Rebellion

When the intercom sounded Alan rolled quickly out of bed and crossed the room to the desk. He checked the time-- 8:00 a.m. and glanced back at his wife who hadn't stirred. She was the most sound sleeper he had ever met. He grinned -- and they'd had less than four hours of sleep.

Bill's face filled the screen. "Good morning," he said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," Alan answered. "Didn't I schedule us for the day off today?"

"You did," Bill confirmed. "How was the birthday party?"

Alan grinned again. He had done a lot of that in the last six months. It was hard not to smile when you were married to someone like Emma. "Awesome." It wasn't everyday your wife turned nineteen and he had made every effort to make the evening special since it was her first birthday of their married life.

"I heard you danced at the Grotto until they shut it down."

"Word gets out quickly."

"Dinah and Alex had breakfast with us this morning."

"They left around midnight. We stopped dancing at about two. Emma insisted that Davey quit playing, since he needed to work this morning. He's an incredible musician."

"So I've heard, but since he only plays in the Grotto, and we old-timers aren't allowed there--"

"Actually, they use the term, grown-ups."

"Well, that explains why they've made an exception in your case."

"Tell me, did you wake me up just to harass me, or is there a purpose for this call?"

"We just had an odd call from the mining site on continent three. You're the one with the most knowledge of the area and John wants you to check it out."

Alan glanced reflexively at his wife. There had been a time when he would have jumped at a chance to go to Loki for a few days, or weeks, but six months of marriage had changed his attitude.

"You might want to consider than Emma is next on the pilot roster." Bill said, amused by his old friend's reluctance. Alan had been a free soul for a long time and sometimes had been less than understanding about Bill's reluctance to jump aboard an Eagle at a moment's notice. In fact, for much of their time on Loki, Bill had volunteered for the more regular duty of the recon-dispatch desk in Main Mission, where there was less chance of missing an anniversary or birthday or other family event.

"Seriously?" Alan asked.

"No lie."

Alan turned toward the bed. "Em? You want to fly to Loki today?"

At the word 'fly' she sat up in a fluid motion, pushing the tumble of black curls from her eyes. "When do we leave?" she asked eagerly, always ready to fly.

Bill heard her and answered. "John wants to talk to you first, as soon as you can get over here."

"We'll be right there, and see if you can find me a pot of coffee," Alan asked. Bill nodded as Alan closed the connection.

Normally the pilot would report directly to the Eagle to prepare for the flight. Emma was listed on the official roster as pilot and design engineer, but for the past four years she had unofficially been Alan's assistant, protegeé and partner. They arrived together in John Koenig's office to find the Commander and his wife sitting at the conference table and breakfast waiting for them. A tray of sweet rolls sat in the center of the table along with pots of coffee and juice.

The commpost showed Tony Verdeschi's picture. He was obviously attending the briefing from Loki.

"Hello, Tony," Emma stopped by the commpost as her husband headed straight for the coffee.

"Hi Emma," Tony greeted her fondly. "Happy Birthday. I hear you had a great party."

"Thank you, yes it was terrific." She flashed a smile at her husband who grinned back at her.

"Alan, if you had told me ahead of time I would have sent some beer."

Bill have followed the Carters into the office and laughed with the others at the old running joke. He gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Helena Koenig while Emma poured herself a large glass of juice.

Alan turned to question him. "Okay, Bill, what kind of message did you get from Potter?"

Koenig answered for him. "It wasn't from Potter. Bill recorded it." He nodded at Bill who tapped his slate and one of the screens on the comm post changed from Tony's face to that of a fourteen year old boy.

"I need to speak to the Commander. It's urgent."

'He's not in yet, Cory," Bill's voice responded.

"Please, Mr. Fraser." The boy looked nervous and glanced back over his shoulder. "There's something happening here that Commander Koenig needs to know about."

"What is it Cory?" Bill asked.

"Something's wrong here. They're--" He looked away again and you could barely hear another voice in the background. "I gotta go. Tell him we kids have nothing to do with it." Cory finished hurriedly and reached forward. The message ended abruptly.

Alan frowned. "Not much to go on."

"No," Tony replied, "But we've found a few other clues because of this. The last Eagle that took off from Dover has never reached Alpha."

Emma sat forward. "There's an Eagle missing?"

"Not officially, no," Koenig replied. According to Computer, no flight was scheduled, but according to Dover's computer, the flight was a routine supply run.

Tony added. "It's not the first flight diverted like this. We've checked the records between the two computers. We've been sending out quite a bit of stuff lately as the harvests wind down and some have been cleverly gone somewhere besides Alpha."

"How about people?" Emma asked.

"As of right now," Helena answered. "Only four are not accounted for. They were all on the last Eagle that's gone missing." The names appeared on Emma's slate. She held it so Alan could see too. All four were of the original Alphans. Alan noted Karen Boyle's name on the list. She was an electrical engineer, a self-proclaimed environmentalist, and most of all an irritant and a troublemaker. An additional list arrived with the names of the original mining team, four more original Alphans plus six teens.

Alan sat back with a sigh. "They're going to try to stay the summer!" He felt incredulous. "On Continent Three of all places!"

"Why do we call it Continent Three?" Emma asked. "Can't we find a better name for it than that?"

John took a bite of his breakfast roll and shrugged. "Talk to your husband about that. He was the first to explore it, and has been there the most often. It seems he should be the one to name it."

