Herewith is the first two chapters of my upcoming book, The Planet. At least that's the title I have in mind now. I'm also considering Ron: the Planet (most of the action, after the first five or so chapters, takes place on a planet called Ron.
You'll know why the planet is called "Ron" if you read the very short "prequel to the prequel", The Last Shall Be First in my collection of stories, The Wrong Time. If you're on a laptop or viewing this in Web Mode, you'll see that there on the right. It's also a free download if you visit my website and agree to a newsletter or two. That's www.RobbyCharters.co.uk/.
The reason it's two chapters is that I first envisioned it as one chapter, but decided it was too long for a chapter.
Anyway, the whole thing, once it's out, is the prequel to The Rat Queen series.
So, enjoy...
The Comet
‘We’re now in an orbit around Grand Central World, Captain. What’s the coordinates for the pick-up?’
‘Thank you, Sammy, let’s see. Mr. Khoo, any messages from Spin City?’
‘No Captain, nothing on any of our channels.’
‘Initiate the contact, then.’
‘The standard language on this planet is Galactic Human, is that right Sir?’
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
‘Yes sir. S.S.Monster to Spin City Control, can you read me? S.S.Monster to Spin City Control, we are now in orbit around your planet, awaiting coordinates for pick-up. S.S.Monster to Spin City…’
‘So, Captain, are we actually picking up in Spin City? If so, I could begin plotting a course.’
‘No, Sammy. I understand it’s a place called La Costa.’
‘Nothing on the official channel Sir. I’ll try an alternative one. S.S.Monster to Spin City, can you read me?’
‘La Costa! Where all the rich and famous live!’
‘Yes, the rich and famous. The investors; the ones who must survive planetary destruction at all costs. Them, plus a couple of experts in managing the survival infrastructure at their destination (can’t have our investors camping out in the jungle for too long, can we!). It’s all about keeping the customers satisfied.’
‘If you don’t mind me saying so, Captain, it sounds like you have an attitude! That could get you - well -’
‘If they don’t like my attitude, they can scour our arm of the galaxy for another hyperspace navigator. I’ll gladly fly them to each planet in their search. Mr. Khoo, anything yet?’
‘No Captain. I’ve tried all the channels. I can’t even pick up any local communication. I think there’s planetary level interference.’
‘Sammy, can you find a course to La Costa via the GPS transponders?’
‘I was just looking at that Sir. It looks like that’s down too. Right now I can’t plot any courses at all.’
‘Hmm. Let’s see if we can steer by sight.’
‘Not with that cloud cover, Captain.’
‘No, not with that cloud cover. Let’s go until we find where the weather’s clear. Even then, it may take way too long. Mr. Khoo, just keep trying to raise Control.’
‘Yes Sir. S.S.Monster to Spin City…’
‘We could eventually find it if we had time. Sammy, how long until impact?’
‘Er – fourteen hours Sir.’
‘That’s not long enough. Either we raise them on the comms, or they don’t get rescued. Their money be damned.’
‘Say, Captain. There’s a patch of clear weather over yonder.’
‘Great! Move us towards that then.’
‘Is that Motown? Yeah, I think it is. That’s where I was born! It’s been a while…’
‘Is it anywhere near La Costa?’
‘No way! They’re on the opposite side of this continent!’
‘Ah hah - that doesn’t leave us many options then. So, Sammy, how would you like to save all your old neighbours?’
‘I’d sure like that - but - well, they’re not the rich and famous, not by a long shot! In fact…’
‘I’ve had it up to here with the rich and famous. The poor and the down-and-outs have as much right to life as those who think they can buy it. Take her down Sammy, as close as you can get to your old neighbourhood.’
‘I’m beginning to like that attitude of yours, Captain!’
‘So you reckon it’ll be a direct hit, planet destroying, and all that,’ said Rosco.
‘That’s what I’ve been saying all along,’ said Walter. ‘I was tracing it before it entered this star system. I even saw it change course, and then later do a correction, maintaining a straight course to where Grand Central World would be on the 25th day of our second stellar month, Space Year 377. That’s tomorrow. Ben, pour me another one.’
‘You've had four already, Mr. Bunta. Are you sure?’ asked Ben, the bar keep.
‘What do I have to keep sober for?’
‘Pour me another one too, Ben,’ said Rosco.
‘You gotta admit, though,’ said Marc, ‘Changing course, and then doing a course correction does sound a bit far-fetched.’
