“I’m afraid you presume too much when assessing the native capacity to acknowledge the obvious. Let us start preparing our joint negotiating skills for the conference. I also want to thank you for your willingness to place yourselves out on a limb for us with the elders. Mark? It appears you may have to abandon that fine house of yours in another eighteen months, be prepared please and tell Barry to do the same.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MAY 2038
The global conference was remarkable in that it highlighted the difference in attitude between the northern hemisphere’s attitudes and those of the south. The Tuathans quickly forced the hand of the north by pressing forcibly the confronting issue in their opening address. Hawk was not in a conciliatory mood and was not about to waste precious time on foolish rhetoric. The mood of the northern delegates was openly hostile toward the Tuathans.
“Options are now limited. Work together to implement the Southern Alliance survival plans or go it alone. Either way, evacuation is now a reality as the equatorial belt is no longer viable and land masses below the Tropic of Cancer have another seven months while the land above the Tropic of Capricorn has less than a year. We are prepared to offer our disc ships for transporting people and our matter transmitters can speed up the process considerably. Meanwhile, all our technological resources will concentrate on finding a cure.”
An American delegate stood and slammed her fist on the desk as she rose, “You have no intention of finding a cure. You will help to destroy and disorganise us by shipping us to the Arctic allowing us to die in an icy waste land. You are Satan’s workers and an abomination in the sight of God. God’s children will never listen to your lies. The Plague is a cleansing force that will soon end by the Grace of God, just as others have done in the past. Go back to the Hell you came from!”
The crowd was cheering, and Hawk waited for silence, “The Hell we came from is right here. You created it in the middle of paradise! We were thrown out of it by you and we survived and created our own paradise. Now it is your turn to be tested. Are you able to turn from the primitive into the human? Are you capable of picking up the burden of personal responsibility? Or do you prefer death and the ignoble oblivion of ignorance and superstition? Does your pride and vanity have no limits?”
Hawk stood down quickly and the Tuathans made a hasty retreat as the believers screamed out for divine retribution. Paul motioned to the South American delegation, who outlined their plan to assist the population to move south to Tierra del Fuego. They would accept the offer to farm land to the north by the Tuathans to help in the food supply. Australia and the Pacific islands had a similar plan using southern Tasmania. Asia likewise was moving north into the Arctic Circle. America and the Europeans were split between waiting it out in bunkers while praying, or following the path north. The equatorial nations had already died out with a few survivors heading north or south spreading the disease as they went, many were being shot on sight.
Tuathans had volunteered to provide the majority of its population on Earth to work at food production. Replicator technology would be employed also as it was a quick-fix solution in difficult situations. Mammals were also prone to the plague so meat was already in short supply, as were dairy products.
The Brussels Conference was the last attempt ever made at a united effort. It was essentially to be each nation for itself from then on. Paul developed a plan for building bunkers in Australian Antarctica Territory. Many nations began doing likewise in the Arctic, some clashes inevitably occurred and violence broke out. These clashes were short-lived as everyone became aware that time was a precious resource, not to be squandered on seeking an even faster fate.
Life settled down to a fearful routine. Both Barry and Mark spent more time at home now, savouring precious moments. Jade had insisted that they would all abandon their homes and seek refuge in the Tuathan settlement. December came and they all spent Christmas at Mark and Jade’s home. Richard and Kana had picked up Paul in Canberra en route from Tasmania. Kana and Richard were now doting parents of a little girl. They had named her Miko, and she was a big hit with all the guests. They had a normal Christmas celebration and the guests stayed for New Year; no one wanted this time to end. There seemed little to do any more except wait for a cure. On the seventh of January Paul drew Mark and Barry aside. “It will soon be time to go. You must leave in the next two or three weeks. I am returning to Tasmania with Richard and Kana and I will not be returning to Canberra. The predictions are that you will be safe in the Tuathan settlement for only nine months maximum, then you should come to Tasmania in November.” Mark and Barry promised they would arrive at the settlement in three weeks and would contact the new government building south of Hobart as soon as they settled in. The bunkers in Antarctic were to be the last line of defence and would be ready for the last evacuation in fourteen months. They could house and support 480, 000 people, not quite ten percent of the current population of Australia. Paul’s plan was to survive as long as possible hoping the virus would die out eventually. To this end he would need Tuathan food replicators and basic machinery parts replication equipment. Hawk had agreed to this with reservations as it would be possible for the replicator technology to be discovered through reverse engineering. This had not been allowed up until now.
