Midnight Stroll

Breakaway + 4 years, 1 month

Sandra simply couldn't sleep. After a month of nights curling into the warmth and affection offered by Alan, an empty bed was simply that... empty. With Alan away on a routine 60-hour long range scouting mission along Alpha's trajectory, Sandra had returned to her own quarters to sleep. Turning fitfully, it seemed that the walls echoed hollowly in his absence. It was 0200 and Alan's Eagle was due to land at 0500. He had promised her a breakfast in bed when he returned, but right now food was truly the last thing on her mind.

Resigned to another sleepless night, she got out of bed and dressed. She chose her oldest uniform, the one made soft by repeated washings. She shook out the top and smoothed the creases in the sleeves, lingering slightly longer on the left. And to think yellow had been her favorite color once, long ago. While the color-fast fabrics didn't fade all that much, there was a sort of worn familiarity to this one uniform that made it the closest thing she owned to casual wear. She had removed all the patches and allowed the elastic to stretch slightly. She sighed as she slipped on the skirt and tunic; what she wouldn't give for one pair of jeans and a cotton shirt.

Standing in her quarters she looked around the small space. Needlework did not interest her, nor did reading. She was just too restless. This place no longer felt like 'hers.' In fact, many of her personal items had already migrated to Alan's piece by piece. Her place now was wherever Alan was, and although he did not say it, she knew he preferred his quarters. It took but a moment to make her bed and pick up the few items left lying about. Still feeling very unsettled, she wrapped her belt about her narrow waist, clipped on her commlock and decided to go for a walk.

The corridors were empty and the lights dimmed. Her soft bootsteps echoed against the walls. Living on Alpha with its artificial environment was slowly, inevitably becoming the 'norm'. The white walls, unrelenting rectilinear proportions and static sterility were simply how it was. Just about every Alphan, being selected for space duty as they all were, had found it in within him or herself to adapt. Still, everyone went just a little batty for the feel of fresh air, breezes, and color. Helena tried to combat this 'green sickness' with full spectrum lighting as well as regular duty rotations through hydroponics, and, Sandra knew, the judicious use of medicines, but still...

Sandra wandered aimlessly down corridors only once passing a security guard on his rounds. She nodded her head in passing, her seniority keeping him from making any inquires. She really paid no attention to where she walked, her thoughts a disorganized jumble.  There was little threat of being attacked or mugged, after all. One of the benefits of living in such a closed society where everyone was known and constantly monitored by Computer, she mused.

After a while, she found herself standing outside the doors of the place where she frequently found refuge. At least, before Alan had become such a constant presence in her life. Pulling off her commlock, she opened the doors. The circulating air gently pushed passed her like a breeze and she reached up to brush the hair out of her eyes. Taking in the wonderful scent of green, she entered the biodome with a small smile on her face.

~~~~~~~~

Alan ran practiced eyes over the instruments and monitors in front of him. Everything was at as should be. He tried to stifle the yawn he felt, failing miserably. Only two hours out from Alpha, but it seemed a hell of a long time.

A movement from his right caught his attention. Kevin Taylor was quietly running his own checks. Alan granted that the younger man was an excellent pilot and a solid officer. That he was a dull as a clod of earth couldn't really be considered his fault. Even so, Alan much preferred flying with Bill or Tony. They at the very least could carry on a decent conversation. In two-and–a half-days, Kevin had said maybe a dozen words not related to flying. Maybe.

Tony might not have started out as one of the regular pilots, but his extensive flight training in the Italian Air Force had been a godsend when it came time to scrounge every pilot possible. And it hadn't taken him long to become Eagle certified.  He could certainly keep up a good conversation. Even David Kano had revealed his civilian flight skills back in the beginning of all this and had eventually passed muster. He'd certainly talked more than Kevin, but Alan thought he preferred Kevin's silence to David's technical yammering. God rest his soul.

His thoughts drifted back to Sandra, as they tended to these days. He could so easily remember the feel of her skin against his as he'd made love to her the night before leaving. Her hands could work magic as they caressed his body, touching and rubbing and... careful there, Carter.

Alan sat up straighter and shook her arms and shoulders to get the blood moving to where it should be and away from where it had been headed. After another quick review of the controls he relaxed again. He wondered if there would be time this morning before Sandra had to report of duty. He could wake her up with kisses. Long, deep, sensuous ones he knew Sandra would reciprocate. In fact, she'd met all his needs and exceeded them. Alan chuckled. He was hard pressed to keep up with her on some nights. They both seemed set on making up for lost time.

"How is Sandra doing, Captain?"

"Eh?" Alan pulled his thoughts back from woolgathering. Were his daydreams that obvious now?

"Sandra's flight training?"

"Oh, yeah. She's just about got the manual down to rights. If we had a simulator she'd be ready for that, but I guess I'll just take her up in an Eagle next week or so and let her have her first go at one."

There was the usual conversational lull and Alan's thoughts again drifted to things other than flight training.

"I would be happy to help."

"What? I'm sorry, Kevin." Alan pulled his thoughts out of the bedroom and re-positioned them back on the flight controls where they belonged. It was probably a damn good thing Tony or John weren't flying with him just now. They'd razz him for sure.

"If you need help teaching Sandra how to fly, I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks, mate. I'll remember that." Yeah, right. And it would be a breezy day on the moon's surface before Alan let anyone else teach Sahn.

