Chapter 3

The partition doors between the Commander's office and Main Mission slid open and those on duty turned around in surprise. Those doors had remained closed for some time now. John walked down the steps to where Paul, Sandra and Alan sat at their desks, all still wearing their warmer jackets against the chilly air.

"Sandra, can you get me a status update across the base and send it through please?" John asked.

"Of course, Commander," she replied with a glance at Paul, thinking it was a relief to see the Commander looking more upbeat and business-like. She started punching buttons.

Arkadia still held the moon in its thrall. The power was still only at 50%; there was insufficient light and heat. Food production and recycling were operating at below optimum levels and there was a risk that water supply could become contaminated if the plant had to continue on reduced power. They were all still trying to work out what else could be shut down in order to redirect power to the more essential systems but there was little room for movement. Alpha was not thriving. If the environment could not be maintained properly then the future of the whole base was at risk. The outlook was bleak and getting bleaker.

"I am calling a Command meeting at 15.00 hours. I'd like all of you there," John continued.

"Yes sir," came the chorused reply.

At 15.00 hours, John Koenig was seated at the round table in his office with Victor, Paul, Alan, Sandra, David and Bob Mathias. They waited in silence for the Commander to speak and he came to the point without preamble.

"Luke Ferro and Anna Davis are to be given what they demanded and allowed to go to Arkadia."

There was a collective gasp of shock and disbelief at his words.

"Now hold on a minute, Commander," said Alan. "You've got to be kidding. We've been through all of this, remember? If they'd taken that amount of supplies they have ended up killing all us. So what the hell has changed?"

John looked squarely at Alan and simply said "Arra."

"No. You're kidding me." Alan, somewhat taken aback, thought of his own encounter with the Queen of Atheria. He had good reason to trust her; Arra had saved his life and she had also got him to support the Commander against the will of everyone else. "Come on, John, are you telling us that you have been in contact with her again?"

"Alan, I know what this sounds like but I have to ask you – " he turned to face the group. "All of you - to trust me once more. Yes, Arra has spoken to me. You remember that we planned Operation Shockwave in an attempt to stop our moon from colliding with her planet. She explained to me that our two worlds had to touch in order for her people to go through a process of mutation into the next stage of their existence and Alan and I had to stop Shockwave going ahead."

"Of course," said Paul. "You threatened to shoot anyone who tried to press the detonation switch – that included Dr Russell."

"Thank you for that Paul, I really don't need reminding," John replied in a dull voice, a thought flashing momentarily across his mind...does that reduce me to Luke Ferro's level? He hastily thrust the thought away and went on. "Arra had promised me that Alpha's odyssey would know no end, that our people would prosper and populate the deepest reaches of space. And, as you know, when our worlds touched, the planet of Atheria just disappeared, we went on our way without harm and Arra went, as she put it - to shape the future of eternity."

There were nods of agreement around the table.

John went on: "Now here we are, trapped around Arkadia, unable to move on and follow the path laid out for us, to fulfil our destiny. But Arra has told me that Luke and Anna have to settle on Arkadia. The moon is held fast because the planet is simply waiting for them and if we send them there as they wish, the moon will be released and Alpha will be free to travel on and recover. Victor, you know how often we've discussed the possibility that mankind has a purpose – that somewhere out there is a great cosmic force, watching us…"

"Well…..you know me, John, I would never discount anything after what we've been through but don't forget, it's only you and Alan who have ever had contact with Arra." Said Victor. "We can only take your word that she even exists."

Paul huffed, he was still sceptical. "But we'll be in an even worse state if they take that much now and things don't change. Why should we trust you now?"

"You didn't trust the Commander and Alan and before," said Sandra, evenly. "Any of you. But they were right."

Bob was starting to wonder about John's state of mind. "Commander, you know, you have been under a huge amount of stress lately…."

"I may have been upset but I am not losing my mind yet, Bob."

"John, we aren't saying you're losing your mind," said Victor gently, before adding "But if you just hand over what they want, it would mean Helena died for nothing."

John got up from his seat and started to pace the room, willing himself to stay calm. If he showed signs of duress he could easily end up confined to his quarters and sedated as he was last time he'd tried to convince his colleagues to have faith in Arra. On that occasion, Helena had been convinced he was suffering delusions as a result of radiation sickness.

His answer was tinged with sadness. "I know that Victor, more than anyone. But there are a whole lot of other people on this base to be considered. And I think we have to ask ourselves, what do we have to lose?"

