Happy days are here again, :-D
I recently completed chapter 51, meaning I only have a few more to write and the first part of the Mars tale will be done. This is why I've decided to stop for a week and go through everything from this chapter forward before going on. Ergo there shall probably be more frequent postings from now on (3 per week perhaps).
Chapter 33
The Aftermath
A few hours after the Star Runner moored back at the ship, the One and All dropped anchor four hundred meters offshore. Branson handpicked a few crew members to man the boat he would take to shore, before he addressed the rest of the crew and passengers.
"Right everyone listen up!" he commanded "With all respect to Professor Adisa and Doctor Deming, I want to check out this place for myself and verify their story. So I don't want anyone else going ashore until I give the okay; and yes, I am looking at you DeGroot."
"No going ashore until you say so; understood Captain" Maximilian DeGroot smiled nervously.
"Do you think DeGroot will do as he's told?" Henry asked a few minutes later as they rowed ashore in the lifeboats.
"God help him if he doesn't" Branson snorted.
It was plain to see on the faces of everyone who greeted the returning travellers, how relieved they all were to see Linton and Henry back again. They all knew being in open water was much safer during a tsunami than being close to shore, but it did not stop anyone from feeling anxious. Now however there were more problems to deal with, for when the Captain of the One and All found out the road to the complex had been temporarily cut off, he began to wonder if he should put off his visit.
"I'm sorry to give you the run around Professor, but I really don't want to let too much time go by before we set sail for Padang again. It's one thing to make a quick inspection and see what you are offering, but I can't leave everyone back at the fleet to fend for themselves after a tsunami; I have to get back there right away."
"I understand completely Captain" Linton nodded "we'll be here when you are ready to return. Also if you need our help for anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you Professor and I hope to see you again soon."
"Wait sir; before you go, I think there is something you should know" Sarah Spencer interrupted.
"What is it Sarah?" Professor Adisa asked while wondering what this latest disaster could be.
"Well... Mr. Linwood also mentioned wanting to hurry back to check on his friends so I err..."
"It's alright Sarah" Linton encouraged her "Tell us what you did."
"I called the base and redirected half the equipment working on the beach track, over to one of the inland roads to Padang. I also asked Wilbur to send down a camera drone; I hope you're not upset with me."
"No I'm definitely not upset Sarah but we will talk about it later" Linton noted.
"Am I to understand we can make it back to the bay much quicker over land?" Reed checked.
"Hopefully but I'll have to check; can you get us an update please Willow?"
The news Willow got from the complex was not perfect, but was encouraging. Using twenty year old road maps, the base personnel had begun clearing a way towards Padang only to find the road south was still in existence five kilometers from Mount Singgalang. It wasn't much more than a track now but it led the engineers straight into a small town another eight kilometres south.
The people of the town were surprised at first to see the construction equipment roll in, but the biggest surprise was reserved for the vehicle drivers when a middle aged man walked up to them and asked if they were from the Space Gun. The man turned out to be one of the local civil engineers who had worked on the complex for five or six years but had decided not to go underground when the complex went into lockdown. He had instead gone home and taken his chances on the surface.
Upon hearing the news, Reed Branson agreed to stay if the Professor agreed to drive him back to Padang as soon after the beach road was cleared. Everything seemed to be falling back into place after the tsunami until Willow's radio crackled into life again with an almost frantic message from Peter Moke.
"Willow can you check something for me with Professor Adisa? We've got a man here from the sailing ship who says he wants to help us sort out the ships records. Did that guy who brought you ashore send him?"
"DeGroot" Branson growled as he overheard the message from Peter.
"So he didn't stay behind after all" Henry huffed.
"Tell Peter we're on our way" Linton declared as he and Branson took off for the leg ladder.
"I don't know about you guys but I don't want to miss this" Calla ran off ignoring her mother's protests.
Emerson and Blue glanced at each other and shrugged.
"She's right" Emerson agreed and they both ran off after her.
The bridge of the ship was now the place to be as everyone now joined the stern bound exodus. Because of his advanced years, Linton found the ladder climb difficult, but not impossible although he did need to catch his breath at the top. It took another six minutes to fast walk the length of the massive vessel and when they arrived, Peter had escorted DeGroot out to the deck and was involved in a heated discussion with the odd intruder.
"DEGROOT; I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY ON THE ONE AND ALL!" Branson shouted as he stormed up.
Whenever the captain started shouting, DeGroot found it was not easy to keep his nerve.
"Ah um no, no Captain; you told me quite clearly... yes indeed very clearly, not to go ashore and I, um I err have followed your orders and have stayed away... well away from the... from the shore... yes."
"Don't split hairs DeGroot or I'll split you" Reed Branson threatened "You know exactly what I meant."
