Earth Flight (42 page)

Raven was staring at his lookup. ‘The sector vote breakdown … Every Beta sector representative voted in favour. That’s incredible!’

‘That’s Fidelis, the united heart of Beta sector.’ Fian turned to me. ‘You must eat something now, Jarra. You’ve been so nervous about this vote that you haven’t eaten in twenty-four hours.’

I shook my head. My stomach was still churning with the aftermath of tension. ‘I’m really not hungry.’

Fian reached under the table for a moment, straightened back up, and plonked something in front of me. ‘Eat!’

I blinked at the label on the yellow carton in front of me. ‘Is that really cheese fluffle?’

Fian grinned. ‘By now I’m used to you starving yourself when you’re worried about something. I came prepared.’

I ripped open the carton, there was the glorious smell of cheese fluffle, and I grabbed the spoon and ate a mouthful. Blizz! Pure blizz! I didn’t know if Fian had smuggled the carton in here himself, or if Raven had helped him, but either way …

‘Fian Andrej Eklund,’ I said, ‘you are totally zan!’

He laughed. ‘I know I am.’

I stuffed myself with cheese fluffle until I reached the bottom of the carton, then leant back in my chair while Dalmora and Raven talked politics. Krath joined in with some nardle remarks, but Amalie was silent.

We’d won the Planet First vote! I drifted off into a daydream of a future with new worlds for the Handicapped. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but in five or ten years time those worlds would be moving into Colony Ten phase, with the first colonists going to live there.

I could picture my friends, Maeth and Ross, among those first colonists. Issette would never want to live anywhere other than Earth, but she might visit another world for a holiday. Candace would love to see the birds and flowers of another planet. Cathan would only go so he could complain about all the things that hadn’t been built yet.

The scraping of chairs brought me back to the present. Playdon was standing in front of the wall vid, waiting to start talking to us. I guiltily hurried to help the others finish stacking the tables away and lining up chairs. Everyone sat down, and Playdon began speaking.

‘Tomorrow won’t just be Wallam-Crane day, but a historic occasion for Earth, so all Earth dig sites have begun a three day closure for the celebrations.’

There was a loud cheer from team 5 on the back row, which Playdon ignored. ‘I remind everyone that I need your degree course applications by the end of today, so I can process and submit them by the day after tomorrow. Two weeks ago, I sent each of you individual reports with your predicted grades for both the theoretical and practical sides of this course, highlighting any areas of concern that you should work on.’

‘You can’t have sent one to Jarra,’ said Krath. ‘She was in a tank and …’ He turned to look at me. ‘Playdon didn’t?’

I grinned. ‘Yes, he did. It said I’d already been issued with the highest practical grade for the course, but had missed a large number of theory lectures which I’d need to view before Year End if I wished to improve my predicted theory grade to the one he would expect from a student of my ability.’

The class burst out laughing. Playdon waited for them to calm down, and started talking again. ‘I’ve also sent everyone details of the various history degree courses being run next year by University Asgard. I understand Lolia and Lolmack won’t be continuing to do a full history degree course.’

‘No,’ said Lolmack. ‘We only joined this course because we needed an excuse for being on Earth. Now our daughter isn’t just openly acknowledged, but a clan member, we no longer need to pretend to be interested in history.’

‘We have learned some very useful things from our course though,’ added Lolia hastily.

‘I wish you and your daughter the very best for the future.’ Playdon returned to addressing the whole class. ‘Some of the rest of you won’t be submitting degree course applications either, since they’re choosing a different option. At the start of next year, the Military will be sending archaeological teams including both civilians and Military officers to the alien home world, Fortuna. I’ve been invited to lead one of those teams.’

There was a startled reaction from those members of the class who hadn’t been told about this.

‘I’ve spoken in confidence to some members of the class to offer them the chance to join my team,’ continued Playdon. ‘Our work on Fortuna will be accredited by University Asgard, and should lead to a new degree in xenoarchaeology, but it will obviously involve unknown hazards. I asked all those considering places on the team to think deeply about both the commitment and the risks involved. If any of those people wish to apply to one of the standard University Asgard history courses instead, then please just remain seated. Those of you who wish to go to Fortuna, please stand.’

