“The entire UPs population aside, we have just under four point five million women of breeding age left, and in twenty more years, that number will drop to less than one point five million women if we don’t do something about it. We are facing an extinction level event.”
Madeline Chen sat for a long time in silence after the two scientists’ departure. Her Comm link had flashed, indicating she had messages, but she had set it to “Do Not Disturb.” The other people would wait, just until she could digest these grim details.
There were hours of meetings left in the day, and reports from the salvage missions going on in New York, Washington, and San Francisco. There were hundreds of people working their way through the cities, recovering what art they could. The loss of the Greater Los Angeles basin to El Nino-fueled wildfires had spurred recovery efforts. The art and historical artifacts that had been lost in southern California was mind-numbing, but there were other far older areas of the world in which there were even more historical and literary treasures.
Madeline had been told that there were frantic efforts going on in Rome, Cairo, and other ancient bastions of humanity. They couldn’t save everything, not even a fraction of it, but the salvage teams were doing their best.
She paged through the messages on her tablet. The packs of dogs, wild now that their owners were gone, roamed the cities. It had become such a problem, especially for the recovery teams, that the remainder of the military were dispatched to cull their numbers down. The situation was nearly as bad for the formerly domestic cat populations, but cats were far better at caring for themselves than the dogs. And they didn’t hunt in packs like their canines counterparts. The only good news from that quarter was that the rat population in New York City had finally been eradicated.
She reviewed the documents Janelle and Julie had prepared for her, scrolling through them on her tablet, words and phrases jumping out at her. What they were suggesting was nothing short of fascism. An enforced registry and breeding program? Women spending their lives as living hosts for babies? It was shocking and she struggled to wrap her mind around it.
And then there was the space expedition side of it. Dr. Aaronson, whose nephew was captain aboard Calypso, had actually suggested that they send the rest of the UPs to the Gliese 581 system. As if they could just whip up a spaceship! Not a single piece of the ship could be built by ESH survivors, not without risking contamination and death of any UPs who climbed aboard the vessel. It was insanity.
They had learned the hard way, over and over, that to approach an Unaffected Person and make contact, regardless of stringent safety procedures, was to introduce death into their midst. They had lost hundreds last November when a settlement in the Appalachians was exposed, and again in northwest Washington a month later.
There had been no discussion of possible cures or retroviral therapy in the proposal. No ideas on how to eliminate the ESH virus and re-integrate the UPs population in with the surviving population here on Earth. And worst of all, no hope for eliminating the teratogenic effects of the virus on fetuses.
Madeline felt ill.
She had been so strong since Gary had died. He had treated her like a fragile, glass doll for the entire course of their courtship and marriage, but Madeline had survived when her husband and billions had not. She had flown over the wreckage of the Reformed United States, as well as much of the rest of the world, and seen the devastation. Empty cities, heaps of the dead whose putrid smell was carried on the wind even now, four years later. The highways filled with cars, and more bodies, whose decaying effluence had poisoned waterways and soil, filling even the green cities with contamination. The world was now overrun with every kind of animal except for man.
She had survived it all. She was stronger than she looked.
Her tablet beeped, a message scrolling into view.
Transmission Packet
TUPG to acting Chairman
/BEGIN TRANSMISSION
Faint signals detected from mars. three survivors remain. all esh positive. more updates to follow when signal booster is in place.
/END TRANSMISSION
A glimmer of hope. The Mars colony had been declared a full loss, but apparently they had been wrong. It was something to hold onto, a tiny victory in a sea of loss.
The spring sun poured through the windows, warm, reassuring, but Madeline rubbed her temples slowly as she felt the beginnings of a migraine forming.
She had been set with an impossible task. Somehow she had to convince the rest of the world to listen, and follow, this daring plan. She would probably be vilified. But if she did not take action, the future of the human race was doomed.
Madeline’s hands strayed to her flat belly. No child had ever grown inside of her. Gary had always treated her like a delicate doll, capable of breaking if handled wrong. In many ways, she had been just that to him, a doll to be displayed, almost worshiped. He had loved her, and she him, but never had the subject of children ever been more than a thing that other couples did.
Perhaps it would help if she announced that she would do her part as well. At the age of thirty-nine she was on the outside edge of fertility and the chances of carrying a child to term were riddled with more than the average number of problems. Despite this, her willingness to commit to the breeding program would go far in helping others accept the radical changes on the horizon.
Madeline imagined an embryo taking root inside of her, turning her flat stomach into a round bubble of life. It certainly couldn’t hurt to try. For the first time, the idea of having a child brought a smile to her lips.
Outside of the enormous white building whose twisting spires were reminiscent of a double-helix strand of DNA, a city continued to rise from the plains. Set between Missouri and Oklahoma, in what was once endless prairie, the latest in technology dictated every street, sidewalk and building. Soon the ESH survivors would come here, to this new city, and settle into life again.
But for how long? The city plan included schools, daycare centers, and playgrounds. Madeline thought of these, sitting in her atrium in the city center. For the first time she wondered, would they ever see children fill them again?
