~ 8 months after landing on Terra Alpha
Sandra looked up from her growing collection of purple and blue hair as Blue rounded up yet another ‘volunteer.’ The largish moppet being brought forward seemed unsure of the situation it found itself in. Not fearful, thought Sandra, just bemused. She picked up the brush and patted her lap. Blue walked behind the stranger and pushed the larger creature forward with little grunts of exertion. Like the others, this newcomer had no ties to the Alphans but seemed willing to do as its fellow bid. More or less. The new arrival was a lovely shade of rich blue with hints of green in its undercoat. Sandra thought it would make a nice addition to her future afghan.
Sandra and the newcomer made eye contact. She was growing used to the soul-searching looks from these small animals. The current thought was that they saw the Alphans in terms of their bio-energy. Auras, if you would. Sandra knew some Terran painters had portrayed people as enclosed in an invisible field of colored light that was as individual to a person as a fingerprint. Perhaps those fields were not so invisible to their new friends. She patted her lap again.
“Come along little one, wouldn’t you like to get that old, itchy hair brushed off?” The scientists also thought the moppets did not hear in the auditory range human voices used, but they certainly seemed to respond to intent.
Blue had finally succeeded in repositioning the larger, blue and green creature right next to her leg. Seated as she was on the ground next to a narrow waterfall tumbling happily down multiple ledges, it was easy enough to pick the animal up and place it on her dwindling lap. Its look of surprise faded as she started to brush its plush coat from head to rear in long strokes. Soon its eyes were closed and it ‘hummed’ with pleasure. It wasn’t a noise, just a pleasant sensation you could feel. In truth, these small animals were mostly coat and very little body. And they just felt nice to touch.
It had been Annette Fraser who first had the idea of gathering enough moppet fur to make into yarn to knit. And since Sandra’s pregnancy had had its difficulties and she’d been grounded from flying early on, she had been nominated to gather the first ‘samples’. It helped to fill the time waiting. The computers were up and running and most of her duties currently revolved around data recovery, from the satellites and from the old Earth data files on pioneer and frontier life. As that rarely took more than half a day, she had a fair amount of free time to fill, especially as she found herself more and more stationary of late and less able to help around the settlement. She was very glad the child was due in just another five weeks, give or take.
“There you go, little one.” The blue and green moppet looked up at her and fluffed his fur with a shake. It watched her as she gently pulled the thick layer of its discarded hairs from the brush to add to her collection, and then gracefully hopped off her lap. She watched it do as each of the others had, and trot off in the woods only to quickly return with a seedpod. She took it from the creature’s mouth and gave it one last pat before she added the gift to her collection of various odds and ends-- unusual leaves, a shell, other seedpods of various sorts, and one small stick.
“You are most welcome.” The moppets certainly were well mannered.
She looked around for the next moppet, but instead found Blue looking intently past her into the woods in the direction of the settlement. He had a familiar look about his small, pointed face and seemed to be anticipating the arrival of someone. Suddenly, giving a small exhaled ‘whumpf’, he returned to his task of finding the next fiber donor.
Sandra laughingly watched as Blue corralled a tiny maroon moppet, having to sit on it at one point to hold it still, and then bringing it to her by the simple expedient of picking it up by the scruff. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that this was barely worth the effort, so she carefully brushed the tiny creature as it laid in her lap nose to nose with Blue. She finished quickly, carefully adding the five or six strands to her collection. A small commotion in the woods behind her startled the tiny moppet out of her lap and back to the woods. Seeing how Blue looked very happy, Sandra was not at all surprised when Gonzo ran past her and then pivoted about to leap exuberantly into her lap. The two moppets were devoted to one another and Sandra rather suspected they were family. A tall shadow briefly crossed over her as Gonzo’s Alphan moved to sit down.
Sandra sighed for the loss of her temporary privacy, but in truth, was only surprised she’d been left alone for as long as she had. While the planet, or at least their valley, had been deemed clear of obvious hazards, the Alphans by long habit still watched out for one another. Especially those who currently could be counted in multiples. Between Peter, Alan and Tanya’s family, Sandra was rarely left unattended of late. And if not by a human, then Blue nominated himself to keep an eye on her. Sandra again sighed in quiet exasperation. One would think she didn’t have the common sense of a dust-bunny.
“A good harvest?” Koenig asked as he settled down next to her, the small moppets scattering briefly to make room for the new giant in their midst. He picked up the fluffy mass of moppet hair and turned it about in his hands. He smiled at some whimsy or another and put the pile back down in its carryall next to Sandra.
“With Blue’s help.”
And with that, Blue nudged Sandra’s brush-bearing hand to get along with it and attend Gonzo. Sandra smiled and obliged. The two Alphans sat companionably side by side for a while. When she thought about it, Sandra could still find herself amazed that she now counted one of Earth’s premiere astronauts as a friend. She had befriended many pilots during her time on Alpha, and prior to that while still on Earth, but rarely those who walked in the very top echelons of authority, like John Koenig had.
The Commander retrieved his wayward friend once it became apparent she was now just enjoying the brushing and no longer contributing to the fiber pile.
“You know, my wife would have loved these guys. She once did some work for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop back in London.”
