Vallar

by Cindy Borgne

  He was speaking to his girl friend, Cappy. I turned the corner.

  Nate held a com to his ear. He flinched at seeing me. “I gotta go.” He paused. “I’ll let you know in a few hours.” He stuffed the com into his pocket.

  I frowned. “Where have you been?”

  “I, uh, sorry, but Admiral Beacon kept me busy. You better now?”

  “Yeah, but I’m tired.”

  He only asked because he worried about not being able to go out with Cappy tonight.

  “Good, because we’re almost home.” He motioned to my bag in the corner. “I packed up for you.”

  “Thanks.” I glanced out the porthole. We traveled through the open land of Aonia Terra. To the north were the soldier barracks and hangars for the military vessels. The southern area had factories, including a hydrogen power plant.

  Our vessel hovered to the south end of the central complex and around to the executive bio-dome, which pressurized about twenty square kilometers. From a distance, it looked like half of a giant metallic egg. We approached the private hangar attached to the dome.

  Nate and I walked down the hall and waited near the airlock with a group of others while officers sealed the exit.

  When the door opened, a heavy scent of vegetation almost made me sneeze. We stepped into the executive bio-dome – a place they said looked like the northern forests on Earth complete with a blue sky, but none of us were allowed to see the real Earth because they didn’t allow immigration.

  They claimed it was too expensive and that they had limited resources – all excuses. Marscorp planned to grow so big the Earth people would be forced to let us transfer there.

  Nate loaded our bags into the back of our cart and took the driver’s seat.

  He drove us down the flower-bordered path. “Battles bother you, don’t they?”

  “Yes.” I considered mentioning that I could hear the screaming, but Nate would lecture me about how to block out strong emotions. “Didn’t it bother you at all?”

  “Somewhat, but we have to be strong. Beacon says we need every resource to amass the power needed to get back to Earth.”

  “Don’t tell anyone, but I find it difficult to believe it’ll ever happen and it seems people are dying for nothing.”

  “Maybe, but the ideas of the foreign organizations aren’t any better.”

  Some of them wanted to convert areas of Mars into human habitats. Others focused on the original reason organizations came to Mars – to reach Hinun, an Earth-like planet. At times the Marc methods scared me, but those older and much more educated than me always had explanations.

  We deserve to return to Earth - our natural home where humans are meant to live. My teachers often stated during classes. They demonstrated the limits of terraforming areas of Mars, and the fact that we didn’t have the technology to reach Hinun.

  Seers are a new kind of soldier needed to reach our ultimate goal. Dr. Clare had told me.

  We drove down a flower-lined path to my house, weaving around bushes and trees, up and down slopes. The landscapers did their best to make this bio-dome the most attractive one on Mars.

  The path led to the backyard of our house. Nate brought the cart right up to the deck. He carried both bags as we went up the stairs, passing the hot tub and into the two-storied brick mansion through the back door wall.

  “Clare?” I called, just in case, but as usual the house was silent. She wasn’t here most of the time. At sixty-four, she planned to retire next year, but it sure didn’t seem like it.

  The holo in the living room blinked with a message. I adjusted the projector needles on each end of the rectangular transmission plate and flipped the switch. Blue beams of light came out of each projection needle. The beams merged about ten centimeters in front of the center of the holo and formed a solid image of Dr. Clare. She wore the usual white lab coat over her petite frame and short white hair outlined her wrinkled face.

  “Ian, I want to remind you to study hard. I’m well aware it’s finals week, and I’m expecting high marks. I may be home tomorrow, so have the house in order.” Her image dissolved.

  Nate looked at his com. “Cappy wants me to come over, so I may be out late.”

  “You’re going out right away?” I asked.

  “Yes, why?”

  “Because . . . .” Even though we’d grown up together since the age of three, I couldn’t admit to him that I didn’t want to be alone. “Never mind.”

  “Sure you don’t feel that great, but you’re sixteen. You can look after yourself.”

