tower.
“It’s magnificent!” Ava observed, looking up at the massive ship. They watched as the beautiful new vessel circled the sky carefully. Applause and cheers were heard from the locals who had gathered outside the gates to watch. Then, the ship started to climb higher and higher in the sky until it disappeared.
“Where are they going?” Ava asked Naomi.
“They want to test the oxygen stability so they are leaving the atmosphere for a few minutes,” she said calmly.
“Is that safe? I mean, they only just lifted off for the first time.” Ava suddenly wished she back in the observation deck so they could hear the transmissions from the flight deck.
“Of course it’s safe. Wesley wouldn’t do it if he didn’t think that the ship couldn’t handle it,” she said reassuringly.
“Can we go back to the tower?” Ava asked. Besides, there was nothing left to look at out here.
“Don’t you want to be out here to see the landing?”
“I’d rather hear the correspondence.”
The two women made their way back to the tower. Ava felt relieved to hear Wesley’s voice over the transmission relaying how pleased he was that everything was going well with only a few things that needed adjusting for the next test flight. Everyone waited patiently for another half hour until the Principia descended the sky and made an effortless landing back inside the hangar, much to Ava’s relief.
Chapter 9: The Promise
The aftermath of the Orionis disaster left Capri’s hangar congested for weeks. Somehow, Bryant managed to convince the ITO that the Solstice had official business there and they were allowed to dock. Bryant had no ideas on what lay ahead of their search for Ava Amherst and suggested that, just in case, the crew of the Solstice store fuel, medical supplies, and stock the ship for a long voyage ahead.
“Should I go with you?” Xavier asked Bryant as he prepared to exit the ship in search of information.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I work better alone anyhow,” Bryant flashed Xavier his most confident smile. “Do not worry, I will find her for you.” He nodded to Xavier and walked down the exit ramp. Being a member of the ITO investigations unit, he had no trouble clearing security. In fact, he was allowed admittance to their main office on the station in order to conduct his “business.” He wasted no time accessing the system and locating the information on Ava.
He swore softly himself as he learned that she had escaped him once again. By now, Robinson must be being very careful, he thought to himself. He spent another half hour looking through the images of the deportations on the date Ava had apparently left , looking for a photo of her. Capri took digital images of all persons entering and exiting the station. He looked puzzled as he found her image. She looked terrible. He observed that she was dressed in a lab coat with a flushed and tear stained face, appearing very distressed. This is odd, he thought. He put a small disk in the terminal and saved the image of her. Xavier would like to see this, he thought smugly. The image of her matched the story he had told him regarding Wesley’s alleged mistreatment of her. He removed his disk and went about searching the employment records to see where Ava had spent the first few days after her arrival on Capri. It did not take him long to learn that she had been sent to the temporary clinic a few levels below. He decided to go down there and pay some of her co-workers a visit. Perhaps they might have some ideas as to why she left Capri on such an unhappy note.
Bryant located the clinic without difficulty and introduced himself to the receptionist as an ITO officer looking for information on Ava Amherst. The secretary promp tly notified Dr. Tom of his arrival. He was shown back to Dr. Tom’s makeshift office
“It’s magnificent!” Ava observed, looking up at the massive ship. They watched as the beautiful new vessel circled the sky carefully. Applause and cheers were heard from the locals who had gathered outside the gates to watch. Then, the ship started to climb higher and higher in the sky until it disappeared.
“Where are they going?” Ava asked Naomi.
“They want to test the oxygen stability so they are leaving the atmosphere for a few minutes,” she said calmly.
“Is that safe? I mean, they only just lifted off for the first time.” Ava suddenly wished she back in the observation deck so they could hear the transmissions from the flight deck.
“Of course it’s safe. Wesley wouldn’t do it if he didn’t think that the ship couldn’t handle it,” she said reassuringly.
“Can we go back to the tower?” Ava asked. Besides, there was nothing left to look at out here.
“Don’t you want to be out here to see the landing?”
“I’d rather hear the correspondence.”
The two women made their way back to the tower. Ava felt relieved to hear Wesley’s voice over the transmission relaying how pleased he was that everything was going well with only a few things that needed adjusting for the next test flight. Everyone waited patiently for another half hour until the Principia descended the sky and made an effortless landing back inside the hangar, much to Ava’s relief.
Chapter 9: The Promise
The aftermath of the Orionis disaster left Capri’s hangar congested for weeks. Somehow, Bryant managed to convince the ITO that the Solstice had official business there and they were allowed to dock. Bryant had no ideas on what lay ahead of their search for Ava Amherst and suggested that, just in case, the crew of the Solstice store fuel, medical supplies, and stock the ship for a long voyage ahead.
“Should I go with you?” Xavier asked Bryant as he prepared to exit the ship in search of information.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I work better alone anyhow,” Bryant flashed Xavier his most confident smile. “Do not worry, I will find her for you.” He nodded to Xavier and walked down the exit ramp. Being a member of the ITO investigations unit, he had no trouble clearing security. In fact, he was allowed admittance to their main office on the station in order to conduct his “business.” He wasted no time accessing the system and locating the information on Ava.
He swore softly himself as he learned that she had escaped him once again. By now, Robinson must be being very careful, he thought to himself. He spent another half hour looking through the images of the deportations on the date Ava had apparently left , looking for a photo of her. Capri took digital images of all persons entering and exiting the station. He looked puzzled as he found her image. She looked terrible. He observed that she was dressed in a lab coat with a flushed and tear stained face, appearing very distressed. This is odd, he thought. He put a small disk in the terminal and saved the image of her. Xavier would like to see this, he thought smugly. The image of her matched the story he had told him regarding Wesley’s alleged mistreatment of her. He removed his disk and went about searching the employment records to see where Ava had spent the first few days after her arrival on Capri. It did not take him long to learn that she had been sent to the temporary clinic a few levels below. He decided to go down there and pay some of her co-workers a visit. Perhaps they might have some ideas as to why she left Capri on such an unhappy note.
Bryant located the clinic without difficulty and introduced himself to the receptionist as an ITO officer looking for information on Ava Amherst. The secretary promp tly notified Dr. Tom of his arrival. He was shown back to Dr. Tom’s makeshift office
Similar Books
