It would take another several months for the engineers working on Stargazer Ten to finish working on the massive craft. Compared to the original vessel that brought them all to the planet, Stargazer Ten was double the size of the Eplis, making it a very intimidating ship since the metal hull was dark as it was being made of Martian Metal. Since their ship was no longer functional Nathan, Rachel and Gregory all integrated into life on Red Star, taking positions their backgrounds would allow them to make the biggest contribution possible. Rachel had medical experience, which was why she was chosen; to provide medical attention during the trip if necessary. This allowed her to volunteer to help at the colony's hospital. Gregory was a know it all when it came to the media boxes, so he was assigned to assist going through all the material on them as well as answer any questions the council's researchers might have about the boxes or its materials. For Nathan, there was never any doubt what he was going to do. He took the tests that all citizens had to take to qualify for Star Shooter training, and he smoked each and every one of them. He even set new records for some of them, which impressed the hell out of everyone. Nathan's experience with the air force was easily noticed by the other pilots and they all watched with amazement as he smoked every simulation they could possibly throw at him. It was clear that not only was Nathan an exceptional pilot, he was better than every other pilot that the colony had. The day Nathan got to test a Star Shooter for the first time, he had a colony pilot to observe or take over if necessary. It wasn't necessary because Nathan has zero issues whipping his shooter all over the place. Making one spectacular maneuver after another that wowed the people who were watching inside the dome. When taking the outdoor obstacle course, which was the final test to be cleared to be a full-time pilot, Nathan not only passed it but set a new record for time. When he flew the shooter back into the Hanger within the Eplis' hull, there was a massive crowd waiting for him in the hanger, cheering him on as he touched down. When he jumped off the plane, Jessica happened to be there as she ran over and planted a big kiss on him, which was almost as great as flying the shooter, possibly better. Moments later, Eric Saunders strolled over, with an interesting look on his face.
"Is there something wrong, Sir?" Nathan asked, saluting the old man.
The old man grunted before responding. "I see you've met my daughter."
Nathan was speechless for a change, but felt better when Eric smiled back at him and then patted him on the shoulder.
"That's some flying you did there, kid." Eric said as he also patted the hull of the shooter. "What do you think of my creation?"
"You created these ships?" Nathan asked, shocked.
"Not exactly," Jessica answered for the old man, "All the engines on the shooters and the Stargazers were invented by him. It wouldn't have been possible for any of us to be here if it wasn't for him."
"It's quite amazing, Sir." Nathan said, turning back to Eric. "That little bugger was clocking some serious speeds that would make every pilot back home greener than the hulk with sheer envy."
"I have the impression you'd like a job flying these babies full time?" Eric asked, "Doing patrols and keeping the colonies safe from all threats?"
"It would be an honor." Nathan replied.
"Then here you go," Eric said, handing him a set of keys.
"What is this?" Nathan asked the old man.
"The keys to your new home," Eric answered, "Right here in the Eplis."
"Wait, I get to live here in this Stargazer?" Nathan said, shocked again.
"All pilots live here," Eric replied, "So if something hits the fan, they can assemble as quickly as possible. It's like having fire fighters live in the firehouse."
"That makes perfect sense," Nathan said, smiling back at him. "It's just ironic that this ship is going to be my new home. The very ship that I saw when I was young is now where I'm going to live for the next while."
"After watching that test flight," Drummond said as he stepped in, "I personally hope you never leave. You are the best pilots I've ever seen fly a shooter."
"Thank you, Sir." Nathan said, saluting a superior officer. "It would be an honor to do my part to protect the colonies."
"You'll fit in just fine," Drummond said as he padded the pilot's shoulder.
For the next several months, Nathan did exactly what he said he'd do and used his advanced skills to protect the colony, doing his patrols with great care. It was his trips to the observatory that he found the most fun, flying into space and docking with the station and then coming back later that day was always the best mission to get. One afternoon, he was given such an assignment; escorting someone to the station and then back to the surface after his meeting was done. He was surprised to see it was Eric Saunders, helping the old man into the back seat and strapping him in.
"Are you all set, Sir?" Nathan asked.
"All set." Eric confirmed.
Moments later, the star shooter fired out of the Elpis like a bullet and zipped along the ground before rising in altitude to make the trip to the station.
"Not too bumpy," Eric called from the back.
"Sorry," Nathan answered, as he eased things down a bit to make the ride a little smoother. "Anything important going on at the observatory today, Sir?"