Alan leaned forward and put his arm around Emma. "What do you think, love? Want a continent named after you?"

She leaned against him, considering. "Emmaland?"

Tony snorted. "Sounds like an amusement park."

"Scratch that one," Alan said quickly, agreeing with Tony's assessment.

Emma laughed and turned to look into Alan's eyes. "A very private amusement park." He leaned forward to kiss her, always under her spell.

"All right," John growled, amused, but hiding it well. "Can the newlyweds rein in their hormones and return to the business at hand?" He exchanged an amused glance with his wife as Alan and Emma moved slightly apart and made a show of looking contrite.

Tony spoke up. "Spending the summer there looks like a slow way to commit suicide."

"Or murder," Helena corrected. "Cory and some of the others don't appear to be staying willingly."

"Tony?" Emma asked puzzled. "You're planning to stay on Loki this year aren't you?"

"You're right, Emma, with a small staff of volunteers and a number of special modifications to the facilities."

"They've been planning for this since last fall." Alan added. "With the readings they took last summer on the unmanned base."

John added. "The site for Dover was also carefully selected to be stable, despite the temperature fluctuations, hot or cold. It's made of a very hard marble-like rock, well insulated, no fault lines. They'll be shutting down all surface areas, and sealed behind four separate airlocks for the hottest times."

"We're anticipating two periods of nearly six months apiece where the external temperature is nearly high enough to boil water, day and night. That's when we're closest to the sun. No one would survive on the surface then. Between those times the temperature will cool down to only 60 degrees C.

Alan shook his head. "And with all that energy pumped into the atmosphere, the storms become tremendous. Even during the "cooler" times we may not be able to get you out if we have to." The concern in his voice was evident. He still had reservations about Tony and the others remaining on Loki.

"It's time to try it, Alan." Tony said gently. This was obviously an old argument. "You can't expect us to pack together like sardines on Alpha every summer. There's just not enough room."

"In any event," John brought them back to the current problem. "Potter's group doesn't have the careful preparation Dover has benefited from."

"And the site's no good, I'd wager," Alan added. "That continent has no stable areas. It's all sandstone and fault lines. That pass by the sun causes earthquakes with aftershocks that last for years. The terrain is almost impossible to map properly. It changes with every season."

"Then why are they doing this?" Emma asked, puzzled.

"That's what we need to find out," her father replied.

Alan looked at Helena. "I thought Chris was on C-2. When did he move to Loki?"

"This past season. he and Susannah split up, and he was having difficulty accepting that. Susannah finally asked for a transfer, but Chris volunteered to leave instead. Since Tony was looking to expand mining operations anyway..."

"It was a chance to take a bit more responsibility and Chris jumped at it. His part in the expeditions was more administrative than technical, but he has a flair for organization and appeared to be doing well." Tony added. "He would come and go from Dover, and moved the mining sites several times, but like you said, Alan, Continent Three isn't particularly stable. I didn't think anything of it at the time."

Emma listened with one ear to the conversation and pulled out her slate pen. She began tapping it quietly, drawing information from the computer and making a few inquiries. The others paid no attention, all of Alpha's younger generation appeared to spend most of their time tapping into Computer. After a few minutes she looked up and caught her father's eye.

"What?" Koenig asked abruptly, but not unkindly.

Used to his moods, she thought nothing of the tone of his voice. "Cory says you're right. They've been told they're staying the summer. If they find out he tried to call you he'd be in trouble."

"How did you contact him?" her father asked.

"They can't trace it," Emma said, completely confident. "It's a worm program Alex and Davey made up when we were younger. It dismantles the traces a message normally leaves, then gives Cory the chance to reply the same way."

"A worm?" Koenig frowned. Computer worms could be more destructive than viruses. David Kano guarded his Computer jealously, and never tolerated that kind of dangerous programming.

"Daddy," Emma said impatiently. "We've been using it for years. It's perfectly safe." She handed him the slate. "Here, Cory wants to talk to you. "It's text only," she added apologetically. "That way the file is small enough to go unnoticed as it moves through the system."

John took the slate from her. Alan and Tony both shook their heads with amazement. The screen was divided into two sections. The top sections showed one line of text.

A light blinded in the corner, indicating the transmission was being sent. There was a pause, then another line of text appeared.

-- I agree Cory. I'm sending Emma and Alan Carter down to talk to Mr. Potter.--

-- He won't like that. He's always angry. I think he stays drunk a lot too. --

-- Cory, you and Derrick take care and be ready to leave when Emma gets there.--

-- Yes sir. Will you tell my mom I'm all right? --

--Of course, Cory.--

Koenig passed the slate back to Emma to sign off. He looked at Alan. "I don't know what kind of reception you're going to get, but Cory and the others will be ready to leave with you." He sighed. "If the adults want to stay, let them."

"John," Tony objected. "They've got a lot of our equipment and supplies."

"Tony, let's consider this a reconnaissance mission. I want Alan to find out what's going on and come home. I want him to get those kids out of there. Then we'll determine what to do from there."

Tony nodded.

"Alan, play it by ear," John instructed. "Agree with him, avoid any kind of confrontation, but find out what he's up to, and bring those kids home."

"You've got it, John."

"Emma, can you contact my slate like that?"

"Of course, Daddy. Anyone can use it."

