Chapter 7 – everything will be all white
"That was not a wise choice John", Helena told him. They were in his quarters sharing a small meal together. John had filled Helena in on all of his decisions. She was questioning his choice to expel the person responsible for the attack upon Alan
"Helena, I have to make sure there is peace upon this moon. We cannot have violence, it undermines everything we have worked towards", John explained. "Yes that's true John, but you have chosen the most extreme punishment. There is no way out for the culprit. Thus they may think they have nothing more to lose and commit other acts of violence or division. " A period of incarceration would have worked", Helena told him.
"Maybe Helena. But somehow I don't think so. Breakaway was the catalyst for changes in all our behaviour. We are in a constant state of survival. That brings out the worst in all of us".
"I still don't know who assaulted Alan, and that scares me. He should not have to deal with having his attacker work alongside him everyday. Nor should I be having to send him out there, to see if the white mist really is going to help us", John sighed.
"We are all going to be doing things that involve personal risk from now on John. It's just part of that survival you mentioned. I am not sure how long we can all continue to live in this state. We have lost an overwhelming amount. My mind can't even process what's happened. "We just have to celebrate the small successes . "If we can find even a small amount of resources that will be hugely beneficial to morale, as well as survival", Helena replied
"Yes it will be huge. I just hope that we've read the situation correctly, John concluded.
Helena had proved to be a good listener, as well as an adviser. His hand found it's way to hers, and covered it gently. "Your advice means alot Helena."
Helena found the warmth of his hand to be comforting. It made her believe she could face almost anything. She was pushing aside her doubts about whether a relationship with John was wise. Just grab hold of this opportunity, her mind was telling her. "We should do this again", she told John. He smiled warmly, "definitely", he told her.
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Alan had rested for 12 hours at the insistence of both Commander Koenig and Doctor Russell. He was now ready to test his theory.
Professor Bergman had asked other pilots to talk to the Eagle's still encased in the mist to see if anything happened. The cocoons had started to grow again. Which just proved that he was the only one that could alter the current situation.
He felt like everyone was watching, analysing, and waiting for him to succeed. Yet what if he did not. Would that provoke another angry response.
Fear was creeping upon him again. With it came an urge to flee, out into the depths of space. That was where he felt the most comfortable. He could just fly around and not have to deal with anything. Maybe he'd even do it today, if he did not succeed. It'd be simple enough, since he'd be all alone up there.
His dark thoughts were still consuming him when the Commander joined him. "Ready Alan", John asked. " Yes sir", Alan replied.
John studied him frankly. The bruising on his face was more obvious today. It made him look older. Koenig studied his friend carefully. Alan looked nervous, and was trying valiantly not to show his feelings. This mission was of vital importance, and everyone was hoping for its success. There would be a huge fall out, if the mission failed. Would Alan's attacker seek revenge again. He could not even allow that possibility. If things did not go well today, he'd shield Alan from the fallout. There was only one way to do that. Make sure he was not alone.
"Alan ,I have been reflecting upon the best way to conduct this mission. It's safer if you have a co pilot", John told him
Alan had wondered if the Commander would make that decision. It should make him feel less nervous. But it did not. Instead it increased his anxiety. Because what if his attacker had talked to the co pilot and convinced him to do something to him if he could not find any resources.
"I know it would be the wisest plan Commander. However would prefer to be alone sir", Alan requested.
John saw terror upon Alan's face along with a desire to flee. It occurred to him that Alan might decide not to come back if he could not find resources. There was no way he was ever going to let that happen. He gently placed one steadying hand on Alan's shoulder as he told him. "You are not going out there alone Alan. You've already faced more than your fair share of pain. I've thought carefully about the best person to accompany you. It has to be someone you can trust one hundred percent".' He paused. Alan was still looking scared. But maybe he wouldn't when he knew who was going with him. "I am going to be your co pilot" ,he stated.
Alan was surprised. He did not think it was the wisest time for John to leave the base. Maybe a certain person might just decide to take over. He could not voice that concern without naming his attacker. So he went with, "they will probably need you here".
