Lunara: The Original Trilogy

by Wyatt Davenport

  The streetlights below streamed into the dining area set aside for the delegates from Aethpis Colony and the Lunara crew members. The circular restaurant sat atop the highest tower in Aethpis and was simply furnished with tables and chairs on the outside. The inside circle contained a vast garden of various plants, mixed in with sculptures.

  Sarah Cortez had taken them through the garden on their way in. Lunara’s garden, Parker noted, paled in comparison. He estimated the gardens contained at least thirty additional vegetable types. The sculptures portrayed farmers, animals, and plants. Each animal was extinct: elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and some he couldn’t even name. Regretfully, he wished his schooling had taught him more Earth history and less about how to maintain a hydroponics bay.

  At the dining table, he listened to Sarah and Jan talk about several different subjects—mostly about developments within Aethpis over the past several years.

  "Don’t you get information reports on Lunara?" Sarah asked.

  "We get reports, but they never include details about daily changes," Jan replied. "Our reports are production and economic data. Sure, we get the news, but that isn’t accurate about the people. Those broadcasts are too political. We are a fair distance from Mars most of the time, and relaying pertinent information is top priority with our limited transfer time. Our ignorance of Mars is embarrassing."

  "To atone for our lack of courtesy toward Lunara, I can fill you in on Aethpis. How many from your crew are Aethpisian?"

  "Ty and I are from Aethpis. Captain Dalton is also from Aethpis. We are all from the Delta sector in the colony," Jan said, and then thought for a moment. "Gwen is obviously from Zephyria. Seth and Chloe are Zephyrian essentially. They grew up in a Zephyrian algae farming town on the planitias, but if you asked Seth, you might get a totally different answer."

  "I’m from Trivium Port, but I lived in Aethpis—Kappa sector," Parker said, then he jabbed his thumb. "Roche was born on Lunara. His first trip to Mars."

  They all turned toward the far table in the dining area, where Roche had moved over to talk to several female aides.

  "He’s finding his way around Mars quite nicely," Sarah said, smiling.

  "After a hectic few days, I can’t muster the energy to join him. I’m enjoying just listening," Parker said, looking toward Sarah.

  Sarah was the most beautiful woman Parker had ever seen. Her charm and charisma hit him from the moment she introduced herself. She was no different from Gwen—the daughter of the highest-ranking official in a major colony. If Gwen was a princess, Sarah was, too. He had heard her name spoken before, but until today he had known no more about her and had never even seen a picture of her.

  Sarah made him feel like a teenager again. He hung on her every word. She was smart, sophisticated, and a definite politician—an intimidating thought to him.

  He imagined Sarah would be the minister of Aethpis one day. The way she told her stories seemed to inspire confidence in her abilities. A trait found in almost all politicians. She had poise, and most of all, she seemed to enjoy the company of a bunch of crew members of a mining ship. Her act was flawless. He couldn’t tell for a moment that, in fact, she dreaded another boring reception.

  "Listening is a good trait around me," Sarah said, smiling toward both of them. "My father says I could talk indefinitely if I chose to. Over the last ten years, Aethpis and Zephyria have had a great relationship. Trivium Port used to be downtrodden, with corruption and crime festering throughout the colony. Together Aethpis and Zephyria cleaned it up, making it the economic center of the planet. Even the nonaligned colonies use Trivium for their trade and currency exchanges.

  "Our relationship is so close that each colony has developed its own specialties; Zephyria concentrates on mining, terraforming, and industrial machinery, while we focus on spacecraft, transportation, and communications, such as the Black Widow and the array in orbit. Although we are independent, we tend to concede dominance to the other colony for trading purposes. Our closeness keeps us together but still unique."

  An aide to Sarah walked over and waited for her to pause. Sarah acknowledged her with a hand gesture, and the aide bent down and whispered in her ear. Sarah nodded and sent her away.

  "My brother has arrived," she said. "Kyle was supposed to be here an hour ago. Must have been delayed again by another Martian crisis."

  Moments later, Kyle Cortez entered the dining area. The room went silent, and the aides stood in recognition. Parker and Jan did not know if they should get up but decided to stand in order to show respect.

