Andy's Fan-Fiction Archive

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
By
Lynne Leeper

Timeline: At New Pacifica
Author's E-Mail: soaron@netcom.com

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
This is a long one, one that looks at a not-so-perfect future for the Eden Colony. No one said it was going to be easy!
The usual disclaimers apply. I don't own these characters and they don't own me. (See what finals can do to your sense of humor?)

Past, Present and Future (Part 1)
by Lynne Leeper
The site was pretty much like the last one they had visited. The area where they were walking was littered with shattered shale, the source of which was the cliff above them. Julia paused in her poking amongst the bits and pieces and turned her gaze up to the cliff towering above her. As she
let her eyes travel slowly upward, the sun broke through the thin layer of clouds causing the cliff
to suddenly gain dimension and one particular protrusion caught her attention.
"Alonzo?" she called out, not letting her eyes drift from the spot. He had wandered further down the pit, but heard her in the silence.
"What?" he asked, a bit bored. When she didn't answer he turned to see her staring up at the cliff. He looked up to see what she was looking at, but the whole thing just looked like a cliff to him.
Now that the seemingly endless days of rain were passed, everyone was taking what opportunities they could to get away from the settlement and stretch their legs. Over the winter, Julia had been studying pieces of shale that Walman and Magus had found quiet incidentally one day on a scout. The pieces sported fossil imprints so they brought them back to show the others. Julia had immediately taken possession of them and had spent countless hours studying them. Now that the weather permitted she had returned to the site where Walman and Magus had found the fossils several times, each time carefully recording and mapping the area.
Alonzo made these trips with Julia because he liked having the time away from the settlement with her. He also wanted to let her know that he cared about her interests and would always be there for her, whether he found the subject matter interesting or not. No matter how many times Julia had tried to explain her new hobby to him, Alonzo found his attention wandering. He wasn't much for dead things, especially when all that was left were bits of bone or imprints in rocks. Still, he knew that the time for a final decision about their future was close at hand since the colony ship was due to arrive in a month. She never actually said it, but he knew she still had doubts about his willingness to stay here on G889. At times like this though he had to admit his inner self would rather be piloting a starship than being a supportive boyfriend.
Sighing, Alonzo made his way back to where Julia stood, her eyes still locked on the cliff. Now that he was closer he peered up to see what she was looking at. Whatever it was it still eluded him.
"O.K. I give. What are you looking at?" he asked, folding his arms. Julia extended one arm and tilted her head a bit.
"See that protrusion? About 40 meters up the cliff there?" she asked, a sense of urgency in her voice. Alonzo moved right behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder to stare up along her arm. He saw what looked like a slightly darker chunk of rock sticking out of the cliff a bit.
"Yeah, I got it," he answered. "What is it?" Julia slowly shook her head.
"I haven't a clue, but I've got to get a closer look at it." The tone of her voice told him that this was one of those times she was going to do what she wanted and nothing was going to stop her from doing it. Alonzo sighed.
"I suppose that by telling you we don't have the equipment we need to get up there won't dissuade you, would it?" He said, trying to get her to look at things realistically. Julia snorted.
"Oh, come on. It's an easy climb. The cliff's full of holes!" she admonished him.
"Yeah, and it's falling apart!" he reminded her, making a sweeping gesture of the litter of shale around them. Julia just shucked her pack and overcoat, then strode purposefully to the cliff.
"Oh, come on. Let's go home and get some climbing gear at least, " Alonzo insisted. "We can come back tomorrow, with help, and do this right." Julia started probing the flaky rock and took her first step upward.
"It's not that far up. I want to see if it's worth getting that help," she said, her voice muffled into the cliff face. Alonzo stood just below her, watching her picking her hand and toe holds. She slowly made her way upwards, occasionally taking suggestions from her man below. To Alonzo, it seemed to take Julia forever to get up to the protrusion and with more than one lost foothold along the way. By the time she got there he was covered with sand and dust from her dislodging bits of the cliff along the way. He hoped she would make it down alright.
Julia was fascinated by the darker colored rock. It was worth the scratches and torn finger nails she gained as she pulled herself up the cliff face. Making sure that her feet were secure, Julia pulled a knife out of her belt and carefully started chipping away at the material in front of her. After several minutes of this a large chunk fell away.
"Look out below!" she called out as the boulder-sized fragment headed towards Alonzo. Julia saw him scoot hastily backwards as the piece exploded into small bits in front of him. Seeing that he was alright, she turned back to the exposed face. There were some intrusions in the rock. Julia carefully brushed at them with her fingers. As the material around them fell away, she was rewarded with a site that would make any anthropologist green with envy. Bones. Fossilized bones were imbedded in this darker rock, and they were obviously from a larger animal.
Julia's whoop of glee almost caused her to slip off of the rock face. Alonzo looked up in alarm as she scrambled to secure her hold.
"You O.K.?" he shouted up to her.
"Call camp!" was her answer. "We need a work crew out here right away!"

It was Magus' turn to keep watch on the camp communications gear when Alonzo's call came in. She was rewarded with Alonzo's view of Julia up on the cliff face, a view that made her heart stop.
"What the hell is she doing up there?" Magus demanded after her heart started pumping again. Alonzo grimaced.
"She insisted on going up to take a look, and she says she's found something," Alonzo explained. Magus just stared until Alonzo reversed his eye piece so that she was looking at him instead.
"I had no idea she was so obsessed with those fossils we brought back" she told him.
"Yeah, well, now she's found something she wants to bring back to town so we need a work crew to come out and get this thing out of the cliff, "Alonzo said matter-of-factly. Magus sighed.
"Let me see the cliff again," she told him. He reversed his eye piece again, then Magus studied the
area.
"Can the new Transport make it there?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so. You just need to follow the same eastern river bed you and Walman used when you did the scout," he told her.
"Alright. I'll go talk to the rest of the group and see who wants to go," she told him.
"Well, don't take too long, huh?" Alonzo said with a laugh. Otherwise we'll be spending the night here and we didn't bring our pajamas with us." Magus grinned.
"So what's the problem?" Alonzo grinned back, then she nodded. "O.K. I'll see what I can do."

Morgan Martin was enjoying being outside, sitting on a comfortable rock with the sun in his face. It had been too long since he'd had a good jam session outdoors like this so he called up one of his more difficult VR programs this time. His sticks tapped out complex rhythms in the air around him and Morgan was lost in the thrill of being up to the challenge. His drumming had been an important past time during the long winter. It had helped him deal with the boredom and tedium of this primitive lifestyle, and to help him reach an important decision.
After the news of the planet's interference with the human ability to reproduce, Bess had gone into a deep depression. To be robbed of the ability to have children - it took from her the one thing that no human Council or dying home world could. It took away the one unquestionable right that she had as a woman. It was even more of a blow when it was announced that Devon was going to have a child. She already had two children, her own Uly and John's True. Why should she be the one the Terrians chose to be the test of the human ability to adapt to the demands of G889?
She had stayed apart from the Danzigers and their trials until Menolly was born and it was determined that the rest of the group could petition to the Terrians to have their DNA altered to a condition that would allowed specific couples to create a new human life. It had left her with some hope, but it also angered her that she had to *beg* for what should have been her natural right. Bess had spent the winter trying to decide if she wanted to petition the Terrian's for that right, or to get on the colony ship that should be arriving soon and return to the Stations.
Alonzo, through the Dream Plane, had been told that the modifications to their DNA that kept them from conceiving a child would correct themselves after they had been away from the influence of G889 for a while. So, they could have a child if they left the planet, without the need of getting permission from a bunch of aliens. On the other hand, did she really want to live on the Stations, especially after having lived the clean, natural life that G889 offered? Sure, their life style was primitive by Station standards. They didn't have anything more than anyone else had, nor did they have some sort of elevated political status. But they did have the means to have a home of their own, and a choice of how they wanted to live their lives - within certain guidelines.
As Bess had watched Menolly grow over the last year and saw the joy it had brought to her parents, she knew what her first choice would be. She had finally, only a few short weeks ago, asked Morgan if he would be willing to let the Terrian's change them. Since he had known all along what her final decision would be, he had several months to come to a decision himself. Morgan loved his wife and could never refuse her. He hadn't hesitated to give her his answer.
They had talked to Alonzo about it and he had contacted the Terrians on the Dream Plane on their behalf. Alonzo had told them that when the time was right, the Terrians would come for them, but when they did come they had to go with them then and there. There would be no second chance. Since then Bess and Morgan had never been far apart, nor did they go far from the settlement. The waiting was nerve-wracking but Morgan turned that nervous energy to his favorite past-time, Jazz drumming. He was in the middle of a particularly difficult solo when a loud growl broke through the program and with a grunt of disgust, he yanked the Gear off of his head to see the Transport rolling back into camp. Julia was standing in the back next to a large chunk of rock, the sun setting behind her, looking like the Conquering Warrior coming home.

He was finishing the maintenance of the last of the newer vehicles when he heard the Transport heading his way. Through the wet winter months, the vehicles had been used infrequently due to the poor traction and deep mud that they created when they passed over soaked soil. It had been quickly decided to not use any vehicle, except in an emergency, as long as the soil couldn't sufficiently support them. After all, they all had to walk on that same ground and it wasn't any fun getting home with mud up to your knees. As a result, the vehicles had been stored under a quickly erected shelter and tarps placed over them until it was safe to use them again. Since Spring was allowing the area to dry out and several scout trips had been done without any problems, Danziger was preparing the remaining vehicles for the work ahead when the colony ship arrived. *If it arrived* he amended to himself.
He strolled out to see Baines in the driver's seat of the Transport, Alonzo seated next to him. Magus and Walman followed in the Scout that Julia and Alonzo had gone out in that morning. As Baines turned the Transport and brought it to a stop, Julia waved at him with one hand, the other resting on a dark bolder that was almost as tall as she was.
*That's what she was after?* he thought to himself. *Almost as bad as dragging back that frozen Terrian*. That thought sent a shiver through him. It still disturbed him to think that something had taken control of him, had used him to damage camp equipment and had made him become a deadly threat to his friends, his wife, his children. John eyed the boulder with a bit of discomfort.
"I hope you're not digging up ancient Terrians again, Julia," he called out gruffly. She swung herself down from the vehicle.
"You don't have to worry about this rock, John," she told him. "There's no energy readings this time and besides, what ever's in there isn't a Terrian." Danziger looked relieved. "I think," she added with a smile. Danz frowned and gave her a low growl.
"Just keep your new toy out of the Hall, huh?" Julia stared at him, but he was prepared. "I set up a tent on the old supplies platform," he said, pointing to one side. Julia looked over and sure enough, her old Med tent stood on the old wood floor that had been made back when the settlement was being built. She turned back to her friend and smiled.
"Thanks, Danziger. You're alright," she told him. John smiled in return.
"I'm sure that Zero and your volunteers there can put your rock in place for you," he told her. "It's getting late and I'm starving," he said, turning towards home. He really had no interest in Julia's new hobby of anthropology. He'd just a soon leave well enough alone. Digging up old bones wasn't going to make any difference to what was living on G889 in the present. Besides, his current concerns all had to do with the arrival of the colony ship. Devon seemed so optimistic. He hoped she was right in assuming that the Terrians would let other humans live here. She was sure that Uly and Menolly were proof that they would. They had apparently even accepted the Martins' request for the DNA change, but that hadn't happened yet. Since his family life was going so well, Danziger didn't want to disturb that balance by bringing up his own doubts about the arrival of the colony ship. He would wait to see how it all turned out, deal with it one day at a time. In the meantime, he would do what he could to prepare for their arrival. Once that happened they would all be too busy to worry no matter how it turned out.

Julia stared intently through the eye piece of her scanner. It had taken her almost two weeks to remove the bones from the sandy rock they had brought back to town. The bones themselves were a complex puzzle since it became apparent that there were bones from more than one animal present. Julia decided to rely on the information she was getting from her scans to at least divide the bone types into at least two piles. The smaller set of bones appeared to have more advanced traits, or at least had characteristics that she had found in Terrian bones. The larger set, which was from a larger animal, seemed far less developed and had characteristics closer to Earth mammals.
Julia removed the piece from the scanner and returned it to the table where she had all of the pieces neatly arranged in some semblance of how the creatures may have looked. As she let her mind wander, she looked at her treasures. These animals, whatever they were, suggested that G889 had once supported a much wider range of life forms than the Eden Advance Group had come across on their journey across the continent. She had often wondered why there were so few families, let alone species, to be found on a world that obviously had many more niches than were filled at present. It screamed of some sort of world-wide apocalypse to her, a dramatic event that caused an even more abrupt round of extinctions than had ever occurred on Earth. But what could have it been? The land in it's current form suggested that it had to have been something that affected the biological forms of G889 only - the radiometric dating of the rocks, the millennia it took to sculpt the land around them, suggested that G889 had undergone millions of years of tectonic activity, the uprising and subsiding of continents, the up welling of lava and the slow but inevitable weathering and breakdown of the surface to allow the introduction of biological life.
Julia felt there was some sort of intelligence behind the current structure of biological life on G889. Her belief that the Morganite was indeed a sort of nervous system within the planet that was used by the Terrians to maintain some sort of status quo led her to also believe that whatever the caused the cataclysm of these extinct forms could also have come from an intelligence. Nature has proven time and time again that it can renew itself, given time. Had the biology of G889 become destructive? Had the planet itself chosen to wipe the slate clean and start over? Only this time, it had guardians, the Terrians, that acted as a whole in maintaining the balance of life.
Julia knew that there were probably more fossils in that cliff that would help fill in the puzzle. Problem was that her priorities now needed to shift to the arriving colonists. Once they landed, her days would be filled with helping Syndrome children and their families. Her search for G889's past would have to wait. Still, she did have a little more time. Best to find out what she could while she had the luxury.