‘Does the fact that it’s arriving on our doorstep before dawn tomorrow sound far-fetched?’
‘Well, there’s been no definite word on it,’ said Rosco. ‘Least ways, nothing in the last few days, communications have been down. The last I heard, there’s a good possibility of a near miss.’
‘They didn’t even give an exact time,’ said Marc.
‘Well, they’re not gonna, are they! They don’t want a last minute panic,’ said Walter. ‘For all that it’s worth, the comms are probably shut down for that very reason.’
‘Just wait, I bet it’ll just pass us by, and we’ll go right on with our merry life,’ said Arnold from the next table.
‘As merry as it is,’ muttered Rosco.
‘As much as I wish it would,’ retorted Walter, ‘it won’t. It’s stayed on the same course all this time. I’ve been checking it. Ask your kid. She’s got a telescope.’
‘I know. She’s as paranoid as you are.’
Ben piped in, ‘They were talking about evacuating people in Jimstown, Jakesville, and I believe, Spin City.’
‘La Costa too, I heard,’ said Marc.
‘Anywhere but Motown,’ quipped Arnold.
‘Yup. Just all the rich folks,’ commented Rosco. ‘Probably as good an excuse as any for a pleasure cruise.’
‘Wouldn’t it be funny if it missed, and we got the whole planet to ourselves?’ said Marc.
‘We could all move to La Costa,’ said Rosco.
‘No such luck. They’d just turn around and come back once they find it missed,’ said Arnold.
‘We could have a big laugh on them, anyway,’ said Marc.
‘No one will be laughing tomorrow,’ said Walter.
Father Enrico Pancho Villa sat in the corner nursing his beer.
Though none of the blokes in the other corner acted like they believed the old scientist, he could tell they were trying hard to take the edge off their nervousness.
From what he could tell, the whole of Motown was in denial to various degrees. Some, like Rosco Abende, weren’t convincing themselves as well. Rosco hadn’t eaten a single chip since Ben brought it to him. Arnold Glasser, on the other hand, wouldn’t stop eating, and was now ordering thirds of deep fried trilobite gouzons. If they did, by a miracle, survive to the next day, his stomach might not. Marc Dupré was acting a bit too happy-go-lucky. As for the old scientist, Walter Bunta was on his fifth glass of Kronican brandy.
Of course, Dr. Bunta was the only one that was one hundred percent not in denial - besides Pancho himself. He had been drinking heavily all along, ever since he arrived from Spin City two years ago. Something had happened there at the institute that was a blow to him. He had lost the respect of the faculty, and had been disgraced. It had wrecked him.
The common understanding was that it had to do with their refusal to believe him, or perhaps what he said went against the official narrative. Pancho suspected that there was more to it than that.
From the first week that Dr Bunta moved back to Motown, he had been warning about the comet. No one believed him, and they regarded him as a crackpot. However, in this past year, scientists from the same institute had begun publicising their findings regarding the interstellar comet, warning that it could smash into their planet close to the time Dr. Bunta predicted, but with no credit given to Dr Bunta. That regained the old professor the respect of this community, while casting suspicion on the Institute.
Now, it appeared that they preferred to think of him as a bit of a crackpot than accept that they would all be dead by tomorrow at dawn.
Father Pancho Villa, himself, wasn’t in denial. At least he hoped he wasn’t. He had had the gut feeling all along that Dr Bunta was right. However, he also had the gut feeling that they wouldn’t all be dead after tomorrow. He didn’t know why he thought so. It seemed to be inspired by his prayer time.
Was it denial though? Pancho didn’t think it was. It was faith.
Looking at his track record, though, one couldn’t be sure. He had been having gut feelings all along that there was something more for him; that he was put here for a purpose. But there were never any specific details. Though he prayed, and fasted, the specifics wouldn’t come - only that it would happen in God’s time.
Meanwhile, mass attendance had dwindled to almost nothing. People didn’t have time for religion. Only a few poor souls hung about, mostly because he brought them food.
His funding had stopped, so he had to take a day job, working for Arnold Glasser over there, who was still consuming deep fried trilobite - hang on, is trilobite even kosher? He spent half of each day doing the accounting for his business, mostly on paper, as the computer only worked half the time. He’d get pages of figures ready to key in next time the local hack got it going again. Then, he'd do that.
