by J. J. Green
After some expressions of relief to Cherry over her safety, the crowd of Woken and Gens began to break up. They returned to the task of assessing the safety of the cliffs and salvaging what supplies they could. By the time Ethan reached the flitter with Cherry, only Cariad, Strongquist, and Faina remained.
Ethan helped Cherry aboard. She lay down across the back seat. As he got in the driver’s side, Cariad said to Strongquist, “You didn’t explain what happened after. Where did your ship come from? Where did you come from?”
“What individual minds couldn’t achieve separately they could accomplish en masse,” he replied. “Without cultural boundaries and clumsy languages preventing the passage of ideas, the uploaded minds began to work together. The surviving, living scientists worked with them, trying to find a way for human civilization to continue to exist. Not in the degraded environment of Earth, but out here, in a pristine, untouched world. I understand that you might find it difficult to believe, given everything that’s happened—we have made some mistakes. We see that now—but we really are here to help the colony to survive. You are all that’s left. If the Nova Fortuna Project fails, human civilization fails with it, perhaps never to rise again.”
“No pressure then,” Cherry said from the back of the flitter.
Chapter Thirty-One
While the doctor checked Cherry over at the settlement hospital, Cariad sat in the waiting room with Ethan, her thoughts spinning almost out of control. She could hardly believe what Strongquist had told them. She couldn’t imagine an Earth almost entirely empty of human beings. The previous story the Guardians had told them, that resources were stretched to the limit and humanity was struggling to survive, had been hard to hear, but she’d believed it. In fact, it seemed that the conditions they’d spoken of had existed, but they had occurred much earlier in time, long before the Guardians had left the planet on their rescue mission. The second part of their story about Earth scientists working together to save the Nova Fortuna Project was harder for her to swallow.
Ethan was quiet. His hands were on his knees and his head was bowed.
“Do you believe the Guardians’ story?” Cariad asked him.
He looked up as if coming out of a dream, or a nightmare. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I can believe anything they say. But does it matter? Whatever happened on Earth, the result is the same. We’re here, and we have to do the best we can to survive while avoiding killing each other in the process. I only hope the Guardians will leave us alone now.”
“I guess you’re right, but I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Earth’s a wasteland, and from now on, we’re it. Humanity’s best hope. After thousands of years of civilization, it’s come down to us to carry the torch.”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s different for me. From my perspective, Earth was only ever a picture or a vid or an ancient book. It’s never been real. Not like this place, anyhow. I mean, I believed it. I just never really cared.”
Cariad hadn’t thought about it in that way, but Ethan had just defined one of the gulfs that separated the Gens and the Woken. The Gens already thought of the planet as their home. It was a place they could finally live as themselves and not as someone else’s idea of what they should be. To the Woken, the colony was a project that they wanted to succeed according to the plan they’d set out. Maybe the difference in perspective was one of the causes of the problems between the two sides.
“I’m glad your friend didn’t drown,” she said to Ethan.
He leaned back and closed his eyes. “So am I. I’ve seen so many deaths, Cariad. People I loved and cared for.”
She took his hand and held it in her own. She had lost people too. Or rather, she had chosen to leave them, breaking their hearts and hers. She didn’t think she would ever get over the guilt of what she’d done. They sat together like that for some time, quietly waiting.
The doctor came into see them. “I’m happy to report that Cherry’s going to be fine. Secondary drowning is a possibility in cases like this. We checked her lungs for water, but they were clear. She has some bumps and scratches, but no broken bones or any other serious injuries. I would say you could go and see her, however she’s sleeping right now. We’re going to keep her here overnight as a precaution, but I’m sure she can leave tomorrow.”
“Great,” said Cariad. She was impressed that the doctor knew about secondary drowning. None of the Gens had been near large bodies of water until coming to the planet so he would have had no experience of treating drowning victims. Then Cariad realized what she was doing. She’d slipped into a patronizing attitude toward the Gen doctor, just like a typical Woken.
