Home (2/?)
by Nic (stardestiny@bigfoot.com)
February 1999

                               ***

"My God," Devon said, taking a step back and almost stumbling. 
Danziger steadied her and then kept his hand on her waist, just in
case.  "Are you sure?"

"I recognise it.  It's one of yours, Devon.  One that you designed. 
One of your beta series, except it's fitted with a huge section
that I never saw before.  That must be what's powering it.  But to
come this far, this fast..."  Alonzo was overcome with awe of the
technological advances.  "They must have broken light speed!"

No one else was really interested in that little piece of trivia at
the time.

"How can they bring an entire space station to G889?" Morgan burst
out.  "Do you have any idea how many people are on one of those
things?"

Devon nodded grimly.  "This isn't necessarily the first station,
either," she realised.  "A mass exodus could have been orchestrated
by the Council..."  She trailed off, the profound knowledge
beginning to sink in.  "We're not alone anymore."

"Were we ever?" Danziger asked.  "They could have cities all up and
down the east coast and we wouldn't even know.  Hell, there could
be people on every continent!"

"I think you are forgetting something," Yale interrupted.

"What?" Devon and Danziger questioned in unison.

"The terrians," interjected Alonzo.  "I haven't dreamed anything in
months.  In the past, they've called to me if they are being
harmed."  He looked to his wife for support before continuing, "If
the Council is here, then they are here peacefully.  They haven't
done anything wrong, yet."

"It's just a matter of time," Julia said darkly.  Fear was pounding
throughout her body, it almost seemed a chanting rhythm that
taunted her, saying "how long, how long" until she was taken back
into the Council's fold.  

Devon gave Julia a hard look but chose not to say anything
regarding the doctor's gloomy prediction.  Instead, she returned
her attention to the approaching space station.  "Do you know when
it will arrive?"

Alonzo and one of the techs were busy performing intricate
calculations.  "Three days, maybe more," Alonzo finally answered. 
"It's hard to make an accurate prediction.  The station is
decelerating rapidly - it's not travelling faster than light at the
moment or it would be already here."  Frowning, Alonzo realised he
couldn't even begin to understand the nature of speeds beyond light
unless he was presented with the theory behind it.


"There's no guarantee Reilly is going to wait until it gets here,"
Yale gently interrupted.  He compared the images in True's
assignment to the distant object in the sky.  "These are really
quite similar.  We must assume that there are already several
hundred, perhaps thousand, Council colonists on G889.  Beyond that
assumption, there is really not a lot we can do."

Smiling gratefully at her old teacher for the words of wisdom,
Devon nodded.  "Yale's right."  She looked over at Alonzo, who had
resumed the scanning program.  "Have you found anything else?"

"Reilly's ship," he responded.  "Wait a moment - there."  He
pointed at a holographic display of the planet. "That's got to be
a satellite of some sort."  It soon passed out of detection range
while another popped into view.  "They've got the whole planet
monitored," Alonzo realised.

"They've known we were here all along," stammered Morgan.  "So why
didn't they come and get us before now?"

"Too busy, I guess," Danziger suggested.  "If I was setting up a
colony the last thing on my mind would be arresting outlaws who
didn't know I was there and were fairly peaceful anyway."

"Good point," agreed Devon.  She looked at the small group
clustered around her, each searching for guidance.  But she had
none to give.  "Get some sleep," she finally said.  Morgan looked
all too happy at her suggestion - he'd left his wife and children
at home and was eager to get back to them.

"I'm going to stay here for a while," Alonzo declared, and his tech
friend agreed.  Julia stared wanly at her husband, resigning
herself to a long night as he said, "You should go home, Julia.  We
have to think of the baby."

There were tears in her eyes as she stared at Alonzo, but he had
returned his attention to the monitoring system.  "Come with me,
Julia," Yale said softly, taking her arm.  She allowed herself to
be guided away, one arm protectively over her stomach.  It was
going to be a very long night for Julia.


