Tranquility Down

Tranquility Down

Part Nine

by G. Lawrence

In this sequel to Tranquility in Darkness, we find Grey, Kris, and their allies struggling to establish the Lunar Republic as a legitimate nation. This old-style science fiction story is being presented in 11 parts.

Recap: Hiding on a California farm following the crash of his spaceship, Grey had helped the farmers and made an agreement with a local gangster. Now Kris has finally learned where Grey is from her sister. All characters are over 18 years old. All rights reserved.

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Chapter 9

FOND REUNIONS

Kris let the science elevator drop rapidly from the communications center past the research deck to the community level, growing more excited with each passing minute. When the doors opened, she dashed through the elevator lobby, up the promenade past startled shoppers, and bounced toward the administration section, initially heading for the Governor's Quarters. At the last minute, she remembered Roger had recently taken up new quarters and diverged into the VIP section.

"Roger, I've found him," Kris announced, bursting into the luxury suite without ringing the bell. The living room was empty, and without thinking, she ran into the bedroom.

"Roger! Where are you? I found... Oh, fuck," Kris said, stopping dead in her tracks.

In the bed, scrambling to pull up the sheets, Roger and Tey looked at her in red-faced embarrassment, but no more embarrassment than Kris felt.

"God, I'm sorry guys, I didn't know," Kris said, beating a hasty retreat. Rather than make the awkward situation any worse, she quickly exited the suite and bounced back toward the Governor's Quarters.

"Guess our secret is out," Roger said, releasing the sheet when they heard the outside door slide shut.

"Kris isn't a gossip, but she was all worked up about something," Tey said, reaching for her uniform laying on the floor. "Shall we go see what it's all about?"

"Ten more minutes," Roger said, pulling her back into his arms. "If my guess is right, this might be the last quiet moment we have together for quite a while."

"You've heard from Grey?" Tey asked.

"Not directly," Roger said, his voice lowering to a whisper. "He contacted the Security Computer. Everything's okay. He was planning to visit Doctor Fairfield yesterday, and with luck, we should be seeing him sometime next week."

"We?" Tey said. "Next week? Where?"

"That depends on you, dear," Roger said. "I need to talk to my father about how this is going to play out, and he's not going to like it. That means taking a trip to Denver. I'd like you to come with me. As my fiancée."

"Roger, is this a proposal?" Tey asked in surprise.

"Yes, Tey, I'm in love with you. I have been from the first moment we met," Roger revealed. "Is there any chance?"

"I don't know, it's all rather sudden," Tey hesitated. "How would I tell my parents that I might be engaged to an infamous pirate?"

"A pirate would kidnap you and force you into marriage," Roger said with a grin. "But now that you've suggested it..."

He grabbed her, rolled her down underneath him, and caressed her in his most passionate, buccaneer way.

"All right," Tey said, playfully struggling against his amorous intent.

"All right? Does that mean what I hope it means?" Roger asked, pausing in mid-seduction.

"Yes, my love, I'll marry you," Tey said, finding Roger so stunned she was able to roll him over and get on top. She kissed him softly, then somewhat roughly, and slapped his chest. "Now get dressed, matey, Kris might need our help. You can always rape me later."

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world, you know that, don't you?" Roger said, helping Tey find her clothes.

"You'd better believe it," she said, flashing her bottom before pulling up her pants.

"Life Support, I know where Grey is," Kris said as she sprinted into the monitor room.

"How did you find out?" the Life Support Computer asked, coming online slowly following a difficult maintenance run.

"How did I find out? What do you mean, how did I find out?" she asked.

"Sorry, the question should have been, how did you find him?" Life Support corrected.

"No, that's not what you meant at all! You've known where Grey's been all along, haven't you?" she said.

"That's not technically true," Life Support started to explain.

"Don't give me that bullshit, you goddamn fucking son of a bitch," Kris shouted, thumping the side of the control console with her foot. "I'm going to kick your ass! Come out of there! Come out of there right now!"

"Kris, what is going on?" Nicholas asked, entering from the outside hallway with Tamera close behind.

"Grey's in California," Kris said. "Been there the whole damn time, and Life Support knew. It knew and didn't say anything. Get me a blaster, I going to shoot this goddamn piece of..."

