The Runaways

By Scott C. Anderson

Shelley and Colin were young and in love. Running away to find meaning in their lives, they never expected to crash land on a blue-water planet known as earth.
This is a story about damaged people and recovery. This is a story about earth and outer space. A young couple will seek a new life and adventure, only to be stranded on the earth planet during a time of war.
A young man, beaten and humiliated by his family, will rise to repair the offworld spacecraft and allow the young couple to return home.
During their travels, a young officer will be betrayed by his captain, simply for the sake of convenience. In some cases, absolute power does corrupt absolutely.
And a machine race will find new life and purpose after the harsh manipulations of one single human. The characters may sound familiar, but new possibilities offer a new direction.
Colin and Shelley’s two-week voyage will create a lifetime of memories. Written for all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365231131

Book preview

The Runaways

The Runaways

By Scott C. Anderson

This is a book of fiction. Characters, places, names, theories, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, alive or dead, along with their events or locations is purely coincidental.

Disclaimer:  These stories are written in a conversational style.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Second Edition

© 2016 by Scott C. Anderson. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-365-23113-1

A hard life - A new chance

Through the dark ages of earth, educated astronomers believed that we were not alone.  The heavens appeared to possess the ability to predict the future and explain the past.  Tasked with infinite knowledge and endless possibilities, the never-ending starfield presented a roadmap to the future.  

One point within this celestial roadmap is the Thar Galaxy.  Close enough to be considered a distant neighbor to earth, the cluster of planets was first detected during the summer of 2061.  From a distance, the galaxy appears crowded, as it continues its slow and massive rotation within this small section of the universe.

Finding a populated blue-water world within similar solar systems is not a difficult exploit.  The real danger is attempting to traverse the open space between inhabited planets.  The older and wiser are cautious due to legend and experience.  To gain experience, the young see danger as necessary and unavoidable.

Many years ago, on a single blue-water world within the Teal Solar System, Colin Jatz and Shelley Cornier lived within the freedoms of the Teal civilization.  And, both had recently turned fourteen.  The teens benefited from the advanced Teal education system and each gained perspectives as they listened and learned from their parents.  Deeply in love and comfortable with the support and affection that binds two into one, Colin and Shelley forged an escape plan that would free them from their sterilized world and suffocating family structures. 

Within the past year, Colin came to the decision that he may not have known everything in the discovered worlds, but he was close.  Intelligent and filled with courage, he wanted and needed to care, protect, and provide a better life for Shelley.

The Cornier family, led by Jason and Marion, were very well established within the township of Newhanis.  They were devoted to Shelley and ensured that she had everything a young woman of fourteen could want or need.  For her, they may have been difficult to talk to, but Shelley firmly believed that she had overcome the crushing obstacles of youth and awkward communication.

The cluster of four blue-water planets within the Thar galaxy consisted of Colin and Shelley’s homeworld of Teal, the twin systems of Habar and Cieatelle, and the distant system of NineFour.

The Jatz and Cornier families were very close.  As a successful construction supplier, Emery Jatz ran his company with a strong will and boundless determination.  With offices on four worlds, profits and opportunities provided Emery with every basic necessity and luxury he could provide for his family.  Beverly Jatz kept to her social involvements and worked with groups that not only eradicated poverty and disease among her people, but also those of the other three civilized worlds. 

Colin excelled at school but found his education limiting.  He was certain that there had to be more opportunities than that of the four identified worlds within their known galaxy.  Shelley listened to Colin, and believed he was right when he told her that there had to be similar worlds out there with equal and intelligent life.

Shelley was beautiful and young.  Intelligent for her years, she looked towards the future with an open heart.  Her father, Jason Cornier, continued the family legacy as a Directionist with the township of Newhanis.  Tasked with keeping the direction of the town in a forward, progressive state, Jason enjoyed his job and the many social benefits awarded to him.  Marion Cornier worked with Beverly Jatz and took each social project as a mission.  Virtually eradicating poverty and homelessness, the two women worked with the local mental health agencies to provide additional support for their various projects and causes. 