"Keep me informed that way. Keep the normal communications channels silent, and file a plan with Computer stating you're heading for Dover."

Emma nodded, then she and Alan headed for the Eagle.

The flight to Loki was uneventful. They flew an older Eagle equipped with a passenger module to return the teens from Loki. They approached the continent from the west, flying over the ocean past barrier islands and across the inland desert to the foothills of the western mountains. They approached the location of the mining site and a flash of light appeared before them. Almost simultaneously the Eagle lurched and alarms began to sound.

"Engine 1 is off line," Emma said calmly.

Alan pulled up as another jolt hit them. "They shot at us!" he said, fighting for control.

"Fuel levels for engines two and three are dropping rapidly. I'm switching fuel from Engine one. It's not working, we're down to Engine four only." Emma was concentrating on keeping the Eagle aloft. It took her a moment to assimilate Alan's statement. "Shot at us?" she asked in amazement.

Alan pulled the sluggish Eagle over the range of mountains to the east. "I'll call Alpha," Emma said.

"No. Maintain radio silence." Alan ordered.

"We can't make it to Dover like this. Or off Loki."

"We're not going to try. Concentrate on getting the bird down."

Emma followed his lead, working in concert with Alan as the Eagle limped along to the south. She spotted a site in front of them that would suit their needs and called up the information for Alan. He brought the crippled Eagle down gently just as the fuel indicators reported zero fuel.

"Assess the damage," Alan directed. "It's no different from the scenarios you've run in the sims."

Emma nodded and began the litany of post-flight assessment. She tucked away the incredulity she felt. In the simulator they had always been shot down by hostile aliens, not their own people.

She was surprised at how accurate the simulators had been, and Alan was quietly proud of the way she handled the emergency.

"All problems are with the engines. Life support, onboard computer and communications are in tact and running on internal backup. We have forty-eight hours at minimal power. All fuel in tanks two and three are gone and the internal sensors show damage to the tanks. Engine one is not responding at all, and there's no indication of any fuel available in tank one. Engine four is operational but low on fuel. It won't be sufficient for liftoff."

Alan concurred. They had been hit in the extreme aft section. They were lucky.

"Alan, why would they shoot at us?" Emma asked.

"Obviously, they don't want company."

"But they're our own people!" Emma still didn't understand. "They could have killed us!"

Alan looked at her for a moment. Emma truly did not comprehend. They had raised Alpha's children to cooperate with each other, and aggression on this scale was completely foreign to her. A spat with her brothers was one thing, but the thought of killing someone was beyond her scope.

He spoke gently. "Chris isn't acting rationally. We need to get the kids out of there before he hurts someone."

"Would he-- hurt Cory and the others?" She asked hesitantly, incredulously.

"He might. I asked you to keep from calling Alpha so he would be less likely to come looking for us. Can you reach John on that secure system of yours?"

"Sure," she smiled. She was uncertain what to do, and any action was preferable to her than none. She activated her slate and made the connection.

"Tell him that Chris has some kind of laser weapon rigged that shot us down. Let him know we're all right and will hike back to the mining site and get one of their Eagles."

She nodded and tapped earnestly at the pad for several minutes.

"He's acknowledged and wants to know if we want backup."

"Not right now. Tell him it will take two days to hike back to the mining site from here, but we have the supplies and will be fine. I don't want Chris to have any reason to interpret our move as hostile."

Emma nodded gravely and sent the reply. Alan headed aft to pack the survival gear they would need. What he hadn't mentioned to Emma, but knew John would understand was that they didn't want others on Alpha or Loki interpreting their actions as dictatorial or draconian. The Alphans still depended on all individuals working in close cooperation to survive, but the values they brought from Earth regarding individual rights and freedoms kept John and the command staff walking a fine line between a dictatorship and the necessities of survival. With Alpha no longer the only permanent residence for the small group of humans, Loki offered an illusion of greater freedom, but it was still only an illusion.

Tony Verdeschi had been urging the adoption of some form of constitutional government, and John was certainly in favor, if cautious about the subject. He and Tony both wanted to leave the children with a stable form of governing themselves, but it was a long process and John preferred delay over error. In the meantime, they dealt with crises like this as they arose-- infrequently, fortunately -- with kid gloves.

Alan packed two frame backpacks with rations, water, and other necessities with the efficiency of long practice. He included thin thermal blankets, a small tent and a first aid kit. He'd spent enough time on Loki to know how dangerous the place could be, but he and Emma had camped together enough to be unconcerned about the rigors of a two-day hike.

Emma joined him, pulling her thick curls into a ponytail and slipping on the sturdy well-worn hiking boots she had brought to wear on Loki. "We're all set. I bounced the message off the gps as it went by, and downloaded its timetables. The coverage isn't as good here as it is near Dover and there are several periods when we'll be completely out of communications range. Daddy wants you to be sure you contact Mr. Potter during one of the communication windows."

Alan nodded. It was a sensible precaution. He looked at his wife as she tightened up her boots. She looked extremely young and innocent. He reached out his hand to her and she looked up and smiled. She needed no further invitation to come sit on his lap and she put her arms around his neck with a smile.

"Em, are you okay with this? Potter may be rather unpredictable, and if you'd rather send for an Eagle to pick you up--"

She shook her head and silenced him with a soft kiss. "I'd rather be with you," she said firmly, with a smile.

