Coming Home

Part One -- Sekarress

Chapter One

A new planet, perhaps a new home.  The dream they had never managed to give up surfaced again after they had wandered for twenty years in space.  The survivors of the nuclear waste explosion had adapted to life on Moonbase Alpha; altering their lives to deal with the emergencies, traumas and sheer boredom of deep space, but they could not quite give up hope that one day they would find a new home where they didn’t have to worry about whether the recyclers could continue to clean their limited supplies of air and water.  Helena Russell was more than aware of these problems as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Life Support.  More times than she wanted to think about, she had spent sleepless nights and endless days assisting her technicians as they coaxed their equipment to continue its task without the luxury of replacement parts or the raw materials to make them.  She wondered if her predecessors would still be able to recognize the equipment they had designed for the state-of-the-art Moonbase so many years ago, as she had authorized change after change in the equipment’s design to suit their needs and available material.

Changes to Alpha had come gradually.  A find by Greg Sanderson’s mining team of a vein of ice had increased their water supply – their most serious problem in the early years after Breakaway.  The additional store of water had allowed expansion of hydroponics, with more varieties of food as well as more oxygen produced by the plants.  It was five years after Breakaway before she felt confident enough in their ability to provide a long term future for themselves to recommend that new births be allowed on Alpha.  It was a recommendation that had a personal as well as professional meaning for her, for during those chaotic, stressful, dangerous, early years on Alpha, she had somehow managed to fall in love, and she wanted to have a family of her own.

Sometimes, in the rare moments when she had time for quiet reflection, she wondered how much of her hard work was a reaction to her internal biological clock telling her that time was running out.  But she usually countered to herself that the biological clock was ticking for all three hundred men and women on Alpha, and children would be needed in the long view to learn to maintain Alpha as the original inhabitants of Earth’s former moon aged.  Moments of reflection didn’t come often, however.  On Earth or Alpha, it was difficult to combine a busy professional life and position of authority with the roles of wife and mother.  Whatever time was not devoted to her job had been spent raising her now mostly independent 14-year-old son.  The absence of a second child was not something she tended to regret.  There had simply been no time to consider another addition to the family.

The offspring in question burst into her lab as she closed the med-kit she was packing to take with her on the recon mission.  His rainbow striped sleeve indicated his trainee status in technical, recon, and medical sections.  A yellow horizontal armband indicated that his current assignment was in recon. 

“Hi Mom, the Eagle is all ready!  I got to help check the fuel levels as well as pack some of the equipment.  I was sent to see if you had anything else you needed us to store.”  His explanation came out in a jumble as he quickly kissed his mother’s cheek and headed for the lab’s small refrigerator.  He rummaged behind a selection of vials and flasks and selected an apple, then roamed the lab with the boundless energy he always displayed.  Inches taller than his mother already, he had his father’s dark hair and strong features and his mother’s green eyes and graceful poise.

“The only thing I have left is this med kit, Jason.  I was just leaving.  You can ride back out to the launch pad with me if you want.”

Jason perched on a vacant spot on the lab table and nodded, chewing energetically, if not politely.  “Sure.  I get to unlock the docking tube and watch you leave from the access pod.  Are you leaving now?”

Before she could answer, the lab door opened again to admit Liana Carter.  The ten-year-old with curly shoulder length blond hair and golden eyes was in full pout.  “Aunt Helena, I don’t see why I can’t go too.  I’m a good pilot, and I could be useful!”

Jason made a rude noise from his perch.  “You’ve never piloted an Eagle.”

“I do better in the sims than you do Jace.  And Daddy programmed them.  He says it’s exactly like flying an Eagle.”  Liana threw her hands wide in exasperation.  She had a dramatic flair and lived with the serene egocentric belief of a 10 year old that anything that broke around her simply got in her way.  Helena caught her arm with practiced ease just before Liana swept away a rack of test tubes.

“You crashed and burned the last time.”  Jason goaded her.

“Did not!”

“Did too.  Josh was your co-pilot and he told me.”

“Liar.”

Helena ignored the two, and picking up her med kit, led the girl toward the door.  She knew Jason would follow, if only to continue the argument. 

