A/N: Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2

"Have you heard they've been working on repairs for the Jamestown?" Shelia, the petite, brunette pilot of the colony ship, asked Julia. The woman wrinkled her nose, expressing displeasure at the offerings as they selected sandwiches from the cafeteria counter. "About time too. I can't wait to leave this place."

When the Jamestown landed, having no working outpost had put them at a severe disadvantage. The immediate priority had been survival. Establishing the colony and stabilizing the Syndrome children had taken all hands and nearly every waking moment. As a result, over forty crew members who'd never planned to set foot on this planet had their return flight delayed indefinitely. Since there were no supplies from the Advance ship, there'd been serious talk of gutting the massive ship for parts. Only recently had they even been able to consider the luxury of diverting precious resources and manpower to addressing the minor repairs on the ship to entertain the idea of a return flight for the crew and any dissatisfied colonists.

"Really?" Julia replied.

She lingered by the lunch counter, contemplating selecting a salad in addition to her sandwich while hoping that Shelia would move on. Unfortunately, she didn't. Maybe Julia could ditch her in the dining area. Julia wasn't A-list and Shelia was very conscious of that fact. The young doctor grabbed a green salad and a mug of water to add to her tray and then marched towards an empty table.

Undeterred, Shelia hovered by Julia's side, putting her food down on the same table right beside her. "You think the Eden Advance crew is going back?"

Shelia was such a gossip. She wasn't especially interested in anyone from Eden Advance other than for something to talk about. Share one tiny detail with her and half the colony would know about it by the next morning. While Julia was aware of the plans of some of those of Eden Advance she shrewdly replied, "I don't think so but I can't speak for them."

"That John Danziger's debt must be paid off. You'd think he'd want to return now that he'll have a better life on the Stations. Especially for his little girl."

A better life?

Julia bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Feigning disinterest, she replied, "I suppose." She took a bite of her sandwich.

"Is Alonzo is going back?"

Julia stiffened. They'd had so many versions of this tiresome conversation she could anticipate every statement. Yet she was starving and didn't especially want to abandon her lunch so she reluctantly played along.

"No. Alonzo's happy here."

Short sentences worked best with Shelia who could spend hours reading into a shrug or the slightest frown.

Alonzo leaving Planet G889 was the furthest concern from Julia's mind.

"I can't believe that. Look at how much he's changed. He had a girl in every space port. Believe me, I was practically one of them. He was a master in the cockpit of a ship. He took chances no sane person would. He was arrogant but he was good and he knew it.

I remember that night back on Minos 6 when I first meet him…"

While Alonzo had been involved with many women in the past, he denied that he'd ever made a play for Shelia and Julia believed him. Frankly, she wasn't overly concerned. That Alonzo hadn't been around for a long time. Yet it was how Shelia and many other crew members fondly remembered him. She tried to nod at appropriate intervals during Shelia's story of her first encounter with Alonzo rather than have her lack of attention perceived as jealousy.

"I couldn't believe he'd be so bold to suggest that…"

Julia concentrated on her food – a sloppy joe sandwich and a green salad. Basic fare but a vast improvement over the food on the road – consisting mostly of ground up roots or bitter berries.

"He lived to fly! To think that Alonzo wouldn't be fighting me tooth and nail to be the lead on the return trip – it's crazy! He hasn't even been curious about checking out the colony ship. Flying was in his blood. Now look at him. What happened?"

At this point Shelia always implied that the changes in Alonzo weren't of a positive nature. Julia had argued with her on some occasions. Since the woman never listened, it wasn't worth wasting her breath. To Julia, many of the changes in Alonzo were improvements. She wouldn't have wanted to spend the rest of her life with the man Shelia was describing.

Rather than losing her temper, Julia shifted the focus of the conversation. "Aren't you concerned about your reception upon your return?"

Shelia snorted. "Stations' beef was with Eden Project. Mostly Devon Adair."

