Traveller Inceptio
63

Michael Hunter never referred to himself as Mike for the simple reason that, to some, that version of his full name sounded too much like swearing. The joke wasn’t lost on the kids at his childhood school, nor when he first joined the Special Forces, where he was the cause for more than a few ribald jokes. The best were reserved for Elaine, one of the civilian receptionists and a strict Christian. Elaine was a lovely woman who had been involved in an abusive first marriage, and in her newfound freedom, found Jesus. For years she spent any spare moment, even at work, with a Bible open on her lap. So bright and cheerful was she that some of the troops joked that she was on drugs, while her trusting nature made her a soft target for pranksters.

It wasn’t long after Hunter first arrived at the base when the loud speakers broadcast Elaine’s voice as she announced, “Mike Hunt, please call to reception. Mike Hunt, has anyone seen Mike Hunt. Looking for Mike Hunt. Please can you contact Mike Hunt?” The troops were in tears of laughter until one of the staff sergeants had to go to reception and advise Elaine that the call was a prank. When the penny dropped, she was so distraught that she sobbed all afternoon and took the next day off.

So Hunter was always known by his last name.

In the weeks that led up to his departure, Hunter participated in the team’s usual training and took every effort to incorporate Hurley’s newly reported changes to the Saxon linguistics. The Irishman had sent the corrections with his reports, and many of his images were so unremarkable they could have been from modern, rural England. He had experienced few problems, mainly a bout of mild nausea and diarrhoea for a few days that required a double ration of the relevant meds.

The reconnaissance of the new Transporter location took place with the usual procedures, using stationary movie cameras while Anderson and Osborne were sent a couple of days later. The beauty of the old forest was stunning. As part of their reconnaissance, they collected an impressive range of vegetation and fungus samples, but they emphasised that their footage failed to convey the atmosphere of a nearby glade they described as simply beautiful.

Hunter’s Transportation was to be the next day.