Liana’s mother Rhoda had died from the complications of bearing a half human, half Megaron child.  The physiological differences had seemed subtle enough, although Helena had counseled caution when Alan and Rhoda Carter had declared a wish to have a child.  They both loved children, and frequently had helped care for Jason.  Rhoda had been determinedly stubborn and Alan could refuse her nothing.  She had, after all, given up everything, her family, home and planet to assist in returning Alan, Helena,  John Koenig, and Victor Bergman to Alpha when they had been caught up in a civil war on the planet Megaron.  Alan had fallen for her immediately, and she for him.  When she had died, insisting to the end that Helena save the child, Alan had barely been able to cope with the grief, and for months had even ignored the child’s existence.  Helena had quietly cared for the child herself, taking her home to the small apartment she shared with John Koenig and their son Jason.  Koenig, remembering his own grief at losing his first wife and their unborn child on Earth, had acquiesced to Helena’s decision to care for their good friend’s child as long as necessary.   When Alan did begin to show an interest in his daughter, he realized he would need help to care for her.  The three adults arranged their living quarters to allow them to share the care for both children.  Other adults on Alpha were making similar arrangements to assist in caring for their offspring, as they found that an extended family held advantages over nuclear families for raising children in a busy and frequently hazardous environment.

The trio met up with Commander Koenig at the door to Medical Center.  Liana threw herself into Koenig’s arms.  “Uncle John, please can I go with you?”

Koenig smiled and spun her around.  “Sorry little one.  Not this time.  You can ride the travel tube with us out to the launch pad.  Your Dad is waiting to say good-bye.”

Liana decided to take this refusal with marginally good grace.  She could usually talk her father or her Uncle John into anything, which frequently left Helena to play the heavy, but she was also good at sensing her limits.  She took Koenig’s hand as they headed for the travel tube.  “I’ll miss you,”  she said, using her cutest little girl expression.  Jason rolled his eyes in disgust.

“We’ll miss you too,”  Koenig responded.  “But you’re still not going.”

Liana sighed in resignation.  “Can I watch the liftoff with Jason.”

“Yes, then back to class with you.  Jason, you make sure she gets there.:

Jason opened his mouth to protest, then slumped back in his seat in the travel tube.  “Yes sir,” he answered reluctantly, not wanting the duty of shepherding the very independent little girl.

Good-byes were short.  The launch window was opening and it was time to leave.  The prospective planet – as yet unnamed to avoid elevating their hopes—was orbiting counterclockwise around its sun.  The relative speed of the two bodies was great, and they would only be in range for a brief period of time.  The one Eagle, piloted by Carter and commanded by Koenig, with Helena and Dave Reilly as mission specialists would determine the feasibility of Operation Exodus to this world.  If the decision was made to move, it would need to be done quickly.  The trip took 6 hours.  Helena spent most of her time at a desk in the passenger section, analyzing the data sent to their computer form Alpha’s long range sensors.  Koenig came back and peered over her shoulder for a while, then heated four prepackaged dinners while Dave and Helena gave him their preliminary findings.

“No signs of civilization, lights at night, cities, EM waves of any kind,”  Helena remarked, biting in to a hot roll smeared with jelly.

“Also no signs of hydrocarbon use,”  Dave added smearing his own roll with not-quite-meat sauce to make a sandwich.  “The geography is conducive to very mild weather, no high mountain ranges or large oceans.  Glacially formed seas are scattered across the larger Southern continent which wraps virtually around the planet, but any glacial ages are well in the past.  There’s virtually no polar ice caps, but plenty of water in the seas and oceans.”

“What about the chemical composition?”  Koenig asked.

“All we have so far is spectral analysis, John,” Helena replied.  “But we’re seeing fairly standard combinations of amino acids.  The one odd thing we’ve found so far is a lack of radiation belts.  The magnetic field of the planet is a bit weak, and the iron content of the planet is lower than Earth, but that doesn’t completely account for the lack of Van Allen Belts.”

“Will that indicate higher radiation levels at the surface?”  Koenig asked concerned.

“Not appreciably.”  Dave replied.  The star here emits lower amounts of X-rays and Ultra Violet radiation than our own did. There’s not as much harmful radiation to filter out.  You’d have a hard time getting a good tan on the beach down there.”