"Can I walk you home?" Danziger asked Devon.  Their houses were in
opposite directions and Devon gave Danziger a grateful look. 
Somehow, he had sensed she didn't want to walk that distance by
herself this night.  The once-friendly streets of New Pacifica now
seemed dark and foreboding.  It was silly to feel that way, Devon
chided herself, but she couldn't help it.  Reilly's pronouncement
of doom had shaken her a lot more than she cared to think about,
and only now, with the pressures of responsibility gone, did Devon
consider that Reilly had come for *her* personally.

"Thanks," Devon finally answered and the couple made their way down
the street in silence.  Devon and Uly's home was at the
southernmost point of New Pacifica, right on the beach.  It had
been built at the urging of the town's administration, Danziger in
particular insisting she would burn herself out if she didn't have
somewhere to get away.  In fact, he had been the one to physically
drag her out of her office and show her the new house, Devon
remembered with a smile on her lips.

They reached the sands of the beach where the quiet waves crept up
the shore.  It was such a peaceful night and as she looked up at
the moons, neither quite full, Devon found herself wondering how
their world could have changed so much with one small announcement.

"It's beautiful here," she whispered, more to herself than
Danziger.  "I don't want to lose it."  As Devon said the words, a
grim sense of foreboding came over her and she shivered.  

"You won't lose it, Devon," Danziger said sincerely.  "I meant what
I said earlier.  I won't let them take you away."

Devon didn't answer him.  Instead, she turned the opposite
direction to her house where Uly slept peacefully and began to
march up the beach, exuding tension with every step as grim
resignation came over her.  She would have to accept her fate. 
After all they had learnt this day, Devon knew there was to be no
more outrunning the Council.  She could try and hide, but that
would mean exposing her family and friends to the Council's wrath.

"Devon, wait!" Danziger called, having to jog to catch up with her. 
Breathlessly, he caught her shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's true, what Reilly said," Devon revealed.

"What is?" burst out Danziger angrily.  "That man is a lying,
snivelling weasel.  No one's going to punish you for crimes you
didn't commit."

"You don't understand!" Devon protested.  She tore her eyes from
Danziger's insistent gaze and continued marching down the beach.  

"What don't I understand?"  He was now keeping pace with her quite
easily.

"I broke the law," Devon said numbly.  "I left the space station
without the correct authority.  I jeopardised the lives of hundreds
of people."  

"No," Danziger protested.  "You did what you had to do.  If you
hadn't, then we wouldn't be here right now.  Look at this place!" 
Danziger gestured widely to their surroundings - the rolling hills,
the beach, the great ocean and the stars beyond.  "It's amazing,
Devon.  We only got here because of what you did."

Devon looked around and smiled.  "It is beautiful," she agreed. 
Her gaze drifted over to the man walking beside her and she felt
her heart catch in her throat.  Perhaps she was looking at the most
wonderful part of all of this right now....  And in realising this,
Devon felt her heart breaking.

Seeming to sense her gaze, Danziger paused and noticed Devon slow
her pace.  "It's paradise," Danziger agreed.  He caught her hands. 
"It's paradise because you're here.  I won't let you go."

"You might not have that choice," Devon said soberly.

"Devon, I promise you-"

She cut him off with a gentle hand over his mouth.  "No," she said
softly, sadly.  "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I-" he tried to say.

"No."  When she was satisfied he would be quiet, Devon removed her
hand and momentarily caressed his cheek before looking away.  "Do
you remember a promise you made to me once before?"

"I could never forget," Danziger said with gruff intensity.  "That
was one of the worst times of my life, Devon.  I lost my best
friend.  I was lucky that she came back."

Smiling through her pain, Devon said, "I'm asking you to hold on to
that promise, John.  Take care of my son."

Silence descended upon the pair as Danziger realised the enormity
of what she was putting upon him.  