There were only two very professional answers to that, yes or no. Alan was stunned when John said "stuff them", very firmly. They all know what their roles are. " He glimpsed the concern on Alan's face. "If someone wants to try something while I'm away, then they'll need everyone on their side. Otherwise they'll get taken down swiftly. Especially since everyone will then know who attacked you. Nobody will support that action Alan".
"Leaving the base is my decision to make", John concluded. He gestured to the Eagles. "Let's get going Captain".
That was definitely John's official voice. It was filled with confidence. His attacker did have power, but John was correct, he could not overthrow the Commander at them moment. Alan stood a little straighter and put his fear aside. It was time to get moving. "Yes sir', he acknowledged.
Alan swiftly checked the systems in Eagle One. He was satisfied everything was working at optimal efficiency. Strapping himself in he reached for the controls. "Alright my girl, it's time to go and find some resources". "Remember our friend the white mist needs to stay away from the engines". He glanced at John ,then added, "you are my favourite Eagle again".
John just raised one eyebrow and wisely said nothing. Once they had lifted off he moved to the rear of the Eagle to consult the scanners.
He could see a dense pocket of mist ahead of them. "Do we head for the densest concentration of mist?" ,he asked Alan.
"I'll try something first. "I'm going to turn away from that dense pocket and see if it follows us", Alan remarked. He changed course. So did the mist. It was in front of them again. This only lasted a few seconds before it zipped quickly over them, then away to it's previous position. Koenig decided that meant, it wanted them to follow it. 'Change course Alan," he read out the coordinates.
They changed their bearings a few times over the course of 4 hours. Now they were in uncharted space, an area none of the Eagles had visited.
Alan could not see anything remarkable in front of them. He hoped the mist was not just leading them away. "There's nothing out here dearest', he said to Eagle one. How can I be sure you know where to go". He did not really expect an answer to this question.
"Umm Alan", Koenig called out , "put the Eagle on autopilot and come and see this". Alan did that. He was astounded at what he saw on the scanner. The white mist was no longer in one large mass. Instead it had moved out into several, and there was a distinctive, familiar pattern, it was two words. "Trust us", it said.
"The mist has just learnt to communicate directly", Koenig remarked. "I did just question them", Alan told him. "It was beginning to feel that we were just being drawn away. "
"Yes, I suppose that was always a possibility", John agreed. "We are trusting the mist with our lives".
They kept flying for another 3 hours. Alan was feeling tired. Thankfully John had not talked to him about the assault. It was clear that his attacker had not come forward. Alan had not expected that he would. He just had to hope that person would not try anything in the future. Next time he would reveal the name.
Yawning widely Alan decided to be on duty for one more hour , then he'd rest. His eyes were so tired that they'd begun to see things .Blinking a few times had always helped clear his vision in the past. This time though it did not help. There was still a large dot in front of his eyes. Alan stared. The dot seemed to be getting bigger. Suddenly he let out a laugh, and told John, " I think I see a planet".
When he checked his readouts he noticed another interesting fact. "The temperature has increased", he added.
John hurried to the cockpit and checked for himself. "Yes it has", he confirmed. "It's only a slight increase. But even that is significant. Something out there is generating heat".
Another 90 minutes passed. Now they could clearly see what was ahead. It was a small planetoid. "It's strange John, one side almost looks like it has vegetation, yet the other is barren", Alan observed.
"It is a very small planetary body, smaller than Pluto, in our own universe. From what I can interpret from our scanners, it has a fixed orbit", John told Alan.
"A fixed orbit with one side that faces toward the heat source", Alan added. "We can land on that side and gather what we need". If I think about why the mist lead us here I would speculate that it might have formally been their home ". Something changed , and that led them to migrate away".
"That's a good theory Alan", John acknowledged. "It's not right for them, but it'll work for resources. We unfortunately could not live on a world like that. It just does not have everything we need".
Surprisingly that statement made Alan smile. "You can't prefer a barren moon", Koenig grumbled.
