HOLDING UP THE SKY

I - Thuban

(One)

28, December, 2064

Ridge Farm, South Barre, MA

USA

Emrys burst into the kitchen, stamping his feet and shaking the snow off of his hat.

"They're up there again, Kylen. Only this time it's a different kind."

"Cool," Allston cried and made for the door. "Dad says that they going to Fort Devons. They are building it up." He grabbed the binoculars and a coat and ran outside to look into the sky. He kicked up puffs of snow as he blasted across the yard toward the open space in front of the barn.

Yesterday the Celina family had seen an ISSCV fly over the farm - once in the morning at high altitude and once in the evening, much lower, but not so low as to scare the livestock. The cattle weren't out in the pastures at this time of year, but kept in barns and paddocks. The craft had circled the farm on both occasions. Bridee and Allston had been excited by the development; Emrys was pensive, Ewan and Frank thought it had something to do with Fort Devons and mapping more approach routes. Kylen had less than a month before she had to report to D.C. to begin her training. The appearance of the aircraft filled her with conflicting fears and emotions. "Just who is surveilling my family's home and why? Is it the Corps checking me out? Is it the Spooks? Is Aerotech involved?"

"Go look. Quick. Go," Emrys ordered as he pushed Kylen toward the door. "I'll stay here and listen for the phone."

Kylen grabbed a coat and followed her younger brother out into the yard. Out to the west she could see the aircraft. She had seen planes like it before, on the ground at Scobee during her training, but she had never bothered to learn its name. Such things hadn't interested her at the time. The craft had no engines at the rear, but there were jets and thrusters on the body of the craft, which looked to Kylen, like a chubby dolphin - short nosed. It was larger than a Hammerhead — large enough for a three-man crew - and it certainly was not as graceful or sleek as the SA-43 — nowhere near as sexy and undoubtedly slower.

The aircraft was circling the area - each pass coming a bit lower. "U-S-M-C," Allston spelled out as he handed the binocs over to his sister. "They better not come any lower. They better stay away from the paddock. If they scare the cows Dad and Ewan will go crazy."

Kylen ran over to the bell, untied the cord and began pulling with all her strength. It was an old school bell up on a corner of the house. It had called the Celina family in from the fields for generations. She began jumping up and down, waving her hands over her head, laughing and screaming 'HOO-RAH.'

Allston thought she was nuts. "They can't hear the bell, Kylen," he said with the mild disgust common to seventeen-year-olds.

"But I can," she said, waving all the harder. Ewan came running out from the calf barn. Frank and Bridee emerged from the house without coats. The plane came to a standstill in midair - downwind of the paddock. The sound of the engines was muffled and seemed distant. Kylen could only imagine what it must sound like close up - or if the wind was different. It slowly began to descend - straight down. It was spectacular - a private air show. The aircraft stopped about 50 feet above the crest of the hill. It slowly rotated 360 degrees as if turning on the head of a pin. When it faced forward again it slowly "wiggled" its wings and began to slowly ascend, moving backwards at the same time. Allston waved his hat back and forth yelling his appreciation, Frank and Ewan waved and applauded. Kylen pumped her fist into the air. Bridee blew kisses.

Suddenly the craft seemed to stand on its tail and it took off. Spiraling as it climbed, it then headed to the west. Less than thirty seconds later it was again overhead executing an exact four-point roll as it flew over the farm.

"Well, I think that it is safe to say that the Colonel is back from Alabama," Frank joked.

"I thought he was grounded," Allston said.

"From Hammerheads ... attack jets," Kylen explained. "It's a matter of total 'G' forces. If he was totally grounded he couldn't have gotten onto the Saratoga to begin with. "

"I don't hear anything unusual, but humor me. Boys - check the stock," Frank said. He turned and guided Kylen back into the house.

"We'll put him up in Aislen's room I think," Bridee said still looking up into the now empty sky.