by Lucas Marcum
“Colonel Suarez, welcome to Task Force Mercy, Plans Division. I’m Rear Admiral Miles Saunderson.” The admiral’s light Irish brogue gave his voice a friendly, musical tone. The man continued, “Congratulations on your promotion. Unfortunately we don’t have time for pleasantries, so I’ll get right to it. You’re going to be assigned to Data Analysis and Projection until we go into the field, whenever the task force mobilizes, and then you’ll assume your command.” He handed her a datapad. “Long story short, your team’s job is to determine what we might need to keep the Elai home world alive.”
He must have caught sight of her face, as the older officer laughed. “Oh, ye think that’s complicated? You haven’t heard anythin’ yet. Here’s the real doozy. We need three scenarios planned for.” He ticked them off on his fingers as he spoke, “One: They put their scaly little paws in the air and surrender. Not bloody likely. We move in and watch and assist as per the terms of surrender. Two: We beat them to a point where they have to surrender, their civil infrastructure is damaged or failing, and we need to support them ‘til they’re back on their feet.” He tapped his thumb with an index finger to indicate the third point, and with a wry smile, added, “Those are the easy ones. The third is to plan for the complete reconstruction and long-term support pending a full military invasion of the home world.”
Elizabeth closed her mouth, which she’d been unaware was hanging open, and managed to speak, “Sir, where…where do we even start?”
The admiral grinned and tapped his nose. “The same way you start everything else, Colonel: with a pencil and paper. You and your team’s job is ta think big picture. Don’t let the little buggers starve ta death, kill each other, or get wiped out by disease. The prime minister has pretty clearly stated that we’re not going to let them fail, so that’s what we’re going to plan for. You’ll get a suite of offices, and a team, which you can expand as needed. We don’t have an unlimited budget, but we have a pretty decent pot of cash to pull from, so ask for what you need.” He paused, eyeing her, and then said, “I understand you were on Paradise, and Desolation before that.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, sir.”
”Rough time, then?” His voice was gentle.
Elizabeth nodded again and replied quietly, “Yes, sir.”
He regarded her in silence for a moment, then said, “I understand where you’re coming from, Colonel. I had a cruiser, the Intemperate, shot out from under me at the First Battle of Solace.” In a matter-of-fact voice, he stated, “I made it,” there was moment of hesitation, then he continued in a faraway voice, “but six hundred thirty-five of my crew didn’t.” He looked down and said quietly, “But that’s why we’re here. We’ve seen what happens when people fail to plan. We’re the ones who survived, so we understand the cost.” He gestured at the office around him. “They put us here so we can do what we can to save lives. This time it’s not our lives or the lives of the soldiers and sailors under us. This time, it’s to save the lives of our enemy, because we’re not going to be at war forever, and they aren’t going to be our enemies forever.”
Abruptly he looked Elizabeth in the eyes and said, “What we plan and how we do it here will affect the Elai for the rest of their history. Now, I want a preliminary plan to provide emergency medical support and food aid to a planet full of aggressive aliens in social collapse, and I want it by the end of the month.” With a mischievous twist of his mouth and a sparkle in his eyes, he added, “It shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
Laughing despite herself, Elizabeth nodded. “No, sir. Just like planning a birthday party.”
“You must have a lot of relatives, Colonel!” The Irishman grinned broadly.
Grinning back, she replied, “I’m from a Mexican-American family with generations of devout Catholics, sir. We have big families.”
Admiral Saunderson laughed, a genuine, friendly laugh. “We have a lot in common, Colonel Suarez, big Catholic families notwithstanding! We’re going to have a right lovely time.” He offered her his hand, and she reached out and shook it. His voice got serious again, “You’ll be on your own for a lot of this. I’ll be seeing you at the weekly update briefings. The door is always open if you need guidance or want to kick ideas around. This is a task that’s too big for any one person, so if you need help, just ask.”
“I will, sir.”
