Mark was summoned to attend a meeting with the Consortium board. This was the first time he or anyone from outside the organisation had been given this privilege. The board members were numerous Mark counted forty-two. Kana and Richard, as it turned out, were merely advisors to the board. The entire company was owned by the members, so Mars was now being run as a capitalistic oligarchy. Unfortunately they had almost no one to trade with so the capitalistic side of the enterprise was on hold.
“Welcome Professor, my name is Mr Chang. I will not attempt to introduce the other board members–” he smiled at his own joke “– we will talk, they will listen, that should keep it simple. I am given to understand that your proposal was in fact yours personally, and not from the Tuathans, is that correct?”
“Yes, negotiations were going nowhere and we, that is Earthmen, have nothing to bargain with except our planet.”
“Ahh yes, quite so. Our planet; but we will have given it away will we have not, Professor? Tuath is to have sovereignty over Earth, over the entire planet?”
“We retain the right to live there and resettle once a cure is found.”
“Would we be expected to live under Tuathan law and control?”
“Yes.”
“Not acceptable! Not acceptable, Professor. The Consortium exists today because it avoided the control of political states. We will not kowtow on our own planet, we didn’t do it to Earthmen, we will certainly not do it to Tuathans.”
Mark was taking a deep breath. This was definitely not going the way it was supposed to.
“The elders agreed to settlements being established such as the one that was given to them in Australia. They were allowed complete autonomy there. I believe they are willing to accept a similar arrangement with us.”
“This must be clearly verified. The Consortium also wishes to lay claim to land now on Earth as its rightful property. Land that in the future will lay empty until our return and will be governed on our return by Consortium law.”
Richard spread a map of the world on the table without looking at Mark. On it was marked the areas to be designated Consortium Territory. Mark audibly gasped: the Americas, China, SE Asia and Africa. They were claiming half the land mass.
Chang had obviously had all this lined up before this meeting and Mark was feeling he was on his back foot. If this ended up with questionable demands being tabled, it could end in a mess. It was time to get tough. He recovered his wits and started to laugh.
“You think that our demands are laughable Professor? All of the planet is rightfully that of Earthmen, we are offering to share it fifty-fifty. I call that generous.”
“You are not representing all Earthmen, You are representing a company. You, Mr Chang, do not have the authority to make such demands. There are legally elected leaders of nations still in the bunkers who may take violent exception to these claims of yours.”
“Forgive me Professor, it is my turn to laugh. There are no leaders on Earth, there are no nations. There are only a few people slowly dying with no future, that is all. This board is all that represents Earth interests now. If we can do a deal, then some of the survivors may get to live out their lives on Tuath. Here on Mars we will develop space ships capable of light speed; we will find a cure and return to claim what is ours, even if it takes another thirty years.”
Mark knew he was probably right, but the elders would see right through this ploy and close down the whole deal. It looked an obvious grab for power with the Tuathans waiting to be exploited once again when the natives returned. He told Chang this.
“They would give up all they have achieved on Earth. They would have the Portal closed?”
“Most definitely. They were going to do that anyway until I came up with a feasible alternative. Your demands demonstrate that they cannot be secure on Earth. From their perspective it would be lambs sharing the forest with tigers.”
“We are not monsters, we would respect the Tuathan sovereignty over half the planet”
“So you say, they have heard it a thousand times from the lips of the natives. That will not be good enough. It is to be done according to my proposal or they leave. I will now explain why you should be grateful for whatever you are offered.
“I have a bit of inside information on the Plague virus. As you are aware the AI systems used by Tuath are used for predicting outcomes and a variety of probabilities. They believe the virus is uniquely adaptable but that they will be able to cure it as their own technology and knowledge of its genetic coding improves. They believe that it could be as soon as ten years, but it could also be as long as thirty years. With their lifespans it does not seem very long to wait. With each piece of information they discover they feed it to the AI. The AI then comes out with a time frame. The time frame for you finding it without Tuathan aid is at least fifty years, possibly never. So do you really want them to stop the game and take their bat and ball home, never to play with us again?”
“How accurate are their AI predictions?” asked Chang.
Richard spoke up at last, “One hundred percent.” He then turned and faced Mark for the first time since the meeting began.
“Mark, the board has other requests involving alterations and adjustments to the proposal. It is obvious you are not prepared to negotiate.” He then turned to the board. “As an official advisor, I advise this meeting is adjourned as it cannot, given the information just received, continue with its present objectives.”
