by Jake Macklem
“We have?” Ace asked, as this was the first one she saw.
Cam hesitated and then said, “We sure have, Ace.”
“Are we in danger?” Ace scanned the area around them.
“No,” Cam said dismissively. Then a second later he added, “I doubt it.” Focusing on the camera again Cam said, “These tunnels were made by some sort of burrowing creature. They aren’t going to be very big based on the size of the hole.”
“Great! So they’ll swarm us while we sleep and gnaw us to death,” she snapped.
Cam stood up and glared at her. “Ace! I am talking to my children. I don’t want them hearing things like that. They don’t need to worry about me getting eaten!”
Ace felt a flash of rage and wanted to break Cam’s arm, or nose, or both. Yeah. Both.
“Look I know today was bad. I know you almost died. I know you are going through some shit. I get it, Ace. But you ain’t the only one!” Cam held his arms out wide. “You think I’m having a good time? That I enjoy this? I ain’t like you, I feel fear! All the time. I’m scared that I’ll never make it home! That something will eat me or I’ll drown in that damn ocean that shouldn’t exist!” He pointed to the expansive waves.
“Maybe you shouldn’t carry so much metal then. That’s just stupid.”
Cam studied her. “Are you serious right now?” He waited.
He’s the one carrying metal. What the shank does he want me to say?
When she did not answer he continued, “That metal is my family’s future! I have enough to get off Earth and get a good plot to homestead. That metal isn’t what’s going to get me killed—you are!”
The empty feeling in her center threatened to swallow her whole. Ace could not breathe. Her body felt cold and hot and tingled all over. His nose and both arms. She wanted to hurt Cam, badly. Instead, she threw the camera at him and ran.
In seconds she had reached the farthest reaches of the island, a whole thirty meters from the raft. I’ll just jump in the water and swim away! She walked to the water's edge, scrutinizing the surface for any other sign of another island, then balled her fists until it hurt. She was not sure if it was the frustration of there not being another island, or that she was looking for an island to swim to. Get a grip Ace!
The impulses coursing through her body happened so fast she could not understand them. She wanted to beat and hurt things. She wanted to curl up into Mick’s arms and cry. She wanted off this moon and out of the military. She loved her sisters and brothers that served with her, but she did it as a means to an end and never really understood want they were fighting for. To be told how to live and what you can and can’t do. Society is a leash with a fancy collar. She had heard Mick say it a million times. It’s just not—Ace saw the green light of the gas giant reflect on the waves. And it’s never going to be fair. Never can be.
She sat on the yellow grass her arms wrapped around her knees. Cam’s right, I’ll probably get him killed too. Everything he does is for his family, so—why help me? The lapping waves were rhythmic. He said it was the right thing to do… Mick flashed in her mind’s eye.
&
Ace ate her brownie, standing a few meters away, watching Mick deliver his fist to the man’s face over and over. At ten punches Mick let go of the man’s collar and he collapsed to the alley floor, crying.
“I don’t think your gonna take another ten. I’d suggest making a payment… Even just a couple hundred will knock off a couple of punches. You understand John?”
“Uh-huh.” John nodded his head.
Mick reached down and John flinched away, but Mick said, “It’s okay buddy. I ain’t gonna hurt you anymore.” Then he helped John to his feet and helped straighten his clothes and brush the dirt off. His face bloody and starting to swell. “Go put on ice on your face.”
“Thanks, Mick.”
Mick patted him on the shoulder. “Make a payment okay?”
Mick watched John walked off, a look of disappointment on his face. Then the giant man faced Ace and motioned with his head; the two started walking in the opposite direction. “What did you learn.”
“One punch for every hundred credits owed?”
He shook his head. “Anything else?”
“Well,” Ace looked up, “why did you help him up? You don’t normally do that.”
Mick beamed, “You’re right. Do you know why I don’t?”