“Very good. I’ll see you in a few days, as I’m going to be out of the office reporting to the prime minister. My exec, Captain Hara, will be available if you need him, and call me if you need anything.”
“Yes, sir. I will.”
Her mind snapped back to the present. She frowned at the page in front of her, then suddenly snapped the screen off, and picked up her datapad and her uniform hat. It was time to start thinking outside the box.
****
The next morning, Elizabeth was brushing her teeth when her phone chimed. Spitting out the toothpaste, she picked up her phone. Seeing that she had a new email, she tapped it. With a frown, she scanned the contents.
LTC Suarez, CAPT Hara, the timeline is accelerating. Meet us in Alba Mons City at the Conference Center in the Hilton tomorrow at zero nine for an update briefing. This is priority one. See you tomorrow. -RADM S
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath and headed for the bedroom. As she did, she said, “Computer, call Jason Hara, screen off.” She started to dress as the connection hummed.
After a moment, Captain Hara’s voice came, breathing heavily, “Suarez. What’s up?”
Pulling an issue undershirt on, she replied, “You check your email?”
“No, I was out for a run. They actually have a pretty nice park here. Real trees and everything. Hang on.” The phone chirped softly, and then Elizabeth could hear him mutter under his breath, “God dammit. That’s on the other side of the planet. It’s an easy six-hour flight, IF we can find one this late.”
With a sigh, Elizabeth complained, “Ugh. No teleconference option, I suppose?”
With a dry chuckle, Jason replied, “There’s a culture in the Admiralty for in-person meetings. Painful, huh?”
Elizabeth pulled her utility uniform pants on and replied, “Yep. I’ll meet you in the lobby in forty-five minutes or so. Who do I call to get travel authorization?”
Jason laughed. “No one. You’re technically assigned to the Admiralty staff, so you have authorization to go wherever you need on planet. No need to pay, either, just flash your ID, and it’ll be charged to the office. Off planet you’ll need authorization. You also have priority message clearance for the courier ships, too.”
Pulling one of her boot laces tight, Elizabeth replied, “Handy, and very much unlike the Army!”
With a cheerful laugh, Jason responded, “You’re in the civilized service now, sister. We try not to make life harder than it has to be, random planetary hops notwithstanding. I’ll see you downstairs, and we can figure out this cluster of a travel day we have coming up.”
The phone connection ended. Elizabeth spent a few minutes tossing the few items she’d need into a travel bag. Zipping the bag shut, she checked the time. Still having fifteen minutes before she had to meet Captain Hara, she went over to the window, sat on the couch, and looked out.
The Huxley Hotel was one of the few on Mars that was built in the high-rise fashion like Old Earth, and she was on the tenth floor. The view was of the low-slung buildings of Huxley City, interspersed with the graceful faux-wrought iron pillars of the dome supports rising between them. Through the dome she could see the familiar barren, rocky landscape of the Martian surface, bisected by the bright lines of the maglev train heading to the north. As she watched, one of the sleek trains pulled out of the station exit tunnel and rapidly accelerated, moving out of sight in a matter of moments. Sitting and admiring the view for a moment, she then pulled out her phone again and hit the control to record a message.
“Hey, Tony. I had a minute, so I thought I’d say hello. I’m apparently attached to the Admiralty Staff now, whic
h was a surprise to me, and they’re doing stuff that’s just soooo Army. They’re sending me to a conference on the other side of Mars with twelve hours of warning.” With a grin, she added, “It’s a good thing, too. I was starting to get jittery with an office job that was safe and predictable. It’s just not what I’m used to.” She watched a food truck vendor on the street below and her stomach rumbled. She continued speaking, “They put me up in the Huxley Hotel, which is super fancy, but it just feels WAY too nice. The Navy guys are telling me that this is pretty standard for them. Typical Navy, but I don’t need to tell you. I’m sure they make the Marines sleep outside in space suits while the Navy has luxury hotels!”