Sandra looked over at the tall man a smiled slightly. “Oh?”
“Living muppets! They’re the appropriately outlandish muppet colors, and even what I would’ve once called ‘terminally cute’.”
Sandra laughed quietly. “I remember that show. I loved to watch it after school. It is too bad we have yet to find a green one. We could call it Kermit.”
Blue had rounded up a pretty reddish moppet that sighed with resignation as Sandra picked it up. She looked at it closer. “Didn’t I just brush you a little while ago? You need to run faster. Or just tell Blue ‘no’.” She scratched the creature behind the place where ears would have been on a terrestrial mammal and let it go.
“You can tell them apart, Sahn?” Koenig looked impressed. To him, they all looked alike. Animated blue and purple mops.
“Occasionally. Blue keeps bring that one to me for some reason. I think he knows I like its color. May I ask, what did your wife do for Jim Henson?”
Sandra had learned from Tanya that the Commander actually did like to speak about his wife left back on Earth. It seemed to help bring him closure now, rather than the relentless grief that used to tear at him. Or so Tanya said.
“She was an artist. Back in her ‘starving artist’ student days she won a year’s fellowship to study in London. She landed a position with the Creature Shop and did many of the early drawing for a movie Henson was working on at the time. Something called ‘The Dark Crystal.’ She was so very proud of her work on it, and I never did go see the movie with her.” Koenig paused. “I just never made the time.”
Sandra darted a look and saw the sadness on his face.
“I know that movie. I saw it when I was eleven or twelve. I loved the Gelfings and the Skekses. It was very different from the Muppets or Fraggle Rock. Very dark and haunting.”
“You were just eleven?” Koenig looked at her with amazement. He shook his head and apparently decided to change the subject. “So, how are your two pilots doing?”
Sandra sighed. What could she say? Things were still tense. Peter remained awkward in Alan’s presence and that was spilling over into their relationship in private. Even after six months, he remained very displeased at her decision to invite Alan into her life on a formal basis. He stayed civil, but she feared that was only because the community’s expectations were for mutual cooperation. And Peter Rockwell, son of landed gentry in Healaughshire, always rose to expectations.
Sandra stared absently at the creature in her lap. If only Peter would relax. She was not trying to push him out of her life, and she certainly did not love him any less, but there was no way around the fact that Alan was not going to leave. She cared deeply for each man. At times she fretted Peter would leave her, but that had not happened. Something needed to break the stalemate, especially as her tolerance for the quiet battle of wills surrounding her decreased as her girth increased.
“Still that bad, huh?”
Sandra looked up from her current moppet. Koenig’s face had a wry grin of sympathy. Future Terra Alphans might not have such difficulties if they ever found themselves with such a disparity between the genders, but for Earth-raised Alphans, the meshing of new families was difficult to say the least.
“I suspect Morrow would sympathize with Peter.” The Commander picked up some of the soft moppet fur and absently ran it between his fingers.
“Perhaps.” But, Sandra thought, the Commander was not trying to be as much a constant presence on Tanya’s life as Alan was in hers. Koenig had even fashioned a separate residence for himself, volunteering to be the guinea pig to live in a home made from native adobe-like clay. Alan, on the other hand, was dead set on a single large, family unit with rooms for adults, children and storage, much to Peter’s distress.
“So, where are your pilots?”
“Peter is not yet back from flying the scouting mission over the islands off the southern coast, and Alan is helping the construction teams. He would like the house finished before the child arrives.” Sandra rested a hand on her gravid middle.
~~~~~~~~
Peter Rockwell and his co-pilot Kevin Taylor swooped Eagle 15 lower over the slopes of the mountains that made up this island chain. They were approximately 300 kilometers from Nova Alpha and on the ongoing hunt for renewable resources to improve their chances of survival. The current wish list included animals large enough to use as a means of transportation or, even better, a source of protein. A prior flight had reported such possibilities here.
“There, did you see that?” Kevin pointed off to the starboard side and Peter obligingly turned the Eagle in the direction of the forest.
Peter grinned at Kevin. “Alright, let’s see if we can draw whatever that was out into the open.” Hovering the Eagle over the woods and then slowly moving it toward the open field, they flushed five largish quadrupeds from cover. Like so much else on this planet, their colorations were odd to Terran eyes. The meter-tall, slender animals were cranberry red with teal strips on their flanks. The pilots could see that they had long, slender necks with oversized heads, but other than that, things were moving too quickly to determine much. Kevin aimed all their scanning and recording devices at the animals while Peter angled them into a small gorge and set the Eagle down at its entrance. The animals were trapped.
Flushed with success, Peter put the Eagle on standby and followed as Kevin stood up and moved back to the main pod. A quick glance told him the two restraining pens jerry-rigged in the back of the Eagle were still in place, just in case they got lucky. He looked over to see Kevin wearing a small backpack and slinging a coil of rope over his shoulder. Kevin picked up the second pack and offered it to him. Peter looked at the backpack dubiously. While he was a fair cricketer and had frequently ridden after the hounds, he had never enjoyed hunting. And that included anything having to do with roughing it in the woods.
