Part 5 (2/2)
Dr. Conrad Drummond came up behind her cautiously trying not to startle her. Before he had a chance to say anything Moira asked. ”What is it now Conrad, it better not be any more bad news!” Conrad shuffled his feet and waited; he leaned down and whispered in her ear. ”Im sorry Moira its worse than that. Can I speak with you in private?” This day was going from bad to worse. There was so much they didnt know. She motioned for the others still mingling in the room to leave and close the door. ”What is it?” She said impatiently.
”Its about the original survey; there is evidence that the mix up wasnt an accident. It looks like the data was deliberately scrambled by someone. The question is if it was done to deliberately sabotage us specifically or someone just being a prat.” Moira spun around in her chair. ”You have got to be kidding me!” Moira sighed. By the look on Conrads face she knew instinctively that was not all. She made a circular movement with her hand motioning him to proceed.
”I have indisputable evidence that this so called mix up was not only known by Bellinger but was ordered by him. He wanted us to fail so he could swoop in and take Marcus II away from us.” Conrads eyes met Moiras squinting glare. ”That little b.a.s.t.a.r.d; Id like to wring his frigging neck. If he were here now I would. He said he would sink this project and it appears he has made his best effort.” She said. Conrad looked like he was going to have a coronary. Moira stood and put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm rea.s.suring squeeze.
”Dont worry Conrad, that a.s.shole has made his biggest mistake ever. He has greatly underestimated me. We will continue with our plan, this changes nothing.” Moira turned her attention back to the a.n.a.lysis reports. ”Moira, there is one more thing I would like to discuss with you. Its about the impact on Marcus I. It has caused considerable stress on the primate species we discussed earlier as well as two or three other species in the immediate vicinity of the crater. They would be considered endangered at this point. I have only been able to identify approximately one-thousand individuals. I would hate to see such a unique and promising species become extinct.” ”Fine Conrad, what are you proposing?” Moira looked intrigued. ”I would like to lead a team to relocate a number of representatives from those species and have them brought to Marcus II.” Moira breathed out heavily. ”If you can get a consensus and some volunteers without our schedule being affected you have my ok.”
”How did the collection process go Conrad, do you have enough numbers to create a viable seed population?” Moira questioned a few days later. ”Yes Moira, I am confident we have enough individuals as well as sufficiently diverse genetic material to support my plans for rehabilitation and reintroduction. We already have the crio-units for storage of human genetic material brought from Terra. There is plenty of room for those specimens as well. The only consideration at this time is that we use them in plenty of time before their internal power sources run out. If those units fail not only will we lose the specimens from Marcus I but our own samples as well.” ”Conrad, we have numerous units but lets not take any chances. Lets evenly distribute the specimens among several units as there is always the possibility of the crio-cylinders failing.” ”Good thinking Moira. Ill get right on it. See you on the planet.”
”Oh and Conrad... could you please ask Dr. Sharma to join me in the conference room? I need to speak with him before we depart.” Conrad nodded before turning and exiting. Shortly Dr. Sharma arrived. ”You wished to see me Dr. Murray?” He inquired. Moira turned in her chair and took the measure of the man in front of her. She had a.s.sembled and handpicked these scientists for their skill and expertise. He was highly regarded by everyone who knew him and she mourned the loss of such an important member of her team but it couldnt be helped. ”Yes Dr. Sharma we will be disembarking within the hour and I would like to take my leave of you.” ”If this is about my returning to Terra, my mind is made up Im afraid.” Dr. Sharma said sternly. ”No no Doctor, I respect your decision and wish you luck in your future endeavors. Ive asked you here on a completely different matter. I need a favor and youre the only one I trust.” Dr. Sharma looked confused. ”If there is anything I can do for you Dr. Murray all you have to do is name it.” Handing him a memory storage device she asked. ”I need you to contact Commodore Fitzgerald as soon as you return to Terra and give him this. It is very important and confidential.” Dr. Sharma looked at the device and slipped it into his pocket. ”Yes Doctor you can count on me, you have my word.” ”Very good Dr. Sharma, Bon Voyage.” Moira hoped she was doing the right thing. Dr. Sharma bent at the waist and left the room. Moira sat down heavily in her chair. The fun was just about to begin and as she was gathering her belongings the Captain entered to wish her good luck and escort her to the last shuttle.
