Book 3: Chapter 12: Funeral for Julia
Riker
October 2218
Vulcan
I was going through the latest production reports from Charles, when I received a call from Justin Hendricks. With a smile, I dropped the reports. Talking to family was always top of the priority list. Justin had grown up; Space Cadet Justin was now a ship’s captain in the New Jerusalem Space Corps. The thought brought a chuckle. The space corps consisted of a half-dozen cargo and transport vessels, based loosely on the version 2 Heaven design.
Dexter, the current Bob-in-residence, had been aggressive about making the colonies independent of replicant support. The Omicron2 Eridani system’s twin planets now featured settlements from twelve different enclaves, and all of them had at least one vessel. Dexter was still hanging around the system, but demands on his time were down to a couple of items a week.
I had a smile on my face as I picked up the call, but lost it when I saw his expression. Justin’s eyes were glistening with barely-controlled tears.
“Uncle Will, it’s Mom. She’s in the hospital. It’s bad.”
* * *
I stepped out of the cargo drone and looked up at the hospital building. Then I looked down at my hands, and at my feet. Howard had lent me Manny without hesitation, when he heard. It took slightly more than an hour to fly Manny from Vulcan to Romulus.