Sunspire (The Reach, Book 4) (45 page)
Read Sunspire (The Reach, Book 4) Online
Authors: Mark R. Healy
Knile raised his hand. “Lead the way!”
They followed Tobias to the viewing area, where a large window looked out upon a starry vista, in the midst of which came the slow-moving form of a spacecraft. It was unlike anything Knile had seen before – bulky and rounded, with a fat midsection and an array of thin protuberances splayed out on its rear, almost like tendrils trailing in its wake. A series of flashing red lights winked in the section closest to the habitat, becoming faster and faster the nearer it got. Eventually it slowed to a crawl, then stopped completely as it pressed neatly against the dock.
There was no noise, no vibration around them to indicate the two craft had been joined, but Tobias gave a triumphant little clap of his hands.
“Perfect,” he announced. “Like slippin’ on your favourite pair of jeans.”
“Is that it?” Knile said. “Are they docked?”
“You betcha. C’mon, let’s go see.”
He led them on to an adjoining corridor, and then the habitat opened out into a wider space that was shaped like an elongated oval, surrounded by a series of circular doors set into the walls. As they watched, one of the doors lit up and began to
rotate counter-clockwise.
Knile took a shaky breath and held Roman and Talia tight.
Although he didn’t like to admit it, everything they had worked for still came down to this moment. They weren’t
in the clear
just yet. Should something go wrong with the airlock, or the captain decide to turn around and leave, all of their efforts would amount to nothing.
The centre of the doorway drew apart, and through it stepped a dark-skinned man dressed in a navy blue uniform that was slightly crumpled and unbuttoned at the collar. Beneath he wore a white tunic that was messily tucked into his dress pants. He took a few steps forward, then stopped to look over those who had assembled.
“Amazing,” he said after a moment. “This place is still holding together. And what a motley crew have gathered here.” He stared at them for a few seconds more, then a broad smile split his face. “Seems perfect to me.”
“Captain Ngozi,” Talia said, stepping forward. “Thank you for coming.”
Ngozi gave her an appraising look, then recognition seemed to dawn on him. “Ah, yes. I remember you from the call with Silvestri.”
“Yes, my name is Talia.”
Ngozi glanced about the room. “And where is Silvestri?”
Talia shook her head sadly. “He uh… he didn’t make it. There were Redmen, and…”
“When did this happen?” Ngozi said.
“A day ago. We took shelter in some ruins in the lowlands. He was killed by men who had infiltrated our group.”
Ngozi hung his head, his disappointment evident. “I told him, one day his luck would run out. But he knew that. He was a soldier.” He looked up at her. “Did he die an honourable death?”
“He was protecting Roman and I,” she said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Then we shall drink to his memory, won’t we? Let Saturn’s Tears drown our sorrows.”
“Yes,” Talia said thickly. “Let’s do that.”
With an effort, Ngozi shook off his melancholy and gathered himself again. “Well, then. I’ll ask you to ready your belongings and get on board as soon as possible. We don’t have much time, not with the increased patrols in the wake of that mess over at the Reach.” He was about to turn away, then seemed to think of something. “You’ve all heard about that, yes?”
Knile suppressed a guffaw. “Yeah. We heard about that.”
“Captain Ngozi?” Ursie said.
Ngozi turned to face her. “What is it?”
Ursie gestured to where a round window offered a view out into space. “What’s out there? What’s waiting for us?”
Ngozi paused as he thought of a suitable answer. Then he smiled and stepped aside, revealing the entryway to the cruiser.
“Why don’t you let me show you?”
Knile glanced at Lazarus beside him, who wore a faint smile on his face. “
The red skies of home,” Lazarus said distantly.
“
You’re going back to the Citadel,” Knile said, realising what he meant. Lazarus made no response. “
What will you do there?”
“I will find justice. And perhaps…” The smile faded. “Perhaps one day, I will again be one with the light.”
Knile gave him a clap on the shoulder, then
wasted no time in moving forward, taking Talia and Roman by the hand. He was nervous, excited, and perhaps a little afraid. Like Ursie, he didn’t know exactly what was waiting for them beyond this portal. Perhaps, more than anything, there was the promise of freedom and a better life, the chance to start over again, to find a home where the future was not clouded by the threat of toxins and pollution. Somewhere corruption and greed had not taken root, where people found no cause to kill each other over scraps of food. Where
the end of the world did not loom over the horizon each and every day.
A place where, finally, they could find peace.
“Who’s going first?” Roman said as they reached the portal.
Knile smiled at them both, then put his arms around their shoulders. “Let’s do it together.”