She looked down at her hand for a minute, then back up at the camera and said, “I don’t know where you are, but you be careful. We have a lot of things to do, and I need you in one piece to do them.” She paused and smiled, and then continued, “In case you’re unclear on that last bit. You may consider that an order. I do outrank you for the time being.” She made a serious face for a moment, then stuck her tongue out at the camera and added, “Ok. I gotta jet. I need to go get breakfast, then I’m going to go fly in a small shuttle through the Martian winter winds. Actually, on second thought, maybe just coffee.” She smiled at the camera again and said, “Don’t forget what I told you before. You owe me dinner, and interest is accruing rapidly, my friend. I’ll see you soon.” She kissed her fingertips and gently touched the screen. “Be safe, big guy.” She sent the message, picked up her bag, and left the room.
Ten minutes later Captain Hara came out of the elevator, dressed in his Navy utility uniform and carrying a small overnight bag. He was on the phone, and as he approached Elizabeth, he hung up and said, “Ok. Train to Hellas Planitia, then we can catch the twelve hundred suborbital hop to Alba Mons City. It’s gonna be a long day, but if we don’t run into problems, we ought to make it in about twenty-two hundred or so.” With a grin he added, “I guess we don’t rate private transport yet, huh?”
With a return grin, she answered, “I guess not!”
The pair made their way to the nearby train station, enjoying the walk. Huxley City was known for its classic style, and the broad streets, carefully tended flowerpots, and sidewalk cafes made for a lively, European feel. People strolled the shops and sat on benches, talking and drinking coffee.
Watching the peaceful scene, Elizabeth shook her head and commented, “This is crazy. It’s almost like there’s no war going on.”
Jason shook his head. “Yeah. Well, here it sure doesn’t feel like it, does it? It’s not like this everywhere. This place has its economy propped up by the Navy. Look around. How many uniforms do you see?”
Elizabeth had noted the high number of uniforms earlier but hadn’t thought to link the two. Now, as she thought about it, it made sense. After a moment, she asked, “Is it worse elsewhere? I didn’t see anything when I was on Earth, but I was mostly at the elevator hub and my hometown, and nothing ever seems to change there.”
With a shrug, Jason replied, “Wait till we get to Hellas City. It’s another world over there.”
The two approached the station for the high-speed rail and walked up to the window. Presenting their ID cards to the young woman behind the counter with a shaved head, perfect makeup, and violet-tinted eyes, they received their rail passes. They quickly made their way into the station right as the doors opened up to the train. Entering, they made their way forward and found two unoccupied seats. Elizabeth stuffed her bag under her seat and sat by the window.
After a moment, she said, “I’ve always liked trains. My dad and I used to take the high-speed line from San Diego to Seattle for the day. It was a lot of fun. You couldn’t see a lot because it moved so fast, but it I remember being impressed by just how vast the Pacific Ocean was.”
Jason smiled at this, and replied, “Vast until you got to space, huh? I felt the same way.”
Elizabeth smiled and looked back out the window. The doors chimed, and the train began to pull out of the station. It moved slowly as it went through the airlock tunnel, then picked up speed as it hit the Martian surface. Soon features of the landscape were flying past them, with individual buildings and domes springing into view and then vanishing.
Jason was tapping on the screen in front of his seat. As he did, he asked, “Breakfast?”
“Sure. Whatever’s fine.”
“Ok. Breakfast sandwich, coffee. The ride is about forty minutes, and we’re gonna have to hustle to get our flight, so we probably ought to take the time to eat now.”
The food arrived quickly, and the two set into their breakfast. Seemingly as soon as they’d finished eating, the train’s chimes sounded, and the people around them started to pick up belongings and throw their trays away.
Checking her watch, Elizabeth was startled to see they were almost to Hellas Planitia Station. The train pulled smoothly into the station, and the doors opened. Joining the line of people leaving the train, Elizabeth commented to Jason, “That was so smooth! We’re making good time so far.”
