America One: War of the Worlds (3 page)

“Come now children, bring us up to date on everything please,” stated Suzi.

“A good idea,” replied Ryan. “Lunar you have the floor, I’m dying for another cup of coffee, Kathy if you please?”

For an hour, Lunar spoke to the crew about what had happened in their absence. She spent half of her time explaining how Dr. Nancy and Captain Pete had saved their own lives by returning to earth in Ryan’s office no less, and how they were nothing more than a stationary blip of their radars screens when they were found. Then she gave the floor to Mars Noble as Head of Security.

Mars explained his angle of the fourteen years—the journeys to the red planet, the loss of his right arm, the caves he had found, what he had seen in the caves, and what he thought he had seen.

“Running water?” asked Igor. “That’s impossible.”

“As impossible as finding liquid water in Endeavor Crater, Igor?” suggested Jonesy.

“A warm underground temperature?
Matts
in blue spacesuits, and without helmets?” Ryan asked.

“Did you see any green plants in their habitat?” asked Suzi.

“We will find out on our next journey to The Martian Club Retreat,” replied Mars Noble. “Look at what we have underground in our own base. We have crops, food, we have outdoor crops under the blue shields, and the gravity on the red planet isn’t bad. Yes, we had storms, too many of them, but I believe that maybe the
Matts
used that area as their base because it had underground running water. And yes Commander Richmond, the temperature inside their base showed up as warm enough for life down there. No, Mom, Johnny and I did not see any vegetation, but I do believe there was an old tree in their windowed off area. I thought I was seeing illusions, but come to think of it, there could have been an old tree next to the river. Now I really want to go back and actually see what is in there.” Mars Noble continued and brought the security side of the company up to date.

Ryan then asked who had dissolved the security space shuttles orbiting for protection, and his daughter replied that she had, and that it had been the right time. The planet was mending, thanks to several countries and ex-President Dithers Roo working hard for eight years to bring the United States back on line.

It took Lunar a while to make the older generation believe that the planet was mending that it was actually pleasant to live in the United States, as in other parts of the world again, and one of theirs was U.S. President.

“Dad, crew,” she continued. “The world is at peace. The people of our country are finding new jobs. Martin Brusk is opening a dozen new space and electric car plants across the country. Other companies that had gone dormant for decades are returning to business, and jobs are being created. Only Russia and China still have a stand-off position against the rest of the world, but I believe that they will have to join the restructure of the planet one day.”

“What about Iran, North Korea, South America?” asked her father.

“Iran is working together with the rest of the Middle East as a unit. North Korea I believe was overtaken by South Korea, Japan and a few other countries while we were away. We haven’t really heard much from that area, but I know that the old dictatorship is gone, and the country is being organized by an interim control government from Canada. South America is also quiet, and I believe restructure is happening all around the world, except Russia and China. We had to fly out the entire Russian production system you had set up there, and now they are working in our base in Nevada, the island. Several of the smaller Russian companies we airlifted out are working with Martin Brusk in the Middle East.”

“If that is all happening down there, then we must make sure that it continues,” stated Ryan, excited.

“That is why we decided on two trade-fitted ships between Mars and Earth, Dad,” Lunar continued. “We NextGeners decided to fit out the ships as cargo vessels. Planet earth really needs what Mars has to offer, and vice versa. The next generation can go exploring in new ships if they want. We NextGeners are all pretty uninterested in any other planets than Mars at the moment.”

“The Rare Earth metals, and the quantities of them we saw in the molten gold from the
Matt
tunnel will need several cargo flights between the planets to move what we believe is there,” added Mars.

“Martin Brusk begged us to return with as much of the metals as we can ASAP,” stated Saturn. “It seems that Astermine, and the whole world now depends on these metals for modern electronic production.”

“And we have satellite communications again Commander,” added Jane Burgos. “I can’t remember what normal life was like on earth, but the people in Nevada seem to be very happy with what is going on.”

“Dad, they are even refitting out Nellis, your old Air Force Base, and Creech,” stated Shelly Saunders to her father who had once been the base commander at Nellis in Las Vegas.