At least he didn’t have to pay rent as he still lived in the small chapel. He only spent enough to feed himself a meagre diet, and then he bought food for a few other destitute people, one family, one old man, and a couple of street children that he allowed to sleep in the chapel.
The street children weren’t officially allowed to sleep in the chapel. They were supposed to be at the children's home, run by Malcomb Bates.
But there was a reason they didn’t want to stay with Malcomb Bates. Rocky, one of his street kids, told him. One of the kids from the home had also confirmed it, but the others were too afraid to say anything.
Once upon a time, Pancho Villa was aware, any time a child reported that an adult was crossing the lines of propriety, the powers-that-be would automatically bring the offending adult to account. Often, all it took was the testimony of a child, and that adult was punished with a hefty fine, if not imprisoned, or at least disgraced, some even driven to suicide.
As time went on, the powers-that-be became aware that some children took advantage of their credibility, and used the opportunity to blackmail certain ones, and that the lives of some innocent adults had been destroyed. Thus, any child with a complaint came to be regarded as the boy who cried, ‘wolf!’
On top of that, even if a few rumours were spreading, Malcomb Bates was such an accomplished maestro, having raised up a superb boys choir and a chamber orchestra, members of the respectable community were not inclined to believe them.
The men began to get up, one by one, and start for home.
Walter took his usual route, taking him past the Macavoy house next door to where he lived. There, he’d stop to fetch his grand-niece, who was usually there baby-sitting.
‘Baby-sitting’ was probably not the right word, as the ‘baby’ was two years older than she. Alex Macavoy was 12 years old, and Linda, 10.
They had been close since she was three and Alex was five. Despite their age difference, in those days, Alex’s disposition made him just right for Linda.
Alex had grown attached to Linda. He didn’t talk much, and he showed no emotion; he just seemed more settled when Linda was close by.
As they grew up, some thought Linda would outgrow Alex, but they had fun in odd ways. Though Alex couldn’t carry on a proper conversation, he loved solving puzzles. Over time, Linda learned how to engage him in mind games and other such activity. He also liked things that spin, like wheels of a toy car, or a top, or a yoyo. Over the years, he had gone from playing with a giant top with a plunger that you push down, to one operated with a string. Linda would play that with him.
Alex’s school was only for half a day, and he was okay walking home to an empty house - as long as it didn’t stay empty too long. If they forgot to give him the key, he'd pick the lock. Linda’s school finished in the afternoon and she would always stop at Alex’s house on the way home. If she was late, she’d find him agitated. If she was sick in bed, he’d eventually wander to her house, pick the lock, and just sit there in her bedroom, angry at her for not showing up. Even if they weren’t doing anything, she still had to be there. He was a creature of strict routine, so Linda had to be as well.
Since both sets of parents worked full time, Uncle Walter was the one who was there for them. Occasionally, Uncle Walter did things with Alex as well, such as teach him binary code, or hexadecimal. Alex could now read a page of hexadecimal code, and run simple computer programs inside his head.
So, Walter stopped at the house and let himself in with the key he’d been entrusted with. He found them in the den, where Linda was finishing her homework, and Alex was sitting, rocking back and forth.
‘Comet,’ said Alex loudly.
Walter’s head was still foggy from all the brandy. ‘Come again?’ It was unusual for Alex to speak up.
‘Comet - lands tomorrow.’
‘Ah, the comet. Yes, it’ll do more than just land.’ How does he know about the comet?
‘Comet - will be here. On the ground.’
‘The comet’s just passing very close, Alex,’ said Linda.
‘No, the comet will be here, on the ground,’ repeated Alex.
Walter hadn’t told them anything about the end of the world. He realised, That kid’s been watching it every night and doing the calculations in his own head! He decided not to tell the kids how dangerous it was for a comet to land on the ground. Let them be happy for their last 12 or so hours.
Rocky was knocking about, as usual. At least, he was staying out of trouble.
Because Father Pancho Villa always gave him something to eat at night when he popped in to sleep at the chapel, he didn’t have to steal anything. If he didn’t steal, that was one less cause for getting into trouble. As for the other causes, like throwing rocks at breakable fixtures or scrawling rude remarks on public walls, Father Pancho had been talking him out of that sort of behaviour.
The only possible bugbear was the pipe weed. If he gave in to Juan Lopez and tried some of the stuff, it might lead to stealing again just to afford it. He was sure Father Pancho wouldn’t give him money to buy it. Father Pancho was always talking about how even trying a little bit of the stuff would lead to a wrecked life, like old man Bartholomew. He didn’t want to end up like Bartholomew.
