Children of the Dark World

by Will Townsend

  “The Foreman has asked to see you and he says it’s a matter of some importance. He requests you meet him in the garden.”

  “We can’t do this over the commlink?” Farr asked, slightly irritated at the prospect of returning to that dark world.

  “He says, and these are his words not mine, that ‘he knows that you find the darkness unpleasant, and he sends his regrets for imposing on you, but the matter is one best discussed face to face and he would be most grateful if you would meet him. He says they’ve prepared the garden so it will not make you uncomfortable and you won’t have to use the tunnels’.”

  Ming smiled impishly at him. “The captain of any Earth Services ship is also a diplomat representing the World Council.”

  “Thank you for the regulation refresher XO. Tell him I’ll be down as soon as the landing craft can get me there,” he said resignedly.

  CHAPTER 20

  The Garden was truly that now, Farr reflected as he scanned the verdant and lush living things that now reached toward the glowing light above. Gone was the fading, dim and ravaged apparition he’d seen just two weeks earlier. New growth was springing up all around him and the pale lifeless vegetation was gone, recycled into the new system. Two fountains made burbling and trickling noises, adding their pleasing music to the scent of growing things and life.

  People were working all around him in spite of the bright light, which was Earth normal now. They all wore the black eyepieces designed, if Master Chief Wells wasn’t kidding him, by the boy Eric. They moved silently throughout the dome, like apparitions of a past that was gone but not yet forgotten.

  He saw the Foreman approaching from across the dome with Eric at his side. Their old rags were gone but the new tunics they now wore were simple and plain. He noticed that they no longer resembled walking skeletons, evidence of Dr. Alexeyev’s skills and a reliable food supply.

  “Greetings Commander,” the old man said, “I am most grateful for your generosity in meeting with me.”

  “You are the leader of the people here and it is my pleasure to be at your disposal.”

  The old man smiled a genuine smile of warmth and welcoming. “I think that takes care of the pleasantries don’t you Commander.”

  “I should say so,” Farr replied with a half chuckle, “how can I help you Foreman?”

  “I have a request for you that you’ll find unprecedented and perhaps a little, shall we say odd? You will be departing very soon and I wish you to take one of us with you as a courtesy to my people.”

  Dr. Alexeyev had come up quietly as they were speaking and her eyes were wide at the request. Farr was dumbstruck, first at how the old man knew they were leaving soon, and second, at his request.

  “Foreman, as a representative of the World Council I can offer you almost anything in the area of humanitarian aid within my power, however, what you ask is impossible. First, we are not going back to Earth, our destination lies towards the outer solar system. Second, every one of my crew and scientists has undergone exhaustive physical and technical training for this mission. Third, anyone you pick is in all probability not able to be physically certified by our ship’s doctor and last, everyone on the ship is qualified in one or more systems so that we maintain redundancy within the crew,” Farr smiled kindly and continued, “So you see, it just isn’t possible.” By this time Master Chief Wells had come over, curious at the gathering.

  “I see,” said the Foreman, briefly touching his chin and thinking, “So as I understand it you would be willing to take one of my people if they met your criteria?”

  Farr kept the smile pasted on his face as he cursed himself for the trap he had just walked into. He was in a corner now and there was no way out and the sandbag was about to fall. “I suppose so,” he hedged.

  “Ah, very well,” the ancient leader said, smiling contentedly. He motioned to one of his people who immediately departed. He returned a few seconds later with Quincy, who had been updating and reconfiguring the colony’s computer system for the last two weeks.

  “Quincy,” the Foreman said kindly. Quincy smiled at the old man and missed the eye contact Farr was trying to make with him. The old man approached him and gently placed his hand on Quincy’s cheek. “Quincy, my son, could you tell me how Eric has progressed while helping you with the installation of the quantum computers?”

  Mbata fairly gushed and maintained his eye contact with the Foreman, much to Farr’s chagrin. “Besides myself, and Dr. Thangruph of course, he’s probably the most skilled computer operator I’ve ever met.”

