by Gary Weston
Raven was quite familiar with Mars having been a few times before, whereas it was Joy’s first time. As they pulled up at the reception, even Raven was surprised at how lush and vibrant everything seemed. Almost two hundred years of terraforming and nurturing had turned the once red planet into a “must see” destination for visitors from many planets.
It was mostly Humans who came, but Graggons and Varlindrans could be seen chatting away at one of the many cosy dining establishments, although the Graggons generally had exclusive eating places catering for their particular needs and wants. Vegetarian Varlindrans also had their exclusive places to eat, but were just as welcome as Humans in several others. Special seats and tables were set aside for their smaller sizes so they would be comfortable.
A few Varlindrans had even moved to Mars permanently to run businesses just for the Varlindran visitors. Graggons found Mars still too cold for their liking, so usually only went to Mars in high summer, for the warmer weather and the seasonally plentiful bugs. One way or another, they got along and it all seemed to work well.
The grey haired man at the reception beamed his warmest smile at them. ‘Mr Raven. Welcome. And Miss Dainty. And this bonny baby must be Dixon. Such a handsome little boy. Now then. I’m Charles. If sir and madam would just sign in with your thumb on this sensor…There. That automatically has been programmed into your door locks.’ The man pressed a button on the counter-top and from behind a partition at one end of the reception came a robotrol. It moved smoothly towards them, gathered up all the luggage and placed it carefully on the flat bed. ‘The robotrol will take you to your rooms. Everything should be satisfactory, but if there’s something amiss, please let me know right away.’
‘Thanks,’ said Raven. ‘Is the forecast for rain?’
‘Yes, sir. Latest forecast is for it to start between ten and midnight but be cleared up by five tomorrow morning.’
Joy said, ‘We’ll mostly be sticking to daytime activities with our Dixon here.’
‘There’s always something to do in and around the city, madam. There’s a full list of available attractions on your terminal in your rooms.’
‘Will Base Three be open in the morning?’ Joy asked.
‘Between nine in the morning and six in the evening. Have you booked, because numbers are strictly limited.’
‘Not as such, but Mrs Foreman knows I’m coming. I’m a botanist, and Mrs Foreman kindly said she would show me around personally.’
‘Then I’m sure it will be fine. Shall I call her and advise her you’ll be going over there in the morning?’
‘Oh, please do. Say about ten, after I’ve seen to Dixon.’
‘Certainly, madam.’ Charles pointed a remote at the robotrol and it took off at a slow walking pace and Raven and Joy with Dixon in her arms, followed it to their rooms. It stopped outside their suite and waited for the door to be opened. Raven pressed his thumb on the lock sensor but wasn’t surprised when nothing happened.
‘These damn things hate me.’
Joy put her thumb on the sensor, there came a click and the door opened smoothly. They entered and the robotrol followed them, stopping to unload the baggage, then it reversed out of the room, sending a signal to the door to close behind it, which it did.
Typical,’ said Raven. ‘You can open the door. The damn robotrol can open the door, I can’t open the door.’
‘Stop complaining and start unpacking. Start with that bag there, so I can feed Dixon.’
‘Not bad rooms,’ said Raven as he unpacked. ‘A very nice view of the lake from here.’
The furniture was arranged to get the most from the view of the lake and the huge illuminated coloured fountain just off the water’s edge. It only ran after sunset, so Joy sat and looked out over the lake as she fed Dixon. Raven raided the fridge for a beer and passed one to Joy.
‘This is going to be a nice relaxing holiday,’ said Raven, all the tension gone.
Chapter 364
With Dixon in the lightweight collapsible stroller being pushed by Dad, they walked steadily through the city streets until they got to Base Three. A tourist bus was just pulling up and a dozen tourists got out to be greeted by a male guide who welcomed them and led them into the entrance. A woman walked out and looked at the couple with the baby.
‘Joy Dainty?’
‘Betty Foreman. Such a great honour to meet you.’
‘Why, thank you. And you are Boss.’
Raven shook her hand. ‘Just Tagg while I’m on vacation.’
‘Of course. And you are just lovely. What’s his name?’