“Kevin, why don’t I just leave the actual specimen gathering to you? I’ll follow behind in case you need back-up.” He was slightly insulted when Kevin just laughed and shook the backpack a bit for emphasis.
“Lesson number one, Lt. Rockwell, always track unknown animals with your back-up with you. Not hiding in the Eagle.”
Peter stood straight and indignant, strongly considering refusing, but then let his breath out in a rush. Kevin was right. Just because he resented being forced into things was no reason not to bow to the inevitable. He held out his hand and took the bag and pulled it over his shoulders. He picked up a hand laser and offered a second one to the other man. “May I point out, Kevin, I’m a lousy shot.”
The Canadian snorted. “I know. I’ve seen you at practice. If you have to fire, just make sure you’re aiming at me, okay?”
“What?” Peter wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.
“Then I’m sure you won’t hit me.’” Kevin smiled wryly and turned to lead the way out of the Eagle.
~~~~~~~~
“Hey, Jack. You sure this will be a load bearing wall?” Alan stood back and looked at the growing building, doubt obvious on his face. Jack Pearson seemed to know what he was doing, but Alan simply remained dubious that a lot of mud would do the job properly.
Their research into building practices on Earth had found a way to incorporate the water-resistant clay-like substance native to this area. Using a combination of rammed earth and adobe building skills, one and two story family units were being assembled. They were scattered far enough apart for treasured privacy, but close enough for mutual protection. Alan would have been more familiar with a stick framed home, but he had to admit the forty centimeter thick walls had the appeal of solidness. And the way the wall seamlessly merged with the cliff face at the rear of the complex provided for a uniform appearance. Alan grinned to himself as he recalled the deciding vote. Sandra said it just looked nicer this way.
Jack hopped off the wooden frame into which a mixture of clay and cement had been poured. He walked over to stand by Alan as the next team prepared to use a pneumatic hammer to tamp the soil mixture into a solid form. With the judicious use of spanning tree trunks, the rooms were being made generous in length and height. For those who had become used to confined spaces on Alpha, the opportunity for such open rooms was almost intoxicating.
“Yes sir, Captain. These here walls should stand up to just anything this planet can throw us in terms of weather. And if for some reason I’m wrong, you lot can relocate back to your caves.” Jack grinned widely. “I won’t be wrong, though.”
The location of the dwelling in front of the caves was at his insistence. Peter would have preferred it away from the cliffside and amongst the rolling fields located upstream. However, the Alphans had survived too many disasters for Alan to be cavalier at his point. He wanted a solid, defensible home and a place to retreat to if all hell broke loose. With the coordination of geologists, meteorologists and military strategists, the Alphans had chosen this valley as the best spot to settle on the planet, and so far, they had chosen well. But only time would tell if they had been right.
Alan walked over to the finished walls that so far enclosed sleeping rooms for Sandra, himself and Peter as well as a nursery for small children, the latter conveniently placed to all the adults’ rooms. More rooms for older children were planned. Once they were done, all this would resemble an old Roman-style villa with rooms making up the three enclosing ‘walls’ abutting the cliff face, with a large open space in the center. Eventually, he would like to enlarge some of the natural caves just behind their home, but that would only be after all Alphans had basic living arrangements and the second settlement was up and running. Maybe in another year or three.
It would be a close call to have this large living space done by the time Sandra’s baby arrived, but he bet they could do it. Alan picked up his ladder and moved on to another wall. Time to get back to work.
~~~~~~~~
Despite the temperate air and brisk breeze, Peter was hot and sweaty from moving the hobbled animals back to the Eagle. He looked down on their two captives and rubbed his sore back. He sure hoped this was worth all the effort. Kevin had done most of the stalking and lassoing. Peter had just stood upwind and allowed his scent to frighten the animals in the direction Kevin had wanted. And then had helped with the grunt work of picking up and hauling.
“Here, Peter.”
Peter looked up from the animals to see a pleased seeming Kevin pass him a covered container of water. “Thank you.”
The two men sat on the steps leading out of the Eagle and enjoyed the freshening breeze and the approaching sunset.
Peter could fell Kevin’s eyes on him. They had been gotten to know each other pretty well since landing on Terra Alpha and had found themselves compatible personalities. More often than not they were now paired up for missions, and over the past eight months had used each other as sounding boards when the new situations they had found themselves in simply became too absurd.
“How’s Sue doing?” Peter asked, sipping the water and leaning back against the steps.
“Well. She felt the baby move for the first time last night. She still cries for Jackie or the lost babe some nights, but …” Kevin shrugged acceptingly.
Peter nodded. Sue Crawford had had an exceptionally rough go of it. Losing her husband at Breakaway, then Jackie at six weeks old and then the miscarriage of Kevin’s baby in the first trimester. Peter wondered how he would have felt if Sandra had miscarried. Of course, he couldn’t even know for sure this baby was his. She had admitted that she and Alan had slept together on Alpha, and even on this planet before he had been forced into his intolerable situation. He had forgiven her that, but he doubted he would forget.
“So?” Kevin managed to put a wealth of questions in that single word.
