by J. K. Mabrey
The soldier lifted his arm up and slowly lowered it. The soldiers on the ridge brought their rifles down.
Chapter 7
The General was waiting outside the command center with Dani when they got back. "Early reports are that Travis will live," the General said. "I want to thank you for volunteering to go out there."
"Thank Dani for providing some perspective," he said.
"That, I have already done."
"Didn't thank us, did he?" Brax said.
"I don't think he means to either," Charra replied.
"What did you find, son," the General asked looking at the soldier.
The soldier gave a sideways glance at Zavik and said, "Mr. Khan said there was a female giving birth, and that the deterans were just protecting her and their home."
"It's in nearly every creatures instinct to protect their offspring and territory," the General said. "Did you remove the threat?"
"No, sir," the soldier responded, shifting his weight from right to left. "We left them there."
"What! Why?"
Zavik interjected, "I thought it would be best."
"That's not your call to make, is it?" the General said, his eyes piercing Zavik. Zavik caught a glimpse of a smile cross the soldier's face.
"I just didn't think it was necessary to wipe out a group of animals because someone in you colony wandered too close to their territory. You said they typically aren't aggressive. If you leave them alone I'm sure they'll do the same. Or perhaps you'd prefer to continue your search for someone that can get those supplies?"
The General huffed. "You are replaceable you know? But I am short on time and if that is what you want then they can stay there. If they don't attack us, we won't wipe them out."
"I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with that," Zavik said.
The General smiled briefly. "You know, you're the kind of soldier I wish was under my command. Not afraid to stand up to your superiors, or in this case your boss. Speaks his mind. That's good. These days, the academy tries its damnedest to weed that trait out. Never question orders, always follow regulations. It's a shame really."
"I agree," Zavik said. "Maybe if they didn't court-martial people for questioning orders, you would still have soldiers like that."
"Mistakes are made in all bureaucracies," the General said. "Those making the decisions forget how valuable a little dissent can be."
"Those making the regulations don't want to hear any dissent at all," Zavik added.
"How sadly true that is," he said. General Walters placed a hand on Zavik's shoulder and shook his head briefly. "You will stay the night? You can get a thorough tour of the place and we'll take you out to see another campsite we have set up a few miles north."
"I think we'd best just get going," Zavik said. "We don't want to waste too much time in getting your supplies."
"Nonsense!" he bellowed. "One night's not going to sink the colony. If it does we're in bigger trouble than that group of deterans can cause."
"It would be lovely if we could stay the night," Dani said over Zavik's still objectionable look.
"Good. I've got to head back to the Command Center and finalize the unloading and cataloging of the new cargo. Stevens!" he shouted over Zavik's head. "Show our guests around, will you?"
The officer looked at the crew, his eyes focused on Charra first as everyone’s does, then back to Brax. "Of course, sir," he said. "If you'll follow me." The officer was young but carried an air of confidence around. Zavik had seen such traits before. This kid loved being in the military and from a young age had decided that was the right career path for him. Someone who carried himself like that was destined to be in the military for life. How long that life would be was a different matter altogether.
"I think we might be the first aliens on the colony, Charra," Brax said as they walked behind the soldier.
"Uh, yes, sir, I believe you're right," the officer said.
"Then I suppose we should make a good name for ourselves," Charra said.
"So no burning down the campsite like on Eris," Brax said with a snicker.
"Don't worry, Officer...?" Zavik asked.
"Stevens, sir."
"They're harmless," Dani assured him.
"Yes, Charra here's looks are a lot worse than his bite," Brax said.
Officer Stevens just nodded, apparently at a loss for what to say. He showed them to the shelters on the west side of the camp. There was a row of twelve trailers, all identical. Each housed up to thirty people Stevens said, though most weren't at full capacity, not yet anyway. When the new round of settlers came, they would be, and more shelters would be delivered that were already slated to be full.
"Can we go in?” Dani asked.
"Sure, ma'am."
Metal stairs affixed to the side of the trailer ascended to a thick metal door. Officer Stevens swiped a card and a heavy mechanical latch clicked open. "Security purposes," he said as he replaced the card in his pocket.
"Security?" Zavik asked.
"It made the colonists feel more secure if their trailers were only accessible to the residents inside."
"You stay in this trailer?" he asked.
"No, the military is all contained in the last four trailers, but every military personnel has a master key, so to speak."
"I see."
They entered into a cramped walkway, doors standing to both sides. Further down the hall, there was a round opening. A couch sat to the right, two kids were playing a game of chess. A kitchen was to the left where a young woman was heating something in a pot on the stove.
"Afternoon, Mrs. Talegra," Officer Stevens said.
"Oh, how do you do," she responded with genuine enthusiasm. Her thick English accent had not faded a bit. "Kids, say hello to Officer Stevens."
"Hi," they both responded without looking up from their game.
"Huhh," she said to herself while shaking her head. "Anyway, what brings you by? Would you like some chicken noodle? Well, rehydrated chicken noodle?"
"No, thank you, ma'am. I'm just showing our guests around the campsite and they asked to see the colonist’s shelters."
