“Cronus?” said Althea with a bit of excitement.
Cronus removed the Venganto mask. The bald little man beamed at the both of them. “A daring escape. Worthy of a martian warrior you might say.”
“I might. With enough to drink,” said Viekko lowering his gun. “How did you get out?”
“It was the acolytes in the pyramid. They had a secret in the basement. It was them who became the Venganto.” Cronus looked mournfully at the wreckage. “I suppose they are gone now. Along with everything else. More history lost forever.”
Althea went to him and clasped his hands in hers. “Cronus…I’m…so sorry. I can’t understand what that data meant to you or how hard it must have been to leave.”
Cronus stared off in the direction of the wreckage. His look was far away as if he were looking past the debris to the bright silver moons in the distance. “The mainframe, my equipment...there will be others, but a seeker is rare. And only a seeker knows what he is looking for. If I allowed myself to die, I don’t know if there would be someone who could listen to the data and hear the secrets it contains.” He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he thought about what he just said. “Is that presumptive of me?”
Viekko slapped him on the back. “Maybe, but ain’t no shame in thinkin’ you’re the only one who can do the job proper. Hell, I’m not even sure I know what you do.”
“It’s very simple. See, when Civilization fell—”
Viekko stopped him. “And we ain’t got time to find out now. Come on, Cronus, let’s go find Isra and see about gettin’ off this frigid rock.”
They started walking. Althea, always the person who filled any silence, asked, “Did you manage to find anything at all?”
“The data needs to be processed,” said Cronus. “But yes. I found something. Time will dictate its value. But I believe it will show itself worthy.”
The long night on Titan stretched on. Seventy-two hours later, darkness still covered the moon with only a dim red glow on the eastern horizon signaling the beginning to another long day. And when the sun finally did rise, it wouldn’t recognize the world it left only a few hundred hours ago. Less than a week on a more civilized planet.
For a start, what amounted to a second city had risen in and around the Corporation camp. It still consisted of simple, temporary dome structures but there were more of them and those that existed had to be expanded. The mess hall, especially grew two or three times and now served as the center of this growing society.
The old, decaying city and the forests surrounding it were all but devoid of human life as its citizens streamed to the Corporation camp to be closer to the return of the Kompanio. The parameter grew as more and more people set up simple shelters, some made with nothing but branches and leaves from the dying forests surrounding the camp.
Hundreds of Perfinduoi, Urbanoi and Corporation soldiers streamed into the mess hall filling it to beyond capacity. Whatever Titan was going to become when the sun rose was going to be decided and nobody wanted to be left out.
Even with twice or three times the extra space, Viekko still felt claustrophobic sitting on a bench in that mess hall. The small, round folding tables the Corporation used to furnish the area had been replaced by long, heavy wooden ones not unlike those at the communal gathering place of the Perfiduloi in the ancient spaceship. In fact, Viekko couldn’t be totally sure they had not been brought from there.
It was standing room only as every survivor from the Urbanoi and the Perfiduloi crammed together drinking, eating, and conversing. This time, it didn’t feel as forced as it did in the Houston’s palace. A few people kept to their own kind, but everyone else mingled in a kind of kinship that hadn’t been seen on this planet in a millennium.
Viekko was seated at a table with Isra, Althea, Cronus, and five other Urbanoi who more or less ignored them. Wine flowed through the whole hall, which did a lot to explain the sudden camaraderie. Viekko preferred to drink alone and in quiet, letting the booze sooth his battered body.
Althea sat next to him with a mug of wine in her hand, although she only took a couple sips from it. She mostly just turned it around and around in her hands while watching the people of Titan moving from table to table, chatting and laughing as if they hadn’t just spent generations trying to enslave and slaughter each other. She sighed and said, “The forests are deteriorating faster than any of the scientists anticipated. They say that most plant life will be dead within a month. Maybe less.”
Viekko took a drink. “Nothin’ we could do about that, Althea. We weren’t the ones who blew up the refineries.”
Althea cast an evil eye at Halifaco who was sitting at the front of the room with the Houston and Laban. “What do you think will happen to them now?”
Viekko leaned back. “They’ll survive. People have a way of doing that.”
Laban tapped his mug on the table until the conversations around the room ceased. Backed up by two interpreters, Laban began speaking. “Honored guests! I welcome you to the grand opening of Titan Outpost One. What we build on this foundation will ensure the safety and prosperity of all people of Titan, Urbanoi and Perfiduloi alike.”
The Urbanoi clapped while the Perfiduloi raised glasses of the imported Corporation wine in the air.
Isra was sitting across from Viekko, looking down at a mug of wine as if trying to discern the individual molecules that made it up. But when Laban began his speech, Isra started mumbling to herself loud enough for Viekko to hear, but he doubted anyone who wasn’t listening could. “First step, he will make sure the people know that the resources of the moon belong to the native people…”
Laban waited smiling until the room was quiet again. “I am so pleased to be sitting down with Halifaco of the Perfiduloi and the Great Houston of the Urbanoi. There have been troubles on this planet in the past, I know this is true, but those will be repaired. To help heal this amazing planet, we want the people of Titan to know that their resources belong to them and nobody else.”