John had no doubt that he had spoken with Arra but he realised that he could not tell them about his encounter with Helena. The chances were that it would be taken as proof that his mind was unhinged by grief and he still could not be sure that it actually happened or whether it had been a dream born out of wishful thinking. More than that, his feelings were so raw and it was just too personal to be shared. His colleagues knew he'd been right in trusting Arra the last time and he did not want to further jeopardise his chances of getting their agreement this time around.

Several hours and countless cups of coffee later, they finally put the proposal to a vote and the plan was agreed. Paul had kept his gaze downcast, he had acquiesced but remained unhappy about it. Bob still had a few minor reservations about John Koenig's mental state but decided to support him. Victor was intrigued about the mysterious Arra and the possibilities this presented but it was predominantly because both John and Alan had previously placed their trust in her and were proved right to do so, that he eventually concurred.

Sandra, Alan and David decided to put their faith in their Commander. It was their belief that doing nothing at this stage was no longer an option.

Luke and Anna would be offered an Eagle and two years' worth of stores and supplies rather than three, Helena had previously calculated it would take two years to get the crops growing on that dead planet. They would need to keep as much as possible to sustain Alpha in the event that the current situation did not get resolved as hoped.

Luke and Anna were summoned and the plan was put to them, they accepted without hesitation though not understanding why the Commander had changed his mind and no reasons were provided. An Eagle was prepared with as much secrecy as possible, the fewer people who knew, the better, so any personnel involved in the preparations were engaged on a "need to know basis". John did not want to be deceitful but he could not run the risk of a mutiny on Alpha. If he was ultimately proved wrong, he knew he would just have to take whatever repercussions were coming his way.

Finally, everything was ready. John Koenig met with Luke and Anna alone as they boarded the spacecraft which was going to take them into their uncertain future. Arra would probably not consider it uncertain, he decided.

"Thank you, Commander. You cannot know what this means to us," said Luke in his heavily accented English.

"I think I have an idea," replied John, dryly. "I just hope it all turns out to be worth it. For all of our sakes."

"And Commander, believe me, I am sorry..."

John lowered his eyes to the floor. he certainly didn't want to talk about it, certainly not with the man responsible for causing him unbearable pain. "Yeah….Well, you'd better be getting on your way."

Luke Ferro and Anna Davis left Alpha on their journey to their new life. John Koenig turned from them and boarded the travel tube back to his own, a dim, dark, cold Alpha and the ever present gnawing ache in his heart.

In Main Mission, Paul confirmed when Luke and Anna's Eagle had gone into orbit around Arkadia and then again sometime later when they had landed on the planet's surface.

"So. What now?" he said to John, standing beside him.

"We wait."

"I sincerely hope you're right about this Commander."

Privately John agreed but didn't reply as once again he felt the burden of command weighing heavily on his shoulders. He just didn't know how he would justify the action he had taken if nothing changed and painfully aware of the sidelong impatient glances Paul kept casting in his direction, he took refuge in his office. And they all waited.

He was sitting at his desk, head in hands and lost in thought when he started to feel a tremor under his feet. He left his desk and was making his way down the steps to Main Mission when a sudden jolt sent anyone standing hurtling across the room. Everyone held on as tremendous external forces shook Alpha and its inhabitants to the core.

"John!" shouted Victor against a distant rumbling. "I believe we're moving again!" In typical fashion, there was wonder and excitement on the scientist's face.

They were indeed moving….they held on against strong G-forces and shuddering vibration for what felt like hours until gradually things steadied and started to calm down and people were able to move about again. Other sections were reporting in, there were no atmosphere breaches or apparent damage to the base but some personnel had sustained minor injuries. Looking up from her console, Sandra reported the moon's current position. It was travelling at great speed away from the planet. A long range view was brought up on the big screen and they stood and watched.

There was a sudden chime from Sandra's instruments. "Commander! The power is coming back!" The display confirmed it. Power loss was now 48%, then as they watched, 47% and so on.

Paul looked apologetically at John. "You were right, Commander. I'm sorry, I should have…."

"Forget it, Paul. It's not important now."

Alpha was already coming back to life, imbibing its crew with a renewed sense of optimism. The relief was palpable and as time went on all systems gradually began to be brought back to full operating levels. In time, their losses could be made up and life on Alpha would go on...

To be continued...

Final chapter coming shortly!