"Err no Captain, I um wouldn't dare disobey your orders again but you never said the ship was off limits um... sir and well, now we are here, I've got to know; yes I have to know. And the answer may be in the ships records. I swear I wasn't going to steal anything; just read and study. I can help; I can help these people, these nice people with their sorting, yes. I'd like to help if you'll let me sir."
"Stop babbling DeGroot" Reed sighed before turning to Professor Adisa. "I'm not sure what he's talking about but just give the word and DeGroot is back on the One and All, shackled to his bunk."
"What is the answer you are looking for Mr DeGroot?" Linton decided it was time to try and find out; assuming he could make sense of the strange man's rants.
"Well it's the ship, isn't it? It's here, it's really here and it shouldn't be; shouldn't be at all but I knew. I knew it must be close by when you introduced yourself yesterday because you were on the ship, but you already know that. And of course you are not dead like the records say so I knew if you weren't dead and the ship was here, then... then... WOW!"
"What records are you talking about Mr DeGroot?" Linton pushed.
"Ah yes, the records; so many, so much to go through, so much to read. Let me see; this would be San Diego; or was it Edwards Air Force Base? These were the records that said April Haddock was on the ship too and so if you are here Professor, then the child must be here too, must be; the child of April Haddock."
Upon hearing DeGroot mention his mother, Blue moved a little closer.
"Why would there be records about me in San Diego?" he asked.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH, IT'S YOU!" DeGroot cried out when he saw the young man.
Everyone jumped at the sound of the scream and they were shocked when DeGroot rush forward with his arms outstretched. Reed Branson grabbed the excited man by the shirt as he rushed by and pushed him back against the steel wall.
"You're skating on thin ice DeGroot" Branson sneered.
"Sorry Captain, very sorry; I just lost my head for a second there" DeGroot tried to explain "but after all these years, to actually find him. Its... its..."
"This is going much deeper than I first thought it would" Linton sighed, wishing they were all back at the complex. "Maybe we should go inside; what have you got we can use Pete?"
"Crews dining room" Peter Moke replied.
"Then please lead the way; let's go everyone."
"What have you gotten us into?" Ursula Linwood whispered to her husband.
"Oh come on Mom" Calla protested "This is the most interesting place we've ever been to; and as for what's really going on, it's like a total mystery."
A very different mystery had been uncovered millions of kilometres away on the Mars Transfer Vehicle but those who made the discovery, now had many questions and no way of getting any answers.
"We have to tell them" Ruth declared.
"Of course we have to tell them their son is alive, it goes without saying; but we have to be careful because we're not supposed to know" Jarred replied.
"Nobody is supposed to know" Ruth mulled over in her mind "but I think Roux and Sage did at the very least."
"I can't believe they would keep news about their son from Luis and April; it defies logic."
"There's something deeper than logic at play here Mr. Spock" Ruth noted "My first guess is they didn't want Luis going off to Earth to try and get his son back."
"Getting to Earth isn't the problem" Jarred sighed "it's getting off it again; unless the Ship did make it to the Railgun site."
"That's a big if; my second guess is Roux always knew but lied to April" Ruth pondered "Think about it for a minute; we all know the official story of how April is evacuated but leaves her baby behind because of the danger she was flying into. She makes it back but is told the ship was sunk with all hands lost. But now we find out Professor Adisa and everyone else are all still alive; therefore it is probable the ship was never sunk."
"But why tell us all it was?" Jarred asked as the Pink Headed Fruit Dove of Frustration floated past the starboard porthole in histories smallest spacesuit.
"You've come across the one thing I can't figure out, but we still have to tell Luis and April."
The couple thought silently for a moment until an idea finally struck.
"I've got it" Jarred declared "Luis and I are scheduled for the next trip to Earth, so chances are high, he is already in orbit. Focused laser voice communications means no one on Mars would receive the transmission and as the ranking officer, he could order all others off the bridge; we would only be talking to him."
"But if there are not going to be any more supplies from Earth, surely the trip would be cancelled" Ruth put forward.
"Careful Ruth; we're not supposed to know about the messages from Earth and if Sage ever discovered we succumbed to curiosity..."
"All we can do is try I suppose" Ruth resigned herself to try Jarred's plan.
As the ship continued to speed through interplanetary space, its crew aligned their communications transceiver with the Mars Orbit Station and sent off a hailing signal. A few minutes later a return audio signal was received as a familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Kinderman; what do you want?" Commander Sage barked.
"Oh crap" Jarred gasped, being careful not to press the transmit switch.
It would have been about 6 weeks ago when I got the idea of introducing Maximilian DeGroot, so it's good to finally get his story out.
He really spills the beans next time.