THE HODMANDOD EFFECT

Four months later, Austin Rooney was revived from stasis. As with Stone, his legs were weak, and his head felt as if someone had been pounding on it with a sledge hammer. The first face he saw was the sergeant’s, looking down on him with a stupid grin on his face.

“See what I mean?” He joked, helping Rooney out of the chamber.

Both legs felt like mush. If it hadn’t been for Stone’s steadying hand, Rooney would have fallen flat on his face. The sergeant helped him to a chair and sat him down. He had a small glass of water and three pain relievers ready and handed them to Rooney. Austin quickly swallowed them and nodded his thanks.

“As soon as you’re able, we need to talk,” he whispered. “Alone.”

Rooney nodded again, wincing from the sound of Stone’s voice, even though no one else would have been able to hear it. The sergeant walked out and left him to his misery. Six of the other crew members had also been revived, suffering from the same symptoms as he. Even though misery loves company, Rooney’s only thought was to lie down and die in peace.

An hour later he managed to walk to the security control room. Stone motioned for him to close the door. Convinced they were secure enough to talk without anyone overhearing, Rooney took a chair and listened.

“Intelligence came in a month ago about the ship that took off from South Africa. Command advised it was destroyed before it left the solar system,” Stone said. “Seems it kissed a big-ass asteroid in the Kuiper. Whatever it was, it tried to zip through there like it had no brakes. The message I got is that it lit up so bright every telescope on earth could see it.”

“What were they thinking?” Rooney pondered out loud.

“That’s not all. Three days before you woke up, they launched another one. Federal says they tried to calculate the first one’s speed, based on impact, among other things I don’t understand. Check this out, lieutenant…they estimate that thing was doing at least twice the speed of light.”

“What?” Rooney questioned, surprised. “How could they do that?”

“I don’t know,” Stone said. “I think it’s a missile. I think they’re trying to shoot at us.” “What kind of missile does two times the speed of light?” Rooney asked no one in

particular. He stood up and rubbed his thighs, pacing the room. “They found a better propulsion system than what we have, that’s for sure. But I don’t think it’s a missile. I think it’s a race.”

“How would they know where we’re going? This was top level ultra-double top secret, man. There could be over a hundred stars we’re headed for.”

Rooney looked at him and smiled, leaning against one of the consoles.

“How many military or government secrets are really secret, sergeant? They probably knew what we were doing before we did.”

Both men sat in silence for several moments. It was Rooney who spoke first.

“No,” he said. “They’re trying to beat us there. I’m sure of it. That’s what they told us in the first message. I think they were right the first time.”

Stone laughed under his breath.

“Well, they better take it easy on this one when they reach the Kuiper Belt. Besides, we got a head start on ’em. It would take a miracle for them to catch up to us, much less beat us to it.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Rooney said. “Think about it. We’re not even a year into this thing yet.

If they can do twice the speed of light, while we’re pokin’ along doing .99, they could beat us there by as much as two years.”

“How many ships you think they have?” Stone asked.

“I don’t know,” Rooney replied. “That’s a good question. They sure got number two in the air pretty fast. They could have been working on this just as long as we have. “

“And our government not know anything about it?”

Rooney slapped Stone in back of the head.

“Wake up, sergeant,” he joked. “What? They’re gonna come to you and tell you everything they know? Come on! Of course they knew. Telling us would have put more pressure on everybody than we already have. I’m surprised they told us anything when they did. Maybe they miscalculated on how soon they would be ready and were just as surprised as we were. Who knows?”

Suddenly, there was a loud, repetitive knocking on the door. Stone jumped up, being more agile than Rooney at the moment, and opened it. Commander Fisk was standing there, a worried expression on his face.

“We got trouble,” he said.

The three men walked rapidly to the bridge. Brubaker had not been awake long and was talking to the BOB’s. BOB-1 was in charge of the conversation with his metallic, although unusually human, unemotional voice.

“Primary atomic particle deflector in shutdown phase,” he said. “Secondary atomic particle deflector automatic engagement is off line.”

“How soon before shutdown is complete?” Brubaker asked.

“Unknown,” BOB-1 replied. “Operational protocol suggests engine shut down and thrusters utilized to reduce speed to manageable level.”