  “And would you say that he would be qualified to operate the computers onboard your ship?”

  “Easily,” Quincy said then trailed off as he finally saw Farr’s livid face. His mouth snapped shut. Master Chief Wells slowly turned and started to walk away.

  “Master Chief Wells, my friend,” the Foreman said kindly, his voice warm and vibrant. Farr could swear it almost had a tranquilizing effect. Wells cringed noticeably, but stopped as the old man approached him and put his bony hand on his shoulder. “I must thank you most for my friend Christopher. His kindness and understanding and willingness to bear our ignorance have been a blessing to my people.”

  “I’m not sure I’ve met that Master Chief before Foreman,” Farr commented tightly.

  “I assure you he has been a most welcome visitor to our world. “ He turned back to the Master Chief, his hand still on his shoulder, “Christopher, could you tell the Commander how many of your systems Eric has managed to qualify on since you’ve been here?”

  Wells had a forlorn look on his face.

  “Well, Master Chief, please enlighten us.” Farr’s face was a dark storm cloud.

  “He’s got the life support system down cold and he’s qualified with the EV suits and has made several excursions outside of the dome. He also,” Wells said plaintively, “helped me design the EV suits to fit the people here. We’ve made ten of them so far.” Wells looked at Farr helplessly as one of his reserve arguments evaporated. “He’s also managed to qualify as a Vasimr tech.” Wells finished, looking at Farr helplessly.

  “In two weeks!” Farr demanded.

  “No sir,” Wells said hanging his head. “Ten days.”

  “I see,” Farr said, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. In a final desperate attempt to forestall the Foreman he turned to Ilsa Alexeyev. “Doctor, help me out here.”

  Instead of help, Alexeyev was giving her best impression of a gaffed fish. Her hands fluttered helplessly and her mouth, although open, couldn’t seem to form words.

  “Very well, nicely played Foreman,” Farr said acknowledging the way the old man had maneuvered him so skillfully. “But you must understand,” he said reasonably, “that my orders don’t include a situation such as this.”

  “Yes,” the old man said slowly, “I suppose you’re correct.” Then he lifted his head, which floated fifteen centimeters above Farr’s, as if something had occurred to him. “I perceive. What if you and I contacted this Council together and requested this,” the old man finished smiling.

  “No!” Alexeyev and Wells shouted at the same time.

  “I think you people have done all the damage you can do here. Don’t you all have duties somewhere else?” Wells spun sharply away and walked briskly from the area with Quincy in tow. Alexeyev just melted away from the scene pretending to make notes on her palm computer.

  “Foreman,” Farr started using his reasonable voice. But the old man who towered above him interceded.

  “Commander, I perceive there are entities at play here that may jeopardize your mission. The body language of Christopher and the good doctor tell me this. Yours is more difficult to read but I sense it. It is important for my people to send a representative with you to aid the lost children of earth.” He stopped and smiled gently down at Farr, his eyes unreadable behind the dark opticals. “I have read much of the leaders Lansing and Lao in the past few days and of their vow which has become your quest. Just kno
w that if you grant my request, I will aid you in continuing your mission. I think I’ll be able to smooth over any ‘ruffled feathers’ you may leave behind.”

  Farr looked long and hard at the Foreman and the old man reached out and placed his hand on Farr’s shoulder. Suddenly Farr thought that the request wasn’t that much of an imposition and the tension of the situation evaporated. Under the mission planning guide he had the option of bringing along colonists. Of course that was intended to rescue colonists, not add them to his crew, but that could be worked around couldn’t it. And for some reason he actually believed the old man when he said he’d be there for him.

  “Have him ready to go in thirty minutes,” Farr said making the decision. He looked over to where Eric stood and motioned to him. “You swear that you will follow the orders of the captain of the Resolution, whosoever that may be?”

  “I do so swear captain.” The boy had spoken solemnly, his voice filled with the conviction often seen in the young.

  Farr nodded. “That lander leaves in thirty five minutes. Miss it and you stay here.” Farr nodded once to the Foreman and turned and walked away, still wondering how the old man had managed to corner him so easily.