"She was on the Roanoke, the Advance ship. But the Jamestown took off without proper clearance too. As lead pilot, I believe that was your call."

"Oh." Shelia looked crestfallen. Quickly she regained face, "Almost fifty years have passed. Plenty of time for a new administration to have come into play. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Colony folk felt Eden Advance had grossly exaggerated the role of the Council in their plight. Though how anyone could downplay a bomb planted on the advance ship and the deliberate sabotage of a cargo release valve was beyond Julia's understanding. Since Reilly, Eve, ZEDs, the Council and penal colonists hadn't been flocking to New Pacifica, many of Eden Advance's cautionary tales had been met with stony disbelief.

Unable to resist ribbing the irritating woman, Julia added, "I hope that unauthorized exit didn't put a mark on your record as a pilot. They keep track of those things, you know."

XXXXX

"And then what happened?" Max Faulkner asked, huddling closer to the other children who had gathered behind a cluster of bushes on the outskirts of the Mess Hall. He shoved a lock of his unruly dark hair out of his eyes.

A section of the Mess Hall building served as a one room school house. The colony had many children who ranged widely in age, although many of the Syndrome children were bedridden or too frail to attend school on a regular basis.

"The Terrians stunned us with their lightening and captured us," Uly said.

Lisa Simmons, a frail girl clad in an immunosuit, turned paler. "What did you do?" She nervously twisted the ends of her brown braids.

Uly paused. He'd purposely avoided telling this story. The colony kids had enough hang-ups about the Terrians as it was. But this group that included several Syndrome kids was his. Over the past months, they'd timidly approached him, wanting to hear his stories. Even though their parents and teachers had made it perfectly clear that this was not acceptable, they'd kept asking. If those kids had wanted to get him in trouble for sharing his experiences on this planet, it would've happened by now. So he thought they were ready. And what happened to them at Independence colony was an exciting story.

"We couldn't move – they'd tied us up. It sounded like they were screaming at us. It was awful," True added. She'd been terrified that day when she and Uly had been captured by Terrians in those caves.

"It took a day or so. But I finally figured it out," Uly bragged.

"How?" Peter Gibbons, a short, blonde boy with a sprinkle of freckles on his cheeks, asked, with a hint of sarcasm. "Did they give you super powers or something when they healed you?"

"I don't know about that," Uly grinned. "I figured out what they were saying. They were in pain. They needed our help."

"What did you do?" Lisa gasped.

"Paul returned and brought us back to camp. But I had to go back in a second time – all by myself and get a sample of their skin so Julia could study it."

"No way! Your mom would never let you do that," Riley Pritchett, a tall boy with closely cropped auburn hair and broad shoulders, scoffed. Although he'd only recently turned thirteen, he'd hit his growth spurt early. His height was even more noticeable around Syndrome kids like Max, Lisa and Peter.

"She trusts the Terrains. She's always willing to take a risk when it comes to building a relationship with them."

Uly had focused his stories mostly on his adventures with the inhabitants of G889. Many of the colonists were still unaware that his mother had been in cold sleep for several months on Franklin and Elizabeth's ship due to a mysterious illness.

"Then what happened?" Lisa asked.

"Julia figured out a way to cure them."

"Wow." Lisa's eyes grew wide.

Uly was continually tormented at school by both the students and the teacher's thinly veiled caustic comments. Rather than assisting with the teaching, (most likely due to the prejudices of the colonists regarding the Yale program), Yale had been relegated to other duties so he couldn't look out for his charge. As much as his mother hated it, she didn't want her son to run away from his problems, even if he hadn't created them. She felt it was more important to stand for what you believed in, even when it was hard.

Like their parents, the kids had been frightened by Uly's link with the Terrians and didn't want to be near him. Some teased him cruelly, implying it was all a game and Uly had made everything up. Even True had initially tried to distance herself from him, wanting to impress potential new friends and get a fresh start.

