The Journey Home: Part 7: Future of Humanity (FOH), #7

By Harvey Stanbrough

This is the seventh book in the Future of Humanity (FOH) series. The Repopulation Passengers Council is in full swing and everything shipwide is going well. Maybe too well. Why is that one council member acting so strangely? It's almost as if he's not who he says he is. Come along and find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: StoneThread Publishing
• Release date: May 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393774433

Harvey Stanbrough

Harvey Stanbrough is an award winning writer and poet who was born in New Mexico, seasoned in Texas, and baked in Arizona. Twenty-one years after graduating from high school in the metropolis of Tatum New Mexico, he matriculated again, this time from a Civilian-Life Appreciation Course (CLAC) in the US Marine Corps. He follows Heinlein’s Rules avidly and most often may be found Writing Off Into the Dark. Harvey has written and published 36 novels, 7 novellas. almost 200 short stories and the attendant collections. He's also written and published 16 nonfiction how-to books on writing. More than almost anything else, he hopes you will enjoy his stories.

Book preview

The Journey Home: Part 7

Book 7 in the FOH series

Harvey Stanbrough

a Future of Humanity (FOH) novel from

StoneThread Publishing

http://stonethreadpublishing.com

To give the reader more of a sample, the front matter appears at the end.

Table of Contents

Title Page

The Journey Home: Part 7 (Future of Humanity (FOH), #7)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

The Journey Home: Part 7

Book 7 in the FOH series

You can have understanding without knowledge, but you cannot have knowledge without understanding."

Grelnok, of the Foundry

Chapter 1

All fourteen members of the Repopulation Passengers Representative Council were present at the massive round mahogany conference table in the council chamber, Room 3 Bravo 16 up on the main deck. Having arrived within the last few minutes, they all got coffee and a muffin from the long side table that lined one wall. Then they sat and chatted quietly with their neighbors on either side as they waited for the Chair to call the meeting to order.

They were all dressed in the Repops Council uniform. Like the regular crew uniform, it consisted of black, pull-on, soft-soled boots, electric-blue trousers, and a matching, form-fitting jacket complete with The Ark logo—a black, stylized A covered with tiny silver stars—on the left breast. Above that was their name tag. But on the collar instead of a designated rank they wore the embroidered letters RCM, for Repops Council Member.

Marissa Snyder, short and trim at around 5’2" and maybe 120 pounds, occupied the chair centered beneath a carved mahogany plaque. It depicted the logo of The Ark and read Council Chair. She had an aristocratic nose, full lips, a narrow chin and high cheekbones.

At 8 a.m., as she stood and looked about the table, her long, thick black hair shifted past her shoulders. Her vibrant green eyes practically sparkled as she smiled, tapped the gavel on the sounding block, and called the meeting to order.

As the representatives’ private discussions quieted, she said, Well, here we are, ladies and gentlemen, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Council. This feels like a milestone to me, so before we get down to business, let’s give ourselves a round of applause.

And they did. All but one of the council members applauded, each smiling and nodding and looking at the members on either side of them and across the table. Only John Wheelwright, the alternate rep from FOH Deck 3 and the next in line to assume the duties of Council Chair, sat quietly with his hands in his lap. He was trim, with sandy brown hair cut short on the sides. On the top it was just enough to comb left to right.

When the applause died down, Marissa looked at him. Her smile faded and her brow furrowed slightly. John, is there a problem? Do you have a concern?

He looked at her and shrugged. As he crossed his arms over his chest, he shrank into his chair a little. Not really, he said quietly. Nothing I want to discuss here.

Marissa frowned and allowed her gaze to linger on him for another moment, but she had a meeting to run. She glanced across the table at Sean O’Grady, the primary rep from Wheelwright’s deck, but saw only his short, tightly curled red hair. He was looking at the table.

She finally glanced down at a sheet of paper on the table, then looked up. All right. We have zero old business for once. She chuckled quietly. So any new business? She glanced at Wheelwright again, but he was studying his lap.

Cordelia O’Connor, practically Marissa’s twin but with dark chocolate eyes and skin, raised her hand quickly. Marissa, I move we ask the XO for gubernatorial powers.

Marissa’s smile returned but the furrowed brow remained. Guberna what?

"Gubernatorial powers. In other words, we won’t be only the reps for our decks but kind of the governors of our decks."

Tentatively, Marissa said, Okaaay. You mean like to make up laws and all that?

No, no. Just to help them out. I’m just thinking it would streamline the process.

Several other members nodded and spoke quietly among themselves.

Cordelia continued. As it stands, we’re only supposed to hear problems and gather requests and bring them to the council. Then we bat them around a little and decide which requests the Chair will convey to the XO, right? And then he decides on the disposition.