  —————

  “Resolution this is Samuel T. Lansing actual, over,” Ming heard from his place on the bridge. The term ‘actual’ meant the CO of the Lansing.

  “Lansing actual this is Resolution. We’re a little surprised to see you in the neighborhood. Our Charlie Oscar is down on the surface and will be onboard in forty minutes, over,” Ming acknowledged. And he was very surprised. There was no way to get a ship to lunar orbit this fast unless Ngata had had it planned all along. Which, knowing Ngata, he probably had, Ming acknowledged. The Lansing was just coming onto the displays that Faye was monitoring. An ETO by design, she had obviously been modified by Ngata and pressed into service. Visuals displayed at that time and Ming saw the image of Alfredo Solis materialize in front of him on the display table.

  “Is that Lao Tzu Ming I see?” The man asked with one raised eyebrow.

  “The one and only Captain Solis,” Ming replied.

  “Congratulations on your advancement,” the man said with a malevolent grin on his face.

  “It seems bad news travels fast,” was the level reply.

  “When you got this assignment you had to know that sooner or later you’d be tabbed by Callum as his Exec, didn’t you? We were all taking bets on when it would happen. Turns out that I won.”

  “I’m so happy for your good fortune Captain,” Ming said snidely.

  “Listen,” Solis said, suddenly serious. “I need to talk to you and your CO on my private channel as soon as he’s back. We’ll rendezvous with you on our second orbit and match trajectories. So, as soon as Callum’s back on board hail me, okay?”

  “Roger Lansing, Resolution out.”

  Thirty minutes later when the landing craft docked, Ming was waiting for Farr as he exited.

  “Sorry,” he apologized, “but I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “Well, I’ve got one for you too,” Farr replied crossly. Eric Gaetos floated out of the lander behind Farr, showing unusual grace in the zero gee environment, especially since he’d never been in one before.

  “We’re giving tours now?”

  “Not exactly,” Farr growled, “meet our newest crewmember. Eric Gaetos, this is Lieutenant Commander Ming. You’ve met him before but now he’s my second in command. In all things his word is the same as mine.”

  “Understood, captain,” the young man said earnestly. Ming was still staring and Farr cleared his throat.

  “Right, captain. What rank do I enter on the logs?”

  Farr thought a moment. “Cadet. And I’ll explain everything to you later.” Farr said firmly.

  “Right, I’ll see to it immediately,” Ming said, regaining his composure. “My surprise isn’t nearly so surprising as yours is, but the Samuel T. Lansing just entered lunar orbit and her CO, Alfredo Solis, wants a private meeting with us.”

  “Way faster than I expected,” he admitted, “but never sell Ngata short. Pass Cadet Gaetos,” Farr said, deliberately using the boy’s family name to accustom him to service protocol, “off to Faye for orientation and meet me in my stateroom.” Ming nodded and moved off with Gaetos in tow while Farr went to his cabin.

  Ten minutes later Ming and Farr were seated before the display in the captain’s cabin. Solis’ face appeared on the display.

  “It’s good to see you ‘Captain’ Solis,” Farr said respectfully and with genuine pleasure. Solis face broke out in a huge grin. Solis and Farr had served together under Ngata and had always been loyal to the admiral. Solis had been promoted just two months prior, but Farr was not eligible for another year. There was no envy between the men however. They’d served together and fought together and drank and caroused together. Good fortune to one brought satisfaction to the other.

  “Good to see you too, Callum. I just wish we had some time to catch up. I’m sorry to tell you that we’ll be doing an underway replenishment to get your inventory back up and you’ll be leaving in about six hours. Admiral’s orders. Do you think you can update me and get your people back onboard in that time?” Farr looked at Ming who nodded.

  “Easily.” Ming whispered something and left.

  “The Admiral gave me a copy of your report on the colony. Most of it’s hard to believe, but the part where everybody just started working together and singing Kumbayas just stretches the imagination a little too far. But I’ve seen some of the recordings. It never ends like that,” the man finished speaking and his eyes were caught up in old, unpleasant memories.