"Just final details before launching Stargazer Ten," Eric explained, "We will be leaving for Earth very soon."
"Did my crew and I have something to do with that?" Nathan inquired.
"It did," Eric confirmed, "Reviewing your media files allowed us to determine the risk of going back as well as what world leaders to reach out to first."
"Glad to be of any service," Nathan said as the star shooter was leaving the red planet's atmosphere. "When will my shooter and I be moving over to the big rig?"
"You're not," Eric answered, "At least I don't want you to."
"Excuse me?" Nathan said, surprised by what he heard.
"It's not you," Eric started to explain. "I'm going to be worried about the colony the entire time I'm away. If you were to stay here and watch over everyone during that time, I would feel much better going forth. If you could do that for me, it would allow me to focus on the mission at hand knowing you've got things handled here."
"I'd be honoured to, Sir." Nathan said, "This place will be in the same shape you left it, maybe even better."
"I have a feeling your motive for saying is a lot more personal." Eric retorted.
"It is," Nathan confessed, "Is that going to be a problem?"
"No, it's not." Eric said, smiling back at him. "You're a fine man and you have my blessing if you want it."
"I do want it," Nathan confirmed, "But thank you for saving me the nerves of asking for it first."
Things were rather quiet after that as Nathan concentrated on landing the shooter at the station and then helping Eric out of the cockpit and to his meeting before heading back to the hanger to wait for him. The trip back was even quieter, but Nathan assumed it was just because the old man was tired. He didn't see the old man again until the day before for Stargazer Ten was to leave. He stayed over for dinner and while it got teary eyed sometimes, Jessica was so proud of what his father was doing. The council had all the confidence in the world where Eric Saunders was concerned, to the point where they nominated him the commander of the last Stargazer. Eric liked the idea of being in charge of the mission, so he accepted the position.
Jessica and Nathan were in the crowd, watching the ship take off and start to rise into space. To Nathan it was déjà vu, as he got to watch the big Stargazer vessel lift off again like he had when the Elpis launched off the Earth's surface. He put his arms around Jessica and they both watched together as the ship disappeared into space, on its way back home to re-establish political ties with their home world. Nathan was unsure how things would go, but knew that it would be hard for Earth to turn down any offers that might be coming from the man that invented the engines that made traveling to colonize Mars remotely possible. He would offer Earth a chance to use his tech to become space explorers if they agreed to not attack or attempt retake the Mars Colony and recognize them as a independent colony, with no attachments to any nations on Earth and completely self sufficient. This would give Eric the leverage he needed to negotiate a treaty with Earth and ensure that no one would ever attempt to harm the colony again. It was a risky mission, but as the ship left orbit and started to make the five-month trip back to Earth, he was confident things would work out.
Nathan turned to face Jessica, and he wiped a tear from her cheek before giving his future wife a big hug.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" He asked her.
"Oh, him?" Jessica replied, almost laughing. "He'll be fine."
"I still have time before my patrol," Nathan told her, as he took her hand into his own. "We should walk around the park, and just lay in the grass."
"Sounds like a plan," Jessica said as they both started to walk off, away from the crowd that was still looking for the Stargazer vessel that just lifted off into space.
It wouldn't be for several months before Eric would get in touch with the Colony, but it was to inform them that a peace had been negotiated and that was cause for celebration on the colony. The other good news was that Earth also negotiated for the right to citizens to travel to mars in the future, in controlled numbers. This would allow experts in certain fields to visit and even offer assistance if they could to improve life on the colony. In exchanged, there would be the trading of good between the two worlds. Earth sending their supplies and goods, such as the Martian Metal, which Mars had an abundance of. The most important part was that the home world had accepted the colony as one of their own as their existence was no longer a secret. With relations set and treaties formally signed, Eric was confident that the future of the colony was looking much better with their biggest threat taken out of the picture. Eric was sure the colony on Mars was now secure, which was the one thing he wanted to do before passing on. The man whose engines had made space travel possible died in his sleep while Stargazer Ten was traveling back to Mars.
By the time the ship arrived, a massive memorial had been erected in the middle of the colony for their man whose work had made everything possible. While the people who knew him understood Eric never wouldn't have wanted something that epic build in his honor, the memorial was more for the people than it was for him. He was their savior, the man who made Red Star possible. The memorial was for generations to come, to be aware of the amazing contributions Eric made for them, for everyone.
The End