But life was boring otherwise, what with no smashing things, nor throwing shopping trollies into the canal or smoking pipe weed - and he certainly didn’t want to start going to school.
The teachers would ask him where he lived, and expect him to move to the Home with Malcomb Bates if he didn’t live with parents. And he wasn’t going back there.
But he didn’t know how long he could keep this up. Life in Motown was a bore.
Right now, he was wandering towards the city park. In the back of his mind, he pictured himself going to the far end of the lake, where the bank is obscured by brush, and taking a dip. The kids he hung out with liked to swim there. They weren’t supposed to, but that’s why they chose that spot.
But the front of his mind was mostly on other things, like, how long could he go on like this? Was it time to move on? Where would he move on to? But wouldn’t he miss Father Pancho? And Raj? Maybe he could persuade Raj to go with him, but he was sure Father Pancho wouldn’t go.
Being in Motown to begin with, was the result of moving on, from New Frankfurt. Before that, it was Dukestown. Rocky’s parents had moved to Dukestown for whatever reason - maybe also ‘moving on’? But he was born in Richard.
Rocky’s first move on his own was because his parents had a run-in with local Nazis. His family weren’t the types that the Nazis hated - they were standard white - but his dad hated Nazis. He let them know it too, so they called him a traitor to his race. Dad’s response was classic: ‘I haven’t betrayed the human race, you have.’ Rocky also hated Nazis, partly because some of his best friends were types that the Nazis liked to hate, but, more lately, he was sure that they had killed his dad. He didn’t know what happened to his mum. Rocky simply ran for his life - and asked questions later, when there was no one around to ask.
He had bumped into a few Nazis here in Motown. But Motown was such a mixed bag that he was sure the Nazis wouldn’t make it very far here. They were trying to anyway.
Now he was approaching the park. He stopped at the gate and looked towards the lake to see who was about. Then he heard a noise and looked up.
There, descending from the sky, was a ship. This was a big one, bigger than anything Rocky had ever seen. It was coming straight down towards the playing field in the park. It was actually two playing fields side by side. Just one wouldn't have been big enough for that thing.
Other people saw it as well, and began running out of the way.
As Rocky was only at the front entrance of the park, he just stood and watched it land.
It looked like a giant flat football, squeezed from the top and bottom, or like a ‘smarty’ or ‘emminem’ (the local names for those sugar coated chocolates). That’s what it looked like, but it was silver.
These usually landed in airfields or spaceports, never on a playing field. But then, Motown didn’t have an airfield.
He saw it hover a while over the grass as a dozen or so pods telescoped downwards, and then it came to rest, the pods sinking into the surface making giant indentations.
The footies teams aint gonna like that, thought Rocky.
A hatch opened on one side of the lower part, and a ramp rolled out. Some people walked down, and stood at the foot of the ramp, looking around.
Cool! This is my chance to move on! Rocky began running towards the ship, and slowed down as he got near so as to look for the best way to get in.
He heard one of the newcomers say to people who were approaching, ‘I need to speak to your community leaders. Where can I find them?’
It looked like the local people were being helpful, and a crowd was gathering around them. Rocky lingered on the outside of the crowd, and then began walking towards where the ramp came down in their midst.
Everyone’s back was towards him, and where he was, he could reach the side of the ramp. This opportunity wouldn’t last long, so, thinking fast, Rocky grabbed the edge of the ramp and pulled himself up. He was now at the same level as people’s heads, their backs still towards him.
Quietly, he stole up the ramp, and into the giant hatch. There was a corridor leading left and right.
Just as he got in, he thought he heard someone shout, ‘Hoy!’ It wasn’t one of the crew, so it would be a while before they were alerted.
But, so much for staying out of trouble.
He could hear footsteps coming down the corridor to the left of him, so he dashed up the corridor to the right and hid around the bend. It looked like they were taking positions so as to guard the entrance. Rocky had got in just in time.
He went exploring.
Walter was just entering the Bunta residence with Linda and Alex when they saw the ship descend.
It was a passenger liner, probably the biggest type to still be able to land on a planet surface and take in passengers directly. Walter knew exactly why it was here.
But in Motown, of all places? Their budget must be way bigger than I thought.