‘Dixon,’ said Joy.
‘I so love children. I spent the evening on the ship with my niece Karma. Such a nice man that Sam. And Shannon is a delight. Well. This is Base Three. Of course, it has been extended and improved over the last couple of hundred years. The function remains the same, though. In here it’s all about plants and animals and with a mission to educate our visitors. Come on in.’
Raven said, ‘It seems even more impressive than the last time I was here.’
Betty said, ‘Always something new to see. Another new water feature over there. Rainwater is collected in tanks outside and used to keep everything fresh.’
The Base was full of flying creatures, birds and insects everywhere. A friendly parrot landed on a nearby bush.
It said, ‘I’m, beautiful. Oh, yes I am.’
‘And a real show off. This is Andy. Named after Andrew Foreman. Andy is sixty years old.’ From her jacket pocket, Betty took a treat and handed it to Andy. ‘Manners. What do you say?’
‘Give us a kiss.’
‘Don’t be naughty.’
Andy said, ‘Bye bye,’ and flew away.
As they strolled slowly along the centre path, Betty pointed out different features. High in the tallest trees, a chimpanzee swung from one branch to another.
‘A GenMoP?’ asked Raven.
‘No. Just a descendent from GenMoP’s. The ability to speak has long since gone. There’s an access flap just for the chimps, and they come and go as they please from the jungle. They are more likely to come in here when a baby is due. We give them the once over, but they look after each other.’
Joy said, ‘Such a diversity of plants.’
Betty said, ‘About seventy percent from Earth before it died. A lot grown from seeds brought in by Andrew and his son, David. But over the last sixty or seventy years, we’ve added plants and creatures from Varlindra and Graggonia. Many of the bugs eaten by Graggon visitors are grown here.’
At every turn, there was some activity, volunteers tending to plants and animals. Joy resisted the itch to be digging and pruning. At the end of the path they came to the cemetery.
‘You might recognise the names,’ said Betty. ‘Andrew Foreman is there. He died firing a ground laser cannon in a nasty battle when the Varlindrans were attacking us. David died of old age. This is Korlim Num Sedindra. He more or less made Mars what it is today. He was a great friend of Andrew. Killed by one of his own kind, inside their ship in Olympus Mons. This stone cube is in his honour of Korlim and also his brother.
Joy read the inscription out loud. “Rodvak Num Sedindra, a Varlindran, gave his life, as did his brother Korlyn Num Sedindra give his life, to save the Human race. Once our mortal enemies, the Varlindrans are now our friends. We dedicate this stone to remind us of our capacity to love.”
Raven said, ‘I remember reading about Korlin, but not Rodvak.’
Betty explained, ‘It was quite an adventure. A device had been planted here on Mars that would climb into a deep crevasse and explode, causing the core to stop turning, which would have killed the planet. Dixon Cragg was lying injured, pinned beneath a crashed vehicle. Pilots Rocky Ramshorne and Max Morgan, flew their ship into the crevasse to try to stop the device going off. They caught it, but couldn’t disarm it. Rodvak took over the ship and flew out of the atmosphere with the device, sacrificing his own life to save the Humans on Mars.’
&nb
sp; ‘They would have made great D S I officers,’ said Raven.
Joy said, ‘And this is him. Craggy.’
‘The little man himself,’ said Betty. ‘He lived to be a hundred and eleven. Not really old at all. That’s his wife Misty, next to him. She died three years after Craggy.’
Raven said, ‘Remarkable people in remarkable times.’
‘They’ll never be forgotten,’ said Betty. ‘Come and have lunch with me. All fresh stuff grown right here.’
‘We’d love to,’ said Joy.
Chapter 365
Sam Thorne knew Mars quite well, he’d thought, but finding this place out of the city had proved challenging. The roads were mostly rough dirt out this far, and the rain from the night before didn’t help. At one point, the buggy got stuck, its wheels sending a shower of mud behind it. Sam had no choice but to get out and try to push. With his shoulder to the back of the vehicle, he rammed his boots into the dirt and pushed hard. The wheels were spinning, but not gaining traction. Then suddenly it shot forward, and Sam fell into the soft wet mud.
