The Imperative Chronicles, Books One and Two: The Mars Imperative & The Tesserene Imperative

by Mark Terence Chapman

  James’ boyish grin made him look even younger than he was. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Lee. I really appreciate it. I have friends up there I haven’t seen in months.”

  “Not at all. Think of it as part of your bonus for finding our next beryl mine.” He rose and extended his hand. James reciprocated.

  He made his way back to Dr. Shallitt’s lab, and after two hours of answering what seemed like the same few questions over and over, he was set free at last. He went back to his room at the Princess of Mars Hotel to collect his bag and v-mail Daniel and Kim that he was a-comin’ to visit.

  Things are looking up. If the spores turn out to be Martian in origin, my face is going to be plastered all over the holo networks back on Earth. Mrs. McKie’s little boy is about to become famous. The rich part can come later. Hopefully not too much later. He smiled to himself. Yep, things are really starting to look up.

  He v-mailed Janice once more before leaving. I wouldn’t want her to forget about me while I’m gone. He smiled at the thought.

  Within an hour he was on the maglev heading toward the Barsoom elevator, and ninety minutes after that he was in the elevator car and heading for orbit.

  * * * *

  The next morning, while James was still in transit, Tennant stopped by the lab for a status report.

  “So, Tom, how’s the research coming?”

  Dr. Shallitt looked up from his computer screen. He appeared lost in a fog for a moment, before focusing on his surroundings. “Hmm? Oh. Lee. What are you doing here so late?”

  Tennant chuckled. “Late? Doc, I suggest you hire someone to help you keep track of time.”

  “Wha—?” The doctor looked up at the wall chrono across the room. “Oh hell. Good morning, then.” He rubbed his bleary eyes.

  “You look like hell, Tom. I suggest you go get some sleep. One of your assistants can continue for you.”

  “Hmm? Yes, I suppose you’re right. They can probably do a better job than I can anyway. I’m just a simple M.D. Some of these young guns have multiple degrees in fields that didn’t even exist when I was their age. But this stuff is just so fascinating that I couldn’t resist jumping in. Fascinating!” He stared off into space and his eyes glazed over.

  “Stay with me, doc. What have you found out so far?”

  “Hmm? Oh yes. Well, we’ve managed to resuscitate some of the spores. They’re growing in several Petri dishes in isolation chambers. We don’t know what their natural environment was, but we assume it must have been warmer than Mars is now, so first we warmed up the dishes. Then we added artificial sunlight in some of the chambers, and finally we introduced water vapor to some of those. It’s incredible. It’s been mere hours and already some of the spores are growing. So we added sunlight and water vapor to all of the chambers.”

  “Growing into what?”

  “It appears to be a kind of lichen. It doesn’t look like anything we’ve been able to identify from Earth, but we’re still scanning the databases, in case it’s a rare variety. Of course, the spores we have are only the fungal half of a symbiosis. The fungus wouldn’t have been able to survive without a photosynthetic partner. So we introduced it to a terrestrial alga that the terraformers have been experimenting with for potential use on the surface once they get the temperature and humidity levels high enough.”

  Tennant looked ready to explode. “You did what?”

  “Relax, Lee, it’s perfectly safe. Everything is kept inside solid durasteel-and-glass containers. And they’re only lichens, after all. Not two-headed man-eating alien monsters. The only tricky part was finding a partner whose growth rate more-or-less matches that of the fungus. Amazingly, the two hit it off right away. Think of it—we may have a symbiosis of a Martian fungus and an Earth alga!”

  Tennant still wasn’t ready to let go of his concerns. “Maybe so, but I’d feel more comfortable if you limited yourself to analyzing what they are, not playing Dr. Frankenstein to see what they might become. Let the biologists back home figure that out.”

  “Oh, so if some rampaging horror gets loose and kills everyone, you’d rather have that happen on Earth than here on Mars?”

  Tennant opened his mouth to retort, then shut it abruptly and sighed. “Okay, you win. Just be very, very careful.”

  He paused a beat to change gears. “So how’s your research coming?”