  Smiling cordially, Kyle walked toward the small group, nodding to all the high-ranking delegates attending the event. He arrived at the table, and Parker noticed immediately the fine fabric running along the shoulders of his sleek, button-down jacket. Kyle raised his hand to greet everyone and slipped into the seat beside his sister. "Sorry, I am late. Political business near Pavonis Mons tied me up."

  "Pavonis. I did a six-month stint in the mining colony of North Tharsis," Parker said.

  "Service?" Kyle said.

  "Yes, the Martian Army," Parker said, thinking back to the hard days on the open surface—a rite of passage on Mars. "Brutal conditions out there."

  "Not much has changed," Kyle said. "What component of the army did you belong to? I was in Tactical Command."

  "Special Forces Command for six years. Ranger captain. Then Engineer Corps for three. My team built the glacier melters."

  "Now, I truly understand the brutal comment," Kyle replied. "The miners continue to cause labor problems. For almost ten seasons, they tried to gain more credits for their work."

  Parker remembered the conditions of the mining camps. They lived three to a room. Two beds. Twelve-hour shifts all week. Many returned to the main colonies after three months—not wanting to renew their contracts. "And you don’t believe they should receive more credits? They work on the poles."

  "I mediate the complaints on behalf of Aethpis—my role is to be their ear. They negotiate for better conditions. We provide what we can afford."

  "I understand," Parker replied. "Lunara is not much different. The turnover rate on the colony is high, and the negotiations with one of the many labor groups are always happening. Right, Jan?"

  Parker found her preoccupied with Kyle’s jacket. The only reason he didn’t brush off her gaze as casual interest was the intensity of her stare. He cocked his eye toward Jan. He had never known her to be spacey, especially in front of a family as important as the Cortezes. She had been to her share of formal dinners.

  As his eye weighed on her, she finally broke her trance and spoke. "I love your pendant. Can you tell me about it?"

  "This is an heirloom, passed down from generation to generation," Kyle said, unclipping the pendant from his jacket and handing it to Jan. "My father has a similar one, and so does my sister. Though she doesn’t wear it nearly as much I do."

  "I’m worried it will be broken," Sarah said. "Family heirlooms can’t be bought at stores. Mine is stored in the Martian Central Bank."

  Jan looked closer and then handed it to Parker, who knew straightaway that the pendant was a rarity on Mars. It was made of pure gold and molded into a figure of a bird holding a branch of a tree. On the other side was a fish. "This is nice," he said. "Never seen one like that before. What do the fish and branches mean?"

  "My father told me it means peace and prosperity. It has always brought me luck in all my travels."

  Parker wondered what Jan found so interesting. He guessed that her interest in the pendant’s style was bogus, but she played it off well enough to trick Kyle and Sarah. What is she up to?

  For the rest of the meal, they talked about Mars, Lunara, and the current news. The conversation continued for hours into the night. Jan said no more about the pendant or its meaning. Parker made a note to ask her about it later. All the while, he couldn’t get the thought of the pendant out of his head. He guessed that Jan suspected something, and he hated not knowing what it w
as.

  The departure gate to Trivium Port was sparse as most of the traffic this time of night was arrivals from other colonies. Eamonn had been staring at the same art design for the last two hours, since his disheartening reunion with Madelyn. The picture’s lines whirled, the dots danced, and his eyes tried to adjust to catch either of them, but they escaped faster around the surface. However, the slower he followed the picture, the slower the dots and lines escaped. An unusual play on reverse logic: his natural reaction was to dart his eyes to catch the dots, but as he slowed down his gaze his mind soothed as a reward. The placement of this picture was no mistake, in his opinion. He believed the artist designed it with the intention of forcing people to slow down and think about their problems while leaving the colony.

  The bustling of boots pulled him away from the design, and he looked up. Jan and Parker stood before him.

  "Where is Roche?" Eamonn said, looking behind them and not seeing any sign of his secondary engineer.

  "He’ll be making the trip back tomorrow," Parker said. "He found some new friends. I think they are going to the local clubs."

  "Why didn’t you go with him?"

  "I have things to look into. Let’s go to the train." Parker was already walking toward the departure ramp.

  Eamonn turned, cocking his eyes to Jan.