‘Nice. Really nice.’
Picking himself up he raced after the buggy, jumping into the cab. He was sure he had programmed the address in correctly, but was about to check, when the buggy turned up a rough track. After ten minutes of being bounced around, he was relieved when the buggy pulled up at a rough looking house. For a moment Sam wondered if it was an abandoned dwelling, until a large dog bounded out of it, closely followed by a shabbily dressed woman. The dog ran to the side of the buggy and stood snapping and barking at Thorne.
‘Don’t take no notice of Bruno. He’s just a noisy rascal. Bruno. Shut the hell up.’
Bruno growled, but settled by the side of the woman. Thorne stepped out, hoping the dog was really under control. From the behind the house,he could hear several more dogs.
‘I’m Sugar Kane. Otherwise known as the mad dog woman of Mars. Are you Sam Thorne?’
‘That’s me,’ said Thorne offering a hand for Kane to shake.
‘Got yourself a bit messed up, I see.’
Thorne grinned. ‘I had to push the buggy out of a rut.’
‘Yeah. Roads are a bit rough around these parts. Them city hall dopes are always gonna get the roads fixed next year. Must be true, ‘cus they been tellin’ me that for thirty years. I got your message about you wantin’ a dog.’
Thorne looked down at the suspicious looking brute glaring back at him. ‘Thinking about it. My partner and I read all about your sanctuary for dogs you have here and how you’re looking to find homes for the dogs.’
Kane said, ‘Yep. Not that there are many folk too keen to take a dog on. Come and have a beer with me and I’ll show you what I got.’
Thorne followed Kane inside the house, which was as neglected as the outside. Kane kicked a refrigerator to make it open and took out two bottles and handed one to Thorne.
‘Best beer in the house,’ said Kane with a laugh. ‘But it’s the only beer in the house, so it’s also the worse.’
‘Cheers. My. That’s an interesting taste.’
‘Eleven percent proof. Made from fermented…stuff. I think this was potato peelings. Could have been carrot. Drink enough of ‘em, you won’t really give a damn. This and the moonshine I make, I scratch a livin’.’
‘I believe you. I read on your netsite you run a dog rescue centre here.’
Kane said, ‘I try. I started about twenty five years ago. Not too far from here. Driving along in my old wagon, I saw a wild dog lyin’ in the road. In a bad way, she was. Been run over and left to die. I had my ole’ laser rifle in the back, so I thought I’d put the poor critter out of her misery. I was just about to shoot when I realised she was carryin’ pups and about to pop.
All I could do was to hold her head and try comfort her, but out came four pups. Darned bitch was in agony, so I had no choice but to end her sufferin’. So, then I had four pups on my hands. I picked them up, brought them home and did what I could for them. Two died on me, the other two made it.’
Thorne said, ‘And you’ve been taking care of dogs ever since?’
‘Pretty much. You see, Sam, the dogs here on Mars all came from Earth.’
‘Andrew Foreman brought them with him.’
‘That he did. A few at the time were quite domesticated and lived with him. The others ended up in the wild as the place turned green. They kept the rabbits in check. Trouble is, Mars doubles in Human population every four years. The wild dogs sometimes come into the city to scavenge. Now and then,they get killed or injured by a buggy. People find an injured dog or an orphaned pup, I seem to end up with it.’
‘Very commendable, Mrs Kane. The thing is, my daughter is mad keen on dogs. She wants one for a pet. There are no dogs on Home, so when we saw your netsite, we got quite excited.’
‘Yeah. That bothers me a little. Those officials there. Will they let you have dogs?’
Thorne said, ‘We checked. Because there are no dogs, there are no dog rules or regulations. Just some vague and badly written ancient law about any animals, domestic or farmed, must be properly cared for and controlled. Nothing to stop us taking a dog back with us. Besides. We are very good friends with Boss. He said if we have any problems, he’d pull a few strings.’
‘Hmm. You really know Boss, do you?’
‘Sure do. He came to Mars with us. He’s at the Lake Resort on holiday.’
Kane considered this for a moment. ‘Ok. As long as you’re sure. I’d hate for one of my dogs not to have a home. Care for another beer?’