Peter glanced at Kevin and grimaced. “About the same. Sandra tends to accept his decisions on how to do things. And to be honest, I really can’t object. He’s usually right.” Peter crushed the plastic cup between his hands and continued to squeeze it into an ever smaller ball in his fist. “I’ve even gone so far as to sabotage their evenings together and I’m damn sure Alan knows it. But he’s so bloody protective of her he won’t take the bait. He just smoothes things over. But no matter what, he’s always there, and she doesn’t seem to mind.”
Kevin joined Peter leaning back against the steps. He stretched out his long legs and settled in comfortably, not an easy trick Peter granted, given how uncomfortable the retractable steps were.
“Where were you in the 1987?” Kevin sipped his water as he waited, patient as ever, for an answer.
“Me? In University. I’d just turned eighteen.” Peter looked frankly surprised at the turn in the conversation.
“The Captain was about twenty-one. He fought in the ANZAC reserve forces and his unit was one of the few to see a lot of action.”
The Third World War had been swift and devastating. Aside for the uncounted millions of nuclear-related deaths in the Middle East and in Switzerland, not much ground action had been seen; that was, except in Southeast Asia where some extremists took advantage of the situation to launch an assault into the northern reaches of Australia.
“There were guerilla attacks on several small, defenseless communities and many civilians were killed. The attackers shot the men and held women and children hostage. The Captain was infantry then, and part of the forces that put down the invaders.”
Peter thought hard. There was something he seemed to recall about those events. Something almost overlooked amongst all the nuclear horror that had occurred. Kevin continued quietly.
“He was in the rear guard helping to evacuate the children. The attackers decided there would be no survivors, and there almost weren’t. Of the twelve children he and his team tried to get out, only the Captain and one little girl survived.”
Kevin turned and looked solemnly at Peter. “He has never forgotten.” He reached over and took the crumbled cup from Peter.
“Come on, let’s head home.”
~~~~~~~~
The sun was starting to drop behind the mountains where the trees could be seen swaying in the high winds. When they had first arrived on this planet, sunset had been almost centered over the river delta that led from their valley to the sea approximately ten kilometers away. Now, with the turning of the mild seasons, the sun set behind the leading edge of the northern face of the valley. It cut the usable daylight short by over an hour and meant things had to be wrapped up earlier and earlier to avoid the evening storms.
The Commander stood, picking up the bursting-to-fullness carrysack filled with the moppet hairs. “Come on, Sandra, time to be getting back.” He held a hand out solicitously for Sandra to take. She accepted his help with a smile and allowed him to pull her off the ground, somewhat less than gracefully to be sure.
Koenig looked about the small clearing watching the small moppets fade back into the woods, their unearthly colors blending right into the shadows. Blue gathered up a frolicking Gonzo and came to rejoin the two Alphans. Koenig had to smile at the small pair. Blue was obviously the responsible older sibling stuck with minding his ‘kid sister’. John wasn’t exactly sure when he had started to think of Gonzo in terms of being a ‘she’, but in any case it was too late to change her name.
He held out his arm and as expected Gonzo leapt to his shoulder. It was the unexpected behavior of Blue that caught his attention, and obviously Sandra’s as well. Blue had become still and alert, staring out into the darkening woods. He slowly backed up until he was pressed into Sandra’s legs, his fur standing on end. He looked up at Sandra and then at Gonzo, and John could just feel the beginnings of a whine in his skull.
Carefully surveying the area, John crossed in front of Sandra, deliberately putting his body between her and whatever Blue sensed. He was briefly distracted by a sharp pain as Gonzo grabbed onto his ear and inadvertently twisted it hard in her efforts to tunnel into his hair and jacket. He could feel her small body shiver in fear and he too sensed something malevolent watching them.
He ran through his options. It was too far to make a run for it back to Nova Alpha, especially with a heavily pregnant woman. It would be dark soon, but a team of able bodied Alphans at a run could make it here within six or seven minutes. They would wait it out.
“Sandra, call Alan and ask him to come here. Quickly.”
He could sense the woman’s movements behind him as she complied and then her quiet voice betraying only a small amount of anxiety. Koenig looked around the ground for a weapon of some sort, fiercely berating himself for becoming so lax as to leave the immediate confines of their settlement without a hand laser.
A quiet voice spoke from his shoulder. “Commander, that is the same ‘noise’ Blue made when Alan and I found those unexplained tracks months ago.” Sandra didn’t need to add it was outside the cave commonly used as a trysting spot by the pilots. “Alan said he was rounding up a few others and was en route.”
Koenig nodded. What he ‘felt’ in his skull matched what Alan had described in his report. There had been many round, toeless imprints outside the cave after that incident, similar to prints moppets made, but larger and spaced slightly further apart. They had searched for the origin of those tracks for days without luck and had not seen any since. Something caught his eye… a pale blur to the right in the underbrush, and then another to his left.
“Sandra, I want us to move over to the ledge by the waterfall. We’ll have the water and rocks at our back and nothing can drop out of a tree onto us there. Understand?” The whining of the two moppets was starting to get louder and Koenig had to remind himself not to shout, to remember the noise was all inside their skulls.
Taking one of Sandra’s arms firmly, he started to back up, instinctively not wanting to turn his back on whatever was out there in the woods.