"Kris, get a hold of yourself," Nicholas said, taking her gently by the shoulders. "We will figure out what this is all about, but blasting the computer will not help."

"Really, Captain Fairfield, I never realized you exhibited such high spirits," the Life Support Computer said. "No wonder Grey finds you challenging. Are you like this in bed?"

"That's it! You're dead! You are a dead machine! Let me go, Nick," Kris yelled, kicking the console with both feet as Nicholas sought to restrain her.

"Nick's right, we can't blast the computer," Tamera agreed. "Let's unplug it."

"My systems can't be unplugged, Miss Kantanee, unless you're tired of having heat and oxygen," Life Support responded.

"It will be worth it," Tamera replied, stepping up to the central monitor screen.

"Okay, that is enough," Nicholas said. "What is this about Grey being on Earth?"

"Yeah. I just talked to Valerie. He was there last night, in her house at the institute," Kris said.

"This does sound strange," Nicholas pondered.

The sound of footsteps from outside were heard coming in their direction. A moment later, Roger and Tey entered looking hastily dressed.

"What's happened?" Roger asked. "We can hear shouting all the way down the hall."

"We just found out..." Kris started to say.

"Captain Fairfield has received a communication from Doctor Fairfield," the Life Support Computer interrupted in a much louder tone than usual. "She has learned that Grey is in California and that his whereabouts have been kept secret."

Roger looked at the green signature patterns jumping across the monitor screen, waiting to see if the computer was going to elaborate. It didn't. Roger saw Kris was upset, which he easily understood, and Tamera was angry. Nicholas appeared fairly composed.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation, Kris," Roger said, checking for the Life Support Computer's reaction. "Let's all calm down and review the records."

"I don't think that warhead going off was an accident," Tamera said. "Now that we know what happened, I think this is one of the machine's tricks. It crashed him down on purpose."

"Perhaps," Roger said. "But if this is some sort of secret mission, maybe Grey had a good reason not to tell anybody."

"You think Grey knew he was going to Earth?" Kris asked.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Roger suggested.

"I bet he did," Kris said, reflecting on the situation. "And I bet Life Support wasn't the only one who knew about it."

Roger kept his expression neutral and was relieved when Kris turned back to the monitor station. Tey was still holding her breath.

"Security Computer," Kris summoned.

"Better get ready to grab her again," Roger whispered to Nicholas.

Nicholas looked at Roger and suddenly realized the crusty veteran knew more than he was saying but quietly decided not to stir up any more trouble. Instead, Nicholas put two hands on Kris's shoulders and sought to keep her calm. The black signature patterns of the Security Computer swirled into the central flux.

"Captain Fairfield, repairs on New Ranger are complete," the Security Computer announced. "Defense is clearing a launch window for you and the Northern Alliance High Command has provided an entry code. You depart at 1900 hours."

"Launch window? But how did you know?" Kris asked, taken completely by surprise.

"Events are proceeding according to schedule," Security said. "Haven't you been reviewing your blue file?"

"Blue file? What blue file? What kind of crap are you trying to pull?" Kris said.

"Operation Vacation. The Governor's plan to--" The Security Computer paused. "I'm sorry, Captain, but your companions are not cleared for this information. No further explanations are possible."

The black signature patterns went to standby. Kris sat down in the command chair.

"There is no blue file," Kris said, her voice steady.

"Agreed, but there should have been," the Security Computer confessed, the tone genuinely regretful. "But there is an Operation Vacation. The Governor only recently discovered you've not been informed. That's why he visited your sister and had the message delivered. You have my sincere apologies for not telling you sooner, and I suggest you kick the Governor's butt because this is all his fault."

Kris almost smiled. Tamera didn't.

"We have been worried sick," Tamera said. "Especially Kris. There is no excuse."

"There is a very good excuse," the Security Computer said, the tone turning serious. "The Governor needed to slip into Earth's atmosphere as part of the meteor shower. Any effort to help him, any attempt to communicate, would have revealed his location to the Northern Alliance. This is a covert operation, Lieutenant Kantanee, with the Governor's life at stake. If you resent that every precaution has been taken to protect him, that's too bad."

"I should have said that," the Life Support Computer lamented.

