Chapter 1

Tom Bonner was tending to his equipment, doing maintenance on his personal kit. Cleaning the 357 magnum pistol that he always carried. Being a hunting guide, it was part of the attire when taking a party into the back country. He had found that his Clients liked the idea of him wearing it. He had saved that task for first and last, the idea that doing it twice, would insure a clean working weapon when needed. Though over the years he’d only used it twice, and those times it was just to scare off a nosey bear. He was half way through his cleaning process, when the phone rang. The phone kept ringing and ringing, until Tom was about to put down his cleaning project and answer, when Charlie came from the kitchen and picked up the insistent object. Tom went back to cleaning and inspecting his handgun. He wasn’t due to take another hunting party out for another two weeks, but he wanted to get his maintenance out of the way so he could more or less relax up until the time to set off.

Most guides took out one hunting party after another, but Tom being the oldest guide at the lodge, worked fewer it took longer to recover from these trips. At fifty-five, he had at least twenty years on all the other guides working out of the lodge. Age and a number of injuries over the years had slowed him down, so it was not his custom to rise up every time the phone rang. Most of the others knew Tom was feeling the results of a hard life and the injuries that came with it, so they didn’t mind taking up some slack around the lodge. He was the last of a breed that would never be seen again. A man quick to risk all in saving a stranger or a friend, no matter what the personal risk. His willingness to help had endeared him to all that he’d worked with over the years. The fact that this next hunting trip was going to be his last as a guide, was not known to all, as the lodge didn’t want his retirement to effect the applicants. Just the fact that he worked out of the lodge, helped business regardless who was assigned as the guide.

Charlie Taylor came in from the kitchen where he’d been flirting with the new cook. A young girl in her twenty’s, slightly over weight but here in the remote corners of Wyoming, she was a real looker. “Hello,” Charlie said putting the phone to his ear. “Yeah, this is the lodge ... Yeah, he works here ... him too...”

Tom could tell that the person on the other end of the line was asking a lot of questions about the hunting guides. Now his interest was peeked and he paid more heed to what was being said at this end of the line. At first he thought it was some one wanting a particular guide for a hunting party, but they were asking about everyone like they were going down a list. At least that was what he gleaned from Charlie’s side of the phone call.

“Why do you want to know about these guys?” Charlie finally interrupted the chain of questions being put forth. “You interested in signing up for a hunt?” Charlie listened for a few minutes and then abruptly hung up the phone, saying curtly. “You ask them if you want to know anything.”

“I take it, they didn’t want a hunt.” Tom said as Charlie looked away from the phone with a half puzzled look on his face.

“No, they just asked about the guides, said the guides are not answering their cell phones. Now why would they be calling them, I mean, all of them? That’s not normal.”

“Could be they just wanted a particular guide for a hunting Party.” Tom stated as he got up and walked over to the front desk. Looking at the booking ledger. The next name coming up for availability was Charlie. “They ask about you?”

“No, they didn’t, but then I might have hung up before they got around to it, and they didn’t ask about you either.” Charlie smirked thinking Tom was about to make a joke out of the fact that who ever called was interested in everyone but him. “Your the oldest, you’d think they’d want the most experienced.”

“Would think so but, I don’t own a cell phone or any of that new stuff.” Tom figured that was the reason they never asked about him. Course he couldn’t venture a guess as to why they didn’t ask about Charlie, especially if they inquired about all the others. “They have anything else to say?”

“Just that they would arriving shortly and they wanted everyone that they named, to be here.” Charlie laughed, as they both knew that the rest of the guides were out with hunting parties and would not be back for at least another week.

“Whose next on the list?” Tom looked to see when the next party was scheduled to leave. Charlie shook his head, and noted that the next group out was Saturday, four days from now. “Well, lets hope they can take a disappointment.” Tom laughed.