Mark felt an immense wave of pity for Paul at this moment. He would be facing the abandonment of millions of people to a painful death. Paul indeed looked small and grey, his old vitality had left him. Weary, isolated and lonely; yet he had not lost hope and would be planning the best possible options until the moment died.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FEB 1ST 2039
The Tuathan fleet was in orbit over the Martian colony. The fleet’s AI had sent the good news, although unneeded, that the elders approved research, but more importantly that there were experts on the ships ready to start work. They were transporting two Mars colonists aboard for research purposes. The colony itself had grown rapidly and was making its way around the equator. The knowledge gained from the Tuathans regarding their time as ‘Martians’ had meant that the Consortium had adopted the technique of building settlements on the floors of canyons, turning them into small terraformed environments. To maximise temperature inside the covered colonies the transparent domes were made of solar magnifying material and wind and solar was used to heat coils buried just below the surface of the canyon’s floor. It would be possible to move around the equator from one colony to another, thereby living in a perpetual Martian equatorial summer. To this end ten colonies were being constructed or enlarged. The Tuathans realised the Consortium had solved the problems of living on Mars in ways almost identical to their own ancestors. Like their ancestors they were already seeing that the project would be limited by resources, as some materials would always be needed from Earth. If no cure was found for the Plague, then evacuation was to start in seven months, they would be ready on time for the first load of evacuees. The total population being built for at present looked as though it could accommodate a little more than one hundred thousand people. They were exploring ways of increasing this capacity as the Consortium’s total staff came close to triple that number.
The Tuathans examined and interviewed the colonists for two days. The AI made some construction suggestions for the colony. It had been scanning the work for flaws and possible improvements. The fleet then headed for Earth; arriving at night, the crew noted the lack of artificial lighting over more than half of the planetary surface with a sense of awe. The demise of Earth-based technology had begun in earnest. In contrast the Tuathan reservation glowed like an amber jewel in the night and the crews of the fleet felt a sense of racial pride. Here was the culmination of four thousand years of effort and struggle by their people, a triumph of courage ripping the darkness to shreds.
Hawk was very grateful the fleet had arrived. He had breathed a sigh of relief at the elders’ decision. Morale could not have been higher among the Tuathans. The Reservation was a city of beauty, a magical place,
a source of immense pride to all who lived there. It was treated as an ongoing work of art being created with love and reverence and a faith in the future. Mark and Barry and their families were housed on the coast. They were fearful of the future and tried not to envy the Tuathans, who had become their hosts and protectors.
The research to find a cure had made no breakthroughs by mid September. The first Consortium evacuees had left for Mars. Mark and Barry knew that they would have to leave for Tasmania in six weeks. Mark discussed the future with Jade. He proposed she stay at the Reservation where life was peaceful and normal. Mark would buy time for himself by going to Tasmania and, from there, on to Antarctica. Jade refused this and requested that they all go to Tasmania. That way they could stay together for a another three months. She would then return with Conor to the Reservation if there had been no progress. This was agreed on. Barry and Barbara would stay with them. Their own children were already living on the southern coast of Tasmania and would be safe there for possibly another five months. November came and Hawk announced he would be going with them to Tasmania. He needed to make a report to Paul that was better done in person. They would be using a disc ship as native technology had been slowing and repairs were getting more difficult to do. All communication between the northern and southern hemispheres had ceased two weeks ago. Aircraft were very rarely seen in the air now .Disc ships worked mainly in the Southern hemisphere as they often met with aggression in the north where anarchy was growing.
They left the Reservation with a sense of loss and foreboding. Their time there had been like a much needed summer vacation that allowed you to forget all your mundane worries for a while. Barry and Barbara would be living with their children on the coast. Mark, Jade and Conor would stay in a hotel. The general population of Hobart were well behaved and acting as if all was well. The population had tripled however, and there were various logistics problems. Barry and Barbara were invited to sit in on Hawk’s report before they headed south.
“Firstly not all my news is bad, which is why I needed to do this in person.” That got everyone’s attention as bad news was all there was, usually. “We have no cure but there has been a breakthrough of sorts. We have noted that where the mammalian population has died out the virus does indeed seem to decrease in the biological environment. We have also noted that it is less prevalent in areas that have been devoid of mammals for the past two years. We have done an immense field study and it suggests that, on the condition that there is nothing for the Plague to feed on, it will not die out totally but will remain dormant in the environment and would need time to re-establish itself. We have looked at the virus when it enters this slowed down or semi-dormant phase and have discovered we may be able to alter its genetic construct in such a way as to trick it into this phase.
“To put it more clearly, we are turning our research attention currently away from looking for a way to kill the virus to looking for a way to delay its attack on the host organism by making it go dormant, because we think there is a greater chance of success and time has almost run out.”
Paul looked puzzled. “Hawk, let me put a hypothetical to you. Say I crawl out of an arctic bunker in three years. Will I catch the virus? And will I die from it?”
“Sadly yes, you will contract the virus. It is a question of time as you may have months instead of the current hours before you contract it. Yes, you will then begin to die from it, but you may have months or even a year of healthy life before you begin to feel its affects. We are trying to alter its virility and at the same time improve your immune systems.”
“Hmm, I’m afraid that just sounds like a stay of execution, not exactly what we are hoping for,” Paul said dejectedly. “And how long before you could possibly be in a position to offer this? How many years?”