When several kids had ganged up on Uly in the play area, True had been forced to make a stand for what she felt was right. Even though she'd gotten in trouble for belting that kid, she was glad that she'd done it.

Always the skeptic, Riley asked, "Weren't you scared to go back all by yourself? Why didn't an adult go with you?"

"Those Terrians weren't very stable. They have a code – they don't harm their own. We assumed since they'd healed me, I would be safe. But for anyone else, we weren't so sure," Uly explained.

"Wow. That was really brave, Uly," Lisa commented with admiration.

Uly flushed, not knowing how to handle the compliment.

Curious, Riley asked, "What happened to Paul?"

Uly shrugged. "I dunno. He kinda disappeared."

"That's dumb. People don't just vanish. Especially kids," Riley replied.

Uly shrugged again, not knowing any other information. It didn't make sense but that's what had happened.

"We better get moving," True warned, looking over her shoulder. She, Riley and Peter left. Max and Lisa hung back.

"What was it like?" Max asked.

"Huh?"

"When they healed you. Did it hurt? Was it scary?'

"Oh no. It didn't hurt at all. You're gonna love it." Uly grinned.

"I don't think they'll let us," Lisa replied.

"My mom's working on that. But just to be safe, we should keep this between us. Right?"

XXXXXX

"Is it possible?" Bess asked. She was seated in a chair across from Dr. Vasquez's desk. "You said you'd look into this - months ago," she pointedly reminded him.

"Bess, you know how busy I've been. The children…."

She had no patience for his familiar litany of excuses. "I know," she snapped. "Don't you think time could be a critical factor here as well?" Even more intently she asked, "Can you help my husband?"

After repeated badgering, Dr. Vasquez had finally run a battery of tests on Morgan. Yet as long as that had taken, getting him to analyze the results had taken even more continuous nagging on Bess' part. Today she'd finally lost patience and cornered the physician at his desk, leaving him no escape route.

Dr. Vasquez wearily rubbed his graying temples. "The results aren't showing me anything new. As we mentioned a while back, the only option coming to mind is the STIM program. It could be a viable choice."

"That involves using electrical impulses to stimulate dormant areas of the brain."

Bess had done more than her share of reading on the topic, though the ponderous medical terms made it difficult.

"Exactly. There was some progress on the Stations with comatose patients."

"But no guarantees. And the effect isn't necessarily permanent either."

"That's correct."

Bess fought a moment to quell the desperation that threatened to overpower her. Morgan was all she had. She had to help him. His personality had to be buried somewhere inside of that shell. She'd been tenaciously clinging to what little remained of her husband. She'd give just about anything to have even a moment with him as he once had been.

"Could you do it here?"

Dr. Vasquez shook his head. "It's far too risky. It's not our area of expertise. I'd hate for it to backfire and possibly eliminate more of his working memory."

"Could they do this on the Stations?"

Bess had heard the rumors of a return trip for the Jamestown. That was what had prompted her to corner the doctor to discuss options.

"Certainly they'd be better equipped. But, once again, there'd be no guarantees."

"Of course not. What are the odds?"

"It's hard to say. You don't have a neuroscan of Morgan's brain from before his accident. That would make it extremely difficult. We also don't know if these parts of your husband are merely inaccessible or if they've been permanently damaged or destroyed. If it's the latter, you would truly have no hope. I'm not going to lie to you. This is new territory and it could be extremely dangerous," Dr. Vasquez cautioned.

Would experimental therapy be worth the potential risks?

Was the STIM program worth it if it could produce even a moment with her husband as he once had been? What if it didn't work? Or if it was temporary, where would she go from there? If she returned to the Stations, would she end up putting Morgan in a care facility and then moving on with her life?

Or due to the abrupt unauthorized departure of the Eden Project, did she or anyone else in the group still have the option to return? Had they been branded as criminals? Would they be treated as such upon their return? Would they recall that Morgan had originally been sent as a representative of the Council?