The evening gatherings had become filled with the anticipation of the arrival of the colonists. Even though everyone had worked hard to prepare for their coming, there were different priorities amongst the individuals in the hall. Devon stood at the small platform to assess what she saw. Most of these people whom she called friends had made the point of telling her they were staying. But there were a few who hadn't made that commitment, and the anticipation on their faces was just as great as they looked forward to going back to the Stations. And why shouldn't they? She had paid them very well and with the hazard clause invoked, all of them stood to live well when they returned. If the Council hadn't already declared them dead and claimed their credit accounts. Devon looked away from those faces whom she might not being seeing much longer. Instead, she focused on what the trip to G889 had been all about.
Uly was sitting with the rest of her family. He and True were talking in an animated fashion, probably imagining what it was going to like to have more kids their age around. Next to them sat her new future. John held Menolly in his lap, their daughter's head nestled in his chest, oblivious of the loud conversations going on around her. John saw Devon looking his way and smiled at her, sending a wave of confidence through her.
"Can I have your attention everybody!" Devon shouted out. The noise level didn't fall. Alonzo, who was sitting up front with Julia, stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle. It did the job. Devon awarded him with a quick smile while she removed her fingers from her ears.
"O.K. Does anyone have anything new to say? Any problems?" There was a quick turning of heads as everyone looked to see if anyone wanted to speak up. No one did.
"In that case, it seems we're as ready as we're going to get for the new colonists. Cameron says the drainage system and water feeds are working well up on the building sites. Baines reports that the Grendlers are respecting our security zones. John showed me the finished floorings for the Hospital shelters that will be our first priority when the Cargo Pods come down. We have sufficient land for farming and raising animals. All in all, we've done all we can to prepare."
A loud cheer went up from everyone. *No, not everyone,* Devon thought to herself as she spotted the Martins looking at each other. What were the Terrians waiting for? They had agreed to make the DNA change for Morgan and Bess almost two months ago. Bess was getting very anxious and had started talking of going back to the Stations again. *And she's been avoiding me again*. Devon made a mental note to talk to Alonzo about this. She raised her hand to silence the crowd. It took a moment, but the din finally diminished.
"Then all we can do is wait. It shouldn't be long before the colony ship arrives in the system and picks up the signal from our Com dish." The noise level in the room began to pick up again. Before it got out of hand, Devon shouted "I suggest you all rest up. We're going to be very busy all too soon!"
That final note ended the meeting and the group slowly broke up. Devon went to sit with John while the room cleared, Uly and True already heading for the door. She reached out to stroke Menolly's developing mop of blond curls and the child stirred briefly to bury her face deeper in John's chest.
"You know, if I wasn't married to you I'd be green with envy," she said softly to John. He looked at her, puzzled.
"Why?" he asked, shifting Menolly a bit in his lap. Devon smiled up at him, shaking her head.
"Because it would mean that this little one and the man she's attached to wouldn't be mine," she answered him with a twinkle in her eye. John grinned and leaned towards her.
"This little one couldn't be anyone's but ours, and as for me, well, I was born to be a pioneer woman's man. I like 'em with spunk," he told her mischievously. Menolly stirred in his arms again.
"You thought True was handful. This one's got both the Adair tenacity and the Danziger stubbornness in her. You've got your work cut out for you!" She replied and stood up. John followed her example and hefted Menolly easily into the crook of one arm on the way up. He used his free hand to catch one of Devon's.
"We need our kids to be tough. They'll need it to survive here, or anywhere," he said thoughtfully. "You know, I think our daughter's going to have some tough ground to break as she grows up. This whole Terrian thing is going to surface as soon as the Syndrome kids set foot here, and it's going to take a lot of convincing on our part to get their parents to accept what they have to do to let their kids be saved."
"And you think that's going to be a problem?" she asked, sensing that he was serious.
"For some, yeah, I do," he said bluntly. He knew he sounded pessimistic, but Devon knew he could be right. He hadn't been her counterpart these past two years for nothing.
"Then it'll be our job to convince them!" she said adamantly.
"Devon, we know it was the right thing for you to do for Uly. You were willing to sacrifice everything you had, even your own life to save him. It gave you the open mind you needed to accept what the Terrians did to save your son. But the others who are coming, they weren't the visionaries who put this trip together. They're desperate people looking for a miracle, but they may not be willing to make the complete sacrifices you made. They have an escape valve. They could always go back on the colony ship and hope that some miracle happens on the Stations, whether that's realistic or not." Devon glared at him, getting angry. He really didn't want to be a target for her anger, but he knew she had to hear this
"Devon, I'll support you from beginning to end. I'm here for you now and forever. I just want you to be ready for the problems we're bound to face when it comes to presenting what it means to live on G889 for those Syndrome kids and their families. Hell, there's a few of our own group who want to go back and I can understand why." That last statement shocked her.
"You mean you'd go back?" she asked.
"If True didn't like it here and we hadn't happened, I'd probably be first in line to go back," he admitted. Devon looked a bit grey. John quickly put his hand up behind her head and pulled her head to his. Menolly let out a whimper at suddenly being crushed between her parents forcing John to part far enough to let his daughter breath again, but he didn't let Devon go. There was look of relief on her face.
"But that's not how it turned out," she said softly. John smiled and nodded. Devon's confidence was returning.
"So what would you have done if True absolutely hated it here, but we still happened?" she asked with a small smile. John pulled back and a long sigh escaped him.
"I don't even want to *think* about that possibility!" he said forcefully. "I'd probably be a total wreck by now trying to figure it out." He looked back into her eyes and smiled "Let's go home. This kid's getting heavy," he said. Devon knew Menolly would never to be too heavy for him, just as True never would be, but she took his hand and turned for the door. They walked out into the night air, enjoying the bright light of the two full moons along the beach.
"You've got to admit, you'd never see a beautiful night like this back on Earth," Devon said, breathing in the smells of night at the beach.
"The view's only half of it," he responded. Devon squeezed his hand, knowing that her life's course was set. Now if she could only convince the newcomers that this was the better choice.
-------------end pt1 -----------------------

Past, Present and Future (Part 2)
by Lynne Leeper
Bess and Morgan had been the first ones out the Hall door after the meeting had been concluded. Morgan knew that Bess was thinking about leaving again and knew she would regret it if she made that compulsive choice. Whenever she got this way, she always wanted to walk on the beach and in her deep trance she automatically steered them down the edge of the waves. Morgan decided to try to finally get her to admit what she wanted. He wasn't very good at pushing an issue with her, but with the colony ship due any day he really wanted her to have made up her mind once and for all. He looked out over the waves for a moment.
"When I was a little boy, I wished I could go back in time, to see Earth the way it was before we ruined it. I wanted to explore the deep jungle and the depths of the ocean. I wanted to discover something no one had ever found before, so I could be rich and famous." Morgan stopped and grimaced. "Well, they say 'be careful what you wish for. You just might get it'. Funny how it worked out, isn't it?" he asked, looking at his wife's distance expression. She finally shook out of her reverie.
"What?"
"I was saying that in a funny way, being here on G889 was like getting my wish as a little boy. Somehow, though, as an adult, it isn't how I pictured it to work out." he answered.
"Morgan, what are you talking about?" Bess asked, a bit impatiently.
"I think I like it here," he started. Bess just stared at him. "I thought you did too."
"Of course I like it here!" she shot at him. He cringed a bit at her fierceness, but went on.
"Then we're staying, right?" he asked. She turned to stare at him, then tears filled her eyes.
"I want to, but why haven't the Terrians come for us?" she asked. Even though he had agreed to it, the idea still made him feel queasy. He took her in her arms to encourage her to let it out.
"Alonzo said they'd come when the time is right," he told her. "Whatever that means," he added under his breath. Bess said nothing.
"I don't know what I can do, sweetie. I don't understand half of what goes on here when it comes to this planet. All I know is we have to trust the Terrians to do what they promised." He couldn't believe he just said that, but in a funny way, it was the truth. Bess sobbed quietly on his shoulder and it seemed like she wasn't going to stop soon, so Morgan led her to some rocks where they could sit quietly and let her finish. He propped himself comfortably against a wave-polished boulder and wiggled his rear into the sand. He fit Bess into the crook of his shoulder and closed his eyes.
After a while, Morgan realized that her sobbing had stopped. He turned his head to her and realized that she had fallen asleep. He really didn't want to disturb her, so resigned himself to staying still for a while. Even though the air had become chilly, he found himself drifting off as he stared into the bright moonlight. Terrians, Grendlers, Kobas, Zeds, penal colonists and incoming colonists. In spite of all of this, Morgan knew he had a home here if only Bess could be reconciled. With those thoughts it wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep.
In the quiet of the night neither Bess nor Morgan heard the sound of shifting sand around them. Two pairs of arms reached up for them, then the ground around them became liquid and the sleeping couple disappeared beneath the beach.

His dreams were becoming more and more of a blur these days. Sometimes he couldn't tell if he was actually on the Dream Plane or if he was dreaming that he was on the Dream Plane. This night he was standing on a high plain, the grass rising above his waist. He turned and looked all around him but there was nothing but the slowly wavering grass.
But wait! In the distance, almost too far away to see, the sky was changing color. Alonzo watched, transfixed by the change he was observing. It seemed to take forever but eventually the change included a darkening on the horizon. It was then accompanied by a low rumble, similar to thunder, but not quite right. It became apparent that the darkening was approaching him and he would soon see what the source was. It never occurred to him that he was in danger. The darkness came closer and closer and after a time Alonzo was starting to see detail within. Just as he was about to see what was there, two earth-colored cadaverous forms shot up from the ground around him. Each took from hold of one arm then pulled him down into the ground with them. The last thing he remembered was the dark. Nothing but endless, suffocating dark.

He awakened with a loud gasp, as if he had just managed to break the surface after a long swim up from the bottom of the ocean. He had ripped the blankets off of the bed in his awakening, the cold night air shocking him back to reality as his skin rose in goose bumps as his sweat slowly evaporated off into the air.
"Hunnhhh?" came a confused mumble as the shock of the cold met Julia's lightly clad body. She turned her head, dazed, to see Alonzo sitting upright, his damp hair plastered to his head and his breathing causing his shoulders to rise and fall as if he had just finished a marathon.
"Alonzo?" Julia turned and sat up next to him. "What's wrong?" Alonzo ran his hands over his face, then shook his head.
"You were dreaming again? Was it the Terrians?" she prompted him. She touched his arm and found his skin ice cold. *God, he's in shock!* she thought. She quickly retrieved the blankets he had thrown to the floor and encouraged him to lie back on the bed with her. Julia made sure he was fully covered, and snuggled up to him.
"Can you tell me what happened?" she prompted him, trying to get him to see her in the dim moonlight reflected into their room. He shook his head, apparently in a lack of understanding.
"It was so dark. It was light, then it was dark, and then I couldn't breath." he finally whispered.
"Were you on the Dream Plane?" she asked quietly.
"I.. I'm not sure," he finally answered. There were Terrians there, but it didn't seem like this planet. I'm not sure." Julia sensed he was confused and knew he probably wasn't going to be able to tell her any more, so cradled his head against her and encouraged him to go back to sleep.
She was getting worried about Alonzo's dreaming. Over the past few months, his dreams were becoming more and more confused and terrifying. It was reaching a point where he didn't know if the Terrians were trying to tell him something, or if his own mind was creating these nightmares. She had offered to give him Sediderms, but he had refused, saying he didn't need a crutch. She'd try talking to him again in the morning. It was all she could do.

It was still dark out, or at least as dark as it ever got on G889 with the two moons always providing some light, when Devon was slowly awakened by a steady ringing in her ears. Her eyes opened slightly to help her try to focus on that ringing when she realized that the Gear set on the nightstand was beeping at her. A small moan escaped from her as she contemplated having to actually move to answer it. She was far too comfortable, nestled up against John and the blankets pulled tight around her, to even think about sticking an arm out into the cool night air.
The Gear set continued beeping with a mechanical patience that would never quit.
"This had better be good," a deep voice croaked from behind her. Devon groaned as cold air was allowed into her warm cocoon as John reached past her for the Gear set. She found it being fitted over her head and then the cocoon was sealed again, John wrapping his arm around her and placing his ear against the set so he could listen in. Devon reached up to open the channel.
"Adair." The beeping was replaced by Yale's voice.
"Devon! Devon?" Devon sighed.
"I'm here. Was is it, Yale," she asked, too sleepy to be polite.
"It's the Com dish. It's receiving a signal." Devon found she was waking up.
"A signal? From the colony ship?" she asked, more alert. John's eyes snapped open next to her.
"It looks like it," Yale answered. "Right now it's only the automatic telemetry being relayed back to the auto pilot, but if this follows the standard routine, it will only be a few hours before the pilot should be giving us a call." Devon glanced at the digital read out from her computer pad on the nightstand. The sun would be up in a few hours.
"O.K. Look, let's make sure everyone's up with the sun this morning. Keep an ear on the Com dish. If anyone calls before I get there, let me know and I'll come running. There's nothing more we can do until they call."
"Understood," came Yale's reply. "Out." The Gear beeped to confirm he had signed off, so John carefully removed the set from Devon's head with one hand.
"It's here? The colony ship made it?" he asked in a hushed voice. She turned to face him.
"It sure looks like it. We'll know more in few hours, though," she told him, excitement creeping into her voice. Danziger pulled her tightly against him. In a few hours he would know who was right - Devon Adair, the optimist, or John Danziger, the pessimist.