  “I feel the same way Alfie,” Farr said using Solis’ old nickname. “But it happened and I’ll transfer the rest of the recordings over to you. Now, the big question is, what is a big time captain like you doing commanding a ‘trash hauler’ and how the hell did you get here so soon?”

  “As for the getting here so fast part, it’s easy if half of your systems don’t work, which they don’t. We weren’t supposed to be ready for another four weeks. All life support systems are up and running but the auxiliary systems aren’t even close. I’m commanding a floating shell. We’re carrying emergency supplies for the colony and Ngata ran this expedition through as a relief mission so we could wave the functional checklists. As for the other,” Solis held his hands up in a supplicating way. “Hey, I never called your ship a trash hauler Callum. It was those other three asses. I know you well enough to know that any ship you’re on will be a warship. Somehow you just seem to find trouble,” he laughed.

  “It does seem to work out that way,” Farr allowed, “but seriously, why are you on this run?”

  “Ngata wanted someone he could trust and I’m sick and tired of waiting to be underway. At least I can do something constructive here.” He paused briefly, a frank, concerned look occupying his face. “I’ll be honest with you Callum. I don’t think we’ll ever get underway for Mars. There are more delays every day and the corporations are lobbying the Council big time to let them take over the missions. If I didn’t know better, and I don’t, I would say they’re sabotaging these ships until they can get their hands on them. Council Member Trekos is a piece of work. He claims to be neutral but he always comes down on the side of those corporations. I’ll say this to you, and the admiral, but no one else; I think he’s been bought and paid for by Elios Samos.”

  “I’ve got the same impression. It’s kind of odd that the only ship that’s ready to go is one they’ve never touched. I’m really sorry Alfie. You deserve the Mars mission. There’s not a better Captain out there that Ngata would entrust with such a high priority mission.”

  “Except you, maybe, but I’ll tell you the honest truth, if I couldn’t be the one that took the first ship away from Earth, then I’m glad as hell it was you and so is Ngata.” Solis face wore an honest expression and Farr knew he meant it. They’d been friends since their early days under then Commander
Ngata. Farr knew him to be an honorable man and he prayed that he got an honest shot at taking his ship to Mars.

  “You’ll get to Mars, Alfie, I know you will,” Farr told him.

  “Well, at least I’ve got something to occupy my time until then. Oh by the way, the Lao is about a week behind me. Her CO is Evander Tyrel,” Solis informed him with a wry smile.

  “Brown nose,” Farr said under his breath.

  “I didn’t quite catch that Callum,” Solis observed innocently.

  “That guy doesn’t deserve a command. You know it, I know it and the Admiral damn well knows it, so how did he get one?” Farr said letting some of his disgust show through.

  “Trekos,” Solis had said simply. Evander Tyrel was well known to both men. He’d served under Admiral Ngata as well but wasn’t well liked by the man. Wherever he went he sowed discord. Whatever team he was on, its welfare was secondary to Tyrel’s ambitions.

  “That’s why he’s not here now. The old man wants me to be firmly entrenched before he arrives.”

  “So do I,” Farr said thinking, “Let me arrange a conference with the Foreman. He’s a very, how shall I say it, powerful presence, but he’s in total control down there. He’s the reason, I suppose, why the aftermath was so strange. He’s also a good man. I’ve done him a favor so I think I have the right to ask one from him. By the way, he’s very shrewd as well.”

  “Sounds good, just give me a hail when you’ve got it arranged. Right now, we both have ships to run.”

  “That we do Captain. Talk to you soon, Farr out.”

  The next five hours passed quickly as the Resolution’s crew re-embarked and prepared for departure. Farr forbid any communications off ship in that time, ostensibly, he said, because priority data downloads had to be made.

  The Lansing came over them at the prescribed time and the two massive ships matched velocity and trajectory and the Resolution’s lander and the Lansing’s shuttle made repeated trips restocking the material expended by the Resolution at Lunar Base Five.