Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Nine: Departure
January 1, 3050
"Last roll call, manifest, and systems check before departure," dozens of voices repeated the same lines across dropships.
"I know that we still have around fourteen days before we reach the jump point, but it's still exciting that we're about to do something that hasn't been done since the era of the Star League," I said as I looked out at the clusters of dropships that were beginning to lift off from the spaceports.
"Our own Exodus," Natasha said as she leaned into me. "I'll try not to go crazy and turn us all into a caste-based class system while we're gone."
"Don't even joke about that," I elbowed Natasha in the side. "We're not leaving for good after all."
"I think we'll do fine," Natasha strapped herself into the seat next to me as we began to lift off towards space.
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"Well, off they go," David said to Elsa, his siblings, and his children. "Looks like everything went well with the roll call and manifests."
"So, what do we do now?" Ian asked his older brother.
"We continue the work that Dad started," David said with a smile. "There are still many worlds in the Terran March that need rebuilding, and we still have to see if we can bring the rest of the nations in the Inner Sphere into the fold."
"And how do you plan on getting Franklin Kurita to agree to be a part of the alliance that is holding his father captive?" Elsa asked her husband.
"I thought we'd start by seeing if he'd accept a dinner invite," David said seriously. "It's hard to be angry with someone when they're feeding you good food, and dad left his recipe book behind. There's a really good recipe for ribs in there that I think would be enough for someone to declare peace over."
"Only you and your father would try to do something that crazy and expect it to work," Elsa rolled her eyes at her husband.
"Have you had those ribs?" Amanda asked her sister-in-law. "They're the best thing I've ever tasted."
"I think it might work," Ian offered as he shyly raised his hand. "Food and sharing a meal has been proven to produce favorable results on even the people who are enemies."
"I chose to marry into this crazy family," Elsa reminded herself.
January 14, 3050
"How's the new ship?" I asked Bruce as we docked with the Redemption "She do well on her maiden voyage?"
"She's like a brand new ship," Bruce smiled. "A bit heftier than my old boat, but I'm still satisfied."
"That's good to hear," I replied. "The rest of the Dropship fleet should be docking within the hour and once we're all set we'll be jumping out."
"You going to transfer over to the Manassas?" Bruce asked, knowing that the Heavy Cruiser was my ship.
"Yeah, I just wanted to check in with the fleet commander, first," I replied. "Nat and I'll take a small craft over and get ready for the rest of the trip."
"Well, everything has been through a dry dock in the past two years, so we shouldn't see any real issues pop up," Brue replied. "But we're triple-checking everything just the same."
"I'll leave you to it then, Admiral," I patted my friend on the back before making my way to one of the small craft bays.
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"All dropships and jumpships of Expedition Alpha, this is Duke Hull speaking," I said over the open channel to all of the ships in the fleet. "We've got a long journey ahead of us, and I know that problems will arise, but remember that we're a part of something special. We have people from almost every nation in the Inner Sphere cooperating to make this work, and we are laying the foundation for something that will last beyond us. Take pride in the fact that we're going to explore new places and rediscover old ones. Think about the legacy that we will be leaving behind for our children and grandchildren. Of the stories that we're going to have to tell when we return. And more importantly, think of the good times that lie in the future, and remember that we're all here trying to make this work."
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"A bit long-winded," Dr. Rogers said as she entered the bridge of the Manassas. "But a fine speech nonetheless."
"We are jumping in five, four, three, two, one," The navigation officer called out. "Beginning jump."
Space folded and everything blurred as it normally did when one entered a jump, but instead of appearing on the other side, everything went black.
March 5, 3050
"Thank you," David said as he hung up the phone in his office before sighing and burying his face in his elbow.
"What's wrong?" Elsa asked as she rocked their toddler to sleep.
"The fleet has missed their second check-in," David replied. "And they haven't shown up on any world in a hundred light-year radius."
"Could they have misjumped?" Elsa asked as the toddler finally drifted off.
"The odds of a misjump affecting the entirety of the fleet are slim to none," David replied. "But given the luck that my dad has," David trailed off.
"And Melissa was with them too," Elsa reminded him. "Adam's on Tharkad, but Melissa being missing or dead could lead to some political issues."
"The Alliance is going to be sending ships out to see if we can find any trace of them," David said exhaustedly. "But we may have to operate on the assumption that they're not going to return. Dad's last misjump stranded him over two centuries after where he left after all."
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October 31, 3050
"Nothing?" Elsa asked her husband.
"Nothing, they can't even tell that they jumped out of Kentares," David said as he buried his face in his hands. "I'm in talks with the Archon and with Hanse, and they think we should have a public memorial service if we don't find anything by the end of December."
"Then let's pray that we find something before then," Elsa said as she pulled her husband in for a close hug. "But we should also continue moving forward, you are not your father and need to carve your own path."
"I'll go ahead and plan out the ceremony," David sighed. "He didn't want a gravestone, but I don't think he'll protest if I do something else and leave it as a reminder."
"I'm behind you," Elsa kissed David on the cheek. "Yours, always and forever."
"Until the end of time itself," David finished.
Author's note: I'm not going to be doing an epilogue. This is the end of the story that I had to tell for Blood on the Horizon. I will answer any questions for the next couple of days though before I close off the thread.