The club pulsed with a steady beat that made me feel like I was at the center of a giant heart.
The club pulsed with a steady beat that made me feel like I was at the center of a giant heart.The club pulsed with a steady beat that made me feel like I was at the center of a giant heart. It was the only thing allowing me to keep my sanity; focusing on the beat. Though I'll admit having been off world for 8 years settling Kepler-425b, being in the quiet tranquility of an alien world I actually missed the noise and the suffocating crowds. But I was there for a reason. A reason that created a tightening in my chest. I saw her in the corner with a few drinking buddies. In the dim light she didn't look so old. That face that rarely smiled and eyes of steel caught me in their line of sight. As a child to be caught in that sight would make me gulp involuntarily.
Nevertheless I had a job to do. Summoning all my courage I made my way through the crowd to Captain Elena Petrov's table surrounded by her airforce buddies.
"Well...," Captain Petrov addressed me with dry humor, "look who finally decided to come home. Welcome back to Earth, Dr. Anastasia Langhorn."
"Hi, mom." Mom wasn't a word I felt comfortable using when visiting Eleanor. I only referred to her as my "mother" on forms and next of kin.
* * * * *
"Sit down and have a drink, Anastasia," Elena beckoned with a casual wave of her hand.
"This isn't a social call, Elena," I crossed my arms. "And it's not Anastasia anymore it's Anna."
"For God sakes unclench, Ana, and have a drink with us!" Elena's buddies chuckled. I stood firm. I wasn't about to let Elena order me around like I was some kid anymore. I was 32 and already a respected scientist of alien flora and fauna. Seeing my stubborness was not going to relent Elena shrugged.
"So how's life on Kepler? Boring I suspect," Elena and her comrades laughed.
"I was ordered to fetch you," I said.
"Fetch me? For what?"
"You're going to Kepler-425b."
"Damn, Petrov," said one her friends, "who did you piss off to get sent to that big rock?"
"Hell if I know," Elena retorted. So I wouldn't have to get into a serious argument that I wasn't in the mood for and saw coming I opened my tablet and showed her the email that was sent her summonings. I will admit the look of anger on her face at being summoned after retirement gave me some satisfaction but that was short lived.
* * * * *
Earth was becoming a shadow of it's former self. After the violent climate changes, over population, and riots over rations the whole planet looked like a third world country made worse by Russia and China's alliance against the Northern Hemisphere; that is if you were the 99% or were lucky enough to be born in a walled city or a dome. The United States had become a much smaller place as well as the rest of the world where lines on the map had been redrawn. Martial law was the only law unless you lived in New Athens, a peaceful island of scholars, scientists, artists, and philosphers. I visited it once and found an oasis in a wasteland. My mother thought of the people of New Athens as hippies and tree huggers but then humanity began looking towards the stars for salvation. I was one of the first who were assigned to help settle a few exoplanets in the Milky Way Galaxy.
The morning we were set to relaunch on the Rubicon back to Kepler-425b I was more than ready to leave this forsaken world behind. Russia and China were demanding access to the Northern Coalition's Exoplanet program and threatening world war 4. Given that Elena Petrov was born in Russia occupied Ukraine her purpose on this mission was to show concord between warring nations.
I was born in the Fort of Las Vegas. I took my father's last name and used my middle name when I joined the airforce. I wanted nothing to do with my Russian heritage.
"Good Morning, Comrade," Daniel teased in a comical Russian accent.
"Damn it, Daniel Williams, that's not funny," I hit him in the arm. He was mostly muscle but he feigned an injury. He always knew how to make me laugh. A tall African American sergeant in the Northern Coalition Air Force. People called us Salt and Pepper or Ebony and Ivory because we seemed joined at the hip. They teased us and we laughed but when you spend as much time with someone as we had the lines of friendship blur and suddenly you're engaged.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile since you were ordered to bring your mother aboard the Rubicon to Kepler."
"If your mother was The Iron Maiden then you'd be in the same miserable boat I'm in." Daniel kissed me on the cheek to make amends.
I was checking inventory when I heard Daniel say, "Speaking of which here comes the Iron Maiden now."
I turned to see my mother leading a pack of Russian cosmonauts and Chinese scientists to the ship. My stomach clenched. She looked like a warrior queen leading her army. Daniel held my hand giving it a gentle squeeze.
Elena stopped in front of me then looked up at the Rubicon. "So this NC contraption is going to fly us to Kepler?" Elena miffed. One of her comrades made a snide comment about it's small size in Russia which I understood.
"Such a small ship," he said. "The NC would have us fly in their compact car." Some of the cosmonauts laughed.
"Compared to the hunks of junks the Russians & Chinese have shooting through our solar system banging into satelites the Rubicon will fly nicely," I retorted in my fluent Russian. The Russians stopped laughing immediately. Elena was the only one who smiled and said, "Yuri, go and get our equipment on board."
"At least you haven't thrown away your identity entirely, Ana," Elena approved to my annoyance.
"The Rubicon is a fine ship and doesn't deserve to be made fun at," I remarked. "Unlike that lemon the Perun that exploded and crashed to Earth killing 5,600 of your own citizens then trying to cover it up."
Elena narrowed her eyes at Daniel. She saw our fingers interlocked and crinkled her nose in disapproval.
"There are cameras everywhere so I would tell your comrades to be on their best behavior," Daniel warned her. Elena didn't respond or even nod. She just walked away. When she was gone I exhaled. I realized that I was holding my breath for the most part.
"The Iron Maiden you say...," Daniel wrapped his arm around me and held me close. Being enclosed inside Daniel made me feel safe. I would survive this trip with my wits and Daniel's strong arms.
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