“Fortunately that wasn’t one of my main concerns.”  Koenig smiled, then headed back to the pilot section with Alan’s lunch.  “Keep me posted,” he requested as he left.

~~~~~~

After a brief orbit a landing sight was selected on the northern edge of the large Southern Continent.  The site was near the largest ocean and just to the east of the delta of a large river system.  The terrain appeared to be heavily forested, but with patches of lower vegetation which would be conducive to a landing Eagle.

As Helena and Dave prepared the passenger compartment for landing, Helena found a couple of cups of coffee in the coffee pot. Leaving Dave to finish securing the compartment she headed forward, knowing she could find takers for coffee before the landing.  She opened the forward hatch and stepped into the pilot section.

“Coffee anyone.”

“You read my mind,”  Alan replied holding up his cup.  Koenig nodded an affirmative and indicated the empty cup in front of him, while he finished setting their course.  Helena sat on the walkway between the pilot chairs and poured.  She would wait for the empty cups then take them back and secure them.  She looked through the forward viewports.  They were close enough to see the planet as a bright blue curve below them, a layer of blue sky, then the dark of space above.  She smiled at the beauty of it.  Koenig placed his hand over hers and squeezed.  For a moment, the two quietly enjoyed the view together.  Carter drained his cup, Koenig finished his own coffee and Helena collected mugs and stood to leave. 

Before she could open the hatch, the power went out, and the command module was plunged into darkness.  No backups cut in, no alarms went off.  She touched her commlock to open the door and received no answering click.    On either side of her Koenig  and Carter were trying to restore power, but to no avail.  The next sensation was free fall.  She clutched the door frame carefully, the only light in the small cabin was the blue glow reflected from the planet’s surface.

Koenig leaned back in his chair with a sigh.  “Nothing.”

Carter shook his head in disgust.  There’s not an electrical circuit in this ship working.”  He picked up a small penlight from the shelf in front of him.  “Not even the flashlight.”  He left it to twirl in the air in front of him.

Koenig reached for Helena’s hand, then gently tugged her into his lap.  She secured the coffee post and mugs, then relaxed against Koenig, his arms around her waist.  The three of them listened together to the overpowering silence.

To a spacefaring people, silence is the worst sensation possible.  Whether in a pressure suit, a spaceship, or a moonbase, the noise of machinery, pumping and scrubbing air, providing light, heat and power to run equipment, was essential to life.  That background noise was the comforting sound of continued existence.

“We don’t have more than twenty minutes of air in this module with the three of us here.”  Helena said quietly.

“That’s OK, Helena,”  Alan said, pointing at the viewports that were already showing a red glow from the nose of the Eagle.  “We don’t have 20 minutes left before we burn up.”

Koenig nodded his agreement.  “We were approaching fast and at a steep angle.  That was OK with the antigrav units in tact, but without them, we’ll hit the atmosphere like a meteorite.

Helena shivered -- from fear, not from cold.  The temperature was already beginning to rise in the small cabin.

~~~~~~

In the rear of the Eagle, Dave Reilly had attempted to alleviate the darkness with no more luck than his crewmates in the command module.  He finally retrieved his battered cowboy hat and floated into a seat, buckling the safety straps and hoping for a restoration of power.  Although not a pilot, he knew as well as his crewmates that continued lack of power meant certain death.

He thought about the life he’d lead with few regrets.  He’d wanted to be a geologist since he was a little tike, following his Gran around the rocks and fields of his native Ireland.  His fascination with the American West had been boosted by an advanced degree at Texas A&M, and his career included panning for gold in Colorado as well as searching strange planets for the minerals Alpha needed.  He’d never felt the need to settle down, but when a long time friend had asked him to have a baby with her a few years ago, he had agreed, and lost his heart to the little boy at the moment of birth.

The sturdy toddler was on Reilly’s mind now.  He wondered what the future would bring the boy, his mother, and the other Alphans.  It was obvious there would be no landfall on this planet for them.  The walls began to glow red, the heat was rising beyond tolerability.  He could vaguely make out the rack that held the laser guns by the door.  Briefly he considered using one, but could hear his Gran’s voice telling him it was a mortal sin to take his life before his time.  He determined to find Gran on the other side, even if their graves would be on opposite sides of the universe.

He remembered a prayer his Gran had taught him, and was unabashedly murmuring it to himself when the darkness took him.

~~~~~~

On Alpha, alarms had sounded the moment contact had been cut.  In command center, the staff could only watch in horror as the Eagle entered the atmosphere unpowered, but accelerating.  The small craft streaked across the face of the planet, uncharacteristically a ball of light on their long range viewers.

