"Don’t worry about Parker," said Jan. She walked around to Chloe’s side of the hovercar as Chloe jumped in. "He knows what he is doing. Mars has brought out the best in him."
"He believes we are in danger, and I trust him more than anyone," Seth said. "He will do what is necessary."
"He wants to be a captain one day himself, and this will jeopardize that," Chloe said.
"Yes," Jan said, "but Eamonn and Ty weren’t always proper either. Leaders take risks."
"I guess it’s part of the process," Chloe replied.
"Exactly." Jan tapped on the hood of the hovercar.
Chloe liked this edition. It was an older four-sixty edition, not the ship Seth would have picked, but it was the only thing she could get at short notice. She sacrificed engine speed and agility for convenience and durability. She wanted a sturdy build, and with sealed chemical heaters, the engines could handle the bitter Martian cold if temperatures dropped.
She was still angry with Seth. He hated Mars more than he loved Lunara or even his mother, perhaps even more than he loved Chloe. Mars had scorned him, and he wasn’t going to allow the planet to hurt him again. She had to admit she admired his hatred of Mars. It was so damn consistent and passionate. Never in the time she had known him had he wavered, and she was amazed to watch the fire in his eyes as the red planet stared back at him now. He would not blink, not ever.
She took in a deep breath and smelled the xenon gas burn off the engines. She had a hard time imagining she could make Seth understand what his hatred of Mars was doing to their relationship. She hoped this trip would change his mind. Perhaps he and Mars could hash out their differences without any outside interference from the crew or the Martian government.
Seth shoved the last of their gear into the rear compartment.
"You should take a tent," Jan said again.
"I can’t fit it," he said. "Our trip is for the day, and we’ll only need tracking equipment and sensors."
Chloe felt Jan’s mind ripple with worry.
Jan put her hands on her hips. "Leaving a thermal tent and heating units on the floor of the hangar is failing Martian Survival 101."
"We will be back by sundown," he replied.
"You are taunting fate with your callousness," Jan said.
Seth grunted.
For whatever reason, Jan tried to change Seth’s perceptions and make him listen to his conscience, but he wasn’t one to hear fate’s call. His early fortune had been too cruel for him to listen. Jan was their Guardian, but she had never seen Seth on Mars. Selfishness consumed him and worry gnawed at his psyche. He was a broken man.
With a final tug, he secured the straps. "We shouldn’t be gone long . . . a quarter of a day. Are you and Parker ready for your role?"
"Yes. I have plotted the coordinates into the navigation computer. Your trip should only take about two hours, maybe three if the weather picks up." Jan looked at him with a worried gaze. "But the weather service forecasts clear skies."
"I’m sorry if I hurt you with my comments during the meeting," Seth said. "This is something I need to do."
Jan bristled. "My slap doesn’t mean I don’t still love you."
"I will always love you," he said. "I needed to express my point."
"Don’t mention it again. Parker stepped up and took leadership for us. Someone understood our cause, so perhaps your words helped Ty."
"I’m sorry again. I need to teach Mars a lesson."
"Remember, it’s a planet," Jan said.
"We will confirm the truth," Seth said. "And you will see the Mars I see."
"I hope so," Jan said. "You should get going. I don’t want you out when the sun goes down, especially without your thermal tent. You are already pushing it."
Seth shook his head. "The equipment will record the hard evidence and expose the council’s lies."
Jan crossed her arms. "Don’t be so sure of yourself. Remember to inform Parker of your findings, and he’ll take everything to Eamonn."
"I will do what I think is right," he said. "Eamonn isn’t thinking clearly. He can’t be objective about this."
"The burdens of command," Jan said. "He can only rely on what he is told. His hands are tied. If you bring him something, he will listen."
"I doubt it," he muttered.
"Are we ready to leave?" Chloe said, cutting off Jan’s reply.
"Yes. Let’s go." Seth hopped into the hovercar.