“Next,” said Isra, not looking up, “Make the population dependent on the Corporation by putting them deep in debt.”
“Even as we speak,” Laban continued, “A ship is being loaded with new equipment to maximize the extraction of the great wealth of hydrocarbons. A small investment by both peoples of Titan that will guarantee prosperity for every living person.”
Viekko and Althea exchanged glances. They started to recognize the Corporation playbook even as Isra recited it.
“The third part is tricky,” Isra continued, “You need an element of self-interest so that people in a position of power will continue to work in their own best interests rather than for the good of the people.”
Laban walked in front of the table. “I would also like to announce an exciting new opportunity for the people of Titan. You are not just a proud Titanian race, but you are children of Earth. Your ancestors found themselves alone here after the Fall, but they created a grand society and it is a society that you all should be proud of. However, as children of Earth, you are entitled to return to your ancestral home. And, in exchange for some of the hydrocarbons extracted, we can make that happen.”
The crowd cheered, louder and longer than ever. Isra gave a single, solemn nod and said, “Well played. All you need now is the consent of the current ruling class so that it doesn’t feel like a hostile takeover and that’s it…”
Laban motioned back to Halifaco and the Houston who both stood up and joined Laban in front of the table. “This deal will not only bring an end to the division between the Perfiduloi and Urbanoi, but will ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for all of Titan.”
Isra looked up just as the Houston and Halifaco took a step forward to shake each other's hands and then embraced each other. The show was over and everyone went back to their conversations.
Althea sat up slightly, “And that’s it? All is forgiven and forgotten? The slavery? The cruelty? The senseless killing? Can the Corporation really erase all tha
t so easily?”
“Of course not,” said Isra taking a drink, “It is still there. It is just hidden now. Look at Halifaco.”
Viekko watched Halifaco and the Houston pull away from their embrace as continue shaking hands.
“Look at his eyes,” Isra continued, “The ambition is still there. He will play by the rules for now because he still believes in Kompanio. But he will grow tired of it and seek a way to power again. Look at that group over there.”
Viekko and Althea both turned to see where Isra pointed. It was a group of five or six Perfiduloi men and women gathered around an Urbanoi couple listening to them talk.
“The woman on the far right,” said Isra, “She knows that couple. One of them at any rate. Something happened to her. She can’t look them in the face. Her smile is forced. She laughs a half-second later than everyone else. She is trying to fit in. She knows that the thing to do now is pretend that the past is the past, but one cannot pretend forever. She will slip up and the truth will be known. Now look over there.”
Isra motioned to two Urbanoi men sitting close to each other at an adjacent table, “They have not talked to a single Perfinduloi. You can see the concealed disgust in their faces when one stops to chat. They see this gathering as an abomination and they will act accordingly someday.”
“What are you saying?” asked Althea with a touch of admiration in her voice.
Isra smiled and even laughed just slightly, “I am saying that the children all behave when the parents are watching. The parents, in this case, being the cult of the Kompanio. Religion is the ultimate parental figure. It may cause them to change their behavior, but it will not change who they are at heart. The hatred is still there. And that is good.”
“How do you figure?” said Viekko finishing his drink.
“Hatred leads to violence. Violence leads to suppression. Suppression leads to revolution. The Corporation requires complete control but they cannot something as energetic as hatred. It only gets stronger the more it is contained.” Isra got up. “Come with me, Viekko. You need to see something.”
Viekko set his mug down on the table and followed Isra. She marched up to Laban and extended her hand. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
Laban smiled wide and said, “I must say, I am surprised. You never did strike me as one who would be magnanimous in defeat.”
“Oh, I am not,” said Isra. She flashed Viekko a fast smile and added, “I know you knew about the city and I can prove it. You had thousands of feet of hose and almost no drilling rigs. Your plan from the start was to take over the refineries that you knew were there.”
Laban pulled back. “Hardly a violation. Besides, you still can’t prove it. The shipping manifests will prove that we took advantage of a situation.”
“And the fact that you had a message from the CEO ready? It takes over two hours to get a signal to and from Earth. You made it earlier and intended to use it to subjugate the people.”
Laban waved his hand. “That is your interpretation. The Corporation will have theirs.”
Isra smiled. “Indeed. And the legal battle will be long and drawn out. And there is you, Laban. I suspect as the leader of this expedition, you will spend a lot of time arguing for the Corporation.” She grabbed him by the arm. “You are a rare Corporation man, Laban. Enterprising, resourceful, a free thinker with a taste for adventure.”
Laban forced a smile and, with an awkward tact, pulled his arm away. “So nice of you to notice.”
Isra continued, “I suspect spending all your time in and out of Ministry courts and Corporation tribunals would crush a man like you.”
Viekko saw a slight glint of horror in Laban’s face as his future flashed in front of his eyes.
“There is not much satisfaction in pyrrhic victories,” said Isra, “But one has to take what they can.”
She turned and started to walk away. “Nothing in this world is simple, Laban. Or free. There will always be those waiting to collect.”
