As the Gravity Flipped

by Herschel K. Stroganoff

Sofia frowned. "We have no more rooms. We are full. You're lucky. There are a lot of people still on V5 and I'm not sure how they're going to get off."

  Meer shrugged. "Well, that's not my fault. I don't see why I should be the one who's punished."

  "You're not being punished. The ship is already over-capacity."

  Meer scratched her head. "And how many people might I ask are you sharing your quarters with?"

  Sofia blinked. "I think we're done here." She leaned past Meer and looked towards the door. "Flynn? Will you take this woman back to her room?"

  Meer huffed. "I'd hazard that you have your own room. What if I offered you a thousand Sols to swap rooms with me until we get to Lunar?"

  "Flynn?" Sofia called.

  "Five thousand Sols?"

  Flynn placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me," he said.

  "Get your hands off me you abhorrent little man," Meer snapped.

  "It's okay Flynn," said Sofia. "Let her go."

  Meer straightened her dress and raised her chin. "Well?"

  "Make it six and you've got a deal."

  "Done," Meer said with a satisfied grin. "You can deliver my bags to the captain's personal quarters," she said, turning to Flynn.

  # # #

  Akira: Briefing Room, Secretarial Palace, Insularum 1, Lunar

  25/06/6,544, 12:54 (IST)

  Akira was restless - Takeshi was late for another media briefing. She examined her stubby fingernails and sighed.

  "This is ridiculous," she muttered.

  At that moment, two of Takeshi's personal guards entered the room, dressed in black uniforms. They checked over each reporter until they came to Akira. Placing her hands behind her head, she cringed as the taller guard patted down her arms and legs while the shorter guard rifled through her bag. The security checks never used to be this bad.

  Flanked by a third guard, Takeshi entered through a door behind a raised platform at the front of the room and took his place behind a lectern. He leaned forward and eyed the gathered reporters.

  "Hayao Kurosawa was a traitor," he said. "I had no choice but to hand down his sentence."

  A young reporter sitting on the second row in front of Akira cleared his throat. "I have to say Mister Secretary; you don't exactly look as though you've been the victim of a serious attack. Where were you hit exactly?"

  Takeshi smiled. "Ah, Kenji Miyazaki, I knew your father very well before he was sentenced. Perhaps the son is like his father?"

  Akira bit her lip as Kenji squirmed in his seat.

  "Luckily, Muedin has some fine medics here on Lunar," Takeshi said. "But Hayao Kurosawa assaulted the Lunar Secretary and the head of United Solar because he did not agree with the will of the Assembly.

  "Be assured, this was not just an act of aggression against me personally, this was an attack on all of us, all of our values, an attack on our security, an attack on our way of life."

  The smile returned to Takeshi's face. "I'm a big boy, if it was my decision I would have let Hayao go free with a reprimand--."

  "But it was your decision," stammered Kenji.

  "No," said Takeshi, slamming a fist down on the lectern. "It wasn't my decision. As Lunar Secretary, I have to detach myself from my own priorities, my own relationships and put the interests of the Union and its Affiliates first."

  Takeshi frowned as he adjusted his collar. "Hayao was a good friend - perhaps my best friend. But what message does it send out to our citizens if a friend of the Secretary is above the Judiciary? Nobody is above the law - not Hayao, not even me."

  Akira smirked and looked down at her notes as Takeshi glared at her for a long moment.

  "Is something amusing, Madam Yamamoto?"

  Akira shook her head. "Sorry, Mister Secretary, but--," she paused, "--you talk about the will of the Assembly, but it seems to a lot of observers and commentators that the recent vote on weapons was not the will of the Assembly, but was, on the contrary, an example of you and some Affiliates taking advantage of a power vacuum. I wouldn't want to use the word 'hypocrisy', but--."

  "I've had to answer a lot of useless questions from you over the years, but this is your most desperate. I wouldn't want to use the word 'pathetic', but--." Takeshi smirked as he waved a dismissive hand. "You must realise we are under attack from the Purdah - we had no choice but to push forward legislation to defend our interests."

