The Island Experiment

by Erica Rue

  “No, my uncle is running. I’m considering a bid for Field Temple Councilor.”

  “I knew you were a power-hungry politician deep down,” Lithia teased.

  “I don’t want to make decisions for the Aratians. I want to oversee the peace,” Cora said. “I spent a long time hating the Ficarans. I’m ready to spend a long time keeping the peace between us, whether I’m on the Council or not.”

  She pulled Lithia into the biggest hug she could. Meeting her cousin had been the biggest reality check of her life, and she would miss her when she left.

  “The repairs are already underway,” she said. “I’ll be moving to the Field Temple once the first apartments are complete. We’re setting it up as a joint settlement since the fabricator is there.”

  “You won’t be lonely?” Lithia asked.

  “I promised Evy there would be lots of bugs, so I think she and Amelia will visit sometimes. With the Flyers, it’s an easy trip. Some of the women from our expedition to Raynor Farm have declared their intent to move in once the infrastructure is there.”

  “You think a lot of people will move?”

  “I don’t know, but there’s this feeling in the air when you go to the market now. People are talking about the Ficarans positively,” Cora said. “They’re telling stories, their own and ones heard from their parents, about what it was like before the Great Divide.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Of course there are skeptics. There are separations of families. There is heartache. But the promise of change fills a lot of us with hope.” Cora got quiet. “I think my father would have liked this. He was tough, but when he saw the pictures, he would have realized the truth. He would have embraced our new future.”

  “And I can promise you, Cora,” Lithia said, “he would be so proud.”

  Cora nodded, though the comfort that reassurance brought her was eclipsed by her grief. This new Kepos, united in spirit, if not in body, had come at a terrible cost. In fact, grief had caused the unity felt by the Aratians and Ficarans. Everyone had lost someone. Some had lost everyone. Cora was glad for the peace, but she wished she could share it with her father. She wished she could share it with Will. She missed them both deeply.

  “You said that Miranda left your grandfather,” she said, “but that he never got over her.”

  “That’s right,” Lithia answered.

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “He always thought that one day she would walk back through the door. He wouldn’t give up on that.”

  “Oh.”

  They waited in silence until Lithia spoke. “Will would have wanted you to be happy.” Lithia produced something from her pocket. A white river stone, flat and smooth. “Here. Dione gave this to me. I’m not going to explain it as eloquently as she did, but it’s a reminder that time will smooth over our grief, just like the river wore down the edges on this rock. The pain’s never gone, but time takes the edge off.”

  Cora took the stone and rubbed the surface with her thumb. She couldn’t imagine a day where it wouldn’t hurt to remember her father and Will, but maybe Lithia was right. Maybe it would hurt less and less each day, until it became an ache in the background of her mind.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Think you’ll ever come back to Kepos?”

  Lithia grinned. “Of course! You haven’t met the Min side of your family yet.”

  Cora returned her smile. Maybe today did feel a tiny bit easier, and that gave her hope for tomorrow.

  44. BRIAN

  Brian felt Dione’s arms around his waist tighten as Canto negotiated his way up a gentle slope. It was her first day outside since her injury.

  “I’m glad they let you out,” Brian said.

  “Me too.” He heard her inhale deeply. “It smells alive out here.”

  The morning air was still fresh and cool, with a hint of floral aroma. “Nice after being cooped up, huh?”

  Morning air made him feel like he could accomplish anything that day. But today wasn’t about work. There’d been plenty of that recently, and there would be more coming. Today was about something else.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  After a while, Brian brought Canto to a halt. “We’re close,” he said. “We can walk from here.”

  “You can walk. I’ll hobble,” she said, pulling her crutches from where they’d been fixed to the maximute’s back. She tried to play it off, but he could see she was struggling with her new limitations.

  “Hey, those crutches are state of the art on Kepos. Freshly fabricated from the newest decades-old designs we found.”

  She smiled, and Brian was glad for that. They dismounted, and he scratched behind Canto’s ear as thanks.

  “Right here,” he said, spreading out a blanket. Dione winced as she sat. “You okay?” Maybe he shouldn’t have dragged her out here.

  After a few weeks of rest and medicine, her leg was usable, but for any real distance, she needed support.

  “Yeah, it’s just the nerve damage,” she said. “It usually tingles a bit, like my leg has fallen asleep. After a while, though, the twinge feels more like sharp, hot needles.”

  Despite her pain, Dione settled in, and soon, they both enjoyed the panorama. They sat on an overlook that afforded them a spectacular view of Kepos. Rich, green trees stood against a bright blue sky. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves and drove away the late morning heat that they were just beginning to notice.

  Brian could see a large, dark spot on the distant plain. The colonizer. Next to it was the Field Temple in miniature, tended by dots that were indeed moving, if he looked closely enough.

  “It’s beautiful,” Dione said. “How’d you find this place?”

  “Some people were foraging, and they liked the view. Here,” he said, pulling some containers from his bag. “I brought breakfast.” He smeared thick slices of crusty bread with tart, purple jam.

  Dione took a bite, closed her eyes, and smiled. “Delicious.” She leaned over and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek before taking another bite.