"He can't leave G889," Devon said soberly.  "I always knew that Uly
could never go back to the space stations once he was healed.  I
used to worry about that, worry if our colony failed, worry if we
really couldn't stay here and if we'd have to go back on the colony
ship.  Now it's just me."

"Devon-" Danziger said, and her name seemed to catch in his throat.
"You know I'll always watch out for Uly.  He's like a son to me."

Devon finally met Danziger's eyes once again and he saw tears
sparkling in them.  "That's all I can ask you to do," she said. 
Then Danziger pulled her into his arms, a strong, sweet embrace
filled with a sense of despair.  Of loss.  Of a final goodbye.

Devon clung to him, this wonderful man who had been almost her
other half the past few years.  She found herself wondering why
they had never gotten together.  It always seemed to be just around
the corner, and they'd had all the time in the world...

Not anymore.  "Hold me, John," Devon whispered into his chest. 
"Hold me in a way I'll always remember."

He did.

                               ***

The Council came the very next day, in a short-range air ship which
had a streamlined design that made Alonzo drool.  

"Greetings," said a tall, blonde woman after she had exited.  "I am
Citizen Marita Lauder and these are my associates: Citizens Webb
and Flatley."  The two men nodded, their eyes hidden behind dark
shades.     

"I will be leading the investigation," continued Marita.  "May I
please speak to," and she paused coolly to consult her data, "Devon
Adair, Dr. Julia Heller, Alonzo Solace and Citizen Morgan Martin." 
A terrified yelp was heard from somewhere at the back of the crowd
as the final name was read out.

Devon, Julia and Alonzo stepped forward, Danziger hovering
protectively near Devon.  

"I'm Devon Adair, administrator of New Pacifica," she introduced
herself, holding out her hand.  Marita took it disdainfully.  "May
I suggest we adjourn to the town hall?"

Staring at the gathering crowd, Marita tapped her fingers
impatiently on the computer pad she carried.  "Agreed."

Danziger followed the group, stopping briefly to grab a nervous
Morgan Martin who needed a little assistance getting his feet to
move.  Yale sent True and Uly to Bess and joined the party himself.

Away from the hot sun's strength, Devon nonetheless felt even
warmer and more intimidated indoors.  It was best to keep the
fiasco private (Devon still felt the innate need to protect New
Pacifica's inhabitants from all problems) yet Devon couldn't help
but wish for the support of her people.

"Are we all assembled?" Marita asked.

Looking around the room, Devon felt dwarfed by the presence of
Marita's two associates.  "Yes," she said.  "May I introduce Julia
Heller-Solace, Alonzo Solace, Morgan Martin, John Danziger, and
Yale.  John and Yale will act as witnesses to today's proceedings."

"Ms. Adair, you are not on trial," Marita said smoothly.

"Nonetheless, I want them present."  Devon was not backing down on
this one, although Marita seemed not to care. 

"Let us get down to business," said Marita crisply.  "There are
outstanding warrants for your arrests dating back twenty-five
years.  Generally, there would be additional charges for evading
prosecution for this length of time but given your circumstances,
these have been waived."

"I suppose you expect us to be grateful for that?" Danziger
grunted.  Both Devon and Marita shot him looks.

"You have a choice," continued Marita.  "You may come with us
peacefully now or we will have no choice but to arrest you with
force.  Given the civilised nature of proceedings so far, may I
suggest the former option?"

"No one is going anywhere until we hear the charges," Devon
responded evenly.  "I fail to see why Alonzo Solace is here.  He
was never a member of the Council, nor did he break any of the
Council's laws.  Therefore, you have no right to charge him."

Marita smiled, a beautiful smile with lots of teeth and on her it
looked evil, almost shark-like.  "Things have changed since you
left the stations.  The government and the Council merged to become
one controlling body.  Therefore, crimes committed under the old
government have now fallen under the Council's jurisdiction.  You
might say we control everything," Marita finished, again smiling
sweetly.  Danziger wanted to punch her.