“Do it,” Brubaker ordered.

BOB-2 was waiting for the order. The two worked in tandem to make sure no movement was wasted. While BOB-1 was relaying the situation to Brubaker, BOB-2 was in the process of establishing his links with the ship’s master control panel. He quickly shut down the gravito- electromagnetic engines, and engaged reverse thrusters to maximum.

The mass of the Astraeus was too large to stop on a dime. With the engines down, their inertial dampening field was also turned off. Even if they could have come to an immediate full stop with thrusters, the bulk of the ship would have imploded. Anxious eyes were on the flight speed indicator. When the APD reached twenty percent efficiency, a red light flashed on the captain’s control console. He quickly reached above his head and turned off the alarm that started to sound. Sweat began to bead on everyone’s brow. The speed indicator was showing a rapid deceleration, but they were still far from where they needed to be. If the APD were to reach full shut down before reaching safe velocity, they would all be dead in seconds.

BOB-1 raced to the other station and linked up with ship controls. The BOB’s started conversing in their ‘robot speak’. It consisted of rapid clicks and clacks with an occasional beeping noise. Brubaker told Rooney that in a few short seconds they could exchange 20 petabytes of information.

“If you’ll look at the screen over there,” Brubaker said, pointing. “BOB-1 is working on the secondary APD, trying to get it on line. On this one here,” he pointed again. “BOB-2 is performing simultaneous operations. He’s trying to slow the primary APD’s shut down, and also trying to regulate the speed reduction of the ship so it doesn’t buckle under its own mass.”

“Shouldn’t we get in our bio-suits?” Stone suggested. “Just in case?”

Brubaker let out a nervous laugh.

“Sergeant,” he said. “If they don’t succeed, a bio-suit isn’t going to do you any good.”

Nervous eyes continued to watch the BOB’s work until they noticed a low rumbling noise. It sounded distant at first, but was increasing in pitch as the seconds ticked by. Brubaker looked at the controls and saw the primary APD was at 10% efficiency. He glanced at the speed indicator and it displayed they were still only at .75. The noise reached a high-pitched whine, causing great pain in the ears of the crew.

“What’s happening?!” Rooney yelled over the din.

“Atomic bombardment of the hull!” Brubaker yelled back.

All of them were holding both palms over their ears, but it wasn’t doing much good. The crescendo of the whine was deafening and all grimaced from the pain. The BOB’s were unaffected and continued their work. After several seconds, BOB-1 spoke.

“Hull integrity compromised,” he said.

“Where?!” Brubaker yelled.

“Stasis chamber,” he answered.

Brubaker looked at Rooney and the lieutenant understood immediately. He slapped Stone on the arm and they left the bridge, running to the security control center. Once there, the men hastily put on their bio suits. If atomic particles were scorching through the stasis chamber compartment, the suits wouldn’t provide them much protection. But, if the hull were to breach and the ship were to slow down to safe velocity, they would be able to go in and conduct rescue operations in the exposed section. The one thing both of them were glad of is that the suits helped protect them from the screeching whine that was deafening them all.

They ran down the small hallway and toward the stasis chamber. Each section of the ship had an environmental control lock consisting of two, sealed doors. Should hull integrity be lost in one area, the procedure was to go through the outer door, lock and seal it, then regulate the inner threshold to meet the environmental conditions on the other side of the second door. Once that was accomplished, they would be able to safely enter the affected area.

Rooney opened the outer door leading to the stasis chamber and both men rushed in. Stone closed the door behind them while Rooney glanced through the portal. He could see nothing. The room was filled with a reddish smoke. Stone sealed the first door and waited for

Rooney’s signal to compensate.

Back on the bridge, BOB-2 was diligently working on his two projects. However, BOB-

1’s job was the most critical. The secondary APD, for some unknown reason, had failed to go into auto engage when the primary started to shut down. Brubaker felt as if he were going to pass out. The noise had now reached a level that was life threatening by its own affect. Suddenly, the whine stopped.

“Secondary APD operational,” BOB-1 announced. “Initiating rapid shut down sequence of primary APD.”

“Status on hull integrity around stasis chamber!” Brubaker barked.

