R.A.E.C.E. Genesis

by Geoffrey C Porter

  Hans Goldberg won the Nobel Prize. G.E.S.C. paid him handsomely in cash and stock options. The scientific community world-wide wanted everything about the planet they found with life researched. G.E.S.C. started building more starships. Bigger ones specially equipped with remote drones they could use to explore planets with life without endangering the ecosystem. One Human germ might wipe out entire species on other planets. They took great care in exploring. The United Nations formed a new paramilitary organization, and they called it Fleet.

  Chapter 7

  A.D. 2130

  Human fleet in transit to Orion…

  Jack and Lexi made their way to deck three and found cabin 'E'. Jack pressed his hand on the palm printer, and the door slid to the side, and they stepped in. The room contained two bunks, a toilet, a sink, a shower, and a desk with a portable terminal. They tried the bunk bed first. A little small for two, but they made do.

  In the morning they noticed a blinking red light by the door. Jack went over to it and found a delivery slot. Inside he found fresh uniforms with his name sewn on the breast over his heart as well as fresh shoes. He found a box of food-bars and a 15 gallon water ration card, someone had written 'Shower' on it.

  "They sent food-bars and a 15 gallon water card," Jack said. "Up for a shower?"

  Lexi smiled, looking at the shower. "Think we can both fit in there?"

  "We could take turns…"

  Lexi climbed out of the bunk and walked to Jack, taking the card from him and pushing it into the shower card reader. Lexi opened the door and climbed in, and Jack climbed in after…

  They dried off, and Jack tried on his Fleet uniform. It fit him loosely. Lexi asked Jack if she could borrow some clean clothes. He gave her some clothes out of his backpack. Jack grabbed a food-bar and made to offer it to her. She rolled her green eyes at him. "I want real food. Let's go to the galley before all the real food is gone, and all they give us is those food-bars."

  Lexi walked towards the cabin door, sliding past Jack, who grabbed her in an embrace and said, "I can think of one thing they can't ration…"

  Lexi grinned at him. "You're an animal!"

  Jack kissed her square on the lips. She broke off from the kiss. "I want food!"

  Jack smiled back at her. "Ok, food it shall be!"

  Back at their cabin, Jack turned on the terminal and gained access to the programs for Fleet basic training. He wanted to read up on the physical requirements before going to the gym to work out. Twelve kilometers in under one hour, running. Forty pushups and sit-ups. Ten pull-ups. The list went on. Three points against an instructor of the martial arts.

  Jack didn't know any martial arts. He would have to see if the gym had a program for them. He figured the exercises wouldn't be tough. It'd be under Orion's gravity which was close to 1g, so it'd be the same as on board the ship. Jack kissed Lexi goodbye and headed for the gym. Lexi took over the terminal and looked over the schedule she'd been in back on Artemis. She found all her classes available online.

  The gym was well-equipped with plenty of treadmills where he'd likely spend most of his time. He found a martial arts training mat, only one of those. Following the instructions on the sign on the wall, he stepped onto the mat and said, "Program on."

  A three dimensional holographic image appeared of an old oriental fellow. It spoke, "Address me as master. What is your name, pupil?"

  "Jack."

  He had been in simulations like this one before. He learned to drive in a similar simulation except that the instructor looked more like a guy from Chicago with a round belly and half a cigar.

  The instructor spoke again, "What level would you like to play?"

  "Level Zero." Jack knew from other games that 'Level Zero' meant to play the tutorial.

  The digital master started showing Jack stances and punches then blocks--drilling Jack over and over, correcting his stance and posture when appropriate. The program made Jack stretch and stretch and then started showing Jack kicks. After about an hour of this the game pinged and said, "One hour has elapsed, next user, save game?"

  Jack looked around. Another guy waited. "Yes, save game."

  The game spoke again, "Schedule next session?"

  "Yes, next available session."

  "Session reserved, 3 p.m. today."

  Jack looked at the clock on the wall--it read 10:30 a.m. He decided he might as well run until lunchtime and went to one of the free treadmills. He'd never tried to run for an hour straight, and he couldn't. He had to throw in the towel after about thirty minutes. He went through a micro-wave like sauna that dried the sweat off his body.