  “I said never mind.” I sneered and pulled the dataviewer out of my bag. At least searching for the girl would keep me busy.

  I lumbered up the stairs and into my messy room. I had piles of laundry to do. About six soccer balls waited for me to put them back in the box. Several parts from my hovercraft were on top of a beat up desk that Dr. Clare wanted me to throw out. The only organized and dusted place was my collection of model ships on a long shelf.

  I crawled into bed with the dataviewer and searched through the girls in the personnel records.

  Nate came into the room. He’d changed into fresh clothes. “I’m going now.” He set my com on the end table. “I’m only going to be a few houses away. So if you need something call me. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Would he answer his com while making out with Cappy? I doubted it.

  I ignored him and concentrated on the faces. Even though some of the girls looked like her, none of them gave me a feeling I’d found the right one. I shut the dataviewer and set it next to the com.

  How can Nate leave me here after I’d just been in the infirmary? I couldn’t imagine doing this to him, but all he thought about was Cappy. The discovery of that small outpost had gone to his head.

  Find a target and discover secrets. That was what Admiral Beacon wanted. The repeating of a phrase was a method I discovered that helped me have visions. I’d seen something important. This was an opportunity to show up Nate and earn everyone’s respect. If I tried harder, more would come to me.

  Chapter 3

  Find a target and discover secrets.

  As I drifted off to sleep, someone moved beside me, and a warm weight came across my chest. The girl’s presence sharpened. A strange rush overcame me as she nuzzled closer. After a few content minutes, her presence faded.

  Don’t leave.

  “Ian.” Her mellow voice echoed through my mind.

  Then she was gone. I reached for her, but only felt the mattress. A chill went through me. Small, blurry rays of light trickled through the blinds, coming from the lamp outside by the pool.

  I huffed. These visions were taunting me. I needed to find her, but there wasn’t enough information. How can I think of anything except her after that?

  C’mon, find a target and discover secrets.

  After an hour of tossing, my restless thoughts blended. It felt as though I drifted through a thick foggy chamber. When the darkness cleared, I stood on barren soil near an enormous volcano. To the north, the dusty, rock-strewn land went on forever. The sky glowed with an orange haze. Why did my mind lead me here?

  Overlapping lava flows, long since hardened into solid rock, formed a towering wall. It reminded me of wax dried on the side of a candle.

  A distant hum from behind grew into rumbling. I turned around, glad to hear something. Over the horizon, a black midrange vessel with short wings emerged over a towering pillar. It soared over the rolling, rusty terrain and flew upward at the pilot’s whim.

  The solid black midrange flew closer. I didn’t recognize the model. The lack of numbers or any insignia didn’t help. It looked capable of holding ten people with both hover and jet engines. I’d never seen a midrange with that much maneuverability. Its large jet-like engine hummed at the rear, sending dirt flying as it sped past.

  Pointing my finger at it, I willed my mind to follow. A bright light flashed. It felt as if someone grabbed me by the arm and hurled me toward the vessel.
The volcano and ground whipped past in an orange blur. A dark tunnel formed. I soared into it.

  The blackness dissolved, leaving me inside the vehicle, standing at the rear of a small bridge behind two pilot seats and an array of complicated controls and gauges. The jump worked!

  A man with short, dark hair sat in the pilot’s seat before a large window. He wore tan and reddish-brown camouflage clothes, instead of a uniform, which made it impossible to identify him.

  Admiral Beacon would want to know the origin of the vessel, however, the entire pilot console appeared custom made. Above the front port was a small engraved plaque which read “Phantom One.”

  In the co-pilot’s seat was a petite woman with long black hair. She wore a black envirosuit. Far in front of them, another vessel became visible out the front port. Its rusty color matched the Mars terrain. It was small for a midrange and unmarked – just like the one at the small outpost.