“Hull integrity compromised by atomic particle penetration,” BOB-1 answered. “Negative indication of hull breach. Radiation levels in stasis chamber at 95Sv.”

“Ninety-five?!” Brubaker commented, knowing that anyone exposed to such a level would mean their certain death. He grabbed the intercom and hailed Rooney. “Don’t go in there, lieutenant!”

The intercom crackled to life on Brubaker’s end. “Waiting for your orders, captain,” Rooney responded.

“Initiating radiation purge in stasis chamber,” BOB-1 said. “Three pods have been compromised.”

“To what degree?” Brubaker asked, his face a picture of worry.

“Life signs are non-existent,” BOB-1 said without emotion. Brubaker slammed his fist into the chair.

“Tell me the moment you have that shit purged out of there!” He demanded.

“Please repeat the command,” BOB-1 requested, not understanding the meaning for the word ‘shit’.

“Just tell me when you get the radiation out of there,” Brubaker spat.

“Understood,” he replied.

Rooney continued to look through the portal and noticed a gradual reduction of the red smoke. During their orientation about the stasis pods, the designers knew those in the pods would be at the mercy of any contingency that may occur. To ease concerns, the pods were constructed to withstand almost anything. They were pulse and plasma proof. The pods had been built to sustain resistance from large amounts of radiation, up to 50 Sv’s. After that, the pods’ anti-radiation integrity would begin to degrade at a rapid rate. Rooney thought it strange he was more concerned with Leslie’s welfare than any of the others. He shook that out of his mind and tried to concentrate on what he had to do once he received the all-clear to go in.

“Radiation purge successful to 3 Sv’s,” BOB-1 advised. “Continuing process. Bio suits will sustain adequate protection for human units.”

Brubaker hit the intercom.

“Go, go, go!” He yelled.

Stone compensated the holding area. It only took a few seconds since there wasn’t a hull breach in the stasis chamber. Only the atoms had made it through, reducing hull integrity, but not destroying it. Rooney quickly opened the door and the two men rushed inside. There was still a slight, red haze in the chamber, but visibility was good. A quick investigation revealed the pods located at the far side of the room, nearest the hull, sustained the worst damage. Rooney’s man, Corporal Les Dustin, was dead. The pod had been severely penetrated by the radiated particles and literally cooked the man to death. Nestor Riggs, one of Brubaker’s ensigns had met the same fate. Gregory Manheim, the science team’s 37 year old general biologist was also dead.

“Radiation purge successful to 1 Sv,” BOB-1 announced. “Initiating 100% emergency pod revival procedure.”

Brubaker engaged the intercom.

“Lieutenant, you’re down to 1 Sv. That may induce some mild radiation sickness but we can compensate for that. BOB-1 is waking them up. Get them out of there as soon as you can and lock it down.”

“Yes, sir,” Rooney responded.

Rooney opened the air lock and shoved the door open. It took almost thirty minutes to remove everyone from the chamber and lay them down in the small corridor. Some were throwing up and others had suffered minor to moderate radiation burns. Dr. Trotter, still nauseous from a stasis hangover, went into action. She retrieved several medical items from the sick bay and returned to start treating the worst affected. Rooney left the dead where they were and joined Stone in helping the doctor.

The Astraeus reached safe operating speed thirty minutes after the stasis chamber was depopulated. Had BOB-1 been unable to bring the secondary APD on-line, all inside the ship would have perished. Brubaker ordered the BOB’s to bring the vessel to a full stop. It took four hours to accomplish the stop that included a drain on thruster propellant they couldn’t afford.

Brubaker made the decision to replace it with propellant from one of the shuttle crafts. BOB-2 performed that function and reported there was enough fuel left in that particular shuttle to launch and land on Ajax Strata Prime. There would not be enough to return. All other work was hindered by the lack of gravity. With the engine off, they were back to weightless status, except for the BOB’s with their magnetic traction.

Further inspection of the stasis chamber revealed three pods were completely destroyed and four others were no longer fit for purpose. The BOB’s were able to use what spare parts they had on board and cannibalized from the two pods that had been battered the most to bring the remaining two up to specified code for continued operation. The repairs took two weeks to complete. Two days after the tragedy, the three dead crewmembers were given a proper funeral and then ejected into space. It was hardest on Rooney and Stone to see Dustin go.