Alan had to smile back. She had her father's quick wits and good judgement and her mother's heart and sensibility. He could think of no one he would rather have as backup despite her inexperience. He pulled her close and held her tightly, then pushed her back. "We'd better get going, then."

In short order they shouldered their packs and headed out. Alan checked the engines, noting the ripped metal and charred paint. One line cut across engine one, then through the two fuel tanks and lines.

"It'll have to be towed back for repair," Emma stated, as they looked it over.

"That was either a very good shot, or a very lucky one."

"Another foot forward and we would have dropped like a rock," Emma observed.

Alan nodded soberly. "We were lucky. Let's hope that luck holds." He took Emma's hand and they headed north up the valley.

The Eagle had come down in a wide flat valley more than eighty kilometers wide. To the east was a high wall of mountains that lined the rift between this land mass and the smaller subcontinent that lay just a few kilometers across a long turbulent channel. Geological surveys had indicated that the two land masses had been moving apart until the last ten million years when the trend had reversed for some reason. Now the two land masses were converging. The area was extremely unstable, with fault lines that were virtually undetectable because of the sandstone that made up most of the continent, and frequently earthquakes that caused landslides and changed the location of hills and valleys.

The mountains to the west were lower, older and more weathered. It didn't make them less dangerous, but it would be easier to cross that range than the other. They planned to hike north in the relatively easy terrain of the valley floor before turning west and crossing the mountains. They should also be able to approach closer to Potter's mine without detection from this direction.

There was less vegetation here than near Dover. The constantly shifting landscape did not provide a nurturing environment. Alan and Emma hiked over barren rocky ground veined with washes from spring melt runoff. It was a beautiful late spring day, warm and dry, not a cloud in a sky the color of a robin's egg.

It was difficult to remember the danger here. They were together and in love and both enjoyed hiking. He sometimes held her a little longer than necessary as he helped her down a gully or they would stop for a kiss occasionally. They were happy to be together.

That night they made a campsite on the top of a ridge. The warm days precipitated evening rain showers at this time of year. Thunderheads began building in the late afternoon and a line of storms passed through shortly after sundown, but they were safe and dry inside the tiny tent which they had firmly anchored to the ground. They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

On Moonbase Alpha, John Koenig rolled over in the middle of the night and found the place beside him empty. He could feel Helena's worry and found her in the living room staring out the window. He placed his arms around her waist and she leaned against him. Laying his cheek against her silky golden hair he said, "Usually I'm the one who worries and can't sleep."

Helena smiled softly and made an effort to rein in her emotions which she knew that John could still detect, no matter what she did.

"I can still send someone after them."

"No, I think Alan is right. We need to know more before we head in there in force."

"But you're still worried." It wasn't a question.

"Yes... " She wanted to explain, but hesitated to do so.

"Helena, what aren't you telling me?" It was impossible for her to keep any secrets from him.

"Well," she turned around and put her arms around his neck. She gave a small smile. "Our grandchild is down there too."

"Helena, we don't have a grandchild..." he grinned as he caught her meaning. "Yet," he added.

"Not for about seven more months anyway," she said with an undeniably delighted smile. "I got the results this morning-- after they left. And Emma should get to tell Alan first," she warned. "So don't say anything."

Koenig agreed but decided there would be no harm in placing an Eagle in high orbit above Potter's mine as an extra precaution.

The next day dawned bright and clear again. As Loki headed into this summer season the days got warmer and the atmosphere more turbulent. There would be more storms this evening, but the warm air was already drying up the ground from the previous night's rain.

Alan and Emma packed their gear and headed north again. At first, the day appeared to be a repeat of yesterday's hike, over rough ground of rills and washes. At mid-morning they felt a tremor-- one of the common minor earthquakes this region endured. Small rocks bounced and sand shifted around them. They stayed put, Emma taking Alan's hand as they both checked for areas of obvious danger, hanging rocks, or slopes of sand and gravel. They happened to be on mostly firm ground and there appeared to be no consequences from this particular tremor.

Alan breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his wife close, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"How do you think that tremor will effect the mining site?" Emma asked with concern.

Alan shrugged. "There's no way to tell. It was a fairly strong one, but depending on what kind of structures they've erected, and the makeup of rock they've built on it could have been a problem, or hardly noticeable."

Emma nodded thoughtfully and they continued on their journey.

They stopped briefly for a lunch of prepackaged ration bars and began to climb, heading more to the west. Alan was ahead, and scrambled up a steep slope in hopes of being able to follow a ridge for a ways. One moment Emma was right behind him, in the next moment he heard a shriek and turned to see her vanish with the scrabble he had just crossed.

He flung himself onto the ground and grabbed her outstretched hand. Where moments before there had been a slope of sand and rock, there was now a sheer cliff with the sand and gravel ten meters below them, spread in a gentler slope over a wider area. Emma banged against the newly exposed cliff with a gasp. She grabbed for Alan's other hand as her legs scraped against the cliff. She searched quickly for toeholds and ended precariously balanced, legs spread, toes finding purchase in the still-crumbling cliff. They paused to catch their breath.

Alan could see her and see blood staining the rock from a rip in the leg of her coveralls. "Em? Are you hurt?" he asked cautiously.

She gave a short laugh that came out like a gasp. "Not yet, but don't drop me."

"Not a chance. You've got toeholds?"

"For the moment."

"Look above you for handholds. I've got to get the rope out to get you up."