By the time Devon and Danziger had arrived at the Hall, half of the group had taken up positions around Yale at the Com station even though they had no idea how long of a wait they would have before any message would be received from the Colony ship. Devon looked at their faces, and realized that all of the people she knew wanted to leave G889 were there. Danziger caught the sadness that passed over her face, but Devon was quick to put her best smile back on when the group turned to greet her.
They picked a spot to sit down, John depositing Menolly in Devon's lap while he went for coffee. Magus intercepted him on the way to let him know that there was also some breakfast prepared for those who hadn't eaten before leaving their homes. He returned with a make-shift platter bearing food and drink for the two of them, Menolly having been fed before they had left the house. Just as she had managed to scoop up a fork full of food with one hand while balancing her one-year old daughter with the other, Yale came to join them.
"I'll take her while you eat," he offered. Devon graciously let him take Menolly from her. She smiled as Yale carefully sat the wide-awake child in his lap and began a rather one-sided conversation with her.
Menolly had always been fascinated by his cyber arm. As she grew older and her coordination got better, she became more adept at pushing at the controls there, trying to make lights flash and pictures appear. As Yale continued to talk to her, Menolly managed to push enough buttons to get his holo-projector working. She squealed in delight as a picture of a puppy appeared right in front of her and she reached out to touch it. John laughed as her hand caused the picture to be scrambled, then she pulled back her hand and put a big pout on her face.
"What is it with little girls and pets?" he asked Yale, watching the smile reappear on Menolly's face as the image was restored and the puppy wagged his tail for her. "True still insists that I owe her a kitty."
"I don't know, but I do remember when Devon was little, she wanted a marmot so bad that she refused to do her studies for almost a week," he replied with a distant look in his eye as he remembered those long -past days.
"A marmot?" John asked, looking at Devon with a puzzled look on his face. She sighed.
"We had just finished lessons on exotic animals, most of which were extinct, when Devon decided she wanted a pet of her own," Yale explained. "She was seven at the time and wouldn't take `no` for an answer." Devon glared at her mentor. John grinned at her.
"But why a marmot?" he teased. Devon's glare was turned to him.
"Why not?" she answered him with defiance in her voice.
"Her mother was ready to get her any animal that was available, but Devon wouldn't accept any substitutions," Yale continued. "It took me a week of explaining that there weren't anymore of them left anywhere before she finally relented. And then she got on a biology track for a while saying she was going to find a way to make one!" Yale couldn't help but laugh and John joined in. It was too much when Menolly made another attempt to grab the puppy and this time the failure brought her to tears. Devon abandoned the rest of her breakfast to retrieve her daughter from Yale while glaring at her husband and life-long mentor.
"Men!" she said softly to Menolly who was sobbing in her arms while still looking at the hologram. Yale turned the projector off sending the child into another round of crying.
"I'm sorry, Devon," Yale said a bit sheepishly, wiping his eyes. Devon looked at him pointedly.
"Hey," Danziger interjected, "it's all part of growing up. She'll forget about it in a minute when something else grabs her attention." Since he had finished his breakfast, Danz got up from his chair to take Menolly from Devon so she could finish hers. For a minute, he wasn't sure Devon was going to release her to him, but after a moment, Devon's anger faded and she let him take her.
After Devon had finished her breakfast, she looked around the room to see if everyone had arrived. There were a couple of conspicuous absentees. Uly and True still hadn't arrived and neither had the Martins. Devon got up and walked to he next table where Magus and Walman were talking with Julia and Alonzo.
"Anyone seen the Martins this morning?" she asked them. The four glanced at each other and shook their heads.
"We didn't see any lights at their place either last night or this morning," Julia offered. She looked at her table mates, then back at Devon. "She seemed upset last night. For the usual reason." Devon sighed at that.
"Morgan was with her, wasn't he?" she asked.
"Well, yes, " Julia answered, shrugging.
"Then he would make sure she was alright last night. Doesn't explain why they're not here now," Devon said.
"Like Julia said, we didn't see any lights or anything at their house this morning when we came here," Alonzo reiterated. Devon turned back to Yale.
"Yale, you did get in contact with them this morning, didn't you?" Yale looked at her a bit uncomfortably.
"Actually, no I didn't. I couldn't get a response from their Gear. I just assumed that Morgan had turned it off. Bess was upset last night so I thought they might have wanted to be left alone," he explained.
"Alonzo, would you go please ask them to join us?" Devon asked patiently. In that tone of voice, Alonzo would never have refused. He shrugged, then headed for the door. Devon returned to her table, sitting on the bench next to her husband.
"They're probably still asleep," Danz said. "You did tell everyone to get plenty of rest last night." Devon nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I did," she admitted. "But our kids know we're expecting a call. I wonder where they are?" John sat back and stretched, being careful not to lose his grip on Menolly.
"Probably finishing breakfast at home," he yawned. "They'll be here." Right on cue, loud high-pitched voices were heard outside the door. Devon looked at his satisfied expression and grimaced.
"You're paternal radar is still working quite well I see," she told him.
"Yup," he replied and draped an arm around her shoulders as the door banged opened and the room was suddenly filled with the excited voices of Uly and True. The two spotted their parents and made a bee line for them, bumping into everyone who was in their path.
"Has the ship called yet?" True asked before Uly could.
"No, not yet," Danz answered. She plonked herself down next to Yale and rested her arms on the table.
"See, I told you!" gloated Uly, sitting right next to her.
"Well, that's two out of four missing accounted for," Devon summed up.
"Who's missing?" True asked.
"Bess and Morgan," Devon answered. True frowned. She had a good relationship with Bess and worried about her.
"Should I go look for them?" True offered, starting to get up.
"It's O.K., Alonzo already went," Devon told her.
"Alonzo went to look for them?" Uly asked, puzzled.
"Yes, about 15 minute ago," Devon told her son. Uly's frown deepened.
"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked him. Uly looked at her and blinked.
"He should have known," he explained to her.
"Known what, Uly?" Yale prompted.
"He should have known that they're with the Terrians," Uly said matter-of-factly. True rolled her eyes. Danz reached across the table to squeeze her hand.
"They're with the Terrians?" Devon asked, glancing at John, then Yale.
"Yeah. They went last night," Uly replied, then stared up at his mom. "Alonzo should have known that. The Terrians said they told him." Devon looked hard at her son.
"When did the Terrians tell *you*?" she asked firmly.
"Last night. I was on the Dream Plane," he told her.
"Did you see Alonzo on the Dream Plane last night?" she pressed.
"No. It was just me and the Terrians," he answered. Devon looked up at Julia. She was deep in conversation with Magus and Walman. Devon got up and went to the other table.
"Julia, was Alonzo on the Dream Plane last night?" she asked cautiously. Julia looked startled, then shrugged.
"I'm not sure. He woke up last night from a nightmare though and he couldn't tell if he had been there or not," she answered, the added quietly, "He's been having nightmares a lot lately." This was news to Devon.
"Nightmares?" she asked. As far as she knew, Alonzo didn't dream on his own anymore.
"Yeah. It's been weird," Julia said, shaking her head. "He says he's not really on the Dream Plane, but the Terrians keep showing up and taking him away from wherever he's dreaming. He's woken up several times in shock, as if he had been undergoing extreme stress."
"But neither of you said anything about this," Devon said softly.
"Because Alonzo felt it wasn't any of your business," Julia said, defensively. "This was something for him to work out for himself." Devon conceded.
"He's right, it's none of my business, but apparently last night, the Terrians told him that they had taken Bess and Morgan," Devon explained. Julia brightened.
"They did? That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. Devon smiled with her.
"I agree. Bess needed this badly. But Alonzo should have been able to tell you, this morning," Devon pressed. Julia's face fell.
"I'll ask him about it. Like I said, He had a nightmare last night. Maybe the Terrians couldn't reach him. "It was the best she was going to get, so Devon returned to her table, glancing over at the Com station.
"Well, it looks like this group's as together as it's going to get. Guess it's time to see who wants to sit here and wait it out.
_____________ end pt2 ___________________

Past, Present and Future (Part 3)
by Lynne Leeper
The morning went by without so much as a blip from the colony ship. The group dispersed as bored individuals went off to do daily chores. Yale pulled Uly and True to one corner of the room and continued their lessons. Magus and Walman decided to inspect the prepared sites for future homes. Danziger went off to tinker with the vehicles so Devon went home to look over her sketches for expanding the colony.
Alonzo sat with his head resting on his arms, staring at the remaining few who were huddled around the Com station. His reoccurring nightmares were taking a toll on him, leaving him with no desire to find mundane tasks to do while killing time. He was annoyed by the news of Bess and Morgan being taken by the Terrians. Uly had said that the Terrians had tried to tell him. The only Terrians he remembered from last night were the ones that had pulled him underground at the end of his dream.
And what about that dream? His recent nightmares were beginning to follow a pattern. There always seemed to be some darkness off in the horizon that approached him, but before he could see what's there, something happens to end the dream. Maybe if he could see what's there, these nightmares would stop. And why hadn't he been able to get to the Dream Plane recently? Since it seemed that nothing was going to happen soon, Alonzo decided to go back to bed and try to contact the Terrians. He glanced over at Julia who was studying her comp pad.
"I'm going back to the house," he announced, pulling himself up off the table. Julia looked up from her notes. "I need to catch up on some sleep."
"That's probably a good idea," she said, studying his tired face. "Do you want a Sediderm?" Alonzo shook his head.
"I'm tired enough already," he answered. "Besides, I want to try to get to the Dream Plane. A Sediderm would probably put me too far under for that." Julia nodded, concern in her eyes. She reached out for one of his hands and squeezed it.
"You'll call if you need anything, right?" she asked him. Alonzo managed a smile for her and reached over to give her a quick kiss.
"You can count on it." With that, he rose and headed for the door. Julia watched him go, a gnawing feeling growing at the back of her neck. He hadn't been himself of late and she was beginning to wonder if something had changed in him that was causing the problem. His spontaneity was missing and he seemed to be just coasting through life these days. Julia knew that the nightmares needed to stop, and soon, or Alonzo would be headed for some serious psychological problems. She'd start working on him tonight. With that thought, she returned to her notes about the fossil remains that had become her prominent distraction. If her findings were right, she would have one hell of a paper to write. She was anxious to have Dr. Vasquez look over her work. She needed an informed second opinion.

Devon stared out the window and sighed. It was well into the afternoon, and there was still no word from the colony ship. She had asked Yale to review the original call with Baines, and the two were sure it was from the Roanoke. The message received and the response sent were right out of the manual. So why hadn't they heard more? A faint noise from Menolly's crib brought her thoughts back home. The child would still be sleeping for a while. Devon sat back and started to wonder what life would be like it the colony ship never arrived at all.
"Devon?" She awoke with a start and realized that she had drifted off. She looked up to see John pulling off his dark blue jacket and setting it over the back of a chair. He went over to Menolly's crib for a quick check. Devon sat up and yawned.
"She still asleep?" she asked with a croak in her voice. John joined her at the table.
"Out like a light," he told her, then glanced at the plans she had been going over. She met his eyes when he looked up at her and she could see the doubt there.
"John, I know you've been worried about the colony ship all along," she began. He sat back and slowly let his breath out.
"Devon, after what happened to our Advance Module, I can't help but think that the Council probably set up some of the same problems for the Roanoke," he told her.
"You mean the bomb? And the possibility of sabotage?" she asked. He looked her straight in the eye.
"Exactly. I don't think there would be a second bomb, though. The first one could have killed us all if it had gone off while the ships were still docked. But I can't help think that they did other things. There's so much that can go wrong on a ship that size."
"But that would depend on having a Council operative amongst the colonists, or another of the flight or Ops crew being programmed to do sabotage," she said. "I checked and double checked all of the colonists myself. I didn't find anything that suggested that any of them had anything to do with the Council." She knew that was a weak argument and it implied that if there were any saboteurs, they would be among the Flight or Ops crews.
"There's way too many ways for the Council to screw us up. And it would have been so easy for them. I did all of the final checks for the major systems myself, but that doesn't mean that I didn't find something I wasn't expecting, or that someone else couldn't have gone in after I finished to do some damage," he said flatly. She stared at him for a moment and he could see the conflict in her. Her optimism was fighting the "what if's", and with the colony ship being late in sending them a second message, the "what if's" were gaining ground. John rose and began to pace.
"We may be the last of the humans to colonize here," he said softly, turning to her. There was pain in Devon's eyes at the thought. "If that happens, then we have some hard decisions to make and a very heavy burden to bear in front of us." Devon didn't want to consider this possibility until it was necessary. Instead, she took shelter in John's strong arms and soothed her soul by thinking about the things that have gone right on this expedition.
"At least I have you," she told him, her voice barely a whisper. He tightened his grip and kissed the top of her head.
"That you do," he replied. "And we have our kids and the rest of Eden Advance. We've come this far. We'll find our way through whatever the Council has in store for us." Devon stood quietly for moment, soaking in his warmth.
"Do you want to have another baby?" she asked him softly. Startled, he took in a deep breath and let it out. He pulled back far enough to look into her eyes. He could see the determination there and knew that no matter what, Devon was not going to give up on the colony. There would be a human future here even if she had to do it all by herself. He couldn't help but smile.
"What does Julia say?" he asked softly. He didn't know if the Terrian's shift in their DNA was still viable, but he had gone back on Suppressors after Devon had become pregnant with Menolly. He also wanted to make sure that Devon was physically up to carrying another child.
"We need to go see her," Devon replied, then looked at him thoughtfully. "Does that mean 'yes'?" she asked, a twinkle appearing in her eyes. Danziger gave her a soft laugh.
"You are insatiable!" he said, punctuating his comment with a kiss.
"Just showing the way for the others," she replied. "Hopefully Bess and Morgan will have a couple of kids themselves. We've got to get our numbers up one way or the other!"
"You're the boss!" he laughed. The look she returned was serious.
"Not without you," she told him. "I could never have come this far without you."

