Cygnus bowed her head and slowly lowered her arms. Astraea followed the motion, still not sure of what was going on. The ashar’s eyes narrowed a little, then she bowed her own head and went back through the door. Cygnus and Astraea followed, and they found themselves in an airlock, which seemed reasonable. The ashar held up a hand, fingers pressed together, and Cygnus nodded.
‘We wait here,’ Cygnus said. ‘They’ll pressurise the airlock and then I’d imagine we talk. I think she wants to talk, because they wouldn’t have sent one person to kill two of us.’
‘Unless she’s more powerful than she looks.’
‘Ashar don’t get powers the way humans do. Earth is the only place Denny knows about, or I can remember, where anything like Ultras have developed.’
‘Ashar can’t breathe vacuum, but she can.’
‘That’s… a point. And I can hear you without the radio.’ Cygnus turned to the ashar. ‘Palnesh?’ she asked.
‘My Palnesh is adequate,’ the ashar replied, in that language. ‘I am Madvedant Mareko, Guardian of Ashari Mastada. What business have you with my people?’
Cygnus’s eyes widened. ‘Oh! Well, that explains a lot. My name is Cygnus and I’m the Guardian of Earth. We… have a lot to talk about.’
Asharem Colony, Mars.
‘A-am I doing this right?’
‘Yes!’ Astraea exulted. ‘You’re speaking English. This will be so much easier.’ They had been going a little slowly since everything had to be translated into English, or into Palnesh. And Palnesh was neither Cygnus’s nor Madvedant’s first language anyway. Now that Cygnus had taught her fellow Guardian the trick she had picked up from Polyglot – a Union member who could speak any language – Madvedant could speak English so long as there was someone to talk to.
‘In that case,’ Madvedant said, ‘I formally welcome you to our colony, Astraea of Earth.’ She held up her right hand, palm toward Astraea.
‘Thank you. Welcome to Mars.’ Astraea reached out and touched her palm to Madvedant’s, as she had seen Cygnus doing earlier. It was sort of like a high five replacement for a handshake.
‘Mars. Yes, Cygnus said that was your name for this world. We have not yet come up with a name of our own, so I will suggest that we use yours. I’m sure it will make things easier when talking to your people.’
‘Which will probably be needed if you really want to build a colony here.’
‘We wish to… I am sorry, I do not have the word for this. We will… make Mars like Ashari Mastada. Change the atmosphere to–’
‘Terraform,’ Cygnus said. ‘You must be getting your English from Astraea because I know that word. Of course, “terraform” implies that you’d be making Mars like Earth, but I’m sure the word applies. Astraea doesn’t read as much science fiction as me. Terraforming is… future technology to us.’
‘Our initial estimates suggest that we will be able to create a breathable atmosphere in no more than ten years. That would be Mars years.’
‘About twenty years on Earth,’ Cygnus mused. ‘Give or take. In twenty years, humans could walk on the surface of Mars with just a respirator…’
‘How many people do you have on your ship?’ Astraea asked.
‘One thousand and forty crew,’ Madvedant replied. ‘Another two hundred thousand in stasis. Well, we have begun reviving those in stasis. We had only a basic science team in the crew, so we revived more scientists to confirm our estimates of the planet’s viability. We have revived technicians to begin construction of this facility.’
‘Yeah. Which you put up in two days…’ Astraea looked around at the plaza they were sitting in. ‘It would take weeks or months for us… Wow.’
The ‘town’ the asharem had built still looked a little like a work in progress, but it was quite amazing what they had achieved in just a few days. The trio were sitting at a table which belonged to a small ‘coffee shop’ set on one side of a hexagonal plaza in the habitation dome. The shop did not actually serve coffee, but it did serve hot drinks and pastries, and it did serve the same, basic function. Currently, there were not too many people about – many were still in stasis on the ship – but there were a few sitting at tables, chatting over drinks. Or they had been chatting until Madvedant had arrived with her human guests. Now they were looking and whispering.
The habitation dome was just the tip of an iceberg. There were shops and such on the surface, as well as some housing, but the majority of the living quarters would be underground, providing better radiation protection. Everyone currently awake could live in what had been constructed, but they were busy building deeper quarters for everyone else.
The other two domes were the factory and administration domes. The former would have farming levels below it quite soon. The latter was there to handle administration of the colony but would end up with laboratories of various sorts beneath it. The domes were already linked by underground tunnels.
Astraea looked further up and smiled. Up near the roof panels, asharem were flying. There was an obvious joy in it: these were people who had been cooped up for far too long and now they were free. They would swoop up to the very apex of the dome and then cling to the surface somehow, and then launch themselves off into the air to swoop and glide.
Madvedant noticed where Astraea was looking and smiled. ‘My people have been running for… some time. There was never room aboard the ship to really fly.’
‘Yes. I remember the first time I flew… Well, the very first time I was surprised and kind of annoyed because I had no idea how to get down. But the first time Cygnus took me out into the open air… That was amazing.’
‘Humans cannot usually fly?’