"Yeah," she gasped. She took her time, looking carefully for the best spots. Holding tightly to his left wrist with her right hand, she let go with her left hand and pressed her fingers into a crack. The sandstone crumbled at first, then held. She exhaled cautiously, looked again and found another likely spot.

Alan's heart beat faster as she released his left wrist and he paused to make sure she was safely settled against the rock wall. He wanted to be ready to grab her again if she began to slip. Since she looked fairly stable for the moment he scrambled quickly back from the edge of the cliff, shed his pack, grabbed the rope secured to the frame and found a large boulder to tie the other end to. He crawled gingerly back to the edge and lowered the emergency loop down to her.

She was sweating, attempting to relax as she held on, but not succeeding. "Alan?" she said softly as the loop of rope appeared in front of her. "I'm scared."

"I know, princess," he said in as reassuring voice as he could manage. "Me too," he added.

She gave a grim smile. "You know, princesses never ended up in situations like this in the stories you read to me when I was little."

He grinned, marveling that she could manage to joke at a time like this. "That's because you're special, sweetheart," he managed to reply.

With painstaking caution, Emma balanced on toes and the fingers of one hand and slipped the emergency loop around one hand. She then shifted her weight again and put the other arm through the loop. Alan guided the loop over her head and carefully adjusted it under her arms. He backed away from the cliff and pulled the rope taut.

Emma concentrated on finding new toeholds. Her brothers had gone through a rock climbing phase in early spring and Alan had shown all three of the Koenig children how to climb safely with ropes and pitons. Emma wished silently, briefly, for a little more equipment. Mostly she wished for a safe trip up the cliff.

It seemed to take forever, but finally, her hand reached the top of the cliff. Alan secured the rope and cautiously helped her over the edge, pulling her well back before taking stock of her. She seemed relatively intact. The left leg of her coverall was ripped and the skin scraped off of her knee and halfway up her thigh. She looked at it ruefully as Alan knelt to assess the damage. "I've skinned my knee," she sighed.

He helped her to sit and pull off her backpack. "I've seen worse," he replied weakly, the adrenaline rush beginning to fade.

She began to tremble, and reached out to him, fear finally replacing her calm bravado during the emergency. He held her close, stroking her dark curls, afraid to think of how close he had come to losing her. Once both had calmed sufficiently to stop shaking, Alan tended the scrape on her leg. It wasn't deep, but it was long and wide with no skin left on the top of her thigh.

Both of them were well aware of the various bacteria that survived on Loki despite its odd weather cycles. Emma hissed as he used a disinfectant liberally on the area, but didn't complain. He sprayed a synthetic skin solution over the whole area and covered as much as he could with a cushioned bandage from the first aid kit.

"You think you'll be able to walk ok?" Alan asked.

"I'll have to," Emma replied. "We've been out of contact since yesterday. We need to make it to the mine."

He smiled at her and helped her to her feet, taking time to hug her tight before letting her put her weight on her leg. She was practical and brave and he couldn't believe how much he loved her. He followed her up the slope, letting Emma set the pace. Alan kept a close eye on her, still not recovered from the terror of nearly losing her.

Another two hours of cautious hiking and Alan stopped her. "Check the gps."

Emma pulled out her slate. The satellite should be above the horizon at this time and she called up the program quickly. They sat together on a large boulder and Alan looked over her shoulder. She leaned back against him and shifted so they could both see.

The tiny screen showed their coordinates as close to the mine. She zoomed in for further detail.

"I’d say it’s just over that next ridge," Alan said, pointing up the path ahead of them.’

"Yes, we’re quite close."

"How’s the leg?"

"A bit sore. It’ll probably stiffen up if we stop." She stifled a yawn and he put his arm around her. "Tired?"

"A little." She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I don’t know why."

"Well, being shot out of the sky, two days of hiking, and falling off a cliff may be taking its toll."

She nestled more comfortably against him, eyes still closed. "Mmm. Could be."

He stroked her hair. "Why don’t you wait back here and rest. I’ll take a look ahead, see about finding the best way down. I don’t want to show up in plain sight during the daytime anyway."

"Okay," she said, agreeing, but not moving to let him go.

He stayed with her a minute or so longer, not wanting to leave her, but certain this would be safer at the moment. "You find a place to hole up, out of sight. Take a nap if you want to."

She nodded, but he had to prod her to get her up. That concerned him. Emma usually had enough energy for any two people. He helped her find a shady spot, mid afternoon was quite warm, and they shared some water.

She smiled. "I’m fine, Alan. Just a little tired," she said, sensing his worry.

He gave her two quick kisses. "I’ll be back by sundown. You can have dinner ready for me."

"You hate my cooking," she joked.

"There’s not much even you can do to sealed ration bars." They shared a smile and he left. Emma shed her backpack and curled up, resting her head against the backpack. She decided to close her eyes, just for a moment and was soon sound asleep.

It was fully dark when she woke up. That startled her. She had never intended to really sleep. Then she realized that Alan wasn’t nearby and she came very close to panicking. He had promised to be back by sundown. She looked around. His backpack was not there, so he hadn’t returned and just walked away for a few minutes. Where could he be?

She picked up her slate to see if he had left her a message. The gps wouldn’t be up again for hours. She had never felt so cut off and alone. She was frantically worried. Alan would never just leave her here for so long. What if he had slipped off a cliff? Or there had been another tremor? No, that last wouldn’t have happened, or she would have felt it, wouldn’t she?

