THE CAMBRIDGE ANNEX: THE TRILOGY by Damon Peter

Author:Damon, Peter [Damon, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2014-12-08T05:00:00+00:00

September 4th.

It was a full month before the rest of Cambridge University’s colleges would begin their academic year, but those selected to attend Rolle college were already congregated in Ely’s Church in the heart of Cambridge for a service of remembrance and dedication, the first for Claire and Herbert Rolle, the second for the new college named after them in memory of the sacrifice they had made.

Sir Richard Phillips, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University was there, as were all the Pro-Vice-Chancellors. That in itself was a rarity, but Ricky Williams, one of the new students at the college, figured the whole concept of the new college warranted some pageant.

Ricky, a post graduate student, was going to be studying Mechanical Engineering within the Astrophysics Department. It was the first course of its type in the UK, or Europe for that matter, and specifically geared towards making improvements in spacecraft and space system design. For Ricky, just 24 and an avid fan of anything to do with space and science fiction, it was a dream that had come true.

At the end of the service, Michael Bennett was confirmed as the Head of Rolle College, which raised a cheer from the three hundred odd people in the church. He rose to walk to the front, and Ricky anticipated a lengthy speech, similar to those he’d heard in the past. Instead, having cleared his throat, and tapped gently on his microphone, Mr Bennett told the students that the buses were outside, and if any of them wanted a window seat, they had better be the first ones out.

There were three coaches waiting for them, and each had a list of passengers posted. Now there was pandemonium as students rushed from one list to another to search for their name and, finding it, rush forward to claim their place, all the while saying good-byes to accompanying parents and grandparents, often torn between the desire for their parent’s embrace, and a highly prized seat beside a window.

The scuffling died down as all the window seats were claimed. Ricky had been out of luck, his name being on the last list that he had looked at. He promised his kin he’d write often, urged his younger brother to continue to work hard, and mounted his bus to find a seat near the front, a hand extended to introduce himself to his neighbour, a young woman beaming proudly down at her parents looking up at her from outside the window.

“Joyce Davers,” she told him, grinning brightly with excitement. “Planetary Science and Astronomy from Oxford, now taking Space Science and Astrophysics, and Applied Mathematics,” she added. “You?”

“Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Strathclyde, now studying Mechanical Engineering, Astrophysics,” Ricky told her as the doors to the bus soundlessly closed.

The coaches blasted their horns in a cacophony of sound and rose into the air, tyres releasing the odd pieces of gravel they had collected as they began to angle upwards, their slow ascent giving the students and watching cameras the best opportunity to fully appreciate the moment.

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