Saturnius Mons

by Jeremy L. Jones

  Viekko got into one of the lines and, before he knew it, found himself at the front. There weren’t many good things one could say about Corporation marines, but they were efficient which, depending on what they were trying to accomplish, might be another strike against them.

  A corporal near the supply crates was entering something into his own EROS computer when Viekko walked up. He gave Viekko a look of barely contained disgust and continued to key in commands on the arm computer, “Name and rank…soldier.” The word ‘soldier’ had a distinct sarcastic tone to it.

  “Viekko Spade and I’m with the Human Reconnection Project. Special assignment with the Ministry.”

  The corporal tapped a few icons on the screen. “Supplies for Corporation military only. Next.”

  A marine behind him started to push forward but Viekko didn’t move. “‘’Scuse me, sir. I don’t wanna bother you, but I got a job to do, same as you. You should have two Old-Earth style handguns…”

  Another man, a sergeant, approached the line of marines and surveyed the situation for a moment. His Corporation Blue breastplate had black carbon scoring in several areas and he bore a large, jagged scar down the side of his face that just missed his left eye. Apart from that, the man’s every physical characteristic was straight out of the Corporation marine guidelines from the shine on his boots to the short, blond crew cut. His gaze settled on Viekko. It was a smug, bemused look. The same look that a man like him might give to a yapping puppy right before he shot it.

  “What exactly is the problem here?” he asked wearily.

  Before the corporal could answer, Viekko looked the sergeant in the eye and said, “No problem. I just gonna collect my guns and then I’ll be on my way. Vince Laban told me they’d be here, Sergeant.”

  The man activated the screen on his arm. “Carr. Sergeant Carr. Name and rank?”

  “Viekko Spade. Special assignment from the Ministry.”

  Something flashed on the sergeant’s screen that made him smile then he looked Viekko up and down as if sizing him up, “Viekko Spade? Interesting. I do see an entry in the ship manifest for a pair of antique guns, but I’m afraid I am not authorized to release any non-standard equipment to any personnel. And certainly not to… non Corporate entities.”

  “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that the Corporation is not in the habit of handing out unapproved weapons to civilians and letting them run rampant through the operation.” The way Carr pronounced the word ‘civilians’ told Viekko that he was a man who divided the Universe into two groups: military and nonmilitary. Non-military belonged to the same group as cockroaches.

  Viekko stood fast. “Listen, Vince Laban said this is where I could pick up my guns and I aim to stay here ‘til that happens.”

  “Then I suggest you take it up with Laban. We’ve got a whole platoon to equip and we don’t have time to bend over for every Ministry brat with a false sense of entitlement. Come back when you have the proper authorization. Move along.”

  The man behind Viekko tried to push his way in front but Viekko shot him a glare and stood his ground. He took a step forward until he was eye to eye with Sergeant Carr. The two sized each other up for a moment before Carr added, “You got something to say?”

  The wisest thing would be to just walk away. On the other hand, there were few things in the Universe better than slapping down some testosterone-torqued imbecile. It was the most satisfying thing one could accomplish fully clothed.

  “Just some advice,” said Viekko, “I don’t know what aftershave you are using but it smells like a dog’s gurgaldai. You know you can just spray a little ‘round, right? You’re not supposed to bathe in the stuff.”

  Carr chuckled slightly. “What do you wanna do about it?”

  Viekko shrugged, “Might take you out and toss you in the ocean there. Wash some of the stink off ya.”

  Carr paused for a moment with the smug smile still on his face then he looked at the man behind Viekko. “Get this guy out of here and keep the line moving. I’m on assignment so I will be briefing my unit early. I suggest you all be ready...”

  A hand tried to pull Viekko away from the front of the line. Without thinking, the Martian spun around and punched. With luck he caught a soldier just below the jaw and the marine fell like a sack of grain in a stupid blue uniform. Another rushed forward and swung for Viekko’s head. He covered himself with his left arm while his right landed a punch in the man’s kidneys. The marine groaned, staggered back and Viekko took the opportunity to land a punch directly on the man’s face.