There was a message waiting for her on the slate. She didn’t think she would have slept through its call chime if he had called her, but she must have. She tapped the screen, eager for the message. It was from her father, which surprised her since she should have been out of communication range. He was letting her know that he had placed an Eagle in stationary orbit above her mainly to aid in communications, but also to retrieve them if needed. She almost cried, she was so grateful. She noticed that he had used Alex and Davey’s worm code to send the message and smiled. Her father was always quick to embrace useful innovations.

Her first reaction was to call for retrieval, but she had to find Alan first. She thought about her options and finally decided to ‘ping’ Corey’s slate. She opened the communications file. That got an almost immediate response.

She wrote back:

Alan Carter had been of two minds about leaving Emma behind. He felt sure she was safer there, but it wasn’t like her to be so exhausted in the middle of the day. It worried him. He should have had John send an Eagle for them yesterday. If it weren’t for Corey and the other kids who didn’t deserve to spend a summer on Loki he would have advised John to just let the planet take care of the problem.

He climbed the final ridge in a haze of anger at Potter for putting them through this. All he wanted right now was to spot where the Eagles were parked, then head back to Emma until they could contact Corey then meet at the Eagles and head out. He had lost all patience with Chris’s nonsense and wouldn’t be feeling very diplomatic if confronted by him.

He wasn’t expecting the blow when it fell, knocking him to the ground to slide down the ridge about 10 M. He cracked his eyes open to see Chris Potter standing over him, then he was kicked in the stomach and something smashed into the side of his head.

He regained consciousness as he was dumped ceremoniously on the floor. It was cooler here and the air had the taste of environmental control. His head ached, as did his jaw and for a moment he thought he might vomit. He fought down the nausea and tried to listen to Potter.

"So Koenig sent you to spy on me."

"Why would he do that Chris?"

"To see what we’re up to here. But I’m not going to let him shut us down and take all the credit."

"I was flying to Dover. The Commander asked me to fly by and see what you would need for evacuation. Summer’s almost here and we’ll have to get you closed down for the season." Alan sat up slowly trying to deny the dizzy feeling. His head pounded with that small change in altitude. "Why the hell did you shoot me down?"

Potter leaned down into Alan’s face. "We’re not going anywhere and we’re not taking chances that anyone is going to come along and steal the place. We found it. It belongs to us."

All resources on Alpha, Loki and Ceres Two had always been considered a kind of community property. All was used for the common good. When you needed something, it was provided, and everyone did their share to make sure the communities’ needs were met. So far this informal socialism had worked. Chris seemed to have discovered something he didn’t want to share.

"What have you found, Chris?"

"I'm going to tell you, and show you, and then send you back to Koenig with an offer that should work out in both our favors."

"I'm sure I can get him to listen to any reasonable offer."

"I'm sure you can. I understand you're part of the family now."

Alan certainly didn't want Chris to know Emma was here on the planet, but there was no reason to deny that they were married. It was public knowledge. "I married Emma Koenig about six months ago," he said simply.

"I can't say I'm a big fan of marriages right now, but congratulations. "

"Thank you." Alan wanted to change the subject. "Chris, you know if you've found something that would be useful on Alpha or Loki, you'll get full credit. You don't have to go shooting people out of the sky."

Chris sat down at the desk and looked down at Alan who was still on the floor. "My dad was quite a businessman. He always wanted me to major in business and go into the family business with him. You were nothing in his eyes unless you lived for the company night and day. He hated it when I applied to work for the space program. He quit speaking to me. Told me I'd never make anything of myself. I even believed him, until recently. After I came to Loki, I found I had a knack for leading a small group of people, getting things organized so we could survive here. My father built his own company. I'm going to build my own country."

"Chris, we all need to work together here--"

"Oh, I've heard all that. I even bought into it for a long time. But my dad was right about a lot of things. If you want to get to the top, you've got to be willing to pay the price. I've found something magnificent here that you will all be willing to pay well for. And we intend to claim this continent as our own. If you wish to deal with us, you'll have to ask our permission. Invade our airspace again, and we won't be so careful how we shoot down your ship."

"Has it occurred to you that you've used Alpha's resources to find this amazing thing? And you've used Alpha's personnel to produce it?"

"And we'll pay for anything we've already used. "

"Pay with what? We don't use money here."

"That will change, Alan, that will change. And when it does, our material may well be what the exchange rate is based on."

"So what is this stuff, gold?" Alan had to work to keep from sneering. Gold was certainly useful in some industrial applications, and still favored for jewelry, but he couldn't imagine anyone needing it for anything else."

"It's time I showed you." Chris knelt by Alan and removed the ropes that had bound his arms together, then urged him into a seat. He reached back to the desk and picked up a clear sheet of glass that lay on the desk. He handed it to Alan who was rubbing his wrists to bring back the circulation.

"Yeah, a piece of glass."

"It only looks like glass. The refraction value is almost the same as glass made from silica. But this is made from carbon instead."

Alan looked up from the pane of what looked like ordinary glass. It weighted just a little bit lighter than he would have expected it to. It was hexagonal, about 20 cm on a side, and less than a half a centimeter thick.

"Try to break it." Chris urged.