"Well, by all means, look around," she said as she walked over. Her eyes caught the armed Rovun and Chokmnd and a slight gasp was let out of her tightened chest. She covered her mouth and feigned a small cough, trying her best to cover the slip of manners. She continued, "It's not much, that I can assure you. Had to special order a slow cooker on the last shipment. I don't know who puts these things together." She took off an oven mitt and said. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Elenor Talegra." Dani shook her hand and said, "Dani Khan, and my husband, Zavik."
He shook her hand as well. Firm and strong. Probably had to be to deal with two boys on a remote colony. "Pleasure, ma'am, and this is Brax and Charra."
She shook their hands with a noticeably weaker grip and Brax said, "You don't have to pretend to not be surprised to see a Rovun and Chokmnd on Garos, much less two working together."
"It's not that," she said drawing her hand back. "It's just that I wasn't..."
"Expecting to see two aliens?" Charra asked with a wide smile, showing those teeth again. He seemed to get a kick out of it.
"We don't get many visitors like you," she said, "doesn't mean you're not welcome. What brings you to Garos? If you're looking for a romantic getaway, I've got about ten dozen other locations you should try first."
"They were hired to pick up the supplies the colony needs," Stevens said.
"I still wouldn't mind that list, though," Dani added with a wink to Zavik.
"Well, I wish you luck," she said. "I can't imagine having to travel the Galaxy to find our supplies. Who knows what sort of creatures you'll run into." Her eyes drifted to Charra.
"I could venture a guess," Zavik said. "We've already run into some interesting creatures on this planet, much less what we've run into before."
"Mr. Khan helped rescue Travis from a pack of deterans," Stevens said.
"My heavens," she said. "Will he be ok?"
"Looks like it, ma'am."
"I know his wife will be grateful to you, Mr. Khan."
"It was nothing," he said, proud of the compliment but unsure if he warranted it. "They did most of the work, really."
Charra smiled and Brax folded his arms and nodded to Charra.
"Then I suspect the feast tonight will be in your honor," she said looking them in the eye. "Not everyone would just risk their lives for a stranger, you know."
Zavik could just smile and asked, "Those your kids?"
"That's what the doctors say, but I've never had tests done to confirm it." She smiled and glanced at them, Fred was three moves from checkmate, if he played his pieces right. He always beat Jack, but Jack was getting better. "They have much of their father in them."
"Where is James?" Stevens asked.
"He said he was going to help unload the new cargo, and then help wherever else he could."
"James is an engineer for the colony," Stevens said. "He's an expert at laying out the campsites."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," she said, "at least not to his face. I don't need him getting a big head about."
"Of course not, ma'am."
“How do you like the shelters?" Dani asked.
"Oh, they do, for now," she said trying hard not to look at Officer Stevens. "It's a bit cramped, even when not at full capacity. They really do a good job of putting families together, and making it comfortable. And the rooms are virtually sound proof. Shouting kids are apt to make someone go crazy, especially if they’re not yours."
"I can imagine," Dani said.
"Looks like there're six rooms on this floor," Zavik said.
"Yep, all three floors are the same. This is the common area. We all try and cook dinner together most nights. I think it helps bring us closer. A sort of bonding time, to talk about our lives back on Earth, what we left behind, what we miss, what we hope this colony accomplishes. Boy, do we all miss fresh steak. It's just not the same after it's been frozen and thawed and tampered with."
"Tampered with?" Brax asked throwing her a disgusted look that from a Chokmnd could really be unsettling.
"Pumped full of who knows what to ensure no diseases get sent out here," she said.
"Sounds awful," Dani said. She thought about the chemicals and drugs they must be lacing the meat with. She almost wanted to puke.
"I'm told that as soon as we can get some farm animals out here, we won't have to worry about that anymore. That right, Officer Stevens?"
"That's above my pay grade, ma'am," he said with a half smile formed on his face.
"Why did you come here?" Dani asked. "Put your family through all of this?"
She sat there for a moment, thinking to herself. She looked at her boys, Fred now one move away from checkmate. "It was the right choice for our future."
"How so? An engineer's got to do ok, especially on Earth."
"I'm not talking about my future or my family's future. I mean our future. The future of the human race. The universe has gotten a lot bigger in the last few centuries. Our history is filled with case studies of what happens to a race or ethnicity of people who are weaker or even appear weaker than those with power. They're at best assimilated into the stronger society, or at worst, wiped out through genocide, whether it's targeted or not.
"I believe we need to establish ourselves firmly in the Galaxy if we are to survive. The Red Moon rebellion made it very clear that there are some out here who would rather see us gone. I think this colony is the right step in ensuring the survival of our race."
"Not all aliens feel that way about us," Zavik said.
"Unfortunately, enough do," Brax said. "Red Moon showed how easily the Community could be manipulated into thinking humans were the enemy. Even now the distrust lingers. Time is what you need. This colony can help buy you that."
"Thank you," Dani said, reaching her hand out. "We hope our job helps make the transition easier."
"I promise that we'll work as quick as possible to get those supplies here," Zavik said. "Starting with fresh food for you all."
"That would be nice," Fred said behind him. "Checkmate!"