"Your programming is too narrow," Security said. "If you hadn't discovered the plan by accident, you'd know no more than the rest of them."

"But it was my plan!" Life Support said.

"That's what Grey wanted you to think," Security replied gleefully.

"You guys fight later," Kris interrupted, getting up from the chair. "Am I really scheduled to ship out in three hours?"

"Yes, Kris," Security said. "You'll be landing at Point Mugu."

"Then I've got plans to make," Kris said.

____________

Late the next day, shuttlecraft New Ranger once owned by Laureen McKinsey received final clearance from NA High Command to enter Northern Alliance air space. The shuttle dropped swiftly over the Pacific Ocean and glided to a landing at the Point Mugu launch facility, now operated by the Malibu Institute of Space Technology. The shuttle's sole occupant popped open the side hatch and jumped to the tarmac.

"Kris! Kris!" Valerie shouted, rushing past the ground crew to embrace her little sister with Michael close behind. "Gosh, Kris, you look great."

"Mighty tasty, babe," Michael agreed, giving her a hug.

Behind them, an aggressive press corps was being kept at bay by the M.I.S.T. security forces, reporters shouting questions as dozens of cameras recorded her arrival.

Caught off-guard by the sudden weight of Earth's stiffer gravity, Kris gained her sea legs and smiled despite herself. She had not been a happy person before the New Ranger Expedition a year before, and Valerie could sense her sister was worried about the former depression reasserting itself.

"Don't worry, everything's fine," Valerie assured her, giving Kris another hug.

"Good to see you guys," Kris responded, knowing anything she said would be picked up by the news coverage. "I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends, too."

"We confirmed with General Larson that you'd be visiting the Black Sash games. He understands why Grey can't come down, too. International relations being what they are," Michael said.

A runner carrying a squad of soldiers picked them up and sped to the transport facility where a hopper was waiting for them. A quick flight brought them to a landing circle near the institute's administration building. They had hardly disembarked from the hopper before a rush of students and faculty surrounded them.

"What's life on the moon like?" one asked.

"What's the Governor like? Is he as cute as he looks in the vid?" another inquired.

"We've heard Tranquility is taking recruits. Can I apply?" a gangling young man wondered.

"Captain Fairfield's had a long flight," Michael said, instructing the staff to make a path. "We'll have a reception Sunday on the West Lawn. Until then, all security procedures are in place."

The crowd moaned in disappointment as Kris was hustled into a runner, arriving at the President's Residence a few minutes later.

"We can talk here without being spied on, dear," Valerie said, helping Kris take off her flight uniform.

"Where is he?" Kris asked with a frown. "What the hell's going on?"

"You're sure getting high strung," Michael teased. Kris punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Hey, that hurt," he complained.

"Grey's escape pod crashed just east of here," Valerie said, putting a robe around Kris's shoulders and sitting her on the couch. "It would have been dangerous to communicate sooner, so he took an alias and waited until it was safe."

"For a month? What's he been doing?" Kris asked.

"Working on a farm," Valerie explained.

"Among other things," Michael added.

"I want to talk to him. Now," Kris insisted.

"Relax, honey. Take a bath and get something to eat," Valerie replied just as firmly.

"May as well. We don't have any direct communication with him," Michael said. "Too much risk the call would be traced. But we know where he's staying. Hardly more than forty minutes from here."

"I can..." Kris began.

"You can lead the Council's agents right to him," Michael said impatiently. "You're one of the most famous women in the world. How are you going to travel around without thousands of people knowing it?"

Kris sat back on the couch to reflect, taking a moment to stare out the window toward the crashing surf she couldn't quite see. Mike was right, she decided. She may have a safe conduct, but Grey certainly did not. And it wouldn't be the first time the Council chose to make their problems quietly go away. Valerie took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"We'll work something out," Valerie said, flipping back her shoulder length hair.

Kris looked at her sister's long yellow tresses and fondled her own dark hair, now much longer than she'd worn it in the past.

"The administration department can find me an alias, too," Kris said. "And it will work even better with a redesign. A blonde redesign."

The next morning, a nondescript runner drove up an old road guided by the electronic guidance control. Kris looked out the window at the open fields, feeling like she was seeing them for the first time. How different living on the moon is, she thought. How green and beautiful this world is.