~~~~~~~~

Sandra strolled along the moon-gravel pathways. Although it was very dim, she knew her way well and didn't misstep off the paths onto tender plants. The air was thick with the scent of apple blossoms, and the branches with their gently rustling leaves waving in the artificial breeze were almost hypnotic. In truth, the biodome was not very large, but was so very well laid out and the plants now mature enough that there was a real sense of privacy. Even those plants damaged by the freeze at Arkadia had had time to recover. One could almost pretend she was back on Earth in an outside garden, or perhaps a greenhouse. That was, until you looked up and through the thick 'glass' roof.

Sandra found her favorite place and sat down on a patch of thick, plush grass next to a small pond with a recirculating fountain at one end. She smoothed her skirt around her legs and leaned back against the contoured boulder placed there for just that purpose. Across the water, a stand of tall grasses, a type of seed grain that had spontaneously mutated to grow tall but without seed-heads, shielded her from the door. The dark shadows cast by the waving grasses, the soft splashes of water off the rocks and the flickering movements in the water were soothing. She could almost believe she was in the Canadian prairie province of Saskatchewan, a lovely place she had occasionally visited with her mother. Only the flickering presence of lightening bugs was missing. Breathing in the green scents slowly and contentedly, finally, Sandra lost her restlessness. She smiled as she dipped her fingers in the water and felt the usual bumpings and nudgings against her wet skin.

"I am sorry, I did not remember to bring anything with me this time."

She sat and watched the large fish as they jostled each other in the water, slipping into an exhausted trance for an unmeasured peaceful time. The sound of a human cough jolted her back to alertness.

"Who is there?"

"Sandra?"

From around the corner of the wisteria arbor, another yellow-sleeved woman walked carrying a computer tablet pad. Sandra could see the dim bluish glow from the screen indicating it was in use. Her eyes had adjusted well enough to the darkness that she could see it was Sister Betty, the Catholic nun who had been on a short-term assignment to Alpha at Breakaway.

Sister Betty had struggled to find a place for herself in those first few months after they left Earth, and finally found her new calling as Alpha's archivist. She still helped the psychiatric service providing pastoral counseling when requested, but most of her time was spent delving into and sorting through the incredible hodgepodge of material that was, quite literally, under their feet in the catacombs. The Global War of 1987 had spurred a cultural preservation drive that had resulted in large part in what surviving Terran legacy Alpha could claim.

"I thought I heard someone enter, but chalked it up to my imagination." With a glance for permission, Sister Betty sat down next to Sandra and turned off the pad. The brown-haired, brown-eyed woman of about fifty crossed her legs at the ankles, with only a momentary pause to accommodate stiff joints. "Who were you speaking to?"

Sandra smiled. "Ethel and Fred." She gestured to the pond where the goodly-sized fish still swam near the surface, not yet giving up hope for a middle of the night snack.

Sister Betty looked closer. "Fish? I didn't know there were fish in here. Hmm.  They don't look like the type they grow over in the farms, do they?"

"They are Oscars. Alan rescued them shortly after Breakaway. These are two of the original survivors from the tank he found hidden in one of the pilot's quarters."

"They almost act like they're waiting on something, the way they're swimming there right next to you."

"They are. I usually bring them a few crackers, but I forgot tonight. The bright orange one is Ethel. The dark red one is Fred." Sandra smiled down at the begging fish.

Sister Betty looked surprised at that. "They have names?"

"No, not really. It is just how I tell them apart."

Sister Betty thought for a moment. "Are they named after..."