  Viekko put up his hands and waited for another fighter but the rest of the marines in line kept their distance. Behind him, there was the whine and click of several Corporation sidearms being cocked. Viekko put his hands on the back of his head. He turned to find that he had an excellent view of the inside of at least nine gun barrels.

  Isra strolled into this scene as if Viekko being held at gunpoint by several angry Corporation officers was as normal as a sunrise in the morning. “Calm down. Everybody, just calm down for a moment. What exactly is happening here?”

  Carr lowered his gun but the others around him didn’t. “This man assaulted my soldiers.”

  Isra looked up at Viekko accusingly. “Is this true?”

  “There was a disagreement,” said Viekko mildly.

  “What kind of disagreement?”

  “I wanted my guns, they felt the exact opposite.”

  Isra sighed and pulled up the sleeve on her jacket. Isra had thrown some clothes on over her Eros suit as well, but only a pair of tan pants and a thick brown jacket both of which had seen more than a few off-world missions and would likely see a few more. She activated the EROS computer and started to work.

  Carr bared his teeth and turned to his own soldiers, “Put this man in bonds and escort him to the brig.”

  Isra didn’t look up, “As you were, marines. Sergeant, I see you put a hold on Viekko’s guns. Now, I have authorization from two Ministry officials and one Consortium officer to secure all equipment needed for this mission, and that overrides such a petty procedural tactic.”

  Carr straightened up as if pressing a point that overrides everything else. “He assaulted my men.”

  Viekko balled up his fist. “Damn right. I’ll take out every last one of you yamaany khairlagchid—”

  Isra looked up, “Viekko! Stand down or I’ll slap the bonds on you myself.”

  Viekko seethed but stepped back.

  Isra went back to her EROS computer, “A copy of the order should be on its way to your SET-com as we speak. Now, if you want to press the issue I can request an emergency tribunal in accordance with Corporation law. It will take hours, put this whole operation behind and you will still lose. How do you feel about that?”

  Something beeped at Carr and he checked his own computer then shrugged, “It checks out. Go get him what he wants.”

  A few seconds later a marine brought a small steel case from the supply depot and placed it on top of a crate. Viekko opened it and produced two handguns. They were both modeled after the ancient Remington M1911 design and cast in a dull, tarnished bronze. They might look like something that belonged in a museum but these were built by the finest gunsmith on Mars, which put him in contention for the best gunsmith in the Known Universe. The gunmaker’s sign, +Ulfbert+, was engraved into each of their handles.

  Carr watched and sniffed, “I knew you people went looking for ancient civilizations. Didn’t think you still used the same weapons as them.”

  Viekko slid a clip into the chamber and peered through the sights, “They are the most effective weapons in the world provided you have an attack strategy more complex than ‘spray bullets and hope for the best.’”

  Isra snapped at him, “Enough. Sergeant, are we good here?”

  Carr shook his head. “We got rules here. Make sure that they are followed.” Carr looked around at the audience tha
t had amassed. “What are you all staring at? Get back to work!” Then he stomped off.

  Isra grabbed Viekko’s arm as he slid his guns into a pair of shoulder holsters. “We must go.”

  They walked toward the shuttle for a few moments before Isra spoke. “Really, Viekko. Can you even be on Titan a whole hour before picking a fight?”

  “To be fair,” said Viekko, adjusting his hat, “They were doin’ checks for ninety minutes when we landed so I’ve been on Titan almost two hours before picking a fight. You have any idea what that was all about?”

  Isra shrugged. “Carr orchestrated that meeting. That is why he put that block on your weapons. He wanted to meet you, size you up and see how you handle conflict.”

  “Wait, the computer said all that?”

  “No,” said Isra walking a touch faster, “The system just indicated a block on those items. It did not indicate who. But it was him.”

