by Gary Moreau
“So this is Eden,” he mumbled as he returned his attention to the unconscious power-tech.
Chapter 14
During the following week, the community blossomed, like mushrooms in an over-watered lawn. Tabor Klampor continued to improve and Casey was beginning to feel much better. His face was still discolored a sickly yellow, but the swelling was gone and he was able to walk with only mild discomfort and stiffness.
The problem with the transformer had not been satisfactorily resolved, so the power-techs had switched to a more direct transmission of energy from the ship. Power channels snaked through the grass to the various domes. The fiber optic cables glowed brightly, even in daylight.
Most mornings, as on this particular day, Casey could be found sitting in the gaping mouth of the ramp, like a lazy cat, soaking up the warmth of the sun and watching the activity below. Occasionally, he would spot Yamaguchi’s unmistakable physique, but he had yet to see the tiny form of Li Quon.
Casey’s attention focused on Jim Wheeler, chief nutrition-tech, who stood in the doorway of the Main Dome. There was something strange about the man. He rubbed his elbows incessantly and had a smile that appeared to be plastered on his face. In space school he’d been known as Wacky Wheeler because of his penchant for playing practical jokes. Casey recalled a time when Wheeler had spiked the punch at a reception with an emetic. It was kind of funny. The distinguished faculty had run around looking for containers and vomited into anything they could find. No one officially pointed a finger at Wheeler, but there was little doubt in any student’s mind who was responsible. But now the man, who had been so gregarious on Earth, ducked back into the dome whenever a colonist approached.
Casey decided the next time he saw Slater he would recommend an evaluation of all the colonists. There had to be much suppressed, and as yet, unresolved emotional trauma. Likely, everyone suffered from PTSD to some extent.
He tilted his head back. The morning sun shone with its usual warmth and the deep blue sky had its usual assortment of cumulus clouds, drifting slowly along. “Eden is it?” Casey asked himself. Perhaps so. Perhaps Slater was right. Perhaps he was always looking for the dark side of good fortune. That thought caused a mental grimace. But, there was something about this place that just didn’t seem right. It was too quiet. Where were the animals and the insects? The flora didn’t appear primitive. Where was the fauna? Slater insisted that this place was created so that mankind could meet its preordained destiny. If that was the case, who created it? He nodded. That was the root of it. Chance events do exist but, at least in this one respect, he agreed with Slater. This was no chance event. It was too perfect.
Casey arose stiffly to his feet and walked down the ramp and across the grass to the second largest dome in the colony, the Agri-Dome. He wanted to talk with an agricultural-tech, maybe even Min. She was perhaps the closest thing to a friend he had left.
He walked up the gentle incline of the ramp that led to the dome, through the air door and into the humid interior. He took a deep breath of the fragrances; some of the flowers had already bloomed. The dome was brightly lit by sunlamps that hung from the curved ceiling. Within the dome, Casey could see a handful of agri-techs tending to the plants. If there were others present, he couldn’t see them through the already tall vegetation, rich with leaves, displaying vital shades of green.
While he stood there, Gao Min walked toward him along one of the aisles created by hydroponics tanks that stretched toward the rear of the building. The rush of nutrient fluid through the tanks caused enough background noise that she didn’t attempt to speak until she had come to within arm’s reach of Casey.
“Why are you here?” she asked without preamble.
Casey was taken aback by the sharpness of her greeting. She had always been even-tempered when they’d spent time together back on Earth.
“Nothing special, Min. I just thought I’d stop by and see how you were getting along.”
Her voice softened. “I’ll tell you, Casey, I never saw anything like it back on Earth. We’ve already begun field-testing. Our initial results indicate that our vegetation will not only survive here, but will flourish. You can’t see it from here, but in the rear of the dome we’ve planted directly into the soil and the plants are growing even faster and more luxurious than they do in the hydroponic tanks. It’s all so wonderful! It’s a miracle!” she gushed.
“It’s a miracle all right.” Casey’s voice sounded flatter than he’d intended.
Min’s smile vanished. “I don’t expect to be made fun of, especially by a person like you.”
“Like me?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Casey sighed. “I...I wasn’t myself when I....”
Her expression hardened.
“If I’ve offended you, Min, I apologize. You only have my respect. You know that. I was just wondering what your evaluation of the local flora revealed.”
Min looked back at him, her mouth slightly agape. “Local flora?”
“Yeah, you know, stuff like that grass we’ve been walking on.” Casey regretted his sarcasm as soon as he said it.
She looked stunned for a moment, as if the thought had never occurred to her, but whatever uncertainties she may have felt quickly faded. “Since when do you tell me how to do my job? We’ve had more pressing matters to attend to. If that’s all you want, get out of here and stop bothering us.”
“You mean you haven’t even begun to evaluate the native vegetation?”
“What’s here, is here,” she replied, and began to turn away.
Casey reached out and grabbed hold of her arm. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You of all people. What’s wrong with you, Min?”
She stared at Casey’s hand on her arm as if she could hardly express her distaste at his touch and jerked her arm out of his grip. By now, other agri-techs had begun to walk toward the two of them.
