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Mordae NaNoWriMo

   
Love it so far, Mordae. I almost wish that Thomas was not with Ellayne when she was communicating with Gael. To me he was a distraction to my own interest in what they were going to talk about. But if you did want him there, that's cool, too. You could build up the suspense a bit when she's caught in the wood shed?

I felt like Georg's reaction at the end of this last chapter was very uncharacteristic given the extremes he went through to get the satellite. Of course, losing his job/ship could cause the change, but it felt a bit harsh to me for his character. Maybe he disappoints her, but is not so cold and/or harsh?

I really love everything so far! Please post more when you get the chance.

12.

“Wow.” Thomas stared at Ellayne, stunned as she revealed to him the conversation she had with her father the previous evening.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Ellayne looked across the dark yard to the wood shop, which had sat unused since the previous evening. “I need somewhere to get electricity or else we won’t be able to find out what Gael has to say about a visit.”

Thomas squinted at the town. “Somewhere that won’t be noticed, either. My grandfather’s house might work; it’s up on a hillside above the sugar plantations.”

Ellayne reached out and tugged on Thomas’s arm, pulling him toward the shed. “Let’s go! We don’t want to be late!” Letting go of his shirt, she ran ahead and slid open the door to the wood shop.

It took twenty minutes of careful excavating to get the radio and antenna out from under the scrap wood. Ellayne threw back the canvas tarp and picked up the grey metal dish gingerly in both hands. “Let’s hope it didn’t get damaged,” she fretted as she brushed some sawdust off the tall, narrow pylon that stuck out from the very center of the concave bowl.

Thomas bent down and lifted the radio transmitter with a grunt. “Looks like you got the easy part of the job,” he commented as he struggled to get the heavy metal box into an easy carrying position. He finally settled for hooking his fingertips underneath and laying the base on his forearms. Ellayne grinned and reached over to loop the power cord and the keyboard over the radio’s case so Thomas wouldn’t trip on them.

Together, they walked along the dark streets toward the hilly eastern part of the clan’s settlement. The tall, fibrous canes that grew freely on the plantation fields rustled and clattered together as the gentle wind blew from the west, bringing with it a musty smell that spoke of impending rainstorms that were a daily occurrence in the rainy season. High above them, the windmills twirled slowly and silently, their metallic blades intermittently reflecting some of the crescent moon’s pale light.

Thomas led the way up into the hills, his face dark red from the effort of carrying the transmitter. “Just a little further,” he huffed as he slowed his pace, staggering to keep his balance against the uneven footing of the grassy hillside. At the top of the hill, a squat bungalow stood alone. Ellayne could see flickering firelight through one of the west-facing windows.

“You’re lucky to still have your grandfather around,” Ellayne said, breaking the silence of Thomas’s exertion. “Mine died a few years ago.”

“He’s a bit of an old coot,” Thomas admitted breathily, continuing to plod toward the top. “Not really all there anymore, but he can take care of himself. Insists on it, actually.”

As they crested the hill and crossed the grassy yard, Ellayne could hear snoring coming through the screen door. Thomas’s face broke into a grin as he stepped onto the low porch that ran the entire front of the single-story house. “You get things set up here,” he told Ellayne as he set the big metal box down on the wooden-planked stoop. “I’ll go get an extension cord.”

The snoring from inside spluttered to a stop. “Eh? What’s that?” came a wheezy voice from the other side of the door.

Thomas made a face and went to the screen, peering inside. “It’s me, Pappy. Thomas.”

“Aw, well, if that’s it, c’mon in lad, and make yourself at home.” A creaking shuffle carried through the night air, punctuated by a rap-a-tap sound of a cane touching the ground.

Moments later, a wizened old man appeared in the doorway. He was once probably average height and dark-haired like his grandson, but time had bowed his back and left him with only wispy clumps of silver locks that clung to his ears and the back of his neck. The long beard on his chin was matted and tangled, much like the wrinkles on his cheeks and forehead. His dark eyes were dulled with cataracts, but he nonetheless smiled recognition at Thomas. Then, his eyes fell on Ellayne, who had sat herself down on the porch to reconnect the antenna to the transmitter.