  “We’ve extracted DNA samples from some of the specimens and we’re sequencing them as we speak. It’ll be a while before we know anything for sure.”

  Tennant’s face fell. “DNA? So it is from Earth. Damn.”

  Dr. Shallitt waggled his finger in front of Tennant’s face. “That’s not what I said, Lee.”

  “What do you mean? You can’t believe that some totally alien form of life could have evolved something that we would recognize as DNA.”

  “A lot of biologists believe in parallel evolution—that different entities evolving in similar environments would evolve the same solutions to the same problems. I suppose it’s possible that alien life could develop DNA similar to Earth life, but I think in this case the solution might turn out to be much simpler.”

  “Oh?”

  “You know how from time to time someone on Earth finds a meteorite that appears to be a fragment of rock from the moon or Mars?”

  Tennant nodded.

  “The theory is that it was ejected into space by an impact of a meteor or a large comet. On occasion, scientists have found traces of amino acids or other organic substances that survived passage through Earth’s atmosphere.

  “Now suppose some rocks arrived hundreds of millions of years ago with spores that survived? Maybe they fell off in the upper atmosphere and floated down gently, or were inside a big rock, protected from the heat until impact. Who knows? I’m just speculating at this point, but it’s not a new theory.”

  Tennant frowned in concentration. “So, you’re saying, what—that Earth lichens might have originated here and then migrated to Earth at some point in the distant past? And the reason they have DNA like Earth lichens is that Earth lichens are actually descended from Martian lichens?”

  Dr. Shallitt nodded. “Exactly. Again, this is pure speculation. But perhaps all life on Earth got there by way of Mars, in which case the DNA of all Martian life—assuming there was once more than just lichens—would be similar to that of Earth life. It’s also possible it’s the other way around—that Martian life got here from Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. Less likely, perhaps, but it’s possible.”

  “Whew. You’ve got my head spinning. Is there a way to prove any of this?”

  “Eventually, sure. People with the right skills can compare DNA for genetic drift and determine whether Martian lichen DNA is older than terrestrial lichen DNA, and if the terrestrial lichen evolved from it. But that’ll have to wait until we send some samples on a ship headed for Earth. We’re not equipped for that sort of thing here.

  “Hell, we’re just a little mining colony, not a heavily funded research facility. I’m grasping at straws. About all I can hope to prove here is whether these spores definitely do match any from Earth. If they do, that indicates human contamination and we can all go back to work. If not, then we’ll probably have to wait for the eggheads on Earth to figure it out.”

  Tennant nodded. “Understood; do what you can. Keep me informed…and get some rest! That’s an order.”

  “Yes, sir, Capt. Bligh, sir! As soon as I finish this batch of—”

  “Now, Tom! Get one of your highly skilled assistants to monitor the tests. You, get at least a couple of hours sack time. You’re more likely to overlook something important if you’re half asleep, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Dr. Shallitt sighed. “Yeah, sure. You’re right, Lee. I’ll get Maria in here. There’s a cot in the back I can throw myself on for a few hours. Maria can always get me if necessary.”

  “That’s better. I’ll swing by again on my way home this evening to see how things are coming. But if you need anything before
then, just give me a call.”

  “Sure will, Lee. But I don’t expect anything exciting to happen that soon.”

  * * * *

  Six hours later, Dr. Shallitt was forced to eat his words.

  “Lee, you’d better get over here.”

  Tennant studied Dr. Shallitt’s visage on the viewscreen. Far from being worried, the doctor’s eyes glittered with excitement. “Why? What’s going on? Did you establish the lichen’s origin?”

  “Yes; well…I…I’d rather you see for yourself. I don’t think you’d believe me otherwise.”

  “I don’t know if I can get away right n—”

  “Lee! I promise you it’s worth interrupting whatever you’re doing. Just get over here.”

  It’s not like Tom to be so insistent. He wouldn’t be this demanding on a whim. “All right, doctor, I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  “Good. See you then.”

  On the way over, Tennant wondered what could have the normally composed Dr. Shallitt so flustered. The only thing I can think of is that he’s established the lichen as nonterrestrial in origin. But I thought he didn’t have the equipment here to do that conclusively.