“Ohhh!”
He was almost pulled off balance as Sandra stumbled hard over something and landed on her knees. He pulled her back to her feet and held her against his side until she regained her balance.
“You alright?”
“Yes. Here, Commander.”
He felt a heavy branch put into his hand and glanced down to confirm his guess. “Good job, Sahn. It’s better than nothing.”
Finally reaching the waterfall, he and Blue stood guard at the bottom until Sandra scrambled up the slippery pathway to reach the small ledge two meters up. It wasn’t what he would have hoped for in a defensible spot, but it would suffice. He turned and quickly dashed up the incline, and only then did Blue bring up the rear.
The white shadows were moving closer.
~~~~~~~
“Understood Sandra, we’ll be there shortly.”
Alan clipped the commlock back on his belt and jumped off the ladder leaning against the growing wall. His expression had the immediate attention of the men helping to build the adobe wall.
“Jack, we’ve got a problem. The Commander and Sandra are facing an unknown over by the small waterfall.” Alan looked around quickly and saw Tony Verdeschi just returning from a foraging trip. He waved his arm and flagged the security guard down. He was wearing a laser as usual.
“Tony. We need you.”
The dark haired man immediately surrounded his load to another and jogged over. He quickly absorbed the situation and left to round up a few more of his men and some weapons. Alan let Paul know.
Within five minutes, the rescue team set out.
~~~~~~~~
John wished the moppets would just stop their cry. He knew there was something out there and it was getting harder to concentrate with his teeth threatening to jar themselves loose. He darted a look at Sandra. She was curled up against the back of the ledge, her arms wrapped around her middle, her head tucked down against the fiber bag pressed atop knees. John looked back out over the ledge and scanned the area. He could now count a dozen of the white creatures about twenty meters off ringing the waterfall cliff. They seemed to be organizing what appeared to be a flanking movement, but when the creatures started to approach the trail up to the ledge, Blue and Gonzo became almost frantic and the whine even louder. The white creatures backed off.
“Did you see that, Sahn? I think the noise is holding them off. Sandra?”
“Commander?”
The unusual tone to her voice immediately caught his attention. Koenig backed up carefully until he reached her side and then crouched down. He watched Blue glance at Gonzo who jumped off his shoulder and the two of them took his place on the ledge. The whine continued.
“Commander?”
He reached out a hand to her shoulder as she looked up. “Yes, Sandra?”
“I think… I think I am in labor.”
~~~~~~~~
Alan led the way at a dead run, Tony and two of his men right behind. Jack would be following with Dr. Mathias as soon as the doc had his kit and they rounded up some lights. He’d tried to reach Sandra again via his commlock, but no one acknowledged the call. He forced down his panic and made himself concentrate on the here and now.
“Alan, stop.” Tony’s restraining hand pulled him up short at the waterfall’s clearing. “We need to know what’s out there.”
Breathing hard, he nodded his head. Tony apparently could see his agreement in the gathering darkness and dropped his hand.
Tony turned his attention to the clearing and found the Commander crouched on the ledge holding what appeared to be a club. “There he is,” pointing with the hand that held the laser.
“Where’s Sahn?” Alan asked squinting across the dim distance and pulling his commlock off his belt with his free hand. He couldn’t see the threat, but John’s stance was taut and he was obviously holding the defensive. He shook his head at the unheard sound. “Tony, hear that?”
“What?”
“That whine. It’s Blue.” Alan called John and was finally rewarded with a reply.
“Alan, those white animals are stalking us and they move like predators. They’re small, but they’ve got Gonzo and Blue terrified. They’re trying to keep me from leaving the ledge.”
Tony answered. “We hear you, Commander. You’d best stay put then.” He glanced at Alan. “How’s Sandra?”
“We need a doctor. She might be in labor.”
Alan involuntarily started out again, but Tony grabbed his arm hard and hung on.
“Damn,” Tony muttered. “That’s all we need. Alright…” He considered his options. “Commander, we’ll try to stun the animals and then get Sandra off that ledge. We’ve got a doctor coming.” He turned to his men as he pointed to the white animals approximately twenty-five meters away. “Take them down.” He turned back to Alan. “Where’s Mathias?”
“Here, Tony. I heard.” Panting slightly, Mathias dropped his kit to his feet and looked at Alan with worry. “The baby is early, but maybe not too early.”
Alan turned back to the clearing and watched. Security had only taken out six of the animals before the others had caught on and scattered. Unfortunately, they could be seen to be skulking around the perimeter of the field. “We need more back-up.”
“Yeah. Suggestions?” Tony asked as he managed to account for numbers seven and eight.
Alan keyed in another code to his commlock.
“Peter, its Alan. We have an emergency.”
~~~~~~~~
They were rapidly approaching the settlement. They were to hover and try to scare the attackers away, but they’d have to be careful not to inadvertently hurt the Alphans below. And as problems stood, there was no place near to land.
Kevin glanced over to Peter with a worried look, but didn’t offer any empty reassurances.
~~~~~~~~
“Alright, it seems to be working,” Alan shouted over the hovering Eagle’s VTOL thrusters. All the white animals had scattered. In the glare of the Eagle’s exterior lights he could see John physically shielding Sandra. She looked very vulnerable. “Let’s move.”