‘Humans are an unusual species,’ Cygnus said. ‘The genes that let you fly and cling to surfaces, they don’t normally express themselves in any kind of power in humans. But sometimes they do. The results are often quite powerful, but they can also be dangerous and no two Ultras, as we call them, tend to be alike. Some can fly. Others have phenomenal strength.’
‘Or they fire energy beams,’ Astraea added. ‘I can fly in air, but I’m faster in space. I can survive in space. I’m also super-strong, I can project a force shield, and I have a few other abilities. Everyone’s different.’
‘Oh,’ Madvedant said.
‘Spaceflight is rare. You won’t see many more humans out here paying a visit.’
‘Good. I, uh, I mean, it’s nice to meet the neighbours so soon, but–’
‘But you’re worried how they’ll react to a couple of hundred thousand aliens making a home on the world next door,’ Cygnus said, smiling. ‘To be honest, I’m just a little worried about that myself.’
United Nations HQ, Antarctica, 15th February.
The United Nations Security Council met in a circular room with a circular table in the middle of it. It was designed to make everyone look like an equal, like the round table of Camelot. It came over more like the war room in Dr. Strangelove. Fifteen people were seated around it when Cygnus and Astraea walked in, followed by Doctor Ultimate and Brightstar. The two senior UoU members had been briefed for an hour already; now it was the turn of the diplomats. Diplomats and officials anyway; the latter sat at tables around the wall, handling transcripts and translations, and making sure everything went to plan.
The United Kingdom were, apparently, acting as president of the Council this month, because it was a man with a solidly British accent who got to his feet and spoke. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to receive a report on the disturbing pictures received from Mars yesterday. Two Union of Ultrahumans members, Cygnus and Astraea, have been to Mars and spoken with the aliens there.’ He turned cool, green eyes on Cygnus. ‘Cygnus, if you would.’
There was a gap in the seats at one side of the table, presumably there for people to present things to the Council members. Cygnus stepped up to the table and regarded the collected diplomats. Several of them pointedly refused to meet her gaze. ‘I’m not sure why the pictures were disturbin
g,’ she said after a second. ‘Essentially, what we have out there are around two hundred thousand refugees looking for a new home. They are asharem, like the one who crashed in America. They’re no more belligerent than typical humans, somewhat less so than most. They simply want to be allowed to colonise Mars. They have the technology to give it a more substantial atmosphere. Within about twenty years, it would be possible for a human to walk on the planet’s surface with only a respirator. They would like to get on with their near neighbours, but if it comes to it, they’ll be happy if we leave them alone.’
Someone spoke Russian, presumably the Russian ambassador. Cygnus heard a female voice speaking English in her ear, which was a little jarring since the ambassador was a man. ‘What are their offensive capabilities? Could their vessel be used to attack Earth?’
‘Their ship was built as part of a colonisation effort. The Asharem Congress had three worlds in it, each in a different system, but quite close to each other. They were planning on establishing a fourth colony in a more distant system when the Guardians attacked. They managed to leave with the ship and as many people as they could cram onto it. The system they were going to originally was uninhabited. They had no need of an armed ship.’ The Russian began to speak again, but Cygnus did not wait for the translation. ‘That does not mean they can’t make weapons if they need them. They have manufacturing technology centuries ahead of anything we have.’ Which was a lie given that Doctor Ultimate had prototypes of equipment not unlike that on the asharem ship, but the statement was to make a point. ‘If we pushed them into a conflict, they would be quite capable of defending themselves. And they have a Guardian of their own up there.’
The Russian looked irritated, but he did not get a chance to comment. ‘You are quite sure of the… loyalties of this other Guardian?’ the British guy asked.
‘Quite sure. Her parents died in the invasion of her home planet. She became the asharem Guardian because her predecessor died fighting. She decided that the best course of action was to run, and she’s become the de facto leader of the mission. Astraea, what did you think of her?’
‘She’s genuine,’ Astraea replied. ‘She was thrust into a leadership role she was not prepared for, but she’s risen to the challenge well. The other asharem respect her. Certainly more than most humans respect you. They see her as their saviour. There’s no fear there. She’s almost venerated and she hates it.’
Cygnus’s lips quirked at the little jab at the Council members. These were the people who had voted to hand Cygnus over to Naryan Tan and June could be less forgiving than Penny. Then again, whether as Cygnus or Penny, she did not feel too forgiving right now. ‘So, my opinion is that you should consider opening up diplomatic relations. They have technology we don’t and an exchange of information would probably be valuable to us. They also have the means to mine the asteroid belt, providing minerals we are going to need in the future. Unless any of the world’s nations have imperialist designs on Mars, there is no downside for the people of Earth.’
The US delegate shifted in his seat. ‘You are, in fact, host to an alien… energy of considerable power, Cygnus. Can we be quite sure your opinions are not influenced by, shall we say, foreign thoughts?’