During that time, a thorough diagnostic was performed on the secondary APD and a complete check on the primary APD was conducted. Brubaker and his crew inspected the inner wall of the stasis chamber while Rooney and Stone went outside the ship to investigate the amount of damage to the outer hull. Brubaker, Fisk, and the two soldiers met to discuss their findings in the security control room. BOB-1 was also present.

“Gentlemen,” Brubaker said. “I want you to hear what our little mechanical friend has to say. Bob, what did you find out?”

“Primary APD was ordered to shut down. Secondary APD was ordered not to initiate start-up.”

“By who?” Rooney asked, his tone angry.

“A virus in the ship’s deflector computer system was detected and eradicated. A full scan of the virus, prior to its destruction, indicates a Sub-Saharan League signature.”

“Bob,” Brubaker led. “Were you able to determine when this virus was downloaded into the computer?”

“Affirmative,” BOB-1 replied. “Virus was downloaded prior to departure and programmed to lie dormant until a specified time.”

“Looks like we have a spy on board,” Stone remarked.

“Now, hold on,” Brubaker said, holding out a hand for calm. “There were a hundred or even two hundred people who had access to this ship before we left. I think that’s quite a stretch to link anybody on the Astraeus as suicide saboteurs.”

“It would be the safer approach,” Rooney added. “To assume otherwise puts us all in a deeper state of danger.”

“We can’t start distrusting one another,” Brubaker said. “If we do, then we might as well turn around right now and go back. We’re down five stasis pods. That leaves us with seven, counting the two spares. What that means is we’re going to have to stay awake a lot longer than we planned on and interact with each other in this matchbox for at least a year and a half. If we’re all looking at each other with suspicion, it could get ugly really fast.”

“Agreed,” Fisk said. “That train of thought needs to stay in this room.”

“Okay,” Rooney said. “I have no problem with that. But as security I hope you won’t mind me sleeping with one eye open from now on. That includes the sergeant here as well.”

Brubaker smiled and shook his head.

“No, I don’t mind. Just don’t verbalize to anyone what your suspicions are, or might be. If you find out anything, let me know first.”

“Yes, sir,” Rooney said. “By the way, when do you expect us to get back underway?”

“I want this entire crew as healthy as they were when we left,” Brubaker answered.

“Flores and Stocker were the worst hit. Trotter says they’ll be good as new in three or four days. When she gives me the green light, we turn the engine back on.”

“If I may, sir,” Fisk interjected. “The other issue is food and water. If we are to stay awake longer and with more crewmen active than anticipated, we will need to subsidize our food supply. A good portion of the stasis food will have to be broken down and diluted for normal consumption. Water will have to be strictly rationed.”

“Me and Stone won’t have any problem with that,” Rooney said. “We’ve been trained to march on less.”

“Yeah, well, the others haven’t,” Brubaker commented. “We might need you guys as this thing drags on.”

“We’ll be here,” Rooney said.

**********

THREE YEARS INTO THE MISSION

There were no further major incidents involving malfunctioning equipment. Two or three times tempers had flared among the crew, but those were minor and quickly defused. Federal Guard missives to Rooney declared there was no occurrence of an explosion after the second ship left South Africa. It was assumed the vessel had made it past the outer perimeter of the solar system and was headed to parts unknown. Rooney was confident they were aiming straight for Ajax Strata Prime. He had learned over the years to trust his gut instinct.

Boredom had reached such a high that the inevitable pairings began to take shape. Leslie and Rooney were an obvious couple and Brubaker made sure they were awake at the same time. Constance and Roderick Stone were like two rabbits and had become a stock joke among the crew. Bets were being made on when she would announce her pregnancy. It was rumored that Trotter and Stocker were committing the big nasty, but it was too horrible a mental picture for anyone to dwell on. Courtney Vickers was the biggest surprise. It was common knowledge that she was sharing her affections with Commander Fisk and Science Team Leader Adam Davis.

That left six men without a sexual partner. The recipe for disaster among the crew was being blended and Rooney knew it was only a matter of time before jealousy between the haves and the have-nots became an issue. He kept his eye open to make sure rival animosities didn’t flare up, endangering the well-being for all.