Taking the lead, Tony glared at Alan until the pilot took rearguard to protect Mathias
“We’ll make sure the way is clear, you get the doctor to Sandra.”
“Right.”
~~~~~~~~
Squinting and holding the two moppets tightly as he continued to block the worst of the wind off Sandra, John could just see the movements across the field. The Eagle had taken station approximately one hundred meters above the clearing which resulted in a buffeting windstorm. Unfortunately, when the Eagle moved higher, the white animals attempted to move closer. He leaned closer to the woman’s head and shouted reassuringly.
“Hang on, Sandra. They’re coming.”
~~~~~~~~
Peter watched the exterior monitors closely.
“Come on, Alan.”
Peter and Kevin could see the Australian pilot pull the doctor behind him. Finally and thoroughly wind-lashed, they saw the two rescuers and one of the security team reach the ledge.
“They made it.” Peter turned to Kevin, relief flooding his face.
~~~~~~~~
Alan crouched down next to Sandra and held her tight for a moment. “I’m here, love.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know.” Alan brushed the hair off Sandra’s face only to have it blown right back. “Bob’s here. Although I know you’d rather Darrel.” Alan knew Sandra always dreaded her appointments with the extremely competent but extremely pompous CMO.
Instead of giving him the tart reply he expected, Sandra closed her eyes and groaned. Alan gave Bob a panicky look.
“Alright, Sandra, let me check.” Bob gestured for Alan to help her lay down and then looked up at John. “If we can’t get off this ledge, can we at least get the Eagle up higher?”
John looked around the clearing and nodded agreement. With Verdeschi standing guard below none of those things would get up here. He spoke into his commlock and the Eagle removed itself by another hundred vertical meters, still shining lights down on the situation. It became obvious that the winds at that height made it a challenge for the pilots to hold the Eagle in position.
Bob looked up at Alan and John. “If we go now, we’ll make it. I’d rather have her in the Eagle with its emergency kit, if possible. It’s not much, but at least we could keep the infant warm.”
Alan looked at Sandra; he didn’t want to lose the baby, but he especially didn’t want to lose her. He thought hard… yes, Peter might just be able to pull it off. He leaned over and kissed her forehead and then stood to speak with John.
“John, we could have the bird hover over the top of this cliff. No way they could land up there, there’s just not enough ground, but we could pass Sandra up to them and Bob could help her there.”
“Can it be done?” The winds were gaining their usual evening strength, and seemed even stronger tonight.
“You, me or Fraser, yeah, for certain. Peter and Kevin can probably pull it off. They just need to compensate for that sheering wind.”
John thought quickly. “Have them attempt it. See if you can get in first and take over. That’d improve the chances.”
“Right.” Alan started giving orders to Eagle 15 as John alerted Mathias and also Verdeschi of their plans. They watched the Eagle shift over fifteen yards and begin its decent slowly, lurching occasionally in response to a strong gust. Alan glanced over at Sandra and then scrambled up the short incline to the top.
John picked up Sandra and explained the situation to her. He could see the fear in her eyes and then feel the rippling contraction against his body as she closed her eyes and moaned. He passed her up the steep incline to the top of the cliff to Alan and then scrambled up himself. He turned to help Mathias as the Security guard joined them. Making Sandra as comfortable as they could, the three men shielded her as Alan waited for the Eagle to make its approach.
~~~~~~~~
Peter was sweating to the point it clouded his vision. He knew he was a bloody good pilot, but this simply wasn’t going to work. He just couldn’t get the Eagle low enough despite several attempts; they were just no where close enough for anyone to make the jump successfully. If it weren’t for the bloody crosswinds… they were unpredictable and fierce, and not something he had had extensive training on back on Earth. Not in an Eagle leastwise. Finally, just as the Commander was sure to call it quits, Kevin all but leapt out of the co-pilot’s seat.
“Peter, hold it steady and in about five minutes get as low as you can. Within ten meters if possible. There’s a way we might be able to get the Captain aboard.” Not wasting any more words, Kevin bolted to the main pod.
“Right.”
He hoped whatever Kevin planned would succeed. If anyone could pull this off, it would be Carter. Peter alerted the ground team and at the five minute mark he dropped down slowly, compensating hard for the winds and only drifting ten or so meters off mark. Via an exterior camera, he saw the door open and Kevin toss out a lasso rope knotted at intervals to make it easier to climb. Peter was impressed once again at the man’s ingenuity. Alan made a jump and on the second attempt just snagged the end of the rope. Pulling himself up hand over hand until he could also grab the rope with his feet, he slowly made it up to where Kevin could help him inside.
Peter gratefully let the Eagle leap back skyward. It was with profound relief he heard someone come quickly down the walkway and drop into the co-pilot’s seat with a thump.
“Alright, mate, let’s get Sandra up here.”
~~~~~~~~
Realistically, the two pilots knew they only had one chance. From Koenig’s message they knew Sandra’s contractions were coming closer and if this didn’t work, Mathias said he’d set up for an emergency delivery on the ground.
