Solstice 31: The Solstice 31 Saga, Books 1,2,3

by Martin Wilsey

  Ash was in a corridor with white walls and a ceiling that was completely filled with water. As he moved, albeit slowly, his footsteps disturbed the sediment on the floor, sending up small clouds of it.

  Ash’s voice asked simply, “Left or right?”

  “Go to the right, Ash. Is there any way to minimize the silt disruption?”

  “I will do my best, sir.” The status window indicated “Ice Spikes Deployed,” and he began moving again, a series of spikes the only thing entering the silt.

  Moving with the spikes helped some, but it was really the wake that was disrupting the silt. Ash continued around the curve of the bend in the hallway. A 3D map tactical display was filling in as he moved.

  “So far, this fits in the parameters of the IDR, Inverted Dome Redoubt,” Em said.

  A doorway opened to the right that led down a wide corridor to a black opening about twenty meters away. Ash moved smoothly to minimize the silt.

  “Do we have any amphibious BUGs Em?” asked Barcus quietly.

  “No, Barcus. Chen never anticipated the need for an underwater probe. We are already looking into potential options with what we have on hand,” Em answered.

  Ash cleared the end of the corridor and came out onto a wide balcony that had a railing that clearly had doubled as a planter structure. A void of black was beyond the railing. Lights barely touched the far side. This balcony continued all the way around a perfectly circular level. Over the edge, another level could be seen about five meters below. This level extended about five meters, as well as the one above. They moved in as the levels descended, following the contour of the bowl.

  As Ash focused lights on various areas, the 3D map continued to expand in Barcus’s HUD.

  “I'd like to descend to the Redoubt’s floor. I have a good connection, and I can go over right here,” Ash said.

  “Before you do that I want you to try something. Turn all the lights off,” Barcus said.

  Ash did it and, once the image adjusted, it was clear that there was an opening above the center that was about ten meters across. Starlight faintly glinted in. A giant beam and other debris had some kind of water weeds growing on them. It was the only place that got enough light during the day to allow for growth.

  That opening was added to the diagram in Barcus’s HUD. Barcus noticed that Po's quiet murmurs of the lessons had stopped. He realized he had been speaking out loud.

  She stood there watching him from the doorway to the stairs.

  Their eyes met.

  “They say Keepers can sometimes see ghosts of the dead. Can you?” It was a serious question. He could tell she already believed it. He decided it would be simpler to let her believe it.

  “Barcus, tell her yes.” It was Em in his head. “It's the easiest thing for her to understand.”

  “They are speaking to you now,” she stated simply.

  “Yes. Please don't be afraid.” He tried to sound comforting.

  “I know they won't harm me,” Po said.

  “I meant afraid of me. I am not insane.”

  “I know that.” She was thoughtful for a moment and said softly with her eyes downcast, “This is the first time in my life that I have not been afraid.”

  “Po, I'm glad.”

  “If you need privacy, you can tell me,” Po said.

  “It's all right, if you don't mind me talking to myself.”

  “It's like talking to you on the Plate. I don't mind. I will leave you to it. It's already late for me,” Po said.

  She turned and went down the stairs.

  “I am ready, sir, to descend if you are, sir.” It was Ash. He was standing on the railing about to climb down.

  “Yes,” was all Barcus said. All of Ash’s work lights were back on.

  He closed his eyes for the best image. Full Point of View Augmented Reality (POVAR) was enabled now. It was like he was there, climbing down and then hanging and then slowly descending. There were balcony rings after balcony rings, together defining a central shaft. Ash stepped down level after level.

  After passing the last balcony, Ash stopped about ten meters from the floor. It was covered with debris from the destroyed cathedral above. Blocks and rubble were piled about a meter deep. It looked like the debris fell onto a large pile that stood in the center of a wide circular fountain.

  After a detailed view, Ash lowered himself to the floor. Silt immediately rose from his feet but, unlike the silt above, these clouds were being drawn in down through the rubble.