“Who’s the girl?” the old man asked in a too-loud whisper that easily carried through the quiet of the night.

“Pappy, this is my friend Ellayne. Her dad’s a fishing captain down in town. We were just looking for a place with a good view of the stars.”

“That so, eh? Well, I’ve got myself a good view right here from this porch. Pull yourselves up a chair and make it comfy.” He gestured to the lone rocking chair nestled up close to the door and curled up his downy cheeks into a smile. “Anything I can getcha? Coffee, tea, or maybe a beer?” He pushed the screen door open to invite Thomas and Ellayne in.

“You know what dad says about beer, Pappy.” Thomas offered his grandfather a tentative look of disapproval.

“Pah! It’s been putting hair on my chest since I was your age, lad, and I’ll keep drinking it ‘till the day I die. Besides, it makes you mighty fine with the ladies…” Pappy punctuated the suggestive addition with a laugh smacking his cane on the ground and guffawing loudly.

“I’ll take tea, if you don’t mind,” Ellayne interrupted the dispensing of manly advice. Her ears had flushed a faint red, which fortunately for her was nearly imperceptible in the darkness of early night.

“Sure thing, dearie!” Pappy answered, oblivious to the embarrassment he had caused. He turned and shuffled back into the house.

Thomas caught the door before it swung closed and stepped into the cramped living room behind Pappy. “I just need to grab an extension cord. You got one laying around?”

Pappy scratched his head, shuffling into the kitchen. “There’s probably one stuck on the lamp in my bedroom. Haven’t got much call for them these days.” Ellayne could hear the steely splatter of water pouring into a kettle, followed by a clank of metal on stone as Pappy hung the kettle over the hearth.

While Thomas scoured the house for the extension cord, the tapping of his cane announced Pappy’s return to the porch. He shuffled over to where Ellayne was working and eased himself down into the rocking chair, staring bleary-eyed to the transmitter. “Tea’s on the boil, dearie. Whatcha got there? Some fancy gizmo?”

Ellayne looked over her shoulder, tucking a stray blonde lock behind her ear as she assessed the old man on the chair. “Yeah,” she said finally. “Something my dad found.”

Pappy leaned in closer to have a look. An expression of recognition dawned in his eyes as he thrust the point of his cane toward the metal box, tapping on it lightly. “That right there is a radio!” he exclaimed. “My pappy had one mounted on a little corner table in his living room. Great conversation piece. Never worked worth a damn, though.”

“Well, this one works.” Ellayne finished tightening the antenna connector just as Thomas pushed the screen door open, emerging with the rolled end of an insulated wire. The other end trailed through the door, causing the screen to stay partly ajar when it swung shut behind the young officer.

“You don’t say,” Pappy wheezed. “Who do you talk to? Martinique? San Juan, maybe?”

“No, further.” Ellayne handed the transmitter’s power cord up to Thomas and waited until he had sandwiched the two connectors together before flicking the power switch. The red and green glow of indicating lights lit up her face as she stared at the small, rectangular display screen. She tapped out a quick message on the keyboard and fired it off.

HELLO, GAEL. THIS IS ELLAYNE FROM EARTH. SORRY I’M LATE.

Pappy stared in wonder at the screen. Thomas sat down, cross-legged, behind Ellayne and offered his grandfather a grin. “Fascinating stuff, isn’t it?”

“My pappy used to brag that he could talk to Australia. Nobody ever believed him, though.” He leaned forward on the rocking chair, waiting for something to happen. “I thought you said the darn thing was working.”

Ellayne pointed to the tiny text on the screen. “It could take ten or fifteen minutes to get a response. It’s got a long way to go.”

“Hmmph,” Pappy grumbled. “Well, then, I’ll go get your tea ready.” He set the point of his cane on the wooden surface of the porch and used both arms to push himself to a wobbly, standing position. Thomas scooted to one side to allow him to shuffle into the house.

The printer buzzed suddenly, the unexpected activity startling Ellayne. She ripped off the paper and angled the grey-printed surface to catch the moonlight.

HELLO ELLAYNE FROM EARTH. THIS IS GAEL FROM MARS. ARE YOU THERE?