Alan just smiled wider. "John, I just found out why the temperature is rising. There's a sun out there".
John could not even make his mouth move one little centimetre, he was still in shock.
"It could mean that somewhere there is a planet that can support life", Alan celebrated.
Now that was two pieces of good news.
John was smiling as well. "The mist really did help us". We shall land upon the planetoid and gather as much as we can. Then we'll return to base and arrange for other eagles to be sent out. You'll have to tell the mist to leave them alone."
"Hopefully that will work", Alan replied.
"We have offered them a home on the moon, so they don't really need to be out here any more", John assured him.
"I have to wonder why they did not show us the location of a planet that could support life", Alan mused. "That little planetoid will be useful for some short term replenishing . What we gather won't last long".
"Perhaps they've never been to that other world", Koenig replied.
"Then we have to just hope that we can find its location", Alan remarked.
John was still smiling. It was amazing how quickly spirits could be lifted. There may still be obstacles ahead. But he was sure they could be overcome. "I think if Victor and the computer work together they will be able to estimate a location. It could be that our journey in this galaxy might be over. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are resources on that planetoid", he concluded.
They spent several hours obtaining what they could.
Then before they headed back to base Alan talked to his Eagle. "You've been really helpful. In fact you can now call yourself legendary. I should not be the only one to benefit. The other pilots do not say much, but they are also your friends", Alan paused. "As well as my friends", he added. "We will only survive if all our friends help. So please could the mist stay away from the Eagles. It affects their ability to function and puts our lives at risk." Alan could feel tears forming again, "one of my best friends has already died. I know that you did not mean for that to happen. We have the fact in common that we both want a new home. Your new home on the moon". Come and live there".
Alan hoped the mist understood.
He launched.
On the flight back home he'd rest and let John take the controls. It would be a test of whether the mist understood.
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When they eventually arrived back at base they informed everyone of their news.
"We've been large masses of the white mist heading for the far side of the moon, so your message got through". "Also the cocooning on the infected Eagles has completely abated, and their engines test normal", Victor reported. 'It seems like that issue has finally been solved." The Professor made sure to make eye contact with Alan. "Thank you Captain Carter, for communicating with the mist".
Everyone gave Alan a cheer.
He looked into one particular persons eyes, then away. There was no way he'd ever forget what that person had done to him. He would still not reveal that persons name. Unless there was a very compelling reason to do so. Since his mission had been a success, that person would not attack him again.
"Now as for the possibility of a habitable planet. "David inputted all the data from Eagle one into the computer". I has estimated the likelihood of a habitable planet to be above 90 percent", Victor told them.
More cheering broke out.
Victor patiently waited until it died down before he told them the not so good news. "I have estimated the location of this world. However the current trajectory of the moon does not align with this location. . At the closest point we will be 120 days away from the planets location. Thus we are going to have to make a rapid decision on whether we use all the Eagles and permanently depart the moon for this new world. We'll only have a few days to study the world and test whether it can indeed support us. "
John noted that nobody looked disappointed. They were still riding the wave, and feeling the thrill of thinking that finally there was good news. He knew that despair would come crashing back if they discovered the planet could not support life.
"If this galaxy is like home then it is highly probable that this world will be alot like Earth", Paul enthused.
"What if it's already occupied", Sandra asked nervously.
That made everyone exchange glances. Nobody had thought of that possibility.
"Then we talk to them and explain our situation", Helena said firmly. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Soon we will be close enough to send out Eagles to gather data. Then we can make an informed decision".
""Who's decision will it be?", Paul asked.
"Everyone's. If we leave, then we are going together. Nobody is staying behind", John said.
"What about the person who assaulted Alan. Nobody ever admitted to that. That means that person could be left behind on the moon", David pointed out.
Alan felt all eyes on him again. Suddenly he was the most powerful person in the room. He could doom a certain person if he chose to reveal their name.
However he found that he could not. They'd all been given another chance and he could not take that away from anyone.
"No", he said. 'United we stand, divided we fall." Let's just look forward, not back".