Charlie looked back over his shoulder towards the kitchen. “I think I’ll go back and see if I can get Shirley to cook me up something special.” He grinned a hidden meaning at Tom, which said that he was after more than just food. He was about to head that way when the dogs who’s main activity was sunning themselves on the porch, began barking. Both he and Tom walked to the double doors and looked to see what was causing the two Labs to bark. At first they couldn’t see anything and then Tom noted the direction the dogs were barking and there in the east, where the canyon opened up into Claiborne Valley, was a dull silver gray object. It was blurred but visible.

“There it is, Charlie.” He pointed low in the sky. “Looks like one of those new flying Platforms. What do they call em?” Tom could see the disk like object better as it came closer. The air around it, began to take on a clearer image, rather then the fuzzy haze that made it hard to see at a distance.

“Hell, I never would have seen it if you hadn’t pointed it out to me.” Charlie exclaimed. “I think they call them HAG’s, something about being Heavy Anti Gravity lift machines or something like that.”

“First one I’ve seen.” Tom peered at it with interest. “Not a sound out of it. Least none that I can hear.”

“Wonder what it was that alerted the dogs?” Charlie mused.

“Maybe they can hear it. Dogs can hear things we can’t. I doubt that they could smell it, too far away and all that.”

The Craft came steadily in, not making a sound and settled down in the graveled parking lot. It was a least a hundred feet across and reminded Tom of all the flying saucer stories he’d heard over the years. It was round with a large upside down pot right in the middle with twenty feet or so of flat rim surrounding it. A small swirl of dust spun up and dissipated in the air as the craft came to a stop. Tom could still see a fuzzy haze around the edges that slowly faded as the engines slowed. There was a low hum that wasn’t there before, changing in pitch as it wound down and ended. Tom had read about the strange new flying craft, and the wonder engines that made it all possible. Still he didn’t understand a thing about it. Nothing was ever said about who came up with the invention, or when. Just that the machines made it possible for all kinds of flight, and a new exploration of the stars.

Tom was thinking it was good that the Parking lot was empty, or there would not have been enough room for the machine to land. Charlie was hooking the two dogs up to leashes. He didn’t want them anywhere near the machine incase there was something about the engines that might cause them harm. He recalled reading some where that strange burns appeared on people that got too close to UFO’s and this sure looked like a UFO. He didn’t want to take any chances with the dogs being harmed. It was a good thing he did, for as soon as a door appeared in the side of the craft, a squad of armed soldiers came pouring out. They came with rifles at port high, and made a half circle in front of the lodge. It was a scene that would have provoked the two big labs to aggression. The dogs would have been injured at the very least. As the Armed uniformed men took up positions, another three individuals stepped out of the machine and walked toward them. By the markings on their collars, Tom could see the middle man was a Major, flanked by two lieutenants. Each one carried what Tom thought to be an electronic clipboard. A hand held computer with a large screen. They were becoming so popular that just about everyone carried them.

The major looked from Charlie to Tom and asked if there was a William Dias present. Tom shook his head No, and the Major asked about another name, again Tom shook his head No, and the Major went down the list. “Are you the one that just called here a few minutes ago?” Charlie asked, still holding the dogs back, even though the leashes were tied off and they couldn’t move from the porch, he felt the need to physically restrain the dogs. The whole scene was upsetting and even though they were barking and seemed ready to take on the whole group of men, Tom knew that inside they were afraid. Labs were like that, Brave to a point, but then afraid of strange new things.

“Yes, we need the men, named on this list.” “gain the Major rattled off several names, and again, both Charlie and Tom shook their heads No. ADo you know any of these men?” The Major was irritated he wasn’t getting affirmative response’s’s to his questions.

“Sure we know em.” Tom nodded his head. “They just ain’t here.” Pointing off in a northerly direction, “Their off that way, about twenty miles or so, with their hunting parties. They won’t be back for another week at the earliest.”

“Well, you need to contact them or give us their positions.” The Major was clearly showing some hostility that things were not going the way he wanted.

“Can’t do that. We have no way of contacting them, and can’t tell you where they’re at. Maybe, where they might be, but can’t be sure either.”

