“In the end, no one ever walked the surface of the red planet again.” Maria looked at him, and cocked her head slightly.
“I still don’t get it though. Why do you think this changed everything? I mean, it was a tragedy, but…” Kenneth smiled back at her.
“When the astronauts of the rescue mission returned, they became fuel for those who had said NASA chickened out. That NASA had planned poorly, that we never should have worked with the other nations in the first place. They had some valid points, but these astronauts became puppets of those with political agendas that had nothing to do with Mars. NASA was just a beginning. In the next election, Holloway won a landslide victory, partially due to his stance on disbanding NASA. Of course, he also promised to fight terrorism by all means necessary, to extricate the United States from the bonds of weaker nations who never contributed. And people bought into it,” he said, remembering those last days of actual democracy, wondering how the world would have looked had they chosen differently.
“The Mars incident was a pivotal moment, in more ways than one. We chose our path back there, the path of Holloway, and later his darker shadow, Andrews. I believe that first election after the Mars incident was the point of divergence. The nations of the world took different paths from there, some for the better and some for the worse. Ours ended up governed by fear and institutionalized paranoia, weakening and eventually rewriting the Constitution into something unrecognizable.
“Havelar is just an offspring of the Andrews administration. The way he takes his power, his legitimacy for granted, as a natural consequence of having been part of the governing elite…” He suddenly stopped, remembering to whom he was talking. He’d gone too far. If her father ever heard about this…
“I’m sorry…” he said. “Sometimes I get so worked up, I don’t know what I’m saying.” her laughter cut him off.
“Don’t worry, Professor. I’m glad you told me. I’ve been having these thoughts myself; I just didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. And don’t worry about my father. I wouldn’t talk to him about this. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been having these thoughts too.” Maria got up, and extended her hand.
“Thank you for taking the time, Professor. I really appreciate it.” He smiled back at her, and took her hand.
“It was a pleasure. Don’t hesitate to come back.” She smiled, then went to get her coat. When Kenneth closed the door after having said goodbye, he let out a breath of relief. What was he thinking? To say those things in the first place, and to the daughter of one of Havelar’s closest associates! He smacked his forehead with his palm, swearing quietly. Nothing he could do about it though, and who knew, perhaps the girl was actually to be trusted. A light shiver crept across his back, as the cold from outside still lingered by the door. The only sensible thing to do in such weather is to stay inside with a hot cup and a good book, he thought to himself, as he walked over to the counter to pour himself another cup of chocolate.
BEN WATERS
Winter had come, and it was worse than expected. Ben chided himself for being naïve, as he tried to cover Lisa from the worst of the gusts. She didn’t react, but nevertheless her feet kept moving. For now. He didn’t relish the idea of carrying her, but if it was necessary he’d do it, of course. Harry seemed to cope better; although Ben worried that he might just be putting on a brave face. He tended to do that when things got difficult, which was generally a good thing. Out here though, it could be very dangerous.
Ben had lost track of the days, but still remembered the first day of the blizzard. It had surprised them all, and when Harry suggested they wait it out, they had all agreed it was a good idea. But the winds kept blowing, and soon the snow covered everything, including their tent. After a week, they were quickly running out of food.
“We need to get moving, or we’ll starve to death,” Ben had finally said, and so they had packed up what supplies remained and ventured out into the white hell that awaited them beyond the tent walls.
A few hours ago, they had discovered a lone balder, a fearsome creature they had learned to keep their distance from. They had managed to evade it, but in the commotion, they had to cross a river, and the strong currents had prevented the ice from freezing enough to hold them. So he and Lisa had fallen through into the icy water, and only managed to crawl back up after ditching their backpacks. Afterward, they had kept moving for an hour, before stopping. Harry had hurried to build a fire, and they slowly dried off. Ben had been carrying the tent though, so there would be no more shelter from the wind that seemed to pierce through their very bones. Ben could tell Lisa was hypothermic, and she wouldn’t be able to walk much further. But if they stopped, they would all surely freeze to death.