Rooney was in the security control room playing chess with BOB-1 when Brubaker’s voice came out over the speaker.

“Lieutenant?”

Rooney leaned over and pushed a button.

“Yes, captain,” he said.

“Come to the bridge.”

As Rooney was about to stand, BOB-1 moved his queen.

“Check mate,” he announced.

Rooney gave the position on the board a quick look and glared at BOB-1.

“You little shit,” he said, and quickly left the room.

In moments, Rooney was in the bridge and walked up behind Brubaker.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“See that monitor right there?” He asked, pointing in the direction he wanted Rooney to

look.

The monitor in question was linked to the LOD (Large Object Deflector). The sensors for this device constantly scanned a large swath of space for any debris that might have the potential of impacting the Astraeus. It not only scanned in front of the ship, but scanned in a 180 degree fashion with a maximum ‘sight’ of 100 astronomical units. A single AU would be the distance between the Sun and the Earth. It scanned for anything that might be traveling on an intercept course.

“Yes, sir,” he replied.

“That’s a ship.”

“How can you tell?” Rooney asked.

“Any normal space object, like an asteroid or simple chunk of rock, would display as blue. As you can see, this display is red…meaning it has a heat signature. And,” Brubaker added, “It’s streaking through space like we’re sittin’ still.”

“What’s our present speed?”

“Unchanged. It’s still .99,” Brubaker said.

“How far away are they? Are they coming our direction?”

“They’re already wherever they were going,” Brubaker laughed. “What you’re seeing is what we call time dilation. It looks like right now they’re about a quarter million miles away and, no, they aren’t coming our way. They’re coursing a path parallel to us, but passing us by.”

“But, it’s already happened?”

“Yes,” Brubaker confirmed. “A few months ago.”

“I wonder who they are; or were?”

Brubaker swung his swiveled captain’s chair around to face Rooney with a smug look. “Lieutenant, don’t piss on my boot and tell me it’s raining.”

Rooney feigned ignorance.

“What do you mean, sir?”

“I mean you knew they were coming all along,” Brubaker accused. “There’s no way anyone else could have launched a vessel from Earth without the government and/or the military knowing about it.”

Rooney gave up, relieved he no longer had to keep a secret from the captain.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “I was ordered to keep it on the QT.”

Brubaker nodded, knowing the lieutenant was more than likely telling the truth. He was aware of the Federal States’ penchant for secrecy as well as anybody.

“It’s all right, lieutenant,” Brubaker mumbled. “Who the hell are they?”

“Sub-Saharan League, sir,” Rooney admitted.

“Damn,” Brubaker said under his breath. “I knew it, I just had to hear it.”

“How fast do you think they were going?” Rooney asked.

“BOB-2 here tells me they’re traveling at twice the speed of light.”

“That’s incredible.”

“Yes. Yes it is,” Brubaker agreed. “So incredible that they are going to beat us there by several months.”

“That’s not good.”

“I was thinking about turning back,” Brubaker advised.

“Why is that?” Rooney was aghast at the suggestion.

“Because I know…and you know…they aren’t going there to share anything with us. They will have months to prepare for our arrival, and I can guarantee you there won’t be any ‘Welcome’ signs. No, sir…they’ll be armed to the teeth and ready for us.”

“Ajax is a big planet, sir,” Rooney said. “It would take them a while to locate us.”

“And then what, lieutenant?” Brubaker posed. “We’ve already lost a third of our security team. You wouldn’t expect this bunch of scientists to fight, would you? No, they would kill you and the sergeant and eventually the rest of us once they got whatever information they wanted out of us.”

“Before you decide to turn around, captain,” Rooney said. “Perhaps you would want to check with command.”

“I’ve already checked with command, lieutenant.” Brubaker stood and faced Rooney. “They have left it up to my discretion.”

Rooney stood at attention.

“And what is your decision, captain?”

Brubaker allowed a wicked grin to crease his face. He stepped close to Rooney and stood eye to eye with him.

“I’ve never run from a fight in my life,” he whispered. “And I’m not going to start now. For the moment, this will remain between me, Fisk, you and the BOB’s. No one else need know. Understood?”

Rooney smiled and nodded.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “Sergeant Stone and I will not let you down, sir.”