  “That must be where the water drains out. If it's like the courtyard fountain, it is designed to handle the overflow if the center pool becomes too full. See if you can clear some of the rubble, Ash.”

  Ash began to carefully shift the rubble. The increasing speed with which the cloud of silt vanished was proof positive that his work was helping. It was slow work. By about two in the morning, the area was cleared from the stone grates all the way around.

  “Let's call it a night. It will take a while to get back out of there.”

  The line slowly drew Ash back up. By the time he reached the balcony, Barcus could see that the water level had dropped noticeably already. For the first time they could see larger timbers floating in the water. They must have been beams from the cathedral.

  Ash climbed over the edge of the last balcony, and only then did Barcus notice the hundreds of wooden crates stacked against the back wall. Some of the wooden crates were floating against the ceiling. The others clearly held enough weight or were deeply water logged to keep them from floating.

  Without a word, Ash picked one up and walked back up the main corridor. He then turned down the smaller one, towards the stairs. He automatically wound in the cable as he went.

  He went up the stairs slowly. The water was still lower, only a few centimeters, but noticeable. He finally reached the piton and unhooked his cable. He left the piton.

  Leaving the box in the outdoor kitchen, he returned to his scheduled priority tasks, disappearing into the darkness.

  Barcus went down to the bedroom to find that Po was already asleep. She was completely under the heavy quilts and was only visible as a small bump with just a bit of hair sticking out from the edge of a pillow.

  Barcus added another log to the fire, undressed and put on his nightshirt. He climbed into bed as quietly as he could. As soon as she detected his warmth, she burrowed next him, tangled her legs with his and buried her freezing cold feet under each of his calves, all without totally waking up.

  Barcus lay there watching the dancing firelight on the stone vaulted ceiling. A window opened, floating in a fixed position. He selected the “Silent Status Update” option with his eyes. Em began to speak to him inside his head.

  “We are ready for another salvage run. I am uncomfortable with leaving you alone, but I will save you the comment. I'll get over it.

  “Po is progressing nicely with the reading. Po is very bright and is picking it up easily. I think she has a very high IQ. Olias is having a hard time of it. He has the language challenge on top of the reading. It will take much longer for him. He is a physical boy, not cerebral. On these salvage runs, I will work on his English during his waking hours while traveling. After a winter of this level of dedication, Po will be quite advanced.

  “The draining of the Redoubt has accelerated. Clearing the debris from the storm drain has increased the flow of water. This increased flow seems to have flushed some additional blockages somewhere. The level is dropping at a noticeable rate. The pool at the bottom of the crater has already dropped to the lip of the original Redoubt. We will have to decide how we’re going to secure the hole. A 52 meter drop will be dangerous.

  “Ash brought out one of the crates he found stored down there. You will need to check that out tomorrow.”

  “Analyzing the imagery from Ash’s visit shows that there may be some sealed compartments still closed after decades. The seals were precision designed for protecting against vacuum, so there may be a chance.
/>
  “Analysis has also detected human remains.

  “At present pace, the draining of the Redoubt will take about seventeen weeks. I recommend cleaning each level as it's exposed. The silt will be washed away as it drains. Water will also be handy as well, for power washing. Ash will be busy.

  “Yet another status log has been added for your daily review. It is unfortunate that the opening isn't larger. The STU could have fit in the main chamber.”

  Po stirred slightly and gave a big twitch. Amused, Barcus just smiled and kept listening.

  “Provisions after this salvage run will see us through the winter and well into next year. Fresh meat is the main concern. I will encourage Olias to collect more livestock. Plus we can supplement with hunting and trapping now and then. Task lists are getting longer though. We will soon have to make priority decisions.

  “Stu is running all quantum processors to brute-force the encryption on the comm’s traffic. Stu has also been able to triangulate the geo-synchronous sats in this hemisphere with the help of Ash and myself when we had decent separation during the last salvage runs. Based on their distribution, he believes there are 32 deployed stationary, geo-synchronous SATs in orbit. Exodus class colony ships had a standard compliment of sixteen SATs. I believe we are looking at a colony made up of two Exodus class ships - the biggest ships in the fleet at the time of their use.”