‘Kids, let’s go quickly to the house, we’ll pack Linda’s and my things, then go to Alex’s house and pack some of his things. We’re going to get out of here before the comet lands.’
‘But,’ Linda began.
‘That comet is going to land, and it won’t land gently. Quick!’
They went in and hurriedly packed.
The communications network hadn’t been working, so Walter couldn’t phone either the Buntas or the Macavoys. He wrote a note telling them to go directly to the park. He was sure it was the park - that was the only place where there was room for that ship to land.
After packing Alex’s things, he wrote a similar note for the Macavoys.
Then, they walked as fast as they could towards the city park.
The whole ship was dimly lit.
Rocky opened a door just a crack and peeped in. There was no one there. It had a lot of things in it that Rocky had no idea what they were. Some were storage containers, and a few cabinets. He went out again, and on to another door. The same.
The corridor ran along the edge of the ship. All the rooms so far were on the side towards the centre.
Then he saw stairs going up to another level, also off towards the centre. Opposite the stairs was another door, the only one he’d seen on the outer wall.
Curious about that door, he decided he’d check it before going up the stairs.
The door led into a small odd shaped room. The opposite wall was slanted outward. Rocky realised it was the outer wall of the ship. Sitting on the slanted wall was what looked like a hatch of some sort. It had a locking system that looked like it was operated by a wheel in the middle that latched the door on both sides - just like in the films.
Just for the heck of it, he tried the wheel. To his surprise, he was able to turn it. The mechanism pulled the bars towards itself, and the door easily pulled inward and slid to the left. Rocky looked through the hatch, down at the grass below.
On the right side, Rocky saw what must be a folded up ladder. For getting out a different way, he thought.
He had seen enough films to know that it wouldn’t do for the ship to fly off with the hatch open, especially if he was in the ship, so he pulled it shut, and turned the wheel to lock it again.
Then, he went to see where the stairs led.
On the second level, Rocky found room after room full of recliner seats, about fifty per room.
They all looked quite comfy. When he got to what looked like the most out of the way room, he decided to try a seat.
He did, then drifted off to sleep.
Boarding
Word was spreading that the ship that had landed in the park was prepared to take in as many as would fit. People were crowding through the park entrance, and flowing towards the ship.
The Lord Mayor, Donald Avery and his staff, along with the Captain, Rosen Steinberg and First Mate, Sammy Jones, were standing at the foot of the ramp. A few members of the constabulary were also on hand to enforce order.
The Deputy to the Lord Mayor, Lambert Macintosh, was addressing the crowd, ‘We will only accept upstanding citizens, properly dressed and groomed, and with a good reputation. We will also be consulting the taxpayer's register. For now, we will give priority to whole families, married couples and their children if they have any. Only children accompanied by their parents or guardians will be boarded. Please pass by in an orderly manner, so the committee can approve each one before you proceed up the ramp. There, the ship’s crew members will show you to your places. In three hours, the ship must launch so as to get clear of the path of the comet.’
Father Pancho had brought old man Bartholomew and the destitute family he had been feeding, Constantine and Jill Cubbins and their baby. He wasn’t sure if they looked respectable enough, but they certainly weren’t on the taxpayers’ register.
Not far in front of him, he could see Malcomb Bates and six of his children. Jack was one of them, the one who had confided to Pancho regarding Mr. Bates’s behaviour.
He hadn’t seen Jack since then, but Rocky had told him that he was in a spot of trouble with Mr. Bates after threatening to expose him. Bates had been keeping a tight reign on him, often keeping him locked up.
Where was Rocky anyway? He also hadn’t seen Raj about either. He had, so wanted them to escape the destruction.
Even now, it looked like Mr. Bates was leering at Jack.
Walter, with Alex and Linda, were near the front of the queue, as they had started for the park early.
‘Ah, Dr Bunta,’ said the Mayor. ‘You did accurately predict this event, didn’t you.’
‘Yes, I believe I did.’
‘Who are these with you?’
‘My nephew and my niece. Their parents should be joining us as soon as they can. I left instructions for them to meet us here.’
Despite Alex being the white nephew of a black uncle, Dr Bunta’s reputation carried weight.
‘What are their names?’ asked the Mayor’s deputy.
‘My nephew, Frank Bunta, and his wife Milly, are the parents of Linda, and Alan and Marge Macavoy are the parents of Alex.’
The finance officer consulted the taxpayers’ register, and nodded.