Ace recited: “A People wishes to be loved, but often fear is equally powerful when inspiring. Love is waxing and waning like the moon. Fear is constant like the sun. Good People will find both love and fear. Fear from those that shun the light of your sun, and love from those with faith in the reflection of your moon.”
Still beaming, Mick asked, “And what did I just do?”
Ace chewed her bite of brownie then said, “You beat him up, but you showed him your moon. He even thanked you. He owes money, so why you being nice?” Ace took another bite.
“Most the shanksticks I knock on, owe because they ain’t worth the water they’re made up of. Betting, whoring, drugs, drink, or some illusion they think is real—but John? He borrowed for the only reason worth borrowing—his family.”
“Family?” Ace frowned and shoved the rest of the brownie in her mouth.
“His kid is sick. Burned through his allotted visits to find out what the problem was, then they told him he had to pay for the procedure himself or wait until next year’s allotments and hope his kid don’t die in the meantime.” Mick looked down at Ace. “What would you do if it was Shonda or Glitter?”
“I’d start a betting pool for when Shonda would die and use the money to pay for Glitter’s treatment.”
Mick laughed. When he caught his breath he said, “That’s not nice. You wouldn’t do that and neither would John. And that’s why he borrowed.”
“He didn’t have any other way to pay for the treatment, so he got the money from you,” Ace realized.
“Knowing every couple of months he was gonna get his face knocked on.”
“Why’d you loan him the money if you knew he couldn’t pay it back?”
“Oh, I ain’t scared he’s going to pay it back,” Mick scoffed.
“Then why beat him at all?” Ask asked bewildered.
Mick stopped and knelt, so he was close to eye level as he could get. “Loaning the money to John I did in love—to help him and his family. When I knock on John, it isn’t in hate or rage. It’s in respect. Anyone I loan money to knows what happens if they don’t pay. John knew too. If I don’t knock on John, I ain’t being fair.”
“But the Verse ain’t fair.” Ace struggled to understand the contradiction in her lessons.
“The Verse ain’t fair, but Peoples have to be. If we aren’t fair to each other, no one going to want to be fair to anyone. Or worse, they become favorable to Peoples just like them. And that, Ace,” Mick stood up, “ain’t ever fair.”
“So you knock on John to be fair and show him that you respect him?” Ace asked.
“Yep.”
“What about everybody else?”
“They see my sun. They know I’m consistent. They fear me.” Mick pointed to the ice cream vendor in the park. “You want ice cream?”
“I just had a brownie.” Ace thought she understood what Mick was teaching her but was not sure. “So Good People always act in love, reflecting the light of others back onto them. And when our light is reflected back onto us, if we fear, it is because we aren’t acting in love—we are acting in fear.”
Mick beamed. “If someone says something and it makes you rageful or mad, it might be that your fear is being exposed by their light.” He paused then asked, “You sure you don’t want ice cream?”
Ace smiled. “Do you want ice cream, Mick?”
“Well, now that you mention it.”
&
Ace moved her feet, but they still got wet. I don’t want to get up yet! She moved her feet again, into water. I didn’t sleep that close to the water. Ace opened
her eyes; the waves had risen over a meter while she slept. She scooted back from the shore as her wits replaced sleep. The raft!
She jumped up and sprinted along the shore to where they had pulled the raft up. Her heart sank and she dropped to her knees when it was not there. It was the right thing to do—that’s what he said. He just left me. I shanked up one time and he just left.
“You’re up. Good,” Cam called from behind her.
Ace spun around to see Cam had pulled the raft away from the water.
“The water is rising fast, didn’t want the raft to get washed away. Sorry about what I said. I was angry.”
Scampering to her feet she ran up to Cam and threw her arms around him. “Thank you for not leaving me!”
Cam put an arm around her. “I told you, we’re getting off the moon. I won’t leave you behind.”
Ace felt the tears in her eyes. He acts in love and has shown me my fear.
“We should get a move on… Don’t know if this island is gonna get completely covered or not.” He motioned to the raft. “Help me carry it back down?”
