It's weird; I still have about ten more chapters to write (about 50 all up) but I'm already making plans for the next story or two. Anyway... here's the next bit and this is where the story really starts.
25 The Magnificent Five
"Biblis Tholus!"
"You do and you'll clean it up" Sierra Corbin smirked.
"I'm talking about the mountain; why are you even here?" Professor Leonard Topolski asked rudely; the middle aged Ukrainian did not like Sierra's strange sense of humour.
"She is a member of the team Leonard" April sighed.
"Yes but she is robotics engineer; she will come and do her job no matter where we go."
"I'm a robotics engineer too" Vikram Mandal interjected.
"And I'm a medical doctor" Umbrielle Mandal added "so we're in the same boat as Sierra but you don't seem to mind us being involved in the decision making."
"You two aren't always making with the bad jokes" Professor Topolski pointed out.
"Look I'm sorry alright? Let's just get on with this and I promise to use a bucket full of self control" Sierra apologised.
"You need to use big truck full of self control" Topolski accused.
"Leonard; play nice" April warned as the Pink-headed Fruit Dove of Frustration circled in judgment.
Even though he was almost twice her age, April had an incredible authoritarian hold on the good professor.
"Okay then, I am sorry too; Sierra may stay."
"Leonard!" April said in the stern voice she normally kept in reserve for her daughters and occasionally her husband.
"Even though it is really not up to me" Topolski admitted.
Okay everyone, this has got to stop. We may have our own habitats but we'll be working in close quarters for many months and none of you will be able to just take a little holiday back here at the main base if you can't get along with each other" April insisted.
"Sorry Mrs. Dias" Sierra spoke like a scolded child in school.
"So much for self control" Professor Topolski mumbled but thankfully, everyone ignored him.
"So you want to make the case for Biblis Tholus as the location for the second base, eh Leonard?" April asked.
"Yes but I don't think I need to make case. We've been discussing best location of second Mars colony for years and while there are many acceptable places, I don't think any are noticeably better. Biblis Tholus if far enough away to be safely independent, close enough for short travel time of less than five days and we will have future opportunity to use height of mountain to build Railgun Launcher. The one on Earth did marvellous job for many years and now..."
The Professor stopped when he realised almost everyone around him was trying to get him to stop talking and change the subject; everyone but April.
"Oh, I am so sorry my dear for mentioning... well... you know" Topolski stared at his feet.
"It's okay everyone" April smiled "It doesn't matter if the Railgun project comes up in conversation because Professor Topolski is right. We should consider building one here and besides; I think about my son, Linton, Sarah and all the people lost on that ship everyday so talking about them won't do any more harm."
"You are good woman; brave woman" Professor Topolski gripped April's shoulders "You must have Ukrainian blood flowing in your veins."
"Actually my Great Grandfather said we were Vikings" April pondered.
"Same thing; tough yet gentle with fiery passion in soul."
"Yeah well he also said we rode on the backs of dragons, so you may want to add deluded to the list."
When Aprils meeting was finally complete, she had hoped to head straight home. She was used to Luis leaving home to do his time on the MTV, but losing her eldest daughter for a few months was taking some getting used to. Time helping Abigail with her preparations would have to wait though because Umbrielle Mandal insisted April stop putting off her required physical check up. So she spent the next hour twisting, stretching, covering one eye, listening for inaudible beeps, donating fluids, breathing deeply and touching the tip of her nose with her eyes shut. And all the way through the various indignities, April and Umbrielle discussed the new future and founding the second colony.
"I still find myself wondering Brie; should we start off with the safe crops like they did here, or try for a more diverse system straight off the bat? We shouldn't be too scared to experiment since we already have this base running at near full output."
"I do believe you are looking for trouble so you can have something to fix" Umbrielle accused.
"Listen Brie; I'd rather cause problems at a time when we can learn from them without putting lives at risk, rather than wait for them to happen at the worst possible time."
"I still think you enjoy being a troublemaker" Umbrielle smirked "Oh and by the way, congratulations on the impending addition to your little brood."
"Not you too Brie" April sighed "Luis and I have talked about having another child, but as to these rumours going around about me being pregnant, they are just that; rumours!"
"Are you sure?" Umbrielle gave a sly grin as she tapped the chart of April's medical results.
The Barn Owl of Slow Realisation settled gently onto April's head and dug its claw deep into her brain.
"April; what are you doing with that scalpel?" Umbrielle asked as her patient picked up the sharp instrument.
"I'll bring it back soon" she promised "I just have to go and see Luis about a delicate surgical procedure."
"You are NOT going to castrate your husband!" Umbrielle was adamant.
"How about a violent vasectomy?"
"No April; definitely not!"
While his mother considered doing the unthinkable to his father, Blue sat under a tree about twenty metres from the top of the ramp. The sound of trees and bushes being cleared from the road to the beach drifted on the breeze as the inhabitants of the railgun complex prepared for the new task of equipment delivery. As he watched, Blue saw the small truck return from the ship. It left the complex fifteen minutes later laden down with tools and machinery to assist in the unloading of the ship.
"Everybody is going nuts trying to find you" Calla noted; she felt a real sense of pride at having succeeded where the others had failed.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before someone did" Blue inadvertently deflated the young girl's ego.
"Well I was with your friend Sarah when the truck arrived; she asked the driver if he'd seen you up here and he said no so she went to look somewhere else. But knew you wouldn't be standing on the side of the road in plain view so I got him to give me a lift up to the surface and here you are."
"You must be so proud of yourself."
"Yup; so why didn't you wait to see what the reply from Mars would be?"
"It was weird" Blue admitted "I asked myself the same question as I was walking up the tunnel. At first I was excited at the thought of finally having the chance to see a message just for me from my father, but then I wondered why hadn't he ever tried to send me a message before? Professor Adisa said maybe it was because he didn't know I was here, and we couldn't send a message to him because a transmission could have given our position away to the EFA."
"That makes sense" Calla agreed.
"But now we know someone lied about the ship; they told us was sunk when it was really here and the Professor thinks they could have been lying about a lot of stuff" Blue noted.
"So maybe they lied to your dad too; told him you died with your Mom."
"Or maybe he didn't want me without her" Blue theorised "Maybe he didn't want a child keeping him planet bound when he wanted to be a pilot on the Mars Transfer Vehicle."
"You really are over thinking it" Calla laughed much to Blues annoyance "I'd bet you a months chores he doesn't know you're here."
"If only I could be sure."
"Then come back and find out."
"You are really starting to annoy me" Blue huffed.
"Then my work here is done" Calla bowed and wandered back to the ramp.
Blue sat for another half a minute trying to think of a reason to stay where he was, but the unseen Barn Owl in the tree above him meant he was soon on his way back to meet up with Professor Adisa and forgive the old man for his thoughtlessness.
I just read that there is going to be a live action TV series of Sword Art Online; can HTTYD be far behind and is it a good idea or not?
Time will tell I suppose.