  Akira licked her lips as she met Takeshi's glare. "One of your own Assembly members accused you at the time of orchestrating a - and I quote - 'a fucking stitch-up'. How do you respond to that accusation?"

  Takeshi gave a mirthless chuckle. "Let me tell you something. The day I start listening to Representative Efans is the day I quit being Secretary."

  Takeshi looked around, adjusting his collar again. "I wasn't going to mention this point as I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Kurosawa family, but it emerged quite soon after my former Vice Secretary's sentencing that for a long time he had been colluding with the Purdah against United Solar. I am only glad that we took this traitor out of action before his true plans came to fruition."

  Akira slumped in her seat as the other reporters wrote down Takeshi's allegations with fervour.

  # # #

  Wynn: Boeki Guildhall, Vaporum 1, Lunar

  26/06/6,544, 14:02 (IST)

  "Fuel prices have quadrupled, general foodstuff has doubled, luxury items continue to spiral - this would be good for us, except the reduced sales is offsetting any profits we could make from this crisis." Wynn Efans looked up from his notes at the familiar faces of traders and administrators, squashed into a guildhall the Boeki had long outgrown.

  A long wooden table and a pair of benches filled the room, as traders squeezed onto the seat. Clutter lay against the far wall, with boxes and packing containers resting haphazardly on a steel-framed dolly. Wynn took in the smell of oil and damp.

  "Many of our trade ships have been grounded, especially around Mercury and Venus, which have been hit hardest by the hyperinflation of the Sol," he said. "Until prices become more stable, we'll have to make sure our ships have enough fuel for a return journey."

  "Won't that extra mass mean we'll be operating with reduced stock?" asked Alwen Maddox. She was a short woman with a mess of bright red hair.

  Wynn nodded. "This is correct, but this does lead me on to the next point. A recent census by United Solar found that our total population has fallen below ten million for the first time in our history. This has been an ongoing trend for the past few hundred years, but the decline has been increasing over recent decades.

  "It may be necessary that in this time of crisis we use our resources for the benefit of humanity. I propose we give over some of our ships to distributing food and medicines to those stations and platforms that aren't in a position to be self-sufficient."

  "What about our profits?" asked Alwen as she leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table.

  "What about them?" Wynn shrugged. "We can't make profits at the moment, and if you really want to be cynical about it, you can see these mercy missions as developing good will with our customers. Hey, if you want to be even more cynical you could even think of it as a means to stop our customer base from dying out." Wynn paused as Alwen nodded.

  "I'll also work to get United Solar to put all taxation on the Boeki on hold until the crisis is over. I can't promise this will happen, but it's not a stretch to see how it is in United Solar's interests. Does that make it easier to swallow?"

  Alwen smiled. "If we can get the tax deal, that will take a much of the burden from us," she said.

  "Our first order of business will be to provide relief to our grounded ships. Most of them are within the Lunar Band: V3, V4, V5, V7, H2, H5 and H8.

  "Ozu has already confirmed he will be sending a ship to V5 - a mercy mission for the neediest," he said sardonically.

  "I'd like two crews to volunteer: one to provide relief to the orbiters around Venus and another for Mercury." He noted the raised han
ds and picked two captains to carry out the mission.

  "Thank you. We have a lot of stockpiled fuel on Lunar, which you will be able to use and distribute. As for the other grounded crews, we already have ships in many of those areas to provide relief. The rest of our resources must be put into distributing food. Martian farms will be key to this. We need to work with Mars on this to figure out what durable foodstuffs we can get. Are there any objections to this plan?"

  Wynn's words were met with silent assent.

  "Good. We also need to address how the changes to weapon laws will affect our trade," he said. "I hope you all follow me in the belief that the vote was a stitch-up of the highest order and that this change will only bring negative things for all of us. Ozu's motives aren't exactly clear in this. What is clear is that he must have been colluding with Muedin and Aghoro to push the vote through. But--," he shook his head, "--what's done is done."

  "Should we arm ourselves?" asked Alwen.