Ace nodded as she wiped the tears away.
17: Cam
As Cam read his GSS, a bubble of excitement started to build. They had drifted with the stronger currents toward a large plateau that rose about ninety meters. Now, comparing their position as they drifted through the islands of foothills to the blip on the tiny screen, they were less than twenty-five kilometers from the pickup zone.
Cam drank some water as he estimated the distance to the plateau. I’d say three, maybe three and a half once we clear the next hilltop. He could still see young vegetation and a pale hue to the mountainside where the edges of the cliffs showed signs of frequent erosion. Judging by the existing marks and erosion on the hills, he figured the water would rise another fifteen meters. Looking out over the murky waves, he shook his head. How could this not have been on the planetary report?
The raft lurched, Ace lifted her head. “What’s going on?” She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
She notices the subtlest shifts in our movement. Sleeping on ships I bet. “Current’s picked up again.” Cam lifted his binoculars and examined the plateau. The landmass divided the sea in two directions. To the right, the water looked still, like a calm pond. To the left, it churned and swelled, crashing into white-tipped rapids. “I think the water is shallower up ahead. We should maneuver over and try to approach from the left side of the plateau.”
Ace slipped her spear-paddle into the water and together they started pulling the raft to the right. In fifteen minutes, the plateau towered above them as they fought the current. “I see why you wanted to go this way.”
“Just keep going, we’re almost there,” Cam urged. The point of no return was quickly approaching. “If we don’t clear the rapids, we’re gonna end up going left. I don’t know how well this raft would hold up on those waves!”
“I get it! Paddle harder!” She shouted back over the rushing water. A few moments later he heard Ace laugh, “We’re there, Cowboy!”
Cam felt the raft glide onto the smooth water. He saw the ground just a few meters below the surface. Uneven rocks carried by the water over thousands of floods had gathered against the rising plateau, and over the countless years, had formed a natural break-wall. It’s like a dam. Why has it stopped flooding? Tunnels or caves equalizing the water pressure somewhere underwater? Maybe this area has water year-round and gets topped off during the floods. Looking over the still water he said, “This side is like a reservoir.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah. So, what’s that mean?”
“It means I think we're gonna be okay.” Cam set his paddle down. “You want a protein bar or an MRE? That made me hungry.”
Ace repositioned herself on the edge of the raft and kept paddling. “I’ll eat when you’re done. One of us should make sure we keep moving.” She winked.
Cam gave a wry smile. “I’ll make it quick then.” He pulled the string and let the reaction cook his carrots, mashed potatoes, and Salisbury steak. He studied the sedimentary rock layers of the gigantic plateau. Large veins of metals cut vertically in a lightning-like pattern. “Will you look at that?” His face split into a wide grin as he watched the gleam.
Ace did, her eyes scanning in the stone, then shot Cam a questioning smile. “I think you see something I don’t.”
“All that metal is silver.” He set his food down and marked the location on his GSS. “There are good metals on this moon. Hopefully, there will be enough and I’ll get a cut.” Sitting back against the edge of the raft, Cam picked up his food and started eating.
“What do you mean enough?” Ace paddled absently as she asked.
“I don’t make a percentage on minerals until the company makes triple the cost of their investment. Sometimes the moon or planet is tapped of resources before I get a cut.”
“That sounds like a bad deal.”
Cam shrugged. “I get paid for my work, but mineral commissions take longer. I know someone who’s set for life. Not a credit-tosser mind you, but he lives on Rosetta Station now and doesn’t have to worry about much.”
Ace grinned. “Is Rosetta as great as they say?”
Cam nodded as he chewed, swallowed, and said, “More aliens living and working together there than anywhere else in the Verse. Rosetta is the most diverse and amazing place I’ve ever been. And mind you, I’ve been stationed on Dal Rixian.”
“The Feral homeworld?” Ace asked with skepticism.