‘Very good,’ said the deputy. ‘We’ll send them in as soon as they arrive. Please proceed onto the ship.’
The three made their way up the ramp.
Pancho noticed that Bates was still looking at Jack as though he didn’t know what to do with him.
As they were nearing the front of the queue, he bent over to Jack. Pancho could just hear him say, ‘Jack, I forgot to bring my sheet music. I really wanted to save it. Won’t you run back to the house and fetch it for me. You’ll find it on the music stand in the studio.’
‘Er -’ Jack began.
‘It’ll be okay. If I get to the head of the queue, I’ll give them your name. In fact, Stephen, you go with him.’
Stephen was one of the others that both Rocky and Jack had told Pancho about. However, he was too frightened to give any information. The other boy he had been told about wasn’t with Bates today.
Jack and Stephen made their way through the crowd, and ran on towards the Home. The Home was not far from the park, so it would take about fifteen minutes, Pancho calculated.
Bates would have advanced to the head of the queue in probably ten minutes.
Watching Jack and Stephen as they went, he noticed a group of young men at the edge of the playing field watching the proceedings. They were all white, a few had tattoos on their bare arms, and he recognised at least one of them as a Nazi.
Rocky was awakened when some people came into the room. First, there was an old man with two kids. They began looking around at the seats. After them, came a few others.
The old man and the girl were black, but the boy who was with them was white with long brown hair that hung down his back.
‘Hi,’ said the girl, when she saw Rocky. ‘I seen you before.’
‘Hi,’ said Rocky. He had seen this family before as well. The boy was always quiet and had a blank look, and just did what he was told. The girl was always bossing him about, even though she was smaller.
‘Who is this?’ asked the old man.
‘I’ve seen him at church. I think he lives there with Father Pancho Villa.’
‘Are you going on a trip somewhere?’ asked Rocky.
‘I hope we all are,’ said the old man. ‘Certainly not staying here if we can help it.’
‘Why?’
‘Comet,’ said the boy in a bold voice. ‘Comet will land tomorrow.’
Rocky had been seeing the comet the last few nights. It always seemed to get bigger and bigger.
‘Gonna - land?’
‘Going to smash into Grand Central World and kill everyone who’s still here,’ said the old man.
‘Hah? Gonna what?’
‘Going to destroy GCW,’ said the old man.
‘What ‘bout Father Pancho? And Raj?’
‘If they board the ship, they’ll be safe.’
Rocky was in hysterics. He didn’t know until now that he actually cared for Father Pancho.
Alex was staring at him, though it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
Malcomb Bates was up to the front of the line. The Mayor’s deputy seemed to know him well, as did the Mayor. Both were regular concert goers.
Pancho could barely hear them, but he thought he heard Bates say, ‘Unfortunately the others are off on a trip, and weren’t planning to be back until tomorrow.’
‘Unfortunate indeed,’ said the Mayor.
Unfortunate, my foot! Thought Pancho.
He decided he would say something to the officials once he got to the head of the queue.
Bates and his remaining four boys made their way up the ramp as the officials processed the next two families. One of the families was told to wait along with a group of others off to one side. The other family, who was apparently on the tax register, was welcomed to board.
Then it was Pancho’s turn, along with his charges.
‘Ah, Father Enrico Pancho Villa, you are certainly welcome aboard,’ said the deputy.
The Mayor added, ‘You will be an asset to the community, Father Villa.’
‘Thank you. Now, with me …’
He glanced back at Constantine, Jill and Bartholomew. He noticed that the group of young white men were advancing around the queue towards the front. Some of the constables were approaching them.
One of their faces suddenly popped out. But because it was so unexpected, and Pancho was preoccupied, he immediately forgot it.
‘With me,’ he began again, ‘Are Constantine and Jill Cubbins with their infant, Annie, and Bartholomew Delgado.’
The Mayor’s deputy looked at them with an unsure look on his face. He turned towards the Mayor, who shook his head. The finance officer also shook his head.
‘I’m afraid that these three can’t be allowed to board,’ he said.
‘They will be under my care. I do insist they come along. If they don’t then I’m afraid I must decline my invitation.’
‘You don’t understand, Father Villa…’ the deputy began.
‘WHITE PEOPLE ONLY, ARE TO BOARD THIS CRAFT!’ shouted someone nearby.
The group of white young men, who were obviously all Nazis, were now standing close to the ramp.