Cygnus looked around at Brightstar. Brightstar was the Union’s diplomat, for want of a better term, and had far more experience in dealing with this kind of thing than Cygnus. Cygnus saw the fire in Brightstar’s blue eyes, the way her nostrils flared slightly. It was a subtle suggestion to give them Hell, so Cygnus turned her attention back to the American and spoke. ‘I told the Union what would happen if you handed me over to Naryan Tan, and I know they told you. You did it anyway, and he nuked several major cities as soon as he had me locked up.’ Her gaze shifted to the West German representative and she gave a friendly nod. ‘I’m sorry about Berlin, and I thank you for voting against. I’m sorry for what happened to the other cities too. But you were told. Now I’m here telling you that these people just want to live in peace. That a relationship with them could only be beneficial to Earth. If you want to ignore my advice again, I can’t stop you. But I do urge you to consider it, because it didn’t work out so good the last time.’
Andrews Field, MD.
The official residence of the President of the United States had taken a distinct step down from the glorious, historic White House. Unless you considered that the White House was now a ruin partially submerged in lava, and then some repurposed officers’ quarters started to look pretty good. Someone had done their best to class the place up for its new role, but the president’s office was a converted lounge, not the Oval Office.
‘I don’t even live in this building,’ Hart said as she sat down on a sofa. The sofa looked as though it belonged in a building about two hundred years older than the one they were in. Hart’s desk looked like the one you saw in the movies, the Resolute Desk, but it was just a replica. The real one was less than matchwood. ‘I live in the house next door. They’re talking about putting in a covered walkway between the two. I said, “I know I’m from California, but I can handle a little rain.”’
Astraea giggled. It was kind of hard to think of Francesca Hart as the President of the United States. She was too down to earth. Then again, Astraea had never met any of the other ones. Cygnus and Astraea had been called over to Andrews to brief the president personally on their trip to Mars. She had to have received at least a basic report on the three hours of noise the UNSC had engaged in earlier, but she still wanted to hear about it personally. Or maybe it was because she had got that report that she wanted to hear about it personally.
‘I’d imagine you’ll be happy when the new place is ready to move into?’ Cygnus asked. There were two sofas facing each other in the room. Cygnus took the one opposite Hart. June sat down beside her.
Hart frowned. ‘Not sure. They showed me some plans for the New White House – and we have got to think of a better name than that – and I suggested they might want to rethink some of it. The place looked like a fortified emplacement. I mean, sure, it has to have security, but the missile launchers need to be hidden when they’re not in use. The master bedroom was in the middle of the building, with no windows, because they said it was safer that way. It just shrieked, “This is America, the country where the president is scared of her own people.” Anyway, I didn’t get you over here to talk about architecture. First of all, did you pass my message along to Miss Liberty?’
‘Yes,’ Cygnus replied. ‘If she hasn’t contacted you… Well, I’m not sure what to do about that.’
Hart shook her head. ‘Not your problem. Now, I’m told you were extremely rude to my UN ambassador.’ Her lips quirked.
‘Not really. I wasn’t very nice to any of them. Except the German. I wouldn’t say I was actually rude, though.’
‘I wouldn’t worry about it. Carlton-Hughes is an ass. He’s there until I can get a replacement out to Antarctica. The thing is… Someone’s put forward a move to debate the matter in Congress tomorrow. The feeling I’m getting is that they’re going to drag up Kilmer’s space marines again. It was laughed about after Kilmer’s campaign collapsed, but now people are seeing “imminent threat.” The Republicans are seeing it as an opportunity to say “I told you so,” even though most of them were laughing at Kilmer too. I need ammo. I need reasons we should talk instead of spending billions on weapons.’
‘Easy,’ Astraea said. ‘No politician ever gained votes by losing a war. If we fight them, we will lose. We have them on numbers, sure, but their technology is massively superior and they’re weeks away, even if you used Cygnus as an engine.’
‘Which you would not be,’ Cygnus put in.
‘Which wouldn’t happen. Attacking them is effectively impossible and they’d have plenty of time to put together a response which would obliterate anything we sent. They don’t even need to leave Mars to attack us.’
‘Actually,’ Cygnus said, ‘if I were them, I’d find a nice, big asteroid and put it into an or
bit which hits Earth. We all go the way of the dinosaurs for minimal effort on their part. I might be able to stop something like that, but if they diverted enough of them… I do have limits, Madame President.’
Hart waved a hand. ‘We’re alone and this place isn’t bugged. Call me Francesca. Please. Tell me something. Your honest answer, please. It won’t leave this room if you don’t wish it to. Do you believe these asharem pose any threat to Earth? To the United States, specifically, but to Earth in general?’
Cygnus paused, frowning as she considered her answer. She was talking to a politician. Sort of. Hart was a lawyer by profession and, as her opponents had been keen to point out, she had no political experience prior to seeking office as the President of the United States. But now she was a politician with a responsibility to protect the people of her nation, much as Cygnus had a responsibility – or just a drive – to protect the people of Earth. Say the wrong thing here and Hart would have no choice but to prepare for war. Sugar-coating it would not necessarily help either…
‘They aren’t saints, Francesca. Neither are we. There’s no way to tell what might happen in the future to put us at each other’s throats. I will say that the common science fiction ideas for why aliens would invade Earth are… total bullshit. They aren’t going to come down here looking for minerals or water. There’s far more of both available in various parts of the solar system which they have access to and we don’t. More than enough for both species when we do, eventually, get out into space in a serious way.’
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