                    Heritage 2. - A New Dawn?
By Nicole Mayer.
July 1997

                               ***

     Devon Adair lay in her tent, watching shadows drift across the
ceiling as countless clouds crossed into the moonlight.  Her son
Ulysses lay on the cot next to her, and she could hear the steady
rising and falling of his chest, signalling deep sleep.  He was
unaware of the past ghosts he had conjured up simply by asking a
question.
     And the answer to the question still plagued Devon.  But that
was not what was troubling her.  One scene from that very afternoon
kept replaying over and over in Devon's mind, and she could not
shake the image.
     Alonzo Solace had kissed her.  Well, she mentally amended, it
hadn't been *only* his fault.  She had participated in the kiss
just as willingly.  An experiment, she'd told herself, as they drew
closer together.
     But the moment his lips met hers... Devon shivered.  The kiss
had been more intense, and more profound, than she'd ever suspected
possible.  It took her not only back in time, but into the future
as well.  
     All of a sudden, Devon Adair was no longer quite sure where
her life was going.  That very morning, everything had been fine as
Eden Advance continued to travel towards New Pacifica.  Devon was
leading a ?democratic? group made up of people she had grown to
trust and depend on completely.  Over the months, relationships had
sprung up and Devon watched as Alonzo became closer and closer to
Julia.
     It seemed they had fallen in love.  And by the time Devon
realised that fact, it was too late for her to do anything about
the slight twinges from the past that kept touching her soul.  It
was all over, and she had moved on beyond that time.
     Until now.  With Uly's perturbing questions about his father,
Devon and Alonzo had finally talked about their past.  About their
whirlwind romance, one that was destined for tragedy from the very
moment it begun.  A romance that produced lasting repercussions
such as Uly.  Their son.
     And then - the kiss.  
     ~We could have been something beautiful together...~ echoed
Alonzo's words.  
     ~But how do we know?~
     ~One kiss...~

     And it was that one kiss that had thrown Devon's life into
confusion now.  The kiss that had changed everything.  She could
not sleep.

                               ***

     Alonzo Solace stared at the roof of the tent he shared with
Julia.  She was sleeping beside him, although that night Alonzo had
been careful to keep away from her.  He cared for Julia a great
deal, perhaps even loved her.  But he didn't believe in betrayal,
and it was someone else who was Alonzo's mind this night.
     Devon.  
     She hadn't turned her cheek at the last moment.  She hadn't
slapped him in the face as she could have.  She hadn't stood up and
walked away.  They had kissed.  
     And it was a moment Alonzo would not forget for a long time. 
He briefly closed his eyes, vividly remembering the momentary
passion that had surged between them.  A kiss so full of promise
and magic.  
     And then they'd both pulled away, realising what it could
mean.  Devon's blue eyes betrayed both surprise and shock as she
raced from Alonzo back to the safety of the camp, and she had
carefully avoided him all evening.  
     It couldn't go on like this, Alonzo knew.  He'd never expected
to rekindle his relationship with Devon.  As far as he knew, it was
a part of Devon's ancient history.  She'd aged so much, and been
through so many trials since they were together.  Whereas Alonzo
had spent many of those years in cold sleep.
     If he really told himself the truth, Alonzo knew that he
wasn't completely over Devon yet.  Julia was the best thing that
had happened to him in a long time.  To be honest, she was the only
one he'd truly cared about since Devon.
     Devon.  That name.  Devon Adair.  It echoed in his head over
and over.  Her title once meant so much back on the stations, and
was the crumbling cornerstone of their brief relationship because
an Adair and a pilot could never be.  
     But here on G889, Alonzo realised, things *could* be
different.  Histories, family names, occupations, social status,
they meant nothing on a world such as this.  Hell, he only had five
women to choose from so a surname didn't make much difference.
     Alonzo sighed.  Was Devon thinking of him right now?  After
today, it suddenly seemed that things *weren't* over between them
and now Alonzo had no idea what to do.  
     He could not sleep.

