Walker/KEPLER FALLING

Part I: Sol, 24th century CE.

Chapter 1: (Josie Taylor)

Behind the transport’s doorway was a pink twilight in a tenuous ammonia/nitrogen atmosphere.

My right hand reached for the doorframe before venturing out on Triton. That was my first mistake as I bounded a foot into the air before coming back down again. Firm hands grabbed hold of my Advanced Life Support System.

A man wearing a similar ALSS to mine spoke, “Ms. Taylor, my humblest apologies. You should have been warned about the gravitational differences between here and Terra.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“My name is Jason Zhou and I’m the director of NTSI. Let me lead the way for you.”

Zhou took my luggage and guided me through the main airlock.

As the compartment repressurized, he said, “It is a great honor to have you join us at NTSI. I’ve looked forward to meeting you.”

Taken aback, I said, “Really, there is no need.”

“Please call me Jason. Anyway, the airlock cycle is almost complete.”

The primary airlock led to a secondary chamber where a technician waited for us. I could only understand her occasional fractured words.

Ashamed, Zhou spoke, “My apologies again for forgetting your lack of knowledge of Cantonese.”

“I shouldn’t have much trouble learning it. I’m fluent in Mandarin.”

“Remove your helmet.”

Zhou turned his helmet to the left several centimeters and lifted a latch. The helmet slid off his head as it came to rest on the floor.

I lifted my helmet off my head.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked.

“Your red hair and green eyes will make it difficult to move about without being noticed. Why don’t we get you situated?”

“That would be splendid.”

We stepped out of the secondary airlock and removed our ALSSs before walking into a main hallway, which was populated by Han Chinese wearing blue, green, and yellow jumpsuits.

I asked Zhou, “Why is everyone standing around?”

“We operate on a continuous twenty-four-hour day similar to Terra. Soon it will be time for lunch.” He pointed to a smaller room.

“I’m famished.”

“Good.”

Zhou put my luggage near a table and we found the end of the line that meandered into a cafeteria. As we approached one of the cooks, the man put what looked like fried shrimp with rice and lo mein on my plate. A woman then handed me soup and a cup of green tea. After returning to our seats, I started to eat rice and shrimp with chopsticks. Some of the people nearby switched their attention to us before a glance from Zhou silenced their gazes.

The crowd thinned out when he finally spoke, “Much has happened while you were asleep.”

“Such as?” I asked.

Zhou pulled out a PDA and the machine purred to life. Selecting a menu, he pulled information on a project named Excalibur.

The pictures astounded me, “Alpha Centauri is habitable?”

“For those who mine asteroids, yes. There are no planets or satellites suitable for our purposes.”

“It took nearly fifty years for Excalibur to reach Alpha Centauri and relay the information back to us.”

Another man listened to our conversation before sitting down near Zhou.

Zhou said, “This is Tong Gang, Premier of New Taipei. The Premier hopes your stay will be most comfortable. However, we have learned of a horrible incident.”

Tong switched to Mandarin for my benefit, “It involves you, Ms. Taylor. Please come with us.”

“And my bags?”

“It can wait here.”

I went with Tong and Zhou from the main colony domes to the infirmary. We made our way past the hospital ward, where a group of armed guards surrounded two wounded prisoners.

A suave man came forward from the crowd to greet Tong and Zhou. “Hello amigos, the situation is under control.”

Zhou translated for Tong. “The Premier wonders what happened?”
The Brazilian said, “Someone tried to hijack one of your inbound transports before the hypersleep chambers revived everyone. There was considerable loss of life.”

Zhou relayed the information to Tong, who commented to me in Mandarin. “These are Roger Hershel’s people. We do not maintain a permanent police force on New Taipei. It has never been necessary until now.”

Vidal interrupted, “And whom do I have the honor of meeting such a beautiful and refined woman out here in deep space?”

I extended my hand and he kissed it. “My name is Josie Taylor.”

“Josie, it’s good to meet you.”

“And your name?”

“Forgive me, senhorita, it’s Carlos Vidal.”

“Carlos, I shall remember it. Anyway, can you gain anything from the two prisoners?”

Vidal replied, “That is why I sent for Director Zhou.”

I also knew Russian. It had been centuries since I’d used it.

So I asked, “What about the survivors?”

“They are receiving medical attention as we speak,” my boss replied. I eyed a pregnant woman with a blackened face.

Surprised, Zhou asked, “April, is that you?”

“Thank God, Jason.”

“What happened?”

“It was horrible. The raiders boarded the ship and killed Jinsong as soon as he revived.”

“Your face?”

“One of them kicked me when they couldn’t find what they were looking for. Another one intervened and fought him off. In the struggle, both of them were wounded as more people got involved. The renegades left as soon as the Hershel patrol arrived.”

Zhou was careless with the truth. “April Matsui, this is the Reverend Josie Taylor.”

Matsui’s eyes lit up. “You’re an Anglican priest.”

I smiled. “Yes, I am.” I was also the Angel of Death.

Matsui put my slender Jerusalem cross in her hand. “Like you and Jason, Jinsong and I are Christians. I want my baby boy to be baptized by you, Reverend Taylor.”

“It would be an honor, April.”

Vidal hovered in the background and finally spoke to Zhou in English. Zhou told what had transpired to Tong in Cantonese. I knew exactly they were talking about. Tong’s displeasure was apparent as he relented to Vidal’s request. It fit into Vidal’s plans.

Regardless of the fact he was a demon or fallen deity. So was his employer, Roger Hershel.

Part of the Hershel contingent disappeared with Vidal, Zhou, and one of the wounded prisoners.

Matsui winced. “Oh, no.”