~~~~~~

The command module glowed red and the heat was becoming unbearable.  Koenig held Helena to him and gave her a long slow kiss.  His hands moved down her body, savoring the sensation.  Then he gripped her tightly with one arm and whispered in to her ear, “Helena, I love you.”

Before she could answer, he pressed his hand over her mouth and nose.  She tried not to struggle, understanding this one final gift he could give her, a chance to avoid the agony of burning alive.  She held him tightly, but her body began to fight for air.  It filled her thoughts as she tried to push away from him.  “I want to live,” she screamed silently.  “I WANT TO LIVE,” was her last thought as darkness overcame her.

Chapter 2

When John opened his eyes, he could see a room bathed in moonlight, and an open window with lace curtains rustling softly in the midnight breeze.  The moonlight gave the room a glow and Helena’s hair gleamed like white gold on his shoulder.

I’m dead, he thought.  Helena stirred in her sleep.  Her arm was thrown across his bare chest and she squeezed him slightly, murmuring something too low for him to hear.  He looked at her  She should be dead too, but she definitely wasn’t.  She felt very much alive, her body pressed against his, their legs tangled together under the sheet.  An especially strong puff of air stirred her hair.  She wrinkled her nose and buried her head against his shoulder.

If this was death, it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected.  He felt tired, too exhausted to question further and he laced his fingers with Helena’s and fell asleep again.

~~~~~~

Helena awoke with the first rays of the sun.  John lay beside her, sleeping peacefully.  They were in a high four poster bed in a sparsely furnished bedroom.  A slight breeze drifted through the window.  She reached out to touch him, but stopped as she heard a tap on the door.  The glass door knob turned immediately and the door opened silently.  A kind looking woman with dark hair pulled back in a long braid entered.  She smiled and put a finger to her lips.  She carried a small pile of clothing which she laid on the washstand close to the door.

“You’re questions will all be answered,” she told Helena quietly.  “I’ve brought you clothes.  Let him sleep and come with me.”  She exited without waiting for a reply.

Helena slipped out of bed and picked up the clothing.  The tunic was a finely woven wool of forest green, with leggings to match.  They fit her perfectly, as did the soft leather boots of golden brown and wide matching belt.

With one last look at the sleeping man, she donned the clothes and silently left the room.  She had no way of knowing that she had taken the first step on a journey that would irrevocably change her life, or that it would be months before she saw John Koenig again.

~~~~~~

Those months were the most intense learning experience she had ever encountered.  She learned about the planet, it’s people, their way of life and their unique talents.  She also learned about herself and her own talents as well as those of her companions.

Even though Helena didn’t see John, Alan or Dave for several months, she knew where they were and what they were doing and learning.  Her hosts offered her a reasonable explanation for the separation, and she accepted it.  In the time she and John Koenig had been together, she had never been away from him for so long and she did miss him, but the two of them needed to be apart to learn the new skills they would need to live on Sekarres, their new home.

Sekarress was a world of telepaths.  The planet was composed in such as way as to completely dampen all forms of electrical current.  Copper wire was no more a conductor than rubber here on Sekarres.  Their own nervous systems had been augmented and altered by their rescuers, otherwise they would not have lived through the rescue attempt.  The inhabitants of Sekarress had not evolved here, but had been similarly stranded generations ago.  No one was quite sure how long ago but it had been thousands of years.  They had known there were people on Moonbase Alpha, but were unable to contact untrained minds at that distance.  When they had heard Helena’s cry for life, they had removed the four Alphans from the burning Eagle and brought them to remote retreats around the planet.

Maab gave Helena this explanation over a simple breakfast of fresh bread, cheese and herb tea.  Then the two had left the mountain retreat for another location where Helena began learning in more depth about her surroundings.

One of her first lessons was to shield her own thoughts from those around her.  Her own self control was important to ensure her privacy and to prevent her from broadcasting her own thoughts to others close by.  She had tried to explain that she had no telepathic abilities, but Maab was an insistent as well as patient teacher, showing her portions of her mind that she hadn’t known existed and had never accessed.  Maab’s instruction and communication with her was mostly telepathic, and by the time Helena had begun to master the process of shielding her thoughts, she was able to send and receive thoughts from Maab with ease.  At first she found the effort that it took to keep her shields in place and simultaneously form coherent mental images was tremendous, leaving her exhausted.  Maab generally spent only part of the day with her, leaving her alone to rest or hike the meadows surrounding the small cabin where she had been taken.  For nearly three months she saw no one, and considering the intensity of her training, she was glad of it.

