Rebirth Read online

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  Paul Divine and Charles Bragg had both improved in health over the past twenty-four hours. They were now allowed out of bed, and both could not wait until they got the chance to thank Tyler Burrows personally. Charles Bragg of course also wanted to meet up with his other old friends. The doors of the Constellation opened and the colonists took the chance to walk upon their new world, and of course to stretch their legs, and so they moved en masse onto the surface of the planet. Bishop Claude B Taggart was amongst them as he too took his first steps on the planet Persephone, and he then shouted out a loud 'thank you my God.' Then as the moment was so right, he decided to lead his entire flock in a service, their first service on their new home. When the doors of the Defender opened Paul Divine and Charles Bragg both excused themselves and moved across to the Orionists, who were also taking the chance offered to stretch their legs. Charles on seeing Tyler and Caroline step down from the air lock walked quickly up to them.

  "Tyler, Caroline, how are you both?"

  "We are fine Charles and you, are you fully recovered from your illness?" Tyler asked.

  "Yes, both Paul Divine and I are recovering nicely." Charles called Paul Divine over to meet up with his old friends from Orion. "Paul this is Tyler and Caroline Burrows. Tyler, Caroline this is Paul Divine, my friend and fellow investigator."

  "It is good to meet you both, especially since you were able to finally find the proof needed to arrest the Claytons." Paul Divine said.

  "With all the information in the notes that you left for us, the forensics and other help from Special Agent Formby, and of course the necessary technical help from Brian Goddard back on Orion, all I had left to do was join up the dots."

  "We constantly had to wake him up." Caroline joked.

  "Colonel, it is good to see you now that you are well. How is life after the space marines?" Colin Ryan said, as he shook the hand of his friend and fellow ex-space marine.

  "Colin I was just about to ask you that same question. How are you settling down to the quiet life of a colonist?"

  "Chasing after space pirates, spies and murderers is hardly quiet, but I am fine Colonel, thank you.

  Everyone was happy, but then they did not see Tryon approaching this group of friends, Tryon stopped before Appolon.

  "Appolon we have just received a distress call from another planet, Paul Johnson says that it is in a system that is still further along the spiral arm of Perseus, it`s about twenty four hours flight from here." Tryon looked a little distressed, but whether for the planet or for him and his friends, Appolon was not sure.

  "Yet another distress call, tell me Tryon is it to be our fate to travel further and further from our homes on Orion, we seem to be doomed to never see our homes again?" Appolon complained.

  "We can hardly return to our homes and not help them Appolon. I too pine for my family but when we were in need the fates sent us help, now someone else is in need, should we not repay our debt?" Tryon questioned.

  "Of course we should Tryon, I just miss my family, as you do too, I know. I will tell Tyler of his new task, if there is anyone who should complain about the fates then I guess it should be him, and not you or I." Appolon declared sadly.

  "What have I to complain about Appolon? I have the best of friends, a beautiful wife and a wonderful home, I will never complain as long as I continue to enjoy such comforts." Tyler had come up on his two friends unnoticed.

  "We have just received yet another planetary distress call, this one is further away from home and further along the spiral arm of Perseus, it will take us another twenty four hours away from our home." Appolon complained.

  "And we thought that we could soon return to Orion. Who got the call?" Tyler enquired, also resigned to the whims of fate.

  "Paul Johnson, he is still on board the Defender and is looking up the area in space at this moment." Tryon said.

  "What is up with you three, come and join the celebrations?" Caroline said having walked across to join the group. Tyler told Caroline of the latest problem to come their way, and then led the way back aboard the Defender.

  "Well Paul what more can you tell us about the distress call?" Tyler asked.

  "That it definitely came from that area of space, for a moment I thought that we were being led away from Orion deliberately." Paul Johnson replied.

  "What was the message Paul?" Tyler asked.

  "Simply that they were under attack and were low on supplies, and that without help they didn`t know how long they would last before people began to die."