  "I don’t know," Jan mouthed back. "Let’s go." She grabbed him by the hand and yanked him to his feet. "I hope your business was a success."

  "Only time will tell," he murmured.

  They walked through the doorway out to the boarding platform. The chill struck them hard. Eamonn held himself from shivering, but Jan could not. She placed her hands under her arms for warmth. Eamonn, sensing her discomfort, rubbed her shoulders.

  "This tunnel is like deep space," Parker said, pacing around in a circle. His breath curled in the air as the water vapor crystallized. "Those heat lamps are doing nothing."

  "Should we go back into the terminal?" Eamonn suggested, looking at Jan’s lips, which were turning blue.

  "No, the train will be here any second," Jan said, standing up on her toes and then down again in an effort to keep her feet warm. "This cold hits you fast. I hope they have the communications up when we get back into Trivium. I want to talk to Ty. I haven’t heard a word from him since we got back."

  "Seth and Chloe gave you his message, right?" Eamonn said.

  "What message?" Jan said. She stopped shivering, forgetting about the cold for a moment. "I haven’t had a chance to talk to them since the briefing. They were arguing, and I didn’t want to get involved."

  "There was an all-is-okay message from Lunara," he said, a bit ashamed he had let it slip his mind on the train ride into Aethpis.

  "I know that much. It was on the news."

  "They cut out the end. Ty said, ‘Jan, I love you.’"

  "That is a bit odd," Jan said.

  Her reaction took Eamonn aback. Maybe the cold had got to her, but he would have expected a more heartfelt reaction. "Why is that odd?"

  "An official message from Lunara, right? Ty wouldn’t say something that personal. Not for any reason."

  "Maybe the situation just got the best of him," Parker said.

  Jan shot him an indignant look. "Ty doesn’t get rattled."

  "The message was short," Eamonn said, "and he probably knew the system wouldn’t last long. He just compressed all his thoughts."

  Jan grumbled. "I will not be convinced until I speak with him."

  "What about the pendant?" Parker said to Jan.

  "What pendant?" Eamonn said.

  "The one Kyle Cortez wore. Jan stared at it the whole night."

  "I have seen that pendant before," she said. "I just don’t know where."

  "And did you recall anything?" Parker said.

  She shivered. "No, and don’t ask. I am not in the mood."

  Eamonn said, "I thought this trip would settle us down. We all seem more miserable than when we arrived."

  Jan sighed. "I just need to talk to Ty. Where is that train?"

  Eamonn put his arm around her shoulder. "Here it comes, I can see the lights."

  Chapter 17

  Seth handed the merchant his credit ID, given to him and the rest of the crew by Chancellor Arwell for all purchases on Mars. After he received the ID back, he picked up the pair of ready-to-eat breakfast pouches and a quick freeze medical packet from the counter.

  As he left the store, the salmon-colored hue of the Martian morning glowed through the glass roof above. He looked to his left out of the windowed wall and paused to watch the wind carry a dust devil to the east. Trivium Port was sheltered from the torrential winds of Mars, but that safety came at the price of chaotic winds that created some odd dust patterns. His gaze shifted to the horizon, and the varying shades of the rising sun caught his attention. After a minute, he proceeded toward the hotel suite where he and Chloe were staying.

  The court area teemed with people, and he wondered how anyone could function when it really got busy. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he rode the escalator up. He hadn’t slept since the attack in the hangar. He had spent the night standing guard over Chloe. The attacker he had managed to apprehend was still unconscious in the Trivium Medical Facility. Unfortunately, the security cameras in the area had malfunctioned, and the leads on the two men dried up—or so the security center had claimed. The fools running the Trivium Port security office had set their minds against his conspiracies, forcing him to draw upon the adage, "If you want something done right . . ." He just didn’t know how find the "right" way yet.

  After taking the elevator to the fifth floor, he walked down the hallways to their room at the end of the hall, slipped his keycard out of his pocket, and slid the metallic square across the door’s scanner. The handle on the hotel room unlatched, and he moved in.

  Jan took a stride toward him and pointed her sonic pistol into his chest. He nodded. Immediately, she lowered the weapon. He handed her one of the breakfasts.

  "They told me to shake the pouch and open," he whispered. "The breakfast should be hot and ready to serve in less than one minute. How is Chloe?"