‘Not with me driving. Can I have a look at the dogs?’
‘Out the back. Come with me.’
Thorne followed Kane and Bruno out the back door into the yard. They were greeted by much barking and yelping. There were several rows of kennels made of rough timber and wire. Each kennel had at least two dogs. They all looked well fed and cared for.
‘It must be hard to feed all of them.’
Kane sighed. ‘I’ve known the odd day without food, but never my dogs. I’m a registered charity,so I do get public donations. Not nearly enough, though.’
‘You do very good work, Mrs Kane.’
‘Best call me Sugar. My parents had a weird sense of humour, being English. Oh, not born there, of course. But the English were our bloodline. Mad as hatters the lot of them.’
‘Sugar. These dogs would be much too big and wild to be with my daughter.’
‘Ah! Take a look at these.’
In a kennel at the end of a row, five tiny pups huddled together in a blanket. ‘All orphans I’m hand rearing. Only a few weeks old.’
‘They are so cute. But Sugar. They’re still wild dogs. Can they be trusted?’
Kane said, ‘Hey, Bruno. Sit. Now roll over. Good boy. Want your belly tickled. Want your belly tickled. There you go. Good boy. There, Sam. Does he look dangerous to you?’
Sam knelt down and let the dog sniff him, then he slowly reached out and stroked the dog’s head. ‘I think Bruno answered that question.’
‘Looking promising,’ said Kane.
Thorne said, ‘Shannon would be so happy with one of these pups.’
‘One step at a time. Bring her here tomorrow and see how they all get on. You want your daughter to be happy, I want my dogs to be happy.’
Thorne was happy with that response. ‘I’ll come back tomorrow, late morning. If Shannon really wants a dog, we’ll take one.’
‘I look forward to meeting her. Try not to get bogged down on your way back.’
Chapter 366
Miss Saltoe said, ‘I think we’ve covered all the basics. To be honest, this job is all about attitude. You have to look after Boss. He might want to reclaim some ground, and you being new might cave in. If you have to pretend to compromise to get the job done, do so. But with caution. Your job is to protect him from everybody, especially from himself. He’s fairly logical for a man, but your job is to steer him away from anything detrimental.’
‘But
he is Boss.’
Saltoe said, ‘See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Yes. Of course he’s Boss. But you need to substitute the word man for Boss. See where I’m going with this? You give him the same reverence as everyone else, he’ll run away with the idea he’s some sort of god. Dangerous for all of us. The most important function you have, is to keep him mortal. Let everyone else bow and scrape. You start doing that, he’s lost and no use to man nor beast.’
Tuffnutt said, ‘I start pushing my weight about, he’ll have me sent back to level eleven and pick his own P A.’
‘The good news is, Boss revels in being subtly controlled. And even he doesn’t know that. Use that to your advantage. Let him be Boss, controlling the galaxy, but for all our sakes, you need to keep him humble. If he isn’t, he could become dangerous. You will be his anchor on reality.’
Tuffnutt said, ‘I think I’m only just beginning to grasp the significance of this job.’
‘Not a job for a piece of “anything you desire, sir” bimbo. Raven is a great Boss. You need to guide him. Are you the woman for the job?’
‘I can do it.’
Saltoe smiled. Her job was done.
Chapter 369
Joy Dainty said, ‘I’m so happy we came here.’
Raven hugged her and pulled her close. ‘And your plans for the day?’
‘Just to spend some time with Aunt Betty in Base Three. Some of those plants I have never even seen before.’
Raven yawned. ‘Sounds like a great idea.’
Joy slapped Raven’s bare chest. ‘A great idea for me. What about you?’
‘I had a chat with Sam. He said he’s up for fishing, but he had something to do this morning.’
Joy got out of bed and stood with her curvy back to Raven, even managing a few buttock clenches to torment him as she stared out at the panoramic view of the lake.
‘Fishing in the lake?’
Raven studied the delightful shape of his partner. He suspected she knew the effect she was having on him.
‘Hmm? Oh. I have no idea. Sam said he’d sort all that out. Are you ok looking after Dixon?’