  Po turned in her sleep, placing her back to his side, using his warm bicep for a pillow.

  “Those are all the priority updates for tonight. Good night, Barcus.”

  All the windows closed, and he was back to the here and now. He moved a bit to get comfortable, spooning Po as she arched into him. His hand gently rested on her hip, and her hand slid to rest on top of his. A few minutes later, just before he was about to drift off, she drew his arm around her until his hand cupped her left breast. She was so wrapped up in him. She was asleep so deeply. He remembered watching her try to sleep in Greenwarren. She never did really. Always keeping fires going, always alert to sounds, never seeming to rest. He even saw her wake from nightmares a few times.

  Barcus fell asleep holding her close, realizing he never slept this well either. Maybe it was the smell of her hair. He lightly kissed her on the head and breathed deep the scent of her.

  He couldn't see her smile or that her eyes were open.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Freedom

  “The Emergency Module knew far more about this culture than it conveyed. The data was considered Not Conducive to Long Term Survival. This analyst’s opinion is that if Barcus had truly known how cruel this culture was, he would have set the whole planet on fire.”

  --Solstice 31 Incident Investigation Testimony Transcript: Emergency Module Digital Forensics Report. Independent Tech Analysis Team.

  <<<>>>

  Barcus awoke to the smell of bacon and sounds of the table being set for breakfast. He had slept in again. He was getting used to this. The flare of guilt was momentary but it still hurt.

  Clean clothes were laid out. Today, before he put on his belt with its knife sheath and array of pouches, he clipped on the holster for his .45 caseless handgun. Once it was on, he slid the large case from under the bed and unlocked it. He took out the gun and gave it a ready check. Confirming that it was fully loaded and ready to fire, he holstered it.

  Next, he took out two twenty-round magazines and put them in a pouch on his left side.

  Em said in his mind, “Good morning, Barcus. I’ll add firearms safety training for Po and Olias to the task list.” It made Barcus smile and shake his head. Plenty to do this winter.

  He examined the rifle briefly before he closed the case and slid it back under the bed. Passing through the curtain, he could not believe what he saw - a wooden bowl with six eggs in it.

  Po saw his stare and informed him, “The chickens Olias brought were already laying.” Then she began cracking the eggs into a ceramic bowl and scrambling them. There was already a mug of steaming tea poured. The bacon was sizzling in an odd pan that was like a cast iron wok hanging from three chains over the fire on the hook opposite the one the tea kettle occupied. She had a covered dish warming on the hearth to which she transferred the bacon. With a wood and cast iron tool clearly made for this very purpose, she expertly tipped up the pan, causing most of the bacon grease to flow into a crock on the shelf as if specially designed for the task. Swinging the pan back, she added diced onions to the hot grease and stirred for a minute. Then she poured in the eggs. The eggs cooked quickly and were then transferred to the warming dish with the bacon and taken to the table.

  He realized he was staring. He sipped his tea.

  “I believe you will want to see what Ash left in the kitchen pavilion for you after breakfast. I also started the fire in the bathroom so that while I am cleaning up you may have a bath if you like, my L...” It was the first time in days that she had almost said 'My Lord' to Barcus. Barcus was amused.

  “What will you be doing today, Po?” Barcus asked, amused internally how it all seemed so domestic, as she began to tell him about sorting out the kitchens and how the firebox for the main oven was the heat source for the sink. She spoke of how much she loved the new wooden utensils, holding up her flat wooden spatula.

  It was then when he realized one of the reasons he put Olias to the task of salvage. He tried to hold his smile but found it more difficult than he realized.

  It was like they were robbing the graves of the people of Greenwarren.

  “What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?” Po hadn't stopped talking as she served the eggs onto their plates. He realized his face had fallen.