“Thank the stars,” Ethan said, visibly relaxing as if suddenly relieved of a heavy weight. He rubbed his face before getting to his feet.
“We’ll leave her in your capable hands then,” Cariad said to the doctor.
As they left the hospital and went out into the settlement, Cariad noticed that Ethan’s expression had darkened.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, touching his arm.
“Garwin wasn’t there. He should have been there.”
A flitter arriving came down the street toward them, heading for the hospital. Cariad and Ethan moved out of its way.
“You mean he should have come to the hospital to support the disaster victims?” Cariad asked.
“I mean to see Cherry. He doesn’t even know how she is.”
“Oh. Are they good friends?”
“They’re lovers. Garwin was having an affair with her. You’d think he cared about her, wouldn’t you? But instead he’s at home protecting his traitorous, murdering wife.”
Cariad took a moment to digest this new information. “If he’s been at home all this time, maybe he doesn’t know that Cherry survived and she’s at the hospital.”
“Oh, he knows all right,” said Ethan. He reached up to his ear and removed something from it. He held out his hand, palm upward. A tiny electronic device rested in the center.
“Is that a comm?” Cariad asked, incredulous. She’d seen similar devices on Earth but none had been brought along on the Nova Fortuna. “You have your own comms?”
“Yes. It’s separate from the Network and encrypted. We needed a way to talk with each other without Woken or Guardians snooping on us. I’ve been listening in on the conversations ever since the disaster. For a while, Garwin was fielding questions about Twyla. I’d told others what I suspected. Then he went silent. But that was after Cherry came back. He knows that she barely survived the flood and that we took her to the hospital. He knows all about it. He just doesn’t care.”
“Hmm… I agree that he’s an ass for abandoning Cherry,” Cariad said, “but maybe he doesn’t dare to leave Twyla. He might be thinking that people could take the law into their own hands. Maybe he’s staying home for self-preservation and to protect his wife in case something happens.”
Ethan didn’t answer. His brow remained furrowed in anger, but then his eyebrows shot up and he halted.
“What’s wrong?” Cariad asked.
“That’s what she meant,” Ethan exclaimed.
“What? Who meant what?”
“Twyla. When she said she should have put an end to me when she had the chance. One day a few weeks ago, I caught her in my cave. There was a big argument going on among the Gens and I left to get some peace and quiet. She must have thought I wouldn’t be back for a while.”
“What was she doing in your cave?”
“Well, she told me she was there to talk to me in private. She asked me if Garwin was having an affair.”
“She did? What did you tell her?”
“What could I tell her? I told her the truth. I wasn’t going to lie to her. But it was strange. Garwin has a terrible reputation in that regard. I was amazed she didn’t know.”
“Oh no. How did she take it?”
“That’s not the point. I think she did know. She knew all along. She was covering up for her being there. It was all a big
lie. She had me completely fooled.”
“Huh? So why was she there if not to ask you about Garwin’s affairs?”
“She had a bag with her. I think she was there to plant a bomb in my cave. She wanted to get rid of me.”
“Oh, Ethan.” Cariad felt like bursting into tears. She’d come so close to losing him.
The settlement was bustling. Cariad guessed it was for the first time in weeks. She and Ethan were wandering with no particular direction in mind, but the majority of the crowd appeared to be heading in the direction of the stadium. It made sense. After the disaster at the caves and the Guardians’ revelation, there were decisions that had to be made. The future of the Nova Fortuna Project hung in the balance. Things could not continue as they were, and the implications of the true nature of the Guardians had to be discussed.
They turned in the direction of the stadium too. When they arrived and Cariad saw the size of the crowd, her heart plummeted. Even allowing for people who couldn’t attend because they were injured, or helping to care for the injured, the number of people in the stadium was pitifully small. She recalled the first time the stadium had been used, which had been at the announcement of the results of the vote to name the planet. Then, the place had been two-thirds full. Now the crowd filled less than half the available space. The First Night Attack, the stadium bombing, the shuttle explosion, and the flooding of the caves had drastically reduced the population.