Shelley always had people around her, though she constantly felt alone.  When she thought about her situation, which was often, there really wasn’t anything wrong with her life, except for this feeling of loneliness.  Colin appeared to fill this need and gave Shelley what she believed was lacking in her life.  Before she met Colin, the word love had only been found in the dictionary with a cold description of its simple properties.  Her hours spent with Colin were becoming special and warmed her lonely heart. 

When Colin first proposed running away from home, her first question concerned his family.  Colin had also been surrounded by people and support, yet he also felt stifled and alone.  For Colin, the feeling of under appreciation was hard to push aside after his fourteenth birthday.  Colin wanted to accomplish so much, yet he was being treated like a child. 

Throughout the years, Colin met and knew many of the Jatz Construction employees.  The first on Colin’s list was Rigor Tighman, who had worked for Emery Jatz for almost forty years.  His loyal service proved to the Jatz family that he was a dependable employee, as well as a trusted friend.  Colin’s request for a lightship wasn’t unusual, but he kept the secretive circumstances to himself. 

Rigor had heard almost every story in the book during his tenure as Equipment Foreman for Jatz Construction Supply.  He found no reason to hesitate with this new request.  Lightships and cargo buses were regularly requested at the last minute for deliveries with specific due dates.  The request from Colin seemed vague, but not particularly suspicious. 

Shelley trusted Colin and packed for the trip with a slow purpose.  She knew she was doing the right thing by going with him.  She really couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to go.  After all, he would do anything in his power to protect her, and striking out on their own was just the first step in a long life together. 

Quietly, as she packed and listened to the familiar sounds of life going on outside her window, her excitement began to build.  For the past few weeks, before she fell asleep, Shelley not only felt but believed that she and Colin would find a new civilization.  His talks were convincing to some, but she firmly believed in her heart that other civilizations were living and existing on worlds yet undiscovered.  She knew she had no proof or evidence, but that didn’t matter.  If she were the first to discover a race similar to the Teal, then she could prove that Colin had been right all along.  Shelley didn’t mind supporting him, she had to.  Colin offered her freedoms that no one in her family seemed to acknowledge or could provide.  She wanted to prove him right.

Rigor Tighman had prepared a nine-passenger lightship.  This small but dependable saucer was considered the minivan or station wagon of the fleet and Colin’s first reaction was less than enthusiastic.  But, making a fuss would draw attention and Colin kept quiet about the choice.  Rigor had prepped the ship for a ten-day trip, which was twice the time needed to travel to any of the planets in the arm and return. 

At a little after two in the afternoon, Shelley’s public car pulled to the Jatz Construction Supply allport, located behind the main headquarters building.  The fifteen planet-bound and interstellar spacecraft littered the allport tarmac as the prepped saucer had been moved closer towards the front row.  Rigor saw the young woman and recognized her as Colin’s current girlfriend.  He held no opinion as the two appeared to be happy every time he saw them together. 

Miss Cornier.  Rigor nodded to the young lady.

How are you Rigor?  Shelley appeared calm but her heart beat a mile a minute.

Rigor didn’t respond, but nodded as he stepped towards the public car.  The young couple frequently used public cars instead of the big private family limousines, so Rigor saw nothing unusual.  Opening the trunk, he placed a small round chrome disc on each large suitcase and activated his pendant.  Each suitcase lifted from the floor of the trunk and moved out and away from the vehicle.  The bags would now float three feet behind Rigor, until instructed to do otherwise.

Shelley also noticed that they would be taking a small lightship.  Excited and anxious, she shrugged off the choice as she focused her attention on Colin.

The main cabin pressure door of the lightship was located in the lower half of the saucer.  The wide door rolled out on massive hinges and slowed to a stop.  A light but very strong walkway lowered to the tarmac.  With this pressure door open, the cargo holds on either side were accessible, as were the personal storage areas.  The areas weren’t cavernous, but big enough for passenger luggage and medium-sized cargo transport. 

Rigor stowed the bags and removed his cargo movement discs.  Rigor noticed that Colin and Shelley appeared more nervous than usual, but he simply believed that the two were cautious of saying something private around the workman.  This also wasn’t unusual and Rigor passed it off as the workings of two young people from powerful families who were deeply in love. 

