by G J Ogden
They approached a large wooden structure, which Maria assumed to be the council chambers. It was fairly rudimentary in design, and Maria estimated it was perhaps twenty to thirty meters wide and twice that again in depth. The roof structure comprised two sloping sections on each side, forming a sort of rough semi-circle, about five meters high at its peak. Despite its simplicity, it was solidly built, elegant and quite attractive.
As she approached it, Maria was conscious that she was being watched closely by some of the settlers. The attention made her feel anxious, as if she was still in her underwear, and she checked herself reflexively to make sure she was not. The men escorting her looked at each other, puzzled, as she did so.
As Maria neared the entrance to the council chambers she spotted a small crowd at the left-hand side, and some of them had noticed her too. They were standing around a tree, which was about ten meters tall, with spidery branches that arced off it like wizened old fingers. There were few leaves, and it did not look in the best of health, though that could be said for much of the flora on the planet. The branches were adorned with decorations of hand-made ornaments and what looked like a drawing or sketch of a man’s face. She was acutely aware of each pair of eyes regarding her with curiosity and, Maria thought instinctively, a fair amount of suspicion too. It felt almost hostile.
She made it to the hall and her two escorts peeled off and stood at each side of the archway like guards. Inside she could see Kurren. He was talking with a man and two women, who Maria estimated to be in their mid-to-late fifties. To the side of them were Ethan and Summer. She felt her stomach twist in knots upon seeing Ethan, and made a concerted effort not to look directly at him. This was a lot harder to achieve than she expected it to be. “Get a grip, Sal,” she said to herself, angrily.
“Sal!” Kurren shouted, waving her over. She duly obliged and walked up beside him, taking care to position herself to Kurren’s left side, furthest away from the cause of her discomfort. “Maria Salus, meet Talia, the administrator of this settlement,” Kurren said, brightly. He gestured to a thin woman, around a meter and a half tall, with gray hair, a thoughtful face, and a stoic expression that gave very little away. A politician’s face, she recognized.
The woman nodded at Maria, respectfully, and then said warmly, “You are welcome here, Maria Salus.” Then she turned and with an open hand gestured in turn to the woman and man to her left. “This is Administrator Freya and Administrator Hector,” she said. “They are responsible members of the two closest settlements. They have travelled a long way to be here.”
“Why?” asked Maria. She was aware that she sounded defensive, which had not been her intention.
Administrator Talia seemed taken aback at her directness, and her expression tightened further. “Your arrival here is quite an event, Maria,” said Talia. “Naturally, your presence is a matter of great significance.”
Maria recognized the politician’s response; the manner in which one can respond to a question without really answering it. “Of course,” she said, smiling genially; she could play this game too.
Talia regarded her for a moment and then spoke again. “You were injured and unconscious when you arrived,” she said. “Your companion here arrived with you, and our two rangers, in a transport vehicle of some kind.”
Maria looked at Kurren. “You found a working transport?”
Kurren shrugged and looked smug. “What can I tell you, I’m just that good!” he replied.
Talia’s eyes flicked to Kurren briefly and then returned to Maria. Her expression didn’t change. The atmosphere felt frosty, and was not helped by Kurren’s attempt at levity.
“We are aware of such vehicles of course,” Talia continued, “but no one has ever actually seen one in operation. So you can imagine that your arrival made quite an impression.”
“I apologize for my companion’s lack of subtlety,” said Maria, playing politician. She didn’t look at Kurren, but she expected he was probably scowling at her. “We did not mean to startle you.”
“Perhaps we should continue this in the chambers, where we can all sit down,” said Talia, directing an open hand further into the wooden structure. “We have food and drink too,” Talia continued. “It’s probably not what you are used to, but hopefully to your liking. So, if you’ll follow me, please...” Administrator Talia then turned and started to walk towards the center of the building. The other administrators followed, wordlessly, while Ethan and Summer waited a short distance away.