“You should have seen where we ate lunch in Henderson, Dad,” continued Lunar. “We drove your cars with Sergeant Meyers, before he passed away, and he showed us this restaurant.”

Ryan was quite surprised that his daughters had met an old neighbor of his, and Lieutenant Walls was saddened by the death of his old number two. With Johnny, his grandson being killed, and then Sergeant Meyers passing, the lieutenant had lost family and friends while he had been asleep.

Saturn continued the three-hour long briefing describing the Australian island, Bob Mathews and fishing, Martin Brusk’s base in Tel Aviv, and the base back in Nevada.

Jonesy asked about his Gulfstream, and Saturn stated his aging aircraft was still flying and she had increased the hours by a hundred or so.

The eight-year rule of the United States of America with Joanne as president was then well described by Hillary Pitt. Hillary, who had followed her older sister’s progress since Penelope had left the Nevada base to follow her political dream, described the transition from a country on its knees to a country about to rebound. Penelope had kept close ties to her sister, and had often iMailed and or had videoed reports of success back to Nevada.

Michael and Penny Pitt were congratulated on their daughter’s success. Michael replied that it seemed that every one of the young crew they had left behind had done a superb job in their absence and the OldGeners gave the NextGeners a loud round of applause for the hard work.

It was time to head back to the orbital platform, and many of the older members stayed on the bridge to watch the mother ship heading back to an earth orbit, two days away.

Dr. Nancy had ordered the PA’s to not permit any drinking of alcoholic beverages for at least three days after awakening. The crew regained their strength and as earth filled the windows of the ship again, a party was held in the cafeteria on the third night. Bottles of Australian wine and cold beer were enjoyed by the crew, who didn’t appreciate what it did to their virgin-drinking heads the next morning.

A day later,
SB-IV
undocked from the mother ship and readied for her first flight to earth with half of the returning crew. Jonesy had been allowed by Ryan to get behind the flight console with Maggie for a short time to view the new ship’s systems, which were virtually exact to the old shuttle’s flight systems. Saturn was a little hesitant at first and had to explain any new controls added to
SB-IV
.

Once she was done, Saturn, with her father as co-pilot and flight instructor, took
SB-IV
back down to earth wrapped in the shuttle’s blue shield

Mars headed down with VIN and Suzi on the first flight, as did Lunar with Ryan and Kathy, Igor and Boris. The Burgos sisters with many of the older astronauts were happy to remain in charge of the mother ship docked at the orbital build platform, and would return with the second half of the crew once they were relieved.

Chapter 3
 
Ryan Richmond Takes Over Command of Astermine Co.

As usual the wheelchairs had to be used when the arriving crew were helped out of
SB-IV
by the ground crew who were ready for the return of the OldGeners. Dr. Nancy, and Captain Pete had been flown into the Nevada base for the occasion by Gary Darwin and Mark Price in the Jones family Gulfstream.

Ex-President Joanne, Roo and their two boys had arrived in a different aircraft, still being trailed by two secret service agents who were ordered by Joanne to stand down.

As usual Dr. Nancy with Joanne as her number two fussed over each crewmember as they were helped down the ship’s stairs one by one, and placed into a wheelchair once they had given them a hug.

To Ryan and the others Dr. Nancy had aged, so had Captain Pete and Joanne, as had many of the base crew they had worked with for decades before the cryogenic sleep. Dr. Nancy and her husband did look fit, tanned and healthy, but the age difference between the ones who had been asleep and the ones who hadn’t was startling. Only Ruler Roo looked the same as he did when they had said goodbye.

The pain of earth’s gravitational pull was worse than ever for the extremely weak bodies of the ones who had been asleep. It had been hard enough to walk around on
America Two
, then the orbital platform, and a few days in space hadn’t prepared them for the harshness of earth’s gravity.

Dr. Nancy made sure that their necks were held up vertically as they were carefully wheeled out of the hot sun and into the medical center. Ryan was wheeled in by Pluto Katherine who wasn’t allowed to introduce her father to her husband or his grandchild until the doctor declared it safe to do so.