  He opened the door to his cabin. Lexi sat at their terminal.

  Jack asked, "Lunchtime?"

  "Yup. I got my classes all worked out from school. You should sign up too."

  "Maybe after lunch I'll take a look. I've got classes for Fleet basic training, plus the workouts are going to keep me busy…"

  * * *

  At the end of the third week, they ran out of regular food. They ate food-bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jack worked out at least once a day, sometimes twice. He made progress on the treadmill consistently. When he reached level five of the martial arts game, it recommended he find a sparring partner to play the sparring levels with. A guy named Billy not too much older then Jack agreed to spar with him. The game system refereed and coached.

  Unlike Jack, Billy came from off world, a normal gravity world. Billy gained a lot more by sparring Jack than vice versa. Jack's high gravity strength and reflexes made it easy for Jack to make short work of his opponent. Jack reviewed the Fleet basic training graduation test: it said 'score three points against an instructor.' Jack needed to know what that meant, and Billy didn't know, so Jack went to Captain Wilson's office. Jack hadn't spoken to Captain Wilson since the first day on board.

  Jack pushed the 'enter' button on his office door.

  The speakers sounded, "Who is it?"

  "Jack."

  "Jack who?" Wilson asked.

  Realizing his mistake, he said, "Private Jack Grean, sir!"

  The door slid open, and Wilson waved Jack into the room. He stepped in and saluted. He had learned saluting through the online Fleet basic course. Wilson looked up at him. "The hairs. Cut them."

  Jack looked up at his brown hair. He ran his hand through it. It was less than 3cm. "Regulation is 5cm or shorter."

  "Two centimeters."

  "Oh."

  "At ease, Private. How's the training coming? The 12km? I hope you've started with the martial arts Bot."

  "I have started with the Bot, sir. I've reached level 9, but I can only find one person to spar with me and that's Billy. He isn't really good enough for me to get a good workout…"

  "Computer, access gym level, martial arts bot, reserve next free session."

  The computer chimed back, "Next open session, tomorrow, 9 a.m."

  "Computer, any sessions open tonight after hours, sooner than 9 a.m.?" Wilson asked.

  "After hours session available from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m."

  "Computer, reserve timeslot 11 p.m. tonight, authorization Wilson."

  Jack asked, "You're going to spar me, Captain?"

  "Yes, Private."

  Jack did a little, I'm afraid, dance. "I didn't come to you for you to spar with me. I had a question. Isn't it largely up to the instructors, if a recruit passes the test. I mean, green recruits can't really score three points against an instructor, can they?"

  "That's a very good point, and yes, the instructors are looking for basic skill and precision. They don't push the new recruits past their maximum. Although sometimes you'll encounter an evaluator that will be having a bad day and will intend to flunk every recruit no matter their skill level."

  "So you're really going to spar with me?" Jack asked.

  "Yeah, unless you'd rather wait and train more with the Bot?" Wilson asked.

  "No, 11 p.m., count me in."

  Jack said goodbye to Captain Wilson
and left his office. He went to meet with Lexi for lunch and then later dinner. It seemed dumb to Jack to bother eating together when they ate food-bars, but it's what Lexi wanted. She asked Jack to video his match with Wilson. She wanted to see but didn't want to stay up until 11 p.m. ship-time. Jack didn't expect it to be worth watching but agreed to set the gym cam's to record. He made it early to the gym to warm-up with stretching exercises.

  Wilson stepped in carrying a bag, which he set down on a bench near the martial arts mat. He took off his shoes and replaced them with pads that covered the top of his feet and shins. He pulled pads onto his forearms and knuckles. Jack just watched. "Can I have pads, too?"

  "Sorry, Jack, these come straight from Earth. You might be able to find some on Orion, but I doubt they're producing them yet. Only one of us needs to wear pads, and it'll cut down on bruises and the like…"

  "You were planning on bruising me?"

  "Oh, no," Wilson said.

  "Good, because I'm not a piece of fruit."