  We followed the other ship over sloping hills, sharp bluffs and sped toward a high cliff that spread for miles in each direction. An entrance to a canyon materialized and the craft ahead swerved into the mouth of the ravine.

  I tried to recognize the landscape and checked the radar. Three massive volcanoes were to our east as we approached a web of canyons. We had to be entering the Noctis Labyrinthus, the most complex array of ravines on Mars. I wasn't aware of any colonies here. Maybe more answers could be found in the other vessel.

  Move to the leader. Make the jump.

  I sped through the wall of the vessel, through the air and ended up on the top of the leading ship as it snaked through the ravine, flying a couple of meters above the ground. The high walls of the canyon jutted up into the sky on both sides.

  The vessel wound through twisting turns, jagged edges and slowed before a large circular dead-end. We gracefully floated down and landed near a large metal, rectangular three-storied warehouse next to the wall of the canyon.

  A cargo transport idled near the open doors while workers wearing envirosuits came and went from it to the building. Forklifts transported metal crates to the vessel. A couple of backhoes were parked next to the building.

  A small organization wouldn’t go to all this trouble without a good reason. This vision was going to top Nate’s. My heart raced. I couldn’t let it end too soon. Calm down. Concentrate!

  I floated to the ground and made my way through the front doors. Rock cutters, generators, drills and bolters lined the walls along with crates.

  I drifted to the far end, through a revolving door and down a long flight of metal stairs into a large cave. Ceiling lights lit up the area. Several workers transferred rocks from carts to the metal crates.

  A couple of open crates were filled with rocks that looked like gold, but I’d never heard of gold on Mars. Yet again, there was always a first time.

  Gold on Mars, and I’m the one who found it!

  My excitement caused the vision to dim. I tried to get it back, struggling to focus, but the image blurred. The walls of the mine melted into one another, and colors rippled across like splattering paint. Fuzzy red digits glowed inches from my eyes. I blinked several times and focused on the clock, which displayed 0800 hours.

  I rushed into Nate’s room to tell him about the gold, but found his bed still made. Sure enough he’d spent the night at Cappy’s house.

  I had to calm down and think. Admiral Beacon would want details. The volcano I’d stood near could’ve only been one of four possible volcanoes, but I couldn’t tell what side I had been standing or from what direction the vessels came.

  Outside something squeaked. I peered through the window in Nate’s room, and a white cart pulled around to the front of the house. I hurried down the stairs as the door opened. Dr. Clare stepped into the foyer and stood under the chandelier.

  Pieces of her gray hair stuck up like she had been sleeping on the transport again. “Ian.” Wrinkles around her eyes deepened. “You’re up early.”

  “I had an amazing vision!” I followed her into the kitchen and almost jogged in place.

  “Please give me a second. It’s been a long trip.” She set her white lab coat on the back of a chair, went to the counter and poured a cup of coffee.

  “A small organization is mining some sort of shiny rocks. It looks like gold!”

  “There is no gold on Mars.”

  “But it sure looks like it.”’

  “Who is doing this mining?”

  “I couldn’t tell.”

  “If we’re going to find out what this really is, we’re going to need specifics.”

  I found myself hesitant. “But the only thing is if we take this mine I want it to be done humanely.”

  “I don’t see how that would be possible. This foreign group will no doubt fight for it.”

  “Then never mind.”

  “But you said you knew where it was?”

  “Only in general. It was nothing, forget it.”

  “Ian, it’s your duty to Marscorp to reveal any information you have.”

  I sat brooding, unsure of what to do and sorry for getting so excited about it.

  “Look around you. Don’t you see how well you live, all thanks to Marscorp?” she asked, looking out the window. “Very few people on Mars live the way we do. Instead, they live in tiny rooms near where they work or in barracks. Many foreigners live underground in constant fear of attacks.”

  “I know, I know,” I said, having heard this all before.

  “We’re not the only aggressors on Mars. These small groups are always stealing from each other and having their little skirmishes. If we don’t take this mine, then someone else will. Why not have it in the hands of an organization that can make a difference?”