The perimeter shouldn’t be far off now though. If they could only carry on a bit longer. That’s what they had said hours ago, but there was still no sign of it. They could be anywhere for all he knew, everything looked the same. All they knew was that if they stopped, they’d surely die. So they kept moving, one step at a time, trying not to think too much, keeping despair at bay.
“I recognize this place!” Harry suddenly screamed through the howling wind.
“This is where we sat watching the patrol pass once we had crossed the perimeter!” Ben almost didn’t get it, his mind was working slower somehow. But then it dawned upon him.
“That would mean…” Harry nodded fiercely and tried to make some kind of contact with Lisa, who seemed to have almost passed out.
“We’re safe, Lisa! We’re safe now.” Ben and Harry helped each other carry Lisa, one on each side, as they stumbled over toward the perimeter.
A few minutes later, Ben heard Harry shout again.
“Hey! Hey you, we’re here! We need help!” He doubted anyone would hear, as the wind drowned all sound that was more than a few meters away. But it meant Harry must have seen something. And soon he saw the lights of the snowmobile. We’re safe, he thought, as it approached. And not a minute too soon, as he was holding on to consciousness by a thread. Then, as the figures on board became vaguely visible, he heard a shot pierce through the noise of the blizzard. Something heavy dragged him down, and he stumbled over and fell to the ground.
Chapter 5
TINA HAMMER
“Trigger-happy sons of bitches.” Dean grimaced as he tried not to let the pain show. Earlier that day, he’d been cutting firewood with Kim, when his axe had slid off the surface of the wide log he’d been trying to cut in half. The axe had slipped from his hands, and its head had buried into the shin of his left leg. Kim had helped him back into the cabin, and Tina had come minutes later. She had immediately seen that he’d been lucky. It was a flesh wound, the bleeding was easy enough to stop, and as long as the wound was kept clean, it would heal nicely in a few days.
“I mean, how do you not see the difference between a balder and three kids?” he continued. Henry shot him an angry glance.
“Come on, Dean, don’t be an idiot. You’ve been to war, you know this shit happens. Too bad, but it happens.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Dean shot back. “In war, it happens. When people are trying to shoot you dead, shit happens. But here? What, like some balder is carrying a bomb vest? You see, I thought balders hunted with their teeth or their claws. Never heard they were packing.” When no one else said anything, Henry got up and went to the door.
“I’ll go get some more wood,” he muttered. As he slammed the door shut behind him, a gust of cold air blew across the room, almost blowing out the candle on the table.
“Can’t say I envy those poor suckers though,” Kim said. “I’m glad I don’t have to patrol that perimeter in this weather. Makes you almost sympathetic to them.” She smiled mirthlessly.
There was nothing to say, so the room went silent again. Tina understood Dean’s reaction, but she knew better than to judge some poor freezing soldier on guard duty who makes a mistake. It was a mistake, they’d said. The three kids had gone AWOL two weeks b
efore, and two nights ago, they’d come back through the perimeter. The guards had been alerted by the motion detectors and rushed out in their snowmobile to meet them. Then, by some freak accident, one of the guards had shot one of the kids. The officer who announced it said the soldier was not to blame, as he’d thought it was a balder attacking them. Besides, he’d said, this was the very reason no one was allowed outside the perimeter. It was dangerous.
She had recognized the names of two of the kids, Benjamin Waters and Lisa Hayden, two of the kids who’d been on that last, unauthorized launch from Earth. The two were now hospitalized with hypothermia and frost injuries, but the doctors said they would recover just fine. The third of them though, Harry something, was the one who’d been shot. When he reached the hospital it was already too late, and he died a cold, miserable, and meaningless death. Tina shook her head at the tragedy. She’d seen war, but mostly from the bird’s eye view of a scramjet, which tended to make everything a bit too technical and impersonal to really take in the suffering. Besides, this wasn’t war.