Whatever option she chose, there was no one else in her life. At the Stations, her friends had been superficial. No one had wanted to closely associate with an Earth res. After a fifty year round trip flight, her father on Earth most likely would have died. Members of Eden Advance had been looking out for Morgan. At one point, she considered them to be her family. Now she could barely look at them without sensing the familiar rage broiling within her.

XXXX

"Alonzo? Alonzo?"

Julia turned off her gear, frustrated that he wasn't answering.

Where was he?

Devon, Danziger and Yale had wanted to meet with them at dinner before Devon approached the governing board later that evening to request to a seat. They needed his and Uly's input on the Terrian's frame of mind, especially with the colony's upcoming plans to construct an additional power plant.

Alonzo hadn't shown up. She'd also learned that he'd left his work detail early. And that this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.

She hastily strode through a waist-high field of corn, moving towards the surrounding mountains, knowing where she might find him.

She had to admit that New Pacifica was a lovely location, filled with natural beauty – stunning beaches, towering trees, distant mountains. A continuous breeze from the ocean moderated temperatures nicely. Their proximity to the equator meant a temperate climate with a long growing season and no snow.

It would be an understatement to say that Colony folk didn't like Alonzo and Uly. That first night, seeing Uly bending down to trill with the so-called beasts, hearing those odd sounds issuing from him, had horrified and disgusted them. The fact that Alonzo actually allowed those creatures into his head revolted them. When the Terrians had approached some of them in similar fashion, the people from the Jamestown claimed it felt like a demonic possession. As if the creatures were trying to drive them insane.

By willingly cooperating with the Terrians, Uly and Alonzo had betrayed their humanity. In a sense, they'd made a deal with the devil. Neither was fully human anymore and they could not be trusted. Those from the Jamestown avoided them as much as possible.

Julia didn't see it that way. Sure, there were changes in both Uly and Alonzo, but they were mostly of a positive nature. Uly was healed from the Syndrome, he was given a new chance at life. He was healthy and strong. Alonzo had matured; he was no longer arrogant and self-absorbed. Weren't those changes for the better?

Many parents claimed that Uly was odd and deliberately kept their children away from him. They'd even tried to ban him from attending school, though they hadn't been successful. They claimed Uly didn't speak much and sometimes stared off into space as if possessed. They professed that his reticence was due to the beasts changing him, taking him over. But with Uly's cool reception at New Pacifica, could anyone blame the boy for not wanting to talk? And he didn't seem to have these issues with members of Eden Advance.

As to Alonzo, Julia suspected that many single women from the Ops crew of the Jamestown were jealous and disappointed that they wouldn't have the chance to have a fling with him. Alonzo Solace was no longer a charismatic heartbreaker.

Still, Julia had to admit that his recent behavior had her concerned.

As they'd traveled across the continent, Alonzo had typically spoken with the Terrains in his dreams. He'd simply wake up and relay their messages. Now that seemed to be changing.

Upon their arrival at New Pacifica, Alonzo and Uly had noticed that something wasn't quite right with the Dream Plane. The Terrians were unhappy. Communication with them was more challenging. The colonists at New Pacifica weren't the least concerned by this so those in Eden Advance took it upon themselves to investigate. After several weeks, they'd determined that by-products from the electrical power plant that were released into the atmosphere were causing this interference.

Eden Advance had seen this type of situation before at the remnants of Independence colony which they'd discovered during their cross country trek across the continent. In that case, despite the containment field, nuclear waste had been slowly leaching into the earth and had been poisoning the Terrians. In retaliation, the planet had produced its own response, releasing a microscopic substance into the local environment that, over a period of years, gradually accumulated in the colonists' bodies and had driven them insane, killing the children first and eventually every living creature. Julia had called it 'the planetary immune response'. She believed this was what Council Doctor Elizabeth Anson was referring to when she claimed that the planet would reject them.

