Colony Mars Ultimate Edition

by Gerald M. Kilby

  He stopped. “I see. Do you know what it is?”

  “I think your hunch was right, it’s caused by a bacterial infection.”

  “And you say I don’t have it?”

  “No, not as far as I can tell, but I need to do more tests to be certain.”

  Nills considered this for a moment. “You know, this all started to happen after the research lab was in operation.”

  “Is that why you don’t want to reactivate it?”

  “What do you think? Whatever is in that lab doesn’t need to get out again.”

  “But if that’s where it came from then we may have a chance of finding out what it is… and maybe find a way to kill it.”

  Nills scratched his chin again, like he couldn’t get used to not having a beard. He had shaved it off a while ago and it made him look even younger. Jann and the others still couldn’t quite get over his youthful appearance. Paolio had put it down to diet. He also postulated that maybe the one-third gravity had a beneficial effect on aging. But this was all speculation. Nonetheless, Nills looked like a twenty year old, not someone the wrong side of thirty-five.

  “If it’s bacteria then surely antibiotics would kill it?”

  “We’ve been trying various types on Decker’s samples, but still no luck. It seems to be highly resistant to anything we’ve thrown at it so far.”

  “Like it was engineered that way?” He stopped and looked at her.

  “Yes, that’s what I’m beginning to think. We’re dealing with something that was engineered rather than evolved here. You have to remember that bacteria can evolve relatively fast. I had thought that it was something designed for the ecosystem here that had mutated.”

  “But now you’re not so sure?”

  “No. That’s why we need to get into the research lab and take a look.”

  As if on cue, Gizmo sped into the biodome. “Nills, I’ve done the diagnostics and run through a number of activation sequences. My best scenario has a 78% success probability.”

  “Thanks, Gizmo.” He turned back to Jann. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes, it’s the only option… if we’re ever going to be able to return to Earth.”

  “It’s not so bad here. After a few years you might even get to like it.” He laughed.

  Jann smiled and looked around her. He did have a point, even if he was just joking. It had a beauty to it, like an oasis in a world gone mad, even if that oasis was 140 million miles away. “Yeah, I might.”

  “Although it’s better when you have someone to share it with.” He smiled and at that moment Jann found herself quite attracted to this enigmatic soul. He radiated calm and serenity and Jann felt herself drawn in by its glow. She stopped short and looked away. “I should go and check in with Paolio, see how the commander is doing. Maybe he has some good news with the antibiotics.”

  “Okay, sure. Gizmo and I need to… eh, run through some more stuff, anyway. If everything checks out then we’ll start reactivation tomorrow.”

  “Great.” She walked out of the garden, heading for the medlab.

  Her meeting with Nills had left Jann feeling more optimistic, or maybe she was just less pessimistic. Either way she no longer had a tight knot of apprehension in her gut. She decided not to go and find Paolio just yet. He might still be talking to Annis and she didn’t want to interrupt that dialogue. Instead, Jann sat down in the common area on a battered armchair and took some time out.

  Along the wall were pinned a number of sketches and artworks, presumably created by the colonists, back in happier times. They all depicted scenes from Mars. Some were landscapes, some portraits of people, some were even quite accomplished. One caught her eye. It was a well crafted landscape sketched with some type of brown charcoal. In the foreground two colonists in full EVA suits embraced. She stared at it for a while.

  What was the worst thing that could happen? They would be stranded here. Was that so bad? Jann began to think the unthinkable and the more she thought about it the more she began to feel giddy. Was it so strange to imagine a life in a botanical paradise, shared with the radiant Nills? She shook her head, she was getting soppy. But then again, if this was worst case scenario, it wasn’t so bad after all, at least not in her mind. But what of the others? Paolio and Annis?

