One Day
One Day
approx year 10 after Breakaway
He really hoped she would come, and he believed there was a very good chance that she would. The children seemed to truly enjoy these evening events, and would usually bring indulgent parents and caretakers in tow, especially on special nights like tonight. The happiness on their small faces made him very glad that he had gone to such lengths to create this space that everyone was presently gathering within. Still, he reminded himself, he had best stay focused on his task at hand. It would simply not due to show Alpha that he had an infatuation for his section head’s wife.
******************
“Mum, when will we find our new home?” Sandra looked down at the silver-haired, green-eyed girl holding her hand as they walked down the corridor. She could see Alan in the tilt of her head, and the bright light in her eyes, but other than that, this tiny five year old girl was her own unique self. She looked more like her half-sister, Lysee, than any other Alphan, and even then only in coloration. Lysee was the daughter Maya had had by Alan and Lysee resembled her mother in all but her silver hair and green eyes.
“One day, Danae. We just have to keep looking.” Danae accepted Sandra’s standard answer this time, for a wonder. Sandra’s reprieve tonight was only because Danae and all the children were so looking forward to their time in the children’s cavern, as it was coming to be called. Danae saw the Verdeschi’s arriving from another direction, and with a glance for permission from Sandra, raced off ahead with a younger, though taller, Lysee at her side. Alan stepped up to fill Danae’s empty spot and the parents exchanged a look of amusement. Their two year old son Richard was happily sitting on his father’s shoulders and kicking his heels against Alan’s chest to go faster.
Like many compatible families across Alpha, the Koenig’s, Verdeschi’s and Carter’s were becoming increasingly inter-related. While not always true, these family groupings were often found within a section, which made juggling work schedules to help accommodate childcare needs a bit easier. Sandra helped to coordinate the childcare among their three families and usually included an off-shift babysitting schedule at the weekly Command Staff meeting. The crèche was always available, but not always preferable. And as the self-designated coordinator, Sandra could always make sure she and Alan had time together between his frequent missions.
Tonight it was the Carter clan’s turn to do ‘kid-duty,’ the rotating, weekly sleep-over where the children of all three families had a most wonderful time with much giggling and even, sometimes, a little sleep. Thank goodness it’s only once every three weeks, Sandra thought, although Alan always had a grand time and was included in all the childish games.
Alan and Tony led the way down the tunnel that led to the children’s cavern. Richard kept reaching up to try to touch the roof and only kept his precarious balance sitting on Alan’s shoulders with help from his father. Walking next to a very pregnant Maya, with Roberto in the middle happily holding hands with each woman, Sandra shook her head. That one will be a pilot, she thought watching her son, he has no sense of fear. As they entered the cavern, Roberto ran forward to join his best friend Stephen Koenig, and Richard also demanded to be put down to join the others.
Helena Russell walked up to the arriving adults with a smile on her lovely face. “Want to start a little early?” she asked Alan as her eight month old daughter happily held her arms out to him. That was like asking a child if he wanted an extra cookie for dessert.
“Yeah, certainly,” said a smiling Alan. “Come here, little love,” and he scooped up the golden haired baby who had inherited her mother’s green eyes. His hands almost entirely surrounded the baby’s torso as he held her snugly and gently twirled her around to the girl’s delight.
John Koenig passed the baby kit to Sandra. “He never seems to get enough of them, does he?” Koenig asked rhetorically of Sandra. She simply shook her head in agreement as she watched the Commander and Helena go and find a spot against the back wall that had a good view as well as a modicum of privacy. She continued to look around and saw Tony helping a laughing Maya sit down. Maya looked magnificently pregnant; she never seemed to have any of the problems that Sandra had with a Psychon-human fetus.
Standing quietly near the entrance Sandra watched more of Alpha’s children arrive down the sloping tunnel. Not all of the thirty-seven children would come this time, but she expected a good turn-out just the same.
"Shhhhh" ordered Jackie Crawford as he worked on situating the smaller children to his satisfaction. Nine years old, he was the acknowledged head of Alpha’s little band of children. There was great excitement in the air as pilot Kevin Taylor and the children had prepared a special treat for the grown-ups. Thinking through his options, Jackie knew better than to separate Danae Carter and Lysee Verdeschi, if he tried the five and four-year-old silver-haired sisters would set up a really loud fuss. He made sure the four and a half-year-olds Roberto Verdeschi and Stephen Koenig were near each other, but not near the girls, as they would whisper too much. Adam Collins and Michael Cohen, both five, usually allowed little Richard Carter to tag along, so they were good together. Oh, and he had to make sure four-year-old Victoria Fraser would be near the Storyteller, as her hearing loss made it tough for her to hear him otherwise. Eight other children arrived while he was arranging the first set, but he had them quickly settled. He usually kept three-year-old David Koenig, as well as little two-year-olds Rachel Collins and Etienne Fraser near him, just in case they needed to be taken to their parents quickly. Jackie nodded with satisfaction and gave one final admonitory glance to each child present, and then took his seat and allowed the parents to sit where they chose on the ground behind them. Although he worked very hard to be as calm as the grown-ups, he was terribly excited, too.
