The Time of the Attack

  Chapter 3 Parties and the Answer to Life

  Ashley had never liked parties. Whenever she went to a party she was the one off to the side chatting with people she knew but not getting to know the rest of the partygoers. At this party, however, that was impossible. Firstly she hardly knew anyone here. Secondly every wanted her as the center of attention. If she tried to sneak of to the side she was always dragged back to the center.

  Everyone wanted to hear about her epic flight and assumed that it was some grand adventure that she felt exhilarated was she was on it. Ashley found it odd that they didn't want to hear how she threw up and nearly blacked out. They wanted to make the story of her flight another chapter in the epic of human history and history did not like boring tales. She tried to set the record straight but no one would listen to her.

  Finally she gave up and just headed to the buffet table with a long series of drinks and refreshments. As soon as she had filled her plate and cup a spontaneous shouting began. "Speech! Speech," they yelled. That was another thing Ashley didn't like: speeches. She would take a six against one dogfight rather than give a speech any day. That wasn't to say when she was forced to do a speech she wasn't completely inept. Even through nervousness she could form words that slowly formed sentences and eventually started to form coherent thoughts. This crowd was not one that was going to give her a chance.

  She moved to a more open part of the room and grabbed a chair to stand on. After she stood on it Ashley cleared her throat. Get over the nervous; just continue with the speech. She was sweating slightly.

  "I'm not normally one for speeches so please forgive me if it doesn't come out artfully crafted. Our ancestors envisioned space travel being a great medium for scientific discovery. To boldly go where no one has gone before was the idea. Very few ever truly thought our reason to travel to the stars would be to scrape by an existence for those back on Earth because we managed to decimate our home world. This should not be a celebration. Sure we have managed huge technologic leaps but it was only to save our own skin. These leaps were suppose to be used for something greater than this but now they are reduced to parlor tricks and illusions showing none of their true potential." She couldn't think of anything to add. She stepped down from the chair quickly. The room was somber. No one seemed to want to talk. All just stared at Ashley, shocked. Ashley felt as if every eye was barring down as if the deep staring glance would somehow make sense of what they just saw.

  Ashley could tell the mood in the room wasn't going to improve anytime soon. She slowly walked out the room and headed back to her quarters frustrated. None of them would see the point. They would all shrug it off in a few minutes and talked in hushed tones of how Ashley lost it during a party in her honor. No one would see the point. Was war all anyone thought about anymore? At the party all she heard was people droning on about war with UARS like it was inevitable and that her flight was a great achievement in the fight against UARS. When would the bloodshed end? Fight after fight and for what: a few scraps of food or a few resources? When would it end?

  ...

  The parade the next day didn't go much better. The moment Ashley was earth-side she was put on a float and told to smile big. She didn't feel like smiling but did it anyways for the crowds. At the end of the parade was the president who was supposed to make a speech. She noticed Joel was next to the president. When Joel saw Ashley he flashed her a huge smile. Only a few hours till the drink Ashley thought. The speech turned out to be the typical political rambling that this was for the betterment of the AU and that this day would be forever marked in history and that Ashley was a hero. She could not wait to get out of there!

  When the parade and speech finally ended Ashley and Joel walked to a local bar. Ashley was optimistic for the experience. They walked into the bar and Ashley's first impression was grimy. "Don't worry about it. It may not look like much but it's a decent place. Use to come here all the time. Though it does seem a little more rundown than I last remember."

  "A little?" Ashley quipped. "Ok a lot but let's try and enjoy ourselves shall we?" Joel replied. Ashley gave a half smile then a sigh. She noticed some movement next to a barstool and headed towards that. The entity responsibly for the movement turned towards Ashley and Joel. "Joel great to see ya. I didn't hear you come in! Manners manners. Whose your friend?"

  "This is Ashley Sheppard." "The Ashley Sheppard?" "Yep the one, the only, legend of legends, Ashley Sheppard." Ashley rolled her eyes while saying this and made sure Joel saw. Joel in turn chuckled. "So what will the legend be having then," the proprietor asked. "A Shirley Temple."

  "Sorry it was more of a rhetorical question. All we got is our own homebrew beer, which conveniently enough we call beer and water. The beer is quite good. It's a recipe that's been handed down from my many greats granddaddy that lived during prohibition. Can't make or get much else the way the world is now. Already used up all my reserves for an end of the world party. Boy was that one hell of a party. Drink till the end comes is my motto but now all I've got to do it with is this homebrew stuff. The end does seem inevitable doesn't it?"