  “Victoria has officially stepped down,” he said. Her own injury had been severe. Brain damage left her functional, but with gaps in her memories both old and new. Brian knew it would be hard for a woman like Victoria, so strong and self-sufficient, to face such a new perspective on life.

  “Is there hope for her recovery?” Dione asked.

  “Some, though I don’t think she’ll ever take on a leadership role again. I may not like her, but without her, I think the Aratians would have stamped us out when we were at our lowest. I’ll be glad for the change, though. It’s time for someone to take over who can trust peace, rather than second-guess it.”

  “Who will that be? Nick?”

  Brian laughed. “I doubt it. There are others who will be free to step out from Victoria’s shadow. Those who appreciated her for what she was, but have ideas on how to be better.”

  “What about your dad?” Dione asked. There had been a lot of interest in Oliver leading the Ficarans after his return. He had survived the impossible and become something of a legend.

  “No, he has other plans,” Brian said, realizing his heart was pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath and looked Dione in the eyes. “I convinced him, Di. We’re leaving Kepos and coming with you.”

  In her surprise, Dione choked on her crust of bread. Brian offered her a drink and patted her back. They had been through an ordeal on that island, and neither would have survived it without the other, but he felt like he was intruding on her real life, the one she really cared about, by leaving Kepos.

  Dione took another sip of water before launching into a string of questions. “That’s wonderful! What convinced him? Did your mom say anything?”

  “My mom didn’t say much of anything. She’s a little better, but she’s got a long way to go.”

  “There are incredible medical facilities on Lavinian. I’m sure they’ll be able
to help her.”

  “That was the deciding factor for my dad. He’s surprisingly attached to this place, even if his curiosity about the universe beyond is killing him.”

  “What about Canto?”

  Brian looked over at his golden friend, curled up in the sun for a nap, and fought back his emotions. “I’ll miss him, but Melanie will take good care of him while I’m gone.”

  After a brief pause, she asked, “Are you sure about this?”

  That was the moment Brian realized why he had been nervous. He’d worried about intruding on Dione’s world, but more than that, he was afraid to leave Kepos. Here, he was important. He made decisions. He helped others. He had agency over his own life that people his age clearly didn’t have in the world Dione came from. He also had a huge deficit of cultural knowledge. That scared him.

  “I know you said you can’t promise anything, but I don’t see this as a one-way trip. I’m sure I’ll come back to Kepos.”

  Dione beamed at him, then rested her head on his shoulder. It felt right to be close to her like this. He stroked her hair, then leaned down to give her a kiss. He pulled her close, holding her tightly against him. He was glad he’d be able to spend more time with her, but he still had his doubts.

  “Promise me you’ll help me get oriented?” he asked, gazing out at the vista. “Once we get to Lavinian, I mean.”

  As beautiful as this view was, he was eager to see what a core planet was like. He had trouble imagining a world covered in buildings and lives simplified by abundant technology.

  “I promise,” she replied. “We’ll take care of you.”

  Brian believed her.

  45. LITHIA

  “Come on!” Lithia said. “We’re gonna be late.”

  “I’m the definition of slow right now,” Dione replied as she hobbled into the Flyer. “Not sure what you expected when you invited me at the last minute.”

  Since Victoria had given up her position, a little more trust had been thrown their way. Lithia and Oberon had retrieved a few more Flyers from the orbiting space station on the condition that they got their very own Flyer. No one objected. It was about time, too: she and the others were growing tired of hitching rides to and from the colonizer, since they were still staying in the Mountain Base.

  Lithia landed outside the Aratian settlement, and she and Dione hurried to join the crowd. “The voting is over already,” Dione said. “Looks like they’re nearly done counting.”

  The votes had taken place out in the open. In a custom so ancient Lithia had forgotten all about it until Dione reminded her, stones were cast as votes into baskets. The stones were being counted publicly, so the vote could be trusted. With such a small settlement, things could be done this way.

  The results were clear. Only those counting Benjamin’s stones were still at work. Benjamin would remain Regnator. Lithia wasn’t surprised. People preferred the familiar, and he had done a good enough job before the coup. The two runners-up, Theo and a man she’d never met, would be his Moderators. All men, still. No women had even tried to run. There had been so much upheaval, Lithia didn’t begrudge the Aratians for sticking to this tradition—for the time being, at least. There was nothing in the new traditions to forbid women from running.

  The results for the Field Temple Co-Council were a bit more exciting. When the stones were laid out for counting, it was impossible to tell who had the most. Lithia recognized the man with the most votes as a member of the maximute cavalry. When the second name was announced, the winner looked like she couldn’t believe it. Cora, as a newly elected Councilor, joined the others on stage to make her oath to the people.

  “She didn’t want to be Regnator,” Lithia whispered to Dione.

  “Then why did she run for the Co-Council?”

  “She realized that she could help. She spent some time with Colm, and they’re the ones who negotiated the whole fabricator deal. She’s actually pretty good at this. I never would have imagined that the whiny girl Zane and I tricked could become a competent leader.”

