Earthside, as its name implied, faced Earth, the human race's shattered home. Currently there were four completed domes, each three kilometers in diameter, with a fifth under construction. The domed areas were intended as public spaces, not places where people lived—that was in the network of tunnels carved out of the lunar rock beneath the domes. The plan was to have room for two hundred thousand people by the end of first phase construction next year.
But the truly wealthy among the solar system's new citizens didn't live in the densely packed housing attached to the domes. They lived in palatial homes excavated in the cliffs overlooking the city. Multistory transparent walls provided spectacular views of the city domes and the traffic at the spaceport beyond. Farside still handled military traffic and a significant amount of commerce—all the major shipyards were located there—but traffic to and from Earth and passenger ships bound for Mars and the outer moons now regularly departed from Earthside.
The two major lunar settlements were linked by a subterranean tube system that arced deep beneath the Moon's surface. Through it transport pods raced at thousands of kilometers per hour, whisking passengers and goods between the cities in under an hour. Wealthy merchant captains, like those who sailed for the Orion Arm Trading Company, owned their own private launches, though they would be hard put to reach Farside faster than the tube.
A month after they returned from the last voyage Mizuki and Bobby were married. Dr Yuki Saito gave the bride away, Beth was the maid of honor and Billy Ray best man. Also among the bride's maids were Shadi, Dorri, and Betty White, who cried through most of the ceremony. The attendees were a strange mix, including the crew of the Peggy Sue, faculty from the University, high ranking officers from the fleet, and all the board members of the OATC.
The bride and groom spent their honeymoon on Earth, in the Texas hill country, a trip few were allowed to take. Nearly five years after the alien bombardment ecological damage was still visible, though upland Texas retained its rugged beauty. Since their return Bobby spent most of his time watching Mizuki decorate their 9,000 square foot apartment. The only space he claimed for himself was a well appointed office-cum-man cave done up in wood and leather brought back from Texas. As with most lunar domiciles, green plants and flowing water fountains were numerous.
The Melaku-Vincents and the Ogawa-Danners lived side by side, just down from the Parkers. Their “apartments” linked by a transport tube that ran along the ancient crater rim in which they lived. Beth and Billy Ray were visiting their best friends, Mizuki and Bobby, reminiscing about old times and talking about what the future might hold for the four of them.
“It's good to see y'all are finally settling in,” Billy Ray commented, standing in front of a two story transparent window with a spectacular view. In one hand he cradled a Wild Turkey, neat. Authentic, pre-bombardment liquor was quite costly, but they could afford it. Even in their wildest dreams, the profit from their voyage didn't include such luxury—palatial apartments, private launches, and a new ship under construction in the Farside shipyard.
“You know, you and Bobby should think about investing in some land in the Martian highlands,” Beth told Mizuki as they sat on a wide couch overlooking the same view. “When the terraforming effort gets under way it will become obvious where the good land is and prices will skyrocket. Now is the time to buy.”
“We'll think about it, but making Mars habitable will take hundreds, if not thousands of years.”
“Gotta think of yer kids and grand kids, Mizuki. Land here in the solar system is gonna be at a premium in the future.”
“You two sound more like TK every day,” Bobby chuckled, jiggling his glass. He was drinking his Wild Turkey over ice—heresy in Billy Ray's eyes.
“Speak of the devil,” Mizuki said, a notice appearing discreetly on the arm of the couch next to her. “Maria and TK have just arrived.”
Mizuki rose and went to greet her guests. The others took the opportunity to freshen their cocktails in anticipation of a long conversation with TK. He and Maria were the only other investors in the new ship besides the four friends.
“Hello children!” TK bellowed as he entered the room, Maria walking behind him in conversation with Mizuki. Maria had given up years ago on housebreaking her Texas Oilman husband.
Beth went over to greet Maria and the women started a conversation among themselves. The topic of discussion was the indoor water garden and koi pond Mizuki had designed next to the entry way from the lift. Water tumbled from level to level, providing soothing sounds that the men were boisterously talking over.
“I tell ya, I never would've believed that I'd be livin' in a condo on the Moon,” TK said, admiring the view while accepting a drink from the robot bartender.
“Yeah, well it still ain't Texas,” Billy Ray griped.
“Texas is still there, Billy Ray, we were just down there,” added Bobby.
“Yeah, and in the future we'll hopefully get much of our world back, as nature heals itself. Damn them alien scumbags anyway.”
“To Earth,” Billy Ray proposed a toast. “The once and future home of mankind.”
“To Earth,” the other two men repeated.
“So how's the work coming on the new ship?”
“Coming along just fine, TK. This time we are going to make sure we have enough room for everything we need to take along.”
“Yeah,” Bobby chimed in. “Like lots of laboratory space, a bigger hold, more shuttles, and room for a lot more Marines.”
“Not to mention the latest in upgraded armaments.” Billy Ray nodded. They had spent most of the trip back from Alpha Phoenicis discussing what they needed in a perfect exploration starship.
“I sure can't wait to see her when she goes down the ways. From the plans she should be a real beauty.”
“Not just that, but TK will finally get his yacht back,” said Maria, walking over to join the conversation along with the rest of the women.
“We will need to replicate the data storage from the Peggy Sue for the new ship. You never know when some obscure bit of data from the archives can be of assistance.”
“Always thinkin' like a scientist, Mizuki. Hell, why don't you take the whole computer system, adapt it to the new ship.”
“Really, TK? That might be easier then tryin' to figure out what to transfer.”
“Sure, son,” TK clapped Billy Ray on the shoulder. “We're gonna rename her anyway, Maria and me. Hell, Jack named her, she never really has been my ship.”
“Well she will be soon,” Beth said. “You know, that might work out well. We are all rather fond of Peggy Sue, she really does have a personality of her own.”
