“Sir...” he said, “I know what happened. I know that the Wardens kill innocent people, refugees, and trick the Rangers into believing they are fighting monsters. But what do we do about it? And what do you want?” Novak smiled again.
“Oh, Wagner... Yes, now you know. Not many English do. But the sad thing is, the Moon people were brought up believing they have a birthright; that they are allowed to do such things, in order to rule. If you simply told everyone about it, most English wouldn’t believe you, and most Moon people would see it as the most natural thing in the world.” Novak sighed.
“No, the truth is important, but it is not enough. You ask me what I want, which is a good question. In fact, that is the most important question, because only then can you decide what you want.” Dave didn’t reply, and Novak continued.
“I want change. I want the Moon people and the English to coexist as equals. I want normal relations with the people west of the Rift. Yes, there are people west of the Rift, and in fact, there is a nation even further west, forged from the same ruins that forged the Covenant. Only this nation took a different path.
“My biggest wish is for the Moon people to relinquish their idea of superiority, and if that is impossible, I want to stop them from conquering the world.” Dave let the words sink in. Conquer the world. All his life he had thought of the Covenant as the world. His world was bordered by the Rift to the west, the ocean to the east, the Floral Sea to the south and the barbarians to the north. That the world could hold even more was something he hadn’t thought much about. Back in school, he remembered learning of theory and the physical properties of the world, but the idea of other peoples, other places, different ways of living, were all foreign to him, something not discussed or talked about. Of course, he knew there was more to Earth, that Luna held the birthplace of the Moon people, and that there were stars and planets out there, in a universe too big to imagine. But it was always a theoretical knowledge, something that had nothing to do with him or the lives of anyone else. Novak’s words interrupted his thinking.
“The North has fallen. It is being pacified as we speak. And I am very afraid that will turn out to be the trigger, the first step on the path to world conquest. I cannot let that happen. Mankind wasn’t meant for servitude. The English have been subdued for generations, and though I remember a time when that wasn’t the case, servitude will be the fate for all not of Moon-people blood. It would be a grave injustice,” Novak said.
“With Miss Atlas out of the game, it is up to you, son. You must carry the burden for now,” Dave started. He didn’t know what to say, how to reply.
“Sir, what is it you want from me? What can I do about these things?” The counselor smacked his lips and stared straight at him.
“For now, you need to rest. You should be safe in Charlestown, at least for a few more days. Mayor Robertson has assured me she will protect you. Train. Get used to your new leg. Make a plan, because soon you are leaving the Covenant.” He paused, and Dave stood gaping at the words. Leave the Covenant? Was that even possible? Novak grabbed his shoulder, and even though it was all in VR, Dave could feel the firm grip of the old man’s hand, as if it were real.
“Something big is going to happen. I don’t know when, but when it does, you must be there, in order for me to help. You must reach Buchanan.”
“Buchanan?” Dave said, puzzled. Counselor Novak squeezed his shoulder again, and spoke slowly.
“David Wagner, there is a place where everything is different, and I want you there. But first you have to cross the Rift.”
Chapter 9
Sue
They were riding the transport toward Nidaros, where Meridian Shukov was to set her up in what he had called her new home. She knew this all had to be Counselor Novak’s work, and knowing him and his resources, she didn’t expect to stay there for long. But for now, she would play along. She would watch and learn as much as she could, until the right time presented itself.
The ride was slow going, compared to the various forms of transportation back on Earth. She looked out the window and wondered how anything could live here. She remembered learning something about how the Moon people came to be, back in school, but only that they had descended from Luna, the Moon. But some part, something about a dusty refuge, had never made sense to her. But then again, she had never known the Moon was dusty. The words that had only puzzled her before, but not enough to really question them, suddenly began to make sense. This was their dusty refuge. It had to be. But refuge from what? She looked at the starry sky and realized it was obvious, now that she was here, having traveled almost 400,000 kilometers through space to get here. She turned toward Shukov.
“How did your people manage to flee here before the Fall?” she asked. Shukov looked puzzled. She smiled.
“Meridian, you know who arranged this, that I was to be brought here. Don’t you think I know? Did you think I would be ignorant? That I’m just some small-town girl, who just happened to be chosen by the Counselor? To be taken into the heart of the Moon people?” She stopped and wondered if she’d gone too far. She thought she sounded entitled, and she felt like she deserved a scolding. She felt her cheeks warm, and wondered if he would see through the charade. Or maybe her red cheeks could be taken as anger? Meridian Shukov swallowed hard.
“Okay then,” he began, “I am allowed to give you an orientation, and even though you are English, you seem to know a few things most English don’t. And it’s not like you’re ever going to leave,” he said. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
“It began as private enterprise, initiated by industry leaders in two neighboring countries, a few years before the Fall. Soon enough, it became government sponsored. Let me tell you, they had a lot of money to push into the project. These two countries, competitors and rivals for years, actually, had stashed so much money from pumping up fossil fuels for decades, that when the threat became apparent, they were able to fund a project large enough to save almost ten thousand people. Within just a few years, they built a refuge here on Luna, and ten thousand people, mostly from these two countries, stayed here through the Fall and the dark years that followed.” Shukov grimaced. He seemed uncomfortable discussing these things, and Sue decided to help him along, just a bit.