  "I don't think so," Ashley said quickly. "While everything on Earth or our universe must come to an end eventually I don't think it's humanities time just yet. We still have a chance of pulling through. Slim but it's better then nothing."

  "Maybe. Sorry I've just been really depressed lately, end of the world and all. Did you want the water or the beer?" "Water will be fine thanks." "I'll take that beer Bob." "All right. I’ll be right back." "Do you really think there's a chance humanity can survive," Joel asked pondering. "Maybe but only if we work together and follow the treaty." "Well you have more confidence in humanity then I do. Back when we were about to sign the treaty the biggest concern was if UARs would keep to it. I pushed for the signing of in spite of the misgivings but I've always doubted it would hold and everyone would follow it."

  "You have too much of a warrior in you. Warriors sometimes have trouble in times of peace adjusting." "It's not peace I have a problem adjusting to. I've had to fight for peace many times and it was bloody when I did. I would welcome peace but will it ever come?" "Yes I have a feeling we will find peace someday Joel." "A feeling? I trust them just about as much as UARS."

  There was a silence that followed that statement. "It's hard to believe in anything these days. All we see is poverty and desperation and the end of humanity is no longer a question of if but when. I'm surprised you can do it."

  Ashley laughed. Joel looked puzzled. "What's so surprising about it? There is the divine in every moment. Take a moment, close your eyes, and just smell the air. Take in every scent." Joel closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in through his nose. All he could smell was beer. Thee room wreaked of it. "All I smell is beer, Ashley." "You’re not trying hard enough. Do it again." Joel repeated the process and got the same results. He tried a third time. He smelled something else. It was faint and he couldn't decipher what it was. He moved his head forward, closer to the scent. It was airy and flowery but not overbearing in any manner. In fact it was almost completely opposite. If you weren't looking for it you would have never smelt it. "You're wearing a bit of perfume. It's a nice scent" "Took ya long enough."

  Ashley's eyebrows were in a frown but her mouth was smiling. "Your conscious mind at first smelled the beer and since it didn't find that smell particularly appealing your conscious mind blocked it out. Along with that other smells were blocked too. It gets weirder. Touch your chair or the bar next to us. Feel the textures. Feel the divots and cracks." Joel did exactly that. Whatever Ashley was trying to say he was intrigued. He felt the bar. It was smooth and cold. It was some kind of marble. When did Bob get a marble-toped bar? Had he not been in here that long or merely not noticed? "The conscious mind misses or blocks out so much beautiful detail from day to day and that beauty is divine. If it didn't we might always be looking at the things we normally miss and we would get analysis paralysis." "That might not be such a bad thing. We'd alw
ays be forced to the smell the roses." Joel was smiling. She did have a point. "Now you're getting it. So much we miss but when we stop and take notice a thousand details you originally missed. Imagine how much you've missed in just our time here." "That still doesn't completely explain why you believe in a god."

  "There seems to be a pattern to the universe, some sort of strange order. Civilizations may rise and fall, species may die and the ecosystem adapts, and the tide flows in and out. Through it all there seems to be some order. That's the best way I can explain it to someone set in non-religious beliefs."

  Joel gently reached for one of Ashley's hands. She initially jerked it away but then decided to let Joel have it. "It's not that I'm not open to change. No one has given me any compelling argument why I should believe in some wispy entity called god." "Joel where is this relationship going? Won't it be against regulations?" "Your referring to military fraternization protocol," Joel said more as a statement then a question. He let go of Ashley's hand. "Strictly speaking I am not your direct superior officer. That is your squadron leader's privilege. Plus the Mars mission is through NASA making it a civilian op. NASA may not like fraternizing in the workplace but for such a long-term mission as Mars their policies have changed vastly. Furthermore my position on Mar's base is almost entirely overseer for the president. The commander position is little more than flowery rhetoric." Ashley gave an uneasy smile then relaxed. "Well I'd like a promotion even if it was flowery rhetoric. Ten to one I'm not the squadron leader especially considering what you just said." "You're right someone else has that position. I do however have it on good authority that a certain crack shot pilot who of late has been testing experimental craft is getting the position of wing commander for Flight A. Along with that comes a rank promotion." "Are you serious?" Joel raised his glass for a toast. "To Mars and the opportunities it brings." "To Mars," Ashley said emptying the contents of her glass.