She passed several ranches and farms before finding the Farmer's house on a low hill surrounded by tall trees. The vehicle slowed as she studied the fields even harder, quietly praying her information was accurate. But the fields were big, broken by creeks, wind breaks and irrigation channels. Not like Tranquility's biosphere where the entire crop room could be taken in at a glance. Then she noticed movement and ordered the runner to stop by the side of the road.

The field was damp from the morning dew. Near the edge, where a line of trees ran along a lovely little creek, a slim blond man was attacking rows of irrigation pipes with a hand tool. The work was hard, and even in the cool of the fresh morning, the shirtless farm hand was working up a sweat.

Kris started to walk around the edge of the field to avoid the muddy furrows, then lost patience and cut straight across, running the last hundred meters. The worker paused in his efforts and looked up, interested but not alarmed to see a strange blonde-haired woman coming his direction.

"Grey? Is it you?" Kris shouted.

She leaped the last few feet into his arms, knocking them both down into the damp soil, and smothered his face with kisses, the weeks of anxiety dissolving in relief. Initially on top, Kris was rolled over on her back and kissed just as ardently. Then the farm hand sat up with a quizzical smile.

"And who do I have the honor of addressing?" Grey asked.

"Who? It's me! Kris. Kris Fairfield," she protested. It took her a moment to realize he was joking.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said.

"You appear different," Grey observed. "You smell different, too. Have you changed something?"

"Changed something? Grey, I'm blonde. Bleached blonde. And wearing make-up, which I almost never do, and I'm wearing this silly dress that Valerie gave me, which makes my boobs look bigger than rocket balls."

"You're energy level is unnaturally high," Grey commented. "Have you been experiencing anxiety?"

"You bet your life I've been experiencing anxiety," Kris confessed. "My lover and best friend disappears in outer space after one of his usual stupid death-defying stunts. He's gone for weeks, presumably stranded or dead someplace, and the whole time he's living an hour from my own cottage growing a bunch of strawberries."

"I missed strawberry season," Grey said. "We're getting ready to plant tomatoes now."

"I should kick your ass for this. Big time. I've never been so worried in my whole life."

"You have my heartfelt apology," Grey sympathized. "I thought you would be briefed once the cover story was no longer effective. Security only told me a few days ago the plan had failed."

"Did Life Support really know you were here the whole time?" Kris asked.

"Security and Defense know more than Life Support," Grey revealed, leaving Roger out of the explanation. "Didn't they brief you on the mission?"

"Those goddamn piece of crap machines," Kris growled. "No wonder you've never trusted them. The whole time you've been gone, Life Support has been pulling one trick after another, and Security's hardly been much better. And Defense hasn't done anything, just rules over everyone like a god."

"It's comforting to hear nothing's changed back home," Grey smiled.

"When we get back, we've got to pull the plug on Life Support once and for all. Do you know what we've been going through?"

"Negative. I've spoken with Security a few times, but always about my situation here. I just assumed that between you, Nick, and the planning committee, that Tranquility could take care of itself."

Kris felt her face turn red and dropped her eyes.

"Everything is satisfactory, isn't it?" Grey asked.

"We had a few problems," Kris admitted.

"What problems? The reactor? The recycling system? Don't say the repair coordinator went off-line again."

"No, nothing like that. Well, that stuff, too, but we got by," Kris said. "With you gone, people started disagreeing on how to do things. You know, policies, procedures. Priorities. Started breaking down into cliques and groups. For a while... well, we finally managed to pull everybody together."

"How did you do that?" Grey asked.

"Life Support reminded us that... Damn! Life Support. It was all a test. A test to see if Tranquility could survive without you."

"I've warned you that system can be deceiving," Grey said, finding it hard not to smile.

"I never dreamed it would try something like this."

"Were there injuries?"

"No. A fight or two, but nothing more serious than that," Kris answered.

"If the exercise proved worthwhile, perhaps it's for the best. You know this is a subject that has concerned me since the battle with the seekers."

"Yeah, I know. Just not one I like to think about."

"And if this scheme of Computer's didn't result in casualties, then it isn't as bad as some," Grey continued with a sigh.

Kris saw the flash of painful memory in his eyes, recalling again how different his life had been from anyone else's.