Tribunal
“Human judges can show mercy. But against the laws of nature, there is no appeal.” – Arthur C. Clarke
Date: 02.09.2104
Calypso Colony Ship
Daniel made his way slowly into the captain’s ready room, a man on each side of him. He almost laughed at the absurdity. He could barely walk, what did they expect him to do? Fight to get free? Grab a wrench and start swinging?
He didn’t object. He knew that the tribunal was just that, a chance to explain the facts as he knew them. The others hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen Zradce hammering at the main control panel, damaging it so that stopping the system reset was impossible. It had nearly ensured the deaths of 206 people in the process. They hadn’t seen the two men fight after Daniel tried to stop the destruction of the control panel, or his attempts to revive those in the Cryo pods before the system reset. All they had seen was the blood and chaos, two men on the floor, and the damage already done.
“They need to hear your side, Daniel,” Sam had said, “once they do, the charges will be dropped and they will know the truth.”
She had stayed by his side, sleeping in the Medical Bay, refusing to leave except to perform her duties. Her hair was tousled and he reached out to smooth down a duck tail that had formed near the back. “How are things on the ship right now?”
Sam sighed, “I have been busy on the ‘Ponics Deck trying not to trip over a handful of botany techs, all fresh out of Cryo and eager to do something, anything with their days. There are plenty of experiments left to run as we ready the small plants for transplanting to the surface.” She rolled her eyes, “But it is so damned crowded we do more shimmying about than anything else. We have four full shifts, and it is a hive of activity, just like the rest of Calypso.”
With all of the extra bodies on board
awake and moving about, the Medical Bay was a quiet haven, only the beeps of the machines and low voices punctuated the silence.
“In the common areas, it is absolute chaos throughout the day, and barely quiets during the Fourth and First Shifts.” She grinned, “I get better sleep here on the floor of the Medical Bay than I would in my own coffin.”
“What have they done with everyone?” Daniel asked.
“Well, the newly revived have been separated into two groups and set on a working, leisure, and sleep schedule that balances their numbers as much as possible. However it is such a sharp departure from the skeleton crew we had operating since departure, it has really put a strain on everyone. I swear, I can feel my heart rate increase and anxiety build up each time I’m out in the halls. I haven’t seen more than twenty people at one time and in one place for years. They can’t even have a ship wide meeting all at the same time, there’s no room for everyone to attend.
Daniel glanced over at the opposite side of the room. Nathaniel Zradce lay there, still in a coma, and Dr. Schrader had said that the chances of him ever recovering from it were very small.
There had been swelling, followed later by minimal brain activity, and Carrie had put it bluntly, “If he ever does wake up, which he mostly likely won’t, in all probability he will be unable to walk, talk or even feed himself. We need to consider the Zero Protocol.”
Zero Protocol was the last resort, a decision that required a majority vote from a tribunal. It meant consigning a human being to the blackness of space, jettisoning their body, living or dead, into the void. It was not a decision that any of them would take lightly.
They had all agreed to it, as part and parcel of joining this mission to Gliese 581. If you violated the rules, if you endangered others, or if you sustained injuries that could not be reasonably remedied without using up a set amount of resources, then Zero Protocol would be voted on and enforced.
The harsh realities of traveling 22 light years from your home planet through the void, meant risk. And everyone depended on everyone else – there could be no exceptions.
Without it being said, Daniel knew that he also faced that possibility. If they believed him guilty of sabotaging the Cryo pods and murdering five innocent people, he would pay for it with his life.
There were voices at the entrance and Daniel felt his heart rate increase. It was time for the hearing. It took one of the men and Sam to help him out of his cot and onto his feet. Slowly they made it out of Medical Bay, down the hall, and past scores of staring faces. Did they think he was guilty? Or did they consider him a hero? He couldn’t tell, especially since he was focusing on simply standing upright and walking, a monumental task considering how battered and broken his body was.
Daniel felt like he had run a marathon by the time they made it to the Command Deck. Sam had slipped away as they approached the ‘Ponics Deck, telling him she would see him after her shift. Carrie Schrader followed Daniel into the tribunal.
He stood in the Captain’s ready room in front of four people, three were members of the tribunal, and Captain Aaronson, who was presiding over the hearing.
He sat down slowly in the chair they had for him, shaking from the effort it had taken to walk the short distance from Medical Bay.
“Daniel Medry,” the Captain looked up from his tablet for a moment, “Thank you for coming.” Captain Aaronson studied him intently, “Mr. Medry, are you sure you wish to testify? I understand that Dr. Schrader has advised that we delay question until your injuries have healed more.”
“Yes sir,” Daniel said, focusing on taking shallow breaths and timing his words to avoid the most intense spikes of pain, “I just want to get this over with. I’m able to testify.”
The Captain regarded Daniel steadily, “All right then. Before we begin with the questions, I would like to introduce the members of this tribunal. Before you are Ellie Satler, Director of Facilities Management aboard Calypso, Jackson Sebring, Pro Tem Commander planet-side, and Martin Phoenix, First Officer. Mr. Medry, do you have any objections to the members of the tribunal as it stands?”