“You have hunting parties out there with no way of getting in touch with them.” Disbelief clearly in his voice. “What’s your procedure if a client has a home emergency?”

“They don’t take their cell phones with them, as they are getting way from all the home emergencies. That’s one of the reasons for these trips in the first place. The only emergency that they would respond to is if one of them gets hurt, then they would make contact with us, by radio. Until something like that happens, all radios are turned off. It’s a vacation.” Tom informed the Major, hoping he would understand and it would put an end to the conversation. He didn’t like the hostile attitude of the Major or the fact that the parking lot was filled with a squad of armed men.

“I see,” The Major pulled out a black object from his web belt. “What’s the number of their phones. We can track them down even if the phones are turned off.” He smiled at them figuring he had achieved a victory of sorts. Tom again just shook his head, “No phones, just a hand held radio.” he shrugged his shoulders, “Sorry.”

The Major seemed to absorb the fact that the men he named were not available and said something to one of the lieutenants beside him. The Lieutenant Looked up at Tom and asked him his name. Tom gave it to him, and Charlie spoke up adding his name too. A glance down at his computer clip board and the Lt told the Major, “Their both on the secondary list, sir. Way down the list.” the last he added as if it was not a good thing.

“Well, we must have bodies, and if two is all that we can get, then so be it. Take them.” he said to the lieutenant, who in turn nodded at the Sargent in charge of the detail. As the soldiers approached them, Tom asked what was going on, but the only answer he got was that they were being drafted.

“I think I am beyond draft age.”Tom informed them, but the major just smiled and said it was a national emergency and they were being drafted for a special opts team.

“Just so you have a good understanding of the situation, We are under orders to shoot anyone that refuses to comply with our demands. You will either come with us, or you will be left on the ground Dead. There is no other option.” As the Major spoke the Sargent raised his arm and the armed men, took aim at the two guides. Tom figured it was a good thing he left his revolver laying on the coffee table, other wise there might have been a shoot out, with him being the loser.

“Will you come willingly, Sir?” The Sargent asked. Though his voice was somewhat polite, there was a tough edge that said he would do just what the Major implied.

“Well,” Tom sighed, “I think I’ll come along with you fellows. Do I have time to pack a few things?”

The Major shook his head and told him to enter the craft just as he was. Looking over at Charlie, he motion with his head, “You too. We need all the so called hunting guides we can get.”

“Any more employees here?” The other lieutenant asked. Charlie shook his head and said just the Cook, and mentioned the fact that she was a young woman. ANot on our list at this location. The Major spoke, feeling completely in charge of the day.

As soon as Tom and Charlie entered the Craft, the soldiers filed in behind. Guns still trained on them as they were escorted to an empty row of seats. The one row was empty but the others behind them were full of ordinary looking people. People with the look of emotional stress. Quite a few of the women showed clear signs of having tears run down their cheeks, some were still running wet. Tom assumed they too had been shanghaied and were on the same journey where ever it was going. When Tom and Charlie both asked the Major, where they were going, they were told to remain quiet and that they would be informed when they arrived at their final destination.

“This doesn’t look too good.” Charlie whispered under his breath. One of the guards gave them a steely eye, but they ignored him. Figuring that if they kept it to a whisper, they wouldn’t be bothered. “What in the hell, does the government want with us? A couple of hunting guides, and you ... your so old you might not last the week?” The last was added as a joke.

Tom gave his redheaded friend a stern look. “Just wait, one of these days, you’ll be dead and I’ll have it all my way.” It was the way the two men parried with each other. A way of keeping an attitude that had seen them through tough spots and hard times. Times when a joke was all they had to make it through. “For a while there, I thought we might just end up at the smoky end of those barrels.” he nodded towards the guns, now being held at port-arms.

“Just think of all the mistakes you’d make with out me there to keep you on track.” Charlie was looking around as he spoke. “Our fellow passengers are my age or younger.” He remarked, as he also noted that most were female. “What do you think? High School or Collage?”

“What?” Tom wasn’t following Charlie’s train of thought.

