The Chronicles of Aallandranon - Episode One - Ant-Lion by Benjamin Allen Page A

had no record of
an asteroid ’ s trajectory being in line with Pluto Station, no one was
able to stop it in time. The station was destroyed two weeks ago,
Jonathan. There ’ s nothing left, and you ’ re being held
responsible. ”
    Jonathan glared ahead at this. “ I was on my way
back to Pluto Station and nearly out of power, so I used all of my
Falcon ’ s remaining energy to push an asteroid at a trajectory that
would eventually meet with my destination. That someone at the
Pluto Station didn ’ t take counter-preventative measures with an imminent
collision of space debris is entirely not my fault. I was trying to
stay alive. Incompetence here is what led to the destruction of the
Pluto Station, and that is sickening. ”
    Jocelyn looked like she needed another cigarette. “ Our reports were clear of debris when the computer ran them
seconds prior to the collision. Our alert systems went off, but the
impact happened almost immediately. We were also in the midst of an
important gathering after the tragic death of Gary
Rudolph. ”
    Jonathan ’ s eyes widened. “ Rudolph is
dead? ”
    “ Most definitely. He was hit by a bolide while out with a
repair team. It hit Jimmy Golding ’ s ankle and nearly cost
him his leg, but they saw Rudolph floating away. His life-signs
were in the negative, and he had a hole through his
suit. ”
    “ That ’ s extremely unfortunate, ” said Jonathan, thinking. “ I wonder how fast I was going after ….” He trailed off,
looking at Jocelyn
    She
narrowed her attention on him. “ The station was
designed to withstand a catastrophic event so we were able to
evacuate the station and get all the survivors onto C class star
ships en route for Earth. And, of course, save your ass from the
asteroid that caused all the damage. Imagine our surprise when it
turned out to be you inside that ship. Now, everybody in the solar
system is waiting to hear the outcome of the other catastrophic
event that took the Enigma. ”
    “ That is a long story, one that ’ s going to take too much
time to explain from beginning to end. ”
    Jocelyn lifted her hand into the air. “ We have six
months until we reach Earth. Until we present your story to the
five remaining members of the Pluto Council and hold a proper
trial, you ’ re not going anywhere. Get the details of your story
straight and tell me what happened after your departure from the
Pluto Station a year and a half ago. ”
    Jonathan took a few minutes to consider how to explain. He
had known that he would have to tell the people of Earth what
happened and had prepared the majority of his story during his
trip. But what happened … before … seemed like a lifetime
ago. “ All of this is being recorded,
right? ” Jonathan drawled, meeting Jocelyn ’ s green eyes. Jocelyn
stood up and nodded. “ Good, because I
don ’ t
want to tell this story more than once. I ’ ll answer questions, but
this is all you ’ re going to get. ”
    “ All
right. Whenever you ’ re ready. ” Jocelyn said. She took another cigarette from a
dwindling pack in her breast pocket, and stuck it in her mouth. She
put her thumb to the tip and pulled, breathing out
smoke.
    Jonathan took a deep breath. “ It starts with the
day of our departure ….”
     
     

 
    2
     
     
    Jonathan Tabith opened his eyes to the
titanium ceiling of his cabin at five in the morning. Pluto, with
the ring of the Pluto Station circling it, slowly drifted across
his window as the Star Ship Enigma performed routine tests. The
distant shine of the sun glimmered from the center of the solar
system against the backdrop of stars. Today was an important
day.
    He showered in his personal bathroom and
dressed in his uniform with the red armband. In two hours, the
Enigma would be leaving Pluto Station for Alpha Centauri. Jonathan
had been waiting for this day for the last twenty-years. He slid
his sleeve back and clipped the bronze Manica-Band onto his wrist.
The holographic interface on