  Isra’s ability to read minds at work. It made the hairs on Viekko’s neck bristle, “Why would he do that?”

  “Because you are going to fight him soon. He wanted to see who would win.”

  “Yeah, and who’s gonna win?”

  “Well, considering how you were faring when I walked up, I would say your prospects do not look good without a change of venue. Now please hurry. Carr is not our problem right now. There is someone even more disagreeable.”

  Viekko thought about this. “More disagreeable than Carr? Did ya run into a cougar with a stick up its iljig?”

  Isra shook her head, “Something like that. I need your help.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “You ever heard of the Gordian Knot?”

  Viekko thought for a moment. “Thinkin’ I might have been doin’ that with a girl in old Hong Kong. It was thrillin’ but bruised my back somethin’ fierce.”

  “Not what I was talking about, but similar themes might apply. And, also, you are disgusting.”

  They walked back to the shuttle where Althea was standing near a Corporation crawler. It was a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle with two seats and a large cargo bed capable of carrying two standard Corporation crates side-by side. There were several stacks of those crates nearby and Althea was in the middle of a deep, philosophical debate with a cargo officer about them. Over her own EROS suit, she wore a white medical coat as if she wanted the entire world to know that she was still a doctor even if the Medical Consortiums on Earth disagreed. It didn’t seem to have any positive influence on the current conversation either.

  “...for the last time, I don’t have the code to unlock them but there’s nothing inside but food, equipment and other supplies. What could we possibly bring...”

  The Corporation officer, who looked like he could have been a boxer twenty years ago, touched some icons on his EROS computer, “Sorry, orders from up top. All cargo not assembled by Corporation personnel needs to be inspected. ”

  Isra walked up with Viekko and pointed to four crates in a pile by the crawler. They stood out from the others being slightly smaller, green instead of blue, marked with the Ministry globe and olive branch and secured with an electronic lock on the front which Viekko assumed was the original point of contention.

  “Those, Viekko,” said Isra. “If you would be so kind as to load them onto the crawler?”

  Viekko paused, looked at the crates and then at the Corporation worker. Viekko had a few inches and a decade or two on the man, but there would still be a considerable scrap if the two men got into it. And, unlike the previous situation, Viekko guessed that Corporation law wasn’t on their side. So Isra was playing a game of chicken using Viekko as the front bumper.

  Viekko stepped toward the stack. Each crate was about two meters long and a half a meter wide meter wide and deep with handles on either side. It was far too long for Viekko to get his arms around and, even in the fractional gravity of Titan, carried considerable weight. He grabbed the handle on one and pulled it off the pile. It fell and embedded itself in the soft ground.

  “I’ll get dock security…” the official tried.

  Viekko started dragging the crate across the ground leaving a little trail as he went. Isra watched pleased with herself. “Please do. I would hurry, though. Despite what it looks like, the Martian works fast.”

  Viekko set the side he was carrying on the back of the crawler. He walked around the other side, shot Isra the quickest of dirty looks and lifted and pushed the other end so that the crate was fully loaded onto the back of the six-wheeled vehicle.

  Isra continued, “And when they do come, there will be paperwork. They will want to take your statement and file reports. Then, of course, there is your schedule. But I am sure you will make up for lost time. You may even be commended for stopping such an egregious act. You know how the Corporation rewards its people.”

  Viekko lumbered back to pull another case over.

  The officer scowled and waved his finger in Isra’s face, “I’m going to get security and if I find out that you people took off…”

  “A world of trouble that we cannot fathom. Thank you, sir.”

  The officer cast one look at all three of them and stomped off.

  Viekko pulled the second crate off and started dragging, “He ain’t coming back is he?”

  Althea rushed over and took the other side. She strained a little but managed to get the end off the ground. “Or he will, but he will make bloody sure that we are already gone. That way he’s done his duty but without mucking up his day.”