                               ***

     The morning dawned clear and bright - the kind of day that
usually made Devon feel full of hope for the future, a day where
anything, even impossible dreams, could become a reality.  She
stood, feeling the awesome presence of the mountains behind her
while facing the rising sun.  Colour gradually filled every part of
the landscape and Devon sighed.
     Around her were signs of other colonists beginning to wake. 
Devon herself had finally caught a few hours of sleep, but with the
first rays of sunlight she'd been prompted to get up.  The nervous
tension coursing through her body prevented any chance of lying in,
as she was tempted to do upon occasion.  
     But not today.  She caught sight of True Danziger, already up
and chasing some small rodent around the campsite and Devon was
surprised that Uly hadn't yet joined his friend.  
     Then another tousled head poked itself out of a tent, and
Devon instantly turned to focus on the mountain range instead.  She
didn't know *what* to do about Alonzo, but the mere sight of him
again sent a multitude of emotions throughout her.  
     Devon could hear Alonzo's movements as he crawled from the
tent and began walking across the campsite.  To her?  In the warm
morning sunlight, Devon shivered, then suddenly ducked back into
her own tent where Ulysses was beginning to stir.  She knew it was
the coward's option...but she truly did not even know what to
think.
     "'Morning, Uly," Devon said softly to her son and
affectionately stroked his cheek.  He yawned sleepily.  
     "Mom?" he murmered, still caught between sleeping and waking
and not sure which was real.  "Is that you?"
     "I'm here, Uly," she replied, smiling fondly at him.  "It's a
beautiful day out."  Devon reflected for the thousandth time how
wonderful it was to be able to say those words.  Back on the
stations, day and night had constantly melded into one.  
     Uly rolled over, consciousness gradually seeping back to him. 
"I was having a really weird dream," he said.  
     "The Terrians?"
     "No, not that," Uly assured her.  "It felt kinda strange, I
was back on the stations.  I think-" and then Uly stopped, an odd
expression on his young features.  "I think I was dreaming about my
dad!"
     Devon jumped, her heart racing.  Luckily Uly was facing the
other direction and did not notice her reaction.  Devon took a few
deep breaths to calm herself.
     "Your father?" she asked.  "Did - uh - did you see what he
looked like?"  Yes, Devon told herself, that was a safe question.
     Uly's face crinkled up in concentration.  "I think so...I know
he talked to me and said he was proud of me...it felt like I knew
him or something.  Mom, am I ever gonna find out who he is?"
     Devon sighed.  "Someday, Uly, I'll tell you.  I promise.  I
just can't right now - you have to be brave and understand that for
me.  Please?"
     Uly looked at his mother, growing increasingly annoyed with
her avoidance of the topic.  "But I want to know now!" he
protested.
     "Shh," hissed Devon, hoping that no one was around to hear
their small argument.  "Uly, I'm asking you to be really grown up
and trust me.  I promise that I will tell you soon-"
     "Why, mom?" he interrupted.  His dark eyes were large and
solemn.
     Taking a deep breath, Devon said, "Because you're not the only
one involved, Uly.  If I tell you, other people might get hurt even
if we try not to hurt them.  Do you understand what I'm saying?
     Ruefully, Uly nodded.  "I guess so, mom."  Devon smiled at
him, silently thanking him for understanding.
     "Now, are you going to get dressed?"
     Uly nodded and scrambled from his bed, pushing the thoughts of
his father aside yet again.  He still desperately wanted to know
about him, and was confident that the answers would come soon.  He
just had to wait.