  "The same," Jan said. "Did the guy you decked last night say anything?"

  "Nothing. He isn’t awake. I should have finished him off." He turned to Chloe. The bruise on Chloe’s forehead, as big as a golf ball, churned the rage within him. "I am still angry, more so than frustrated."

  "You did the right thing. She is safe now," Jan said. "No need for anyone else to get hurt. Even if he was a creep, he may have a family."

  "I suppose if he had children, I might disappoint a future criminal." He moved to the bed, paused, and turned back toward Jan. "I don’t like what is going on around here. After Chloe wakes, I’ll do my own investigating. I don’t trust the security guards’ explanation one bit."

  "You’re tired. When is the last time you got some sleep? Go lie beside her for a few hours at least."

  "I’m fine," he insisted. "Don’t shoo this problem away."

  "You are no good to her if you are tired. Please," she said in a strong tone. The request stiffened his body, making him more unyielding. She placed her hand on his chest. "I am worried about Ty myself. I don’t like what is happening around here, either. I want us to meet."

  "When?"

  "Eamonn said he had other meetings this morning. He will be available around noon. That gives you some time to sleep."

  Seth didn’t hear the last few words from Jan. A news report on the holotube had caught his attention. "Four hours ago, three girls playing found two men dead in the old section of Trivium Port. The security force says the killings are related to the rash of drug deals in the area. Police are unable to identify the two men but suspect they are drifters from the nonaligned colonies. Thumb scans and blood IDs turned up negative, unregistered persons." Pictures of the men appeared on the screen, and the newsreader continued, "If you have any information on these two men, please report it to the Port Security."

&
nbsp; Seth almost gasped but held his composure. The man on the right was the same man who had nearly crushed Gwen on the cargo trailer. His mind raced with all the possibilities. Was the trailer crash an accident? Even to him it was improbable and only a coincidence, but still he couldn’t shake the feeling the two incidents were related.

  Another wave of anger coursed through his veins. The same question repeated in his mind. Who is behind this? He had to find out.

  "What do you see?" Jan said.

  "Don’t worry," he snapped. He wished the people responsible for the invasion of Lunara were in the room. He would kill them without remorse or hesitation. "I—"

  "Fine, don’t tell me. I am the only ally you have. Eamonn thinks you are acting like a child."

  "Eamonn’s head is elsewhere," Seth said. "Ty told me why he ran from Mars. Now he is back on Mars, and the planet is consuming him. He doesn’t want to see that something terrible is happening. He will accept any explanation."

  "Don’t talk about your captain as if he’s your subordinate." Her eyes smoldered, trying to pierce the contempt in his eyes. She held his gaze. "And don’t forget, or I’ll remind you."

  She shook her breakfast pouch violently in his direction and then turned to walk out of the room.

  He said in a sharp tone, "Jan, come on. I’m trying to help us all here—"

  "Save your rationalizations. Eamonn is right. You are still a child." She continued toward the door and walked out.

  "Fine, leave," he muttered under his breath.

  He would explain himself during the meeting. He moved over beside the bed, knelt, and brushed Chloe’s soft face with the back of his hand. She was still asleep and safe.

  Gwen had spent the better part of her return to Mars either walking around Zephyria catching up with longtime friends or remaining alone in her quarters. Her father and Samantha had been scarce in showing themselves, always involved in a meeting or a public outing in preparation of the gala.

  Her father had limited her access to only Zephyria. She loathed his convoluted notion that she was in danger. She didn’t believe for a minute that anyone would take over Lunara to capture her, as she no longer had value on Mars. However, her old guards, pulled back into duty, shadowed her movement through the colony, and she fell back into her routine as Princess of Mars. Her guards still held loyalty to her primarily. Since she was a child, they had been by her side, and they loved her as any big brother would. She had convinced her father they were unnecessary on Lunara, and he had agreed after many arguments, but after the attack on Lunara, she doubted he would ever agree again. She insisted that if he really wanted to protect someone, Seth and Chloe should be his priority. He ignored her pleas now, maintaining his belief that the invaders were targeting her. She had had enough, and after spending another morning alone, she came to the Majestic Tower to convince him to dispatch a detail to guard Seth and Chloe and to plead for her release.