  I guess I’ll find out in a minute.

  He entered the lab and was immediately swept up by the doctor and led to the transparent isolation units.

  “Look!” Dr. Shallitt said proudly. He pointed at one of the iso units.

  “Um, all I see is some greenish-gray disks about the size of poker chips. What’s so amazing about that?”

  “Well, for one thing, lichens on Earth don’t grow to specific shapes like this. They spread out as far as their food supply allows, and unevenly at that.”

  Tennant looked doubtful. “Okay, but is it impossible for Earth lichens to grow this way?”

  “Impossible? I suppose not, but it’s highly improbable that eight samples would all grow so uniformly. Plus, these samples are nearly a centimeter thick and look like a dense woven mat. I’ve never heard of that before. But I’m not a lichenologist, so that’s not conclusive proof either. If you keep watching, I won’t have to convince you that these lichens are not of terrestrial origin. You’ll know it yourself.”

  “What do you mean, ‘keep watching?’ What are lichens going to do, tap dance for m—? Huh?” Still facing Dr. Shallitt, Tennant saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Frowning while Dr. Shallitt beamed, Tennant bent closer over one of the iso units. This time he watched intently.

  After a minute of staring, he was about to straighten and chalk up what he thought he saw as an optical illusion. Then it happened again. The lichen…jumped. It was only a few centimeters up and a couple to the side, but it jumped. There was no other word for it.

  Tennant looked up at Dr. Shallitt, eyes wide with astonishment. “What—? How—?”

  Dr. Shallitt grinned at the other man’s confusion. You’ve heard of a Mexican Jumping Bean? Say hello to the Martian Jumping Lichen.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Lichen—A lichen is a symbiotic organism consisting of a fungus (mycobiont) and a photosynthetic partner (Photobiont): either a cyanobacteria (blue-green alga), a green alga, or both, living together in a single composite body known as a thallus. The alga and/or cyanobacteria create food from sunlight, while the fungus absorbs water and gasses from the air.

  More than 20,000 species of Lichen exist on Earth, filling nearly every ecological niche imaginable on land. Lichen can be found growing on almost anything, from bare rock, desert sand, and exposed soil, to rotting wood, living trees and even plastic or rusty metal. Adapted to life in marginal habitats, lichens produce a battery of more than five hundred different biochemical weapons designed to repel herbivores, kill attacking microbes, and discourage competition from plants.

  Most lichens grow slowly; often a millimeter or less per year.

  — Field Guide to Terran Mosses and Lichens, 2157

  * * * *

  “Oh, come on! How can a lichen jump, for godsake? How can any kind of plant do that? Especially lichens—aren’t they an extremely primitive form of life?”

  Dr. Shallitt’s grin grew even bigger. “Lee, I don’t have all the answers. Hell, I don’t even know all the questions yet. I’m only going by what I see and what I know about the diversity and adaptability of life on Earth. There are microbes living under the sea beds that breathe methane rather than oxygen. There are tubeworms living off what we would consider toxic chemicals spewing from “black smokers” in mid-ocean ridges. Many sea creatures even produce a kind of antifreeze that allows them to keep from freezing in arctic climates. Life is amazingly resilient. It’s capable of evolving to fill almost any environmental niche you can think of. The harsher the conditions, the more creative the biology gets.

  “Besides, as I said before, a lichen isn’t a plant—it’s a combination of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner. Besides, there are examples of motile plants all across Earth—vines, for example. They don’t move quickly, but in time-lapse photography you can clearly see the tendrils waving about, trying to make contact with something solid. And for something more like the jumping ability of this lichen, there’s the Venus Flytrap. When an insect lands inside its jaws, it triggers a kind of spring mechanism and the jaws snap shut. The form of motility displayed by this lichen is more sophisticated, of course, but not entirely dissimilar. If you look closely, you can see what looks like ten tiny legs arrayed around the circumference of the disks.”

  Tennant wasn’t entirely convinced. “But how could something as limp as a lichen be stiff enough to jump like that?”