“I am talking to you about this because all indications are we will be able to offer this in less than three months. I realise you need such information as quickly as possible so you can incorporate it in any forward planning.”
Paul still looked unimpressed. “So there is no hope of a cure in the foreseeable future, but within three months you may be able to extend our lives for almost another year if we catch the virus, that’s the crux of it?”
“Yes, and we also requested a large amount of Tuathan labour to join us again as we are hard pressed to grow food for you with the population we have now. A large fleet will arrive in January.”
“How many people will be on these ships?”
“I have requested as many as possible and left the actual number up to my superiors.”
“What of the situation in the north? I have received no information for three weeks. Our satellites only show lights at night just south of the arctic circle, and occasional explosions in northern Asia. No air traffic, some emergency radio.”
Hawk shook his head. “Society is breaking down, anarchy is everywhere. Religious groups are faring the best as they have a common purpose. To kill the unbelievers and confiscate their property has proven useful. The Pope has ensconced himself in Norway with a papal army which is dominating a large area as far east as Mongolia and as far west as Alaska. They are raiding across the north meeting only limited resistance. Their control over resources are growing and people to the south are faced with converting and being allowed to move north, or stay where they are until the plague catches up with them. It will all be over soon as everyone will need to be underground in three months.”
“How long have we got here in the south?” asked Paul.
“Well that’s my other bit of good news. Wind patterns combined with unusually cold weather has bought you and those in Tierra del Fuego a little more time. The north will need to be underground before March. You need to be underground before June.”
“OK, an extra couple of months plus the possibility of another year once we come up for air, that’s how I see it. Are you going to be able to supply us food for at least three years?” asked Paul.
“You and the Tierra del Fuegans, yes. Possibly some people in the north if they will allow us to supply them as well. The longer you stay underground the easier it will be for us to control the dormancy. I will inform you of the optimum time once we have developed the procedure.” Hawk looked sadly at the group around him. “I wish there was more I could do. I hope the stars smile on us all over the next few months.”
After Hawk had left Paul drew Barry aside. “Get me some potential figures for the population of the reservation by February.”
Barry gave Paul one of his confidential expressions. “I don’t need to, I have had the same thought. Possibly their population could be as high as 250, 000 in a little over one year from now. In three years they will probably outnumber us.”
Paul smiled, “How the mighty have fallen. But the fat lady is still on the stage with no intention of singing.”
Barry laughed. “We have done nukes, starvation, Muslim hordes, aliens, Bible bashers. Now we have germs. But we still have cold beer so let’s get some.”
They all went back to Mark’s hotel where Jade fed Conor and everybody played with him, very conscious now of what he may come to represent. Jack and Daniel appeared from wherever Jack and Daniel go when you can’t see them and announced the bar downstairs was not a security risk.
Barbara and Jade were left alone and tried desperately to keep the conversation as light as possible. It was becoming a strain for Jade as she felt guilty that she and Conor had a future and that her friends might not. Eventually Barbara saw the tears rolling down Jade’s face and they hugged and let out their emotions together.
Downstairs in a very seventies-looking bar, the type Mark hated, the waitress was telling Paul how she had always voted for him. Paul said she had very good taste and lovely coloured tattoos, especially the cute little cockatoo just below her navel. He got really good service for the rest of the evening and her number. Mark realised he had never seen Paul in such a non-professional light. He decided that Barry had been right about him; he was not
just a hard-arsed prime minister, he was a good bloke. This was after three beers, however. Jack and Daniel were sipping but Barry and Paul were trying to eat the glasses. Mark was observing Barry and Paul, they were drinking under pressure
“Bazz, do I really have to go to Antarctica? Is it a requirement would you say of a man in my position?” said Paul. It was beer four. Mark gave Daniel a look, winked and then went to order an antipasto platter.
“’Fraid so Boss. It’s called the sinking ship protocol. Didn’t they mention that in prime minister school?”
“They told me it was unsinkable and I still believe them,” laughed Paul.
“Too right!” said Jack, raising his glass.
Mark was thinking how little he knew about Paul. The story of his grooming came back to his mind and decided this was a good chance to find out more. It was possible the autobiography was not going to be worth waiting for.
“I heard you were born to rule, Paul.” Mark was going out on a limb and he saw Barry wince.
“No, not really born to rule, handpicked is closer to the truth. Let’s say I was presented with the undeniable fact that the nation was in the hands of undesirables and asked if I cared. I said yes and sold my soul to people with money and power who also, by the way, were genuine patriots.”
“Name some names, Paul?”
“I believe you saw one of them in my office once, but my lips are sealed. I admit I was groomed, the election that swept me to power was heavily orchestrated, enemies were made offers. The money was spent without fear, the law was ours. My mentors were desperate people, they were almost without a country. I was to be their ace up the sleeve of democracy. Wasn’t that so, Baz?”
“And a finger up the arse of the no-work leftie losers.” Baz was warming up.
“Hey! I was an academic in a previous life, remember?” said Mark.
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