Devon was stunned.  She remembered the Council as being a covert
operation, and the rumours of their manipulation of things behind
the scenes were exactly that: rumours.  Only Julia's revelations
had led Devon to believe the Council had more power than she first
assumed.  But to have taken control of the government?  Devon
couldn't understand how such a thing had happened - many friends of
Devon's had been senators, free of corruption and dedicated to Eden
Project in the way she was.

Consulting her notes, Marita asked, "I believe Commander Broderick
O'Neill is deceased?"

"That's right," Devon confirmed, wondering how Marita knew this.

"A pity," said Marita.  "There were several serious charges laid
against the man."  

"You're not going to destroy a dead man's reputation, are you?"
asked Alonzo, who had respected O'Neill even though they'd had
several differences of opinion.  "That's just-"  Alonzo couldn't
find the words.  Marita ignored him.

"Could you please confirm that Citizen Wentworth is also deceased?" 
A look of fury crossed Danziger's face as he heard the name.  "She
wasn't Council!" he protested.  "I don't know where you're getting
all this from..."

"I believe Citizen Heller kept Citizen Reilly informed of all
actions for several months."  Marita shot a pitying look at Julia. 
"Such a shame you did not continue the practice.  If you had, you
would not be sitting here now.  Perhaps your earlier reports will
lighten your sentence, as Reilly's information has been quite
useful."

Julia appeared greatly distressed, but as she noticed the
supportive glances of her husband and friends, she said stiffly,
"My name is Dr. Heller-Solace, thank you."

Marita laughed.  "I'm sorry to inform you that any marriage vows
you may have taken on this planet will not be recognised by the
Council."

"Hey, she's my wife, okay?" said Alonzo hotly.  "Now I don't know
who you think you are, but-"

"I am Citizen Marita Lauder and your fate is in my hands," Marita
snapped.  "I suggest you stop your frivolous babbling and allow us
to proceed with matters."  Her voice was pure venom and Alonzo was
quiet.  Devon found herself wondering if the other two Council
citizens were simply there to look good - they certainly hadn't
said a word or even indicated that they were listening to the
proceedings.  

"Now where was I?"

"I want to hear the charges," Devon said.  

"Ah yes, the charges.  Citizen Heller," Marita began, her stare
challenging Julia to say anything, "you are charged with desertion
and treason."  

Julia nodded sadly and Devon realised that the doctor could not
protest.  Her crimes against the Council, no matter what motives
lay behind them, could not be denied.

"Alonzo Solace," Marita continued.

"This should be good," muttered Alonzo.

"You have been charged by the Pilot's Guild for several minor
infractions, the severest for flying under a definite No-Go. 
Usually, the Council would not be involved in such matters but as
you may be a witness in Ms. Adair's trial, we decided to apprehend
you."  Marita paused, checking her notes.  

Who was next?, Devon found herself wondering.  She was infinitely
grateful that the charges against Alonzo were minor.  He might be
fined, or have his licence suspended, as long as the judicial
system was much as Devon remembered.

Julia's so-called crimes were more distressing.  Devon wondered if
she herself could accept the blame - after all, they had basically
forced Julia into telling them all she knew about Reilly and the
Council.  They hadn't given Julia a choice - it was join them or be
abandoned in G889's wilderness.  And what a choice that had been
for a young woman.  

Devon's eyes met Morgan's and saw fear.  For both of them, their
fates lay in the words of the woman sitting before them.  More than
ever, Devon wanted to run away and not hear it, she wanted to
pretend that everything was fine as it always had been.

But that was not Devon Adair's way.  She had to face the future
boldly, no matter how painful it might be.  And watching Morgan,
she saw the same resolution in his eyes.  Neither would run.  

"Devon Adair," Marita finally spoke.  "You are charged with
conspiracy, wilful negligence, insubordination and the murder of
496 people."



---
END (2/?)

I'm writing as fast as I can and would love some feedback.  Please?