Nodding, the man was tapping his phone as he said, “Yeah, the trains are really good in this part of Mars. Most of the tracks are new. They aren’t all as smooth. Slower and bumpier up north.” With a frown, he tapped his phone again and said, “I can’t seem to get a taxi. The service request app is just saying, ‘Busy’. Let’s go outside and see if we can find one.”
Nodding, Elizabeth followed the signs that said, ‘Exit: Hellas City’, and spotted another that said, ‘Taxi Stands: North Hellas’.
Pointing at it, she asked, “That us?”
Jason looked up and nodded. “Yeah. The suborbital hopper is on the other side of Hellas City, about six clicks away, but it’s through the lower part of the city. It’s not a long walk; it would just take too long.”
The train station around them was older and much more worn than Huxley City Station. The floors were dirty, and the lighting flickered occasionally. The holo displays on the station walls glitched periodically as they advertised soap, Vesuvian vacations, and payday loans. The people they’d ridden the train with had vanished, replaced by people in rougher clothing, who moved purposefully and didn’t meet their eyes. Elizabeth looked at Jason, who just nodded his head toward the exit. The two made their way outside and looked around for the taxi stand. Spying it, they made their way toward the stand. This part of the city was very different than Huxley Crater, and much larger. The streets had more litter, and there were few pedestrians. The light was dimmer due to the older dome, which had a layer of grime on the inside. There were a few shops, but not nearly as many as Huxley, and many of them had writing in a dialect Elizabeth didn’t recognize.
Pointing at the sign, she asked, “What language is that?”
Jason looked and then replied, “It’s a mix of Hindi, Arabic, and American English. Formally it’s called ‘Chiam’, but most of the locals just call it ‘Dusty’.”
“Strange name for a language. Why dusty?”
“Cause most of the early settlers here were miners and surface construction workers. Most of them were from India, the Middle East, and the US right after the Troubles. They called them that because they were usually dirty, since there wasn’t much water available to bathe, and never enough to clean suits.” He made a face and added, “It’s got a pretty derogatory connotation, to be honest. Calling someone a ‘dusty’ is a pretty good way to start a fight, particularly if you’re from off world.”
She looked around and observed, “You weren’t kidding about Huxley City. They have it good over there.”
Jason nodded. “They do, and they know it.” He gestured at the city in front of them. “These guys know it, too. I know you haven’t spent a lot of time out in the world since you got back, but it ain’t all peaches and cream out here.” Adjusting his pack, he added, “The economy here is in shambles. We have a big depot here in Hellas City where we store a lot of the medical supplies, including three of the new modular field hospitals, so
that provides some jobs. It’s not enough, though.” He paused and added somberly, “I guess the colonies are even worse.” Entering the taxi stand, they approached the summon stand. Elizabeth tapped the ‘Request ride’ button. The screen flashed for a moment, then a message displayed. ‘Taxi Service Unavailable. Please Try Later’.
With a frown, Jason tried his phone again and turned it around to display the same message. Elizabeth’s phone turned up the same. Nearby on the street, three police vehicles came tearing by, their lights and sirens flashing. They turned a corner and disappeared into the dimly lit city, the sirens fading into the distance.
Jason looked after them and frowned, then turned to Elizabeth. “I really don’t want to walk, but I don’t know that we have a lot of choice.”
Shaking her head, she sighed and put her bag over her shoulder. “Me either. Let’s get this over with.”
Consulting his phone, Jason indicated a nearby street. “That way.”
Making their way across the street, they could hear thumping in the distance. Elizabeth paused and asked, “What the hell is that?”
Stopping to listen, Jason replied, “I don’t know. It sounds like drums. Weird.”
The street they were walking down was nearly empty, the few people visible walking fast and purposefully, not meeting their eyes as they passed. After walking for ten minutes, they came to a large cross street. The thumping grew louder as they walked.