  Jack and Wilson stepped onto the martial arts mat. Both stood in a combat stance, and Wilson waved with his hand at Jack as if to say 'come on.' Jack started with a simple jab at Wilson, who blocked it and responded in kind. After about the sixth blow back and forth, Wilson connected to the middle of Jack's face with a strong right. It hurt a bit, and shocked Jack more than anything. Jack started to throw kicks, not with all his strength or speed because he didn't want to hurt Wilson. He grabbed Jack's leg and threw him.

  He landed crooked on his legs, and they spiked with pain. Jack jumped to his feet and anger started to takeover. He attacked Wilson in a fury of kicks and punches. Wilson blocked every one but couldn't counterattack. Jack attacked too quickly. After a few minutes of this, with Jack getting more and more frustrated, Wilson called a halt to it. Jack paused and leaned on his knees breathing hard.

  "Your anger gets the better of you," Wilson said.

  "I couldn't hit you…"

  "I'm a Fleet Captain, Private Grean, and you've been playing with a damn toy Bot for all of four weeks. You'll get better. You just aren't pushing yourself in the right way. Speed is the key to force, precision is the key to speed, focus is the key to precision. I'll program the Bot to allow you to study at night on the martial arts, and I'll dedicate a few of my evenings each week to teaching you. My butt is riding on your passing the Fleet graduation test."

  "Thank you. I intend to pass. I've gotten to 8km on the treadmill in 45 minutes…"

  Wilson smiled. He had this kind of smile you'd expect on a reptilian creature as it smelled prey, perhaps an alligator. "And that's not good enough. Is it, Private?"

  "No, sir, it isn't good enough. I'll push myself harder…"

  "Push yourself all the way. The next time you step on that treadmill, you run the 12km, no less. Consider that your first order."

  Jack wanted to complain in the worst way. An image of his dad whispered through his mind. Complaining wasn't his thing. "Yes, sir."

  They both left the gym and went to their quarters. Jack woke Lexi up by accident, and she asked him, "How did it go?"

  "He says I need another haircut, but I checked the regulations, and it clearly says 5cm."

  "He likely won't be happy until you're bald. The bastard."

  Jack reached up and felt his hair.

  "How did the sparring go?" Lexi asked.

  "I couldn't hit him. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I couldn't hit him. Nothing worked. He wants, no, he ordered me, to run the whole track or not run at all. I don't think I can do it. I've been pushing myself as hard as I can."

  "Don't run tomorrow. Skip a day. Maybe that'll help. You never let your body rest…"

  "I'll skip a day, see if that works."

  Jack relaxed for a day. Lexi shaved his head down to 1cm. The following day he approached the treadmill and stepped on it. The clock showed the time as 8:58 a.m. He stood and waited. The time blinked to 8:59 a.m. He pressed the little trip-o-meter button to reset the odometer on the treadmill.

  The clock blinked to 9 a.m., and Jack started to run. He made it through the first half hour without looking at the clock. His calves started a slow burn which he expected. Sweat started to pour out of his body. He forced himself to keep running, without looking at the clock. He glanced at the clock at 9:45. He usually quit by then. Not today, he wouldn't give up today.

  He focused on just running. He pushed himself mentally above the pain, above the burning in his chest and legs. He glanced down at the trip-o-meter, and it read 12.1km. He smiled. He had made it. The time only said 9:52. He kept on running. A great realization took him, that he had simply quit, had given up, in the times he had tried to run the distance before. He ran on, above the pain in his legs. He ignored the clock and the trip-o-meter. His conscious mind, although disconnected from the pain in his body, grew curious, and he looked at the displays, 10:11 a.m. and 14.8km. He stopped when the meter said 15.

  Sweat dripped from his body, soaking his jumpsuit. He wanted water or some gym-juice. The gym-juice drained calories from his ration card and a liter from his water card, but it quenched his thirst better than water.

  That night he met with Wilson for another sparring session. After the sparring match, Jack told the Captain that he'd run 15km that day.

  "I knew you could do it," Wilson said. "You have to learn to push yourself beyond your limits. That's what you learn going through Fleet basic training."