Thomas smiled as Ellayne read the brief message aloud. “I guess they were calling already,” he suggested. “It could get really confusing if two messages cross in the air.”

Ellayne nodded. “It should just be a couple of minutes before she gets what I just sent.”

From the kitchen, Pappy called out to the pair on the porch. “You want sugar in your tea, dearie?”

“Just a little bit, please!” Ellayne answered back. The repetitive clink of metal on ceramic carried from the kitchen as Pappy stirred aggressively, only to be drowned out by the noisy action of the printer.

I WAS WORRIED WE HAD LOST CONTACT. DAD SAYS HE WOULD LOVE TO VISIT EARTH AND OUR ELEVATOR MAGNET CAN ATTACH TO YOUR PLATFORM IF IT IS MADE OF STEEL. IT WILL TAKE US ABOUT A YEAR TO GET THERE. WE WILL START WORKING ON THE ARRANGEMENTS RIGHT AWAY.

“A year?!” Ellayne gasped as she read the answer. “The way Uncle Arnie is headed, there won’t be anyone left in a year.” She hastily typed up a return message.

WHY SO LONG? I WAS HOPING IT WOULD BE SOONER BECAUSE SOME OF THE PEOPLE HERE ARE ON THE VERGE OF FIGHTING A WAR AND I WANT TO GIVE THEM A REASON FOR PEACE.

“It’s not like our navy can destroy the whole world with a few cannonballs, Ellayne.” Thomas looked slightly amused by the thought, but at a furious look from Ellayne his expression grew somber. “Okay, you at least have a point. It would be inappropriate to invite them into the middle of a battle for control of the sea.”

Pappy emerged, clutching a mug that once was brightly colored but had faded with use and time. The words “University of Florida” stood out faintly in a pale melon hue against the powder-blue backdrop. “Here you are, dearie,” he said, thrusting the mug out in front of him as he cane-tapped his way over to the rocking chair.

Ellayne reached up and took the ceramic vessel from Pappy’s outstretched hand. She took a moment to read the writing before showing it to Thomas. “A hundred years ago people fought a war that almost wiped out everything they had come to know. If we did the same thing now, it would be a dishonor to their memory.”

At the mention of the now-ancient conflict, Pappy’s eyes closed and he sank into the rocking chair. “Lights in the sky,” he muttered. “Fire dancing among the stars.”

Thomas laid a gentle hand on Ellayne’s shoulder. “He gets like this sometimes. Best to just let it pass.”

“The sea boiling like a kettle. Ships burning like matchsticks.”

Ellayne nodded and leaned back against one of he posts holding up the roof over the porch. “It sounds like he was there to see it.”

“That would make him over a hundred years old, which I think unlikely,” Thomas rejoined doubtfully. “But he probably heard the story every day of his life.”

“One moment the house was there; the next it was gone. Not just on fire. A smoldering, sizzling pool of plasma to the sound of a thunderclap.”

“It sounds awful.” Ellayne could not help but be drawn to the old man’s tale, despite the blinking insistence of the radio transmitter’s display. “And nobody could do anything about it.”

“Running. Running far away. Hiding in the trees, in the sugar cane, wherever we could go.”

Thomas nodded, looking across the porch and down the hill where the dark harbor could be faintly seen beyond the plantations. “Not many people have heard it. Who would listen to the ravings of an old man, anyway?”

“It is quiet now. The sky continues to burn, but the heavenly fires do not touch the earth anymore. They only scar the sky.”

Ellayne bit her lip and listened with rapt attention. But at that moment, the printer buzzed to life, shattering Pappy’s spell.

I AM SORRY, IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE BY SAIL. WE DO NOT USE ROCKETS BECAUSE THE FUEL IS TOO VALUABLE FOR OTHER THINGS.

SHOULD WE MAKE OTHER PLANS?

“Little boats on the water, bobbing around black pools of fire. Burning columns rising from the sea. And then the rains.” Pappy muttered something else indistinct before nodding off against the house.

Ellayne looked down and read the text by the light of the radio’s indicators. Angrily, she tore the paper from the slot and thrust it at Thomas. “What do we do?”