After about six weeks, Maab had introduced Helena to another woman, a healer of incredible abilities named Alia.  Alia’s knowledge of anatomy was astounding even to the molecular level.  Alia explained that the intense concentration necessary for healing was a rare gift, and Maab felt that Helena might have the talents needed to become a healer.  As she began to learn the healer’s arts, Helena was flattered that Maab even thought she might be able to master these skills.  Like all else on Sekarres, healing was a matter of mental prowess, not technology.  Using concentration to focus her mental “sight” on the afflicted area of the body, the healer then used telekinesis to reconstruct cells on a molecular level.

She began to learn to reconstruct living tissue on small animals and plants, and once she was deemed able to control her thoughts in polite society, observed Alia’s ministrations with patients in small villages.  Helena could see immense implications behind this ability.  DNA could be manipulated to discourage the growth of tumors, or even genetically transmitted diseases.  Operations could be performed without the stress of cutting into the body, decreasing the likelihood of secondary infection and trauma.  Aging would become a matter of mental state as the body’s upkeep could be highly controlled.  She ached to be able to take this knowledge back to Alpha, but the people of Sekarres had no spaceships and could not return the stranded reconnaissance party.

Helena tried not to think her son, or Liana whom she loved as if she were her own daughter.  The thought of never seeing them again brought her a sense of despair that threatened to overwhelm her newfound shields.  As she had done in the past, she overpowered her grief by concentrating on her work, and was surprised at how much time had passed when at the end of four months Maab told her it was time to return to the cabin where she had last seen John Koenig.  She couldn’t wait to show him all the things she had learned.

~~~~~~~~

Alan Carter flew just above the waves, fingertips and bare toes almost touching the crests, like a pelican.  He had never had an experience like this.  It beat flying a jet or a spaceship.  It was better than anything he had ever imagined.  His body was held aloft by mental effort that, just a few short weeks ago, he had not known he could expend. 

He had known he was dead as soon as the Eagle lost power.  It had been an acceptable risk to him for so long, that he was neither surprised nor perturbed at the thought of losing his life in the pilot’s seat.  When all attempts at restart failed, he sat back and wondered briefly about the possibility of an afterlife.  It had never concerned him greatly before, and the most emotion he felt now was ‘interested’.  He’d certainly find out for himself shortly.  He wondered if Rhoda would be there waiting for him, then thought briefly of Liana.  He loved the child, and wished she wouldn’t have the experience of grieving for a parent at such a young age.  He remained quiet, giving John and Helena what privacy he could in the small pilot compartment.  He guessed what John meant to do for Helena as the walls began to glow with heat, and he approved.  There was no reason for her to suffer.  He blacked out himself shortly after that, and awoke surprised in a comfortable bedroom with the unmistakable smell of the sea carried on the breeze through the open window.

His hosts were pleasant and helpful.  The retreat he was housed in was across the bay from a small fishing village.  The situation was explained to him, he would not be able to return to Alpha, but his companions were safe, and he could rejoin them as soon as he learned the skills he would need to have to function on Sekarres.  He had not realized at the time that one of those skills would be the ability to lift himself off the ground with the power of his mind.  He could fly!  He had seen Maya change into a bird and fly before, and had envied her ability, but this was even better, for he was still himself.  He would miss his friends on Alpha, and especially Liana, but this was wonderful.  Just then he noted a school of fish just below the surface.  He sent a mental note to his mentor Karn and the other fishing partners, then dove into the water like a dolphin.  His new friends had been fascinated by the mental images of dolphins that he had given them, as he had been fascinated by their fishing techniques.  As he and the other spotters entered the water, driving the fish before them, a net appeared in front of him, telekinetically placed by the other members of the team.

In four months he had begun to feel at home in the small village, and he tried not to think too much about the mercurial little girl on Alpha, now an orphan, not knowing that her father was alive.

~~~~~

The rock before him cracked and the plane of a crystal was revealed as the surface of the rock crumbled away.  Dave Reilly sat back and gave a sigh of satisfaction.  He had always imagined that he could see the crystalline structure of any rock.  Now he really could.  The tourmaline in front of him was a rich amber color, and he know just the way the facets should be cut.  He would do it without cutters, or any tools at all.  It was almost a religious experience for him.  His mentor, the equivalent of the local smith had been impressed with his knowledge of rock and mineral, and his training had included an equal sharing of knowledge and experience.  Once Dave had learned rudimentary telepathic skills, especially how to shield his thoughts from others, he had moved into the loft above the smith’s house.  Iron and glass and crystals and rock were all materials used by the smith.  He could mold and reform metals with powerful concentration, and was fascinated by Dave Reilly’s background in Earth-style chemistry and geology.