“Yes!” Mizuki enthused. “The new ship can be Peggy Sue II. That way it will feel like home from the start.”
“So yer all anxious to get back out there among the stars?” TK asked, as the six took seats in front of the picture window. “No time to settle down?”
Billy Ray smiled. “As Sir Francis Drake said, 'It's not that life ashore is distasteful to me, but life at sea is better'.”
“Sooner or later I think we will start a family,” Bobby said, looking at his wife. “But before we start having children I think there are some questions we'd all like to find answers to.”
Beth frowned and stared down at her drink. “Yes, indeed. Like why we have been dragooned into service as galactic peacekeepers by those meddling T'aafhal.”
“I do not know about everyone else, but I went from being a simple scientist, to the ant Queen's daemon, to a warm life Paladin in the span of a month. I would like to know more about what the future holds.”
“I think your voyage was a bit more exciting than it was for the rest of us, Mizuki-chan. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.”
“You planning on taking a bunch of yer old crew, Captain Billy?”
Billy Ray winced, he hated being called Captain Billy. “Those who are interested. A lot of the crew took their payout money and started businesses or emigr
ated to Mars or the outer planets.”
“Not all,” said Beth. “The Chief and Gunny Acuna have expressed interest and are even doing some low key recruiting.”
“Will most of the Marines come back?” asked Maria.
“There are at least two of 'em who wont.” Billy Ray grinned.
“Who?”
“Mal and Zeke. They are so head over heals for those Iranian sisters they won't go anywhere without them.”
“Speaking of Shadi and Dorri, how is their legal suit over ownership of Paradise going?”
TK chuckled just thinking about it. “Those two little spitfires have got the Colonization Board so pissed off they can't even see straight.”
“What is this, TK,” Maria asked her husband, a suspicious undertone in her voice. After living together for decades and being married for years, Maria still got jealous when her husband talked about other women—at least women she did not know.
“Them and those two boys they lead around by the nose got 'em dead to rights. The planet was deeded to the colonists and they're the only survivors. Only hitch is they have to go back and occupy the planet for their claim to stand up.”
“What about the contagion? How can they settle the planet if that plague is lurking in the soil?”
“Well ya see, Mizuki. We've been negotiating with them four regarding a mutually beneficial agreement.”
“You aren't thinking of taking advantage of those poor young women,” Beth began, protective ire rising in her voice.
“No, no, nothin' like that. The deal is that the company will cure the infestation by that black gunk in exchange for exclusive rights to any application resulting from that research. We'll ship 'em back to Paradise and provide seed organisms to build an Earth-life compatible ecosystem for the whole dang place.”
“And in exchange you get a mechanism that can rapidly sterilize a planet,” Bobby said, his predilection for conspiracy theories working to his advantage. “If you have a cure, that is.”
“Assuming you can develop a cure you would be able to clear an alien planet of its native life and replant it with Earth-life in a few years.” Mizuki was not as suspicious as Bobby, but she immediately saw the possibilities.
“You are not going to go wiping out other species with this, are you TK?” demanded Maria.
“Of course not, querida. We won't use it on any world with a sentient native species, or close to producing one. Only worlds that have stalled out, ecologically speaking. Or have been stripped of higher lifeforms by the Dark Lords. We need a way to establish Earth colonies on a bunch of planets as fast as possible. If we can put people on a couple dozen worlds, in a couple hundred years there will be enough humans that those cold-life bastards will never be able to exterminate us.”
“And the fact that the company will own the rights to those planets, well that's all just gravy.” Billy Ray shook his head sadly.
“Come on, don't be naive. Somebody has to hold the reins and I say better a bunch of free market capitalists than those military types in the Fleet or bureaucrats from the Colonization Board. Bunch of small minded authoritarian asshats from what I've seen.”
“We all still have friends in the Fleet,” Beth objected. “They are not all a collection of third-world colonels itching to hold a coup.”
“No, there are good people there, but they won't be there forever. Checks and balances, people, checks and balances.”
“What?” several of the others said at once.
“It's what America's founding fathers knew after getting' out from under the English thumb—no insult intended, Beth.”
“None taken. During the time of the American Revolution my ancestors were peacefully herding cattle in the Ethiopian Highlands.”
“The best government is one that is no bigger, or stronger, than it needs to be. Now granted, we need a strong fleet to fend of hostile aliens, but the military cannot be left to run things. They are the defenders of humanity but they must answer to civilian authorities. Some form of republic, with no central power figure—last thing we need is a king or an emperor. The best government invented so far was thought up by James Madison, with some help from his friends. Three co-equal branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.”
“And just were does the company come in?” Bobby asked skeptically.
“Capitalism! The wealth of any nation is its people, hell the Romans understood that more than two thousand years ago. The Founding Fathers got it right—to get the most out of people you have to give 'em opportunity. Individual liberty and equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. That's where the wheels started to come off back before the aliens attacked.”
“So you are going to build a conservatarian paradise, eh TK?”
“I'm neither that bright nor that ambitious, Billy Ray. There are millions of worlds out there and I'm sure humans will eventually try every type of government and economic system you can think of. In the mean time, I am gonna try to see that my kids and grand kids have a decent place to live. Not some fascist dictatorship or a socialist paradise where everyone's lives suck equally bad. Now let's get another round of drinks and talk about where yer headin' next.”
For several long seconds the room fell silent.
“It is going to be a long trip,” Mizuki said, jumping into the awkward silence. “Are you familiar with the constellation called the Pleiades?”
Table of Contents
Prologue
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Part Two
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Part Three
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Part Four
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Epilogue
The Queen's Daemon (T'aafhal Legacy Book 2) Page 33