Baines had glued himself to the Com station ever since Yale had gone off watch. He had been there for almost 24 hours before the signal that was expected came in. At first, there was another set of automatic messages sent back and forth as if there was some problem with Eden Project recognition signals. Baines monitored the exchange closely after he sent out the alert to the others. Since almost everyone was out of bed by then anyway, it didn't take long for a crowd to form around Com station. It took Devon a bit longer to get there than the others because of her motherly duties, but when she finally arrived the crowd parted reluctantly for her so she could get through to talk to Baines.
This is all we've been getting so far," Baines told her, showing her the text readouts. It all looked like a jumble to her. "It's as if the ship board computer is requiring a complete uploading of the communications protocols."
"I don't get it," she said shaking her head. "It already talked to us, so why would it need to start over now? What happened that it needs to at all?"
"Not only that, but it requires entering a series of complex codes to even begin this uploading process," Baines told her. "The pilot would have had them, just for an emergency," he added.
Danziger had come up behind her and had been listening in. Devon turned to look at him, her face a bit pale.
"John?" she asked and he knew what she was thinking. He took a deep breath, then pointed at the readout.
"The communications protocols are one of the foundations for the main frame interlinks with all of it's systems. If they had to upload that, it does imply a complete system shutdown was needed," he said softly. John felt the crowd parting again and Alonzo came up behind him.
"Shiela's one of the best," he said very seriously. "If she had to do a shutdown, there was a damn good reason why." He looked around at his friends' pale faces. "But, the fact that she was able to initiate the upload tells us that the ship is still viable. Maybe not in one piece, but still viable."
"Damn, all those people in cold sleep..." someone whispered.
"There were specific back-up systems for those, separate from the main frame," Danziger said loud enough for everyone to hear. "They shouldn't have been disturbed by the shutdown." Alonzo moved up to the Com station.
"We need to talk to someone on board, find out if there's anything we can do to help," he muttered, mindlessly shoving Baines out of his way. Baines let him, knowing that Alonzo was the best choice for communications right then. Alonzo began manually entering communications codes of his own, trying to open verbal, if not visual communications. After several tries, the speaker began to crackle and a distorted voice was heard. Alonzo deftly manipulated the controls to clear up the transmission, and was able to get it good enough so it could be understood.
"Eden Project. This is the Roanoke," a voice said. It was too distorted to tell if it was male or female.
"This is the Eden Project," Alonzo returned. "Shiela, is that you?" The voice on the other end became quite animated.
"Solace? Solace?" it queried.
"That's me," Alonzo replied.
"Thank God! We're having some major problems here. Our computer locked us out and began to shut down all the life support aboard. Somehow it was even creating pathways to the coldsleep systems and started shutting those down too. We had to shut the whole thing down and purge the memory. I was betting that you'd be listening for us," the voice said.
"Shiela, what is the status of the ship right now? How's your navigation and flight controls?" Alonzo asked firmly. It took a minute before he got a response. The voice sounded tired now.
"Shiela's dead," the voice said. "She was electrocuted when she tried to break the power linkages for the mainframe to the cold sleep areas." There was a stunned silence as the echoes of the last message bounced around the room. Yale was the first to recover.
"Who are we talking to?" he asked Alonzo quietly. Alonzo turned back to the communications equipment.
"Who are you?" he asked carefully.
"Micheals, Chris Micheals," the voice replied. Danziger jumped at the name.
"He's my backup for the Roanoke," he said, suddenly feeling like there was hope. Danz shoved his Gear on his head and changed the frequency.
"Chris! It's Danziger!" he announced. There was a moment of silence.
"Danziger? I thought you were supposed to be on your way home right now," Chris said cautiously. Devon turned to look at him thoughtfully.
"Yeah, well, we had our problems too, buddy," he replied. Then he got down to the meat of it. "What shape is the ship in?"
"The ship is physically intact. It's just that we're in the process of restarting all of these systems. Life support is back up, Navigation is loading now. God, I hope the back up memory for that held up, " Chris reported. "There's all kinds of secondary systems that may never come back," he added. "Right now all I want is to get this ship into orbit around you guys. I'll worry about everything else later."
"How long until your reach orbit?" Alonzo asked.
"Well, G889 is filling the cockpit view ports quite nicely, so I'd guess that we've already missed at least one orbital burn," Chris replied. Alonzo moaned and swore under his breath.
"Are you in the pilot's seat?" he asked. Chris said yes. "Are your instrument displays working?" Alonzo got another affirmative so he had Chris read them off to him one by one. The members of the Eden Advance Group standing closest to him could see him running estimates in his mind as Chris read off the numbers to him and he quickly came to a conclusion.
"Chris, you're going to have to tell the computer to do a deceleration burn," Alonzo ordered and proceeded to tell him how to do that. After a few minutes, Chris called back.
"We've started a burn!" His voice was strained, almost drowned out by the roar of the ship's main thrusters. Alonzo held his breath, silently counting the seconds that went by. He was starting to get worried - it seemed to be taking too long.
"Burn complete!" Chris finally reported, out of breath. "Man, I think I'm going to throw up," he added weakly. Alonzo started breathing again and laughed.
"It's just part of the job, buddy!" This brought out a laugh from the rest of the group, relief filling the air.
"Hey Chris! Before you go to the head, look at your navigation computer. Has it resynced with the original program?" There was some heavy breathing on the other end.
"Uh, yeah, it looks like it," Chris gagged. "Look, I'll get back to you." There was suddenly silence from the Com station. Alonzo stood up and turned to face his friends. He was rewarded with a sudden round of applause.
"Good work, pal!" Baines said, pounding him on the back. Others stepped up to offer their congratulations as well. After Danziger had made his offerings, he pulled Devon aside.
"It looks like the ship will make it into orbit, but their problems aren't over yet. The Cargo Pods and Descent Shuttles are all part of the secondary systems. If they have to manually release them, there's no telling where they'll come down," he told her. "We could have a dozen groups of people scattered over thousands of miles." Devon planted both hands on his chest.
"John, we survived a crash and made our way here with only a few supplies. These people will at least have some time to prepare before they come down. They'll make it," she told him firmly.
"If the ship is capable of returning to the Stations, some of them may choose not to take the risk," he said.
"Oh, come on John! They've come this far. Why turn back now?" she admonished him.
"Devon, these people came here expecting to land nice and neatly at an established colony. And it's obvious that the Council had plans for the ship itself. Chris said all the life support systems were being shut down. Now, wouldn't that be convenient for the Council to have a ship, all loaded with supplies, neatly tucked into orbit here to be used at their convenience?" She glared at him, anger filling her eyes.
"Yes, they're having problems. But they really don't have a choice, do they?" she shot at him. He gave her that look, wondering what she meant by that. She stuck a finger at him.
"The pilot's dead, remember?" He had forgotten about that small point. His hands fell to his side as Devon returned to the Com station. Danziger found himself staring at Alonzo and knew that it would take his friend's considerable skills to get that ship back to the Stations. But Alonzo was staying on G889, wasn't he?
end pt3 ---------------

Past, Present and Future (Part 4)
by Lynne Leeper
It took about a half an hour for Chris to call back. His report was grim. Shiela had been awakened about an hour before planned. Apparently that was a last minute decision she had made before going into cold sleep and had reprogrammed her sleep capsule herself. If she hadn't, then her capsule would never have been triggered to wake her up. It seemed that a worm program that caused the life support systems to start shutting down was nested in with the secondary programs. Triggering of the first cold sleep capsules usually didn't occur until the primary systems had been brought back on line, but because of Shiela's added caution to wake up early, her capsule was triggered before the secondaries had started to run. After she had discovered the problem while running the routine checks on the flight deck, she immediately had brought Chris out of cold sleep to help her correct the problem. By the time he was out, most of the systems had been locked out to them, so it was decided that the only way to regain control was to do a system purge. The only way this would work was if there was another computer to link to restart the internal communications protocols. Shiela knew that the colony at New Pacifica should be able to provide that link up, so took the chance that she wouldn't be creating a bomb pointed straight at G889 and started shutting everything down. The only problem was it required directly cutting the power to the main frame itself. She didn't see the trap that had been set there and was killed. Chris had been working on the cold sleep systems when he heard her screaming over his Gear.
He had finished what Shiela had started. He had been deciding on whom to wake up next to help him and was more than relieved when Alonzo's voice had finally come through on the Com channel. After the pilot had helped him get navigation back up, Chris had decided to wake Dr. Vasquez and the rest of the Ops crew. They needed to assess the condition of the ship and it's systems to determine if everything was O.K. for the landing. The Eden Advance Group could only sit by and wait.
Dr. Vasquez eventually called down after the visuals had been restored to let everyone know that one bay of cold sleep crypts had been completely shut down by the main frame before Shiela and Chris had been able to severe the connection. Almost 100 people had been killed. The remaining colonists were still secure in their chambers, and Vasquez was waiting for the Ops Crew report before he began waking them up. It was then that Devon decided to tell them the rest of the story.
She had Chris broadcast her announcement to his crew while she told her tale of what had happened to the Advance group over the past two years, and of what they could expect when they landed. She could see by the look on Alverez` face that he had doubts about being told about the Terrians and their role in all of this, so turned the communications over to Julia. The two of them sat for several hours as Julia went into great detail about how Uly had been cured, how Devon had been saved, and how she had been allowed to bear the only child of the Advance Group. That last bit of news surprised Vasquez the most. Not that there was some alien intervention to human reproduction, but that Devon would have another child. He asked to see Menolly.
Yale, who was watching her at the time, brought Menolly up to sit in her mother's lap. Devon made sure Vasquez got a good look. His eyes were riveted to the child. Menolly accommodated him by trying to reach the video input in front of her, her blond curls threatening to cover her bright blue eyes as she leaned away from her mother. Devon pulled her back upright and dropped her head to her daughters. Vasquez could see some of Devon's features in the child and had to smile at Devon's obvious joy with the little girl. Devon looked up.
"She's 13 months old now," Devon replied, smiling. "I can hardly believe an entire year has passed already."
"And she looks just fine. I take it that there's been no sign of Syndrome in her?" he asked, a bit cautiously. Devon looked at him sharply. Julia stepped in, offering a finger to Menolly to grab.
"None at all," she told him. "Menolly's been wonderfully normal. She's been through some of the usual baby problems, but has always bounced back quite easily." Julia wiggled her finger and Menolly laughed.
"And Uly shows no symptoms of Syndrome any more?" Vasquez continued.
"Like I said earlier, the Terrians gave him what he needs to fight it. He's fine," Julia reported.
"I can't wait to see him," Vasquez replied.
"It's a beautiful day here. He's outside playing with True," Devon told him.
"True?" Vasquez asked.
"True Danziger, my step daughter," Devon replied while looking down at Menolly.
"Ahhh," was all Vasquez could answer. Suddenly there was a startled look on Devon's face.
"Uh, oh. I think someone needs a clean diaper," she announced. She looked up at Vasquez.
"Then I won't keep you. Chris has told me that everything looks ready to pull everyone out of
cold sleep. I'll get started right away. Meanwhile, he wants to talk to.... your.... husband?" Vasquez asked with is eyebrows raised. Devon grinned and turned to the back of the room.
"John?" Vasquez heard Devon call out. "Chris wants to talk to you." Vasquez saw her stand up as a tall blond man arrived at the Com station. A flicker of recognition went through him. Vasquez realized that this was the chief mechanic he had talked to about making sure the cold sleep facilities were set up properly for the Syndrome children. Devon Adair was full of surprises.
Devon stepped aside after she had exchanged a few words with John leaving a smile on his face. Vasquez relinquished his seat to Chris and the two mechanics started talking in earnest.
Devon stepped over to a quiet corner to change Menolly and Julia joined her.
"So Vasquez is waking up the colonists?" she asked.
"Yes. It seems that the Ops crew has the ship back under control," Devon answered, deftly removing the offending diaper and carefully putting it in a sealed container until she could wash it. "It looks like we're going to have company very soon." Julia fidgeted a moment.
"What is Dr. Vasquez going to say to them after they've woken up?" Julia asked.
"The truth," Devon answered. "I've asked him to outline what I've told him, then we'll hold an intership broadcast to answer specific questions." Her face suddenly became sad and her eyes went down tothe floor. "I've also asked him to send me a list of the people who where lost when the computer failed. They spent 22 years getting here and didn't even get a chance to see their new home." Julia didn't know what to say. It was Menolly's fussing that brought Devon's attention back and she quickly finished the job.
"Devon?" A hand rested on her back. She looked up to see that Julia had been replaced. "Chris has the back-up systems for the Cargo Pods and Descent Shuttles working. It's up to the colonists now." Devon was reaching to pick up Menolly, but John beat her to it. He hefted her into the crook of his arm and she grabbed his shirt with one tiny hand and stuck the other in her mouth.
"It'll be a while before they're ready for the meeting," Devon said. Let's go find our errant children and have some lunch, hmmm?" she told him, feeling a bit drained.
"Kid's are out with Magus and Walman. They were wondering when the Martins will be back," John told her. Devon looked startled.
"God, I forgot about them!" Devon exclaimed. She looked up at him. "It's been over a day. I wonder how much longer the Terrians will have them?" Danz shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Maybe Uly can find out," he offered. Devon started for the door so he followed her.
"I wonder if Alonzo can," she muttered. They walked out into the bright sun light and Devon stopped a minute to close her eyes and enjoy the sensation.
"Feels good?" John asked her and she hummed a sigh of content.
"This is what we came here for. A clean environment for our children. Feeling it, smelling it, tasting it always tells me it was, and is the right thing to do. It was worth everything we risked and went through to get here." Devon's smile faded.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"All those people who died. They'll never know," she said sadly. A mask of anger flashed over her face.
"Damn the Council! They just couldn't leave us alone!" she shouted. John tightened his grip on Menolly.
"Devon, everyone knew it was a risky trip," he said softly. He saw tears forming in her eyes.
"But no one thought they'd be targets of the Council," she spat, wiping her eyes. He couldn't deny that.
"Come on, let's go home," John said, Menolly reaching out towards her mother. Feeling the small fingers on her face, Devon looked at her daughter and John reached up to brush Devon's hair out of her eyes. "The best thing we can do is to survive and keep going. And from my point of view, we're doing a damn good job at it." Devon stared at her daughter for a moment.
"I guess we are," she conceded.