“I mean some of these kids, look like they are hardly out of highschool, but I think most are Collage age.”

“Naw, not collage. Collage Kids are arrogant and smart ass’s, these kids all look scared to me.”

A Take a look at me, Tom. “ny time the government forces me at the point of a gun to come along with them, it scares the hell out of me.”

“Yeah,” Tom conceded, “Your right. I guess if I had more time to have thought about it, I would be scared too.”

Neither one noticed when they closed the door on the craft, but they were aware when the engine started up again. There was only a low whine, but along with it came a tingle that crept over them and centered in their stomach. It took Tom by surprise and both he and Charlie reacted strongly to the uncomfortable sensation. Looking back at the other passengers, he could see that they were holding up better, obviously having gone through it before. A man, sitting behind them, leaned forward and in a whisper, told them they would get use to it.

“Any idea of what’s going on?” Tom leaned back in his seat so the man could hear him.

“I have a feeling its something to do with the space program.” the man nodded towards the closed door, where the new space logo was clearly stenciled.

“What? You think they ran out of monkeys?” Charlie exclaimed, meaning they were to replace said creatures. The man behind them shook his head and stated that they hadn’t used monkeys for fifty years. “Same difference.” Charlie groaned, “Were cheaper.”

“My friend is joking,” Tom informed the man, “He wants to think were as good as chimps.”

A smile came to the mans lips, and he offered his hand. “Johnson, Richard Johnson, A teacher by trade and now just a worried fellow traveler.” he introduced himself. Tom and Charlie told him their names in return and added that they were here only because they had been persuaded. They were about to discuss more when suddenly the tingle was back making them grab their stomachs and sides. Tom noted that the guards hardly made even a small grimace when the sensation hit them. Johnson saw Tom watching the guards and informed him, that he thought they were wearing some kind of protective clothing that protected them from the gut wrenching effects of the creeping feeling. Charlie, groaned that they should have enough to go around.

The door opened again and half the guards filed out of the craft. Tom assumed they were again taking up positions like they had when they picked him and Charlie up. They were out side for several minutes and then filed back in with five more passengers, two being men again younger then Charlie, and the other three young women. The new passengers took seats in the same row and soon the craft lifted off. There wasn’t the sensation of movement, just the sick tingle that effected their innards and made Tom feel like he was about to crap his pants. Other than that, only the scene being different each time the door opened, revealed they were at a different place. It all added to the confusion in Toms mind. Others sitting around him, were not a bit happy about the situation. Most were dry eyed with only a few young ones still sobbing. Some were crying into handkerchiefs, trying Tom thought, to hide their tears. The young lady that ended up sitting next to him, was different. She made no bones about it, she was unhappy and let everyone know it. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and nothing anyone said or tried was going to comfort her. Even the mean looks from the guards didn’t keep her from voicing her cries, asking why they were doing this to her. Tom as sympathetic but her wailing was getting to him. He held back from telling her to shut up, but contained himself and let her carry on.

The craft made two more stops and then with most of the seating taken up, the Major stepped forward and announced that they would soon be touching down at the main base. There, they would be removed from the ship and everything would be explained to them. Once out of the craft they were to follow a guard wearing a yellow suit. He would lead them to where they would be placed in comfortable quarters. They were not to get out of line, but to keep up with the guard and follow instructions. Having said all that, the Major stepped back among his men and conferred with his two lieutenants. Tom was fostering a desire to some day get that Major and put a few lumps on his noggin. He didn’t like the idea of some one smirking because they got one over on him.

It wasn’t a new feeling that Tom was experiencing. Many times over the years he’d had his run ins with men like the Major. Time and age had tended to soften his actions, preferring to let things slide and remove himself from that field of competition where men thought it smart to exert some portion of power over the next man. To Tom, it was senseless. Nothing was gained, except that they made people mad at them, and revenge was the thing most on their minds.