“You guys look pale, but oh so young,” stated Dr. Nancy to Ryan while giving him a full flight medical. “I sometimes think that with what Pete and I went through getting back to earth, and the way you look Ryan, we all took the wrong road.”

“We can’t stop aging doc,” Ryan replied weakly. “We might have bought a few extra years, but I’m beginning to remember that I had many vivid dreams while I was asleep. I wonder if this cryogenic sleep might have changed our brains, or our thoughts?”

“Why do you say that?” asked the doctor, suddenly very interested.

“I don’t know but…. I feel different,” Ryan replied. “I feel less stressed for sure. I feel like I’ve just been on a long vacation, and ready for work. Actually I don’t know what I feel, it’s all so new. The growing up of Lunar and Pluto Katherine, and you and Pete. It is taking me a lot of brain power to fathom all this out. I was thinking up there on our return flight that the
Matts
like Commander Joot and Roo might be different to the warlike
Matts
we saw on the red planet due to generations of this “sleeping”. I feel very peaceful. Maybe this cryogenic sleep makes one more peaceful?”

“Something to consider, open your mouth Commander, and for me to start a research project on,” replied Dr. Nancy smiling. “Maybe Homo sapiens with warlike tendencies should be put to sleep, cryogenically of course.”

“It seems that we are going to go back and fight those guys for our right to habitat the red planet,” added Ryan once the doctor took the tongue depressor out of his mouth. “I was thinking that Jonesy should be checked out and a research study started on him to see if he has lost any of his cold humor?” Dr. Nancy agreed on that one.

As soon as Kathy and Ryan were wheeled out of the infirmary together, they saw the extensions of the Richmond family in the waiting room.

First they were introduced by their daughters to their new Australian sons-in-law, Mark Price and Gary Darwin and then to Lunar’s two boys, James Ryan Richmond Price who was seven and Mark Allen, a year younger. Pluto Katherine’s baby boy, Titan Gary Richmond Darwin was only a couple of months old and he was placed into Kathy’s arms.

Both Mark and Gary in Astermine astronaut flight suits, Ryan had noticed, had stood to attention and saluted upon meeting the Commander of Astermine. Ryan smiled, told them they were being stupid, and that he could say “Gooday” as well as anybody. Ryan held his arm out weakly for a handshake from each.

“Good-looking family Ryan,” stated VIN from a few feet away, he himself with his two young grandchildren.

“Saturn and Mars have two boys as well?” Ryan asked getting a formal handshake, and finally a hug from Lunar’s boys.

“Michael (Mikey) Victor Noble and Johnny Noble, named after Johnny Walls,” VIN replied. “Go on boys stand in line and shake hands with the boss, the big boss,” joked VIN nodding that they should introduce themselves to Ryan as Saturn and Mars looked on.

Jonesy and Maggie weren’t out of their checkups yet and sheepishly the two young Nobles stood in line and put out their hands.

“Michael Noble, known as Little Mikey, sir,” mumbled Little Mikey as he had his hand shook by Ryan from the wheelchair. Johnny was too shy to speak but held out his hand for a shake.

“That’s my new grandfather,” stated James, Lunar’s eldest son proudly to his buddy Little Mikey standing next to him, and who was a year younger than his best friend.

“That’s my new grandfather over there,” replied Mikey pointing at VIN who smiled back.

“You are supposed to have two new grandfathers,” James added. “Where is the other one?”

“Here,” stated Jonesy being wheeled out by Joanne at the same time as his wife Maggie.

“Mikey, he is a tall grandfather,” added James as they watched in awe as Jonesy first wobbled, and then managed to lift himself out of the wheelchair to stand up right in front of them.

“Yeah,” replied Little Mikey looking up at Jonesy as if he was the Empire State Building. “He sure is tall.”

“And your name is young man?” asked the tall grandfather to the little boy standing below him, and with everyone looking on.

“Michael Victor Noble, sir. Little Mikey for short. That’s my dad and mom over there,” he stated pointing towards Mars and Saturn. “That is my other grandfather” he added pointing to Jonesy’s partner, “and he is half metal.”

“That’s because he got half eaten by a space shark. I should know, he is my partner and I was there,” replied Jonesy looking down at the boy with a menacing stare.