MEEK

by Richard Johnson

  “Not to worry. One more year and it’s all over for you, old friend,” said the captain, patting a wall affectionately. After one month the captain decided to take the risk and visit the spot Rose and Orion had described to him. He prepared well for the trip, even down to making up fishing tackle, canoe and a tent made of plastic sheeting. The trip was uneventful, not like some in the past that had resulted in “reported sightings” by the natives. He decided to take no risks and landed in five metres of water. The top of the ship was covered by one metre. Standing on the top, his head and shoulders were just above water and he launched a plastic canoe with his meagre equipment. The beacons were set up and he settled in. Evening found him grilling fish over an open fire. He had a bottle of wine of which he drank half and a loaf of crusty bread. Later he went for a swim under the stars. “Tuath better be good, because this place is fantastic,” he reflected aloud.

  The next day he found the remnants of Rose and Orion’s lean-to and decided to repair it. It had become home to a multitude of life forms: geckoes, cockroaches, stick insects, a variety of ants, moths and beetles. The captain studied them all, even drawing them with precision. Gradually, he stopped thinking of himself as the captain and called himself by his name “My name is Swift.” He said it out loud. He never found out if he was named after the bird or because he moved quickly. He had never asked his mother, who was now long dead and he didn’t know why. The thought annoyed him. “I never took the time to ask the simple things, too busy living life as it presented itself to me.” Every disc ship had a nutrition dispenser on board. It produced a chemically engineered endless supply of thick porridge. You could chose the flavour from ten choices, but it was still just a thick porridge. Modern Tuathans ate everything except meat. Swift was enjoying real food and three weeks went past before he realised he should get back and check on the facility. He did this very reluctantly and vowed to return in a month. He was getting used to being Swift again, and was ready for a new beginning.

  Arriving back at the facility, he noticed the quarantine equipment had ceased to function; the Facilities AI said it was beyond its capacity to provide the spare parts. The replicator machine normally used for simple spare part manufacture had also breathed its last breath. “Oh well, it had to happen some time,” hummed Swift. Orion had mentioned that on Tuath they were developing semi-organic materials which were self-repairing. Swift certainly saw the potential here for such materials. After a week went by, he found he was missing his campsite in the Kimberleys and decided he would use the AI to research native root vegetables, grass seeds and fruit that he could vary his diet with. He also decided to run full diagnostics on his disc ship; the last thing he needed was a mechanical failure with only ten months to go.

  Swift did a total of five trips to the Kimberleys before he had to start his preparations to leave Mars. It had given him a new sense of freedom and self-identity. He made many recordings of the campsite before he eventually had to destroy it so as to leave no trace he had ever visited. He did a fly-past pass of every country in the world. The AI was working overtime getting as much information as possible recorded. Politics, religion, science, all was collected and deliberated on by the Facilities AI before being electronically packaged for the last projection to the portal. Swift had had a good time but, now as he packed his boxes of mementos gathered from not only Earth but other parts of the solar system, it was time to mentally and spiritually prepare himself. The Tuath had never been averse to adopting and adapting things learned from the natives, as they called them. They had deep respect for the fine arts and some of their philosophical thought. The outstanding adaptation was the Tuathan view of Buddhism. They practised a simple and strict version, which pervaded their every waking moment. Swift went through a short cleansing ritual followed by meditation in the lotus position – this took one hour to perform. Once he had centred himself he was ready to dress for the journey and put the facility on full automation. He walked to the airlock and looked back at the place that had served as a home for such a long time. Nothing to hold me here, I never really liked it even; Earth though, that was something worth shedding a tear over. This Tuath planet better be good, it’s supposed to have good beaches, maybe I’ll be a captain again, on a sailing boat. This line of positive thinking got him inside the disc ship.

  He had been in position for six hours when the portal winked into place. It was time spent observing the stars, they were going to look a lot different where he was going. “Well this is it,” he said. “I hope they got the science right behind this thing, ready or not here I come.”

  The next thing he knew, he was decelerating at maximum as the stars and planets flicked back into his visual perception range. “Wow , will you look at that!” he cried. Two disc ships much larger than his were in escort position and were guiding him to the landing site. His AI related the welcoming words from his escorts, but he wasn’t really paying attention to anything except the planet he was heading for. Rose and Orion’s description was accurate and, as he got closer, the enormous oceans beckoned to him. They were waiting for him to explore them, it made him feel young again; he was going to have fun.

  They hovered over the capital city sparkling like a million diamonds on pink velvet. The guide ships dropped, then hovered, indicating he should land. He lowered the ramp and entered the airlock. When he exited the first thing he noted was the air, fresh and scented, then the crowds with banners proclaiming him to be their Man from Mars. It was all very light-hearted. The best part was Orion, there to steer him through the formalities and get him into his private hovercar. “Relax captain, welcome to our planet.”

  “Oh please, no more captain. I’m officially about to retire now, please call me Swift. It is amazing what the people have achieved in so short a time.”