It was pleasantly warm out, so Uly and True took advantage of being excused from studies and chores to wander around the beach. It had been a long time since True had taken her shoes off to feel the sand squish between her toes and the feeling sent a tingling sensation up through her feet. They reached a spot where the damp sand had piled up quite high and plopped down into it and started to make a sand castle.
They had seen Alonzo step out of the Hall for some fresh air so they had asked him what the status was with the colony ship. The kids now knew that it had reached orbit and that Dr. Vasquez was bringing everyone out of cold sleep. Running a finger in the sand, True carefully traced an outline of where the outer walls of the castle should be.
"I wonder if Bess and Morgan will be back before the colonists arrive," she wondered. She looked over at her step brother, expecting an answer. He didn't look up from packing sand so she nudged him.
"Huh?"
"I was wondering when Bess and Morgan will be back," she repeated. Uly shrugged.
"Don't know," he answered.
"I thought you knew *everything* about the Terrians," she accused. Uly looked up from packing his sand.
"They just say they'll be back when the time is right," he said, apparently not worried about it.
"I'm getting real tired of hearing that," True complained. "Can't they tell you when?"
"Nope. Things just happen when they're supposed to," he told her. "You just kinda have to wait a lot."
"Why?" True demanded.
"Just 'cause," said Uly.
"Oh, forget it," True sighed. "As long as they're alright."
"They're O.K.," Uly assured her.
"O.K.," True finally conceded, then put her energy into helping her brother pack sand for the first level of their sand castle.

Dr. Vasquez called shortly after dinner. Everyone was out of cold sleep, but he sadly reported the loss of two more Syndrome children. This time the cause of death was the lack of the children's bodies being able to take the shock of the low temperature required for suspended animation. This loss was not unexpected, but it still added to the total loss, bringing that figure up to 103.
Chris Micheals reported that his crew had been over the shuttle and pod systems as best they could. The primary systems for each was unusable - the functions had been wiped during the system restart. The secondaries appeared to be functioning as they should, but these back ups were meant to be used only in an emergency. Their function was to release the shuttles from a command issued by each pilot, and the pods from a single manual override from the Roanoke's flight deck. The problem with both was that they used a simplified navigation system designed for quick calculations, the idea being that if it was necessary to evacuate the ship, that exactly where you were going wasn't as important as getting away from the ship. It was always assumed that there would be someone of the other end to come and get you in that event. The same went for the pods. They all had transponders - you just had to go and get them.
Danziger and Alonzo sat with Chris, working out the best strategy for releasing the shuttles and pods. The pods were a one-shot deal and it was decided to drop them first. With luck, they would drop within a hundred mile radius of New Pacifica and Alonzo fudged in a safety factor to try to avoid having pods land in the Sea of Antius. The shuttle pilots, all of whom were colonists who had volunteered to undergo the training to fly this one trip, would have some control in determining where they would land. Hopefully there would be a nice, flat spot to put their ships down when they approached ground.
The command shuttle was another story. It was designed to be able to return to the Roanoke with those people who were meant to return to the Stations. It was supposed to be Shiela's job to bring it down to G889, but she was dead. Her back up was the ship's Navigator, Sandra Nicoles, who was currently shaking off the shock of coming out of cold sleep to find her friend had died. Chris had filled Sandra in on all that had happened.
With everyone awake Vasquez had called an all-hands meeting to explain the events and the resulting problems that had occurred due to tampering with the ship's main frame. He then explained best he could what the colonists could expect on G889. Many were appalled by the idea of living amongst aliens, let alone that they would play a major part in their lives. But many were overjoyed with the prospect of there being a potential cure for their Syndrome children, even at the cost of having alien DNA added to their bodies. But Vasquez couldn't help them decide whether taking the risky ride down to the planet was the right thing to do or not. He would leave that encouragement up to Devon Adair. end pt4 -------------------

Past, Present and Future (Part 5)
by Lynne Leeper
Devon hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast. The grief she felt at the loss of so many colonists overlaid by the anxiety of getting the living ones down to New Pacifica safe and sound was tearing at her heart and soul. When the hour came for her to address the awakened colonists, Devon had arranged herself to look calm and assured, but her friends knew the turmoil that was going on inside of her. Yale and John stood beside her as she took her place in front of the Com station and gave herself a final moment to prepare before facing all of those people who had placed their hope and trust in this one woman. She nodded to Baines to open communications.
The Eden Advance Group was greeted with the view of a sea of faces, so many faces it was impossible for them to distinguish a single one. It had been two years since they had been amongst their own kind and it was overwhelming to think of suddenly being amongst that many people, here in the quiet place that had been their home for the last year. The hundreds of faces looked expectant, anxious, curious, afraid, overwhelmed and excited all at once.
It took all of Devon's will power to fight the impulse to step back. She felt John's hand at her back and her confidence resurfaced. Devon then called the crowd to order. She watched as the hundreds of eyes turned to the vision of her, the Eden Advance Group at her back.
"Welcome to G889," she started. The crowd began to murmur. "I know that you hardly expected many of the things that Dr. Vasquez has told you about when you arrived here, but we can have a future here. A good one.
"We came here looking for a place where our children could live when the artificial world we bore them in wouldn't support them. Our hopes were that living on a natural world filled with the many aspects of life that no longer exist on the Stations would encourage the failed immune systems of our Syndrome children to start functioning. Here on G889, we have found more than that. We have found a world that can heal our children." Devon indicated for Uly to step in front of her.
All of the Syndrome parents had met Uly at one time or another. It was Devon's way to prove to them that she was serious in her quest, and that it was very personal to her. A rumble filled the Gear channel as the group on board the Roanoke gasped at the sight of a taller, tanned-face Ulysses Adair facing them, standing under his own power without the aid of an immunosuit. Devon heard crying as she placed her hands on her son's shoulders, pride filling her heart at the effect he was having.
"We can live here at peace with the residents. They will help our children. We only need to be willing to respect this world and her children, and to become a part of it," she continued. That last statement brought the rumble up as individuals wanted to ask questions. Dr. Vasquez quieted the group, then began looking for raised hands. Devon didn't immediately recognize the woman the doctor picked.
"Dr. Vasquez says that these aliens are controlling you, that you can't even have children without their permission," she stated flatly. Vasquez started to correct the woman, but Devon stepped in first.
"You all must understand that *we* are the aliens here. We have no right to demand *anything* from this planet. It's not ours to do with as we please," Devon stated firmly. "We humans have disturbed and harmed the residents of this planet, primarily due to the Council trying to control it. They have failed, and now the burden has been placed on us." She didn't care to go into how the Eden group itself contributed to the problem.
"The bottom line is, we have been given a second chance to prove we can live in harmony here. My son, and now my daughter are proof that we can." Devon looked at the confusion that statement had created. Dr. Vasquez put his hands up, trying to quiet the group. Meanwhile Julia, who had been holding Menolly, brought her up to her father and deposited her in his arms. Danziger stepped up along side Devon framing Menolly between them. Devon waited as the impact of seeing such a tiny, healthy child finally silenced the group. One couple stepped up.
"It's obvious to me that you all have survived there. I don't see any reason why we can't," the man said.
"Well, what about the Council?" someone asked. "They are still probably interested in this planet. And Dr. Vasquez has told us that there are penal colonists, and worse down there. Doesn't that make us all targets?"
"Penal colonists are few and far between," Danziger said, finally wanting to say something. "Most we've come across are reclusive and don't want to have anything to do with us. Besides, we out number them and are better equipped. They won't bother us."
"And as for the Council," Devon picked up, "they've failed in everything they've tried." Devon couldn't help see Julia's embarrassed expression out of the corner of her eye. "Only we have succeeded."
"And you think the additional hundreds of us can be successful too?" another voice asked. Devon
turned to look at Menolly nestled in John's arms.
"Yes, I do. If you are willing to live by peaceful rules, we can all do very well here." The tableau of Devon and Danziger attentive of their daughter was enough for many of the group. Those that were satisfied enough to try began to disperse.
Devon continued to answer questions, many of them difficult, to try to convince every one of the colonists she had recruited to stay on G889. It was a one-way trip though. Once they were down, they would be staying here. The command shuttle was only capable of one trip down and back, and those seats were reserved for the Ops and Flight crews of the Eden Advance Module and the Roanoke. Devon still hoped that those of them that had been through the long, hard journey to New Pacifica would decide to stay. She still had a few days to try to convince them, and she wouldn't give up.
There were still several who were firmly against trying to settle on an inhabited world and it was clear that Devon was never going to be able to convince them. She was tired when the meeting was brought to a close and turned to see that only a few of her friends were left in the room. Baines and Denner intended to leave, she knew. Julia and Alonzo were still there as well, Alonzo looking a bit uncomfortable. Devon was going to ask him what was on his mind, but before she could address him Julia pulled him up and excused the two of them. It was getting late and tomorrow would be a busy day. New Pacifica was going to see a population explosion.