  “Well, for one thing, lichens aren’t limp. They’re reinforced with chitin, making them quite stiff. In this case, the legs are put under tension and then uncoil suddenly, causing the lichen to jump. By putting one side of the lichen under more tension than the other, it jumps to one side.”

  Tennant shook his head in amazement. “That’s incredible! How does it eat? How did it grow so fast? How does it reproduce, if it does? How—?”

  Dr. Shallitt held out his palms to slow the torrent of queries. “Whoa there, Chief. I’m nowhere near being able to answer those questions yet. I only discovered the motility less than an hour ago. Give me time.”

  “All right, how about this one: how does it survive without roots?”

  “Roots? Bzzzt! Sorry, Lee, you go to the back of the class. Lichens don’t have roots. You ought to remember that from your basic biology classes—even though I know that was a l-o-o-n-g time ago.”

  He ducked Tennant’s mock swing at his head before continuing. “Many Lichens are epiphytes or ‘air plants,’ like Spanish Moss and orchids. They get their nutrients not from whatever they’re anchored to, but from the air and rainwater. Of course, I don’t know if that’s true of these guys. We’ll have to keep experimenting until we figure out little details like that.”

  “Of course.” Tennant nodded. And then a moment later, “Say, I just realized I haven’t eaten yet. Care to join me for a late lunch?”

  “Thanks, but I need to—” His sentence was interrupted by a drawn-out growl emanating from somewhere in the vicinity of his belt. He chuckled in embarrassment. “Apparently what I need to do is eat. Can you give me ten minutes to finish up here?”

  “Sure thing, Tom. I’ll just watch the jumping lichens for a while. I still have a hard time believing it.”

  “You’re not alone there, Lee.”

  * * * *

  “Alpha Two, this is Alpha One. Is everything in place?” Alpha One waited with the transceiver held to his ear.

  It took Tallman only a moment to respond. “Alpha One, this is Alpha Two. The deliveries have been made. Repeat, the deliveries have been made.”

  “Acknowledged, Alpha Two. Meet at the rendezvous point to collect your payment.”

  “Roger, Alpha One.”

  Alpha One, otherwise known as Doug Jardin, repeated the process with Alpha Three, Sawyer, and received the same confirmation that the deliveries had been made. He ordere
d Alpha Three to the rendezvous point as well. Jardin himself was nowhere near there.

  Good. The charges are in place throughout the site wherever they’ll do the most damage. I could erase that SOB like swatting a fly, but that’s too good for him. Tennant is about to learn a hard lesson about screwing with Doug Jardin. Make that, fourteen hard lessons—fifteen, counting the one at the rendezvous point. We can’t have any trails that lead back to me, now can we? His eyes were cold enough to give a snowman frostbite.

  Dying is too easy. Tennant needs to suffer for his sins. This way he’ll have to live with the consequences of his actions and know that he could have prevented them. He’ll wake up every day thinking of me.

  Jardin smiled that smile of his, anticipating the look on Tennant’s face when he figured out who was responsible—and then realized that Jardin was going to get away with it.

  He pushed a combination of buttons on his transceiver to start the process in motion. Then he changed the transceiver’s frequency to that used by Site 23 Emergency Services and sat back to enjoy the fun.

  * * * *

  Just as Dr. Shallitt turned toward the door, Tennant heard a distant pop! A second later the building shook slightly. What the hell?

  Two seconds later there was a louder bang, and then a whole series of explosions nearby. The ninth threw them both to the floor.

  Before Tennant could rise, another explosion rocked the building. The far wall disintegrated, sending shrapnel in every direction. Beakers and test tubes shattered, contributing to the flying debris. Shards of something sharp struck Tennant in the face and shoulders, causing him to duck, but he couldn’t spare the time to check the damage. Most of the blast passed over his head, shattering cabinets and toppling heavy equipment. Bottles full of noxious chemicals crashed to the floor, while various bits of debris rained down from what was left of the lab. Black smoke filled the room and mingled with chemical fumes. Flames licked at the far wall.