Peter assisted where he could and watched as Alan gritted his teeth and almost physically hold the Eagle dead steady, his forearm muscles corded with effort as they lowered meter by slow, steady meter, constantly adjusting for the buffeting wings.
“We’re there, Captain.”
Alan nodded once sharply without looking in Peter’s direction. He obviously didn’t want to break his concentration or take either hand off the yoke at present.
Peter answered on Alan’s behalf. “Affirmative, Kevin. Get them on board.”
Alan’s eyes continued to dart between the positional read-outs as Peter watched the interior cameras. Soon enough, Mathias and Sandra were aboard.
“They’re safe!”
“I can’t hold it any longer.” Alan’s voice was strained, his entire body rigid with the effort to hold the Eagle stationary.
“Acknowledged.” Peter flashed the emergency door lights and opened the comm system wide. “Emergency…Everyone down on the ground. Repeat, get down!”
Eagle 15 lifted her nose and rolled only slightly as Alan adroitly slid the craft between gusts of now gale-force winds. He guided the Eagle high above the turbulence and then circled around to head for the landing fields.
An outside commline blinked on. “You alright up there?”
Alan hit the toggle to open the channel. “Yeah, Commander, we’re alright. I’m sending Peter back right now to check on Sandra. We’ll let you know as soon as we have news.”
“Good enough. We’ll mop up here and then head in. Let Sandra know I’ve got her moppet fur. Oh, and I’ll make sure Blue gets home okay.”
“Thanks. Carter out.” Alan looked over to Peter and grinned. “Well, get going. And send Kevin up here when you’ve got the chance.”
~~~~~~~~
John watched the Eagle fly off. That had been a close one, and Sandra wasn’t in the clear yet. He’d feel better once he knew she and the child were alright.
“Okay, okay, I get the message.” John leaned over slightly and gently dropped the wriggling moppets to the ground. He looked at the security man and gestured back down to the clearing. The winds remained strong but dropped noticeable as the men descended back down to the sheltered valley floor.
“Any news on Sandra?” Tony Verdeschi glanced over briefly at their arrival but kept an eye on the quiet clearing. He was obviously concerned.
“Too soon. Alan said he’d let us know.”
Tony nodded and sent his men to collect the white creatures. There were eleven bodies now, and he was sure he had counted an even dozen initially. Maybe he had been wrong, or maybe the last one had fled.
Concentrating on the woods, Tony wasn’t anticipating the attack from the rear. He spun violently when something landed unexpectedly on his shoulder, instinctively brushing it off and aiming at the ground by his feet where a blue lump landed and cowered. His wrist was immediately grabbed and the stun deflected into the nearby stream which sizzled briefly.
“Alan wouldn’t appreciate you killing his pet.” Koenig knelt down and picked up the terrified creature.
Tony inhaled sharply. “It’s only on stun.” He lifted an apologetic hand but Blue shrunk back into the crook of Koenig’s arm. Gonzo from her higher perch on Koenig’s shoulder was glaring at him defiantly with much ruffling of fur and whiskers.
“Yes, but your stun killed those creatures out there, and they’re larger.”
The guards and Jack walked up carrying three or four dead bodies apiece. Tony holstered his laser and took one and looked it over. “They’re like a moppet with teeth, Commander. Lots of teeth. Weighs maybe three or four kilos, but they’re still mostly hair, like yours.”
Blue and Gonzo had started their whine again at the sight of the white bodies, keeping John’s hands busy as Blue tried to unsuccessfully join Gonzo on his shoulder. “Alright, we’ll take a few back for study.”
Koenig took the hand laser offered by Jack who was obviously relieved to give it up. The construction tech reached out and Blue let himself by stroked, the whine lessening somewhat.
“Commander, those dead critters are as soft as these little guys and there’s a lot more to them. I heard Sandra was collecting moppet hair, she might take to their coats, too.”
Koenig wasn’t sure of that, but maybe Alan or another of the hunters could shave off the long fur. He nodded, “We’ll bring them all.” He turned to lead the way back home.
No one expected the attack when it came.
A swiftly moving white blur landed in their midst lashing out with its many teeth. There was noise and confusion as Tony pushed himself in front of the Commander who stumbled and fell hard, landing on Blue whose cry stopped abruptly. Jack tried to kick the attacker away from the downed Commander and was savagely bitten across his lower leg. Blood sprayed everywhere. No one could get a clear shot in the dark and chaos where the ongoing attack was eerily quiet except for the piercing whine of one small moppet. Suddenly, the white animal launched itself at the Commander’s unprotected face. From her perch on Koenig’s shoulder, Gonzo growled in anger and threw her small body in the way taking the brunt of the attack meant for her friend. Her piercing whine stopped dead. Tony finally got his hands on the white creature and threw it and the smaller moppet it held in its teeth to the ground a safe distance from Koenig. Looking up, the golden eyes of the beast glared back malevolently as it turned to flee.
Koenig brought it down in one shot.
John quickly got to his feet, and after making sure Jack was being tended, knelt down by the small, still forms. Blue was already at Gonzo’s side, trying to push her away from the dead predator and onto her feet. “Here, let me see.” Blue allowed Koenig to pick up his sister and then jumped up to his shoulder to watch closely. Koenig stroked the small, still creature. Her breathing was very, very shallow. He looked over at his men. “She’s alive at any rate. Let’s move.”