She went back to her seat across from Althea and sat back down. Viekko stood behind her. “So what exactly did I need to see there?”
With a serene smile, Isra picked up her mug of wine and held up toward Althea. “To another mission complete.”
Althea hesitated but clinked her mug against Isra’s.
In that moment Viekko realized that maybe it wasn’t that he needed to see it, but that Isra needed him to see it. In his experience, a general who no longer seeks the approval of his army has given up. But so long as he—or she—is willing to put up a semblance of strength there’s still some fight left.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
In the end, the only hope to discovering the truth might lie in the planets and moons of our solar system. The real story could still exist somewhere out of reach of those who worked so hard to hide the truth of the Fall. There are many reasons to venture from our home planet. Discovering the truth about our own past is arguably the most important.
-from The Fall: The Decline and Failure of 21st Century Civilization by Martin Raffe.
Viekko floated near his locker in the hibernation pod aboard Innovation. He pressed his thumb to the black pad to unlock it and retrieved a small silver-colored metal container. It was about the size of his palm and a few inches thick. He unscrewed the top and brought it to his lips. The action opened a valve in the neck and released the liquid inside. A splash of sweet, warming whiskey burst in his mouth. He held it for a moment, savoring the flavor before he swallowed. It was a small celebration worthy of such a small victory.
He let his body relax in zero gravity. Constant free-fall was soothing in an odd way. Without gravity exerting force on his aching, bruised muscles he could fully relax. He could lay back suspended in air and let the tension drain out of him. He brought the flask to his lips again.
The hatch hissed and creaked open. Viekko winced as he quickly spun around to stash the flask back in his locker. Contraband like whiskey was a minor issue, certainly nothing close to several days’ supply of triple-T. But he had troubles enough for one trip and listening to Althea or Isra chew his ear off was more than his tattered psyche could handle.
So it was a strange relief when it was Cronus who floated through the door feet first with the immersion goggles still on his head.
He pulled the goggles off and grinned with great excitement. “Viekko. I thought I would find you in here.”
Viekko reached into his locker for the flask again. “Ah, what made you think I would be in here?”
Cronus cocked his head. “You seem like a man who celebrates a victory on his own. I am as well. But this time…I had a strange desire…I thought it would be good to share the moment with another person.”
Viekko smiled and tossed the flask from hand to hand watching it spin slowly in the air. “Celebratin’ alone ain’t healthy anyway. Here.”
He tossed the flask toward Cronus. It flew in a straight line for several seconds before it got close enough for the little net baby to grab it out of the air. He twisted open the cap and sniffed it. “What is it?”
Viekko folded his arms. “Just a little somethin’ they make on the farm.”
Cronus arched an eyebrow, took a drink and immediately launched into a coughing fit. “That is not a drink for humans. That is fuel. That is something you burn to keep warm or maybe escape the gravitational pull of a small body.”
He tossed it back to Viekko who smiled. “It takes some gettin’ used to.” He raised the flask and said, “Here’s to a successful mission. To nobody gettin’ killed and...to a new member of the Human Reconnection Project.”
Cronus blinked. “You mean it? What about Isra?”
“She has a way about her, but she don’t always mean what she says. Besides, you did good at the end. She can be reasoned with.”
“Viekko!” yelled Isra through the open hatch of the hibernation chamber.
“In the same way one might reason with a sandstorm,” said Viekko. He took another drink
since being caught was inevitable.
Isra shot through the hatch and caught herself on a handle attached near the door. “Viekko, are you in here?”
Viekko raised the flask. “Isra, good to see you. Hell of a mission, eh? Join us for a drink?”
Isra glared at the little metal container as if it had personally insulted her. “No, thank you. I do not want to know where you got that. Anyway, I am here to give you an order.”
Viekko ran his hand down the length of his queue. “Oh good. I was floating here worried that—”
“Viekko Spade, I hereby order you enroll in and complete a triple-T rehabilitation program upon your return to Earth. What happened down there was unacceptable and I will not have a man I brought on for security running around strung out on some super-drug. You will enroll, you will complete it and you will submit to a complete screening and physical assessment before you are cleared for another mission. Is that clear?”
“As a brilliant, starry night.”
Isra floated forward until she was too close to his face. “I mean it, Viekko. Clean up your act or I will toss you out and leave you to die in some gutter on Earth. You have the occasional ability to make situations slightly less dangerous and that is the only reason I did not shoot you myself.”
Despite Isra’s proximity, he managed to get the flask to his lips. “Understood.”
Isra spun around to face Cronus. “As for you, once we get back to Earth, I want you to report immediately to Ministry security for clearance and a background scan. You will also schedule a medical examination as quickly as possible. We will be scheduling a new mission soon and I expect you to be better prepared than you were for this one.”
Cronus nodded so fast that his head was in danger of disconnecting from the rest of his body.
Isra looked both men over and, satisfied with her work, spun around and launched herself toward the hatch.
She grabbed the handle at the door. “Cronus, one more thing.”
Cronus gulped.
Saturnius Mons (Ruins of Empire Book 1) Page 36