In quiet moments Dave missed Lisel and their son Todd, but he knew they were safe.  The Eagle’s disintegration had been complete.  No one on Alpha would suspect that they were alive and try to rescue them.  He understood why he had been separated from his companions aboard the eagle.  Learning their new skills had taken every bit of effort and concentration.  He knew the others were safe and every bit as engaged in new activities as he was.  He hoped the others were as fascinated as he was.

~~~~~

Pacing back and forth nervously, John Koenig waited impatiently on the porch of the small cottage he had lived in for the past four months.  He had missed Helena more than he had thought possible.  He knew she was busily engaged, as he had been, learning the ways of their new world, but there had been no one with whom to talk over daily events at the end of the day, no one to reach out and touch when he turned over in the night, or to exchange a smile and a hug with as dawn broke.  He had been with Helena for nearly twenty years, and had forgotten how much he hated being alone.

He flung himself into the porch swing.  It was nearly sunset, and Reben had told him that Helena would be here today.  Where was she?  He absently held out a hand and a steaming cup of coffee appeared in it.  He had prepared dinner for himself and Helena, including the Sekarres version of coffee, which was much better than anything they had ever managed to grow on Alpha.  John had learned to telekinetically move objects from one point to another.  He wasn’t certain how he did it exactly, Reben hadn’t intended to teach him.  They had been discussing Sekarres’ history, and Koenig had mentioned that the counterclockwise elliptical  orbit was unusual for this star system.  Reben had explained that the planet had been moved to this location in the distant past.  John had become intrigued.  How could this be without irrevocable damage to the ecology?  Reben had explained that they had moved the planet from one point in space to another without the planet existing at any point in between.  The explanation was mostly telepathic; there simply weren’t any words to describe the process.  A link was formed between all the people and those who possessed the talent to move things in this manner had directed the others in moving the planet to its present location.  Koenig was intrigued by the process.  He asked questions, Reben contacted someone who possessed a talent for this form of telekinesis.  John was now able to move small objects with ease now, something that had exhausted him at first.  He could hardly imagine the amount of effort it would take to move an entire planet.

He drained the cup of coffee impatiently and was preparing to pace again, when she arrived.  He was across the porch and down the steps in a heartbeat.  She was in his arms in another.  He picked her up and swung her around, kissing her soundly.  When he came up for air he grinned at her.  “You look fantastic!”

“Thank you.  You look pretty good to me too.”

“No, you’ve done something different.  Your hair’s a bit longer, but it’s more than that.” 

“Yes, it is.”  she admitted with a smile.  Koenig took her arm and guided her to the house.  She continued, “I have about a thousand things to tell you about.”

“Me too.”  Koenig said, all smiles as they entered the cottage.  Helena glanced at the table set for dinner.  “You made supper?”

“Yes, are you hungry?”

“Yes, but are you in a great hurry to eat?”  she asked, reaching up to stroke his cheek, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.

He didn’t need telepathy to know what she wanted and he steered her toward the bedroom rather than the dining table.

~~~~~~

It was after midnight when they finally got around to eating.  They caught up on four months of experiences using both speech and telepathy.  Helena put down her fork as she finished her fruit and reached for John’s hand.  “We’ve both been avoiding one issue.”  She paused and continued.  “Is there no way we can contact Alpha?  Even if we can’t go home, I wish there were some way we could let them know we’re alive.  Jason and Liana--”  she stopped, not wanting to cry.  She wasn’t the sobbing or screaming type and never had been.  Even alone with John, she kept tight control over her emotions most of the time.

Koenig sighed.  “I wish we could, Helena.  I was hoping I might be able to take us home, but so far, all I can do is parlor tricks.”  As an example, he cleared the dishes from the table with a thought.

“But you can do more?”

“Given time, I believe so.  But I wish I could do something now,” he said.

Helena smiled.  He was nearly sixty, and still as impatient as ever.  “Couldn’t we try to contact them -- let them know we’re trying to get home.”

“They’re too far away, and untrained.  Reben is not even sure all humans could learn what we’ve learned.”