Maria leaned in closer to Kurren so they could not be overheard. “What’s going on here, old man?” she hissed. “What did I miss while I was out?”
Kurren could see that Maria was flustered, despite the politician’s front. He took her forearm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Ethan saw this and found himself staring, trying to understand the nature of their relationship; whether it was more than just professional. Summer noticed and nudged him with her shoulder, giving him a glower of her own.
“Easy, Sal,” Kurren said to Maria. “They’ve been perfectly reasonable so far, considering the entrance we made, though I certainly get the impression that they’ve been keeping us well out of public view.” Maria relaxed a little, welcoming the reassurance, although the news that the settlers had tried to keep their arrival low-key nagged at the back of her mind. Kurren continued. “You’ve been out for a day, perhaps a little more. I put you under with the last of the sedation meds to give your body a chance to repair,” Kurren took a small box out of the pocket in his pants. “Speaking of meds, this is the last of them,” he said as he pressed the small box into Maria’s hand. “I had to argue pretty hard to get them back, so keep them out of sight.” Maria nodded and swiftly pocketed it. Kurren continued, “The holo-emitter is in there too, I managed to smuggle that out of my gear before they took it.”
“Thanks,” said Maria. “That should make what comes next a bit easier. How are we for other meds, by the way?”
Kurren shrugged, “There’s enough full doses for another week, maybe,” he replied. “Should be enough for us to complete our mission and get off this rock.”
“Here’s hoping...” Maria said, wistfully. Then she thought of something Kurren had said earlier. “Hey, you said you had to argue to get these things back?”
“Yeah,” Kurren replied. “Some older guy confiscated our gear. Another ‘ranger’ I think; that’s what they call the guards or police or soldiers, or whatever they are. Same as the two who found us. You know, the cute red head…”
Maria scowled and interrupted, “Cute?”
Kurren smiled. “Sure, she’s cute!” he said. “But so are you. At least, I know someone who thinks so.”
“Cut that out!” said Maria, voice raised, finger pointing at Kurren like a gun. This attracted some attention, so she quickly dropped her hand back down to her side, and tried to act nonchalantly. Kurren fought back the urge to dig at her some more.
“Anyway, the redhead is called Summer.” Kurren continued, with Maria still scowling at him. “But she’s the coldest damn summer I’ve ever heard of. And the guy with the hots for you...”
“He’s called Ethan, I know,” Maria interrupted, her voice stern. “Don’t push it…” Kurren backed down, trying to look apologetic.
“Anyway, as I was saying, they took our gear and somehow managed to push the transport off somewhere and hide it,” Kurren went on, more serious now. “I got the PVSMs back at least, saying we needed them to test our blood for toxins and infections, which they seemed to accept. They’re over by the entrance and we’re allowed them back when we leave.”
Maria nodded, and then regretted it as pain shot through her head again. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Am I… okay?” Maria asked, genuinely concerned.
Kurren put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be fine, Sal, don’t worry,” he said. “You had a pretty bad concussion, a compound fracture and some bruising. The meds took care of most of it, but you still needed rest. Hence why
you woke up in lover boy’s bed,” Maria jabbed Kurren in the ribs. “Ouch, okay, sorry!” he said, fighting back another chuckle. “Actually, it was Ethan who suggested you stay in his cabin,” Kurren added. “He pretty much insisted, actually. His sister, Katie I think, was the one who undressed you and put you to bed, but the guy sat with you all night. He barely left your side; I think he’s kinda smitten with you.”
Maria looked down, “That was his home?” she asked sheepishly.
Kurren smiled, but chose not to provoke her any further. Instead, he changed the subject. “While you were out cold, these two other council members arrived,” he said, looking over to where Talia and the other two administrators were waiting. “They’ve been talking in private quite a bit, but to be honest, I haven’t felt unwelcome here.” Kurren stopped and span on his heels, looking around the hall. “I’m pretty blown away by how civilized they are, in truth, “he said. “I half expected them to be savages.”
