Star Missions - Book One - Part II

Chapter 10 - Self-Doubt

Nova Station,

Strolla System

Terra Date 10-14-2201

Marcus was getting used to not sleeping. He tried to close his eyes and lay still in his bed, but his nerves caused him to toss and turn. He figured that no one who knew what he knew would be able to get any sleep either.

Very few people, outside the control tower, were aware of the shocking events that had taken place within the last thirty-six hours.

Marcus was having a hard time dealing with that knowledge himself. It was surreal. Did he know all the facts? Was there anything he could do about any of it?

One thing was sure, with Angel's Gate closed; Terra was very, very far away. If it stayed closed, supplies could run low, and progress on restoring Terra's natural eco-systems will stall. The military presence in the Strolla System was well trained, but small and insignificant compared to the firepower of the fleet and resources in the Sol System. Marcus knew, though, that if Terra needed them, they would do whatever they could to help defend it.

But, it had been only 25 years since Terrans learned that other intelligent life existed in the galaxy. Why would aliens attack Terra? What provoked them? Would Terra's defense be able to defend it? If it came to it, would the Static Net system perform as designed? What if the enemy discovered Angel's Gate? What then?

These worries kept Marcus up.

The Strolla System had its problems too. Alien bugs attacked Hydra, then, a hydrogen bomb destroyed the Nova Lab there, and finally, Governor Belter's arrest and Colonel Hand's abrupt take-over.

On top of all that, the hardest to conceal was the mysterious alien unconscious in the Med Lab, probably dangerous.

Additional Space Dogs were on every level of the Station.

Speculation as to why they were there added fuel to the rumors circulating among the station workers.

Marcus worried about what he was going to say to those that did not yet know about the tragedies. He wasn't like Ray. He wasn't a people person. It was hard for him to relate to people's feelings. Now, as an administrator, he knew he had to look out for people under his supervision. All had families on Terra, and many of them had family or friends that worked and lived on Hydra. How best to break to them the news?

All of these thoughts kept Marcus' mind racing. The orientation would be without Governor Belter for the first time. He thought of what to say to the recruits who were expecting to hear a welcome speech from Governor Belter, whom many of them considered a hero. How do you tell someone that their hero is now under arrest awaiting transport for trial on Terra?

Victor Belter had been one of Marcus' heroes as well. He didn't know what to believe or what to feel. Marcus tried to sum up how his feelings. He decided that he felt pity for the ex-Governor, a man who dedicated most of his life to the Strolla system. For him to lose so abruptly and thoroughly have all that he lived for, his family, his dignity, his liberty. Marcus briefly wondered about his legacy.

Meditating about all of that only made Marcus even more nervous.

As if all that wasn't enough, he also had his own more immediate duties to worry about since Dr. Mallik left him in charge. He couldn't just ignore them. The primary function of the Station was to control Gate Traffic. Ships would go back and forth all day and every day.

Floor leaders technically reported to him, but their training at least made it easy. Dr. Mallik simply took the data they supplied, and his secretary would fill in the weekly statistic forms and forwarded them to the Governor's office. With Angel's Gate closed, he felt a slight relief that he would not have to deal with that paperwork, though he would prefer that any day to the horrific events that had caused the Gate to close. How long would it be before the Gate reopens and Dr. Mallik returns?