Alan's first thought was to break it over Chris' head, but he restrained himself and reached forward to rap it against the edge of the desk. It bounced off the desk with no sign of any break. Alan hit the desk harder with no different results. "What is this stuff, Chris?" He couldn't help being intrigued, no matter how crazy Chris was acting.

"It's made of carbon. It 's not diamond. It's every bit as hard, but has a flat crystalline structure similar to mica. It forms in sheets. It's incredibly light and hard. The analysis says it contains a structure similar to buckminster fullerene, but combined in a lattice like form. The molecules actually intertwine with each other. "

"Oh, come on. Buckyballs only exist in very controlled lab situations, and recombine with other things almost immediately."

Chris lifted a slate off the desk, holding it so Alan could see the display but not touch it. "This is different. The basic lattice structure contains freestanding atom of silicon in the middle. Silicon also has covalent properties like carbon, and the trapped silicon atom shares it's outer shell of electrons with the carbon atoms it the lattice sphere around it. But this leaves a slight imbalance which attracts the next spherical molecule and binds it in place, actually pulling part of the next sphere inside the sphere which encloses the silicon atom. The structure of the whole thing is a flat sheet of spherical molecules. It also has these natural hexagonal breaks," he indicated the shape of the sample he had handed Alan.

"When surveying this site we found a deep shaft leading deep into the mountain. It's more stable than most of the areas around here. There are lava flow caverns that are incredibly old, and rivers of this stuff under pressure below us."

"Your mine is sitting on top of an area of volcanic activity?" Alan said warily.

"It hasn't been active on the surface for centuries. There's no volcanic activity this high. But we can mine the carbonite and use it to make structures strong enough to withstand anything."

"Even summer on Loki?" Alan said with doubt.

Chris grinned, realizing that his old friend knew more than he was letting on. "Even summer on Loki," Chris confirmed. "And that grants us our independence from Alpha. You can tell Koenig, that if he doesn't want to buy from us, I'm sure there are others we can sell to who would like the opportunity to set up an independent nation on Loki and deal with us."

Alan's imagination flashed on a number of small city-states spread across the planet. He knew they would all be too small to survive on their own, but how many others like Chris would see this as an opportunity too good to pass up, and strike out on their own. How many failures of these settlements would it take until people again saw the advantage in cooperation over competition?

"Before you go, I'll take you down for a look at the mining operation. Then I'll send you home in one of the Eagles we've borrowed."

"Is everybody here in agreement with you Chris?"

"Of course. A few of the youngsters are too young to know what an opportunity this is, but they'll understand soon enough. And I'll be inviting my own kids down to join me, once things are well established. Susannah may even see the advantages and come with them.

"For now, I'll keep you safe until I've had a chance to show you everything."

Chris pulled a stun gun from a desk drawer and quickly fired it at Alan.

He awoke the next time in pitch darkness. The floor beneath him was smooth laser-cut stone. This was, perhaps, a mining shaft. He sat up slowly, preferring the after effect of a stun gun to the blows from the time before. His head still hurt from that.

He reached out with his hand and felt a smooth wall that curved slightly. He debated trying to follow it. He had no idea of which direction might lead him out. The smooth cut walls offered no clues. Chris might have left him here to die, or he might have found this to be a convenient place to keep him for a while.

He wondered how long he had been out. If it was past sundown Emma would be frantic. He heard a soft muffled clatter to his right and sat very still. It had been close by, but with no light, he had no idea what it was. He reached out cautiously and felt a cloth bundle. He pulled it to him. It felt like a piece of clothing. Had someone tossed him a jacket? From where? He heard no other sound. He wondered if this meant that someone was trying to keep him alive. As he picked it up he realized it was a well-wrapped bundle. He unwrapped it carefully and slowly, not used to untying things in the dark. It startled him when something fell into his lap. By touch he examined it and quickly realized it was a slate!

He fumbled for the switch and turned it on. The screen gave a dim glow. He looked around, but could only detect dark smooth wall and floor. He touched the flashing message symbol in the corner. A message window popped up which said only,

The message came back fast.

"Cory?" he called aloud, but softly.

"Up here, Mr. Carter," came the quick reply. "Can you climb?"

He ached, but he could climb. "Yeah, I’m ok."

A chain ladder was tossed over the side. Alan climbed up as quickly as he could. A tall teen with sandy blond hair and a round face waited above. Alan handed the boy his slate and Corey indicated the way with the electric torch he held. They hurried down the corridor and Cory did not seem inclined to talk.

They made several twists and turns and then were in a lighted section of the mine. Alan would have never found his way out alone. Cory urged him to move faster, but quietly. The doors along the hallway were all closed. They made another turn and went through a door that required a code. Corey retrieved his slate from Alan and consulted the screen. He punched in a long sequence. The door slid open, revealing a stairway. Another teen was waiting for them with an ashen face and a travel bag over his shoulder. He handed another to Cory.

"The others are already above."

They dashed up a staircase and through what looked like an airlock, but the double doors were both made of glass. Then they were outside.

It was dark, with clouds building and a few stars. Lightening illuminated the field in front of them. The two Eagles were about a hundred meters to their right and appeared to be inside shelters of glass. The others urged him toward the glass building. Someone was waiting by the open door. The next flash of lightening showed that it was Emma. He increased his speed and lifted her into his arms as he reached the doorway. She held him close for only a moment. Corey and the other boy were working controls on the glass wall by the door.