Alonzo was unusually distant as they walked home that evening. Julia knew that his time talking to various members of the Roanoke had left him feeling home sick for space. Even though he had played a key role is establishing the Eden Advance Group with the Terrians and G889, his role had diminished as Uly became older and since Menolly had been born. In fact, he hadn't been on the Dream Plane in months now and his nightmares were occurring more frequently. What bothered her most was that his nightmares were of a reoccurring theme - this darkness coming towards him, haunting him, but the Terrians wouldn't let him confront it.
Julia reached over to take Alonzo's hand, startling him our of his reverie. He glanced over at her,
his empty eyes slowly focusing on her.
"What is it?" Julia prompted. "You worried about the colonists?" Alonzo shrugged.
"It's not going to be a straight forward trip down. Those secondary release systems are primitive," he explained. "The odds would have been better for everyone if Shiela was running the show up there." Julia could here the pain in his voice. Alonzo had lost more than just a colleague up there and Julia felt a pang of jealousy shoot through her. He not only was missing his friend, but she knew that he would have given anything to be up there right now, to do the job he had trained his whole life for.
"Hey, if it wasn't for you, G889 would have acquired a new crater and the Eden Project would only have the 17 of us. Now those colonists do have a chance to come down here and live," Julia said, trying her best to be encouraging. Alonzo awarded her with a small smile, but it faded quickly.
"But not all of them want to come down. You saw what happened at the meeting," he said quietly. He didn't need to remind her that there were several of the Advance Group who wanted to leave as well. Julia hesitated, but then had to get it out in the open.
"Alonzo, no one has actually said it, but with Shiela gone, is it possible for the Roanoke to make the return trip?" she asked carefully. Alonzo couldn't look at her for a moment.
"No," he finally replied. They had made it to the door of their home, but stopped outside for a moment. Alonzo turned his eyes up to the night sky.
"But it could if you were there." It was a simple statement, but the pain that shot through Alonzo's face told her that he had been thinking about that fact a lot. Julia stepped away from him and took a deep breath.
"Are you leaving?" she asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. His head jerked up and he looked at her, not knowing what to say. He looked so lost, so indecisive, that Julia couldn't help but wrap her arms around him and pull him to her tightly. It was several minutes before either of them could speak, let alone move. Alonzo finally broke the silence.
"I'm not sure about anything anymore," he said in a shaky voice. "I don't dream with the Terrians anymore, I just have these nightmares. I don't feel like I fit in here anymore. I'm a pilot that has nothing to do so I do any small thing I can to help."
"Alonzo, you're a member of this family. We need you. *I* need you!" Julia cried back.
"To do what? Keep you up at night with my cold sweats? To help you wander around looking for old bones? To take out the garbage while you're busy helping Syndrome children get better? Or finding cures for broken bones and unheard of diseases?" he exploded.
"Alonzo...." Julia began plaintively.
"Your job, your skills, what you do is needed here," he interrupted her. "My job was to get you here, then to go home. Well, I didn't do a very good job getting us here, now did I? If I had, I would have been in cold sleep these past two years, headed back to the Stations to a big, fat, bank account." He was raving and was beyond reason at the moment, but Julia had to try to get him to see the bigger picture.
"You know the crash was caused by sabotage! There was nothing you could do!" she responded desperately. "And we couldn't have made it to New Pacifica without you! We've all been a team and have survived because of that. No one is expendable," she finished emphatically. Alonzo just looked disgusted and suddenly opened the door and rushed inside, not wanting to face her. Julia stood for a moment, then followed him in. It was going to be a rough night.

Magus and Walman stood quietly in the shadows of the moonlight. They were a bit stunned after having inadvertently watched the scene Alonzo had made outside of his and Julia's house. After the couple had gone inside, Magus turned to look at her man.
"Do you think he'd really leave?" she asked quietly. Walman tightened his grip around her.
"He hasn't been happy here for some time, in spite of Julia. Now he has the perfect reason to leave," he replied. Magus sighed. The arrival of the colonists had been earth shaking as is was. But now, it seemed the fabric of the Eden Advance Group was coming apart at the same time. The next few days was going to rewrite their lives and there was no predicting how it might turn out.

He had hoped that after such an intense day he would be too tired to dream. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in quite a while and his attentions to Julia had become few and far between. She hadn't complained, understanding why, but it bothered Alonzo that he wasn't able to keep her satisfied.
After finally admitting his uncertainty about staying, Alonzo found himself staring at the ceiling instead of falling asleep. Julia hadn't said a word to him as she got ready for bed, then quietly buried herself under the blankets. She had fallen asleep, too tired and hurt herself to try to talk him out of his self-incriminations hoping that he would be thinking more clearly on the morrow. Alonzo felt an emptiness inside of him growing as he turned to stare at the back of her blond head. What had changed for him to feel this way? What was wrong with him? Alonzo forced himself to close his eyes. To distract his aching mind, he starting reciting the astrogation manual from his days back in pilot school. He had reached the middle of chapter 2 when he finally slipped into a troubled sleep.
It seemed like he was immediately pulled into the Dream Plane - but no, it wasn't. His vision had started with the familiar cave walls, a single Terrian was there waiting for him. Just as the creature began to trill to him, the scene changed and he found himself out on a large lake. He jerked, startled at the change and almost capsized the small rowboat he was in. After assessing his situation, Alonzo reached for the oars floating in their locks.
He could see land off in the distance where the sun was setting. Not really knowing if he was meant to go there, Alonzo decided to sit and wait, letting the slight breeze push him along. He was actually finding the gentle rocking soothing and he felt the tension in him starting to melt away. He scooted off of the seat and used it to rest his calves while laying back in the bow.
The sky was turning a beautiful array of oranges and reds and after a time the first stars appeared. Those stars were like magnets for his eyes forming constellations he hadn't seen in over two years. When it dawned on him that the sky he was seeing wasn't from G889, his focus sharpened and he realized that those stars were appearing through a hole in the sky. And that hole was growing.
This was the darkness haunting his dreams, an image from his mind of the skies of home. This is what the Terrians, who always came crashing into his dreams, didn't want him to see. The thought of having it torn away from him again, especially now that he knew what it was, made Alonzo sit up like he had been hit by a lightning bolt. He quickly looked around but there was only him on the water. Then he remembered. The Terrians couldn't immerse themselves in water. It would kill them.
Alonzo exhaled sharply, not realizing he had been holding his breath. The hole in the sky was still growing and it appeared it was getting closer to him. The breeze around him began to pick up, the gusts causing small white caps to form around him. Alonzo picked up the oars and started to row towards the hole. In approaching the darkness, it drew him nearer to the shoreline. Several figures exploded from the ground at the water's edge and trilled to him. At first, the trilling just bounced off of his ears, but as he drew nearer, it grew louder and became painful.
Alonzo was not going to be denied his goal this time. The hole still grew behind the Terrians and the image it held became sharper. To his eyes, it looked like he was out in space with no atmosphere to blur or hide any detail of the heavens he was straining to meet. He couldn't let go of the oars or the boat would be pushed by the wind away from his goal so Alonzo gritted his teeth against the pain of the Terrian trilling. He was now within a few hundred meters of reaching the edge of the hole, only a few meters of water and the Terrians between them. Alonzo knew he would have to make it to shore and get past the Terrians if he was to win.
Pulling with all of the strength he had in him, Alonzo made the small boat shoot up on the shoreline and he leaped out with a mighty roar challenging the Terrians to stop him. He was on his feet and sprinting past the line of creatures, flashes from their lightning sticks exploding around him. One of those bolts of energy grazed him on one side but his momentum and the adrenaline coursing through him kept him upright and moving. He was only a few steps away from the edge of the hole when he felt an electricity surround him and pull him those last centimeters into the blackness.
He was floating now, the deafening shrieks of the Terrians gone. For the first time in months Alonzo Solace had found peace. He stared out at the familiar stars, their soft light bathing him in a warmth he hadn't consciously known he was missing. He knew now where his heart and soul lay and with that, he finally fell into a deep, healing sleep.

Past, Present and Future (Part 6)
by Lynne Leeper
It was a bright, clean, clear morning at New Pacifica but no one noticed. The Roanoke was now established in an orbit that would allow the landing craft the best flight path down to the planet. It was now a time for those colonists who were the designated pilots to play their most important roles of their lives. The future of the human colony on G889 depended on the skills of 15 of their own. Fifteen colony shuttles and the command shuttle were ready to be dropped.
Chris Micheals sat in the pilot's seat of the Roanoke itself, prepared to release the 50 cargo pods
that were all the dowry the colonists took with them. He reviewed the coordinates and watched the
numbers on the navigation computer tick by, then with Alonzo's enthusiastic coaching shifted the position of the ship to facilitate the release.
Chris knew that he was the key to the colonists exodus. He wasn't a pilot who had learned the nuances of second-guessing gravitation fields and atmospheric disturbances but he felt he'd spent enough time with Solace to ensure that he could get the pods to drop near New Pacifica. He didn't have to worry so much about releasing the shuttles. The pilots had enough control to correct for minor course deviations.
Devon had been very clear about the dangers of letting pods go astray. He had seen videos of the Grendlers and had found them looking like awkward hippopotamus' or something - just large, lumbering, stupid animals. He had been assured that a Magpro would stop one if needed, but that it really was important to *not* kill one if at all possible. Chris had shrugged at that. To him, an animal was something from the VR archives. He hadn't met a real one in his entire life and really didn't care to change that. That pleasure was for the landing colonists.
Chris called each of the sixteen shuttles in turn.
It had been agreed that before those ships would launch, that a burial in space would be performed for the 103 colonists and crew who had been lost to the Council's interference with the ship's main computer. There was too much to worry about for the living to even consider bringing them down for burial. All ships signaled ready and were video linked to the cargo bay where the bodies had been sealed into empty fuel canisters, each canister containing a family. The canisters had been hurriedly embossed with the seal of the Eden Project and the names of the dead inside inscribed on each. It was the best that could have been done under the circumstances.
The canisters had been neatly placed side by side and end to end along steel runners. When the cargo bay was opened, a small amount of air left in the bay would be enough to ease the canisters out into space and away from G889's gravity. Chris confirmed that the bay was ready for the release. All that was left was to call in the Eden Advance Group to join the brief service.
All of the members of the Eden Advance Group stood packed around the Com station. Everyone except Bess and Morgan Martin. Devon was getting worried that they had been gone for three days now, but Uly insisted that they were O.K. She moved up to the front of the group with John at her side and Uly and True standing in front of them. Menolly stared out at the adults around her from her father's arms, not understanding the somber mood that was emanating from them. They were ready when Chris' call came.
Yale had prepared a short elegy and spoke for the Eden Advance Group. Dr. Vasquez spoke in turn for the colonists aboard ship. It was a simple ceremony, but it touched everyone's heart as the capsules slowly drifted out into the blackness of space. Danziger watched the faces around him, many of them wet with tears, his own Devon's amongst them. He hadn't known any of the colonists personally, but Devon had made a point of getting to know them all and as Vasquez read off the names of the dead, her tears built up into quiet sobs as she cataloged her personal loss. It was several moments after the last of the names had been read before anyone could speak or move, but Chris had been dutifully keeping an eye on the launch timer and was forced to interrupt everyone's reverie.
"Umm, folks?" he said softly with somber voice. "Our drop window is in 30 minutes. Please make your way to your ships." It was enough to get the groups to break up, though slowly. On board the Roanoke, the mood slowly became purposeful as parents herded their healthy children and escorted their Syndrome afflicted offspring to the shuttles. Back in the Hall in New Pacifica, John Danziger handed Menolly to Devon.
"O.K. people. Those of you who are designated to a chase vehicle get with you partner and check your Magpros," he ordered in a commanding voice. The room became loud and bustling as people went to the rear to pick up a Magpro or a partner. In minutes, the five teams were ready.
Teams had been assigned to the three Scouts, the Dunerail and the Transport. The old Transrover was no longer up to the task. Danziger and Yale were teamed and Danz had allocated them one of the faster Scouts. Yale approached him, Magpro in hand and the pair left for the vehicle shelter to double check their ride.
With Bess and Morgan missing, there were only True, Uly, Menolly and herself left. Devon sat down to wait, knowing that being the only mother in the group had left her out of the action this time. She sighed and resigned herself to waiting for Chris' call to begin the pod drop. Uly and True had gone out to watch and wait with the chase teams so Devon decided to plunk herself on the floor with Menolly.
Menolly was a that stage where she was curious about everything out of her reach and was trying to make valiant attempts to learn how to climb. She was already fairly adept at pulling herself up at the benches in the room and holding herself upright as she wobbled from one end to the other. Julia had urged Devon to encourage the development of those motor skills since Devon's past experience was to treat a one-year old Syndrome child as if he was an animated doll that couldn't do anything for themselves. It had been hard for her to not immediately grab for Menolly when she experimented, but instead stand by to catch her when she needed it. The bench game had become a regular exercise during group meals so the child would have something to do while her parents took turns eating.
Devon pulled out a soft toy that Magus had made for Menolly's first birthday and shook it in her hand while she rested her arm on the bench top. Menolly love the colorful toy, so immediately giggled, then crawled up to the bench leg and pulled herself up. She began inching her way towards the toy, Devon keeping her free arm ready to catch her if she stumbled, when John came in through the door. He was so tall and imposing, filling the door frame from her point of view on the floor. It amazed her how fearful he could be to adults, but the kids were drawn to him like a magnet.
The serious look on his face was replaced with a smile as he watched Menolly turn and smile at him as he strode towards her. Then Menolly let go of the bench. Devon's heart stopped for a brief moment, paralyzing her long enough for Menolly to take several steps towards her father. Danziger shot forward and onto his knees, but had enough presence of mind to let Menolly cross the few remaining inches on her own to tumble into his arms. He scooped her up and tossed her into the air, laughing with her as he caught her on the way down.
"That's my girl!" He had to be careful he didn't hug the stuffing out of her. Devon scooted up to join them, her eyes still wide with surprise. Danz reached over to hook a hand behind her head and gave her a quick kiss, his laughter ringing in her ears. Menolly wiggled in his arms so he carefully set her on her feet and she started bouncing up and down in his hands.
"I think we're in trouble now!" Danz smirked, looking pointedly at his wife. She looked like she was going to cry. She threw her arms around him and started sobbing on his shoulder, but John couldn't let go of Menolly to console her. There he was, kneeling on the floor with a bouncing child, a weeping wife and a dumbfounded look on his face when Magus and Walman came into the room. They took one look at the tableau in front of them, then looked at each other.
"I don't get it," Walman said, confused. Devon was starting to regain her composure and pulled away from John, reaching over to Menolly's things for a handkerchief. She wiped her face and sniffed.
"Uly was three years old before he could even stand on his own, let alone walk," she said to no one in particular, staring at Menolly who had gotten tired of bouncing so had crawled back into Danziger's lap. Devon looked up into her husbands smiling eyes and saw the pride and satisfaction there.
"Thank you," she said softly to him. He wasn't sure what she meant by that but didn't want to ask her about it then. He pulled her to him for a hug.
"Ummm, if you guys don't mind," Walman began. Magus interrupted him with a jab of her elbow, but the pair turned to look at them.
"We're all ready outside," he reported, glancing at his watch. "The pods should be released in few minutes." Danziger nodded.
"I'll be out in a minute," Danz said softly. Magus understood and nodded.
"Come on, Walman," she said, taking his arm and pulling him towards the door. He reluctantly let her lead him away.
"So what was *that* all about?" he whispered to her. Magus shushed him.
"It's none of our business!" she whispered back to him. Danziger chuckled and pulled the recovering Devon to her feet and she moved back into his free arm.
"I love you," she said softly to him. He gave her a squeeze. "We made a perfect baby together."
"That we did," he replied and held her for a moment. He pulled back to see she had relaxed.
"Now we've got to take care of incoming colonists." Devon nodded, putting her business face on.
"Keep an eye on her now," he said with a grin, handing Menolly to her. "Or she'll be out the door trying to get in on the action."