They'd tried to impress upon the colonist of New Pacifica that this situation with the power plant could have dire consequences if not remedied. But those from the Jamestown argued only from their own perspective. The waste levels were very low and documented not to be harmful to humans. Most of the compounds would eventually be swept up into the atmosphere and blown away. They even argued that it had to be okay since they were following the construction plans that Devon herself had provided. Seeing no problem, they refused to devote time to 'fixing it' especially when so many other dire survival issues kept popping up every day.

Within a few weeks at the colony, Alonzo had become listless. He had trouble concentrating and sometimes even difficulty sleeping. Julia had awoken one night to find Alonzo missing. At first she simply lay in bed, assuring herself she was being paranoid. Alonzo had chosen to share a unit with her. In fact, it had been his idea. It was foolish to believe he was having cold feet. Even though some of the single women from the Ops crew still tried to flirt with him, he hadn't seemed the least bit interested. An hour later he'd reappeared, claiming he took a walk to try to clear his head.

Julia was worried about his persistent headaches and wanted to run some tests, especially after their experience last summer when Alonzo became addicted to a substance revealed to him on the Dream Plane. When there was no improvement even after she'd administered meds, she insisted upon those tests. She was concerned that the altered Dream Plane might be affecting him. However the test results turned out to be inconclusive.

Just last week Alonzo started disappearing for longer intervals during the day. He claimed that when he hiked out into the mountains, away from the colony, to nearby Terrian caves, his concentration improved.

She'd gone out there a few days ago to locate him, curious about his activities. She suspected she might see him with Terrians. But Alonzo had been alone in the caverns.

The fact that the impaired Dream Plane seemed to be affecting him alarmed her. Was Alonzo slowly forming his own unique bond with the planet? Or were the Terrians simply drawing her boyfriend closer to them to communicate more effectively with him? Yet if that were the case, why was Alonzo spending time alone there?

As far as she could tell, Uly had not exhibited similar symptoms. Devon was always quick to brush away her questions, not wanting to acknowledge that Uly might be different in any fashion. Still, his link with the Terrians had always been different than Alonzo's. It was in tied into his DNA. Uly was also a boy at eleven years old. Although the altered Dream Plane didn't appear to be causing any physical effects in him, he too had difficulty communicating with the Terrians at New Pacifica colony.

Julia didn't take Shelia too seriously. She wasn't worried about losing Alonzo to another woman or even to the once irresistible lure of space flight. She was growing concerned that the Terrians were drawing Alonzo closer to them. That, over time, there might no longer be a place in his life for her.

She entered the dimly lit chamber and located him within minutes. As before he was seated cross legged on the floor of the cavern, eyes closed – in a meditative state.

"What were you doing?" she asked with false cheer.

He opened his eyes. "Just touching base with the Terrians."

"You've been gone for hours."

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Why do you have to come all the way out here?"

They'd had this conversation before. She was just wondering if he could explain it better.

"It's where they can reach me."

Same cryptic response. Trying to be casual, she asked, "So…what have you been talking about?"

"It's hard to explain. It's not the same as talking with humans."

"Try me."

"The air pollution from the power plant has to stop. It's slowly destroying the Dream Plane. And now the colony is talking about building another one? I hope Devon can get on that board and stop this," Alonzo replied.

Julia sat down on the chamber floor beside him. More thoughtfully, she asked, "Do you think it's possible? For us to co-exist with the Terrians?"

"Why not? We've done it for over two years. Didn't Sheppard's group of penal colonists and Bio-dome scientists do the same?"

Julia was about to mention Independence colony but thought better. On the surface, it had been successful for many years. Then disaster had struck. It irked her that the New Pacifica leaders were so shorted sighted. They couldn't understand the possible long term consequences of their actions and the link between the Terrians, the planet and their survival.