It was a painful realization, but even if they eliminated the Natural Movement threat tomorrow and the colony experienced no further unexpected deaths, in its current state the Nova Fortuna Project was doomed to fail.
Cariad and Ethan took seats at the lowest tier, where they looked up into the dignitaries’ box. Strongquist and Faina sat there, presumably in order to explain who, or rather what, they were to the gathered crowd. No other Guardians were present. As Cariad watched, another figure appeared in the box. Anahi’s black visual aid gazed out across the stadium. She seemed to be looking for something or someone. Though Cariad was somewhat distant from the older woman, she detected weariness and stress etched on her face.
The black strip turned in Cariad’s direction and stopped. Anahi beckoned. Did she mean for Cariad to go up to the box? The Woken lifted her lapel to her lips. Her voice came over the loudspeakers. “Cariad, Ethan. Come up here.”
After exchanging a look, they rose and made their way along their row then through the stadium seating to join Anahi and the Guardians. When they arrived, the square space seemed empty with just the five of them there. Garwin was conspicuous by his absence.
The crowd was already mostly quiet. It didn’t take more than a few words from Anahi to entirely silence them. “Gens, Woken,” she said, “I’m sorry.” She paused for her words to take effect. “I’m only going to speak for a short time before I hand you over to wiser and more compassionate people. I confess that I’ve been foolish and impatient, and if I’m honest I’ve been scared. I acted too hastily in assuming control of this project. I feared for its success and by extension, my own survival.
“Since I declared myself Leader, people have died. I feel that I bear some responsibility for those deaths and that is something I shall regret to my dying day. It took the egregious behavior of the Guardians and the disaster at the caves to shock me out of my delusion and pride. I only wish I had seen sense earlier. But I can’t reverse time and take back the stupid decisions I made. All I can do is try to make amends for my mistakes, and my first attempt is to step down as Leader.
“Before doing that, however, I am making one last amendment to the Manual, and that is to revert the election of Leader to its former process. Leaders may only be elected from among the Gens by majority vote as before. I only have one final thing to say: I nominate this man to stand for election.” She pointed at Ethan, who was leaning forward in his seat, his head bowed. At Anahi’s final statement he looked up to see who she was indicating. When he saw it was him, he shook his head.
A cheer of approval rose from the crowd, but still Ethan looked unhappy and embarrassed.
Cariad stood and turned her comm to general broadcast, to be picked up and transmitted by the stadium’s speakers. “Admitting that you made a mistake is a hard thing to do, Anahi. You have my respect, and I’m glad to see the return of the scientist I admired and looked up to for all the years that we worked together.”
Anahi nodded in acknowledgment of Cariad’s words and went to the rear of the box to sit down next to Strongquist and Faina. Ethan was staring at the floor. Cariad suddenly found herself the only person remaining to address the crowd. She struggled to think of what to say. The gathered folk were waiting for someone to address their fears and show them the path to a viable future, but she wasn’t sure she was capable of either.
All she could do was explain how things stood as she saw them. “I wish I could stand here and tell you that everything will be okay—that we’ve got everything figured out. But it just isn’t true. I’m a geneticist, as some of you already know. I can tell you now, we’ve lost too many people for this colony to survive as it is. Our genetic diversity is too low. Within five to seven generations, we’re going to start to see noticeable effects of inbreeding. So I’ve decided to restart the reproduction process aboard the Nova Fortuna. We have gametes stored that will add variety to the gene pool.”
She became aware of a presence at her side. Ethan had joined her.
“Give me your comm,” he said.
She unpinned it and handed it over.