“No sir.”
“And do you wish to name a member of the crew as counsel during this tribunal?”
“No sir.”
“All right then.” The captain looked down at his tablet, “We have received several first-hand reports and testimonies already. They have given us an overview of the events by personnel who entered through the ventilation shortly before the system reset. We have received numerous testimonies by those revived from Cryo, but their memories are fallible due to their drugged state. We have also had several accounts from the crewmembers who were first through the blast door hole. We have a pretty good understanding of that end of things, and I’m hoping you can clarify some of the events prior to all of that.”
“Yes sir. I’ll do my best.”
“Excellent. Please begin with an explanation of why you were in Cryo to begin with.”
“My friend Deeks, er, Mike Deekins, and his assistant Stuart Evers were on duty. Deeks and I play poker every Friday night in one of the lounges. It was right at the end of shift for Deeks, and I had come by to see if he wanted to grab a meal with me at the Mess Hall before the game began.”
“And what happened next, Mr. Medry?” Ellie Satler asked.
“I noticed that the control room and offices were dark. It was also very quiet. Not that Cryo is loud, but usually I hear Deeks and Evers talking. There was nothing until I got to the back rooms where they usually sit.”
Ellie Satler nodded, “Go on.”
“I turned on a light and saw one of their tablets on the floor, its screen cracked. Then I saw blood, a large amount of it. I saw that the blood was leading in a trail away from their desks and towards the locker area, where the Cryo gear is stored. That’s where I found the bodies.” Medry’s voice hitched and his broken rib blazed hot pain.
“So you and Deeks were friends?” Martin Phoenix asked next.
“Yes sir. Deeks was a good friend. We met in training at the Cape.”
“Tell us what happened next, Medry.” Captain Aaronson pressed.
“I was attacked, sir. I turned and Zradce was coming at me with a knife. If I hadn’t have turned around at that moment and blocked his attack he probably would have killed me.”
Jackson Sebring’s steel gray eyes bored into him, “I see from the initial interview two days ago in Medical Bay that you stated there were two separate attacks. How did you survive this attack? Why do you think he stopped the first time?”
“I don’t know. I know I must have gotten knocked out. Maybe Zradce thought I was dead.” Daniel shrugged, an agonizing mistake as his injured ribs screamed their objections, and “I just know that I woke up on the floor, blood in my eyes and the alarms screaming.”
“So you are saying that Zradce closed the blast doors and programmed in the countdown?” Ellie Satler asked.
“Yes ma’am. It certainly wasn’t me. I tried to stop it, but he attacked me again and I was stabbed in the shoulder at that time.”
“Did he say anything? Anything to indicate why he would have done this?” Ellie pressed, her eyes intent.
“No ma’am, just scripture.”
“What?”
“Bible scripture, he recited the Lord’s Prayer.”
Martin Phoenix leaned towards the Captain, “Carter mentioned he had seen Zradce praying at meals, but the personnel records clearly state that he was an agnostic.”
Fenton quirked an eyebrow, “Apparently that changed. Not that it is unusual given the circumstances, we have seen the numbers grow exponentially with Carter’s prayer group.” He motioned for Daniel to continue.
“We fought briefly and I managed to subdue him. I tried to open the blast doors and stop the countdown, but he had damaged the master controls significantly. I knew the crew were trying to get through and thought that there might be time for that, but then I remembered the emergency revival procedure we were taught in train
ing.”
“Go on.”
“I began entering the manual override on each of the Cryo Pods, but I was injured and it slowed me down.”
Jackson keyed something into his tablet, muttered under his breath, and showed it to Ellie and Martin in turn.
“Go on,” Ellie prompted.
“Each row held twenty people in Cryogenic suspension, and there were eleven rows in use.” Daniel looked down at his hands, the memory of his panic foremost in his thoughts. “I kept falling and I passed out a couple of times.”
Martin Phoenix took the lead through the next set of questions. “Medry, are you aware of Jennifer Zradce’s testimony earlier today?”
“No sir.”
Martin nodded, “She is understandably concerned that her husband is being blamed for something that someone else might have done, specifically you.”
Daniel felt a surge of overwhelming sadness for the woman. He had met her a few times, but Sam and Kit had known her better, even been friends, during the last phase of training.
“I can understand that.”
“How is that, Medry?”
“How hard would it be to wake up and hear the kind of news she had?”
“Mm,” Martin Phoenix stared at him before asking, “Were you and Zradce well acquainted?”
“No sir. I knew him, but we weren’t friends. We might nod hello in the halls, but that was about it.”
The questions continued, revisiting every step Daniel had taken, every moment he could remember.
Toward the end, Carrie Schrader had stepped in, concerned at the pallor of Daniel’s complexion as he struggled to breathe while answering the rapid crossfire of questions from the three officers.
“I want to make it clear that I object to any continued questioning of my patient. Daniel sustained significant injuries and has not sufficiently recovered from them.” She said.
Gliese 581 Page 31