Saxon Andrew - Escape to Earth-The Legacy of a Conqueror

Chris pressed the right pedal and the ship moved forward. He looked outside the viewport and the black mist was still there. “It’s sticking to us but it won’t do us any good if we can’t see through it.”

“Stop the ship.” Chris brought the ship to a stop and Allison pushed a slide on her console.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m manually extending some of the antennas.” She waited for a moment and then put on her combat helmet. She remained silent for three minutes and then said, “Put on your helmet and go to the scanner program. In the receiver subroutine there’s a choice to select external sources.” She watched him put on his helmet and after a moment said, “Do you see it?”

“Not yet.”

“It’s the second from the bottom.”

“Got it.” Suddenly, Chris saw everything outside the ship. “How did you think of this?”

“Like you said earlier, I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. I studied our helmets for the better part of a year, learning everything it can do. The antenna still receives impulses even though our computers won’t receive their signals; our helmets can link with them. This eliminates us having to use our eyes to see our targets and really increases our range.”

Chris chuckled, “You really are amazing. Let’s try it again and see how we do.”

The rocks being hit on their second pass through the asteroid belt were doubled. Allison shook her head, “It takes a lot of concentration to fire just as a target enters the sight.”

“It’s easier head on and to the rear. I just have to move the ship slightly to line them up.”

“If I tell you right or left, roll the ship slightly in that direction, it’ll help me get a shot at targets to the sides.”

“The control knob should move the disruptors enough for you to aim them.”

“I’ve already been doing that but a slight movement left or right will make it a lot easier.”

“Let’s do it again and see if I can do the roll and keep a target in my sights.” Eight hours later, they decided that they were not going to improve beyond their current skill.

“Are you ready to go home?”

“I guess. I can’t think of anything else.”

“We’ll plan to leave in three days. Take a break and go see your family.”

Allison’s expression changed slightly and she said, “I think I’m going to stay on board and see if there’s something I’ve missed.”

Chris saw her expression and wanted to say something but decided it might not be the right thing to do, “I’ll see you in three days.”

Chris was sitting on the beach watching Michael build a huge sand fort. That boy was incredible with his sand toys. He leaned back in his beach chair and looked at the gulls circling overhead. He kept seeing Allison’s expression in his mind when he asked her about her family. He looked at Michael and then lifted his wrist unit. He scrolled through the contacts and pressed a button. “Good morning First Commander. How may I be of service?”

Chris looked at Alice Gomez and smiled, “Alice, I need some personnel information on Admiral Allison Simmons.”

Alice had been with Fleet Operations from day one and no one knew the computer system better than she did. “What is it you need, Sir?”

“I want to know about her family.”

Chris saw Alice’s smile disappear. “Sir, she has no family.”

Chris was shocked by the revelation, “Why is that, Major?”

“I don’t have to look this up. Her father was a wounded veteran of the Iraqi War. He refused to leave Earth.”

“Why?”

“To begin with, he wasn’t chosen to go early, Sir. His disability eliminated him. Even when the ships were opened for those that weren’t selected, he refused to go. He felt that he would not be able to help the colonists because of his disability and would only be another mouth to feed. His wife would not leave him and both of them decided to force Admiral Simmons to leave and go with a family of friends. The Admiral was forced to board the colony ship, Sir.”

“How old was she?”

“Twelve, Sir.”

“Any brothers or sisters?”

“No, she was born before her father shipped out to Iraq. They didn’t have any more children after he was brought back.”

“How do you know about this, Alice?”

“I was on the ship when she was brought on board. I saw the family hold her against her will and carry her on board. I’ll never forget her extreme sorrow. She ended up curled in a ball and wept all the way to Eden. She never accepted that family and entered the Navy as soon as she came of age. I kept an eye on her and as she moved up in the ranks, I was really proud of what she had accomplished.”

“What about the family that took her to Eden.”

“That’s not hard to figure out, Sir. She blamed them for taking her from her parents. That’s why she never accepted them.”

Chris nodded, “Thank you, Alice.”

“She’s really something special, Commander. Her scores on the aptitude tests prior to joining the Navy are the highest we’ve ever seen. Those that know about her are proud of her. Her parents did a good thing forcing her to go.”

Chris ended the call and sighed. This explained a lot. She was fighting every day to be someone her father and mother would be proud of. Her world became one big competition. Now he understood her anger at not having control of the ship. The only time in her life where she wasn’t in control was when she was forced to leave her parents. He shook his head and pressed his wrist unit again, “What are you up to?”

“I’ve brought the ship back to Trevor to see if he can’t improve speed of the manual override systems before we skip out.”

“So you’re here on the island?”

“Yes.”

“Well why don’t you come down to the beach and watch Michael built a fort big enough to defend the planet.”

Allison laughed out loud, “Now that I have to see. I’ll be right down.” Chris smiled and thought that maybe she didn’t have a family but he could take the role of being her brother. Eve was a great step-sister and Allison would be someone his family would like. She arrived and went straight to Michael and ooo’ed and ahhhh’ed.

Michael picked up a sand form and held it out to her. She jumped right in. Michael gave her directions and she followed them to the letter. In no time, both of them were laughing. By the end of the afternoon, the fort was about twenty-five feet square and four feet high. Chris came up and admired their work as Michael took his and Allison’s hands in his, “This is the best I’ve ever done.” He looked up at Chris, “Right?”

“It can defend the Planet.”

Michael looked up at Allison, “Can you come back and help me build a bigger one?” Allison started shaking her head and Michael said, “PLLLLEEEEAAAASSSEEE!”

Allison sighed and blew out a small breath as Michael was jumping up and down. “Alright. How can I say no to jumping up and down that high?”

“YAAAAYYYYYY!”

Allison looked at Chris, “But your father has to approve it.”

“You are certainly welcome to build any structure he might choose.” Chris looked at the fort and held out his arms, “But this! I don’t see how it can ever be improved on!”

Michael shook his head, “Just wait!”

Michael released their hands and ran up the beach toward his home. Allison turned to Chris, “That’s some boy you have, Chris. He’s going to be something special when he grows up. Thank you for inviting me. I need to go check on the ship.”

She turned and started walking toward the dunes and he shouted, “You know he’ll be heartbroken if you don’t keep your promise?”

“Don’t worry, I will.”