“The time for fighting among ourselves is over,” Ethan said. His voice echoed around the half-empty stadium. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen enough of fighting and death to last me a lifetime. That isn’t why any of us are here. I’ve been listening to the exchanges between the Gens while I’ve been sitting here, and I want to set you straight on the rumors that have been flying around.”
“First, the rumor that the Guardians aren’t human is true. We saw it at the fight at the caves, and they’ve told us so themselves.” Ethan went on to relate to the crowd everything that Strongquist and Faina had told them about the situation on Earth. “I don’t know if I believe everything they said,” he went on. “They’ve told us plenty of half-truths and outright lies, all in the name of trying to ensure our survival. I don’t know what the facts are about them, and I doubt we’ll ever know for sure. They saved us in the First Night Attack, so we saw them as our saviors and protectors. They occupied a position of trust and reliance in the early days, but that quickly changed and they became a force to control Gens.
“What they’re planning on doing now, what role they intend to take up, I don’t know. What I do know is, their presence has harmed our colony. Anahi used the Guardians as a tool to assert her power over us Gens. If the Guardians hadn’t been around, she wouldn’t have been able to take over. And the fact that the Woken had an armed force to control us only deepened our resentment and desire to break away. For all the times they’ve said they’re here to help us, the Guardians have done nothing but make things harder.
“I’m no Leader, and I don’t want to be, but if I were, the first thing I’d do is order the Guardians to leave. We don’t need them and their tech. Everything we need we brought on the Nova Fortuna, and that includes each other. We need to trust each other and work together to survive, without interference from the Guardians.”
During the latter part of Ethan’s speech, Strongquist had come up to Ethan. “If I might speak? I have a proposal to make.”
Ethan looked distrustful but gave a small nod.
“We Guardians are in agreement with Ethan. Our presence has not had the desired effect. Though we have carried out our mandate to the letter, the Nova Fortuna Project does not seem to have experienced a net benefit and in fact it seems reasonable to conclude that our actions have been detrimental. However, if we were to leave, we would be depriving the colony of the advanced technology aboard our ship. Therefore, we would like to propose that we
place ourselves in suspension. Facilities in the Mistral’s storage areas allow for this. Then, if at some future time the Nova Fortuna colonists require our services, you may reactivate us.”
Ethan turned to Cariad. She raised her eyebrows then shrugged. If the Guardians were like the more rudimentary androids she’d been familiar with on Earth, they could be turned off or turn themselves off. Whether the Guardians could reactivate themselves at will was another question. Perhaps it would be possible to bar their exit from the storage area Strongquist mentioned to prevent any surprise awakenings. Strongquist’s proposal might work, but the Gens and Woken had a lot to consider. The Guardian was right when he said they could benefit from their ship’s tech.
Ethan asked the crowd, “Who agrees that the Guardians should deactivate?”
The stadium was set up for voting. At each seat an interface allowed the participants to record their responses and the totals were relayed to the stadium’s screen. The response was clear. Most of those present wanted the Guardians to deactivate themselves and leave the Gens and Woken alone to run the colony.
Strongquist nodded and turned to Ethan and Cariad. “We will conduct training in the operation of the Mistral before handing it over. I also have some key information to impart before entering deactivation.”
“You also have to bring Aubriot out of sedation,” said Cariad.
The Guardian’s face expressed reservations, but he nodded again. “If you insist.”
“We do,” said Ethan. He addressed the stadium again. “We have plenty of work to do, but if we stop fighting and hindering each other, we can do it. We don’t have a choice. We have to do it.”
A voice floated up from the crowd. “What about the Natural Movement?”
“We’re on it,” said Ethan. “I’m not saying any more than that. But we’re closer than we’ve ever been to rooting them all out.”
Cariad realized the truth of his words. Ethan’s reasoning on the evidence strongly implicated Twyla and possibly Garwin too. They also had the records of all the children Twyla had cared for over the years. Natural Movement followers were among them, and others who had been in her class would remember things she had done and said that would give them more clues.