Quest for the Conestoga (Colony Ship Conestoga Book 1) by John Thornton Page B
Authors: John Thornton
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remarkable. Perhaps even more so than teleportation or faster-than-light travel. Nature is so lovely, at least from the records I have studied. Oh to see living animals on land and in the water.”
Jerome said, “I recall many odd sayings and idioms about animals, but they often make no sense.”
“You always did enjoy reading arcane materials.” John grinned in joy at Jerome. “You were a star pupil.”
“When reading, do not let a single word escape your attention; one word may be worth a thousand pieces of gold,” Jerome recited a saying he had learned from John. “I remember you modifying that and saying, ‘When reading, do not let a single word escape your attention; one word may be worth a thousand drinks of water.’ and that stayed with me to this day.”
John sat back and smiled. “Your love for knowledge as well as your disciple on physical fitness make you a perfect candidate to save us all. To your point about animals, yes, the old sayings can be odd, especially since we do not have immediate firsthand experience with animals. You may very well change all that with this mission. Just imagine, to see real animals in a real biological system. Be it a planet or in a manufactured habitat, it would be amazing.”
“So you think the ‘planet fall’ statement makes the Conestoga the right choice?” Cammarry asked.
“Cammarry, the decision is yours and Jerome’s.” John’s face grew very somber. “I understand the ramification of this mission are huge. I will not make the decision for you. Your life, and the life of everyone in Dome 17 rests on the outcome of these seven missions, but the decision to undertake this quest is yours.”
“Thank you John,” Jerome said. He looked at Cammarry.
“We will request the Conestoga,” Cammarry answered as she read the same information on Jerome’s expression.
“Yes, a quest for the Conestoga,” Jerome replied. “Our last and greatest mission.”
Cammarry hugged John and then she and Jerome left his office.
“One-hundred and twenty days?” John muttered. “And seven teams of adventurers. The class will enjoy their free time. I better hone my biology skills. I doubt those two will be the only ones who come and see me. Now where should I start? Oh yes, ‘The Outdoor Handbook’ I will start there. The chapter on fishing…”
All the rest of the day, Jerome and Cammarry discussed the situation. When they went to sleep, they had reached an agreement. In the morning they would volunteer and make the Conestoga their target. They slept in each other’s arms.
The next morning, just after finishing their typical routine, there was a physical knock on the door to Jerome’s and Cammarry’s apartment.
Jerome asked Faraday to answer the door, but Faraday did not respond. He walked over and manually opened the door.
Murial stood there. “I am sorry that your AIs have been deactivated. Jubal is not rational right now, and I want you both to know there will be a meeting in two hours. All the other adventurers have been notified, and you deserve to be there as well.”
“Murial, why is Jubal so upset with us?” Cammarry asked as she came to the door.
“The stress is too much. His AI had already been predicting possibilities like those that we discovered, but he refused to believe it. Now there is proof, and he is still thinking life can go on in the dome as it has before. We know now it cannot. We all handle stress in different ways, and facing what he sees as our certain impending deaths is too much for him.”
“Impending deaths?” Jerome asked. “You mean the one-hundred and twenty days before the dome fails?”
“Yes. I am not as pessimistic as Jubal is. I think this recovery of a colony ship program has a real potential to save us, but Jubal wavers in what he believes. As
Jerome said, “I recall many odd sayings and idioms about animals, but they often make no sense.”
“You always did enjoy reading arcane materials.” John grinned in joy at Jerome. “You were a star pupil.”
“When reading, do not let a single word escape your attention; one word may be worth a thousand pieces of gold,” Jerome recited a saying he had learned from John. “I remember you modifying that and saying, ‘When reading, do not let a single word escape your attention; one word may be worth a thousand drinks of water.’ and that stayed with me to this day.”
John sat back and smiled. “Your love for knowledge as well as your disciple on physical fitness make you a perfect candidate to save us all. To your point about animals, yes, the old sayings can be odd, especially since we do not have immediate firsthand experience with animals. You may very well change all that with this mission. Just imagine, to see real animals in a real biological system. Be it a planet or in a manufactured habitat, it would be amazing.”
“So you think the ‘planet fall’ statement makes the Conestoga the right choice?” Cammarry asked.
“Cammarry, the decision is yours and Jerome’s.” John’s face grew very somber. “I understand the ramification of this mission are huge. I will not make the decision for you. Your life, and the life of everyone in Dome 17 rests on the outcome of these seven missions, but the decision to undertake this quest is yours.”
“Thank you John,” Jerome said. He looked at Cammarry.
“We will request the Conestoga,” Cammarry answered as she read the same information on Jerome’s expression.
“Yes, a quest for the Conestoga,” Jerome replied. “Our last and greatest mission.”
Cammarry hugged John and then she and Jerome left his office.
“One-hundred and twenty days?” John muttered. “And seven teams of adventurers. The class will enjoy their free time. I better hone my biology skills. I doubt those two will be the only ones who come and see me. Now where should I start? Oh yes, ‘The Outdoor Handbook’ I will start there. The chapter on fishing…”
All the rest of the day, Jerome and Cammarry discussed the situation. When they went to sleep, they had reached an agreement. In the morning they would volunteer and make the Conestoga their target. They slept in each other’s arms.
The next morning, just after finishing their typical routine, there was a physical knock on the door to Jerome’s and Cammarry’s apartment.
Jerome asked Faraday to answer the door, but Faraday did not respond. He walked over and manually opened the door.
Murial stood there. “I am sorry that your AIs have been deactivated. Jubal is not rational right now, and I want you both to know there will be a meeting in two hours. All the other adventurers have been notified, and you deserve to be there as well.”
“Murial, why is Jubal so upset with us?” Cammarry asked as she came to the door.
“The stress is too much. His AI had already been predicting possibilities like those that we discovered, but he refused to believe it. Now there is proof, and he is still thinking life can go on in the dome as it has before. We know now it cannot. We all handle stress in different ways, and facing what he sees as our certain impending deaths is too much for him.”
“Impending deaths?” Jerome asked. “You mean the one-hundred and twenty days before the dome fails?”
“Yes. I am not as pessimistic as Jubal is. I think this recovery of a colony ship program has a real potential to save us, but Jubal wavers in what he believes. As
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