  Yet there was something else she was not considering in all of this. What was it? Jann couldn’t put her finger on it. It was there in her subconscious trying to get out, a new danger, a deeper threat. There was something she was missing. The knot returned in her gut and gripped it tight. Was it the infection, malignly working away to undermine her sanity? A shiver ran through her body. The thought of it repulsed her and dispelled any romantic notions she had of this place. Then another thought exploded in her mind. Could she end up like Decker? A deranged homicidal maniac? “Oh dear God, don’t let me lose my mind.”

  “Jann.” Paolio buzzed into the common room on his motorized wheelchair. “Did you speak to Nills?”

  “Yes, he thinks they can start the reactivation of the research lab tomorrow.”

  “Good.”

  “How’s Annis?"

  “She’s returned to the HAB.”

  “Why won’t she stay here? We really need to stick together.”

  “I know, but there was no stopping her. Anyway, I’ve given her all the data from our sample analysis. She’s going to send it through to mission control tonight. Maybe the boffins back on Earth can shed some light on what it is.”

  “And Decker?”

  “The same. No change.”

  Jann sighed and slumped back in the chair. It was late and she was exhausted. They sat in silence for a moment. Then Jann leaned forward and spoke very low. “Paolio. I want you to do me a favor.”

  “Sure, name it.”

  “If… if I should go like Decker, you know… succumb to this infection. I want you to… kill me.”

  “Jesus, Jann, that’s a bit dramatic… anyway, it’s not going to happen.”

  “But if it does, you promise me you’ll do this.”

  “It’s not going to come to that.”

  “Promise me.”

  Paolio looked at her for a moment. “You know I can’t promise that. I’m a doctor. My duty is to save life, not end it.”

  Jann slumped back in her chair again. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you, it’s unfair of me.” She looked back at the wall of paintings. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it won’t come to that.”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  20

  Recalibration

  Nills examined the rows of overripe tomatoes. Some had already fallen from the vine and would be good for nothing except composting. He should have picked them at least three days ago. The beans needed tying up and he really should check the herb garden to see which plants had seeds ready to save. His carefully scheduled tasks were falling behind and now he was playing catch up. The arrival of the ISA crew had thrown a spanner into his world and created stress where before there was harmony. The rhythm that he and Gizmo had grown accustomed to was disrupted. A new dynamic had entered colony life and new demands were being placed on its resources. Deep down, he knew this would happen sooner or later. New people would come to investigate what had happened, or simply tempted by the lure of adventure. Still, it was good to be able to talk to another human. For a long time he was uncertain of his own sanity. Had he gone mad after all these years? That uncertainty had been put to rest now, as he had truly survived—with his mind intact.

  He thought of Jann, or was it Bess? He shook his head. He needed more time, it was too soon to contemplate such emotions. “Put it out of your mind,” he said to himself.

  “Put what out of your mind?” said Gizmo, who was shadowing him as he worked.

  “Oh, nothing, I was just thinking aloud,” he said as he snipped a bunch of tomatoes and placed it in a box that Gizmo was holding for him. He stopped for a moment, looked around him and considered what he had achieved here in those three a
nd a half long years.

  In the beginning, the agriculture at Colony One had been utilitarian. Scientifically calculated to maximize yields. The plants where the vegetative equivalent of battery hens. The biodome was a factory simply for producing food. But since the demise of the colony population high yields had become unnecessary, so Nills had set about creating more of a garden than a factory. Slowly but surely he had given over more space to his Eden. And slowly but surely it gave him purpose and fortified his spirit. He would sit for long hours, surrounded by the lush vegetation, listening to the sound of the water flowing in the pond and stare up through the dome roof into the nighttime sky. It was at these moments that he realized you can take the human out of the Earth but you can’t take the Earth out of the human. He might be living on an alien planet, but all around him was the very essence of Earth, of nature itself, of what it meant to be a living creature. He was more in tune with the ecosystem on this dusty godforsaken rock than he ever had been back home. It had taken him 140 million miles to get back to the garden.