Mr Chang was far from happy but he recognised his need to rethink and consult. “Meeting adjourned.”
Richard escorted Mark to his room. Mark was shaking with anger. “The greedy fuckers! What do they expect me to get them, the Sun and the Moon?”
Richard smiled. “Yes, it’s called negotiating. It’s Chang’s way of life. He wants to see how much they can push. It’s the reason why I won’t let the silly buggers anywhere near a Tuathan. Don’t worry, they have got the message now. I try to tell them, but they still have problems coming to terms with the fact they really have nothing to negotiate with. You brought them a good deal. They are logical and pragmatic, they will see the sense in it, which is more than I can say for some politicians I have had to deal with.”
“You’d better be right, it’s a life and death situation now. We really can’t make any demands, try to make them see that.”
“They will, but they have to beat their chests and tear their hair out for a while. Then in about a month they will send a compromise proposal to you which in effect will be a total capitulation. It’s the corporate way, my friend. You did a good job of cutting the bullshit short, I think we have time for a few beers. I’m meeting Kana at our local, let’s go. Oh, and don’t laugh at the name when we get there. “
Predictably it was called The Mars Bar.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
OCTOBER 2044
Richard and Kana were happy enough with the way things were going. They had helped steer the board towards a reasonable deal which was in reality the capitulation Richard had promised. Mark had been busy preparing The bunkers for the assessment of candidates for migration to Tuath. A transit area had been built at the Tuathan settlement. Candidates were to be assessed, those that passed would be placed in transit quarters until they could be shipped out. They were to undergo a Tuathan orientation program while waiting. This was designed to give them knowledge of who the Tuathans actually were, their philosophy and the structure of their society. It was also, on a more practical level, to prepare them for life in a migrant settlement.
Paul’s request that transients could wait on Mars was not seen as necessary as the quarters on New Tuath were ample. The Consortium was grateful for this as resources would have been stretched to breaking point. Disc ships were plying their way between bunkers in an attempt to evenly distribute survivors and optimise resources. No effort was made at segregation. Ideological differences had no part to play in who ended up where. No one even questioned the Tuathans’ egalitarianism: the threat of annihilation was a great s
ocial equaliser.
The final draft of the Earth/Tuath agreement stated that:
Mars would stay in the control of the Consortium and be recognised as their sovereign territory.
Earth would become Tuathan on the proviso they 1. Built and maintained an enviro centre large enough to house a thousand people. This would have embassy status for Earth’s representatives. 2. That Tuathans would continue research into the Plague. 3. They would provide a land mass on Tuath large enough to be capable of eventually supporting twenty-five million people with ease. 4. The Portal would be open to all who wished to use it. 5. Once a cure was found, Tuath was to enter into negotiations with the embassy on Earth in regard to resettlement. 6 All migrants to Tuath would submit to psychological testing and they would submit to Tuathan law for the first twenty years of the colony’s establishment.
Mark and Hawk were confident the elders would be satisfied and were prepared to ship the first seven thousand colonists in January. Mark put pressure on Hawk to allow Paul, Barry friends and families to be allowed to be tested for the first shipment. Hawk made arrangements for them to arrive at New Tuath on the first of December.
On Tuath the President had been working towards organising a large fleet to ship eighty thousand Earthmen a year over the next nine years. It was impossible to know how many would be able to migrate so he prepared for three quarters of a million. A suitable island continent slightly smaller than Africa was chosen. Construction was started on infrastructure and the whole of the planet’s population got behind the massive project of building a city in four years. The elders discussed the education and rehabilitation of the newcomers. Many were still concerned about sharing Tuath with Earthmen, It was a social experiment that could blow up in their faces. Hawk’s report from Ireland had been studied in minute detail. President Lough would lay plans for a city to be built in the ruins of Galway. Ireland was still in good shape, just overgrown, and he wanted it to become the new Tuathan heartlands. New Tuath in Australia would be allowed to grow but the concentrated effort was to be in Ireland. He dreamed of statues to their heroes and cultural centres displaying the resilience and pride of his race. It would be an affirmation of their existence, a shout at the stars to say they had proven themselves worthy of the smiles. Lough’s dreams were those of a patriot and as such shared the all too common flaw of excluding others who did not share the same priorities. He avoided taking these plans to the elders. They in contrast to Lough were concentrating on the re-education program for the soon-to-arrive migrants. In the success of the re-education program would lie the future security of the Tuathans on Tuath. All of Earth’s children were to attend Tuathan schools. Adults would attend classes in Tuathan society. They were to be converted and turned away from past misconceptions about the nature of life and their role in the universe.