  “Yes, Swift. Things are moving so fast here that it’s a relief to lock myself away in the countryside once in a while. I’m starting to feel my age, I suppose.”

  “You have many years yet, Orion. I truly am an old man and I wish to thank you for recommending your campsite in Australia. It was just what this old man needed in order to say goodbye to Earth.”

  “There are places here that are similar, Swift. They are Tuathan however. This planet is neither a duplicate nor facsimile of Earth. The Friend is wise and knew not to confront us every day with scenes of our youth. Tuath is unique and that’s what makes it easy for us to call it home. We are pioneers here. We have a whole new solar system to explore, that’s going to keep us busy for at least a hundred years.”

  “I saw the oceans as I approached, they are bigger than Earth’s. I am anxious to sail them,” said Swift.

  “All in good time. You will have plenty of opportunity,” replied Orion.

  Swift stayed with Orion and Rose until he found some land that suited him. Like the other inhabitants he dedicated himself to creating a home that was a unique expression of himself. It was built on a river bank, he constructed a small jetty and at the end of it was moored an eight-metre sailing catamaran which he named Kimberley. He spent his final years exploring Tuath and did a lot of camping on its beaches. Rose and Orion became like family to him and they settled down to a life filled with all the things they could possibly desire. Rose and Orion would always visit the Friend’s monument whenever they went to the capitol. However, as the years passed no news ever came from the Friend. This was a general disappointment to all the populace.

  Back on Mars exactly twelve hours after the departure of Swift, nothing happened. The AI did not activate the self-destruct mechanism. The facility was inadvertently saved by an increasingly growing ecology. Gekkoes hunted cockroaches, cockroaches found food sources in abundance as many chambers had not been sealed. Wood and paper was available once human food had been consumed. Biological life was therefore still present; the AI could not carry out its directive. The projector was still aimed at the portal’s position, but every year it appeared nothing was projected.

  The red dust began t
o settle.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  1987 AD

  “Time makes it possible to let the past be what it is, a subjective remembrance.” The Friend.

  The portal opened and the first disc ship for twenty-two years emerged. It headed straight to Earth. Two female Tuathans were all there was to carry out this expedition. They passed through Mars’ orbit. Their mission involved Earth, not Mars, so they continued on unaware of the existence of the facility. Firstly they visited the Moon. There they found signs of human development, it was limited but significant. Many artificial communications satellites now were in orbit around the home planet. This was interpreted as a sign of possible future improvement in dialogue between disparate groups and nations. They orbited the planet at a safe distance for ten months. Every nation on Earth was to have data collected from it and then, once that was completed, four landings were to be made and samples taken for scientific analysis. As usual, there had been continuous warfare. The Tuathans watching the data coming in did not need to ask the AI for its social analysis, it had clearly been a case of business as usual for the natives. This was all very routine stuff. The elders had decided to do an update mainly because the most pessimistic projected scenarios for the destruction of the natives placed the event close to the end of the 1980s. They had certainly developed the capacity to have rained death and destruction on Mars by then, although ultimately Tuathan technology would probably have saved the day and protected the colonies. The natives had bred considerably, to the point that ecological disaster was now the latest threat to their existence.

  “When we next come back they will probably be buried in their own excrement,” said one of the crew.

  “If anybody cares enough on Tuath to send for another update,” replied the second. Younger Tuathans had lost some of their affinity with Earth. It was rarely debated now in the universities and was slowly being relegated to history rather than seen as a concern of the present. The old stories nevertheless lived on and mothers still sung Earth’s lullabies to their children. The elders were mindful of the cost, as explained by the Friend, of making the portal available each year. They did not want it closed due to disinterest in the future. It had become very difficult to do this sort of reconnaissance without detection. The two crew decided to recommend a smaller ship next time. The first landing was in the Antarctic. They detected shifts in temperature were affecting the ice. Fresh water from the melting ice was gradually raising the sea level. This would decrease land surface area, thereby exacerbating the population problem.

  “They don’t seem to be relating population growth to pollution. Why is that?” one wondered aloud. “It really is obvious that reducing the population of the planet by say 25% is the one simple cure. Technological innovation is irrelevant if they keep breeding like rabbits.”

  “I really have no answer to that. Their thought processes are alien to us. AI, why doesn’t the people of Earth limit their population?”

  “The answer is complex. Many are in a state of denial and mentally do not accept the premise there is a planetary limit to population growth. This is often due to religious beliefs. It is also not in the interests of religions to allow their followers to limit the numbers as they are in competition with one another. Then there are economic considerations. A growing population equals growing markets. It also helps put pressure on the labour force so that wage costs can be kept down. This leads to an elite class in society that are able to control resources both human and natural. This in turn makes it possible for this elite class to influence government disproportionately to their numbers. Land and food supplies, in fact all resources, end up in the hands of this powerful elite.”