  "Absolutely not. If we carry weapons or arm our ships, there is a risk that we'll use them, that they'll cause damage, that they'll be stolen and used against us. We can't let that happen," he slunk to his seat shaking his head. "I hope you'll support me and taking a stand on this. I want all Boeki to shun weapons and for us to refuse any deliveries of weapons, ammunition or any parts thereof. We can't come straight out and criticise the will of the Assembly, but this is how we can let the other Affiliates know that we do not and will not support this change. I don't even want any of you arming yourselves with stunners."

  "But how do we protect ourselves?" asked Alwen.

  "Like we always have - our shield has always been that of necessity and trust. Citizens need us and citizens trust us. That should be our priority - nothing else."

  Wynn looked around at the yellowed walls mottled with black patches of mould and coughed as the dust in the air tickled his lungs. "Trust is everything," he said.

  # # #

  Natsuki: Kurosawa household, Insularum 3, Lunar

  29/06/6,544, 11:42 (IST)

  Sitting straight-backed on a wooden chair, Natsuki stared ahead. She picked at her thumbs with the nails of her index fingers, pulling them along her flesh to feel something else, some other type of pain.

  Riko crawled along the floor as she pushed along her toy surgery drone. "Beep, beep, beep. You will be better now," she said, prodding her mother with the toy.

  Natsuki started and shot to her feet. "What do you think you are doing?" She glared at Riko, then leaned down, snatching the toy away. "Go and sit over there," she said, pointing to the sofa.

  Riko trembled then took in a deep breath before letting out a loud, long wail. Natsuki frowned and picked Riko up beneath her armpits and placed her on her hip. She cuddled and bounced her.

  "Shh, shh. It's okay, Riko. You can't be poking Mummy with toys."

  "I want to say sorry, Mummy," Riko said through sobs. "I want to say sorry, I said."

  Natsuki placed Riko down on the floor and forced a smile. "Okay. Don't worry. You go and play."

  Riko threw herself towards her mother and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I'm sorry, Mummy."

  "It's fine, honestly. Go and play on the sofa. Why don't you find some of your animals? Maybe they are sick?"

  Riko nodded and ran to the sofa. She scrambled up and sat with her legs hanging over the sofa's edge with an expression of pride. "I'm sitting like a Mummy," she said.

  "Just be careful," Natsuki said.

  Sitting back down, Natsuki stared again and picked at her thumbs. A burning sensation ripped at her eyes. She thought about her wedding day, about her mother's funeral, about Riko's birth. She rotated the gold ring on her finger, thinking about how proud she was when her and Hayao graduated together; when he won his first election; when he played with their daughter.

  She reached for a muslin to wipe the blood from her thumbs.

  She looked around to see Riko climbing Hayao's shrine, reaching for his image.

  "Get down from there," Natsuki snapped. She ran over to Riko and dragged her away with a sharp yank.

  "Fuck," Natsuki cried, her voice strained. She covered her mouth, shocked, appalled.

  Riko wailed.

  "I'm so sorry," Natsuki said, taking Riko in her arms, tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

  # # #

  Janis: Mess Hall, Titan Orbiter, Saturn

  18/06/6,544, 07:42 (IST)

  Janis smiled to herself as she held Mataes's hand. She sat at the head of the table reserved for the higher-ups, with Mataes sat to her right and Arfo to her left. The table was piled with steaming potatoes, breads, chicken and apples.

  Workers clamoured to fill their bowls as the hall buzzed with conversation. The smells of cooked meats and boiled eggs hung in the air. The room was large, with a high ceiling and bright daylight lamps reflecting from its off-white walls.

  Arfo banged his bowl three times, rising to his feet as the workers fell silent. "For this meal, we have one person to thank," Arfo said, lifting a bowl high above his head, smiling as the other workers echoed his gesture. "Let the name Janis Parvo ring through the generations as the person who freed us from our bondage - the woman who saved us all from starvation, the woman who saved us all from certain death."

  Janis squirmed as the three hundred men and women sitting along the rows of tables banged their bowls in unison - all of their eyes fixed on her.