Danziger scanned his chase crews to make sure they were all wearing Gear. He signaled to Devon that they were all linked, and she had them call out to confirm. 10 pairs of eyes were scanning the skies, all looking for the tell-tale fiery streaks of ablative material being burned off of the Cargo Pods. Danziger grunted to himself, knowing that it would be unlikely that they'd see anything at all, unless Chris had been able to actually drop a pod right on top of them. Danz` greatest fear was that they would see pods drifting down nicely from their two parachutes, only to land out in the Sea of Antius where there was no way to retrieve them. He doubted that Devon thought to include amphibious vehicles in the manifest. Most likely, the pods would land in the hills beyond New Pacifica where it would be a race with the Grendlers to see who got there first. Penal colonists had been few and far between and Danz suspected that the Terrians had something to do with that.
"I'm getting transponder readings," came Devon's call. Ten people jumped to the ready. It would be several minutes before coordinates could be estimated for landing, but the anticipation of finally rolling had everyone on their feet.
"C'mon, c'mon," Walman muttered, restlessly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Baines eyed him with a hint of annoyance on his face.
"John! We've got one, no two coming down approximately 20 miles South-Southeast," Devon reported. Danziger turned to his crew.
"Cameron. Denner. These two are yours," he ordered. Danz figured that there would be others that would land farther away, so allocated the team of the slower-moving Transport to fend for the first pods. Cameron and Denner were away before Danz' order died in the breeze.
"God, they're coming down fast now!" Devon called out, excitement in her voice. John listened closely as she called out the coordinates, then set the three teams out to chase the ones coming down the furthest away. He held Yale and himself back long enough to verify his decisions, then sat himself behind the wheel of the Scout and gunned the motor. As he followed the trail out of New Pacifica, he caught a glimpse of a pair of chutes drifting over head. When he reached a hillock, he stopped for a moment to look back to see a pod land about 50 yards out in the ocean and disappear.
"Shit!" he mumbled and stomped on the accelerator. Yale had to hang on with both hands as John angrily sent the vehicle flying forward.

Devon watched her monitor which was set to display a topographical map of the coast line. Little icons were scattered on the image, indicating where the pods had finally come to rest. She relayed the picture with it's exact coordinates to Yale, who then was able to help direct the other teams to their targets. Of the 50 pods, 37 had come down within 35 miles of New Pacifica. It was unrealistic to hope to recover them all - the competition was too great for them. But she hoped they would be able to set up security systems at each that would give them enough time to claim their property before the other sentient residents found ways to help themselves to the precious cargo. It would help once the other colonists were down and could join the party.
"I read all pods down now," came Chris' voice.
"Confirmed," answered Devon, changing the display to begin her next task.
"Everyone's set here," Chris began. "I'll begin releasing the shuttles in five minutes."
*This is it* Devon thought and took a deep breath. It was overwhelming to think that in a matter of hours, New Pacifica should be over flowing with people. She watched the countdown timer that indicated when the reentry window would be optimal. It moved so slowly that Devon found herself holding her breath. She heard a small whimper and glanced down at the floor where Menolly was curled up on her blankets, sleeping. It forced her to exhale.
"Coming up on the first release," Chris called out. "Shuttle One away!" Devon watched her monitor and saw a blip appear.
"Shuttle Two away!" Chris shouted. Devon confirmed a second blip. Suddenly, a loud crackle shot through her ears.
"What the ...," she began. The crackle was replaced by a loud bang.
"Eden Project! Eden Project!" Chris' voice rang out over the din. "We're in trouble!"
end pt6 ----------------

Past, Present and Future (Part 7)
by Lynne Leeper
Chris Micheals was in over his head. The control panels of the pilot's station lit up like a video game and a loud klaxon went off. It was happening too fast for him and he froze in the confusion.
"Chris! Chris!" came a call from one of the shuttle pilots, "what's happening?" Chris' eyes glanced from one readout to another finally landing on the one for the main computer. What he saw made his blood run cold.
The main computer had automatically brought the primary systems back up for the shuttle release sequence and was overriding the secondary systems that the Ops crew had set up for the job. It was clear that this was another of the Council's manipulations and it was meant to stop the shuttles from leaving the Roanoke. It dawned on Chris that the explosion he had heard and the consequential shift of the ship was because Shuttle Three had tried to disembark but had been held in place when the thrusters ignited. It had undoubtedly exploded in it's berth. Shuttle Four was to be released in another 20 seconds.
"Shuttle Four! Go to manual separation now!" he called out. He didn't know if the explosion of number three had damaged it's neighbor or not. He hoped that the pilot was quick enough to understand what he was telling him. A crackle filled his ears as he listened for the pilot's response, but as the seconds ticked by, he closed his eyes as the release counter reached zero. He held his breath as a second explosion rocked the ship pushing it even further out of position and causing it to start rolling. They were all going to die, if he didn't think of something.
"All shuttles, go to manual release now! The computer's not going to let you go! Go to manual release and save yourselves!" He called out. There still was nothing but static in his ears. He tried to disengage the computer from his failing control panels, but nothing was happening. He glanced around the room and spotted the hatch for the emergency tool locker. He pushed himself out of his chair and fought the disorientation he felt as the room turned around him. Reaching the locker, he flung open the hatch and pulled out an emergency support stantion. It drifted out in front of him and he pushed himself back to the pilot's seat and locked his legs around it. He grabbed the stantion in front of him, and levered himself down to the access panel for the main computer and opened it. grabbing one end of the tool, he thrust it into the tender workings of the main frame and was rewarded by a large crackle of electronic discharge. He stabbed at the bits and pieces inside the console again and again until it stopped flickering and the entire flight deck went dark. Chris pulled himself into the chair breathing heavily and was rewarded with seeing several of the shuttles heading past the Roanoke and into the atmosphere of G889.
The flight deck was dead, the emergency lights barely letting him see his way to the hatch. He tiredly made his way to the nearest escape pod to find several others of the Ops crew waiting for him.
"We're the last , Chris," he was told. Chris nodded wearily and locked the hatch. Hitting the escape pod release control, he pulled himself into a seat, his head thrown against the padded bar as the pod lurched from it's berth. It was the last thing he remembered of the Roanoke.

Devon Adair-Danziger sat at the com station, static from the open channel filling her ears. She counted and recounted the blips on her monitor as they wavered in unsteady paths across the screen. No matter how many times she tried she could only find nine of the expected sixteen. Devon slowly pulled the Gear off of her head knowing that she would never hear Chris' voice from the Roanoke again.
The first two of the nine blips were following an expected path, but the remaining seven were drifting further and further away. Unbidden, memories of the crash landing the Eden Advance Group filled her head. The confusion on the Advance ship, the hard landing on the planet, the endless miles of desert, forest, snow and mud they had fought across to get here all ran through her mind in a jumble and it was clear from the image on the screen that many of the newcomers were going to go through some of the same experiences. Devon's head fell into her hands, her thoughts screaming of the pain and suffering others had and were suffering because of her. It was sure that even if they survived the landings that many would die in the effort of getting to New Pacifica. The 13 experienced adults of the Eden Advance Group were not enough to prevent it.
She was too stunned to cry, too lost in memories for the reality of it to sink in. She sat in front of the com station unmoving and would have stayed there, but a new sound came to her ears.
"Mom! Mom!" It was Uly crashing through the door. "You've got to come and see this!" The excited boy couldn't see how disturbed his mother was and ran up to her and pulled on her hand. Some deep automatic response to her child made Devon get out of her chair, glance briefly at her sleeping daughter, then let her son pull her out into the bright daylight. Uly pointed excitedly up into the sky. Devon moved her eyes to look where he was pointing to see the final memorial of the Roanoke.

They heard it before they saw it, the sound of roaring thunder filling the air. Yale jerked his head around and saw the immense fireball cutting its way through the atmosphere down to the surface of G889.
"My God...," he whispered, starting to rise from his seat in the moving vehicle.
"Yale! Are you crazy?" Danziger shouted, bringing the vehicle to a stop. He turned to see what had distracted Yale so soundly. It was a spectacular sight, one that couldn't have been missed for hundreds of miles around them. As the flaming object sank towards the horizon Danziger knew exactly what he was seeing. It was too big for a shuttle. He also knew that Devon was seeing this too and had a sudden urge to turn around and head for home, but his sense of duty to the colony as a whole overrode that urge. He knew she was alone with the children, and knew the pain she was feeling. He prayed that her stubborn optimism didn't fail her now.

Alonzo stood staring at what he knew had supposed to have been his way home, leaving a burning trail behind it as it approached the ground. As it sank to meet the edge of the world, his soul sank with it and finally his body could no longer support itself. He fell to the sandy soil beneath him unable to respond to Julia's cries. His subconscious mind reeled with the reality that he was here to stay, overtaking his numb consciousness. To escape the war within himself, he sank deeply into his own mind, far beyond where anyone could find him.

The township of New Pacifica was bustling with activity. Everywhere she looked there were people and vehicles moving about, particularly at the site of the Hospital. Walman and Magus had found the pod with the Hospital structures and had returned within Gear range to call for a Transport. It had taken several days for the chase teams to secure the 37 pods that had landed close enough to New Pacifica to be worth protecting and for more vehicles to be activated so that those supplies could be brought to town. Only two of the 37 pods had been damaged on entry, their contents melted to slag.
It had been years since she had been in the middle of so much activity and Devon finally took a break from her work to get some air. She made her way down to the surf of the Sea of Antius which had finally subsided to its more familiar pattern. After the Roakoke's fiery plunge into the ocean, a huge plume of steam had been released into the sky causing two days of unrelenting rain.
The colonists who had been lucky enough to land within easy walking range of New Pacifica had had the chance to get their shelters erected and their Syndrome children secured before the rain started. Most of the newcomers, however, hadn't been so lucky. As it was, there were still two shuttles unaccounted for and it could only be assumed that they had landed, or crashed, beyond the hundred-mile radius that had been on the Com station monitor. With no clue of where to look, it was decided to make the missing shuttles a second priority to the Syndrome children. As it was, there had been a steady stream of soaked, dirty, tired, frightened, injured and exhausted colonists finding their way into camp. There was yet no way to tally the loss of human life but it was clear that less than half of the crew and passengers of the Roanoke had made it down to G889.
It had been a good thing that Dr. Vasquez had been on the first shuttle to start down. He was needed to care for the Syndrome children since Julia needed to spend a lot of time with Alonzo. The Terrians had been staying clear of the area because of the "false storm" as Uly had called it. To them, the storm had tasted tainted with the metal, chemicals and blood of the Roanoke. They would not appear at New Pacifica until the storm had passed and the area had been cleansed. Devon had asked about the Martins again, but all Uly could tell her was that they were fine and would be returned when the land was clean again. There was no clue to when that would be. And then there was Alonzo.
Julia had brought him back to camp immediately. He had gone so deep that he was on the edge of being in a coma. Devon had helped her get him home and Julia did what she could, but in the end, it was up to Alonzo to bring himself back. For the time being he had become G889's version of sleeping beauty, not dead, but not really alive. This time, it was going to take more than a kiss to bring him back. While she waited, Julia did her Hippocratic duties but her underlying concern for Alonzo left her distracted. Vasquez had to prompt her from time to time when he found her just staring, frozen in the middle of some task.
Devon sighed. And leave it to John to take on the hardest task. He and Yale had been out for a week now, directing the priorities of pod pickups, searching the surrounding area for colonists to direct them to the town and offering aid when they could. She knew she didn't have to worry about the two men, but she could use both of their skills here to help get the township organized.
Reaching the wave-carved rocks at the North end of the beach, she chose a comfortable seat and pulled out her computer pad. Reviewing the list of supplies salvaged so far, a small smile formed on her face. At least they now had a decent variety of materials and tools to work with. A shadow fell across the pad.
"Hey, don't I get a bigger smile than that?" came a deep voice. Devon snapped her head up to see a back-lit Danziger standing in front of her, his blond hair picking up a halo of light. The pad became unimportant and Devon set it down beside her to rise into his arms, not caring that he was encrusted with a week's worth of dirt, sweat and beard.
"I saw the kids. They seem to be taking all of this pretty well," he told her after giving her a proper hello. She pulled back a little.
"Well, there's been no lack of baby-sitters for Menolly and she's been soaking up the attention like a sponge," she replied. "The poor thing's been exhausted by the time I get her back." John laughed softly, then his face became serious.
"How are you holding up?" he asked her, caressing her cheek. She gave him her best Adair business face.
"Same as always," she told him, but he could hear the weariness in her voice. As tired as he was, he intended to take care of her first when the day ended.
"I saw Julia. She told us about Alonzo." Devon nodded.
"Even she didn't know how bad things had become for him. She's doing everything she can for him. Dr. Vasquez says there isn't anything more she can do. Alonzo will come back when he's ready." Danz nodded.
"And the Martins?"
"Still no sign of them yet," she told him. "Apparently the storm that the crash caused wasn't to the Terrians liking. Uly says their fine though." She felt Danz' stomach rumble through his shirt. He looked over the top of her head and mumbled something unintelligible.
"When was the last time you ate something?" she asked him. He shrugged.
"Breakfast," he answered. "Yale made sure we had breakfast." Devon smiled at that realizing that it was exactly what Yale would have done.
"Well, I think I can take a few minutes to fix you a late lunch," she told him. Danz pulled back to reach around her and pick up her pad.
"An offer I can't refuse," he grinned. He slowly let out a deep breath as they started back to town, finally beginning to relax after his hard days out looking for colonists and pods. Devon snaked an arm around his waist and gave him a hug. *Yup, there's no place like home* he thought.