“And then something changed,” she said, making a wild guess. Well, something had to have changed, with so many people moving away from a green Earth, so full of life, to this barren place. And all the while, they were watching their home world die. Shukov went on, obviously assuming Sue knew as much as he did.
“Yes, something changed in the years that followed. The original inhabitants, the adults from Earth didn’t see it, but the next generation—their children—saw the world in a very different light. They, Luna born, the true Moon people, saw that the people here, the Lunar dwellers, had become a force themselves, a force that by right should inherit Earth. Because of us, Earth would one day prosper again. But the Earthlings had neglected their world so badly that they could not be trusted to take care of it. If the Fall hadn’t happened, it would have been something else. War, environmental breakdown, it was already happening when Devastator hit.” Sue cocked her head.
“Devastator,” she said, fishing for information. Shukov nodded absently.
“Yes, Devastator, the destroyer of worlds. But we of the Moon people had found a way to save humanity. Only we could set the world right again, but this time, in a way that let man and nature cooperate, with our ideas in the forefront, instead of ancient ideas of democracy or money-driven rule that destroyed the world as surely as Devastator itself. The elders tried to quiet these voices, but in the end, the Youth Revolution quieted them instead. The elders, those who had left Earth as adults, either died in the uprising or in the years that followed. You see, we didn’t live as long back then, not before we came into our right, and that only happened once we returned to Earth.” Sue realized the Moon people had a lot more to them than she had thought, and this was the first tim
e she had heard anything of their origin. It was a revelation, and somehow, in all this, there had to be something she could use. If she ever managed to return to Earth, that was.
“So, the Youth Revolution was the true birth of the Moon people, right? Before that, your ancestors were just people from Earth, who managed to flee the cataclysm, the Fall.” Shukov’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Somehow, I would have expected you to know this, but you make it sound like it’s the first time you’ve heard any of it,” he said. Sue felt the panic rising and hurried to fight it down.
“No, no,” she lied, smiling, “this is something I’ve discussed with the counselor several times. I mean, the families date back further than the Youth Revolution, and some of them were quite powerful even before that happened...” she guessed, but when she saw Meridian Shukov nodding, she knew she hadn’t been far off.
“Yes, well, some of them were, granted. But the families didn’t mean as much back then. They weren’t great like today. The great families that arose from the Youth Revolution are the families that we know of today, Lunde, Ivanov, Stanislav, Hordvik, and so on.”
Sue nodded, while her mind churned. She knew a Hordvik, and now his family name was mentioned in the same breath as Lunde. This wasn’t something most English knew anything about, since for them, the Moon people were as one. She remembered Counselor Novak had hinted once at Evan’s family being powerful, but she hadn’t imagined he would be part of one of the great families of the Moon people. Somehow, there had to be a way to use that knowledge. Also, if she understood this correctly, these families would be vying for power and influence. That had to be useful, somehow.
The conversation quieted when they saw the huge domes in the distance. For the first time, she saw the domes of the Lunar settlement, the heart of the Moon people.
Dave
Dave walked across the floor, with his brain stimulator set turned down to a minimum. He’d been training hard every day for a week, mainly getting his brain ready to control his movements, integrating signals from the neuro simulators in the prosthetic leg into his autonomous brain system. He seemed to be getting the hang of it, and now he was testing it. He grinned at the doctor standing before him.
“I can feel it touching the floor. It feels completely real to me. Almost no difference at all,” Dave said. The doctor made a note on his infopad.
“Okay, David. Now, let’s turn it off, and see if your brain has fully integrated the simulation. If not, we’ll just take a step back and do it again. If it works, fine, then we are done.” Dave nodded, and turned around. The doctor made some adjustments on the infopad, and looked up at Dave.
“Now, be careful. We don’t want you to fall over again,” Dave involuntarily lifted his hand to his face, where he had a lump on his forehead, not a day old. He gritted his teeth, ready now.
“Take small steps, one at a time, until you are sure what you’re feeling is the real deal. Let’s make sure it works this time,” the doctor said. Dave lifted his prosthetic leg slightly and moved it a few centimeters forward. Then he set it down, concentrating on how it felt. Once he was certain he stood properly, he lifted his good leg and took a step forward. He smiled. He took another step, longer this time. Then another. He looked up at the doctor. The bearded man was smiling, too. He took another step, this time without looking. It felt like he was walking, and the ground felt like it was just where it was supposed to be. He loosened up and tried to walk more normally. He had to adjust his balance a few times, but it was working. He was walking again.
“Amazing...” he whispered.
“Less than four days of training, and you’re parading around like a clown. I’d call that success.” Dave pivoted and almost lost his balance, then readjusted and stood facing Mayor Robertson, who had entered the room silently. The mayor smiled, and he grinned back.
“I never would have believed it was possible,” he said.
“And it’s not. Unless you’ve got Moon-people tech, that is,” she answered. “Luckily, I’m both a citizen and the mayor. There are perks.” She motioned for the doctor to leave the room, and sat down in a deep chair near the window.