The room grew quiet as the already dim light dimmed further into shadows. It was dark and cool, the new flickering ‘torches’ hanging on the rough-hewn moon rock walls were made out of crinkly polymer-coated rechargeable lights sticks, and were a contribution from Manufacturing. While the cavern had been in use for the past couple of years, the wall paintings and lighting were new in the past few weeks. Sandra saw the Commander look curiously around and then share a glance with Helena just as she felt Alan reach out and take her hand. She felt him shiver, but not from simple cold she thought. From what Alan had told her in the past, she rather suspected that the three were recalling that time they had been trapped in fourteenth century Scotland. Helena had returned dreadfully ill and Alan had been more than a little singed. Sandra squeezed Alan’s hand reassuringly, but had to quickly let go when the inquisitive Eliza Russell-Carter tried to crawl out of her father’s lap and had to be quickly scooped back up. Sandra knew that Helena was glad she had finally had a daughter, and knew the doctor suspected that Eliza might be her last child. Sandra had hopes for quite a few more children, if the situation on Alpha allowed.
The ‘campfire’ built in a depression in the center of the circle of children was a clever imitation made out of polymer-coated Eagle bits, cellophane flames and fiber optics. Recorded fire snaps and hisses that Sandra had found in Alpha’s extensive data stores added to the illusion.
The audience gradually quieted, and in that moment when children and adults were completely still, sounds could be faintly heard. Slowly, gradually, the sounds of wind whispering through pine trees, the distant burble of a brook and, to the lone Australian’s surprise, the distant haunting sound of a didgeridoo were just sensed in the background. The painted animals on the cavern walls, reminiscent of France’s cave of Lascaux, seemed to move in the flickering lights. Overhead, pinpoint ‘stars’ seemed to wink and twinkle in an impossible collection of constellations: Pegasus, Orion, Leo, the Southern Cross and several known only to Maya.
From the back of the cavern, seeming to appear out of nowhere, a tall, lanky form with long, dark braids and wearing Reconnaissance orange, appeared by the fire. There was a collective gasp from the children. The Storyteller had arrived.
Kevin Taylor, a member of the Ojibwa tribe from Canada, was an accidental Alphan. He was a talented pilot who had received a special posting to the European Space Agency and had then been loaned out to the Lunar Commission. He had been the back-up pilot on duty September 9th, 1999 and had been called up when the assigned co-pilot had reported ill. He and senior pilot Judith Resnik had had the honor of delivering Commander John Koenig to an Alpha under siege by a mysterious ‘virus.’ Once on Alpha, his plans for a quiet two-day layover were cancelled when every available pilot was pressed into duty to help cope with the growing crises at NDA’s 1 and 2. On September 13th, he had been one of the lucky ones to make it back to Alpha just as NDA 2 blew itself apart. Judith had not.
Kevin delighted in this new generation of Alphans. He would leave to others the important task of teaching the science and maths needed to keep their home functioning. Kevin wanted to gift the children with a little bit of magic… the belief in more than just the white, sterile walls of their temporary refuge. The children’s chamber under Alpha had been one of those opened up by the Moonquake five years ago. It was nothing like the wigwam he and his cousins had spent summers in back in Ontario, where his grandfather and great-grandfather had told the migration stories in the native language and had taught them how to live in the forests. That world, that tribe, and that history were most likely dead. But, for Kevin’s purposes, the spirit of what he wanted to preserve was here, the tradition of oral history would be passed on and his generation’s struggles would be remembered. One day, Kevin hoped to add to the steadily growing number of children in front of him, but first he had to find a mate. He unobtrusively looked around the cavern as the children again settled down. Captain Carter and Sandra were seated behind young Richard. For just a moment, his memories again flitted back nine years, and….
Kevin had developed an interest in a young woman, but had been too reserved for too long. Another had pressed his suit and had won. He recalled that first shift he had sat as Eagle Ops officer in the then new Command Center. It had also been the first time he had sat watch with the primary, day shift complement. Koenig had been present and had been his usual intense self. Kevin respected the leader and accepted his mannerisms as his way to cope with Alpha’s incredible situation. Paul Morrow’s abrupt absence had left an opening that had been assigned to the brash young security chief. Tony Verdeschi’s personality simply rubbed Kevin the wrong way, so he politely ignored the senior officer unless duty required otherwise. Science Officer Lew Picard also seemed uncertain of Tony.