Harry would be buried in a few days, just outside Fort Andrews. The kid was the first person to die on Aurora, and people were already talking about naming the cemetery after him. Won’t happen, Tina thought wryly. Too embarrassing. Thinking about it made her shake her head in disgust. Sometimes she felt immensely relieved not to be a soldier anymore. This was one of those times.
GEORGE HAVELAR
George Havelar sat in a lounge chair in his office, with Ramon Solis, Thomas Dunn, and his chief of security, Colonel Shoshana Quellar. No one said anything; they all seemed to wait for him to speak. One thing Havelar missed from the old days in the Consortium was the discussions. He didn’t feel he held anyone back, but the need for a clear chain of command, and the necessary security measures, had made people wary, it seemed. It saddened him sometimes to discover that his closest associates didn’t have more faith in him. Thomas seemed to be the lone exception though, with his brash behavior, often bordering on rude, but he suspected even he held back now and then. He looked at Ramon, his old friend, who sat silent, not even touching his cup of coffee. Ramon had been drifting away from him during the last few years of the project, and now only held his seat in his circle of friends because of their shared history. He missed the old Ramon though. If he could come up with some suitable task to put him back on track, he would gladly do so for his old buddy.
This accidental shooting was a setback, but Havelar expected it to blow over in a few weeks. The soldiers had just been doing their job. How could they have known the kids would be there, when they were expecting armed saboteurs? Major Quellar knew, of course, but Ramon and Thomas had no idea. He had decided it was time to tell them though. They both deserved to know. Not everything, of course, but most of it.
“I expect you to have guessed the official explanation is a pile of shit, right?” he barked, and both Ramon and Thomas started. He smiled wryly.
“Balders… Hah…” He turned toward Quellar.
“Couldn’t you have come up with something slightly more believable?” Her face turned red, but she said nothing.
“All right, I guess you need to know the truth.” He leaned back in his chair and noticed Thomas move a little closer to the edge of his seat. Good, he thought, I have his attention. Ramon only looked at him, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
“When the project first got started, a few of us, meaning the president, Director Shaw, and I, decided we needed to make sure the future colony would survive whatever it might face. One of the things we feared was intelligent life forms that might turn out to be less than friendly. So we decided to bring a few items, just to make sure we didn’t survive Devastator just to be wiped out by hostile aliens.” He didn’t say nukes, and he didn’t intend to.
“There were four containers. Throughout summer, all four of them landed in remote areas, away from what would become Fort Andrews. I cannot tell you what they contain, only that they were meant as a safeguard, and hopefully we will never need them.” He glanced up at their expectant faces.
“Just a few weeks after landing, one of the containers was sabotaged. I have no idea how anyone here could possibly know its location. Only Colonel Quellar and I have the codes to locate the containers, and only when these codes are linked together. But nevertheless, the first container was rendered useless, meaning we only had three left. Three weeks ago, the contents of the second container were destroyed as well. Naturally, the guards were informed there might be saboteurs passing though the perimeter, and their instructions were to act swiftly and use lethal force if deemed necessary. They were informed that the saboteurs would most likely be armed.” He slumped down into his chair, and shook his head.
“Damn kids… No one would fault the guards for firing if only they knew. But we cannot tell anyone, because the containers need to be kept secret for now. That is more important than whatever people think.” Ramon surprised him by speaking.
“I guess we all know the story of the Mars colony. I mean, it was terrorists back then, and now it seems we have brought terrorists here as well. Same story all over again. Shouldn’t be surprised, though I never saw it coming.” Havelar interrupted him.
“Yes, they are most certainly here. But now that we know, we’re going to smoke them out and give them what they deserve. I don’t pretend to understand their motives, and I don’t care. My responsibility is to make this colony viable, to give us a future, and that future has no place for terrorists or their sympathizers.”