  I found it hard to argue with her logic. “It’s several kilometers inside the Noctis Labyrinthus west of the volcanoes.”

  “Perhaps they’re hiding something we need to know about.” Dr. Clare pulled open the red drapes hanging from the long windows that over looked the hot tub on the deck. “You definitely have progressed in your ability.” She sat down and sipped at her coffee.

  Her rare praise caught me off guard. This made me feel like I was doing something special. I couldn’t resist the temptation to look for the girl again, especially after having an important vision.

  After searching through photos in my room, I narrowed it down to four pictures even though I still didn’t have a strong feeling about any of them. They were all ensigns with varied lengths of auburn hair worn under their berets. I transferred their information to a chip and put it in my pocket.

  “Hey, Ian!” Nate knocked on the door and I let him in. “Dr. Clare told me about the gold you found.” Grinning, he pressed his lips together. His cheeks quivered, and he burst out laughing.

  “Stop! It may not be gold, but it is something valuable.”

  He bit his lower lip. His body shook as he forced back the chuckles. “I can’t help it.” He gulped in a few breaths and burst out laughing again. After another minute, he finally got himself under control. “Sorry, I meant to say congratulations.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I motioned for him to sit down.

  He took a seat on the edge of my bed. “Beacon’s going to be impressed if it turns out to be true.”

  I glanced sideways at him for a second. “It’s going to be true. I know it.”

  Nate raised a skeptical eyebrow at me while the holo hummed with an incoming signal.

  “So you don’t think that I can have a vision of some importance too?” I glared at him, ignoring the persistent buzz of the holo and figured he worried about me surpassing his ability. Not that he would admit it.

  “You better answer. It’s the Admiral,” Nate said without looking.

  I hurried and flipped the switch.

  Beacon’s image, from the shoulders up, appeared above my desk. “Great work. At least we know something interesting is going on not too far from us. However, the Noctis Labyrinthus is enormous, and we are having a hard time fi
nding it. If you could give us any more details, we may have a better chance.”

  Nate glanced at me briefly as if he wanted to say something.

  “I told you everything I know so far.”

  “I know, but perhaps if you had another vision. I’ll throw in a scouter if you can get a more exact location.”

  “My own scouter?”

  Nate’s mouth dropped open.

  “Yes,” Beacon continued, “but they’re much different than hovercrafts. You’ll need some flying lessons.”

  Nate stared, looking insulted. He got up with his hands on his hips.

  “I’ll get that intel for you.”

  “Call me right away when you do.” Beacon’s image dissolved.

  “He always wants more.” Nate huffed. “I wouldn’t have promised anything.”

  “But my own scouter.” I glanced over the row of scouter models on my shelf, hoping I could pick out a real one.

  “He never offered me a scouter.” Nate huffed.

  “You can use mine.”

  “So you think you will get it that easy?” Nate’s brow narrowed above his eyes. “A mine could be hidden so deep in that canyon it’s not even funny.”

  “It’s worth a shot.” I folded my arms. “What are you doing home already? Isn’t Cappy waiting for you somewhere?”

  “I had to see about this vision.” Nate nudged his head toward a stack of datachips. “And what about your studies?”

  “Everything’s . . . .” I stopped. If I exaggerated, Nate would stay and help me with some problems. “Well, there are some confusing trig problems I can’t figure out.”

  “Good thing I came. You better show me those problems.”

  I held back a grin, but just as I got out the dataviewer Nate’s com chirped with a message from Cappy. As he helped me with math, this happened every fifteen minutes.

  Nate chuckled at her messages – whatever they were saying. I held back from complaining, never wanting him to know how mad it made me. That he couldn’t even take an hour anymore to do something with me.

  He didn’t even check my last problems as he wandered out the door and toward Cappy’s house. I tried to forget about him and considered that maybe the girl in my vision might be teaching the scouter lessons.