As Kevin had watched the day’s interactions among the Command Staff, he had realized how much the balance and harmony of the command team was off. Everyone seemed to keep expecting someone now gone to walk through the door.
Around the Data Analysis console there had been a wall of grief no one seemed willing to cross. He knew Sandra Benes had been involved with Paul Morrow, and now, a month after his loss, seemed to be fading away. Kevin had decided that perhaps a friend was needed. He had waited to speak with her until after Ray Torens had reported for the night watch duty. After he had finished the brief sign-over, he had looked up to find that Sandra had slipped away. As he walked toward the door, Kevin had caught a glimpse of an orange-sleeved pilot ahead of him determinedly following Sandra to the residential section. He hadn’t seen the Captain arrive.
… Kevin often wondered how different his life might have been if he had simply spoken up a few moments earlier on that day.
The flickering ‘torches,’ twinkling ‘stars’ and recorded background woods noises helped make this night even more magical than usual. The children were mesmerized by the story of how their home was torn free from Earth, and would listen intently to the story as if they had not already heard it a dozen dozen times before. To them, this was an almost mythical event, although the older ones knew that their parents had actually lived through this amazing tale. In telling and retelling the story, Kevin had almost developed it into a formal chant, but not quite. The chant did not have the same rhythm in English as it would have in his native Anishinaabemowin, but since English was the official language on Alpha, he would adapt. There were turns of phrases that were still awkward and that did not completely evoke the feelings of that momentous time. Luckily, his young audience was a forgiving one and never tired of the story. He knelt down and sat cross-legged to bring his head down closer to the children. To clear his mind for this retelling, he took a few moments to gaze at the ‘stars’ overhead. He would get it right eventually.
Two weeks ago… “Do you want random ‘stars’ or constellations?” Sandra asked Kevin as she started to lay out in her mind where the electronics would need to be placed to provide the proper power for the fiber optics.
The cavern was beginning to approach what Kevin had envisioned as a place to teach the children their own special heritage. A mining team had fashioned a domed ceiling for the roughly twelve meter wide circular room and, at his request, had left the floor irregular and rough. Kevin put down the containers of vegetable-based pigments he was carrying and regarded Sandra. “Both, I think. These children will never see Earth, or Psychon for that matter.” Sandra nodded her agreement to that. They truly had no idea where they were in relation to the homeworlds.
Sandra smiled at Kevin, “One day, they will have to name new constellations.” Sandra was backing up slowly, imagining where each ‘constellation’ would best belong, when she stumbled and fell, twisting to land very hard on her hands and knees. Her head hit the ground. Kevin sprinted over to her and reached an arm around her middle to help her up. Placing a steadying arm around her shoulders, his heart skipped a beat when Sandra put her hand on his arm and leaned against him, briefly stunned by the hard landing. Kevin took a deep breath. It was the only time he had ever touched her.
“Sahn, you still down here?” came the reverberating voice of Alan Carter down the tunnel, a bare moment before the Captain appeared in person. Given the look of pained confusion on Sandra’s face, Kevin feared that the situation might be misconstrued. He had seen the Captain’s temper and did not want it directed against him. Especially when nothing had happened outside of his imagination. He was uncertain if the Captain knew of the smothered affection he held for the woman in his arms. He hoped not. Briefly describing what happened, Kevin gently passed Sandra over to her rightful and worried husband and took a step back. Unclipping his commlock, Kevin felt a wistful sadness as he watched the Captain effortlessly pick Sandra up in his arms, whispering reassurances in her ear.
Taking a quick look at the cables on the ground that Sandra had brought with her, Carter said, “I’ll see if Yasko can come help you.” He then pivoted on his heel and walked swiftly up the tunnel.
“Taylor to Medical Center. Sandra Benes is enroute…”
He understood the Captain’s concern. As he had lifted Sandra to her feet, he had felt the subtle fullness under her jacket. Sandra Benes was pregnant.
The Story of Breakaway finished as it always did, with Koenig’s pledge to find a new home. The children sighed with contentment. Through the shadows, Kevin could just see the sad faces of adults; he, too, could feel the presence of dead friends.
Kevin sat down on his heels, the cue for the children to relax and listen carefully. On this night, for the first time, they listened to sounds from Earth…. at first very distant and almost just imagined, but then slowly drawing closer and clearer, echoing and surrounding the chamber… the screams of eagles over the Rockies, the roar of Niagara Falls, the thunder of an herd of African antelope, the pounding of ocean surf, the winds across the Siberian Tundra, the susurrus of an Amazonian rainstorm.... and more, all magical sounds to the children. Many adults shed quiet tears. Sandra had done the job requested of her very well, indeed.