“They prefer O’rix.” Cam smiled. “People started calling them that because they look like cats, but Dal Rixian doesn’t have cats. It’s a jungle planet with trees so big they have carved cities right on the side. Most of the planet’s water is tucked away in underwater seas, and the only way to it is through these huge caverns. The water is so clear you can see the bottom twenty-five meters below. It’s amazing. On the bottom of the sea grows a sort of algae that’s bioluminescent, so the ocean floor glows pink.” He chuckled and smiled, his eyes wide with remembered wonder. “And against that, you see the lights from other plants, and the creatures…truly a sea of color. They love their planet and treat it accordingly. Nothing like the way we did our planet.”
The smile faded from Ace’s face. “The Sidarians did the same thing to their homeworld that we did to ours,” she said quietly.
“And they’ve spent the last eight hundred years living a nomadic lifestyle floating from one planet to the next, staying just long enough to remain gravity prepared. You know, some of them don’t even want to move onto the new homeworlds. They prefer a life in the stars.”
“I get that. It’s calm in space. Just stars and black. Nothing holding you down.” Ace tilted her head as she looked in the water. “Cowboy, what’s that look like to you?”
Cam shifted his gaze. Seven meters long and wider than the raft, a shadow glided through the water. His legs went numb and his fingers felt cold. Looking fiercely at Ace, he shook his head and put his finger to his lips, signaling her silence. Nodding in understanding, she quietly pulled her spear-paddle from the water and began untying the metal fin.
The creature had a body like an eel, with the head of a crocodile. Two short and muscular arms protruded a short distance behind the head. On its muzzle, two large whiskers, about two meters long, reminded him of a catfish. It’s huge. It could knock this raft over easy. He grabbed his hat, wiped his brow, and put it back on, adjusting the brim. He racked his brain for options, but the tiny raft held none.
Suddenly, the water near the rapids erupted. Six meters long, another of the creatures twisted frantically in the air. The sun glistened on the slimy coating covering the leviathan. Nestled in its skull for protection, the creature's strange violet eyes reflected the red light of sunset. It crashed back into the water, creating a massive wave. Another one. Bet there’s a whole bask of them.
The long shadow under the raft vanished toward the new occupant of the reservoir. Ace looked expectantly at Cam a
nd whispered, “What do we do?”
Cam was about to answer when another splash drew their attention. Another behemoth, this one over seven and a half meters, wiggled through the air, its arms clawing at nothing as it jumped over the dam, careening toward the still smooth water. The water burst where the creature was about to land, from the rippled waves, a leviathan close to twelve meters long rose, its maw opened wide and snapped shut on the creature in the air, and crashed back in an eruption of foam, water, and blood.
“That one was really big, Cowboy?”
Cam nodded. “Yep. Kinda wish we had a bigger raft.”
18: Ace
As the green gas giant lit up the night sky, Ace tried to focus her thoughts on anything but the massive creatures swimming under her. Other than whispers, the duo had not made any noise for the last three hours. They had simply drifted on the faint current, listening to the water lapping at the sides of the raft. They barely moved, even when one of the massive creatures swam beneath them.
Hat tilted forward, Cam slept, his rifle, as always, in the crook of his elbow. Ace stared at the green and white swirls of the gas giant, letting her mind drift and her eyes soften. What did she call it? Soon, blackness washed over her.
&
The door burst open and people wearing black body armor and riot helmets poured in, their transparent body shields held ready. They charged into her bedroom and faced a young woman with red hair. Sitting up, her hand blocked the bright light attached to the man’s shoulder.
I was sixteen when this happened.
The officer moved, grabbing at her. She slipped out of the way and rolled off the end of her bed wearing only a t-shirt and underwear. With nowhere to go, she turned to face the officer. She had the look of a trapped animal.
“Look kid, these people won’t be able to hurt you anymore, okay,” he asked as he stepped forward. “We’re here to help.” The officer reached out and grabbed her shoulder.
That was a mistake. Mick had already been training me, for years.