                               ***


     "Devon!" called Yale, hurrying across the camp site.  "I want
to talk to you!"  
     Burying her face in her hands, Devon sighed.  Of course Yale
knew of Uly's questions - it was Yale whom Uly had first asked. 
And now Yale would tell Devon that Uly had a right to know, but
Devon didn't want to discuss any of this.  In fact, if she could,
she'd rather pretend that the entire last day had not happened.
     She hated dealing with emotions.  It was best to be single and
safe from the conflict, the annoying entaglements that inevitably
arose from any romantic relationship.  
     <Romantic relationship?> she suddenly thought to herself.  Was
that what she was really thinking, feeling, about Alonzo?
     Yale finally reached Devon and sat himself down opposite her. 
"Are you still looking for a pass through the mountains?" he asked,
noting the map spread before her.
     "Yes," replied Devon.  "Although I don't think this map is
going to help any more - it's too inaccurate.  We'll have to send
a scout or two up the mountain."  
     Yale nodded.  Then his features took on a grave expression and
he reached out to take Devon's hands.  "Ulysses was asking some
disturbing questions yesterday," he began.
     "I know," Devon replied quickly.  "But I think he's still too
young to know - don't you?"  Her blue eyes pleaded with her old
tutor for confirmation.  But the agreement was not forthcoming.
     "Devon," Yale said slowly, "I believe the time has come for
you to deal with the past.  You can't keep this a secret forever. 
I realise that it will shock some people, perhaps even hurt them,
but it is the past, is it not?  Our friends here cannot hate you
for something that happened a long time ago."
     "But it's not in the past!" Devon suddenly burst out and then
blushed.  Surprised, Yale raised one eyebrow.
     "I mean - I talked with Alonzo yesterday.  We were trying to
figure out if we should tell everyone the truth, but then I
realised that we never even resolved the truth between *us* all
those years ago."  Frustrated, Devon leaned back in her chair and
sighed, staring woefully at the blue sky.  "I just don't know what
to do!"  
     "You cannot keep hiding from the past," Yale said wisely.  He
saw the worry in Devon's eyes and wanted to do all he could to help
her conquer her troubles.  "If you resolve things with Alonzo, how
will you feel?"
     Devon paused, thinking.  "Relieved, I guess.  If we figure out
where we stand, then maybe I could have the courage to - to tell
Uly the truth."
     "I know it's not going to be easy," offered Yale.  "But you
know what you have to do.  You can't treat him as a baby forever." 
     "But what will everyone think?" Devon protested again.  She
took a deep breath.  "What will Danziger think?  He told True all
about her mother, but I never told Uly.  I don't want to lose his
respect...."
     "John will not condemn you for this," Yale said.  "He may
appear to be offended by your actions but I guarantee, that will
pass.  He is an honourable man."
     "And the others?"
     Smiling, Yale said, "It will give them a chance to revel in
one of their favourite pastimes."
     "Which is?"
     "Gossiping.  Never fear, Devon," he added as he caught the
horrified expression on her face, "it won't last long.  But don't
think of the problems - I want you to think of the good things. 
Ulysses will have the chance to know his father.  That's something
he's dreamed of for years.
     "More than that," continued Yale, "Alonzo will be able to
spend time with his son and not feel guilty.  It could be a
wonderful thing for both of them."
     Yale was absolutely right, as usual.  "Thank you, Yale," Devon
said softly.  "I needed to hear this."
     "Then allow me to offer you one more suggestion.  You need to
scout the mountains?"  Devon nodded.  "Then why don't you go, and
take Alonzo with you?"
     "Won't that be a little obvious?" Devon quickly jumped in.
     "To whom?" countered Yale.  "Everyone here sees the pair of
you as friends and nothing more.  Trust me, they will think nothing
of it."
     "Okay," conceded Devon.  "I'll do it."  Now all she needed was
the courage to confront Alonzo again.  And she had to tell him that
it was over as it always had been.
     Steeling herself against the inevitable pain, Devon told
herself that the kiss yesterday was nothing more than a reflection
of the past.  Alonzo loved Julia now, and she, Devon, did not need
any entanglements.  
     Devon got to her feet and began to circumnavigate the
campsite.  The other colonists were still revelling in the laziness
of not travelling for a few days.  Bess sat stitching Morgan's
pants, Julia was re-organising her medical supplies to encompass
new remedies she'd discovered while on the planet, and Alonzo -
Alonzo was washing his hair.
     Devon's footsteps slowed as she caught sight of him.  Poised
above a bucket of water, he dunked his head into it, and then stood
up straight.  Alonzo shook his head back, and rivulets of water
streamed down his uncovered back.  His muscles rippled and gleamed
in the sunlight and Devon stood, transfixed by the sight, suddenly
remembering exactly *what* it had been like to run her hands down
his smooth torso.  Despite the warmth of the sunlight, Devon
shivered.  
     Almost as if he could feel the intensity of Devon's gaze,
Alonzo turned.  Their eyes met in a contact that seemed to last for
an eternity.  
     Finally, Devon looked away, swallowing hard.  She forced
herself to not think about Alonzo or the way he made her feel or
the absolute confusion she was enduring.  Instead, she simply said,
"You and I will be scouting the mountains today.  We need to find
a path for the vehicles."
     She didn't give him a chance to respond, but quickly added,
"I'll meet you in the centre of camp in a half hour."
***Question - did EA say things like 'half hour'?***

