Alpha One - Chris Burton [64]
“Excellent, my friend. We will speak in the next few days and let’s see if we can get this moving.”
They exchanged pleasantries and the comm line went dead.
Koenig’s reticence was misplaced. He knew Alpha without ECG was not as easy as they anticipated and that this was moving things in the right direction. Now was not the time to discuss funding or Alpha’s constitution. He sat down at his desk and returned to the small matter of the Sentinels. Battle would shortly commence.
Chapter Thirty
Relationships
The day dragged. It was Friday afternoon and Carla looked forward to a quiet weekend. She had nothing specific planned other than Tennis with Jake. Maria asked her whether she wanted to join her and two other friends on a trip to Rome for a spot of shopping; normally something at which she would have jumped, now she needed time to herself this weekend.
Her day began with a communication link from her parents in Australia. Joely made contact and finally agreed to meet her parents in Singapore this weekend. This was great news. Carla spoke to Joely and confirmed her visit to Titan in three weeks. Next she finalized the arrangements for their trip with Jake. Initially, he sounded unenthusiastic, but he yielded and in the end seemed happy to go, even if Maria didn’t feel the same way.
As for Steve, it was two weeks since she enforced their ‘temporary’ split. He was persistent. She stood her ground, but she did miss him. You couldn’t spend three years with someone without feelings lingering after the event. Did that mean she regarded the split as permanent? On the other hand, Steve was suffering. Given his other issues, was it fair to do this to him right now? She had needs too. While she needed space at the moment, she needed someone to cuddle and support her in the next few months.
It wasn’t Steve she wanted. She wanted and needed Jake, but she could not have him…or could she? Maria was away and she was not with Steve anymore. Carla smiled…maybe she would not have to wait until their ‘Trip’.
* * * *
Jake met Maria after class, late on Friday afternoon at the Refectory. In the two months they dated, Jake looked forward to their afternoon rendezvous, but today was different. There was an uneasy silence as they sat drinking their coffee and their initial greeting was brief and formal.
It was cooler today, certainly less than twenty degrees and comfortable. The ‘monsoon’ rain season finished. Between now and the end of the year, the climate would be pleasant. When the sun shone in a cloudless sky, the radiation threat from UV rays remained high. Protective clothing and sun shades were absolutely necessary, but the liquid tubes could be dispensed with until Spring.
Maria broke the silence. “So when are you going to Titan and for how long exactly?”
“Three weeks tomorrow. We will be gone for five days, returning on Thursday in time for jump ship training and the Top Gun competition that weekend. Look, Maria, you are not still hung up on me going with Carla are you?”
“Yes, I am. Okay, Jake, cards on the table.” She looked down at the floor briefly before looking back at Jake with her opaque blue eyes. “I need you to tell me something. If I ask you not to go will you consider it?”
Jake looked at Maria and found himself hypnotized by the sheer beauty and depth of her eyes, the color of the sea in a tropical bay. He could not let Carla down. She needed him right now.
“You know I can’t. It’s the same as you being away in Rome this weekend. You have to let this drop. Seriously, this is not good for either of us.”
Maria paused before replying and a tear ran down her face. “Jake, I think we are going to have to finish. I cannot be your girlfriend, if you won’t even discuss this. I told you we needed to talk about how we feel about each other. Well, you have made it clear how you feel about me.”
Jake was a little stunned. “I guess I am not ready to commit to anything more serious at the