Thomas shrugged. “Hopefully this thing with the pirates will be over in less than a year.”

“Hope isn’t a plan,” Ellayne intoned bitterly. But she didn’t have any better ideas of her own. Shaking her head in frustration, she tapped out her reply to Gael.

NO, WE WILL FIND A WAY TO SOLVE OUR OWN PROBLEMS. I WILL KEEP IN TOUCH.

Turning to Thomas, she fixed him with her sapphire stare. “We have to figure out how to stop Uncle Arnie from going to war.”

“Easier said than done,” Thomas countered. “The whole navy has orders to sail by the end of the week.”

Ellayne looked at him sharply. “You?”

The young officer nodded, his expression unhappy. “Yes, I have to go too.”

“But what about stopping this war? Isn’t there anything you can do?” Ellayne grabbed Thomas’s hand, clutching it between her own trembling fingers.

“I’m just a junior officer. I can’t even tell one ship what to do, let alone the entire fleet.”

“But… but… you could at least try!” Ellayne insisted.

Thomas shook his head sadly. “You know that’s not how it works. The best person to try would be a councilman.”

“They wouldn’t listen to my dad, and now he’s given up.” She curled up her face into an angry grimace. “Just—if there’s anything you can do out there…” she left the sentence hanging.

“I’ll take care of myself,” Thomas assured her. “And we might just win.”

Ellayne lowered her eyes to the wooden floor of the patio. “The more we fight, the more we all lose.”

The printer interrupted the conversation with its grating buzz.

THAT SOUNDS GOOD. WE SHOULD HOPEFULLY LEAVE WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

From the rocking chair, Pappy lapsed into snoring. The humorous wheezing sound cut through the tension. Thomas cracked a smile and pulled his hands away.

“Well, with the entire fleet together perhaps we’ll scare off all the pirates and there won’t be any need to fight. C’mon, let’s get you home.”

Ellayne nodded and took up the tea mug, quickly draining its contents. “What about the radio?” She punched out a closing message.

OKAY. GOODNIGHT FROM EARTH!

“We can put it in one of Pappy’s bedrooms. Most of them haven’t been used for years.” Thomas took the mug from Ellayne. “I’ll put this in the kitchen while you pack it up.”

Ellayne nodded and flicked the power switch, causing the glowing lights to fade to blackness. Then, she unplugged the radio and antenna, carefully coiling each cord. She stood and, tucking the antenna under one arm, she pulled open the screen door and lugged the dish into Pappy’s house.

It was nearly midnight by the time the transmitter had been safely tucked away and Thomas and Ellayne had returned to her home to pack up the wood shop. They restacked the canvas and wood in darkness and silence, making it look like nothing had been disturbed, before finally calling it a night. Ellayne slid the shed door closed and turned to Thomas.

“Well, I guess this is good night,” she said quietly.

Thomas stepped in closer and reached out to touch Ellayne’s cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re something special, you know that? A month ago I would never have imagined I’d be spending every evening with a girl who talks to Mars.”

Ellayne smiled as Thomas’s fingers curled into her honey-blonde hair. “And I wouldn’t have imagined a navy officer would be the one sharing my dream, with my dad being the one telling me to bottle it up forever.” She pointed one finger and touched Thomas on the nose. “Now if we can just keep trouble away for a year…”

Thomas leaned forward and kissed Ellayne on the forehead. “Easier said than done, with you around. If I blink, you’ll be going toe to toe with Arnaud. Or taking on the whole clan council.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

“As long as you promise me you won’t do anything dangerous.” Ellayne laughed lightly and rested her head on his shoulder.

The two stood in quiet embrace under the stars for a long minute before Ellayne opened her eyes to see the red planet rising behind Thomas’s back. Pulling away, she gave him a gentle smile. “Sleep well,” she told him as she turned up the steps to go inside.

Thomas watched her wistfully until she had drawn open the door. “Good night, Ellayne,” he told her as he turned to the dark village and walked away. On the distant western horizon, dark clouds started to roll in, and Ellayne could swear she heard a sullen rumble of thunder.




 

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