There was a shuffling of chairs and a scattering of people stood. No one would be surprised that Fian, Raven, and I were standing, but there were startled glances at a couple of the others. I was only interested in the fact the whole of team 1 were on their feet.

Playdon’s eyes went round the standing figures as if he was checking them off against a mental list. ‘Thank you, please sit down again now. I …’

He broke off because there was the sound of voices out in the corridor. I twisted round in my seat, saw the hall door open, and Rono lead in the Cassandra 2 team.

‘Playdon, the teams on Fortuna will be working in pairs, the same way as on the California Land Raft. Would you …’ Rono’s voice trailed off, and he stared at me. ‘Chaos take it, Jarra!’

‘I think our teams pairing up would be an excellent idea,’ said Playdon, ‘but please stop staring at Jarra. You shouldn’t embarrass my students.’

‘Sorry.’ Rono shook his head. ‘I just wasn’t expecting anything so …’

Keren folded his arms and frowned at him. ‘Should I be getting jealous?’

Rono gave one of his huge laughs. ‘Oh no. Jarra’s very decorative now, but she still scares me to death.’

‘You’re all coming to Fortuna then?’ I asked.

Stephan grinned at me. ‘Chaos yes! We aren’t civilians, we’re xenoarchaeologists!’

I laughed.

‘We’ve been there for the crashing spacecraft, alien artefacts, and social revolutions,’ said Rono. ‘We aren’t going to miss the alien planet.’

Playdon started discussing the Fortuna arrangements with the Cassandra 2 team, so I took my chance to speak to Dalmora, Amalie and Krath. ‘I don’t want anyone to feel forced to go to Fortuna just because they’ve been on the same class dig team as Fian and me.’

Dalmora had her idealistic, shiny-eyed look as she answered me. ‘It’s an amazing opportunity, Jarra. The chance to join the first excavation of an alien civilization! I hope to make vids of our work. Obviously, we’d need permission from Military Security before any of those vids could be shown, but …’

I couldn’t argue with Dalmora’s decision. Playdon had chosen to accept a unique professional opportunity that gave him the chance to continue the work he loved away from ruins that held too many memories of his dead wife. Dalmora was making a career decision too in her own romantic way. Working together on Fortuna, perhaps she and Raven might …

I abandoned that thought and looked at Amalie. She was the one who really worried me. ‘Amalie, you were so determined to get your degree and return home to teach at University Miranda. We may end up with a degree, but it will be in xenoarchaeology. Will that still let you do what you want?’

She shrugged. ‘What I want doesn’t matter anymore.’

‘Of course it matters!’

Amalie sighed. ‘No it doesn’t, Jarra. There’s a new plaque on the Spirit of Man monument, listing everyone who helped contact the alien probe.’

‘Yes, I’ve seen it on the newzies, but I don’t understand why …’

‘Our class went to the unveiling,’ said Amalie. ‘At the top, the plaque lists the Military officers. Below that the civilians from Earth, then those from Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Mine is the last name on the list, and the only name from Epsilon. When Krath and I visited my family last month, I was shocked by the way people …’

Her face twisted as if she was trying not to cry. ‘I’m famous, Jarra. Not just on my home planet, but on every world in Epsilon sector. We’re a low population frontier sector. Only a handful of our first generation of children are studying history or in the Military, so I’m the only one with the chance to do this. I represented Epsilon during the contact with the alien sphere, and I have to join the Fortuna teams so Epsilon remains part of some of the biggest events in human history.’

I pulled a face and nodded. After being the symbol of the Handicapped and of Earth, I understood the pressure Amalie was feeling.

‘Jarra, I’m feeling horribly guilty about the grades,’ Amalie continued.

‘What? Why?’

‘Playdon’s message to me said I’m top of the class, but I know that’s only because you were in a tank for months. It isn’t fair.’

I was startled. When I first joined this course, I’d been obsessed with being the top of the class, proving I was better at everything than my norm classmates, but that seemed so trivial now.

‘Amalie, I came to this class with a big advantage over everyone else and especially you. I was an Earth girl who’d studied history and worked on the dig sites for years. You’d had patchy schooling in Epsilon sector, and you’d never even set foot on a dig site. You’ve caught up with the theory, you were tag leader for team 1 for months while I was away, and you’ve more than earned your place at the top of the class.’

