! Don’t mind the dirt on the floor.”

“Hi!” Siiri slid on the seat and occupied the middle.

“Or empty beer bottles.” Torian sighed, but then grasped his brother’s hand and they smiled warmly at each other.

“Ma is going to be so happy!” Trevan beamed and then tipped his hat at Siiri who smiled back and glanced at Torian a little unsure. Then he gunned the truck and sped around to the exit of the parking lot.

“Wow, you drive just like Torian.” She called out over the hover thrusters.

“Unh uh, honey, way faster!” He drove to a ramp that led to the freeway.

Siiri glimpsed back with a slight pout, “Oh we’re not going through the city?”

“I’ll take you later.” Torian remarked.

“So do you farm, Trevan?”

“Not yet.” He touched the dash board controls and music began to play, “I’m at the tech school, engine mechanics, Pa said we all got to learn a trade so that if crops go bad we got a backup.”

“Where is Miriam?” Torian asked.

“She’s working at some law firm, summer job, big case or something, said she might stop by tomorrow when I told her you were here.”

They soared on the highway energized by the magnetic strips buried under a thin layer of asphalt. Most of the time the roads were untouched by the hover traffic but solid enough for stops.

Trevan glanced at Torian as a popular upbeat song came on, “Hey, there was some sort of space battle, it’s all over the news, wiped out a big enemy fleet. You know anything about that?”

“Not a thing.” He replied and Siiri shot him a knowing look.

The town of Brendan, meticulously planned before anyone settled, resembled most of the communities on Kanata. Small town populations maxed out at 10,000 before another community developed. The towns surrounded cities of usually half a million or more and the planet was still only half colonized. Like all towns, Brendan laid in a grid pattern with the center block reserved for civic and religious buildings expanded out to commercial blocks and then residential neighborhoods.

Farms made up the outlying areas and before they entered the main town, Trevan turned off the freeway racing down a smaller road for another half hour until they came to a collection of neat white buildings including a tall square house, a barn, and sheds. Most of the buildings were kits designed for quick construction on colony worlds.

In the driveway parked another pick up with a longer cab, sky blue. When stopped, the hover truck eased down on small struts underneath and Torian hopped out first. He then helped Siiri down and grabbed their backpack.

The reunion of Torian and his parents made Siiri feel a little homesick. His father, Torstun McCallum, stood as tall as Torian, with a leathery tanned youthful face and hard brown eyes, but with an easy smile and a quiet disposition when he greeted his son. Anna McCallum, less reserved, broke out in squeals of joy rushing to her boy and squeezing him while her long reddish and grey hair flew behind. Trevan shrugged a little sheepishly glancing at Siiri at the emotional scene. After a few moments both parents noticed the lovely blonde haired girl, greeting her warmly while Anna took both her hands with the welcoming expression of a proud mother.

The home was simple yet with modern enmities evident everywhere, such as frozen holo family pictures with full faces and figures extending beyond the flat panels, and when Siiri reached out and touched the round full portrait of a younger Torian in a hockey jersey her hand went through until it reached the solid back part. Other furniture had built in controls on the arms for holo displays, lighting, and door locks. The décor, though slightly futuristic, still had a woman’s touch with desert rose drapes and light flowing colors throughout.

After some small talk, with Siiri and Torian evading a few questions about there experiences on Selunia, dinner was presented and it was then that the young man felt weak with hunger, despite the tiny portion served on the space liner. When the food was brought, he winked at the pretty girl when they saw it was lamb and mashed potatoes.

Sitting beside Siiri, he leaned over and whispered, “I didn’t plan this, having the same meal as at your place.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

No more questions were brought up about the war, and a knowing glance from his father kept Trevan silent. Torian knew it was a topic of interest for Torstun, who had served as marine years ago in some long forgotten battle, but the elder empathized with his son and the time to talk would come later. Instead, they talked about Torian and Siiri, and their plans about farming and where to live.

The three men then retired to the living room to watch a holo cast of a football game and Siiri watched from the doorway as her love grinned joking and catching up with his father and brother. She brought them all beers from the kitchen and then Anna beckoned her over.     

Torian’s mother was stacking dirty dishes in the cupboard, that caused Siiri to frown, but then she saw that the doors were solid with controls near the side for cleansing.

“Don’t mind them.” Anna stepped close to the young woman, “You can stay in the guest bedroom here if you like.”

“Thank you.”

“Come, I’ll show you.” The older women, who looked far younger than her forty odd years, led Siiri up the stairs, “You have a beautiful name.”

She turned a little red and peeked at more family portraits on the wall leading up to the second floor, Torian and his siblings when they were very young.

“You didn’t bring any bags, or luggage?”

“They are with my family.” Her voice grew distant.

“I’m sure Miriam won’t mind if you borrow some of her clothes, she is about your size.”

The guest room was luxurious and the bed inviting when she realized how exhausted she was, particularly after sleeping on a gurney watched over by a secretive man.

Suddenly Anna became very serious, standing by the door blocking the exit, “Now Siiri, when you mentioned Selunia, it is a place that Trevan or Torstun would not know.” She paused for effect while the girl narrowed her eyes, “However, I know it.”

“Did you read about it?”

A thin smile formed on Anna’s lips, “Why don’t you come into our family room so we can talk.”