“That may be true but if we can at least try, I’d feel better.  I’d think Jason has a good chance of possessing these abilities, since both of us do.  And there’s an emotional tie as well.”

Koenig lifted her hand to his lips.  “We’ll try.  Let’s get some sleep, and ask Alan and Dave for help.  With the four of us linked together, we might have a chance.”

They slept soundly that night, and well into the next morning;  and when they awoke, she made him twenty years younger.

Chapter Three

When the Alphans had determined to have children they realized there was more to it than bearing children, giving them a loving home and sending them off to school each day.  It was a long bus ride back to Earth for school.

Alpha had been a prestigious position in the space program, and appointments were given on a highly competitive basis.  Eighty-five percent of the Alphans had one or more doctorate degrees, the rest had a Master’s or at least some post graduate work.  None of these degrees were in education.  It had not been an area of specialty needed on the Moonbase.  Koenig had appointed a team to set up a structure for training Alpha’s children, to learn about the very hazardous environment they lived in and to be productive members of Alpha’s society.  Annette Fraser had been given the task of organizing the team.  They read all the information they could find on education theory, some of it radical and unacceptable, some sounding old fashioned and outdated.  It was Bob Mathias who brought in a battered old book from his personal collection one day.  It was a Boy Scout handbook.  The education team designed a curriculum based on the scouting tradition.  Mastering skills resulted in rewards, increases in rank, and privileges.  Skills included learning to read, and mathematics, and also survival skills such as space suit drills using airlocks, fire fighting equipment, and basic first aid.  By the age of ten, children were old enough to be allowed a bit of freedom around the base.  They chose certain sections to become familiar with and ran errands, performed small tasks and satisfied their curiosity.  By thirteen they had chosen specific sections and were assigned regular duties while their studies on subjects necessary for those departments.

Liana Carter was in Command Center helping Sandra Benes-Morrow monitor communications when the Eagle carrying the reconnaissance team exploded.  It had happened so quickly, and the others were so shocked, they had no time to shelter her from the fact that her father, and the only mother she had known, were dead.  She took the news with a calm that bespoke shock and denial.

Jason Koenig had been at the launch pad, assisting to ready a backup Eagle, a standard precaution.  When he heard the news he insisted on watching the telemetry of the explosion several times.  Then he tearfully accepted the inevitable.  Maya Verdesschi and Carolyn Devers tried to get the two children to move in with one of their families.  The Verdesschi’s had a daughter six months older than Jason, and Carolyn and Jeremy Devers had a son only a few days younger than Jason.  The children were fast friends and their parents had often watched out for each other’s children over the years.  Liana absolutely refused to move, and Jason quietly agreed, saying he couldn’t leave her.  Bob Mathias was their ally, claiming that forcing the children to give up their familiar quarters would be a mistake when so many other constants in their lives had vanished.  The children joined other families for meals, continued their schoolwork and other duties, and in public appeared to be adjusting well.

In the quiet of their quarters at night, Liana allowed her insecurities to surface.  Jason faithfully placed his mattress on the floor of her small bedroom every evening and held her hand as she fell asleep.  Mathias kept a closer eye on the children than they knew and he felt that the bond between the two children was the key for them to make their way through the grieving process.

A little more than four months after losing their parents, Jason felt his mother close by as he slept by Liana’s side.  He smiled in his sleep, knowing that she and his father were all right, and were trying to come home as soon as they could.  He dropped Liana’s hand and drifted into a deeper more relaxed sleep.  Things would be all right soon.

They woke the next morning with smiles.  They couldn’t wait to tell Aunt Maya.  They dressed quickly and raced to the dining hall, both talking at once.

“They’re OK, Aunt Maya!”

“And they’re coming home!”

“Soon.”

“No, not soon, but as soon as they can.”  The two began to argue the meaning of the word “soon” in typical fashion.

Aside from Helena, Maya was usually the adult most likely to take the children seriously and treat their concerns as reasonable possibilities, but their attitude alarmed her.  She broke up this latest argument -- the most normal behavior they have displayed in months-- and sorted out their story.  Helena had “told” them last night that she and the others were all right.  She had also said they were trying to return to Alpha.  Neither child had any details.  Both children were positive about their information.

Maya took the children to see Bob Mathias, who talked to them for a few minutes then sent them off to their duties.

“What do you make of this Bob?”  the red-headed Psychon asked the psychiatrist.