“See that you don’t,” Brubaker said. “Dismissed.”

**********

The months droned on and soon they would be at their destination. Delmar Richardson continued running his mouth until Julio Martinez and he got into a brief wrestling match. After that, he mostly kept to himself when he was awake. It surprised everyone when Martinez mentioned how strong Richardson was. It was a surprise because he didn’t appear to be someone who took that much care of himself.

Brubaker made sure they started taking turns in and out of the stasis pod. Several arguments took place, mostly over small matters that wouldn’t have made any difference back on Earth. Those of the crew who could relieve tension through sex made the most of it at every opportunity. In some ways this helped, but in other ways it made those without the opportunity very grumpy.

BOB-2 broke down and it was the first time BOB-1 expressed any kind of emotion.

Everyone thought the BOB’s were incapable of that until the malfunction. It was a simple fan motor that kept his inner components cool. The placement of the motor was in a small, compartmentalized area that BOB-1 couldn’t reach. Rooney volunteered to replace it and was constantly being asked questions by BOB-1 about how the process was going. The way he was acting eventually grew a crowd, not believing what they were seeing as BOB-1 would tread back and forth asking Rooney for updates. It only took thirty minutes to complete the repair, but it provided great entertainment for the crew.

Those that were aware of the other ship kept a close eye on the time indicator. Brubaker conducted calculations to try and get a handle on what their progress might be on the planet, to estimate when they might have actually landed on the surface. At least it kept his mind busy.

The Astraeus had become viewed as a dark prison by almost all the crew. They learned to hate it and yearned to be free from its confines. The tube food was loathed and the recycled urine for drinking water was avoided until the last minute. Brubaker was the only one who knew what the ‘steaks’ were made out of and thought it hilarious the crew was unanimous on how they liked those the best. He knew that if he ever let the secret out there would be an instant mutiny and he would be made to walk the plank into space.

The Elpis was eventually and unofficially termed Brothel Alpha. The lander had all the creature comforts of home since it was going to be used as the base on Ajax’ surface. It was also the only place where there was any privacy. Brubaker didn’t like it being used by those who had coupled along the way, but he had to let them have their small victories or tensions would only get worse. The fact they were in another ship and away from the rest of the crew helped them to be out of sight and therefore out of mind.

Still, the loneliness of space and seeing the same people every hour on the hour was almost maddening. Brubaker tried to keep them busy when they were awake and was grateful when some of the most burdensome were finally locked away into stasis. The only ones he didn’t have to worry about were the soldiers. Even Fisk and the others in his crew were constantly harping about something. But Rooney and Stone were stalwarts. They were always the same. One day, he decided to ask Stone about how they were able to keep themselves on such an even, psychological keel.

“It’s like this, sir,” he began. “You don’t make rank in the Federal Guard by knowing somebody or having money or even by being smart. You make rank by stripping yourself from yourself. Believe me, we’re tested. We are so tested. Just to make corporal is one of the hardest things you can do. You see, I’m not Roderick Stone, Staff Sergeant to Lieutenant Austin Rooney. I’m a sergeant in the Federal Guard, loyal to a lieutenant in the Federal Guard as long as he is loyal to the Federal Guard. We were given the choice to be here, and that’s the first choice the Guard has ever given us. But, it wasn’t really a choice, you see? The Guard wanted us to go, so we did. And, that’s all that matters to us. We are doing our duty. That’s our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s here or in some flea infested blood drenched foxhole in Nigeria with League

Regulars jumping in all around us. This here…this ship…is a piece of cake compared to what me and the lieutenant have been through. In fact, we find it funny how everybody else is acting. This isn’t a hardship, captain. And we’ve never considered any assignment the Guard has given us as a hardship. I guess that’s why you see us as ‘coping’. We’re not coping. We’re living.”

Anticipation was at its highest among the crew when it was reported the Astraeus was only two months away from their destination. The news also brought everyone’s mind into focus.

For the first time in over a year, petty squabbles were set aside and preparations for landing went into full swing. Many meetings were held regarding approach to Ajax Strata Prime, preliminary activities needing completion, Elpis launch and landing protocols, security conditions upon landing, safety protocols for exploration processes and procedures and then the actual pre-test activities of all scientific equipment to make sure it was in good working order.