  “I think everyone on Kepos has changed,” Dione said. “I mean, the Aratians and Ficarans are working together. They’re even going to live together once the Field Temple is restored.”

  “Some of them,” Lithia corrected.

  Benjamin stepped to the front of the stage.

  “Many of you came to me before the vote to ask about the pairs from the last Matching. I promised that if I was elected, I would honor my niece’s wish and end the Matching. I reasoned that if people wanted to continue this tradition, they would not vote for me, so what better way to learn the will of the people?”

  Dione turned to Lithia. “I can’t believe Cora got through to him.”

  “I think it was Moira,” Lithia said. “That woman has been against the Matching for a long time.”

  “We began the Matching in good faith,” Benjamin was saying, “based on the Farmer’s teachings and real science. It’s true that there are risks of genetic drift in a small colony like our own, but now, we know that there are other colonies out there. Others who may one day come here, with our consent. The need to monitor and manage genetic diversity is no longer dire. We are not the only ones of our kind.”

  “Get to the point,” shouted a woman near the front. Her short, blond hair made her instantly recognizable.

  Moira, Lithia thought. Right on cue.

  Benjamin smiled indulgently. “The Matches from this year are annulled. We will also begin accepting annulment petitions from those who have been matched in the past.”

  Murmurs pulsed through the crowd like waves. Some objected, but Lithia was surprised to see that most people didn’t seem too bothered. Perhaps it was a weight lifted. After so many years of anxiety about the genetic health of humanity, it had to be nice for them to have that burden removed.

  “Do you think a lot of people will take him up on it?” Dione asked.

  “Honestly, no,” Lithia replied. “There’s too much baggage. Like kids. But I think anyone in a bad situation will at least have an out now.”

  Lithia surveyed the faces in the crowd. So much had been taken from these people, even if they were just beginning to realize it. She felt angry for them, but she was glad that changes were coming. For some Aratians, it would be like waking up from a bad dream. For others, she could already see they would question their new world order. It was a lot to process. It might not work. In fact, the only thing that gave her hope was that they were still so emotionally shell-shocked from their losses against the Vens that they were tired of fighting. They would go with the flow, and Lithia hoped Benjamin would lead them well.

  ***

  There was another festival that night, set up in the newly rebuilt market. It reminded Lithia of the StellAcademy carnival, complete with booths and games, with small trinkets and treats for prizes. Giggling children were chasing one another, oblivious to the adults sampling savory dumplings and sweet fried dough. She even saw a few Ficarans in the mix.

  Lithia noticed the joyful scene only as a backdrop at that moment. Her eyes focused on the large stone monument in the foreground. Cora’s promised memorial loomed, scarred with the carefully etched names of those who died during the assault on the Vale Temple. Even the Ficarans who had lost their lives were given a side of the monument. Cora had made it clear that this was a memorial to the grief of Kepos as a whole. The only names missing were those of known Green Cloaks. It bothered Lithia that she couldn’t match the names inscribed there to faces, because she had so many faces trapped in her memories of that night.

  “Hey,” called a voice from across the walkway. Lithia turned to find Jai smiling at her. “Can I join you?”

  Lithia nodded, pushing her inner turmoil down. She liked Jai and was glad for the distraction. He had been nothing but kind.

  “Come on,” he said, waving her toward a nearby stall. “This is my favorite game.”

  It was a timed wooden puzzle. She failed it on her try, but Jai pieced it togeth
er in seconds, hands flying. He won a small trinket, a small maximute figurine, carved out of wood.

  “Here,” he said, offering her the prize. “To remember us.”

  “I’m not leaving yet. Plenty of repairs left to make.” She cocked her head to one side. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  “Remember when I told you Cora needed a friend? You do, too,” he said.

  After more games and food, after all the lights except the glowglobes went out, he led her to the main square. Like many others had, he laid out a blanket so they could lie back and look up at the moon and stars.

  Lithia lay next to him, enjoying the cool night air. He told her stories about the stars, but her eyes closed before even the first tale was over.

  For the first night since the attack on the Field Temple, Lithia slept untroubled by any nightmares.

  46. DIONE

  Dione sat with her bad leg outstretched, waiting for the pins and needles in her calf to dissipate. She was finally off the crutches, but the pain came more quickly because of it. She found that if she stopped and took a break once the tingling began, she could prevent the pain.

  She shouldn’t have tried to help load up the ship, but sitting idly by while others did the hard work bothered her more than the pain. Now, she was tucked away, squeezed out of sight in a nook along the corridor.

  Lithia struggled past her, hauling a wooden, Ficaran–made crate toward the living quarters.

  “Crates go to the cargo hold,” Dione said.

  Lithia jumped, then laughed when she caught sight of her friend. She set the crate down and leaned against the bulkhead, panting. “Not this bad boy.” She nudged the crate gently with her toe. Dione heard the telltale clink of bottles. “Don’t tell Oberon.” Lithia picked the crate back up and winked before continuing her march to her cabin.

  “Secret’s safe with me,” Dione replied. Maybe she would help Lithia drink whatever was in that crate. Their journey home would be a long one.