The Major had caused an old spark of ire to flare up again. Tom after keeping himself in check for years, did not like some one threatening his life and walking off smirking about it. He knew he couldn’t just walk up and put a fist in the mans face, not with all these armed guards around. He was looking for another way to do just that. However, for the time being, he would let it slide, and wait for his chance later.

When the machine sat down for the last time and the doors open, they were told to rise and follow the man in the yellow jump suit. The yellow suit took off at a dog trot, leading them down from the craft and along a wide white painted line that led to a large gray building. The first thing that Tom experienced was a blast of heat as they left the Craft. It was like stepping off into a furnace. He was used to the cool mountain air and this wall of heat was almost more than he could stand. Where ever they had landed, Tom figured it must be desert country. The sun was so bright, he had to shield his eyes. Most of the glaring light was being reflected off the white painted buildings about them. Trying to glance around, as they followed the dog trotting man, Tom could make out some barren looking mountains to the west. It was the only direction that he could see for any distance, as buildings and other structures blocked the other views.

Others were passing him as they all jogged along, Tom knew that he was out of shape, but what was slowing him up the most, was the pain he had in his legs. Too many bumps and thumps over the years, had taken their toll on his lower limbs. Running or Jogging had long ago parted from his exercising routine. Just power walking and those exercises that did not require jumping up and down or in any other direction. His pace was slower then the others but it was one that he could maintain with out too much stress.

As they moved into the building, Tom looked at the people passing by. Most were young women, in their early twenties and a few in their thirties. There was one, that caught his attention. A dark haired woman, that looked close to his age, but some how he couldn’t put a number to it. It was her looks that caught his attention. Both he and she were out of place in this crowd, more so him as she was still much younger then himself. The more he studied her, the younger she looked. Tom at first thought she was in her late thirties, maybe even forty, but she moved too smoothly for that. He knew there was more to be concerned about than a woman’s age, but for the life of him, he could not help himself. Her looks appealed to him. Hair a dark brown. A face that radiated her maturity. She carried herself in a way that said she was educated and sure of herself. She was a woman in a class above him. Watching her later when they were in the Air-conditioned building, Tom noticed that though she didn’t seem to be looking at the surroundings, she was doing exactly that. She was taking everything in, but doing so with out being obvious about it.

Charlie came up, saying something to him, dragging his thoughts back to the things going on around them. Charlie and Johnson led him over to one of the many tables in the large hall. The room was filled with the din of people talking, which was unsettling to Tom. Looking around he made a count of the people they came with, noting the hall was half filled when they entered. With their number of about a hundred. Tom guessed that the total was near three hundred. What ever was going to befall them, He and Charlie were not going to be alone.

Tom was disappointed that from where they were sitting he could no longer see the attractive woman that had captivated his interest on the way in. Even if she wanted nothing to do with him, he still enjoyed looking at her. He was that way with some women, as long as they didn’t snub and look down their noses, he could admire their beauty. As it was now, he searched the room, trying to spot her but failing to do so. Finally he had to give it up so he could listen to what Charlie and Richard were talking about.

“It is the new space agency.” Charlie affirmed, “they got their stamp on everything.”

“So, what do they want with us?” Tom said with exasperation.

“I think were about to find out.” Richard nodded towards the podium that stood on an elevated stage at the far end of the Hall. There was the Major with another uniformed man with gray hair. Tom didn’t recognize him, but Richard Johnson did. “He’s the man in charge of the Presidents Space Program.”

“The Presidents Space Program ... I thought it was a National effort.”

“There is more than one space program. This one is personal.” Richard was explaining as he watched the room quiet down. “I think that man there is going to hit us with the lowdown right now.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” A man started speaking in a lifted voice. A I will now explain to you what has happened. “s you know, our space program has been faltering for many years. Underbudgeted, almost forgotten, and misdirected in its goals for too long. Now a new age has developed.” Tom recognized the Presidents right hand man, Mr Goldmire. There was a muttering among the crowd that began rising in volume. “Due to the development of the Magnetic Flux drive, we have greater horizons before us...” Now the noise was so loud that Tom couldn’t hear what Goldmire was saying. Shouts were emitting from the crowd, and questions were being fired so fast that no one could understand anything being said at either end. Suddenly the Major jumped forward again and grabbed the mike.