Curious, Siiri followed Torian’s mother into the second floor room with a large angled window that over-looked the fields of barley in the distance. Anna sat down on a comfortable couch and adjusted the controls on a flat rectangular object on a side table.

“Kanata was colonized about 60 years ago, and my family came soon after when Gold Sea was just a cluster of warehouses and a couple of landing pads.” She turned on the rectangular object, a holo projector, displaying a three-dimensional image of a young woman with long sandy hair smiling next to a building with several towers. Siiri thought the girl was pretty and noticed some of the hover cars looked familiar.

“Who is she?”

“My great great grandmother, do you recognize anything?”

Then she swallowed, she knew the building, “That’s the university in Kaarina!” After the holo was taken, sometime later, Jarlan had used the tallest spire for an alien transporter tube to create the shield that killed anyone but Siiri’s people that entered the city.

“That’s right, Siiri, when things started happening, she and several others escaped.”

“So you’re …” her mouth hung open.

“I am the same as you.”

“Does Torian know?”

“He doesn’t, and neither do the other men in this family. There are many of us here, and on other worlds, in hiding. Some do not know they are special.”

“So Miriam …”

“Yes. We’re close, as mother and daughter.” Then she hesitated, “You cannot tell anyone where you are from. I didn’t know that the government would let anyone from Selunia leave, or that there were survivors. You see, my great great grandmother came back to earth, was secretly married and had a family, before they captured and killed her. So we lay low.”

“I see.” Siiri felt a crushing weight and it showed; only wanting peace, after all she had been through. Anna reached out her hand.

“Don’t be worried. We warn each other of there is danger … you can mindspeak?”

“Yes.”

“Fortunately, we can only project our thoughts to each other.”

“I can to Torian, but he can’t back.”

“It will come …”

“And to … May …” Siiri frowned, “...you said people like us live on other worlds … like Jiangxi?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s how.”

“How … what?”

“Torian and May survived the shield.”

Anna got up and shut off the holo, watching out the window, “Something happened on Selunia, we saw the holo news, a battle.”

“A very scary battle.”

“Are there others like you?”

“A small village, I hope they rescue them and come here … my family is with them.”

“They may be watched.”

“Is that bad?”

“Perhaps not. They mentioned discovering an alien race in the news … that should keep the spies busy.” She then stared hard at Siiri, “I won’t ask how you two were involved, but I know you were.”

Siiri could not help bragging about Torian, “Your son was a war hero.” 

The older woman smiled again, “A war hero? You would not have believed him capable of even getting out of bed before they conscripted him.” They both laughed.

Gazing at the young woman, Torian’s mother became serious again, “Do you love him?”

“With all my heart.”

“Good, then I will leave it you to tell him the truth about his heritage.”

“I don’t know how he will take it.”

“Oh, like he always does, with a matter of fact attitude.” They both grinned again.

Both women eventually came down and watched the game with the men and Siiri and Torian exchanged warm glances. She was very happy for him to be with his family. Later, when the game was over and they cleared away some of the beer bottles and he said good night to Torstun, Trevan, and Anna, hauling his backpack up the stairs with Siiri behind.

She stood in the doorway of his bedroom as he laid the pack down near his closet. The room was neat, only because his mother had tidied it years ago after he had left for the military, but old holo posters of hockey players and music groups still hung, along with others of sports teams and school graduation.

“So, this is your old room?”

“Yeah, it looks like Trevan borrowed my holo player and a few other things.” He reached on a high shelf for an old trophy and blew off the dust, turning back to her, “Are you going to be all right tonight, after all we’ve been through?”

“You’re down the hall, if I have nightmares.”

Glancing at his old gel bed with a blue comforter, he grinned, “If I touch that, I won’t get up for another day.”

“A very long Selunia day.”

“Oh, I forgot I received a holo from Admiral Bennion, who relayed a message from Colonel Trilling; they found the people from Grondalle. It was a little tense at first, but fortunately, no one was hurt. The fleet is back and processing prisoners and refugees. They are also recovering the people from the alien city. Admiral Bennion says he keeps his promises, and your villagers will be coming here.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!”

“I don’t think there is room in Brendan, they only allow up to 10,000, but hopefully in another place nearby.”

“I can’t wait.”

He then raised his finger, “And then tomorrow, you get to meet Miriam, who is a real pain for a sister, but we’ll tour the city and help you shop for clothes and girlie things.”

Then Torian walked up to her and extended his arm casually around her waist, she still wore dress from Alpha Centauri, reaching her arms up around his neck, “Torian McCallum, you saved my life and brought me here.”

“You saved my life, pretty girl.”

“Then let’s make new lives together!” She brought her lips up to meet his tenderly.

A few days later, he rolled up his jeans and dipped his feet into the clear water lapping up against a flat rock. She squeezed close, tucking her dress between her legs and rubbing her foot against his leg, “You’re right, it is lovely here by the lake.”

Shading his eyes from the waning sun and a lonely bluish moon seen in the daylight, he grinned at Siiri who beamed back, “The water is warmer than I remember.”

She bit her lip and gazed into his eyes, “Um … Torian, I have something to tell you …”

Glossary

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Starships

R-26 Hawkeye
(United Earth two-man long-range scout vessel)

Hawkeye 206
assigned to the C.S.S. Callisto

Hawkeye 221
assigned to the C.S.S. Europa

Hawkeye 211
assigned to the C.S.S. Europa