Fire and Ice

The lights were dark inside the cramped conditions of the small craft as it powered up away from the surface of the planet. A few illuminated lights cast shadows across the walls as the low hum from the engine filled the air. Aston James stood and picked his way through the throng of people that currently occupied the craft and stood by the two seats at the front of the ship. He leant against the pilot’s chair and looked down at the slender female sitting, her hands grasped around the heavy steering column and her eyes flicking between monitors. “You got my message...” he almost cried as he spoke.

“Yes, Father” her delicate voice was simple and matter-of-fact as she replied indicating toward a central red light which sat blinking in the middle of the flight relay deck. “Barely” Aston raised the bible in his hands and pulled it close to his chest as the small red light blinked in time with the panel, “the signal was very weak, I had trouble pinpointing an exact location”

“That’s how she found us” said the low voice of Father Brown in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Father Brown” smiled Aston, seeing him for the first time.

“It is good to see you Father” smiled Brown grasping the other man’s hand and shaking it heartily.

“You too” agreed Aston, he turned to his companion in the pilot seat, “I see you have met my ward; Sister Lott”

“And a sight for sore eyes she was too!” laughed Brown.

“How?” he asked looking between them both.

“I picked up your signal, but couldn’t locate an exact fix on your location. The scanners picked up a low-level communicator relay point at a fixed point, so I plotted a course from geo-stationary orbit to that location. From there, your signal became stronger and...”

“You found us” finished Aston as he looked at the small band of bedraggled passengers. “Crane...”

“He has been through a lot, but should be alright with the correct medical assistance” stated Brown looking back out of the main view port at the front of the ship.

“We are at a safe distance” commented Sister Lott as her fingers stabbed at a series of controls.

“We failed” came the wary voice of Crane from his seated position on the floor.

“Nonsense” remarked Aston as he turned to him.

“How can you say that!” exclaimed Crane, “I’ve lost my crew, my ship, my hand, Cadet Darby is badly injured and the colony we came to save is lost!”

“The children” breathed Aston kneeling by the captain and looking toward the three children who sat huddled together at the rear of the cabin, their eyes staring wildly at the lights which danced over the various arrays. “The colony was lost before we got there, there souls were tainted by the sins of the flesh, but these...” he waved at the figures in the gloom, “are the future. Take them to Earth captain, teach them, show them the ways of good” he smiled and straightened moving back toward the two seated figures.

“The planet is breaking apart” stated Sister Lott. Aston looked out over her shoulder toward the expanse of space and could see fragments of the gigantic egg break away in a shower of fire and ice and scatter over this part of space. From inside a creature slowly moved and unfurled its massive wings, spreading the sinew and leathery membrane as it basked in the distant glow of the sun. A long tail unwrapped and moved away from the body, and the ridges which ran along the creature’s back quivered and glowed as the rays of ultraviolet touched its body, giving the creature a slender violet hue. Finally a long neck curled up and swung a large head from side to side, feeling the glow and radiation cast off the the light of the sun. The creature cast a curious eye toward the tiny limp craft as it hung at a respectful distance from the animal, a vast eye rolled in its head before it turned away and flew along the solar winds, casting off the final remnants of shell.

“Amazing” breathed Aston as the creature retreated from the ship.

“Magnificent” agreed Brown.

“How long do you think it was there for?” asked Sister Lott suddenly, reading the instrument panel beside her.

“Who knows my child” remarked Aston, “hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of years” he looked back toward the injured personnel and placed a hand on her shoulder, “plot a course for the nearest beacon and send out a distress call, this ship wasn’t designed for this many passengers” he added as he took one final look out of the view-port.

Sister Lott’s hands ran over the controls as she nodded, “done” she commented smiling up at him as he stood over her.

“Let’s go home”