Min’s usually mild voice was strained with anger. “What’s wrong with me? How dare you say such a thing? Look to yourself, Conklin. If I ever need your advice, I’ll ask for it, but don’t hold your breath waiting.”
“Min, this is––”
“You’re interfering with important work. If you do not remove yourself at once, I’ll personally contact Commander Slater and see that you’re removed.”
“This is me, Casey, remember?” He patted himself on his chest. “Don’t you remember those evenings we spent in the Arboretum Cafeteria drinking beer and eating pizza? I’m the one who listened to you rhapsodize about the special beauty of roses while we”
Min became enraged. “Get out!”
Casey backed up a step. “All right, I’ll go, but I want to talk with you again, when you have the time.”
“Get out!”
Casey walked out into the sunlight, but felt the heat of hostile glares. He hurried down the ramp and walked with his gaze downward, seeing the grass pass beneath his feet. He couldn’t understand Gao Min’s reaction, or that of the entire guild. Was it all because of Klaus’ death? Didn’t they realize that he’d been mentally ill at the time? As he passed the Main Dome, he saw Wheeler standing in the doorway, but when he angled in that direction, Wheeler disappeared back inside.
Casey was filled with confusion while he stood in the grassy yard of the compound. Were people watching him, he wondered, or was he being paranoid? Perhaps his age set him apart. Perhaps they were all afraid, on some unconscious level, that if they associated with him, they’d catch it.
He turned toward the ramp of the ship and began trudging toward it, a humorless smile on his face, generated by loneliness and rejection. While he walked, he made up his mind. Slater needed to be informed of the glaring lack of basic research he had uncovered.
When Casey exited the up-tube on Deck One, he came face to face with Glancy, who now wore a black uniform. Glancy placed his hand against Casey’s chest.
“The saints be praised, if it isn’t Doctor Conklin. What can I do for yo
u?”
“For one thing you can take your damn hand off me and, for another, you can go dimple somebody else into a stupor.” He tried to push past Glancy, but was restrained by a firm grip on his arm.
“Whoa there,” Glancy said. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going where I choose.”
“I don’t think so. If you have a message for Commander Slater, you can give it to me. He’s much too busy to be bothered by you.”
Just then the portal to Slater’s suite swished open and Slater exited with Jane Veck in tow, a respectful two-steps behind. He spotted Casey and approached him.
“You look upset, Casey. Is there a problem?”
“There’s a problem all right. I’ve just returned from the Agri-Dome and I’ve discovered that there has been no evaluation of the native flora. None. It hasn’t even been started.”
“Really?” Slater said dryly. “How typical of you to get the priorities all screwed up. We must look after first needs first, and that means food and shelter. Do you dispute that?”
“Yes,” Casey answered hotly, “I dispute that! We know nothing”
“Casey, I have no time for this. As you’re well aware, we’ve enough instrument readings taken while we were in orbit to last us for years. Don’t you trust our tools? You know, and I told you this many times while we were in training together, you’re always looking for the worm in the apple. Now I’ve changed my mind. You are the worm.”
Slater laughed at his joke and was joined with a titter from Jane. He walked away.
As he was about to drop into the down-tube, Casey called out a warning. “Slater, wake up! There is something terribly wrong here.”
Slater shook his head and laughed again before disappearing into the tube. Jane looked smugly at Casey for a moment, as if she needed to express her own contempt, and then followed Slater. Glancy and Casey were left standing in the quiet of the bridge.
“Conklin, there’s something you should think about. The higher a monkey climbs the tree the farther up its arse you see.”
“What?” He stared at Glancy for a moment. “Am I completely surrounded by crazy people?”
“You should talk.”
Casey glared at the too-handsome man before dropping into the tube himself.
Chapter 15
Casey went directly to the medical suite to check on Klampor, who was floating motionless in the bubbling regeneration tank. Satisfied Klampor’s progress was as expected, he went into the lab and began inspecting the equipment.
In the rear of the room, he noticed a rectangular box. Curious, he walked over and lifted the lid to peek in. It was a moment before the contents of the box registered in his mind. He flipped the lid completely back, aghast at what he was seeing. It contained a corpse. Nestled among the bones was a laser-scalpel. He reached in and pulled out a mummified arm with a hand still attached. It was light and dry.
“What the hell?” he said out loud. He emptied the contents of the box onto the deck. He examined the skull-like face, with a still sparkling diamond set in one of the central incisors, and sat down with the recognition of whose corpse this was. He held the skull in his hands and remembered.
His vision blurred with tears. He remembered her so clearly. Her beautiful ebony skin, her unmatched zest for life and cheerful optimism. He looked again at the diamond and remembered when she had come back to Copper Mountain with it, flaunting it as a minor rebellion against conformity, smiling widely at the instructors to make sure they saw it. She was to have been Casey’s replacement, one of the guardians assigned to the remaining fifty years of the journey. What had happened to her? How could a person with so much life end up in a box tossed in a corner?
He tried to remember those last days of his tour as guardian of the ship, but his mind skidded around the memories until they were once again beyond reach. He didn’t attempt to pursue the fragmentary bits and pieces left hanging in his mind. He was reluctant to remember; afraid of what he might recall, willing to postpone it. Instead, he touched his com-collar.
