A World of Worlds

  * * *

  Over the next six days, Lara and Lani spend as much time with the children as they can. They are fascinated by the different skin colors, shapes, looks, and personalities of so many children. The children learned to talk from the computers and robots, so they speak as Lara and Lani do. There is one rule: they can enter to spend time with the children, but the children cannot leave the nursery…Wilford says it’s to keep them free from contamination.

  Lara forms a strong bond with a young girl named Hope, who is eager and bright, and is the obvious leader of most, perhaps all of the children. Hope even has a well-developed sense of humor, and likes to squeeze Lara—something called a hug—whenever they arrive and leave. Despite this unfamiliar and unexpected body contact, both Lara and Lani find themselves warming to the children, and can’t wait to visit them each day. Lara feels a connection with these young ones she has never known before, not even with Lani. Lara feels like a teacher and welcomes this new responsibility. The children often gather ‘round and want to hear stories about life in other parts of the ship, about their ancestors on Earth, or anything which comes to mind. They are so wonderfully alive, so adept at learning, and so excited about the upcoming arrival on Galaxaura.

  The commander arrives on the command bridge with the group each morning, and then stays with Wilford when they leave. It is always late each day before Lara’s father joins them, lost in his thoughts.

  Two days before their arrival to Galaxaura, as they gather for the last meal of the day, for the first time any of them can remember, the commander is last to arrive. His mood is much improved, as he smiles at them before getting his meal, then taking his seat at the table.

  “Good morning,” he says to surprised faces. “As you are aware, I am spending many hours with Wilford. I, too, was suspicious of Wilford, and why he had been monitoring us without our knowledge. Before this ship left Earth, not everyone on Earth agreed that the human race was worth saving. One faction believed that a deity was punishing Earthlings for the evil they had wrought, which included destruction of Earth’s creatures, resources, and each other. The second faction had a more simplistic view: the people of Earth had had their chance, and now their time had ended, and the universe would move on without them.”

  “I don’t see what any of that has to do with our current situation,” says Mira.

  “Once I finish, you will understand. Early in the voyage, a battle took place on this ship.” There are visible looks of shock from everyone else, but the commander holds up his hand, to stop any comments.

  He continues, “Of the original crew of thirty, ten were infiltrators from one, or both of the factions I mentioned. Their mission was to disable or destroy Expectation before it reached Galaxaura. Using smuggled stun and pulse weapons, they used an old communication’s method called Morse code, to make their plans in secret, and coordinate their attack. During the uprising, the ten infiltrators were either captured or killed. Six of the regular crew died as well. During the battle, the infiltrators attempted to gain access to the command bridge, and they almost succeeded before being stopped. Our ancestors interrogated the captives, and learned who they were, why they were here, and of their objectives. You now know the entire story as to why Wilford is so careful in monitoring us.”

  “I don’t understand, weren’t all the infiltrators captured or killed?” asks Mira.

  “They were never certain,” the commander says. Lara has been staring at her father, engrossed in this story, and now, against her will, takes quick looks at the others.

  Mira asks, “Even if they didn’t discover every infiltrator, that was generations ago, and they surely are dead now.”

  The commander pauses and gives a pained smile as he continues, “In the words of Wilford, family or friends of the infiltrators may have been infiltrators who were undiscovered. These people could have passed on their mission through close family or friends of successive generations. Wilford referred to these people as sleepers, because they can exist in our group undetected, sleeping until they see an opportunity to act.”

  For the first time in her life, Lara doesn’t trust the others beyond her own family. The longer she considers this, the more distrustful she becomes. Now she knows why Wilford scans them before they are allowed to pass onto the command bridge…not for whom they are, but for any weapons they may be concealing. She scans the faces of each of the others with a scrutiny she never had to use before, and observes the others scanning her in the same way.