  Isra stood still watching the man leave. “Most likely. We should still move as fast as possible. He does not have a high sense of duty or loyalty to the Corporation, but just enough that he does not wish to be seen as ineffective.

  When they placed the fourth and final crate, Althea checked the serial numbers against a list on her EROS computer. “That’s all of them. Everything in the register.”

  “Seems like a lot,” muttered Viekko looking up at the pile and wiping his forehead with his hat in the other hand.

  Isra patted the crates. “It is adequate.”

  Viekko put his hat back on his head, “What’s with all the friction from the Corporation? They are a bunch of aryn talyn orgostei but they ain’t usually this stirred up. They’re more the ‘path of least resistance’ types.”

  Isra walked toward the front of the crawler, “Titan is their last best hope.”

  Althea turned off her screen. “Hope for what exactly?”

  Isra sighed and turned to address the two, “Titan is not just another land grab for them or another group of people to exploit. One thousand years ago, the various corporations managed to hold Earth hostage and they used energy to do it. They lost their grip because that energy disappeared. It is one of the things that contributed to the Fall.”

  “But Earth got plenty of energy,” said Viekko folding his arms, “Got new solar tech, fusion, hell I read somethin’ recently about some anti...whatsit.”

  “The anti-matter reactor field,” said Althea patiently.

  “Yeah, that. So what do they need Titan for?” he concluded waving dismissively in the direction of the camp.

  “The problem is,” said Isra stressing her words, “those energies cannot be controlled by any one person or entity. The sun is always up, hydrogen for fusion is ubiquitous and, once you can isolate it, antimatter just pops into existence. You cannot control them, not entirely. You can, perhaps control the necessary equipment for a time, but it is a temporary monopoly at best. Petrochemicals, on the other hand, are easier. And we are standing on the largest single source in the solar system.”

  “In other words,” said Althea placing her medical bag in the back seat of the crawler, “If the Corporation controls Titan, they’re well on their way to controlling the rest of the solar system.”

  Isra nodded slightly, “Exactly. The Human Reconnection Project was formed to study and protect lost civilizations, but our mission here has repercussions that ex
tend well beyond Titan. I do not exaggerate when I say the fate of all of human civilization in all its forms hinges on this mission.”

  Viekko pulled one of his guns and checked the chamber, “Well then we best get to movin’.”

  “We are still waiting for one more person,” said Isra reviewing some data on the screen attached to her arm.

  Viekko let the slide of his gun snap back in place, “One more person? Since when?”

  Isra touched a few icons, “The Ministry suggested that we include an Old-Earth computing and communications expert. He should be arriving shortly, I have sent our location to his EROS suit.”

  “Who is this guy?”

  Isra shut off her EROS computer. “I am unfamiliar with him. He goes by a cryptic code name.”

  “What code name?” asked Viekko.

  “I am Cronus.” answered a voice.

  Viekko looked around for a moment but didn’t see the source. It was like the words came from nowhere until Viekko risked a glance downward. He saw a round face almost completely hidden by a huge set of dark goggles staring up at him. The odd-looking little man was dressed in a dark-green vest and dark-green pants over his own EROS suit. Both looked too new as if he’d purchased them specifically for this trip. He also wore a backpack large enough for him to climb into if the occasion came up.

  The man gave Viekko a wide, borderline insane grin and stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Viekko Spade.”

  Viekko reached out to shake his hand. Cronus's small bony appendage practically disappeared in his fist. “You know me?”

  “When conducting a symphony, one must know every instrument. One must read the notes in order to play the music. You are Viekko Spade the first man born on another planet to return to Earth since the Fall.”

  Cronus pulled his hand out of Viekko’s grip and moved to take Althea’s.

  “Althea Fallon,” said Cronus, “A great shining star of the medical world that unexpectedly disappeared without a trace. She resurfaces now on Titan using her brilliance and beauty to light the darkest regions of the Solar System.”