"Daddy said to bring both Eagles and the kids to Dover. Then he’ll talk to Potter at a distance when he’s ready."

Alan nodded. That meant he and Emma would fly separately, but only as far as Dover. There was a loud noise from above and the glass roof began to slide back.

Emma glanced up. I’ll tell you later," then she grinned. "Bet I can beat you to Dover."

He couldn’t resist the challenge. "Not a chance." The others had boarded the Eagles and he headed for one, reluctantly letting Emma’s hand go as they headed for the two ships.

There were three teens strapped into the passenger compartment. He headed for the command module and started the familiar preflight sequence. As he powered up the engines, lights began to come on in the compound. Emma’s face appeared on the screen.

"They’ve detected the door opening."

"Get her upstairs now. I’m right behind you."

This wasn’t the time for politeness or power struggles, but neither were games the couple played. Emma nodded and Alan’s computer showed her clearing the roof. He finished preflight and followed on her heels, trusting Emma’s abilities as he did no other. He stayed on her port side as the two Eagles gained altitude and speed quickly. The commlink between them was on and she let him know what she was doing in short efficient statements. As soon as they cleared the mountains to the west he gave a sigh of relief and put some space between the two ships and they poured on the speed to Dover. Chris Potter could deal with someone else when he was ready. The kids and the Eagles were all that had concerned him.

The welcoming party included Tony and Maya Verdeschi, Ben Vincent and Halima Ofori. Halima herded the kids off immediately. Ben took a look at the bruise on Alan’s temple and announced that he didn’t think it was serious, but he insisted on a full medical scan. He took Emma in tow as well, and Maya assured them there was a meal and a bed waiting for them as soon as Ben let them go. The Verdeschi’s had already moved from their airee-like temperate quarters into the hillside and it was only a short walk from Dover’s clinic.

Ben put Alan in one examining room and Emma in another, which pleased neither of them. Alan waited with little patience for more than ten minutes before Ben breezed in.

"Took you long enough," Alan grumbled. "Where’s Emma?"

"I checked her thoroughly, and she’s perfectly fine," Ben said lightly. "She’s waiting just as impatiently for you in the hallway."

"Thanks. Her leg?"

"Will heal completely, not even a scar on those legs you like to watch so much. Where did you get hit besides the head?"

"The stomach," Alan said absently. "She didn’t pick up any infection in that leg did she? It seemed to be slowing her down."

"It probably hurt," Ben said. "There’s no infection. I do know my job."

"I know, I know. I just worry about her."

"You two are almost as difficult to treat simultaneously as John and Helena." He backed up. "You’re fine. A bit bruised, but fine. I’m giving you an analgesic that will help you sleep tonight, and another to take in the morning. You’ll be stiff." He handed Alan a small bottle. "Take them with food. You’re getting too old for this sort of nonsense, and Emma should have her head examined for hanging out with you. You’re dangerous."

Alan eyed him suspiciously. Ben wouldn’t be the first person to question their decision to marry. But Ben was grinning. "Get out of here, you’re wife’s waiting for you in the hall and she’s worried sick. It’s about time you settled down."

Alan grinned back and left quickly, tucking the pills in his pocket. Emma was in his arms as soon as the door opened. She held him tight. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, now that I know you’re okay."

Emma grinned, "I’m wonderful."

"I know that." He kissed her thoroughly.

Ben waked out of the examining room. "Can’t you two do that somewhere else?"

"Point us in the direction of Tony’s," Alan said glibly.

Ben gave them directions and they set out. Emma laced her fingers with Alan’s, obviously ecstatic about something, practically dancing next to him. The corridor was filled with potted plants and grow windows.

"How did you guys get me out of there?"

"Well, Daddy had stationed an Eagle in high orbit. I used that to contact Cory. Daddy asked Davey Kano to go with Bill in the Eagle. Davey relayed through Cory’s slate to hack into Potter’s computer systems and get the door codes needed to get out. Everything was locked down tight."

"Why keep the Eagles in glass houses?" Alan asked as they arrived at Tony’s door. Tony opened it in time to hear the question.

"Ah, they weren’t glass. Potter has found something new. That was some kind of carbonite. Maya went to take a look at it. It may be as hard as diamond, with an incredible insulation factor and a very high melting point."

"You mean he expected them to survive the summer in that?"

"And it looks like he may be right. By next summer I may have a glass house on top of the hill."

"Cory brought some samples with him," Emma said.

"And Davey Kano downloaded all their info on it when he hacked into their system. John says the chemical boys are going nuts over it."

"Is that dinner I smell?" Alan asked.

"Yeah, I expect you two would like to clean up first." Tony led them to their room.

"I’m starving," Emma said.

"I’ll bet you are," Tony said.

"Two days of packaged rations will do that to you." Alan said.

Emma and Tony grinned at each other. Alan noticed the look. "What?"

Emma could contain herself no longer. "So will pregnancy."

Alan looked at the two grinning faces.

"We’re going to have a baby, Alan," Emma said. Her eyes sparkling. She flung her arms around him and laughed.

"Really?" he asked stunned, his arms around her waist.

"Really," she confirmed.

"So," Tony said. "No more adventuring for a while."

Emma nodded. "For a while." Then she smiled, "But I wouldn’t mind one more trip to the beach before the weather turns."

Ellen Lindow

April 16, 1999