Chapter 28

NSS Naha, March 28, 2163
Entering Martian Space

“DADDY!” cried Anna and Little Wally Scarlett and they flew across Pandora’s wardroom and latched on to Alan. They chattered excitedly about living in the gymnasium and playing with Buddy. “He doesn’t like space and he poops!” said Wally.

“Mommy says our house is broken,” said Anna with a pout.

“Yeah, looks like we get a new one,” said Alan as he hugged the distraught child. “I’m sorry about the house honey, but we’re ok, that’s the important part. We can put up a new house anywhere on Earth or Mars.”

“Like the island where we went swimming with Uncle Roy?”

Alan thought ... retiring to Fiji? Not a bad idea. “Let’s see. You guys need to get ready to go down to Mars. Uncle Roy has a really nice room set up for you.” Saying you have a nice room in Perseverance is like saying you have a penthouse with a mountain view in Denver. Living space is tight on Mars.

Just then, Pandora drifted into the room with Gerry in her arms. She flew (literally!) into Alan’s arms, and they clutched each other, kissing sweetly while Gerry cooed and squealed, overjoyed that he was back with daddy. “What happened? Where have you been? How did you catch up with us?”

“Shh,” he said as they kissed. “It’s a very long story that started just after Venus Prime.”

Alan just reveled in his family’s love. That anxious, crazy need to lash out or run away disappeared in their arms. He felt whole again, but there’s a need to protect his family that he can’t deny, and the greatest threat to his family was two weeks away.

Anna and Wally were excited about their new computer buddy, Ed. He read them stories and showed them pictures. “He makes me do math,” frowned Wally. “I hate counting letters.”

“He means saying the alphabet” said Anna.

The family cuddled for hours, finally together after being apart for so long, not knowing where each other was. That night, Alan and Pandora cuddled in her bunk after putting the children to sleep in their bunk. “Is this how you cuddled with my sister?” asked Pandora.

“No, there was less desire on one of our parts,” said Alan, as he kissed her face and neck. They just finished making love in the 69 position, which is not their favorite but the easiest position in Zero Gravity.

“I’m guessing it was your part,” said Pandora. He nodded, and she said, “That was why she was crying.”

“I’m married,” said Alan.

“That means something different to Lunars like me and Eris,” said Pandora. “After the war there were very few men on the moon. Married women ended up sharing. A married man was expected to look after his wife’s sisters if they were not married. It became a normal part of society.”

Alan looked at Pandora in total shock. She was implying he could have had sex with Eris, and she wouldn’t have minded. The realization of what she said set in. “Now you tell me.”

“Sorry,” the redheaded cutie shrugged. “When did you get here?”

“A couple of weeks ago,” said Alan.

“A couple of weeks ago? How?” Pandora couldn’t believe it; her bombers were running flat out because the Earth and Mars were at their furthest point away from each other.

“I don’t remember most of it, I was drugged, kidnapped right off the stage, and shot into space. There they stuffed me in a high speed transport and shot me to a space station that is off the maps. From there they tweaked my bionic eye, adjusted my hips, knees and elbows, then put me in an F-231. I convinced their AI to go on an adventure with me and I flew to Mars from L3.”

“There’s a station at L3?” asked Pandora.

“I can unequivocally say that there is no Earth made space station at Sol/Earth L3.” He made a hand gesture letting her know that this subject shouldn’t be talked about outside of a facility cleared for classified conversation.

“Now what?”

“Tomorrow I want your mom to take the kids down to Perseverance and stay with Roy. I need you to take a position at Sol/Mars L2 and cover Big Berserker 4 and keep an eye out for our Eastern Bloc visitors. I will start space drills with the Martian Self Defense Force.” Then he kissed Pandora. “What did your father put in the aft bomb bay for me?”

Pandora didn’t want to answer. She knew in her heart if she did, she may lose Alan forever. The battle of Venus Prime and the battle of the Strike Force Berserkers were terrifying enough. This thing blew up an entire Space Force Base, it nearly sank a launch carrier, and it followed her across the solar system without being seen. But he was going to find out what was in the bomb bay, eventually. He just had to ask Ed. Her eyes filled with tears as she said, “A pair of three man breeching pods.”