Maria looked up again, grateful that Kurren had stopped teasing her. “Our ground surveys showed evidence of settlements like this on ther island,” she said, “so we already knew they had established some simple form of society.”
“I know,” Kurren shrugged. “Still, I guess I’m just relieved – or maybe impressed – that the people down here are, you know, just normal people.”
Maria appreciated the point. She hadn’t been sure of what to expect from the people on the planet, and despite knowing from the surveys that there were settlements, she was also surprised at how organized, and orderly, they were. “Did you find out any more about what they know?” she asked Kurren. “You know, about us and what happened?”
“I talked to both of them quite a bit on the journey back,” Kurren nodded towards Ethan and Summer, who were still watching them from a distance, mistrustfully. “I kept it loose, tried not to make it too obvious that I was probing.”
“Find out anything useful?”
“Bits and pieces,” Kurren said, shrugging. “The red-head, Summer, kept shutting me down hard, saying it was forbidden to discuss the events before the Fall.”
“The Fall?”
“That’s the term they use for the refinery incident,” Kurren explained, “but, although the woman was frosty, it turns out the guy is actually pretty into the subject. It seems to be of genuine importance to him, and he gave up some information just in casual conversation, before Summer stopped him.”
“It’s forbidden to discuss what happened?” Maria asked, surprised.
“Yeah, seems so,” said Kurren. “I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing the stone lady over there will tell us soon enough. The weird thing is, bar this guy, Ethan, I don’t think anyone gives a damn. I really don’t think they want to know. It will make our job harder.”
Maria nodded again. “I’ll keep it in mind, and adjust our story,” she said. “Hopefully, they are not too closed-off on the subject; I’d hate to have to Plan B this thing.”
“I hear you, Sal,” said Kurren, solemnly.
Maria looked around. The two rangers, Ethan and Summer, were starting to look impatient. Maria was about to suggest they move further into the room, but then she became aware of what sounded like singing or chanting coming from outside. “What’s with the gathering out there?” she asked, remembering the group of people by the old tree.
Kurren stiffened up slightly, both in body and tone of voice, which is something he always did when he was about to talk about something important. It was like he flipped a switch in his brain, which suppressed the more roguish side of his personality. “It’s a sort of wake,” he said. “Apparently, there were originally three of these rangers who set off to investigate the crash site. One of them, an older, more senior guy called Dorman, was attacked and killed by a roamer near the ship. The people outside are mourning his death.”
Maria exhaled slowly. “That could complicate things. There will be resentment.”
“Perhaps,” Kurren replied. “I haven’t sensed any animosity towards us, just a general air of uneasiness at us being here. But the reception from administrator frosty over there...” he cocked his head in the direction of Talia again, “…is beginning to make me wonder.”
There was an audible and very obviously-faked cough, and they looked over to see Summer standing, hands on hips, looking at them with widened eyes. She didn’t need to say, ‘What are you waiting for?’ because it was written plainly on her face. Ethan, on the other hand, was looking down at his feet, absent-mindedly scuffing one boot on the wooden floor. The attempted nonchalance was so evident that Maria almost laughed out loud.
“Well, I guess we should get in there,” Maria said loudly, while looking Summer dead in the eye. If looks could kill, Maria expected she would now be dead.
Kurren took the cue, and they both headed off towards the meeting space, followed closely by Ethan and Summer.
Chapter 13
They were seated at a large square table made of a dark-colored hardwood. Around the table were eight chairs. Talia sat at the head, with the other two administrators either side. Kurren and Maria sat next to each other on the left-hand side of the table, with Ethan and Summer opposite them. They had been speaking for around five minutes, with Talia doing most of the talking. The conversation had started well enough, with pleasantries and formalities, but soon there were awkward silences, during which time the administrators looked apprehensively at each other.
Maria and Kurren began to suspect that this meeting was not reactionary, not an ad-hoc response to an unexpected situation, but part of a plan or contingency. It was simply too organized, too calm. It suggested preparation. But Maria wondered how these settlement leaders could be prepared for the arrival of visitors from off-world if they knew nothing of the events that led to what they called the Fall.