I sought out an RN. Another nurse rushed to Matsui’s side besides a physician, who started moving the medical gurney away.

Matsui’s hands slipped from mine. “God will look after you and your baby.”

“David, Jinsong wanted him named David.”

“Jesus will take care of you and David.” My son would look after anyone as devout as Matsui. I didn’t like the prospect arranging more dispatching.

We parted as I turned my attention to a heavily bandaged, sleeping man. He slumbered away as an RN looked at his chart in disbelief. I’d never seen what low energy plasma weapons did to flesh and bone, but after tonight it didn’t take much imagination. Humanity got more efficient with its killing technologies. It made my job easier. I was tired of the same people making the same mistakes or carrying out ancient grudges against hated foes. The man’s upper right leg was mutilated beyond recognition and his left torso also sustained similar damage.

I went looking for Matsui’s room when Vidal returned. “I have returned vindicated, senhorita. Pain has a way of helping a person remember many things.”

I shuddered. “That’s torture where I’m from, Mr. Vidal.”

“Out here, it’s a stimulant. Anyway, I wasn’t too brash with my time on the first subject. However, the second will require more tact.”

“What do you want from him?” I asked.

“That Russian doesn’t have long to live.”

“I gathered that looking at his injuries.”

“Are you a physician?” he asked.

“Not exactly.”

“It would be a miracle if he makes it through the early morning. I need information only he can provide.”

Not if you had the balls to ask me, I thought.

My boss didn’t relish his role as a translator. “It is out of my hands, Josie.”

Zhou spoke to one of the RNs, who shot back to Zhou as she shook her head no. I smiled. Humans out here hadn’t totally devolved morally. Tong intervened and ordered a waiting physician to revive the wounded prisoner. I’d already dispatched the first one. That was a brutal death. It took a while for the injured man to come around. The first thing he noticed was Zhou’s calm face. The man tried moving his head around before giving up. To the man’s astonishment, Zhou’s fluent Russian rolled off his lips like a native. Their exchange was friendly but confrontational.

Vidal was eager to learn what he could as Zhou translated, “The man’s name is Sasha and he claims to be from Oberon. He says they were part of an off-world gang hired by some Martians to kidnap an influential Terran with red hair.”

Zhou glanced back at me. Sasha saw me and became hysterical. “Nvet!”

“Jason, do something to calm him down,” Vidal said. “Senhorita, do you know why anyone would want to harm you?”

“None, I swear,” I lied.

“Hum, I wonder?”

Meanwhile, Zhou soothing voice blanketed over Sasha’s concerns as he tried keeping with the Russian’s words.

“He is sorry for the trouble with the other prisoner. Once they realized they were aboard the wrong transport, Vladimir took it out on a pregnant woman. However, Sasha would never murder a woman. Other members of the raiding party fled when the Hershel patrol arrived.”

Sasha was tired. Zhou spoke to me, “Sasha knows he is dying. He wants absolution.”

“From me?”

“Yes, he knows you are a priest.” Sasha knew more than that.

He didn’t give the game away. Like my son and father, I could grant absolution when I wanted.

I neared the mortally wounded man. “What troubles you, Sasha?”

Zhou translated for me in English, “Sasha is afraid of damnation.”

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

“Tell him his actions today assure him of his place in heaven,” I replied.

Zhou said, “Sasha accidently killed a man while he was drunk. Most of all, Sasha is frightened for failing his father, Vassily, who is a Russian Orthodox priest on Station Nikonius, Oberon. He wants you to tell his father what happened.”

“I will,” I gently pressed the Russian’s hand. “First for confessing your sins, I absolve you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.” I too absolve you and will take you to paradise.

Sasha closed his eyes as his he stopped breathing. An attending physician began revival efforts with another RN. but it wasn’t necessary. I cut the cord holding Sasha’s soul to his body and guided it to heaven. My son would then resurrect him.

Vidal looked bored as he conversed with Zhou.

Tong spoke to me in Mandarin. “Ms. Taylor, please come with me. Your services are still wanted in the Medical Infirmary.”

Tong guided me away from Sasha’s body and the Hershel contingent to the pediatric ward. An RN held a child in her arms as an attending physician put a cover over Matsui’s head, more of my handiwork. My father asked a lot of me. He wanted to gather up the righteous before the impending apocalypse.

Tong pounced like a spider. “That Terran is dead along with her husband, Jinsong, whom I mourn like a son. Since we do not have the facilities to take care of orphans, I leave the matter of raising this child in your capable hands, Lady Burley.”

“My name is Ms. Josie Taylor.”

“As you wish, however, no one besides myself and Director Zhou know the truth.”

Another lie. Unless Tong was also delusional. The old mortal didn’t know anything about me. Hershel and Vidal did.

Meanwhile, Vidal and Zhou entered the pediatric ward. Tong conferred with Zhou. I understood enough Cantonese to know the other Russian had been “liquidated.”

“You murdered Vladimir!” I retorted.

Vidal said, “Senhorita, the man had been hired to kill you. Other than that, he refused to talk. It left no other option than to leave him in the primary airlock without an ALSS.”

Tong replied in Mandarin, “The Han believe ‘a life demands a life.’ This is just and proper, though the method of execution was rather crude for my tastes.”

You wouldn’t have lasted at Calvary, I thought. My son chided me. What did I expect out of demons and their pet mortals?

Zhou led me away from Tong and Vidal who conversed in English. “I will personally contact Ko Shaozu about this matter.”

“Understood, Premier Tong,” Vidal said.

Go ahead and slither back to Hershel, I lamented. Zhou wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

Then he remembered, “Josie, we must return for your items.”

“What’s the rush, Jason?”

It was Christmas Eve.