”h.e.l.lo Dr. Murray, are you ready to depart?” He enquired smiling broadly. ”As ready as Ill ever be thank you Captain.” Moira replied. ”I'm going to miss you and your team. Its been a pleasure having you aboard. I think Ill especially miss you, I consider you a friend.” The Captain looked at her with a sheepish grin. He had been good-naturedly flirting with Moira at almost every opportunity. She smiled genuinely at him. ”Ill miss you as well. There is one thing you can do for me if its not too much trouble. Could you take this report to my Uncle, Commodore Fitzgerald and give it to him personally when you return to Terra. It would set my mind at ease.” He took the storage device. ”It would be my pleasure Doctor... Moira, good luck again.” With that they went to the hanger deck for departure to Marcus II. Moira wasnt taking any chances with this project, her insurance policy had been successfully delivered and now it was time to begin the work.
The journey to the planet went without a hitch. It had been a dream of Moiras to find a planet to do her research. Her Father had planted that dream and she would be the one who would finally fulfill it. Before leaving the bridge of the Artimus for the last time she had taken the time to observe their new home from orbit. Marcus II was in some ways very much like Terra, its atmosphere highly suitable for humans. Terra was the home of her ancestors but in her soul she knew that Marcus II would become the home of her children and grandchildren.
The sphere that filled the view screen was ma.s.sive and spectacular and the sheer magnitude of the challenge was a little daunting but she and her people were up for it. Its sea green oceans dotted with islands and continents, mountain ranges and mighty rivers. The atmosphere was as strange as it was beautiful. Her heart raced knowing all their hard work was finally coming to fruition. Her heart felt as though it might jump out of her chest: like a teenager seeing the sight of their lovers naked form for the first time it was beautiful and inspiring and captivating. She stood there a long time unmoving until she realized she had been holding her breath.
Planet side Moira and the team stood mesmerized. Her lungs ached after having only had recycled air for so long. The atmosphere on Marcus II was much more dense, her head felt light and she had to steady herself. She was invigorated; this planet was so much more than she had imagined. She sat down for a moment trying to catch her breath. She reached down and took a handful of soil in her hand: her smile irrepressible. The soil was warm and its smell pungent, its texture luxurious.
All her senses were overloaded being almost more than she could bear. She suspected there werent even names for the colors she was seeing. The vivid greens, golds and reds of the foliage, the sea green color of the water almost like the glacier fed lakes on Terra. The colors of the sky were pinks and purples and again so numerous she didnt even know if there were words in the human vocabulary to describe them. The sheer beauty of the sight in front of her overwhelmed every sense she had and even some she didnt even know she possessed. Still sitting Moira scanned the area nearest to her, her senses were completely overloaded. The teams doctor approached and ran her portable medical device over her. ”Stay seated Dr. Murray until you regain your equilibrium. There doesnt seem to be anything physically wrong with us, we just have a case of sensory overload.” The Doctor squeezed Moiras shoulder and gave her a rea.s.suring smile. Moira smiled and nodded.
Moira eventually stood once more trying to absorb all of her surroundings. The colors she saw seemed almost too much for her brain to a.n.a.lyze, the colors so vivid she had to squint. Not from the actual images before her but the feeling she had deep within her brain as though they had turned on circuits not normally in use. The smell of the air and vegetation, the sound of the rus.h.i.+ng water, birds and animals, they all seemed to awaken previously unrealized portions of her being. She suspected that there were not words for what her and her crew was experiencing except possibly ecstasy in its purest form. A feeling of an altered state of consciousness, rapture or exaltation were the only terms she could think of to properly describe what they were going through.
This was so much more than she had expected, more than she had experienced previously on other colony planets she had visited. She couldnt seem to wipe the stupid grin off her face.
When she looked around everyone in her landing party had the same look on their face. She chuckled to herself as she turned her attention to the river. What was living in the depths of that river, or in the forest? When she finally recovered sufficiently she remembered they had a lot of work to do before nightfall and they had better get cracking. She clapped her hands to get their attention. ”People I know this is all a little overwhelming but we need to get to work on the basics of survival, shelter, fire and water. You know what you are supposed to be doing, lets get to it shall we! The sooner we have those things sorted the sooner we can explore our new home.” *
Other Books by B J Somerville.
Fantasy.
The Secret Book One of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-2-8.
The Creature Book Two of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-1-1 The Reprisal Book Three of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-0-4 The Prison s.h.i.+p - Book Four of the Marcus II Series 978-0-9916881-4-2.
Romance.
My Neighbour Dana A Modern Day Romance 978-0-9916881-3-5.
Paranormal.
Burks Falls A Familys Journey Volume 1 978-0-9916881-5-9.
The Crystal Visions A familys Journey Volume 2 978-0-9916881-6-6.
About the Author.
B J has spent the better part of twenty years exploring her spiritual path, building a solid foundation and consciously working every day to remove the obstacles that obscure her inner light. With a loving heart and an open mind she embraces her path and journey and honors and respects others journeys. She reminds herself every day to be grateful and give thanks for everything life has given her.
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