  “So unlike us, where self-preservation demanded population control and genetic engineering, the self-preservation of these ’elites’ as a class demands the absolute opposite?”

  “Yes,” replied AI. The two Tuathans looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “The idea that they may breed themselves into the Stone Age instead of blasting themselves there is ironic, to say the least, and will liven up discussion back home.”

  “It does mean that their technological advancement is spurred on by these selfish desires and we can see the speed they advance is possibly faster than our own.”

  The rest of the landings confirmed the deterioration of the Earth’s capacity to cope with the demands of its inhabitants. The political scenarios were also heating up. Mass migrations of people around the planet were well underway. Resentment and envy of the richer countries by the poorer ones looked entrenched. Threats to the basically sound philosophy of democracy from the disillusioned, ill-educated and the envious were on the rise. As the elite became more frightened of losing their grip, laws were being made to stifle free speech and individualism. They had new phrases for it, political correctness, multiculturalism, liberalism; they were good at making up such phrases. The language was being bent to fit the perversity of the times. Even old standbys like equality meant the undeserving could claim equality at the expense of the deserving. All in the name of preserving a status quo that was doomed to implode through stagnation. Tuath was founded on free enterprise in a democratic society, but the system did not allow for any but the most talented to govern. Wealth was not a consideration, the bonding and frequent unbonding also played havoc with any temptation to form family clans and oligarchies, which might have tended to wield undesirable influence.

  While they waited for the portal to open, one of them said out loud what they had both been feeling. “I hope I’m not chosen for any more of these assignments. Earth is beautiful but its inhabitants depress me. The whole planet has a negative air to it. As soon as we get home I am going to have a sauna and a massage. Then I am going to get dressed up in my sexiest outfit and go to a really expensive restaurant.”

  “Is it all right if I come along?”

  “Sure. What about you, AI? I bet your circuits could handle a bit of positive energy going through them after all the shit that’s been flowing through them lately.”

  “The question is illogical. I have no capacity for movement.” They were both still laughing as they shot through the portal. The red dust was of course still settling on Mars and nothing disturbed the silence in the facility except the occasional chirp of a gecko, busy hunting and breeding.

  The elders sifted through the data for a week before calling a meeting with the President. They each made a small speech and it was left up to the president to précis the outcomes. “No great surprises apart from the general denigration of the planet, which will sadden the population of Tuath. There are of course lesson for us in this. We do not shirk from applying population control when required, but we do have a capitalistic system built on the notion of individualism. Our history has tempered that individualism; for the sake of survival we have often in the past set aside our personal goals to serve the greater good. We must be vigilant so that our good qualities do not become watered down by our failure to recognize greed as opposed to ambition. The individual Tuathan of late has become more insular due to their lifestyle. Living on one or two hectares of fertile land makes individualism easy. I therefore humbly suggest the elders look at ways of keeping the people mindful of their responsibilities to the less fortunate and to be active in their roles in society. The Friend told us that evolution was based on the ability to improve not just physically and mentally but also morally. Tuath is an idyllic place, let’s make sure it strengthens us not weakens us with indolence and self-interest.” The elders applauded this speech and promised to make sure ways were found to encourage the population to revitalise their sense of camaraderie. An elder rose to his feet.

  “In the light of the President’s request I would like to express my opinion that the monument to the Friend receives a further upgrade and refurbishment. It has become a focal point in everyone’s lives and a positive inspiration for the young, who benefit from a sense of place in the universe . We have not seen the Friend for a long
time, I’m sure the populace would benefit from another visit.”

  The President took the initiative again. “I am loth to ask the Friend to come to us as I feel it is its prerogative to come and go as it pleases. The situation on Earth seems to be playing out into its final days and I would like events to get a little closer to the conclusion. I suggest we wait before trying to summon the Friend until the problem is fully resolved. We know it wishes us to act independently especially where our relationship with Earth is concerned.”

  Another elder rose to his feet. “Mr President, we should at this stage make it clear that the elders are not united in their attitude towards Earth. Some of us argue the portal should be closed and we should not send any more data-collecting disc ships. This is essentially a view expressed by the younger members of our society. Others feel that we should monitor more closely and be prepared to inhabit Earth if that should become feasible.” The President paused and glanced around the room, trying to judge the fors and the againsts.

  “I leave it to you to advise me on this, but at this stage it is premature to make a decision about either option. There are just too many variables at this point in time. We are rich in time, let us spend some on prudence. My personal opinion regarding reinhabiting Earth is simply this: I really like it here and I haven’t finished building my chicken shed.” The elders laughingly acquiesced to this suggestion and the meeting was formally closed.

  The stars smiled on the Tuathans, whose greatest threat was complacency. Earth groaned under the constant threats of their own making and their inability to face the inevitable outcome.

  On Mars the facility still stood, inhabited by simple organisms constantly feeding on one another, but that also would run out of resources eventually. The dust was still settling, placing a rusty veil over the works of the Tuathans.