Pancho looked about. Behind him was Rosco Abende and his family, as well as a number of other black and brown families. Rosco was looking horrified.
Constables came from other directions, and began resisting the Nazis, who began fighting back. Soon, the head of the queue was in disarray.
Pancho saw his chance. He turned to his four charges and said, ‘Quick, come with me.’
Together, they ran up the unguarded ramp into the ship. Behind them, came Rosco and his family.
It was now dark enough so that a number of people got into the craft unnoticed by those below.
One of the crewmembers just inside the hatch said, ‘Are we supposed to be letting them all in? They didn’t get processed.’
A stout woman in an officer’s uniform whose badge said, ‘Chief Steward, Mrs. Rivka Steinberg’, said, ‘Let them in. We work for the Captain, not the Mayor. Let’s get this ship filled up.’
So, they went past.
‘The Nazis are a blessing in disguise,’ Pancho heard Rosco say. ‘Our name wasn’t on that taxpayers’ list.’
‘Nor ours,’ he heard someone else say.
‘Or the Nazis’ list either, for that matter,’ said another.
‘True,’ said Rosco.
They were led down the corridor and up some stairs, then down another corridor. Rosco and family went into one of the rooms, and after them, went Constantine, Jill and Bartholomew.
Pancho was about to follow them in, but just ahead of them, he saw Rocky running towards him, being followed by Walter Bunta.
‘Father Pancho!’ shouted Rocky, as he ran to him and hugged him around the midriff. He was in a state.
‘Father Pancho! The comet’s gonna crash into the planet and everyone’s gonna die!’ he sobbed.
Walter caught up. ‘We found him in our room. I don’t know how he boarded, but he didn’t know a thing about the comet.’
‘At least we’re safe, Rocky. This ship should take us away in time to save us.’
‘Where’s Raj? Did he get on?’
‘I haven’t seen him, so I’m afraid he didn’t. I’m also afraid that Bates’s boys, Jack and Stephen didn’t either. Bates sent them away at the last minute and then boarded himself without them. I wish we could help them, but I don’t think there’s any chance of getting past the people at the ramp.’
‘Our room isn’t filled up yet,’ said Walter. ‘Why don’t you join us?’
‘If that’s okay with the staff,’ said Pancho.
‘It should be okay,’ said the steward. ‘We’re having a hard time fitting the right numbers as it is.’
Walter led them to their room.
‘I know a different way we might get them into the ship,’ said Rocky, when they got into the room.
‘Where?’ asked Pancho.
‘Come, I’ll show you.’
He followed Rocky out, down the corridor. Several groups were also being led to their rooms, and others were going from room to room looking for friends. They proceeded down the stairs, struggling to get past people coming up.
At the bottom of the stairs, Rocky led him through the door opposite, and showed him the hatch.
‘And this here is a ladder, I think.’
They opened the hatch and looked out. It sounded like there was still fighting going on at the ramp. It was now dark outside.
‘Why don’t you go down real quick and see if you can find Jack and Stephen. They might be where the crowd is trying to get in. They should be back from the errand Bates sent them on. Maybe you’ll find Raj as well. Bring as many people as you can. I’ll wait here for you.’
They extended the ladder down, and Rocky climbed down. It was relatively dark on that side of the ship.
Rocky ran toward the crowd, and slowed down so as to look around.
There were several children running about. He saw Raj
‘Hey Raj!’ shouted Rocky.
Raj looked about and saw him. Rocky ran towards him.
‘We can get in a different way. Have you seen Steve and Jack?’
‘Yeah. They’re look’n for Bates. They went that way.’
‘We gotta find them. Bates got on already and he was leav’n them behind.’
‘Over there.’
They ran toward the front of the queue. There was still quite a scuffle going on, so no one was paying any attention to them.
They saw the two, and caught up with them.
‘Come this way,’ said Rocky. ‘There’s a different way to get in.’
‘Sure?’ asked Jack.
‘Yeah. I found it after I got inside. Come!’
Jack and Stephen had found no sheet music anywhere in the studio, so they knew it was a ruse to leave them behind.
The four ran to the other side of the craft as Rocky shouted, ‘Hey, everyone! There’s a way in over here!’
As they were already ahead, and were fast runners, they were the first up the ladder.
A few others that heard Rocky began following. Soon, there was a crowd at the foot of the ladder where it looked like a better chance of getting in than up the ramp.