Tony took point, Koenig followed, then Jack leaning on one of the guards with the other bringing up the rear.
~~~~~~~~
Alan landed the Eagle in the central gathering field which Paul had cleared for their emergent arrival. Sandra was fast approaching delivery, and finding himself without much choice, Mathias opted to allow events to take place in the Eagle. A shout summoned a nurse and extra equipment, and after a quick glare from the doctor, Kevin had removed one of the new and quite unhygienic animals as Alan took the other. Peter stayed by Sandra’s side.
Paul walked up to the tired pilots as they turned the new animals over to others. “How was it, Alan?”
“Hellacious. I never want to take an Eagle up in those conditions again. I’m not exactly sure how we made it.” Shaking out his stiff arms, Alan turned to look at the Eagle whose pod doors were still open. He could see movement and hear Bob’s voice coaching. He felt Paul’s hand on his shoulder as Kevin left.
“Come along then, we’ll wait with Tanya.”
Alan nodded and reluctantly turned to follow, his instincts telling him he was needed there, in the Eagle, but Sandra had Peter for now.
‘Where’s John? They should have made it back by now.”
“We got word they ran into more trouble. They should arrive, ah… there they are now.” Paul pointed to the small group emerging from the shadows. The limping form of Jack Pearson was unmistakable even at this distance, and the small limp body draped over John’s arm became obvious as they approached. Paul shouted for more medical help and moved quickly to assist Jack.
Alan walked over to John and braced himself as Blue launched himself from John’s shoulder to his. He looked at the small, almost lifeless moppet and then back up to John with alarm. “What the hell happened?”
“We were attacked by the last of those white animals.” John’s tone was flat. “Gonzo here took a bite meant for me. She’s perking up some, but… I don’t know.” He led the way to his small adobe home, entered and moved to lay the still body down on his bed. Blue had been quietly and intently watching his sister from his perch on Alan’s shoulder, but the moment Koenig made to take his hands off her he became very agitated and made a chittering sound with his teeth neither man had heard before. Koenig looked at Alan and placed a hand back on Gonzo. Blue settled.
“Well, it looks like I’ll be keeping her close for a while.” He rigged a sling from pair of pillow cases and tucked the limp moppet next to his chest. Blue hummed in approval.
~~~~~~~~
Alan stood in the deep shadow of the walls to their home, Sandra’s gathering bag slung forgotten over his shoulder as he stared blindly out into the woods. The scuttling clouds overhead intermittently obscured the scant light from the one moon above. He methodically stroked the moppet in his arms, unsure if it was for Blue’s reassurance or his own. Dr. Wandell had said Jack would be fine. The toxin in the white animal’s bite was not enough to do more than cause local pain and tissue death. He’d have a nice scar, but that was it. Gonzo hadn’t been so lucky.
It turned out the moppets had good reason to fear the white beasts. Their bite injected neurotoxins that caused paralysis and asphyxia. The doctor guessed the large doses the creature had injected futilely into Jack had depleted its reserve and that had saved Gonzo. The little thing would be very weak for a long while, though.
He pivoted slowly, careful not to unbalance Blue, and looked at Eagle 15 still parked in the open field. Sandra had delivered about an hour ago and Bob had eventually come out to tell him all was well. She’d lost more blood than the doctor would’ve liked, but that would replace itself in good time. He knew she had a daughter, very small but healthy, and that Peter remained at her side.
Well enough.
He was deep in thought over what his next step would be. He loved Sandra and he knew the tension between him and Peter was just about killing her. Maybe he should just follow John’s lead and build a small, separate home for himself. He could still help out with the kids and not be underfoot.
Blue suddenly sat up on Alan’s arm and looked alertly toward the Eagle. A small procession was approaching. Peter was carrying a very pale and exhausted Sandra, Tanya followed carrying the infant swaddled in Peter’s flight jacket, and Annette brought up the rear carrying the hastily assembled baby clothes. They passed within meters without seeing him in the shadows, except for Annie. She caught his eye and smiled reassuringly before following the others inside.
Alan had just about made up his mind to bunk at John’s tonight and gather his things in the morning, when a lean dark-haired, dark-eyed form stepped out of the building and blocked his way. Alan looked away, not wanting at this moment of all moments to face Peter. By nature, he wasn’t the best of losers.
“Alan? Sandra is doing well.”
Alan was mildly surprised. Peter was the last person he expected to speak with him tonight. He nodded in acknowledgement. “That’s good.”
“She’s partial to the name ‘Danae’.”
Alan simply nodded his head again, still looking away into the distance.
“Here.”
Alan automatically held out his hands to take the small, wrapped bundle. He was shocked to feel the warm weight of the infant inside and immediately brought the child into the protective crook of his left arm. Sharing a long look with Peter, he finally pulled back the sheltering fold of the receiving blanket and looked into bright green eyes beneath a thatch of pale, pale hair.
He looked back up at Peter and was amazed at the welcoming smile on the man’s face. “Yours, I do believe?”
10 November 2006
MGK