Earth Star(40)

I turned off the wall vid. ‘So, the Military have decided to evacuate people into Ark during the next solar storm. They’re sending the norm kids off world to safety as well.’

Fian made an odd, shocked noise. ‘This is just like one of the nardle conspiracy theories that Krath’s dad talks about. The Military using a cover story.’

‘I wonder who invented the story.’

‘Can’t you guess? Doesn’t this sound suspiciously like what happened on Hera? Drago must have suggested the cover story, but the evacuation is really happening because of you.’

I shook my head. ‘I only told them about Ark. Colonel Torrek decided to go ahead with the evacuation because of what you said about the portal relays.’

Fian laughed. ‘We’re both to blame then.’

My civilian lookup chimed and I picked it up. ‘It’s Lecturer Playdon.’

I accepted the call and transferred it to the wall vid. Playdon’s shocked face looked at us. ‘Jarra. Fian. This evacuation to Ark … The alien contact is here!’

I nodded. ‘I’ve got permission to give you limited information. There’s an alien sphere in geostationary orbit above Earth Africa. It’s small, so probably unmanned.’

His head snapped backwards as he gave a startled look upwards. ‘Above … above here then.’

‘A bit north of the Eden Dig Site,’ I said. ‘Don’t worry, sir. It’s not responding to our attempts to talk to it, but it’s done nothing hostile. The Military are just worried it may make a move during a solar storm when we’re at a disadvantage. That’s the reason for the evacuation to Ark.’

Playdon shook his head. ‘Embarrassingly enough, I didn’t even know Ark still existed. I had to look it up.’

Fian grinned. ‘Using Ark was Jarra’s idea.’

I laughed at the expression on Playdon’s face. ‘I had the advantage of local knowledge, sir. I’d been there on a school trip.’

Playdon took a moment to recover from that before he spoke again. ‘You know, Jarra, given your uniforms, I really feel you should stop calling me sir.’

I glanced downwards. ‘Oh those. They decided to make us real Military rather than civilian advisers, so we could be given Military tactical information.’

‘Since you appear to be a Major …’

‘Jarra’s a Major, but I’m only a Captain,’ said Fian, going into a martyr act. ‘Jarra’s a team leader, but I’m only a deputy.’

I threw a cushion at him.

‘Team leader?’ asked Playdon.

‘I’ve been put in charge of the History team,’ I said. ‘The Military want to know if there’s any hint the aliens visited Earth before. If you think of anything in pre-history that might be relevant, please let us know.’

‘I will, but … What happens if there’s an Ark evacuation? Will you two be going there?’

I nodded. ‘Combat personnel and civilian advisers portal to a base in Alpha sector. The rest of us move to a temporary base in Ark.’

‘Each dig site has space allocated in Ark,’ said Playdon, ‘so the dig teams can evacuate together if they wish. I’ve already told the class they can go off world and visit their families for a few days, but I’m planning to go to Ark myself. I missed the Solar 5 rescue through taking the class to Asgard, and I’m not going to miss this.’

He paused. ‘That reminds me. The Cassandra 2 team have just arrived at Eden Dig Site. Their team leader, Rono, said to say hello to you two, and ask Jarra if the dig site was safe from crashing spaceships.’

I giggled. ‘Rono was a bit shocked when he found out Solar 5 crashed on New York Dig Site because the Colonel was the pilot and he’d been there for my grandmother’s Honour Ceremony.’

‘I know. Rono told me about it at great length when you were in hospital, Jarra.’ Playdon had one of his evil smiles now. ‘When this is all over, I’m going to tell Rono the Military decided to evacuate the population of Earth into Ark because you went there on a school trip, and watch the look on his face.’

He paused. ‘I’d better let you get on with your work. Fian, try to keep Jarra out of trouble.’

Fian nodded. ‘I’ll do my best, sir.’

‘Captain Eklund, please stop calling me “sir”!’





10





‘I hate aliens,’ I said to Fian.

He gazed at my breakfast. ‘I hate cheese fluffle as well. That stuff isn’t meant for your breakfast, you know. It’s intended for the fighter pilots who’ve done one of the night shifts up in orbit and are having dinner before going to bed.’