  He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow with his sleeve and set to work again. Both he and Gizmo spent their time harvesting and tending to the tomatoes as these were the most urgent. Then Nills turned his attention to building up the soil around a newly sprouting crop of potatoes as Gizmo went off to store the night’s harvest. The little robot returned just as Nills finished the last of his work.

  “They are related, you know.”

  “Who are?” replied Gizmo.

  “Tomatoes and potatoes. They’re both from the nightshade family, which includes Deadly Nightshade, a highly toxic plant.”

  “Interesting. I will make a note of that. Perhaps it may be a useful tidbit to regurgitate when I am next put upon in polite company, and find myself wanting for a fascinating fact to toss into the conversation.”

  Nills cocked an eyebrow and the little robot. “Indeed,” he replied. “I think we’re done here for tonight, Gizmo.”

  “The strawberries are sprouting new runners, should we not get these staked down?”

  “Time enough for that tomorrow. There’s been too much excitement around our little garden these last couple of days.”

  “Yes, it has been a rather dramatic interlude.”

  “I’m tired now. Come, let’s sit a while and talk.” Nills put away his garden tools and walked into the center of the dome. The little robot whirred along beside him. He sat down on a low chair fashioned from wood he had pruned from the fruit trees in the biodome over the years. It had a rustic artisanal look and felt perfectly in keeping with the verdant surroundings. Beside it was a low table made from the same materials. Nills waved his hand over the holo-tab that was resting there. A three dimensional control interface rendered itself above the surface and he tapped several of the icons in quick succession. A series of screens materialized, showing charts and data of the colony systems. Nills studied them for a while. “I see you have compensated for the additional oxygen requirement, Gizmo.”

  “Yes, Nills. Several adjustments needed to be made to accommodate the additional Earthlings.”

  “Very good. Everything looks nominal.”

  “I would suggest we need to recalibrate our food production process at some point. They could eat us out of house and home.”

  Nills scratched his chin. “This is a concern. However, they have brought their own supplies. Enough for a hundred days I understand. Since two are dead and one incapacitated then this could stretch for longer. So that gives us some time to increase our planting.”

  “Do they know yet that they will not be returning to Earth?” said Gizmo.

  “It is only beginning to dawn on them. The problem will be how they are going to react when they do finally realize.”

  “Will they be disappointed?”

  “Hopefully it’s just disappointment and nobody starts getting crazy—doing something stupid.”

  “Yes, that would be most unfortunate.”

  Nills was now looking at a recording from one of the many cameras in the biodome. It was from a few hours earlier and showed Annis Romanov jogging around the path along the inner wall. She was panting and pushing hard. He studied her face as it swept into full view; he paused it. “We need to keep a close eye on her, Gizmo.”

  “Is she dangerous?”

  “Unpredictable. And we don’t like that do we?” He turned and looked at the robot.

  “No, we like a place for everything, and everything in its place.”

  “Exactly.” He returned to the screen and tapped another icon. The recording of Romanov extinguished and was replaced by a direct video feed from the accommodation module. It was of a naked Dr. Jann Malbec preparing to have a shower. Nills flinched, his finger hovered over the camera control to switch it off and not intrude—but he lingered. He was drawn by the beauty of her poise, the arc of her neck, the curve of her spine. A memory stirred within him.

  “Is she dangerous, too?” said Gizmo.

  Nills tapped the off icon. “No, no, she's just… never mind.” Nills’ head slumped and he looked at the ground for quite some time before reaching up to wipe a tear from his eye.

  Gizmo moved closer to his master and spoke in a surprisingly low tone. “Is it Bess again? Your eyes always water when you think of her.”

  Nills cocked a smile and the quirky robot. “Yes, Gizmo, I miss her and… well, she reminds me of her.” He wiped his face again, shook his head and tapped another icon. This time a feed from the medlab showed Paolio examining the stricken Decker. Nills sat back in his chair and watched it for a while. From a pocket in his flight suit he took out a small metal box. He carefully opened it up and proceeded to roll himself a joint. He lit it, took a long drag and settled himself back into the wicker recliner. He watched the doctor take a blood sample from the commander and prepare it for more tests.