XXXXX

With her eyes closed, Devon could hear the waves crashing on the beach. She savored the sound along with the warmth of Danziger's strong arms wrapped about her. Soon after they'd arrived at New Pacifica, she and Danziger had located this secluded spot where they could recharge. Living on the Stations for most of her life, she'd never realized that the sound and motion of the sea could be so soothing, so calming. She tried to put all other thoughts out of her mind. When she was here with Danziger, she felt safe. She could forget that rather than their struggles ending once they'd reached New Pacifica, they'd only become more complicated.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Danziger said. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard."

A not so gentle reminder that she'd never fully recovered from the Council's attempt to poison her. Either at the Stations or during their time on Planet G889, a time release capsule of poison had been secretly implanted in her. When their bio-stat implants had started failing, the release of the poison had been triggered. Eventually she'd collapsed and been placed in a stasis chamber on Franklin and Elizabeth's ship until months later when Julia, with the Terrians' assistance, had cured her.

She'd been feeling rundown lately. Her stomach was upset and her energy was lower than usual. But she wasn't about to share that with Danziger, knowing his overprotective tendencies would kick into high gear. He might even insist that, heaven forbid, she spend a day resting in bed. With all that was going on, she could never do that. Talk about feeling utterly useless.

'I know," she replied. "But at least one member of the governing board should be from Eden Advance. Look at the mess they've already created."

Air pollution from the electric plant had already impaired the Dream Plane. Use of a particular fertilizer had destroyed a field. She shuddered to think of what else might happen.

"They may not care about the Terrians but whatever affects them will impact us. With the recent vacancy of one of those board seats, we've got the chance to force their hand. "

In the spirit of democracy, New Pacifica ran monthly town meetings but with such a large number of people, it was mostly for show. People were allowed to present their viewpoints but that didn't mean others listened. When Devon had first stepped forward to implore the families to allow the Terrians to heal their children, she'd been booed off the platform. All important decisions were made by the board.

"Yeah. Why not let someone else do it?"

She laughed dryly. "Who do you suggest?"

While the members of Eden Advance varied greatly in their opinions of the Terrians and policy on Planet G889, their mutual experiences had engendered a healthy respect for the aliens. Yet she hated to subject any of them to council-like bureaucracy. Julia might have been a good candidate especially with her mother's ties to Council and her own former involvement with that organization. However, people were repelled by her relationship with Alonzo and as a result, they treated her poorly. Morgan Martin might've been aware of what he was up against, although he would've never had the backbone to disagree with anyone on that board. His candidacy was not an option anyway.

"How about me?" Danziger suggested.

"No."

Her response came out too quickly. He loosened his grip on her and stepped back. She'd inadvertently hurt his feelings. She turned to face him.

"Still can't let a drone be in a position of power?"

Her stomach knotted tighter. Why did he always do that? She didn't care what his roots were. John Danziger had proven himself time and time again during their journey that he was a man of integrity and a gifted leader. She didn't want to get into that now. And she certainly didn't want to rehash why she wanted to keep their relationship secret which usually came next in his line of thought. She had enough on her mind. She was facing the board members in less than an hour.

She had to get on that board.

"Don't be silly. It's a game. A lousy game. But with my experience, I'm the one who knows how to play it best."

Admittedly it had been a long time, but she knew how dirty politics got. As much as she admired John and his leadership skills, he was a straight shooter. That worked well in times of crisis but a little more subtlety and finesse would be required in policy making and manipulating public opinion.

She continued, "I know these people. I know what buttons to push. They're going to fight this tooth and nail. It's going to be a nasty fight but I will get on this board."

"Want me to go with you?" Danziger offered.

She was touched. But his kind gesture would be interpreted differently by the board.

"I'll be okay." She squeezed his hand. "But thanks."

TBC

A/N: Paul, Independence Colony, the planetary immune response, and Devon's poisoning are all described in my story "Stepping Stones".

Alonzo's addiction to a substance on the Dream Plane is described in my story "The Road Not Chosen".