Irritated, Jan shifted her feet and proceeded to the hangar doorway.
Chloe hopped out of the hovercar and moved over to Jan. "I will look out for him."
Jan shook her head. "He won’t listen anymore. He needs to find a way to trust Mars on his own."
"But he also needs to realize that his hatred for Mars can’t supersede his love for me. I will show him the way."
"Perhaps," Jan said with a dejected look on her face. "You have to understand that it is too late for him. He can’t let go of the hatred consuming him."
"I don’t believe it."
"Then he might take you down with him."
Jan activated the release for the hangar door, and the plasma shield flickered. A slow rumbling sound echoed as the widening gap revealed the surface of Mars.
Chloe took a deep breath. She wanted to hug Jan but couldn’t muster enough nerve. Jan’s words upset her. To think that Seth couldn’t release his hate wasn’t an option to her. The rest of the crew thought he was lost, never to return; but if he ever was, she could no longer live. The hurt would be too painful.
She hurried to the hovercar and jumped in. She noticed that Seth’s handsome face had tightened, and she smiled at him, sluggishly. In her heart, she knew that the man she loved was still there. The hate would wash away, eventually.
With a sudden jerky start, he punched the accelerator down, and they streaked through the plasma shield toward the vast lands of Mars.
The hovercar left Trivium Port at maximum speed, which for Seth wasn’t nearly fast enough. The scores of rocks and the vast nothingness around him caused his uneasiness to grow as he put more distance between the hovercar and Trivium Port.
He veered to the right and checked for anyone trailing them. His radar spotted no one, but he stayed alert to the view cameras around the ship. In the back of his mind, he kept remembering how the invading force had tricked the Protector's radar, blinding it to their presence—an amazing feat that still baffled Eamonn and Parker.
Chloe tapped her feet in rhythmic agitation beside him. "Can’t you make it go any faster?"
"The throttle is resting on the floor."
"Let me drive, then."
"It’s at maximum," he said. "This hovercar isn’t a starwing."
"I’m worried someone is following us."
"I haven’t seen any ships." He gestured to the navigational screen. "No one is on the map anymore. We’re about sixty kilometers from the port now."
"I don’t trust radar. Remember what happened during the invasion at Lunara." She was thinking the same thing as Seth.
"My eye has been open," he replied.
They looked out the windows, scanning the barren surface. If anyone was following, the many rock formations and chasmata would easily hide them.
"Do you think I’m paranoid?" he said. "The crew keeps saying I am, but something is going on around here."
"Perhaps . . . but perhaps not. Mars has been nothing but nice to us since our arrival. I have sensed no betrayal from them."
"What about the kidnapping attempt?"
"That doesn’t mean some big conspiracy is in the works. The explanation the Martian co-government gave us is plausible enough for me. A small radical faction is trying to seize control of Lunara so they can make a profit selling the meteor stones. They probably tried to kidnap us in some kind of mismanaged ransom attempt, or maybe they just tried to get the credit chips from our pockets. They were awfully inept."
"So you agree with Eamonn," Seth said, sharpening his tone. "Why did you come alon
g then?"
"I came to help you if trouble comes. We are a partnership, remember."
"I don’t need to be patronized. If you didn’t think we would find anything, you should have helped Eamonn with his paperwork."
"The report said the take-off point for the attack is there. Our investigation isn’t about shadows and conspiracy; it’s about collecting evidence for Lunara. With that, I agree with you. Lunara needs its own report."
He didn’t object further. No matter her motives, he had what he wanted, Chloe by his side. He would protect her.
The hovercar streaked into the voids of Mars.
Chloe sat wondering, looking out toward the Martian surface. Rocks, boulders, and stones of all sizes littered the valleys. There was more of the same to the south. Unlike the north, which had green and lush algae fields, nothing covered the southern hemisphere. At least it seemed like nothing to her, although some scientists spent their entire lives studying the human influence on this void.