‘But …’

I shook my head. ‘There’s no need for you to feel bad about it, because I think it’s wonderful.’

I finally turned to Krath, and he immediately started chatting. ‘I think going to Fortuna is a great chance. We’ll be civilian advisers, so we won’t just get our degrees without paying fees, the Military will actually be paying us! How much do they pay civilian advisers, Jarra?’

I shook my head. ‘I’ve no idea.’

‘It probably won’t be as much as a Commander or a Major,’ said Krath. ‘How much does a Commander get?’

‘I’ve no idea about that either,’ I said. ‘I’ve been a civilian on a Military scholarship, then a Major, then a Commander, then a civilian, then a Commander again, then on reduced pay in Military prison, and then a Commander again. Military Payroll is still desperately trying to sort it out.’

‘In prison?’ Dalmora sounded shocked.

I noticed Raven’s embarrassed face, and wished I hadn’t mentioned Military prison. Fortunately, Krath was staying firmly on the subject of money. ‘Fian must know what he gets paid.’

Fian grinned at him. ‘Fian does know, but Fian isn’t going to tell you.’

‘But …’ Krath’s lookup chimed and he broke off. ‘It’s my nuking dad, messaging me about an interview.’

‘He surely can’t still be hoping that Jarra and I will appear on his nardle vid channel,’ said Fian.

‘No,’ said Krath. ‘This time he wants to interview
me
!’

40

It was Wallam-Crane day 2789, and I was at the Earth Olympic Arena in Earth Europe for a medal ceremony. I’d taken part in one here before, when I was awarded the Artemis medal, and this ceremony had the same massive audience and hovering vid bees. Even the layout in the arena was identical; the podium in the centre, with the Military seated on one side of it and the civilians on the other.

Some things were different though. Fian and I were wearing uniforms and sitting with the Military, there were security fields guarding the arena, and the General Marshal himself stood at the podium to award the special commemorative medal for all those who’d played a part in contacting the alien sphere and in finding Fortuna.

The other thing that was different this time was the darkness outside the lights of the arena. The ceremony was being held late in the evening, because it was timed to finish just before midnight Green Time, when Earth would officially join Alpha sector.

Fian and I were the first to be called up for the Fortuna medal. The spotlights hit us as we stood, and we walked to the podium with a storm cloud of hovering vid bees surrounding us. I could see the huge arena screens showing close-ups of our faces, and knew the images would be echoed across every newzie channel in every sector.

I wondered what the news presenters were saying about how I looked, and deliberately tilted my head back to let them get a good view. Fian and I were happy with it, and if anyone else didn’t like it then they could nuke off.

The General Marshal gave us our medals, showing the red, green and blue twisted ribbons of light that had signalled the alien probe and led us to Fortuna’s moon. We saluted and turned, but it was two long minutes before the wall of vid bees would part to let us through and back to our seats.

Everyone else was going up to get their medals now, so I settled back in my chair to enjoy spotting familiar faces among the crowd. General Torrek, Colonel Stone, Colonel Leveque, Drago and Marlise among the Military. Civilian advisers were next, including Keon of course. It was too dark to see the figures in the audience, but I knew Issette would be out there going totally wild with excitement.

The ordinary civilians followed, including the dig teams who’d helped find the artefact. I applauded like crazy for the little group of Playdon, Dalmora, Amalie and Krath, and then again as Rono led up Cassandra 2.

After that, it was time for some individuals to get special medals. I knew Fian and I were getting something, but Fian wasn’t very interested in medals and I didn’t care what they gave me. I already had the golden sunburst of the Artemis on my shoulder, and no other medal could ever matter much compared to that. I was far more interested in the medals being awarded to General Riak Torrek, to Mason Leveque, to Nia Stone, and, with the arena flags dipped in salute, to the absent, murdered, Rayne Tar Cameron.

I knew Fian and I were next when the arena screens started showing the familiar vid sequence of us sending the signal to the alien sphere. That was followed by another sequence of the Fortuna defence shield shutting down. When that finished, there was an expectant hush around the arena.