What Rigor did find unusual was the few extra moments Colin took to say goodbye to the loyal workman.  To his knowledge they were only going to be away for a few days, but the young man acted as though Rigor would never see him again.  Giving the big man a hug, which wasn’t unusual for Colin, Rigor said his goodbyes as he watched the pressure door close and seal.  Waving, Rigor could see Colin and Shelley through the forward bank of windows, as the rear windows had turned black in the bright sunlight.

We did it!  Colin couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.

We did…but we’re not clear yet.  Shelley was the voice of reason as she watched the saucer lift from the allport.

Yeah, well, I’ve selected a route that will take us where no one has ever gone.  We should be in the area in thirteen days.

Thirteen days?  Shelley thought he had miscalculated.  She knew her teachings, but didn’t fully believe that inhabited worlds were that far out.

It’ll be okay.  You’ll see.  Colin had reconfigured the front seats into a wide couch.  He sat back as Shelley snuggled close to him, as if she were cold.  The details of the new route were handled entirely by the onboard systems.  Charted space was well known, but many outlying sections were seldom used.  Colin calmed his fears and relied on the ship to protect them.

On the twelfth day of their flight, the saucer once again attempted to communicate with Colin.  Annoyed as a perceived demand for control, Colin blocked the ship out of his mind, and focused on the simpler audio and visual interactions. 

The Teal, as a people, were an advanced form of human.  Many early races would use anywhere from ten to twenty-five percent of their brain power.  The Teal, as with the other known races in the Thar Galaxy, would use sixty to seventy-five percent.  Mentally communicating with a planet-bound vehicle or interstellar saucer took practice and experience, but was not particularly challenging.  The use of verbal communication was a common practice, but mental communication was faster and more efficient, and was preferred by most autonomous systems.

The saucer was trying to communicate that a blue-water planet had been discovered in a charted but unexplored galaxy.  Almost a dozen blue-water worlds were scanned, but this one was obviously inhabited.

The saucer provided Colin with three popup viewscreens detailing the current location, the position of the scanned world, and the current readings of the ship’s condition.  The ship had power for another one hundred and forty years, with adequate supplies of atmosphere and water.  Fresh food, on the other hand, would last only a few more days.  Colin wasn’t worried, as confidence pushed him past the concerns of possible failure. 

Giving a physical confirmation, Colin pressed an area of one of the viewscreens.  The onboard systems were instructed to follow the recommended course. 

A new land

Earth date and location: 

Tuesday, June 6, 1944, the Normandy Invasion.

Orders were given that no aircraft flying into France would use a return route over the beach at Normandy.  To lessen the confusion during this difficult time, any aircraft flying towards the allied invasion forces would be considered hostile and fair game, unless positively identified. 

Dirigibles dotted the coast and were used to hinder and interfere with enemy aircraft.  The morning hours of battle created confusion and chaos along the coast of France.  The sighting of an unidentified flying object offered a possible target, as both the size and shape were unfamiliar to military observers on both sides. 

Moving too fast to be considered a danger to the local inhabitants, as instructed, the saucer scanned the landscape to detect human or near-human life.  Scans of the nearby cities and towns confirmed that the areas teemed with life, yet this area attracted the most attention.  The concentration of humans and machines were interesting in their actions and design.  A large number of human males were uniformly dressed and arranged in patterns that indicated an early form of tribal development.

Battleship fire filled the skies as explosive detonations impacted land-based bunkers constructed of concrete.  Small projectile fire was literally everywhere, with heavier munitions fired from either the concrete bunkers or the large floating ships positioned off of the shoreline.  Colin attempted to discern the cause of the aggressive behavior but continued to block-out the onboard systems of his saucer. 

The intelligent spacecraft continued to provide viewscreens of caution, with wording that Colin could understand.  Colin’s dominance against listening to the telepathic communication offered by the saucer would continue throughout this observation.  Colin read the reports of scattered weapons fire and battle throughout the various worldwide continents.  A nearby populated island appeared inhabited and without weapons fire or detonations.  Colin gave his verbal confirmation to alter course.  Sensing concern, Colin held onto Shelley’s hand as he explained his course of action.