The hovercar veered, and red and orange dust kicked up beside her window, glittering for a moment. Was it metalor? She hadn’t forgotten her experience in the hangar. As she touched the bullets, she had bonded with the strange substance, and without any delay, she knew where it had been and what it had experienced.
"Do you still have the pouch?" she said.
"Yes," Seth said.
"Let me have it," she said. "When I touched the metalor the last time, the molecules of the metal spoke to me. Told me a history."
"Spoke? Are you still feeling the effects of the concussion?"
"Funny. My head trauma isn’t affecting me. I touched the metalor, and these feelings formed. A tangible dream."
"But you held the bullets for two seconds. How can you be sure?"
"Are you going to give me the pouch or not? There is no reason that you shouldn’t."
He paused.
She sensed his pause was to contemplate her request and decide whether it was worth the headache to argue further.
He fiddled in his breast pocket, pulled out the pouch, and tossed it to her.
She undid the tie string on the pouch and reached in, slowly at first, wondering if the fragments would surge into her mind again. She massaged the smooth edges and felt the surprising warmth between her fingers.
Without warning, her head began to race. She groaned.
"Drop them," he pleaded, reaching over to grab her hand.
She pulled away from his grip.
The hovercar swerved, and Seth jerked the control sticks to reorient it.
"No, no," she said. "The sensation was just a bit overwhelming. I . . . I can’t get used to all those images flooding my head suddenly."
"What do you see?"
"When I touch it, I see everything the meteor has ever touched or has ever been. At least in our solar system, the images started with the Protector collecting them."
"Them?"
"They speak to me . . . the images are from three years ago. The Protector doesn’t have the gun turret yet."
"Are they clear? Or is it a dream?"
"Faint images . . . of the processing plant on Lunara crushing and moving these fragments to the mega transports." Her eyes glazed over. "This is amazing. The deeper I go, the clearer I can see."
"What now?"
"The technicians on Mars are hand sorting the meteor fragments. I can sense their emotions: frustration, boredom, and other sensations of the moment. Now the image is dark; they spent a long life inside a cargo hold. If I didn’t know better, I would say they felt lonely. The box is opening. A face—"
Suddenly, she dropped the fragment back into the pouch. Sweat beaded on her brow.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, such hatred and deception. A mist covered my view but a face flashed repeatedly."
"How can you tell?" he said. "I know you can read people’s thoughts, emotions, or whatever. Are those metal fragments alive?"
"No. I think they’re like a recording device. But the loneliness . . ."
He pursed his lips. "The attackers of Lunara . . . they were probably after you this entire time. Hans Bauer knows you can translate the fragments."
She shook her head. "Let’s not get carried away. They could be two separate incidents, and we are extrapolating something out of nothing. Remember, you and I lead a boring life. We aren’t anything special, so I doubt Hans Bauer is trying to seize us. We would be dumb to think we are impressive enough for some solar-system-wide plot."
"Dumb. I am the one who realizes something is happening on Mars. The crew is shifting in my direction. Remember, Jan called the meeting, and Gwen encouraged her to investigate the colonies."
"So," she said. "Gwen hasn’t been on Mars in two years. She doesn’t know more than Eamonn."
"She is the chancellor’s daughter. I think she knows something about how Mars works." Turning away from her, he muttered, "Maybe she should be here."
Chloe’s lip curled. "I wish she was. At least I would find time to enjoy myself on Mars and be free of you."
"To enjoy a kidnapping? I saved your life last night. Don’t forget people are chasing us."
"I can handle myself," she said. "This conversation is over. If you want Gwen to come next time, invite her. I am not your prisoner."
"Return to Mars then? I told you I don’t have a problem with you finding a new life."
"I will look into it," she fired back. Her heart didn’t want to say it, but the shackles around her arms and mind demanded that she speak. "Piloting jobs are easy to come by."
"Don’t come crawling to me when Mars harms you," he said.