  Over the weeks that followed, Jack pushed himself in both his training and in his studies. Wilson sparred with him three times a week, and after about the sixth week, Wilson started to lose. After the eighth Wilson called it quits. Jack progressed through the highest levels of the martial arts Bot. He knew he could pass the graduation test for Fleet basic training, or at least that's what he told himself. Jack didn't like the idea of having to score points against an instructor, but Wilson assured him he could.

  * * *

  Finally they arrived at Orion, a blue and green earth-like world. Everybody went through medical quarantine. They separated Jack and Lexi. A nurse gave Jack a shot. Humans knew of four species of virus native to Orion harmful to Humans, and everybody needed the vaccines. They directed Jack to a refugee tent and a cot. He asked about housing for Fleet personnel. The Corporal he asked replied, "Fleet housing is all full up. They'll be assigning new units as they construct them."

  Jack said thank you and retired to his cot.

  Lexi received her vaccination, and the nurse told her to wait. A doctor wanted to talk with her. The doctor introduced herself as Captain Diaz. She had straight black hair and a tanned complexion. Brown eyes danced from place to place, not making eye contact with Lexi. Diaz asked "Lexi is it?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Diaz asked, "Do you have any family here on Orion?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "You'll be living out of tents for a while. We don't have enough housing here on Orion to take in all the refugees."

  Lexi thought of Jack, surely they'd give him housing. "Wait, there's Jack. Can't I live on base with him?"

  "Jack, who's Jack?"

  "Private Jack Grean, ma'am… We're… Together…"

  "'Together' doesn't cut it in Fleet. If you intend to share barracks space with him, you'll have to get him to marry you."

  "We shared quarters on the way here…"

  Diaz's eyes finally met Lexi's and seem to turn bloodshot instantly. "Who the hell is his CO?"

  "Captain Wilson," Lexi replied.

  "Oh. Well, certain privilege is given to the front line commanders, but I think he may have overstepped his bounds this time."

  Two things made Lexi pause, one, that she'd just been told Wilson is a front line commander, and two, she didn't know if Jack would marry her or not. They hadn't discussed it. Doctor Diaz cleared her throat…

  "I'll talk to Jack, and see what he says…" Lexi said. "What do you mean? Wilson is a front line commander?"

  "Wilson commands an offensive tactical unit, dear.
If we go on the offensive, he'll lead."

  "Which means Jack will be part of the offensive tactical unit?"

  "If he's under Wilson. Is he a good man?" Diaz asked.

  "Yes. He saved my life on Artemis. He held back the Lithors. Just picked up a rifle and killed them."

  "Well… You know in the past century before FTL travel one of the Human race's biggest problems was overpopulation. Five billion Humans on just one Earth. Now we're down to Orion, roughly ten million Humans. With another half million refugees here or expected over the next few weeks. We must rebuild. As a colonist, you were given a yearly injection that stopped your ovaries from producing, so you couldn't get pregnant." Captain Diaz reached into her pocket and produced a bottle of large red pills. "These will reverse the injection and start your ovaries back up. When you think you and Jack are ready, take two on the first day, then take one a day in the morning thereafter until you become pregnant. Your first period should start within a week or so of first taking the pills."

  "You want me to just start cranking out babies?" Lexi asked.

  "Until we've built more pods to grow babies from embryo, yes, we're doing it the old fashioned way. Lithor breed like dogs. They have litters of babies at one time. We have to try and keep up. At least until we're sure we've wiped them out."

  Lexi did this little twitch with her fingers. "Cloning is illegal."

  "Not anymore," Diaz said.

  "It's really going to be us or them isn't it?"

  "Run along to housing, so they'll assign you to a cot and a tent."

  * * *

  The next morning Lexi and Jack found each other in the mess tent and shared a table for breakfast. Lexi got right to the point, "Jack, the Fleet doctor told me we can't share housing without being married…"

  Jack smiled. Thinking to himself, hey, I'm supposed to ask you to marry me; you're not just supposed to suggest it. Still, she saved him a great deal of trouble, and he nodded quite vigorously.