"Aw, man!" Jack shouted. "I almost had you, you only had three pieces left this time."
"You gotta watch out for the knight," Fred said.
"Boys, go wash up for lunch, ok?"
"Sure mom," they both responded.
"I know they'll be happy when we get some fresh food around here," she said. "You're staying the night?"
"Yes," Dani said over Zavik and Brax's continued objections.
"I think I'll take them up to Raven Camp," Stevens said. "It's the closest of the other campsites."
"Yeah, I think that would be good," Zavik said. "It's always a pleasure to meet the people you're working for, especially when they're as kind as you."
She blushed briefly. "Thank you, Mr. Khan. It was a pleasure to meet you all. If you're ever on Garos in the future, feel free to stop in and have some tea."
"That would be wonderful," Zavik said.
"And Stevens," she said as they began to leave, "if you see my husband, do remind him that it's his night to watch the boys. Some of us ladies have a wine and game night scheduled."
"Will do, ma'am."
Outside the trailer, Zavik looked at the Rinada, sitting about one hundred yards away. The Rinada was as long as the trailers, he guessed, though not as tall. At times it felt cramped on his ship, especially when all of the cabins were full, as they had been the last year or so. I could never live here, he thought to himself, never like this. He loved Earth and the human race as much as the next guy, but this was too much to ask for. The Galaxy had plenty of places for people to go, on Earth or not, that were safe and secure, that offered opportunity and jobs. It wasn't necessary to subjugate one's self to a backwater planet that wouldn't be even half developed for decades. These people were stuck here. There's no turning back for them. If they're in over their heads there's a good chance they could die here. Almost all of them would die here, eventually. Garos was their home now, Earth would only be a distant memory, something they told their kids about before bed. The little ones would remember very little of their homeworld. Babies would only be shown pictures and told stories of what happened there, hundreds, thousands of years ago. Perhaps they would like not living in that place. There were many horrible stories that could be told about it. But many great stories could be shared as well. Garos would do well to embrace the good parts, but should hold tight to the memories of the horrible parts as well, lest they be repeated. But that wasn't his problem, was it? No, he had a job to do. That was all. Deliver a large supply of food, power cores, and other equipment. Whatever else happened on Garos was Earth's problem, or the military's problem. Or the colonists’ problem? Well, yeah, but if the colony was going to survive the citizens needed to be strong, able to overcome whatever challenges they faced. It was no different for Chokmnd colonies or Iriquios colonies. They all had growing pains or disasters to deal with.
The Durthian colony on Seweza was struck by a large asteroid no more than three years after being first settled. They had no satellite equipment set up, a standard practice now for any new colony because of Seweza, to detect any impending impacts. The odds were too small. Still, one night the sky lit up like the finale of a New Year's firework show. A giant ball of molten rock streaked through the sky, impacting the ground with the force of two hundred nuclear weapons. The planet shook violently in recoil from the blast. A deafening sound erupted through the atmosphere. The asteroid landed close to a major city on Seweza. The city, Tiol was leveled instantly by the blast. Seconds later a wall of flames tore through the disintegrating city melting everything unlucky enough to be in its path.
A population of over one hundred thousand died instantly. Within hours the atmosphere turned dark and deadly. Ash filled the skies and the water turned to acid. Light from the young star was unable to penetrate the thic
k dust cloud that settled in the upper atmosphere of the planet. Those who survived the initial impact and quakes that lasted for a month were left with a planet near death. The air stung to breathe. Rock and metal particles cut at their tongues and throats and lungs. Everything planted died within days and the animals stuck without shelter died in weeks.
The colony's population dwindled from five hundred thousand down to thirty thousand within three months. The temperature plunged to below zero degrees and refused to waiver. The citizens could only survive in shelters, but there weren't enough. About a third died from exposure to the elements. The others were stricken by a worse fate.
The impact released an unknown virus that had lain dormant in the ground. The disease began spreading through the population rapidly. At first, the citizens just grew sick and week. But, then they became unable to move. The lucky ones would die from respiratory failure, the others would endure weeks of pain when moving and breathing. Only after a month of fighting would the sickness begin to fade. Experts later determined the required enclosed spaces aided the virus in its quick migration through the colony. The mortality rate approached sixty percent, and two months after the impact, almost every colonist had contracted the virus.
Early missions to aid the colony were suspended when the virus outbreak began. The Council deemed the planet a biohazard for the Galaxy and forbid any manned missions to the planet. Nothing was allowed to leave the system. The colony suffered without aid, and the Durthian were outraged at the lack of concern from the Community. Their protests finally persuaded the Council to agree to send a science team to the surface to study the virus.
After months of research, the colonists began to heal from the disease. Those who were infected and survived volunteered to be studied. Antibodies produced by the colonists were used to create a vaccine that eventually wiped the virus from the planet for good. The Council kept in place restrictions on travel to the planet for over a century, but the virus never spread or surfaced again. After eight years the dust settled out of the atmosphere enough that the planet began to warm to its natural temperature. Advanced terraforming brought life back to the planet. The Durthian decided not to abandon the planet instead vowing to rebuild it and support their colonists.