She looked down at his chronodisplay; they were two hours from their destination. For the first time in a long while, she allowed her mind to shift from Seth’s emotions. She didn’t want his anger invading her a moment longer.
The hum of the hovercar’s engine was the only sound in the cabin.
"Chloe, wake up," Seth said, shaking her shoulder. "We are on approach to the landing site." He lowered the hovercar to within ten feet of the ground.
"How far are we out?"
"About fifty kilometers. We should land in about ten minutes."
"Take us up high."
"I want to remain out of sight until we know what we are dealing with."
She grunted her disapproval.
He ignored her and studied the navigational screen for an appropriate landing spot. To the north, a chain of chasmata, long and narrow, cut off any hope he could enter from there; the east lowlands provided no cover if they were to land within a reasonable distance of their destination; and the west jutted down an abrupt embankment.
Only one choice remained. He pointed to the screen. "I’m going to land inside the southern chasma. The morning chill has subsided and will provide protection from the wind and dust clouds. According to the map, we should be able to walk for about two kilometers until we reach the rallying point given to us by Eamonn."
"Can this rusted bucket get us out? I don’t know if I trust the repulse engines."
"The ship might not look like much on the outside, but the lateral engine mount is in excellent condition. You chose wisely."
"I don’t want to radio for someone to pick us up."
"Hold on, I’m dropping in."
The repulse engines kicked on, the hovercar’s momentum stopped, and it floated over the mouth of the chasma. The whirling winds increased significantly, and he could barely hear Chloe offering her advice on how to land. The hovercar rocked violently back and forth, and he needed all his concentration to coax it down to the lip of the chasma. This is it. No escape once I move in. He throttled down on the repulse engines and descended into the darkness of the chasma.
The shifting air currents weren’t as bad as he expected. The hovercar still shook violently, and the ominous walls loomed ever so close. However, the crisscrossing winds ceased and began to funnel down consistently to the bottom. At first the wind pushing downward disturbed him, but he kept
the repulse engines level with gravity while using the down force as thrust to descend.
"It is a lot deeper than on radar," he said.
Her lips tightened, and her hands dug into the armrests of her seat. "I think I might have developed claustrophobia on the way down," she quipped. "Just land."
The sledded landing struts extended. As he settled over a clean patch of dirt without any of the loose boulders, he released the repulse thrusters, and the struts made contact with the surface. The cabin rocked, made one sharp pop to the side, and then gently settled to a halt. They were down.
"That wasn’t your best effort." She smiled. "But we are together."
"I haven’t made an atmospheric landing in a long time."
"Huh?" Her brow shifted queerly.
"Okay. That was the first ‘real’ one. I’ve only landed in the atmosphere in the sims. You should be proud."
"I should have been more nervous," she said dryly.
"Very funny. Put your breathing mask on, I’m about to release the hatch." He slipped his breathing mask over his head, looked over to make sure she secured her mask, and pulled on the release handle to the canopy.
A cold wind hit instantly, and a chill shook his body. He jumped out and moved to the back of the hovercar. He was too anxious to let the coldness affect him. First, the opening of the chasma, towering a hundred meters above them, caught his eye. The wind whistled around at the top and echoed down to the bottom, like rolling thunder. He shuddered as the cold finally seeped through and dampened his excitement.
He dug into the rear compartment, pulled out two thermal coats, handed one to Chloe, and slipped on the other one. "The controls on your arm unit operate the heater."
She adjusted her arm control. "These arm units are neat. They track the temperature, the navigation around the hovercar, and weather warnings." She tapped on her command panel. "I programmed in our hovercar’s transponder code and uploaded a map. The cold appears to be our only enemy today."
"Don’t forget," Seth said, "Martian weather is only good for about a quarter-day forecast. Predicting beyond is for psychics."
"Nevertheless, we should be fine." She secured the last clasp of her coat to the thermal suit. "How much gear are we taking with us?"
Lunara: The Original Trilogy Page 17