  “Gizmo.”

  “Yes Nills.”

  “I think tomorrow it’s time to give you an upgrade.”

  “Excellent, what sort of upgrade?”

  “I think maybe a weapon or two might come in handy.”

  “Splendid, I do love playing with new gadgets.”

  21

  Lies

  Peter VanHoff scanned the lab report sent by first officer Romanov in her most recent communication. It was a blood sample analysis done by Dr. Jann Malbec on the ISA crew and the sole colonist Nills Langthorp. It was Malbec’s identification of the bacterial infection that interested him most. He was impressed. It was clear that his geneticists on Colony One had been busy, as this was evidently their work. What intrigued him, however, was the fact that Nills Langthorp showed no signs of the infection. And what made this even more interesting was Romanov’s observation of his youthful appearance. Clearly then, this bacteria had been an earlier attempt. They had come close, but the side effects were disastrous. He put the report aside, stood up, and paced.

  The intention had always been to return the science team. There was only so much that could be done remotely. Although that turned out to be quite a lot. Nevertheless, acquisition of the active biology was the end game. The other reason was that it was difficult to get a team with any depth assembled if the mission was one-way. They just wouldn’t go. But offer a return mission and then COM would have its pick of the best talent. They had been working on developing their own return mission for quite some time. But all that stopped when the colony fell apart. And with no more money coming in, it was left to wither on the vine. Getting into bed with ISA had been the only option left.

  He waved a hand over the holo-tab and touched the icon to summon his second in command. A few moments later the avatar that was Nagle materialized in Peter VanHoff’s field of vision and spoke.

  “Good evening, Peter. How are you feeling today?”

  “I told you not to keep asking me that.”

  “It’s just a greeting, nothing more.”

  Peter grunted. “Have you seen the infection loads in the report?”

  “
I have.”

  “The survivor Nills Langthorp is clean.”

  “I noticed that, very interesting.”

  “This is all the evidence we need. I suggest we move forward our plans.”

  “I concur. I have also come to the conclusion that the mental state of our agent is deteriorating. At this rate we may not get another chance.”

  “Yes, I did notice her load was higher than the others, barring the commander of course. How is she holding up?”

  “So far, so good. But that status may change very quickly the longer she is exposed. She is becoming more paranoid of Langthorp and the colony in general. She keeps referring to it as a leper colony. Also, Malbec is trying to convince her that returning to Earth would be catastrophic.”

  “Yes, well it would be—if we were going to let her live.”

  “My thoughts exactly. So I think we need to act now to secure the Analogue and complete the mission.”

  “You have a plan then?”

  “Yes, it is as simple as it is elegant. Fortunately, Romanov’s current state leaves her exposed to straightforward psychological manipulation. In essence, I plan to lie.”

  “Excellent. It’s time to bring home the bacon, then.”

  Annis paced the HAB floor with a deep primal rhythm, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. She waited out time in measured steps. Each one closer to a reply from Earth. It should come soon.

  The comms unit chimed an alert. A message had arrived. Annis broke her step, wheeled towards the unit and tapped receive. The avatar that was Nagle materialized before her and shimmered like a fiery beacon, a light in the darkness of an alien world. It spoke…

  ‘We understand your concern, first officer Romanov, and concur with your hypothesis that the colonist, Nills Langthorp, is in fact the cause of this infection. We have long suspected that he may have even instigated the collapse of the colony. From Dr. Malbec’s analysis, which you sent back in your report, we have ascertained that he, and the rest of your crew, are now all contaminated with a highly malign form of leprosy. However, you may remember the inoculations that our medical team administered to you before you departed. These were to provide a certain level of biological protection. Suffice to say, they are working and fortunately you are not contaminated—thus far. Nevertheless, the longer you stay on the planet the less effective this protection will be and your life will be in increasing danger.