Alonzo felt as though he had been running in place for as long as he could remember. No matter how hard he tried the scenery didn't change. He seemed to be out in the desert the Eden Group had crossed on their way to New Pacifica. Every so often a Terrian would shoot up out of the ground and start talking to him. Alonzo didn't want to listen so he'd start running. Problem was, that no matter which direction he chose, he always ended up back in the same place. He never slept, ate, had a drink of water or relieved himself. He was always walking, or running when a Terrian showed up.
He didn't know how long he'd been rerunning the same scenario, but finally decided that he didn't want to run any more. He was just plain too tired. He didn't know why he was running, he just assumed that it was for a good reason. Now that he was too tired to run, it forced him to consider his actions more carefully. He reviewed his moment with the Terrian before he would run from it. The creature never seemed to threaten him. In fact this one wasn't even carrying a lightning stick. The trilling language seemed familiar to him somehow, but he didn't know why. So why was he running?
If he wanted to change the momentum of the cycle he was stuck in, he obviously had to change the routine. Alonzo decided that there was no other alternative but to try to listen to what the Terrian had to say. It seemed to be the key to this bizarre nightmare. Steeling himself for the inevitable encounter, Alonzo got to his feet and started walking. Sure enough, moments later he found himself confronting the solitary Terrian.
Instead of running this time, Alonzo walked right up to the creature and stopped just out of arm's reach. The creature began to trill to him but to Alonzo, it was just a garbled tune. After several attempts, the Terrian cocked his head from one side as if it were examining Alonzo for the first time. Alonzo stood his ground when it became apparent that the creature found him lacking somehow. He was surprised when the Terrian raised his arm and planted a hand on his chest. The hand seemed to diffuse the molecules of his shirt, then his flesh and the Terrian reached into Alonzo's chest. When the hand was withdrawn, it held a beating human heart.
Alonzo reeled back and watched with a detached fascination as the heart turned into stone then crumbled from the Terrian's hand, the individual grains of sand falling lightly to mingle with the desert soil. The Terrian turned its hand to empty the last of the particles then stepped back and sank into the earth. Alonzo looked up to see that his surroundings were fading away into blackness and with the sense that some monster had been exorcised from his soul, he was allowed to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
end pt7/8 ----------------

Past, Present and Future (Part 8)
by Lynne Leeper
Julia sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, watching Alonzo's chest periodically rise and fall. He'd been in deep sleep, she wasn't ready to call it a coma, for over a week. The monitor attached to his temples had shown that his brain activity had been irregular at times indicating that he was close to waking, but when it happened, his brain suddenly dropped to low activity. These readings proved to her that he wasn't really gone, but was fighting some strenuous battle inside. More than once she had found him bathed in sweat, his muscles tense. Julia could only hope that he would win his battle soon since the intravenous feedings weren't meant to support what his body was going through.
She took his hand in hers and prayed. Not to any god - her chromotilted upbringing didn't let her chose her faith other than science and the Council. Well, the Council was now a tainted entity which she chose to put behind her. That left only science and her training as a doctor to fall back on.
She didn't know how long she had sat there, but was startled when she felt a slight convulsion in his hand causing his fingers to close a little. Julia looked at the monitor readings to see that his brain activity was picking up dramatically.

His first sensations weren't pleasant. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his skin felt damp and cool.
*Man, I hate coming out of cold sleep* he thought at first. But then his ears started to pick up sounds. Not the expected thrumming of hydraulics or of the forced-air ventilation of a cold sleep bay, but softer sounds of rustling tree leaves in a breeze and the shouts of voices from a distance. The confusion made the rest of his senses start reporting to his recovering brain. He wasn't lying on the absorbent fiber pad of a cold sleep crypt but was nestled in soft blankets. And the air moving around him wasn't steady and cold, but came in soft, warm gusts.
"Alonzo?" He heard his name coming from a feminine voice, a familiar voice. He pried his eyes open and they slowly focused to see a beautiful blond woman hovering over him. Then he noticed the surroundings he was in. He was in a room with a window through which the breeze was coming. The walls around him weren't metal, but wood. He still wasn't capable of moving but the sudden shock that ran through him forced more of the cobwebs out of his thoughts. He looked back at the woman.
"Alonzo?" It was the second time she had said his name. He focused on her features getting a sense of comfort from her, but he couldn't put a name to her.
"Alonzo!" She was obviously worried about him.
*Lucky me,* he thought, then some of the old bravado came back to him. *Lucky her!* The weak smile that formed on his lips was enough to get a greater response from her. She bent down and kissed him lightly, sending a tingle down through his toes. He didn't have a clue to where he was at the moment but it couldn't be a bad place if he woke up to this. He found himself getting sleepy again and in moments he had curled up on his side and began to dream of the beautiful blond girl who had been his first vision in this strange setting.

"Mom?" Devon looked up to see Uly walking towards her. She set down her pad on the table and watched her son come up and settle down next to her.
"What's up, champ?" she asked, automatically brushing the hair out of his eyes. Uly put a serious look on his face.
"The Terrians say they're ready to come back," he reported. Devon straightened up.
"Are they bringing back the Martins?" she asked, a bit apprehensive.
"I think so," he answered, but had other news. "I told them about the other kids that are here now."
"And?" Devon prompted.
"They say they'll help them but that the kids will have spend some time with them," he told her. This caused Devon to pause. The Terrian's idea of time was vague at best.
"Did they say how long?" She asked. Uly shrugged.
"They say not long. Depends on the kid." Devon sighed. How do you convince parents to let their sick children go into the hands of incomprehensible strangers for an unknown amount of time? How do you convince people to have faith in something that's totally alien to them? It wasn't going to be easy.
"They'll come when I call," Uly said brightly. Devon stood and offered a hand to her son.
"Then we should arrange a meeting right away," she answered with a smile, then headed for the door.

She wanted to take a look at the colony as it was right now, before the Terrians became a part of it. It was very satisfying to her to see how many of the immigrants had come to terms with their situation and were pitching in to help where they could. Yes, there were several who were still in shock over all that had happened and were a burden to the rest for now, but other than the Syndrome kids, Julia and Vasquez spend most of their skills treating cuts and abrasions for the unskilled but enthusiastic newcomers to G889.
Devon's path eventually took her to the Mech shack where Danziger was spending most of his time these days, assembling and servicing the seemingly endless tons of equipment brought in by the Roanoke. They'd seen so little of each other lately that Devon was beginning to wonder if he still existed.
When she rounded the corner she saw the bottom half of him sticking out of the maw of an engine compartment of one of the larger vehicles. For a brief moment she had a vision of some huge monster trying to swallow him whole.
"Oww!" Devon jumped as John slowly extricated himself from the innards of the vehicle, letting out every epitaph he could think of and he knew quite a few. Danz turned from the vehicle, still mumbling to himself, to see her grinning at him while he nursed a pinkie. Devon moved up to survey the damage.
"I think you'll live," she pronounced, carefully looking at the cut he'd acquired. Danz grunted.
"I don't know. Looks fatal to me," he said sarcastically, then sighed. He looked at his wife, putting his injury out of his thoughts. "Time for the meeting?" Devon nodded.
"Just about," she replied, pulling his hand back up in front of her. She pulled clean handkerchief out of her pocket and started to clean up his finger. Danz knew better than to object.
"Worried?" he asked. Devon looked up from her ministrations into his eyes.
"No," she said after a moment. "It's just that it's the first time the colonists will see the Terrians. No matter how many pictures we've shown them, no matter how many times we've explained what we can about them, I know it can never be enough to prepare them for the decisions they're going to have to make." Danz extricated his hand from her and pulled her shoulders square to him.
"Devon, you've done all you can for them. It's now up to the colonists to decide what's right for themselves. Let them stand on their own now." He could see the hesitation in her eyes and wrapped his arms around her.
"You've been giving all of yourself to them since they landed. I'm tired of sharing you with 537 other people," Danz told her softly. It earned him a warm hug.
"Maybe you're right," she answered into his chest. Danz smiled into her hair.
'Then let's get the ball rolling, shall we?" Devon pulled back and took a deep breath.
"Right." Devon took a moment to put her best business face on, then arm-in-arm the Danzigers went to face the expectant Syndrome families.

They were all there, gathered in large open space in front of the Hall. Devon stood at the edge facing the beach with an arm around Uly and Danziger standing behind her. The remaining members of the Eden Advance Group had formed a semicircle in front of her, keeping an open space between her and the colonists. She glanced briefly at Alonzo. He still really didn't believe that he wasn't a starship pilot anymore, that everything going on around him wasn't a dream. Devon sighed. He was just another casualty of the reality of G889. She felt a hand on her back.
"Everyone's here," John said softly into one ear. Devon straightened up and looked over the group. *Here we go* she thought.
"You all have been working very hard to get New Pacifica ready for yourselves and your children. I feel very grateful to you all for your efforts to make a home here. God knows that you were expecting more when you got here, but as we have all found out, even the most well-considered planning can't take the unknown into account." There were murmurs, but Devon chose not to hear them.
"When we came here, all we hoped was that a clean, natural environment would help our Syndrome children live better lives, perhaps even get a few of them to recover enough to live past the age of nine." That very real fact of life silenced the crowd. Devon looked down at Uly. "In spite of all that has happened here, we have been very fortunate to have found something even better, something that will allow our children to live normal, full lives, just as we ourselves are enjoying." Devon put her hands up on Uly's shoulders. "My son is now eleven years old. And he has no symptoms of the Syndrome." She could feel the tension in the air. "We've explained how he was cured and now it is time to have you all meet the beings responsible."
Devon nudged Uly and he stepped forward until he found a spot he felt was appropriate. His head went back and he closed his eyes, then let out a soft trill. It was only seconds before the people closest to him felt the ground tremble. As many times as she had seen it, the sight of Terrians erupting from the earth always made Devon's heart jump into her throat. The hand returned to her back as she felt a sudden surge of surprise. Two Terrians had appeared, but each had a human form in their arms. As Bess and Morgan staggered on their feet, Magus and Cameron stepped forward to catch them and the Terrians retreated to allow the two humans to be retrieved by their fellows.
Bess and Morgan squinted in the bright light, obviously disoriented. They were both dressed in the rags of what they had been wearing when the Terrians had come for them and were covered from head to toe in red dirt. It took several minutes, but finally the presence of a rather large audience filled their eyes.
"What the hell..." Morgan started. He turned to Cameron. "Who are all these people?" Cameron grimaced.
"The colonists. You know, the ones we were expecting?" Cameron answered him patiently. Morgan stared for a moment.
"Oh, right." Cameron wasn't sure Morgan got it. He spotted Bess and moved to her. Looking at her up and down, he frowned.
"Sweetie, you're filthy dirty." Then he looked at himself. "And so am I." Morgan thought for a moment. "Did it happen?" he asked her softly. Bess looked at him, still confused herself.
"I think so" she answered unconvincingly. "Let's go home. I want to take a bath." The confused couple turned towards home and the crowd parted for them, apparently unnoticed. After the Martins had moved past the last of the colonists everyone's attention turned back to the Terrians.
Devon stood silently as John moved to wrap his arms around her from behind. She watched as Uly began to talk to the caretakers of G889 and knew that it was out of her hands now. She smiled as the thought struck her. Miracles can happen over night. Whether everyone accepted it or not, life would go on.
-The End-

Lynne
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|        (\                        New Pacificon '96
|       (  \  ,-^,>
|       _( _)/ /\|               <*> Lynne Leeper <*>
|    ,;`( )__, )                 Earth 2: Eden Advance
|   , // //  '|__          Proprietor, The Terrian Toy Company
|      |   \  |  ^
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This text file was ran through PERL script made by Andy. Original text file is available in Andy's Earth 2 Fan Fiction Archive.