The four boys reached the top of the ladder followed by the others.
Pancho said, ‘Good job!’ as he helped them in. Then, the others followed.
He left the hatch open, and led his boys back to the room where the Buntas were. On the way, he told a member of the ship’s staff to remember to close that hatch before departure.
Fitting two boys per recliner, and Alex and Linda sharing another, there was just enough room for them all. Alex and Linda were virtually brother and sister, so that was considered okay.
Attendants were also placing pillows and bedrolls on the floor should there be not enough recliners. They were also handing each passenger a packet containing a blanket, a cushion and a crotch pouch (to wear so as to be able to urinate, etc, in a weightless environment).
After a while, Walter Bunta decided to take Linda and Alex around the ship to see if they could locate their parents. The boys spread out onto their recliners so as to save their seats.
They had managed to fill the ship, however, not with those they had intended. Many got on that wouldn’t have been allowed. Three of the Nazis, once they realised they were fighting a lost cause, also made a dash up the ramp. More vagabonds and tramps made it, a few more street kids, and probably an equal representation of every colour and ethnic group in the city, and many not listed in the taxpayers’ register. Many who were on the list didn’t make it.
Neither the Mayor’s office nor the Nazis were pleased.
‘The poor and the down-and-outs have as much right to life as those who think they can buy it,’ repeated Captain Steinberg.
Still, people were streaming in, however, they would soon be over capacity. It was time to shut the door.
‘We’re not gonna make it, Dad!’ cried Sarah.
Arnold could see with his own eyes that the inner door was beginning to close, and the alarm was sounding. People were still scrambling to board.
‘Sarah, you must do something for me,’ he said.
‘Okay, what?’
‘You’re a good runner. Run, as fast as you can, push past everyone, and get up that ramp before the door shuts all the way.’
‘But Dad!’
‘Obey me, Sarah. If you love Mum and me, prove it by obeying me. Go now!’
‘Yes, go now Sarah!’ confirmed Mum. ‘Goodbye, we love you!’
Sarah was too choked up to say goodbye, and went running.
She disappeared from Arnold’s and Mildred’s sight for a few moments, but then reappeared as she was scrambling up the ramp, pushing past people, who were mostly waylaid by baggage and their size. Their hope was that her first prize for the 50 metre dash wasn’t in vain.
They saw her squeeze into the inner door just as it was closing. She was the last one through the main door.
To Arnold and Mildred, that was the next best thing to surviving.
They watched as the ramp began to retract, and people still on the ramp were either banging on the inner door, or jumping off.
Finally, they all had no choice but to either leap or fall off the edge, some sustaining injuries.
A few people began to assist those who had fallen off, first pulling them out of the way, and then attending to their injuries.
Everyone had to move away as the ship began to hum loudly. Even from a distance, they could feel the gravitational effect of the propulsion system.
It levitated off the ground, and retracted the pods. Then, people noticed a ladder dangling from one side, with people still climbing it. Most of them managed to get in. One or two dropped to the ground. Someone inside pulled the ladder up and shut the hatch.
The ship proceeded to move upward at a steadily increasing speed. About three hundred metres off the ground, it sped off towards the West.
Now, everyone’s attention was on the comet, bigger than ever, which was visibly moving towards the East, increasing in size as it went.
People were reacting in every way, some wailing, some cursing, some praying the Our Father, the Shema, the 23rd Psalm, the Shahada. Some were saying things they had always meant to say to their loved ones but hadn’t bothered until now. It was generally very noisy.
Arnold and Mildred said the Shema, and a prayer for Sarah.
Nobody went home. There wouldn’t be any point in that. They all just stood and watched, as the comet got steadily bigger, and closer to the horizon. It was already many times larger than Old Earth’s moon used to be. In the daytime, it would have easily obscured the sun many times over. It was now gaining a reddish glow on the side nearest the planet's surface, as it began passing into the atmosphere, leaving brilliant orange streaks behind it.
They watched further as it began to sink into the horizon. It never completely disappeared. A reddish glow began to fill the Eastern sky, and it was that glow that began to obscure the comet itself.
They didn’t hear or feel anything yet, but the glow continued spreading across the horizon, gaining yellow and white hues, and a few other colours.
Arnold thought that if this weren’t the end of the world, he’d be enjoying the colours.
He said another prayer for Sarah.
It took a while before the shockwaves reached them, like a row of dominos.
Once it did, death was quick.