Havelar was angry with all those ignorant people who didn’t understand what building something like this entailed. They needed to stick together, even when they didn’t agree. The burden of responsibility weighed heavily upon his shoulders. His job was to save them all, the last remains of humanity, and make them stronger than they ever were back on Earth. People like Admiral Hamilton, who spoke on and on about personal freedoms, rights... Bah! Selfish was the only word that came to mind. Only thinking about themselves and their own personal needs, when they should be thinking of humanity as a species.
“Colonel, although I believe most of this will blow over, we need to be firm, so no one else gets any ideas. I need people to do their jobs, and work together. We need to establish a curfew. Make sure the troopers understand how serious this is, that we cannot take any chances. But nothing about the saboteurs, of course. Just blame it on the weather, balder packs crossing the perimeter, whatever.” The colonel nodded firmly, and moved as if to leave. Havelar motioned for her to wait, and she sat back down.
“I also want you to prepare to arrest those who openly oppose us.” Thomas tried to say something, but Havelar dismissed him. He’d heard it all before. This was no time to make arguments about legitimacy or winning the favor of the people. George Havelar had made up his mind. Whatever spring would bring, if they were to make it through winter as a community, they needed to stick together, and he couldn’t allow political strife to take priority now, with so much to be done.
“If we are to make this work, we need to tighten the reins, or everything gets out of hand,” he said. He thought for a moment, and Colonel Quellar stood up again.
“Governor,” she said.
“Is there anyone in particular you want me to deal with immediately?” He smiled briefly at her, before shaking his head.
“No, not immediately. We need to make sure we round them all up at the same time. I want Thomas to have a list ready by tomorrow.” He turned toward Thomas, who had also risen from his chair, and now stood waiting for instructions.
“Thomas, I want the list comprised of no more than ten names, the most prominent potential dissidents, Hamilton for instance. I want their whereabouts, and I want you to keep track of them, what they do, where they go, who they speak to. I also need you to point out three or four incriminating actions. You’ll find something, I’m sure.” Thomas nodded, and when Havelar motioned for him to go, he left quickly. Then Havelar turned to Ramon.
“I need you on my side, old buddy. Now more than ever.” Ramon looked at him quizzically.
“All this… It won’t be forever. We just cannot take any risks before we’re safely established.” He paused for a second, wondering how far to go, how far to trust his friend.
“Besides, the Human Expansion Program will make great demands of us all, when the time comes. I cannot tell you everything. You have to trust me. Just know this: our task is no less than to secure the survival and cohesion of these last remains of the human race.” Ramon seemed to wait for him to say more, and Havelar didn't let the chance to speak go.
“I need you for this,” he repeated, taking a hold of Ramon’s shoulders, staring intently into his eyes. Ramon looked back, and then a smile broke through, as if he suddenly realized that their years of friendship still counted for something.
“Have I ever let you down, George?” Ramon said. The two old friends hugged, and relief washed over Havelar. They would soon have to face some very difficult decisions, but for now, it was just like old times.
KENNETH TAYLOR
Kenneth Taylor sat quietly watching the soldiers patrol the perimeter in their quad bikes, while the last light faded from the evening sky. He’d been out here so many times by now, and knew their routines in and out. He honestly didn’t know whether he did this because he actually enjoyed these excursions, or if he just needed the feeling of doing something illegal. He’d gotten more and more sick of the restrictions; new ones were being imposed on them every week. Last week, it had been booze. This fellow he only knew by name, Quentin something, had been interrupted while carrying a crate of booze from his own still that he’d intended to sell to the shipyard workers up in Port Hammer. Havelar’s goons had confiscated the crate, reprimanded him, and sent him off with a warning. Kenneth shook his head. There were no laws against moonshining on Aurora. The guy had just been creative, for Christ’s sake! The booze was probably being sampled by Havelar himself right now, as far as he knew.
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