EPILOGUE
Tobias led Ursie toward the cruiser portal. The poor kid was shaking like a leaf, still begging him not to stay behind, so he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her toward him.
“This is the right thing for me, kiddo,” he assured her. “What’s right for you is to hop on that there cruiser and find a fresh start. For an old geezer like me, it’s the end of the road. I’ve had my time.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” she said miserably. “You can come with me.”
“Aw, kid. One day soon you’ll blossom into a fine woman. I know it. But, wish as I might, I won’t be around to see it.” He took the marble elephant from his pocket and placed it in her hand. “Take this little fella with you. When you look upon it, I’ll be there with you. I promise you that.”
She’d protested further, but he would hear none of it. Eventually she
’d acceded, offering a final, sobbing embrace, then she moved past Ngozi and took her place on the cruiser.
“And where to for you, old man?” Captain Ngozi had asked, having witnessed the exchange.
“I’m gonna do something I always wanted,” he said. “I’m gonna
go home again.”
A few minutes later, he watched from the observation deck as the cruiser disengaged from the habitat and began to slowly draw away. A smile came to his lips as he imagined Ursie staring back at him, and he felt a surge of relief knowing that she now had a future ahead of her. In truth, he couldn’t be entirely sure if he was already dead and dreaming of the afterlife, or if this was still reality. After the encounter with Ursie
’s mind, everything had seemed surreal, like he had awakened from a decades-long coma.
He supposed it didn’t matter if this was real or not. Either way, it was one heck of a way to end things. Perfect. He couldn’t have asked for more.
The cruiser disappeared against the starfield, and then he made his way back to transit control. The pain in his chest was getting worse.
Just a little longer, you old bastard
, he told himself.
You’ll make it.
He keyed in the parameters for the downward trip, then hustled on over to the railcar dock. Inside the railcar, he strapped himself in and waited for the automated launch.
His arms were aching, and there was a heck of a throb in the left side of his jaw.
No biggie. Enjoy the ride. The old girl is waiting at the end.
He did not allow himself to sleep on the downward trip. He wasn’t sure if he would wake up again. Instead he watched Earth grow steadily larger in the window, and as he fell into the atmosphere, the pain seemed to ebb away, like the world below had offered a soothing touch to ease his discomfort.
Hours later, the railcar touched down, and he freed himself from the confines of his compartment.
He was weak, could hardly walk. But he’d be damned if he was going to stop here.
He half-walked, half-stumbled down the ramp. Around him, the morning air was crisp, and it felt wonderful when drawn into his lungs. If there was pollution here, he couldn’t sense it. No, sir. He smiled, gasped as his emotions threatened to run away with him.
He was here. He’d made it back.
He was home.
At the end of the ramp he sank to his knees. He drew his hand across the wispy, straw-like grass of the mountaintop, reached down to clutch a fistful of soil. He lifted it, allowed it to spill through his fingers and swirl away on the breeze.
He raised his face to the murky sky, saw a patch of azure breaking through. A glimpse of the past, he thought, and perhaps of the future as well.
He lay down on the bare ground, ready for sleep at last, and as he closed his eyes he knew that, one day, this place would see beauty once more.
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About the Author
Mark R. Healy is an author and musician from Brisbane, Australia. He lives with his wife Nic and children Elise and Hayden.
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markrhealy.com
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You can find more of Mark’s stories through his project ‘Hibernal’. This project features professional voice actors, original music and Mark’s own sci-fi stories to create a cross between audiobooks and movies. The result is an atmospheric, immersive and unique theatrical experience for the listener. This project is available to hear online at
http://hibernal.bandcamp.com
and can also be purchased through iTunes and Amazon. Just search for ‘Hibernal’.
Contact Mark by email: [email protected]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to my beta readers, Nic Healy and Pete Turner, who
once again did a great job with the early versions of Sunspire. Nic, you also make a great Cuban sandwich, and Pete, I hope you’ll one day forgive me for killing off
your favourite character.
Hayden Wright for an outstanding job on proof
ing this book once again. I’m very thankful to have you as a part of my
little production team, and I hope you’ll stick around for the next series.
Also thanks to Saul Caldwell, Mike Kershaw, Robert Heyl, Rene Young, Wes Fox, Greg Hanson, Shaun Watters and Christopher Newman.
Lastly, thank you to all the readers who have shared the journey of the Reach with me. It’s been a fun ride, and I hope you enjoyed yourself along the way.
Mark R. Healy, January 14, 2016
Also by Mark R. Healy
THE SILENT EARTH SERIES
THE REACH SERIES
Sunspire
SHORT STORIES
Table of Contents