  “No. No.” She had set the bowl and spoon down and was clenching her apron in her hands, a gesture he had come to recognize. It was reflex. He reached for her and gathered her to him without getting up. She didn't resist. He had his arms around her, his cheek to her ribs. Her hands rested on his head. She began to pet him as if this happened all the time. Combing his hair with her fingers.

  He was thinking of all his dead friends, all the murdered villagers, all the death.

  They’re all dead and here I sit playing house, Barcus thought to himself.

  Po shook him back to reality.

  “If I wanted to leave, would you let me go?” Po asked.

  Barcus pulled back enough to look into her face. She didn't stop touching his hair.

  “You can go any time you want. Where would you go?” Barcus was confused.

  “Do you like eggs? I should have asked.” She withdrew. It wasn't pulling away, because Barcus offered no resistance.

  “I love eggs. I have not had real eggs in five years.” Barcus smailed.

  “I want you to stay.” He added it as a simple statement, expecting no reply.

  He took some bacon from the covered dish. He was still shaken, more than he could admit to himself.

  “We should have Olias look for seeds on this trip. We will need some for next season. We could buy some, but the nearest market village is probably more than a hundred miles from here. Below the gorge,” Po said casually. “With his next load, we will probably be okay with potatoes, but anything else will be harder,” she said.

  A window opened on the wall by the door, with heritage seeds listed at the top. “Varieties?” listed below it.

  “What kind of seeds?” Barcus prompted.

  “Onions, carrots, sprouts, beans, corn, peas, beets, turnips, pumpkins, squash, anything really for the kitchen garden,” Po said as she served up. “Blueberries, gooseberries and strawberries, plus melons. Herbs of all kinds. Sunflowers, lamp flowers and medicinals.” She was on a roll. “Peppers! Radishes and tomatoes. Wheat would be too hard without a mill that was near. But we have gold, apples and grapes, so we could trade for flour.”

  “Gold?” Barcus asked.

  “Oh yes. Olias salvaged a lot of gold from those soldiers. There are a couple of chests in the small pantry. One for gold, one silver and one of copper. I can't move them
anymore, either.”

  As an aside, she said, “Women are not allowed to handle coins. But they do all the time. I never have.”

  “I want you to stay. Please,” Barcus said quietly.

  She put down her fork. She looked Barcus directly in the face.

  “In my reading lesson last night, I learned how to read the word 'freedom.' It is a powerful, magical word,” Po said.

  “Yes,” Barcus replied.

  Her voice was shaking just a little as she asked, “I am free to do whatever I like? Even if you don't like it?”

  “Yes,” he whispered. He realized his heart was racing.

  She stood and walked to his side of the table. “Anything? Especially if you don't like it?”

  “Yes,” Barcus admitted. Please don’t leave.

  She slowly went to her knees at his feet. She sat on her heels, never losing eye contact. Then slowly, she bowed until her chest was on her thighs. Both of her hands were clasped at the base of her spine, and finally her cheek rested on the top of his boot.

  He was mortified. He took a deep breath to protest but thought better of it. “Yes. Even that,” came his pained whisper.

  She spoke from his boot.

  “Believe this, please. There will come a day when your only way to keep me safe is to allow me to be what I need to be. No matter what happens to me from this day to my grave, I know I will always be free. With you. Here. Like this.” She stayed another moment. Slowly she sat up and then stood. Surprising him again, she sat in his lap. She has a talent for working her way in.

  “I'm sorry, Barcus. I want you to understand now.” She pointed to the floor. “I have done that thousands of times. That was the first time it was because I wanted to.”

  He was looking at her mouth as she spoke. Her right hand came to rest on the back of his neck, her other hand caressed his bearded cheek. “This too.” And she kissed him. Warm and slow and soft. “Your mouth is so soft.” She kissed him again. His hands came to hold her. She looked at him and said, “I like freedom. I think it feels like the greatest magic of all.”