Marissa nodded. Right.

Cordelia grinned as she glanced around the table. But I’m sure I’m not the only one here who sometimes goes ahead and solves the problem or grants a request outright if it makes sense to me and if it’s something I’m able to do.

Marissa said, Oh, you mean like the lady who wanted a sewing machine?

Cordelia nodded. Yes.

Marissa grinned. You have the floor. She nodded toward the council members. Tell them.

Cordelia glanced around the table. "A couple of weeks ago a woman asked me if she could get a sewing machine for her quarters. She wanted to start replicating fabric and sewing her own clothes for herself and her family instead of just using the replicated stuff.

"So officially I should have brought her request to the council—to this meeting in fact—for us to discuss. But if I’d done that, she would have had to wait at least two weeks to get her sewing machine. And you guys don’t really care either way whether she sews her own clothes, right?"

Several members shook their heads.

Cordelia grinned. Right. So we would have automatically approved her request and booted it upstairs to the XO. And I don’t think it would have mattered either way to the XO either. So instead of bringing it to the council and all that, I figured out a way to get it done. I contacted Chief Grimes in Engineering. He referred me to the Replicator Chief, another guy in Engineering. Captain Reynolds is our equivalent of a supply chief back on Earth. So I talked with him, and the next morning, he sent a guy down with a sewing machine. So instead of having to wait, the woman’s been sewing clothes for the past two weeks.

A few chairs to Cordelia’s right, Ray Petolian, the primary rep for FOH 6, raised his hand and said, I like Cordelia’s idea, and I’ll bet the XO will approve it. For one thing it would lighten his load a little. And really, why should he have to consider requests that have nothing to do with a ship-wide situation?

Marissa nodded. Sounds right to me. She looked around the table. Any other discussion on this particular topic?

Nobody said anything.

Marissa said, Okay, so a show of hands—how many of you guys are already doing things like this?

Nobody raised their hands.

She said, Look, you won’t be in any trouble. I won’t even mention your names, but if more members are already doing this successfully, I think the XO will have more reason to approve it.

One of the members said quietly, Or charge us all with mutiny.

Several members laughed, but nine of the fourteen members raised their hands, albeit tentatively.

One of them, Peter Lessing, the skinny secondary rep from FOH1, glanced around the table at all the raised hands and grinned. His adam’s apple bobbed as he said, "Looks like if the XO wants us to stop doing things on our own, you should probably let us know that too."

Marissa grinned at him. Y’think?

Again several other members laughed.

Marissa glanced down and scribbled on a sheet of paper. Okay, so I’ll bring that up to him. Then she looked around the table again. Okay, any other new business? Any problems with the Apprenticeship Program or Lend A Hand or anything like that?

Again, nobody said anything.

Okay, any suggestions or requests from the people on your decks?

Same non-response.

All right. Then that leads us to our last little bit of business. As you know, this will be my final meeting as your Chair. My year is up today. So the next time we meet, and she gestured toward John Wheelwright, the new Chair will be the alternate rep from Deck 3, John—

No. I can’t. I don’t want it.

Marissa stopped. She stared at John Wheelwright, her brow furrowed. What?

His arms still crossed over his chest, he shook his head. I don’t want to be the Chair.

But you have to, John. It’s your turn.

He shrugged. Then let’s go back to nominating people and then voting. I don’t want it. He paused, then roughly pushed his chair back from the table and stood. His face was flushed. I don’t want it, and I’m not going to accept it.

But John, we all agreed we would—

He didn’t look back as he walked toward the door. I’ll resign first.

When it slid open, he walked out.

Marissa and most of the other reps watched in stunned silence. Finally she looked at Sean O’Grady again. Sean, could you maybe—

I’m on it. Soon as the meeting’s over.

Chapter 2

After the door closed behind John Wheelwright and after her brief exchange with Sean O’Grady, Marissa looked around the table. Well, I’m not sure what else to say, guys. I’ll mention this to the XO, of course, but what do we do in the meantime? If we skip over Wheelwright, the next Chair would be— She consulted her list of members. Susan McGrew, the alternate rep for Deck 4. If we do that, though, it’ll throw the rotation out of whack. But I’m not sure what else we can do, so—

Susan McGrew, the alternate rep for FOH4, raised her hand and said, Point of order, Marissa?

Marissa nodded. Go ahead.

I agree with you that we shouldn’t do that, though I’ll be happy to serve my term when it comes around. As it stands, each deck is represented by the head of the council every seven years. If I take it now, that will skip Deck 3’s second time. So maybe for this time you should go back to Sean.