     "Right," concurred Alonzo.  "And Devon?"
     "Yes?" she almost snapped.
     He stared at her, the beginnings of a question on his lips. 
Then he shook his head.  "I'll tell you later."  He grabbed his
shirt and threw it over his head as Devon walked away.

                               ***

     The sky was a brilliant blue as the sun blazed down on the two
weary travellers hiking up a mountain.  Devon's shirt clung to her
with sweat and she paused to quickly tie her hair back.  Alonzo
glanced back for only a moment, then continued silently upwards.
     Neither of them could think of a thing to say to each other. 
Devon rationalised that it was the heat that made it too difficult
to talk.  She carried one water canteen in her small backpack (they
had learnt early on in the journey how important water was in an
environment such as this) and she was trying to ration it.  
     Finally, after what seemed hours of climbing, they reached the
summit of this particular mountain, which widened into a plateau. 
Devon could see for miles both east and west, and finally, could
see potential paths for the vehicles.  She pointed each one out in
turn to Alonzo, and they discussed potential problems with each. 
Eventually, a decision was reached.
     Alonzo sauntered over to a rock and casually perched on it. 
"Well, Dev, now what?"  He took a long drink from his water
canteen.  "We're up here, alone...."  He let his voice trail off,
watching Devon nervously pace back and forwards.
     "You know I didn't drag you up here just for scouting," Devon
began, scuffing the loose rocks with the toes of her shoes.  "We
have to finish our conversation from yesterday."
     "Which part of it?" Alonzo threw at her, and she could almost
swear he was smirking at her discomfort.  Or maybe he was just
joking to lighten the mood.
     "I talked with Yale today," stated Devon quietly.  "He told me
what I already knew - we can't go on lying to Uly, no matter how
much I want to.  I know this is going to cause some problems in the
group but they all have to learn the truth sometime."  Her last
words came out in a rush.  "And all we have to figure out is how to
tell him, and then this mess is fixed."
     "Or is it?"  Alonzo spoke quietly from his vantage point. 
"Come on, Devon, we talked about a lot more than that yesterday. 
I think there's still one more thing we have to figure out."
     "And that is...?"  She didn't want to say it herself, she
barely wanted to think of it.  Devon turned her back on Alonzo to
face east, where she could see an impossibly distant horizon beyond
the edge of the plateau.  And if she squinted hard enough, she
could see their tiny camp beneath the haze that shimmered from the
ground and distorted her vision.  
     Devon heard Alonzo get to his feet and then suddenly he was
behind her, so close she could feel his breath on her exposed neck. 
Involuntarily, she shivered.  
     Alonzo slid one hand around her waist and pulled her close. 
"This," he whispered, breathing softly into her hair.  "Or did you
think I'd forgotten?  Devon, I *never* forgot you," he vowed.  "I
need to know if you feel the same way."
     Trembling, Devon tried to speak.  She'd never imagined having
this kind of conversation with Alonzo.  Danziger, perhaps, but
Alonzo, her one-time lover, her friend now?  
     "I was thinking about you all night," Alonzo continued.  "I
couldn't get you outta my mind."
     "I couldn't stop thinking about you either," admitted Devon. 
"But Alonzo, this is crazy!  We finished years ago, no matter what
we feel now!"  
     "So you're saying you do feel something?"
     "Yes, no!  I don't know!" Devon burst out, suddenly pulling
away from him.  "Alonzo, we can't do this.  I don't need this. 
Think of what it would do to the group.  Think of Julia!"
     His face took on a wounded expression.  "My relationship with
Julia is already over if I can't stop thinking of you.  No matter
*what* we decide.
     "I still have to see your face every day," he whispered
softly.  "Wondering what might have happened if we could have been
together.  I always regretted leaving you."
     "Alonzo," Devon said firmly yet their were tears in her eyes,
"I'm sorry.  But I think we should end it here, end it now."
     They faced each other, his eyes burning into hers.  The small
distance that separated them suddenly became a gulf that was
widening rapidly, and soon it would be impossible to cross.
     "Are you sure about this?"
     "Yes," Devon whispered even though it hurt her so much to say
it.  Her lost love would remain lost forever.  
     Alonzo took one last, lingering look at the woman he once -and
possibly still did- love.  Then he turned his back and walked away. 
"I'm going back to camp," he said, his voice flat and
expressionless.  "You coming?"
     "In a while," she replied just as evenly.  "I'm going to sit
here and enjoy the view for a few minutes."  