It was hard for everyone to fathom that almost thirty years had passed on Earth. Yet, the crew of the Astraeus had only aged three and a half years. Some of the men had begun to grey but, apart from that, they all looked the same. The commander that sent Rooney on this mission would be in his nineties now, if he was still alive. Other members of the crew thought of friends and loved ones back home. It was a surreal way to look at things, but they knew it was reality. If they were to return to Earth, everything would be different…everything.

One of the things Rooney didn’t want to be different was his relationship with Leslie. He wasn’t certain about her feelings toward him, but he was certain about his where she was concerned. For the first time in his life, Austin Rooney had fallen in love. He tried to chalk it up to them being imprisoned on the Astraeus together, that if it weren’t for them being thrust in such close proximity over time, he thought that maybe she wouldn’t have looked at him twice.

Further, he was almost positive he was right. But the reality was that they were in the here and now, and they were together. To think about what might have been, or that on Earth they would have been totally mismatched. was inconsequential. There were only so many men and so many women on the Astraeus. The number of prospects in the selection pool had been severely reduced. So, he didn’t dwell on whether Leslie would have chosen him back home. What mattered most was that she had chosen him here.

It was during one of their times alone on the Elpis, after having sex, that Rooney thought about telling her how he felt. He didn’t want to wait until they reached Ajax. Once there, he might have to use all his skills as a soldier just to keep them alive. All of his being may have to be focused on that. If he waited until they were on the surface, it might be too late. And, if he were to be killed without telling her how he felt, it would be his greatest regret.

“Leslie,” he whispered, kissing her gently on the lips. “I need to tell you something.”

The woman of his dreams wrapped her arms around him and kissed him long and deep.

Their breaths melded into one as they explored each other’s mouth. When done, she looked into his eyes and slowly shook her head.

“I know what you’re going to say. And, I don’t want you to.”

“Why not?” Rooney asked.

“It will change everything for me,” she replied. “I’ve enjoyed you these last few months. I’ve enjoyed our time together and grown very fond of you. But, when we get on Ajax…I have to do what I came here for. This is the biggest opportunity for my life. This is my fulfillment. This will be the sum of my worth. What I accomplish on that planet means more to me than life itself.”

Rooney slowly drew back and stared at her.

“I don’t want you to be hurt,” she added. “While we’re here, and on the planet, I will want to continue experiencing you, having sex with you. But, you need to understand that I can never love you. I don’t have room for that in my life.”

“So, what does that make me?” Rooney asked, his blood beginning to boil. “An item to tic off on your itinerary? Another score? One of your scientific tools? What?”

Leslie sighed and sat up, quickly putting on her under shirt.

“I knew you wouldn’t understand,” she huffed.

“Oh, I understand,” Rooney argued. “I understand that you’ve been playing with me.” “No, I haven’t!” She exclaimed, anger in her face. “I have been honest with you since

day one. I never told you I loved you or even intimated I might.”

“No?” Rooney said, incredulous. “Well, I don’t know how they view things where you come from, but where I come from when a man and a woman fuck like a couple of rabbits for over a year, that means something.”

“That’s right,” Leslie spat back, only inches from his face. “That’s what we’ve been doing, lieutenant. Fucking! We haven’t been making love. Maybe you have, but I’ve been fucking. Got it?!”

“Damn straight,” Rooney said.

Leslie donned her panties and thrust both legs through her trousers.

“Men,” she huffed. “Maybe what you’re mad about is that I got what I wanted for a change.”

She tried to get up to leave but Rooney grabbed her arm, rudely throwing her back down and beside him. He kissed her deeply as she tried to push away.

“If you think that you’re going to leave here without me saying it, you’re sadly mistaken,” he growled. “I love you, Leslie. I love you. And nothing you say or do will change that.”

Rooney let go of her arm. Leslie lay there for a moment, staring at him with fierceness in her eyes. Without another word, she got up and left the Elpis. Rooney rolled over on his back and covered his face with a hand. He shook his head, trying to figure out what just happened.