"I Love Lucy. Yes. It was one of the television shows that always aired no matter where my mother and I visited as I was growing up. I must have heard it dubbed into a dozen languages. They were like friends who were always about."

Sister Betty laughed gently as she considered the younger woman. Although Betty frequently suffered from bouts of sleeplessness, she couldn't recall ever crossing paths with Sandra at this hour of the night unless she was on duty. "I didn't know you suffered from insomnia, too. Or is there some other reason you are up at the unholy hour but not on duty?"  She was amused to see Sandra blush.

"I could not sleep."

"Ahh." Sister Betty chose to let it go. Sandra could bring up any concerns if she chose to. "Well then, I am glad to have run into you. I've stumbled across something interesting and am not quite sure what to make of it. You might be able to help."   She turned her pad back on and called up a file and then passed it to Sandra.

Sandra took the pad, shook the sleepy cobwebs from her brain and focused on the screen in front of her. She tapped the controls to page down several times, and then scrolled back up. It was what appeared to be the third and fourth chapters of a novel written in a non-English language, but with gaps scattered throughout the paragraphs so that reading it was difficult. In mild surprise, Sandra realized it was in truth English, even British English, the passages present were filled with erroneous punctuation marks scattered in place of the proper quotes, commas and periods. In fact, it appeared to be an intriguing story about wizards and broomsticks.

Sister Betty waited patiently until Sandra looked up for clarification. "I uncovered it as I was sorting through files. I discovered a whole section of them clustered in an organizational pattern that I didn't recognize, and when I tried to open them I initially just found gibberish. I was about to set it aside when I recognized a list in what appeared to be German. It took a little while, and some guesswork, but it turned out to be the German Youth Literature Award of 2007. Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, although I doubt it's pronounced quite that way.

"I dug a little more and found working links to stories in other languages.  They appear to be written for all age groups, but mostly children and young adults."

Sandra paused in her review and looked up to Sister Betty. "Did you say 2007?"

Sister Betty nodded. "2007. Yes. And I've found books with dates published as late as 2018. Once might be a mistake, twice a coincidence, but it appears many of these stories was published after we left Earth."

Sandra was now fully awake and thinking furiously. Where would they, could they, have come from? "What languages are they in?" She accessed files in a rapid sequence as Sister Betty looked on.

"Most are in English, many in German and an oriental language I believe is Japanese, some in Spanish and Italian. A few even in Arabic."

Sandra realized finally what was bothering her about the pattern of missing information. With a few more commands she quickly reviewed the source code. Without looking up she explained her finding. "The coding, it is not Alphan standard. It is close enough for Computer to recognize most, but not all the commands."  

Sandra returned to the stories. The one in front of her, even with all the gaps and misplaced question marks, was very interesting indeed. The thought of new stories, perhaps even technical books and journals was enough to almost make her dizzy. Tentatively she asked, "Sister Betty, how extensive are..."

The nun smiled broadly, recognizing the hunger of a fellow bibliophile. "Very, very extensive.  If we can repair the damage and recover the missing pieces." She found herself no longer able to remain detached.  In an earnest tone she asked, "Sandra, do you think we might be able to?"

"David Kano could have, almost assuredly. But, yes, I believe we have a fair chance. The coding looks very familiar, almost as if it is from another generation of programming. Similar, but altered, perhaps refined."

Sandra turned off the tablet and leaned back against the boulder. Her thoughts were almost literally in a freefall. "But where did they come from?"

Sister Betty once again had to smile at the younger woman's obvious frustration. "Perhaps, Providence?"

Sandra had no ready answer to that. After sharing fruitless speculations, Sandra realized it was almost 0430. The almost magical discoveries in the biodome had revitalized her and she was ready to surprise Alan upon his arrival. Excusing herself from Sister Betty, she walked over to the commpost tucked out of the way and confirmed Eagle 1 was due to land at Pad 4 and that the arrival was anticipated for 0510. With light steps and a growing joy for new potentials she left the biodome behind.

~~~~~~~~

The Eagle powered down and Alan prepared for routine disembarkation, Kevin doing more than his fair share of the tasks. Maya, John and the others could look over the data they'd accumulated and decide if there was anything out there worth a go. Alan sure didn't think so. And there certainly didn't seem to be any threats. He planned to check in and then pick up that breakfast he'd promised Sandra. Maybe he could even talk her into sharing a morning shower, or better still...

As soon as the safety indicator turned green, Alan hit the toggle to open the doors to the boarding tube. The men entered the shuttle to return to the embarkation area. In short order, the shuttle doors opened to the dim room lit mostly by the starlight filtering in through the viewports. They exited the shuttle and as the doors behind them closed, almost immediately found themselves in shadows.

"Captain, Is there anything else you need?

Alan pivoted casually to find Kevin's brown Amerind face politely schooled as he waited to be dismissed.

"No, that's everything. Go get some rest."

"Yes, sir."

Alan noticed Kevin looking past his shoulder and into the dim room behind him. There was an odd look in Kevin's eyes. Alan turned to see what had caught his attention and suddenly found his arms full of warm woman. Holding her tightly, he nonetheless stayed alert until Kevin left the room. The look on Kevin's face had been of a man bewitched.