     Alonzo gathered his pack from by the rock, forcing himself
with every step not to look back.  It was for the best, he told
himself over and over.  What had happened yesterday was nothing
more than an echo of the past, it meant nothing that he had dreamed
of Devon all night.  They were only memories that had no place in
his life now....
     He heard a slight noise behind him, a shuffling, almost as if
something was skidding across them, or sliding, or falling....
     "ALONZO!" Devon screamed.  Fear struck his heart and in a
millisecond he turned.  Where Devon had been only moments before
there was now only dust and an eerily alone piece of torn fabric. 
     "Devon!" he shouted, racing to the edge of the plateau.  Every
fibre of his body was racing with an adrenaline akin to absolute
panic and horror.  "Devon!" he shouted again, while thinking to
himself, <please be okay please be okay please be okay....>
     He skidded to a stop only inches from the edge, wary of the
loose rocks but more concerned about Devon.  Alonzo looked down,
seeing her distraught face as she clung to the rock face with a
precarious grip.  
     "Hold on, Devon, I'm gonna get you up," he promised, dropping
to his stomach and reaching down with his arms.  Devon's eyes were
wide and frightened as she looked up at him, but there was also a
determination in those eyes to hold on no matter what it took.  Her
hands were scraped raw and bloody from grabbing on to the jagged
rocks but she barely noticed the pain.  All she noticed were
Alonzo's strong hands as he grasped her forearms and began to pull
her up.  
     Slowly, inch by inch, Alonzo slid backwards bringing Devon up
with him, until finally, both were sprawled face down on the
plateau, arms locked together and their faces so close.  
     Devon looked up.  "I almost died," she said slowly, as if she
couldn't quite believe it herself.  "And you saved me."  As the
full realisation of the near-miss began to hit her, Devon began
shaking.  She pulled herself away from Alonzo, sitting up and
hugging her knees to her chest.  
     "Devon," Alonzo said hoarsely, "I almost lost you."  His voice
dropped to a whisper.  "And I don't think I could've lived with
that."  He scrambled over to her and very tentatively, wrapped his
arms around her shaking body.  She leaned into his embrace and
suddenly said, "I'm glad it was you - who was here....Alonzo...."
     And suddenly they were kissing, desperately, passionately, as
the trauma of the situation caught up with them and they realised
what they had almost lost.  All resolve to be strong flew from
Devon's mind as she dimly realised that, after all these years, she
was in Alonzo Solace's arms again and there wasn't anywhere she
would rather be.

                               ***

     "Yale!" called Danziger.  "Have you heard anything from Devon
or 'Lonz lately?  I tried calling them on gear but they weren't
picking up, and they should've been back hours ago."
     Yale shook his head, secretly hoping that the delay meant that
Devon and Alonzo were truly talking out the situation and reaching
a satisfactory resolution.  


               -----------------------------------

That's all for now!  