“Come, sit,” she said, and Dave walked over and sat down next to her. Carol Robertson wasn’t smiling anymore. In fact, she looked grave.
“What’s wrong?” Dave asked. The mayor didn’t answer at first. She looked uncomfortable, like she didn’t know where to start.
“David... I have served the Covenant for a long time. First, three years of Service with the Janissaries, then another three as a volunteer. Those were hard years, rough years. I did some things I’m not proud of... Although I am proud of my Service, and I feel in a way, that I did some good. At least, I hope I did. And then many years as mayor. But here’s the thing, I don’t believe in my own people anymore...” She trailed off, and Dave looked at her. Yes, she looked grave. She looked like she was carrying a heavy burden, and that all she wanted was for someone to lift it off of her shoulders. She looked tired.
“I have served the Covenant, but my priorities have shifted. Now I try to serve my own people, because they cannot serve themselves.” Dave thought he could see her eyes misting.
“I lost hope in our people a long time ago. We are born into servitude. We are taught to be obedient and industrious servants. Some of us are chosen for Service, and we usually don’t see any of them again... We think like servants, and we depend on our masters to know what to do. Our masters tell each of our children what they are good at through their aptitude tests, controlling their choices through indoctrination and narrowing of choice. We are lucky though-they need us English as much as we need them. Have you thought about that, that the master depends as much on the servant as the servant depends on the master?” Carol trailed off again, and Dave wanted to tell her what Counselor Novak had said, that there were people outside the Covenant who didn’t live like obedient servants, who were free to make their own choices. A place where everyone was created equal. He wanted to give her hope. But he couldn’t. If she were caught for harboring him, a wanted fugitive, she would be interrogated. The less she knew, the better. She looked at him, and he realized she wanted him to say something.
“I don’t... I have to leave, but I cannot tell you...” he said, not knowing how to tell her without letting her know too much. He would be forever grateful for her saving his life, but he had to keep his secret.
“I don’t know what you are hoping to achieve, son, but I wish you well. And I hope you don’t lose faith, like I have,” she said. Dave felt his heart break at those last words, but he remained silent about it. Instead, he turned to practicalities.
“I need access to a steam car. I’ll make it look like I stole it, but I need it now. And I need to pack some food, a blanket, water, and a gun. Some ammo. I’ll be off in half an hour,” he said. Mayor Robertson seemed to shake off the emotion, and nodded affirmatively.
“You shall have it,” she simply said, before she got up and walked out the door.
Sue
The transport vehicle halted for a moment while two huge doors slid to each side, making an opening for them to enter the airlock of Nidaros, the smaller of the Twin cities. Meridian Shukov had told her of the two domes that had begun as two separate bases and, in time, grown into two enormous domes, separated only by a small shuttleport. Now there were tunnels and walkways between the Twin cities, and they were tightly connected in all ways. And yet, they were separate, with different cultures and leadership, and from what she had gathered, anyone of the Moon people could tell someone from New Moscow from someone from Nidaros. He had told her she was to stay in Nidaros until further notice, on Counselor Novak’s orders. He said he honestly didn’t know what plans the counselor had for her, only that this was the home of both the Lunde and the Hordvik families. When she asked him where Ivanov’s family stemmed from, he had, at first, frowned and asked why she wanted to know. But when she reminded him that she was a former Janissary, he seemed to take
it as simple curiosity.
“It’s not like it’s a secret,” he said.
“The Ivanovs are New Moscowites. In fact, they are the most powerful family in New Moscow, running most of the schools and quite a few businesses.”
Sue shuddered at the thought, and at the same time, she was glad that Novak had put her up in Nidaros. She still wondered what his plans were, though. Why had he brought her here? Was he still hoping she could change something, that she could do something about the way things were in the Covenant? She had never understood what he had seen in her. She couldn’t see it herself.
Inside, the doors slid closed behind the vehicle, and after a short wait, they were allowed to exit. Shukov went first, holding his helmet in one arm and the other holding onto the handrail as he walked down a portable staircase. Sue followed. A team of four soldiers from the Luna Brigade stood waiting. They greeted Meridian Shukov, and he greeted them back. One of the soldiers handcuffed Sue and told her she had to be cuffed while they brought her to her new home. She let them, and followed where they led.
Outside of the airlock, it was like being in a big city on Earth, except that she could see the dome overhead. There were buildings, most of them quite tall, and streets and walkways crisscrossing everywhere. Everything looked really ordinary, except for one thing. All the people Sue could see were Moon people. And they all looked rich and important.
It took them five minutes to reach a six-story building where they stopped by the entrance.
“I’ll take it from here,” Shukov said. One of the soldiers, a tacticus, nodded.
“Yes, sir. We’ll wait here till you return.” Then Meridian Shukov took her inside. Instead of taking the stairs, there was another door with several lights on it, and Shukov explained that it was an elevator. She had seen one before, at Strategos Command in Legacy, but she had never been inside one, so when it began moving upward, she jumped. Shukov chuckled, and she felt her cheeks grow hot.
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