**********

The Astraeus was slowed to near crawling as it moved through Beta Comae Berenices’ Kuiper ‘type’ Belt. It wasn’t as dense as the solar system it came from, but it was still perilous to traverse. Brubaker had to temper himself as the bridge was often crammed with people to get a glimpse of the star on the monitors. There was no other way to see to the outside. Only Rooney and Stone weren’t itching to get off the ship. If it had taken ten more years, Brubaker believed they would be the same men they were at that moment.

It turned out the majority of the physicists were right about near light speed space travel and time dilation…to a degree. For those on board the Astraeus, it took a little more than three and a half years to reach the target star. Back on Earth, to a static observer, it took just over thirty years. Some physicists believed the trip would be instantaneous for the ship’s crew. What they failed to take into account was distance is never reduced by speed. And, speed does not necessarily change the time continuum so drastically. Time still has meaning in space and speed does influence its effect. But, it doesn’t eradicate it. The Astraeus proved it still takes ‘time’ to go from Point A to Point B, even if you are travelling at near the speed of light.

A real ‘Nirvana’ was in front of them now. Ajax Strata Prime was almost within touching distance. For the science team, it was the chance of a thousand lifetimes to have the opportunity to explore an Earth-type world. For Rooney and Stone, it was time to lock and load.

The soldiers didn’t know what to expect once they touched down on the planet. All they knew was there was a contingent of Sub-Saharan League personnel waiting for them. According to Fisk’s calculations, confirmed by the BOB’s, they had been on the planet for eight Earth months. From what they knew of Ajax Strata Prime, that was equal to a half revolution around Beta Comae Berenices. It was decided the two men would take the shuttle with reduced fuel to the planet’s surface and reconnoiter the planned landing coordinates. The Astraeus wasn’t equipped with the sensors necessary to pinpoint the League’s position. Rooney believed they had known where the Astraeus was going, and then landed close to where they knew the science team would arrive.

Adam Davis was furious that it would be the soldiers to land first. He had been promised on Earth that the first footprint on Ajax Strata Prime would be that of an educated man of peace. It was of deep symbolic importance to him, but Brubaker would not hear of it. He took Davis off to the side and informed him for the first time of the League’s presence. All that did was infuriate him even more. He questioned why they had not turned back and that it was unconscionable to put his people in so much danger. Brubaker allowed him to vent and then pointed out the obvious. They were already there, and his footprint wasn’t that important to the mission.

Rooney requisitioned an AK-47 for BOB-1. He would be Dustin’s replacement for the first surface mission. His ability to see further, detect movement, and take some punishment made him an invaluable member of Rooney’s reconnaissance team. Not only that, but BOB-1wouldn’t miss if he had to fire his weapon. The laser sighting he was equipped with put the margin of error at near zero for the robot. The added benefit of having BOB-1 around was that he didn’t know what fear was. Even experienced soldiers like Rooney and Stone couldn’t shake that.

Rooney chose the .30 caliber carbine. He liked the fact it was lightweight and short, making it easy to handle and bring to bear on the enemy. The ammo clips that came with it were only 10-rounders. Rooney didn’t like that, but he had plenty of them at his disposal. Stone had studied the AK-47’s reputation and trustworthiness in the most extreme conditions and chose it as his weapon. It came with 30-round, banana shaped ammo clips, and there was also no shortage of those. Both Rooney and Stone would have a gun belt strapped to their waste holding a .45 semi-auto side arm. It would still be two weeks before they reached orbit, and another week of taking probe samples from the atmosphere and planet conditions on the surface. After that, the security detail would go into action.

By now, Rooney and Stone’s blood was up. They could smell impending combat and all their senses were heightening in preparation for the experience. Both men had done battle with the Sub-Saharan League. They knew what to expect. There would be no mercy offered by their enemies. There would be no cease fire on the battlefield. Their opponent was as well trained as

they were, and as dedicated. The two men felt privileged to be up against their old foe and one that was equal to the task. Both had fought guerillas and militia in other parts of the world and found them lacking in ability. It made them feel as if their talents had been wasted to kill them all so easily.

The monitor on the bridge held a magnified view of Ajax Strata Prime. It was a beautiful sight. The planet had two moons; one larger and one smaller. Ajax was covered in clouds, giving it a grey appearance. Rooney thought that was fitting for their first excursion into the unknown.

The fog of impending combat and unexpected circumstances made Rooney salivate. He was ready to go.