One week ago…Kevin helped the last child clean his paintbrush and put it up carefully to dry. Roberto should, hopefully, clean up as easily. Kevin really did not need the Security Chief scowling at him because his son was wearing war paint. The handprints and animals painted on the lower walls had an honest, child-like quality. Roberto’s quadruped was among the more recognizable, but then his mother, Maya, had modeled a horse for him. Apparently, pregnancy did not stop the metamorph from shapechanging. But, thought Kevin, what happened to the unborn child? Kevin hadn’t understood the odd look Alan had cast on Maya’s equine form when he had arrived to pick up Danae and Richard. Although the Ojibwa did not traditionally keep horses, he thought the palomino mustang was quite handsome.
“How’s Sandra, Captain?”
“Fine. The obstetric nurse checked her over a few times and cleared her. Thanks for your help.”
Kevin simply nodded.
“She plans on coming down with Yasko in a day or so to help finish the wiring,” Alan looked bemusedly at the tangle of fiber optic lines tracing patterns all over the cavern floor. Sandra would make quick work of the mess.
“You needn’t worry, Captain; I’ll make sure all she does is supervise and point.”
“Thanks, mate. I’d appreciate you watching out for her.”
Kevin nodded again. Just perhaps, the men had reached an unspoken agreement, of sorts.
Later, alone in the silence of the cavern, Kevin took the remaining paints and created a forest of animals running free and proud around the upper perimeter of the cavern. He stepped back and regarded his work, lowering the lights to see the effect better. Yes, it would do. He looked forward to the next family gathering. The children, even the very young, could already repeat much of the Story of Breakaway, and the Story of Cellini and the Dragon was becoming popular, too. Soon, he would have to ask the Captain, and maybe even the Commander, about Arra. There was a Story that needed to be told…
At the end of the sounds from Earth, Kevin nodded to the children and stood from his kneeling position. He moved to the center of the circle, next to the fire. With eyes-closed, he stood straight and proud, the earthtones of his jacket hiding all of the Reconnaissance orange except for the collar. The children’s anticipation was palpable. Kevin started to tap his heel in a slow beat that was picked up in the muted thumping of each child’s hands on the lunar ground, even the youngest helping to maintain the rhythm.
Eyes still closed. Kevin started a slow pivot so that he faced each of the older children in turn. In his clear tenor, a lyrical chant began:
'One day… We'll find our new home, One day…' led the adult voice, guiding, then Jackie stood, '…I'll see clouds in a sky,' Jackie chanted in a boyish soprano then sat down. 'On our new Alphan home,' chanted the other high, childish voices.
'One day…' prompted Kevin, the children echoing him quietly as Danae stood to reply, '…I'll see a sparkly rainbow,' 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day…' '…I'll feel a nice warm breeze,' said Lysee, 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day…' '… I'll see a grand waterfall,' said Stephen, 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day…' '…I'll feel the rain fall,' said Roberto, 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day…' '…I'll play on a beach,' said Michael, 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day…' '…I'll climb a tall tree,'' said Adam, 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day…' '…I'll light a real candle,' said Victoria as the circle was completed, 'On our new Alphan home.'
'One day… We'll see a sunset… On our new Alphan home,' the children concluded in unison.
The chant came to a close and the quiet thumping faded into the distance; there were tears glistening on the upturned face of Kevin Taylor.
Like the other adults present, Alan and Sandra sat entranced, with lumps in their throats and tears in their eyes. The shadows lifted and the children were silently dismissed to rejoin their families. Danae slowly walked up to Sandra, and with a wisdom beyond her brief five years, wiped a tear from her mother’s face and wrapped her small arms around her in a tight hug. .
******************
As he stood very still in the remaining shadows in the back of the cavern, Kevin watched a smiling Sandra reach out for the Captain’s hand. The grinning Australian pulled her to his side for a quick hug and kiss and then herded his scampering extended family up the tunnel to return to the realities of life on Alpha. Even in his most private thoughts, Kevin never wished ill on the Captain. Alan Carter was simply too honorable and too important to Alpha and its survival. And as much as he might wish otherwise, Sandra seemed to truly love her husband. Perhaps, he might still find someone who would look at him the way Sandra looked at her husband. One day.
The Storyteller turned to clean up what little mess there was. He restarted the recorded sounds of his lost homeworld and turned the lights down to a bare minimum. He stretched out on his back and watched the painted animals dance, eventually falling asleep, dreaming of the stars of home.
No one could foresee the influence one quiet man was to have on the future of Alpha.
MGK