“We can still eliminate those that refuse to comply.” he yelled into the mike. A man sitting off to the other side of the room, stood up and yelled back at the major. Tom only heard the words, Kill us now, you son of a bitch. At that time the Major, his face filled with rage, extended his arm and the sound of several pops followed. Tom realized the Major was firing a gun. The man that had yelled, stood silent for a moment, then with his arms at his side, fell to his knees and then slowly toppled forward on his face. There was a quick snapping of arms being locked and loaded, as the troops brought their rifles to bear on the crowd. The place fell silent again, this time a person might have heard a pin drop. Goldmire, with head bowed was shaking it back and forth. This was clearly what he did not want to happen. The Major, still holding his handgun on the crowd, handed the mike back to Goldmire.

“Their ready to listen now, Sir.” he stated. Goldmire took the mike and looked around at the faces in the room. His own face drained of color. It was clear he didn’t know how to continue. With a man being killed, all because the Government was making him do something that the government had no right to do, even though under certain conditions it did have greater powers, but this in his mind was not one of them.

Still as the Major urged him again, Goldmire visibly shaken began to speak. “We have come to a historic place, where we have the means to explore the stars. With the new engines, the Magnetic flux drives, it is possible to reach even beyond the planets. Where as the goal was to place a settlement on Mars, and the moons of Jupiter. We now have the ability to leave our system and arrive at a planet totally in a new solar system, a planet around a completely different star. And in much less time than it would take for us to reach Mars. Much less time.” he emphasized the Much less. The room was still silent, the fact that there was a man lying dead kept reactions muted. Goldmire took another breath, it was possible to see his shoulders sag. “Unfortunately we are not the only ones that have this new technology. China, Russia, France, Japan, England, they all seemed to have come up with it. It was hoped by this time, the nations would have put war behind us. But there is more for the desire war than Greed, hunger, or lust for power.” Goldmire paused again, this time taking out a hanky and wiping his brow. Putting it back in his pocket, he looked at a small stack of papers before him, pushing it to the side he looked up and continued. “We have another race on our hands, not just a space race, but a race to the stars. As yet we don’t know just how far we can go, but we do know that the first one there, gets to claim the prize. And the prize is, a new world. A world that can be settled, colonized with a single nation.”

“From our orbiting space telescopes that can see way beyond anything that was ever announced, we know which stars have planets and which ones don’t. We have to be the first to make it to the closest ones and get our settlements started. The problem is; planets bearing conditions that we know are needed to build a civilization, may be few in number. Hopefully there might be untold numbers of habitual planets, but we can not leave it to chance. We have to find stars with large outer planets, like Jupiter, and Saturn, ones that would have swept the system of rampaging comets and asteroids. Leaving the inner solar system safe for human life to exist.”

Goldmire paused again, this time after looking at the dead man, laying face down only fifty feet in front of him, he turned to the Major. Something was said, that neither Charlie or Tom could hear, and then the Major directed two of his men to remove the dead man. “fter waiting while the body was drug out leaving a smear of blood on the concrete floor, Goldmire started speaking again. ANow, we come to you. A year from now, we will have a fleet of ships capable of spanning the distance between the stars and settling all the habitable planets. A year from now will be too late. The crews are being trained and outfitted for the adventure, but when they are ready, the other nations will have sent their ships months ahead of ours. There is one ship that is ready to go, and that is the Grand Virginia. It was intended to be the first ship to land on Mars with pioneers, but with the added new Magnetic Flux Drive, we will head for the stars. The Stars with the best chance for Mankind to civilize. That will be you, and the people around you. It won’t be a forever project, but for only one year. After that time, you will be relieved by one of the crews now in training. On returning to earth, you will be given one million dollars each and a choice of where you want to live. Also a high paying government job if you so desire. In short you will have a free ticket for about anything you want.”