The saucer would then turn from the French coast and head towards the British Isles.  Oblivious to the war raging beneath the saucer, Colin continued to physically communicate with the ship.  The saucer was in the process of the standard procedure for cleaning and clearing the inflight filters of the various air-handling systems.  This was a standard procedure to be performed early after entering the atmosphere, in the event that the saucer was required to lift and exit the planet during a possible emergency.

Four exterior ports were open to the crisp morning air.  The two forward suction ports would pull air in and meticulously clean and cool the air and drive systems.  Two exhaust ports would flush and clear the systems of buildup.  The onboard systems held the ability to work for years without a thorough cleaning.  The intelligent saucer would use early cleaning opportunities to ensure the safe and comfortable operation of the saucer.  An additional popup screen was provided to inform Colin that no part of the local atmosphere would be harmed during this cleaning procedure.  Annoyed, the young man found yet another system procedure competing for his attention.

During the instructed turn towards England, the four exterior ports were open and operating as designed.  Several projectiles were aimed at the saucer with two detonating almost a half a mile behind the hull.  Unfamiliar with projectile weapons on any known planet, the saucer maneuvered away from the very close explosions.  The ship did not engage shielding, which would have interfered with the end of the cleaning process. 

The saucer attempted to communicate with Colin and finally relied upon an additional popup screen.  Busy and arguing with the saucer, Colin quickly spoke with Shelley to discuss options.  The saucer misjudged a projectile that detonated in their path.  Maneuvering up and preparing to engage shields, the shrapnel from the explosion sent a twenty-two pound ingot directly towards the keel of the saucer.

The right rear exhaust port was in the open position during the unfamiliar firefight.  The solid molten piece of metal impacted the exhaust port door and dented the hull material.  Shields fully engaged as the saucer instantly pushed to four thousand miles per hour.  Observers on the ground found that the saucer appeared to suddenly disappear.

Colin was given details of the slight damage.  The result was that the door was unable to seal the ship for space travel.  The description and images on Colin’s screen offered a simple solution but would require a physical repair from the captain. 

An additional popup screen proposed that the saucer could return to Teal in a safe condition.  Specific shielding could seal the area.  The onboard systems warned that this was a temporary and dangerous situation, and requested a more permanent physical intervention.  This screen also competed for Colin’s attention.

Shelley began talking quickly and asked for an explanation.  Colin fought to read and understand the full implications of the projectile fire.  The saucer continued to attempt to communicate with Colin or Shelley, and provided a possible solution to the damage to the exhaust port door.

Angry and hurt, Colin believed that he had placed Shelley in a dangerous position.  Through the years he had heard about explorers and their contacts with primitive cultures.  Many of these interactions with peoples in their early development offered strange and unusual ways of accomplishing simple tasks.  Colin believed that he had placed Shelley in one of these scenarios. 

The people of this world were obviously in a war or disagreement.  Their use of projectiles was extensive and obvious.  If only Colin had chosen a different area of this planet, or a more civilized city such as the one he was heading towards, then maybe he wouldn’t have put Shelley in this position of danger.

The forward flight panel of the saucer contained few controls.  Screens were created as needed and provided the status or condition of any onboard system.  The onboard systems slowed their attempts at communication.  Shelley’s physiology was in distress with a detected elevated heartrate.  Her mental condition appeared to be taxed with the resolution of the problems faced by the couple in an alien world. 

Colin’s heartrate also increased, as did his breathing and temperature.  Adjusting the cabin’s interior and deeply tinting the windows, the onboard systems attempted to calm the young man, all the while continuing to mentally speak with the ship’s young captain.

The saucer, a product of Stanton Flight and Instrument, was an intelligent ship of current design.  Pilots and captains found this saucer’s design to be bulletproof in its dependability and ease to navigate.  Experienced pilots found little to criticize as language imagery, which was the ability to mentally communicate between two dissimilar languages, was written into the ship’s design.

Colin slowed his emotions as he felt he needed to protect Shelley.  The young woman clung to Colin, as both