The sense that the administrators knew more than they were letting on was seemingly shared by Summer and Ethan, who had both worn anxious frowns from the moment they sat down. They were, in fact, surprised to be sitting down at all, having expected to be asked to leave; they had even attempted to do so, but Administrator Talia had told them to stay. They both now sat at the table, arms folded, looking confused and slightly worried.
It was Administrator Talia that broke the awkward silence. “Well, I think it is perhaps time we moved onto the subject at hand,” she said.
Maria recognized the politician again. They had exchanged platitudes, but throughout it all, Maria had sensed no warmth from the older woman, very little curiosity, and also no surprise. It was the latter that bothered Maria. Talia was not surprised by their sudden appearance, and had reacted more as if they were estranged family members, finally returning home, for reasons as yet unknown. It was suspicion that Maria felt most strongly from Talia. Simmering just beneath the surface, there was also fear.
“Clearly, from the way you were dressed and the rather unconventional manner of your arrival, you are not from one of the neighboring settlements,” Talia continued, “So, Maria, tell us, where are you from?”
Neither Maria nor Kurren quite expected her to ask the question so directly, and both were caught a little off-guard. They looked at each other and then Kurren nodded toward Maria, and sat back slightly. They had, of course, discussed and planned how to handle this situation during the mission preparation, and it was agreed that Maria would be the one to explain the story. Despite Kurren’s cutting sense of humor, he had a very direct and unsubtle manner when it came to more serious conversations and negotiations. The virtual switch in his brain would flip, and he would talk as if giving a military briefing. Both felt that this formal delivery lacked the human touch needed to tell their story. Kurren had also suggested, in a blatantly sexist way as Maria had complained at the time, that it might ‘sound better coming from a woman’. Kurren insisted he simply meant that women were more empathetic and sensitive, though Maria knew full-well that what he really meant was that Maria could use her ‘womanly charms’ to win them around, and she had chastis
ed him for this at the time. In what turned out to be an equally sexist assumption on their part, neither had expected to be talking to a female leader.
Maria cleared her throat and tried to remember the content of the briefing she had prepared for this occasion. This was more difficult than she had imagined due, in no small measure, to her still being slightly concussed.
“Thank you, Administrator Talia,” she began formally, trying to set a serious tone. “You are, of course, correct, we are not from any of the settlements on this planet.” Maria noticed that Ethan had leaned in and was giving off the expectant wonder of a father about to witness the birth of his first-born child. He was holding his breath; it felt like he was about to explode. Talia and the administrators, on the other hand sat in quiet anticipation. Summer had her arms folded and looked angry. Maria tried to ignore her, and returned to her briefing. “We are part of what was known as the Universal Energy Corporation, an organization that existed on this planet, before the events that led to its near annihilation. We came here, at great risk, from our base – our home – on the moon orbiting this planet.”
“The moon?” said Talia, unsure of whether she had heard correctly.
“You’re from the moon?” Ethan added, unable to contain his astonishment, but the stern look that followed from Talia encouraged Ethan to fade into the background again.
“Yes,” said Maria, half looking at Talia and half at Ethan, noticing his far more positive and interested reaction. “Well, yes and no,” Maria corrected herself. “It’s hard to explain. Our ancestors were from the planet, the same as yours, but ours were trapped in space, on a city on the moon, while your ancestors were here, planetside.” Talia’s eyes widened. “I know this must sound crazy to you,” said Maria, realizing that saying she was from the moon, out loud, sounded a bit ludicrous even to herself, “but, please give me some time to explain.” Maria looked around the table at the different expressions; a mix of shock, confusion and fear, all except for the ranger, Ethan, and Talia. Talia did not look shocked, but she did now appear more anxious than earlier, and this gave Maria an unsettled feeling. Eventually, Talia asked that Maria continue.