“Veck, this is Conklin, I need to speak with Li Quon about an important medical matter. Give me her code or connect us.”
“Conklin, this channel is for official communications only.” There was a pause, then Veck’s thready voice returned. “Make it brief.”
Casey found himself connected to Li Quon.
“This is Li. You need to speak with me?”
“Yes, Li. It’s important. Can you come by the ship today?”
“Why?”
“I have some questions,” Casey said.
“Then ask them.”
“I’d rather do it in person.”
Li delayed for a moment before answering. “This is a critical time for Simon and me. We’ve just planted our first test crop and I don't think it’d be responsible for me to leave the farm at this time.”
“For crap’s sake, you can’t be more than three or four kilometers away. Oh, forget it. I’ll come to you. What radius are you on?”
“If you must. North north west, four and a half kilometers.”
“So, Simon Weiss is stuck out there with you, huh?”
“He’s not stuck with me. He chose to be with me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean…. I’ll be there shortly. Jane, I’m sure you’re listening. You can have your official beam back now.” The statement was confirmed by an abrupt disconnect.
After checking Klampor one more time and making a few minor adjustments, he started down the passage and was surprised to see Yamaguchi standing near the down-tube.
“Hello, Yamaguchi, back on guard duty I see.”
Yamaguchi spoke. That alone was enough to capture Casey’s full attention. “What is reality?” he rumbled.
“Come on, Yamaguchi. I appreciate you opening up like this, but couldn’t you start with something a little less cosmic? Like, how are you?”
“Words are special. If they are overused their meaning fades. They should be used with careful consideration.”
“Maybe I can buy that, to a limited extent, but the truth is, I’m not really prepared to discuss the essence of reality. I’m about to visit Li Quon at her test farm. Perhaps we could discuss it on the way.”
Casey waited for Yamaguchi to respond, but he didn’t. Casey shrugged and slipped into the down-tube. Yamaguchi followed after him.
When the two men entered the brightness of sunlight, they paused for a moment to take in the vista, and then descended the ramp. There was a smattering of colonists passing across the yard, going from one dome to another.
Casey stopped to watch. They all seemed to be walking faster than they needed to and had an enthusiastic spring to their step. The excesses of youth, Casey thought, and felt envy. Although he could hardly have remained unnoticed, none of colonists met his gaze or offered a greeting. He couldn’t remember much, but he did remember the loneliness he felt during his vigil on the ship. He sighed. The loneliness he felt now, with all these people about, seemed even worse.
He looked toward the Main Dome. Wheeler was standing in the doorway, a plastic smile plastered on his face while he massaged his elbows. Casey imitated the movement. It was awkward and uncomfortable. When Wheeler saw Casey watching him, he darted back into the interior. For a moment Casey considered confronting him, but the impulse passed.
Yamaguchi stood by, patiently watching and waiting. Casey glanced up at the big man and then began to walk out of camp, with Yamaguchi at his side. It wasn’t long before the domed encampment was at their backs and before them, across the prairie, the smoke-gray mountains with bright, white summits.
There was a breeze ruffling Casey's uniform, bringing with it a sense of freedom and a measure of expectation. Someday, Casey vowed to himself, he would hike to those distant mountains and meet them in person. If only there were buzzing insects flitting from flower to flower and birds soaring through the sky, but there was only the soft swishing of wind caressing the grass and the rhythmic so
und of their feet.
While they walked, Casey considered Yamaguchi’s question. He began to think aloud.
“I think the debate about what constitutes reality is an over-rated one, complicated by semantics. I mean, is there really any doubt about what’s real? The grass under our feet is real. The planet under the grass is real. The sunlight overhead is real. I can feel them, and hear them, and see them. If I can sense them, then they are real. One has to trust something, if not ourselves and our senses, then what? Do you doubt that, Yamaguchi?”
“Do you believe, if your senses perceive something, it is undeniably real?” Yamaguchi asked.
“Of course I believe it. It has a very real and definite impact on my existence, an undeniable effect.”
“If you see a ghost lurking in a shadow, it has an impact on you. Is it real?”
“Come on, Yamaguchi. You know what I mean.”
“Is reality a matter of statistics? If most people see the ghost, in fact, if everyone sees the ghost, does that make it real? Does majority rule?”
Casey was silent for a moment and then replied. “I don’t know.”
“I’ve been taught to question and to observe. Does reality require everyone to sense the same thing?”
“I believe there is an ultimate reality,” Casey said.
“An ultimate reality. So, if everyone senses the same thing, it is not sufficient to call it reality.”
“Why in the world would you not believe what you see, hear and feel? It’s not rational.”
“Do you consider emotions and beliefs to be real?” Yamaguchi asked.
“Now don’t play with those precious words of yours,” Casey said with a chuckle. “Certainly beliefs are also real, in a sense, not like our physical sensations, but they exist because they have a real impact on our existences.”
“Then you believe there are two categories of reality—those that you directly perceive with your senses, which may or may not be something you call ultimate reality, and those that you conjure up in your mind. Is one more real than the other?” Yamaguchi asked.