  "Without Janis's selfless bravery, we would still be living in uncertainty - wondering when our next pay would arrive, wondering how we could pay our bills, wondering how we were going to feed ourselves and our familiars. She is an example to us all - the risk she took was great, but the reward was greater - the greatest reward of all."

  She scratched behind her ear then leaned forward to pick a slice of chicken breast from a tray being passed along the row.

  "And this is true of all us," Arfo continued, "A few of us are working to get the reactors back online and get back to work. But this won't be work for the higher-ups, for a measly wage which barely covers our bills, this is work for all of us."

  Janis smiled as Mataes squeezed her hand.

  "I am not your leader," Arfo said. "You are not lowly workers. We are all equal, all as one, working for the good of us all. No longer will you have to pay for power, for heat, for water, for food - we will work for the good of us all." Arfo flicked his hair aside and scanned along each of the five of parallel tables.

  "Things will be difficult at first - things are always difficult in times of change and transition. But your lives will improve," he said, his voice growing louder. "We will build our own trade networks, reap the profits of our own exports and take control of our orbiter, take control of our labour, take control of our lives."

  The room filled with cheers and the loud rhythmic sound of bowls being banged against tables - metallic, sharp, deafening. There were stamps and whoops.

  "This evening is more than just a celebration of our bright new future," he said once the noise died down. "We're also here to celebrate the coming together of Janis Parvo and Mataes Rafillio. The couple will make their union official once things settle down, but I think you'll all join me in wishing them the greatest of luck."

  Janis's cheeks flushed as the rhythmic sound of banging bowls rose again to a thunderous crescendo. Arfo poured her and Mataes a cup of cider from a clay jug. She sipped: it tasted bitter on her tongue.

  # # #

  Inge: Boardroom, Muedin Headquarters, Vaporum 1, Lunar

  19/06/6,544, 11:12 (IST)

  Muedin Representative Inge Tomas wore an asymmetric dark blue suit as Muedin board members took their places around an oval table.

  The boardroom bore the subtle signifiers of high wealth and high fashion: blue ceramic reliefs swirling along the wall; artisan chairs crafted from real oak; light fittings adorned with thin strips of pale leather.

  Inge tightened her thin lips as she scratched her blonde cropped hair.

  "Please hurry up and be
seated," she said.

  Eleven men and women sat before her, all dressed in variations of the same dark blue suit she was wearing. Inge took a sip from a small glass of fruit water. She regarded the glass for a moment with her cold blue eyes, tipping it this way and that, enjoying the play of light through the pale pink liquid.

  She tightened her thin lips. "It seems we are living in interesting times - interesting times, indeed," she said. She placed the glass down on table and got up from her seat. "As I'm sure you'll agree, recent developments across the system have left a lot of uncertainties - a lot of unanswered questions." She paused, eyeing each member of the board. "But, there is much to be excited about - many advantages we can exploit."

  She moved around the table and stood opposite Financial Officer Renske Jansen, a broad woman with thick white hair and a face etched with a permanent scowl.

  "You don't look convinced Madam Jansen," Inge said.

  Renske shrugged. "It seems to me that everything is going to hell. We were already being hit by the Purdah, and now we've got to deal with the fallout from the Yao situation --."

  "This situation with Yao, indeed," Inge snarled. She rubbed her hands together and leaned close in to Renske. "This situation with the Yao couldn't be better for us. Don't be so naive Madam Jansen - I thought you of all people would see the advantage for us."

  Inge smiled with satisfaction as Renske folded her arms and slunk back in her seat. "The markets will settle down, they always do," said Inge, turning to the rest of board members. "What you must realise is that we can move in and takeover many Yao operations. Indeed, I have been considering a legal framework for this to work to our advantage. The profits would be held in trust until the remaining Yao bodies are found. We take our operating costs - somewhat overestimated, of course - and make Muedin the de facto controller of Yao interests."

  Former Muedin Representative Mikkel Bjornsohn, an ancient man with drooped skin and a hunched back, made a steeple of his fingers and cleared his throat. "What makes you think the other Affiliates haven't had the same idea? What you're suggesting could be seen by some members of United Solar as a declaration of war."