~~~~~~~~

Sandra's heart soared as the Eagle landed. She could barely contain herself as the necessary time passed for the Eagle to be prepped for return to the hanger. She would have paced except that was not in her nature. Instead, she counted to a hundred by threes, fours and then sixes. Realizing what she was doing, Sandra smiled at the thought of what her father might have said for using his old calming trick when all she truly wanted was to find herself in Alan's arms. She turned as the boarding shuttle's doors finally opened and she saw Alan silhouetted against the light.

~~~~~~~~

"Sandra?"

She melted against him and pulled his head down for a kiss. While his eyes told him the color of the sleeve was probably yellow or orange, his body had no doubt that it was Sandra he held. His fatigue faded as his ardor rose, not too mention other things. She felt so very good pressed against him. Finally they separated slightly for air.

"Sahn, what are you doing here?"

"I could not sleep so I went for a walk. I visited the biodome for a while. Alan, Sister Betty has discovered..."

Alan held her closely as he kissed her face, her cheeks and finally her lips. He really didn't care what Sister Betty had found. And he wished he knew for certain that Kevin had left the premises. That was an unexpected complication.

"So, what were doing in the biodome, love?" His voice whispered against her ear as he slipped hands under her tunic and tried to reach soft, warm skin. He felt like quite the horny teenager and was enjoying every minute of it. A quick look around the room seemed to find they were alone. He could hear Sandra say something, but didn't really bother to focus on the words as he ran appreciative hands down her slim, enticing form.

Sandra went rambling on for a while which was unusual enough for her, but Alan remained too distracted to pay attention. He thought he might have caught a flicker of movement back by the door. He casually turned both of them so he could face that way as he continued to kiss Sandra's neck.

"Alan, have you checked in?"

"Hmmm?"

"Have you logged in? And when is your debriefing?"

"No and I don't care."

Sandra chuckled as they kissed. She reached up to run light fingers against his stubbly chin and then held his face between her hands, eyes laughing at his expression.

"Do so and then we can go get breakfast."

"Don't want breakfast." Alan stole one more kiss but then took Sandra's hand in his and led the way to the ready room. No one seemed to be around. Must have simply been his tired imagination playing tricks. Alan pulled Sandra down on a bench to continue what she had interrupted with her annoyingly practical questions. He managed to get one more kiss out of Sandra, not to mention a good feel or two, before she stood and pulled him up beside her.

"Check in, now."

Alan grinned down at her and caved in to the inevitable. He walked over to the commpost and pressed the button for the direct link to Command Center.

"Carter to Command Center."

"Yes, Alan." Alibe's voice had that 0530 droopy quality.

"Eagle 1 is safely down, you can download the info."

"Good, I'll do so. And I'll have the day shift relay when the Commander wants to meet with you."

"Right, thanks." Alan watched Alibe cover a yawn. "Hey there, try to stay awake." With a grin, Alan closed the channel. He reached out an arm and gathered Sandra to him and whispered his requests for some quality time together. She readily agreed.

~~~~~~~~

By 0600, Alan and Sandra found themselves back in his quarters enjoying the quick breakfast they had picked up on the way over. A hot meal and a cup of coffee gave Alan the calories he needed for a second wind. With that, he pulled a willing Sandra into the shower with him and then back to bed where the time to 0730 passed very quickly indeed.

epilogue...

Sister Betty's discovery was temporarily pushed aside in the press of the simple joy of being together as a couple and then Sandra's learning how to fly an Eagle. The siren call of new books to read, however, did finally exert itself and Sandra helped piece together the damaged files. But it would be years later before Alan, and indeed all of Alpha, also discovered the unbelievable secrets hidden within Sister Betty's most unusual find.

24 August 2006

MKG