Earth, Houston, Space Cooperative

“She’ll see you now.”

“Thank you.”

The Captain left a waiting room filled with officials, officers of various service branches, and members of the Cooperative.

The office was in a state of ordered chaos. It was being redecorated at the behest of its new occupant, the new copresident for the Houston HQ and branch of the Cooperative.

“Captain.”

“Madame President.”

“I send you with a note and you go all the way up the well to Luna, looking for the store’s missing books.”

“And found a quite bit more. Congratulations, Robin. Quite the promotion.”

“I have you to thank for it, I suppose, Edward. Lots to do. Instead of answers, I’m left with even more questions.”

“I heard they reinstated the old head of Wellington.”

“Good timing too, the last guy who sat in this chair was about to have him disappeared. My god.”

“I’m glad. I thought when I said goodbye to him, that was it. He seems like a good man.”

“And he is, I need that. We need that.”

“And Necker? I heard he was in a ultramax.”

“It’s for his own safety. He’s no angel but he’s cooperating. Everyone is either scared to be around one of the Cooperative’s skeletons in its big closet, or wants him dead.

But he’s trying, and he’s working with us on building up the backup ledger that was put in place. Not perfect but for now, maybe we can maintain management of the Atlanticcoin.

More important, thanks to him and you, we’re cleaning house.”

“Good. How is your sister?”

“We sent a message in a probe to Mars a while ago, to reestablish contact and salvage relations with the outposts. It’s one day at a time.”

“I’m glad. I’m happy to see you, Robin, but is there another reason you wanted to see me?”

“That ship.”

“I don’t know. I thought I could seize it but it’s gone.”

“You sure about that?”

The Captain shrugged.

“Necker is silent on the subject. I thought I might get your help.”

“He was tight-lipped with me too. I went up to get the books, I ended up with the bookmaker.”

Robin Tagore, the new coopresident, for the Houston branch of the Cooperative, leaned against the back of her office chair, propping her elbows on the top of the chair’s back.

The Captain smiled and kept his eyes locked with Robin.

After a pause, “Okay. Then that’s it. Dinner with you this week, while you’re in town?”

“That would be nice, I may take a long vacation. I’m thinking of retiring too.”

“Really, where?”

“Up there,” said the Captain as he nodded at a wall holo of the moon, “I’ve got friends there.”

“You’ve got friends down here too, Edward.”

“I know and I’m grateful.”

The Captain smiled.

An aide walked in, “Pardon the interruption, they’re starting to pile up out here.”

“Okay, thanks Wally,” Robin shrugged, raised her hands up in mock resignation, and went over to hug Lawrence.

“It was good to see you, Edward.”

“Same here, Robin. Congratulations again.”

Outside of the SC Tower, The Captain took in a deep breath of air, held it, looked up, and saw the moon.

He looked at the twinkles that were still in the night sky. One of those lights in the night sky was on a one way trip to the future, the first one.

The End