In New Tuath Hawk was finding the processes of testing the suitability of applicants daunting. Far too many were failing. This was due to long-held beliefs of racial, political and religious superiority. Such beliefs could be suppressed but they would eventually surface to cause social divisions that could not be tolerated in a Tuathan society. Such aberrations would be treated as mental illness. The possibility of allowing a quarter of a million mental patients on to Tuath, was out of the question. If the candidates were pliable enough and of above average intelligence they were asked if they would like to undergo a re-education program and then allowed to be tested again. This was time consuming and Hawk had no authority to do so, but the number of rejects was alarming and he wasn’t sleeping well at night.
Mark himself had been tested on Tuath. It involved neurological scanning and an intelligence test followed by a protracted questioning session lasting between one and two hours by a psychologist in the presence of three empaths. An AI was used in observation of physical reactions. The candidate’s personal history had been studied before the testing had begun. This was a huge project for Hawk to administer and allowing for a second chance brought him much criticism from his stressed staff.
Mark was there to watch Paul and his friends being processed. Daniel and Jack both failed. Mark understood why and put up a case for them to be re-educated.
“They are servants of the state taught to serve right or wrong without question. It should be simple to remove such programming as they are intrinsically logical, intelligent beings,” argued Mark. “Paul and Barry passed because they must act according to their interpretation of any scenario. Their free will is more attuned to new concepts and possibilities.”
Hawk agreed, “Yes Mark, our experience is that these sort of candidates can be cured quite easily. They recognise the problem and seek to find the cure of their own volition. Now, you can understand why I fought so hard for the second chance. It is not going to be possible next year when the amount of candidates to be processed is ten times greater. Your friends got lucky.”
January came at last and the successful candidates were loaded onto every available disc ship capable of the long haul flight to Saturn. Conditions were cramped and were worsened by the fact that a native is almost twice the size of a Tuathan. From the forty percent of those who were rejected three quarters chose to take the treatment. The rest eventually returned to the bunkers and a few opted to go to Mars. This was a heart-wrenching time as families and loved ones were often faced with separation.
Despite the dismal fate of many of his species, Mark was feeling buoyant as they eventually landed at Tuath. They had witnessed the massive fleet waiting at Gateway with awe; now they saw the beauty of the capital city laid out below them of glistening spires of mauve and purple, of glass reflecting amber and deciduous forests still losing their leaves in the Tuathan autumn. Paul took Mark by the arm, “They have built with ease something we couldn’t manage to achieve in a millennium, they truly are amazingly clever.”
‘Yes Paul, from now on you will not see them as petite, attractive and charming. You will be constantly aware of our failure and their superiority. Learn from them, adapt to their ways. Only that will ensure our survival.” Mark had ceased to use the titles of the past, there were no more presidents, prime ministers, kings, popes. There would be semi-independent government again for the refugees, but no total autonomy. Their every move was to be monitored in order to minimise any temptation to lapse into the old ways. The refugees were moved to an orientation centre where they were to be housed for the next three months. Then they would be relocated to the island continent which was to be their permanent home. This process was to be repeated every year until all eligible survivors had been transported. Mark returned home to Jade and Conor and continued with his life. He was not required to live on the continent set aside for Earth. He was to be used as a go-between and an advisor to the government and the elders. After six months Mark went to the new settlement. It was located in the northern hemisphere in Tuath’s temperate belt which meant it had a climate similar to Denmark in the south and Sweden in the north. It was early spring when he arrived and found the colony in good spirits. Food was plentiful and the inhabitants were well organised. Paul had been working with the elders to set up a small government of their own which would be responsible to the council of elders. The natives had named their town Fjord as it was in fact built on the side of a shallow-sided fjord. Although basic infrastructure and community buildings were already constructed before their arrival, the natives were free to build their own homes. Timber was in abundance. Hardwood forests were cleared and a variety of pole homes built. Fjord was destined to become a seaport town with a fishing fleet. It grew rapidly with no complaints for the long hours of work required. Barry had settled out of town on the side of a small creek that ran into the fjord two kilometres away. He travelled by sailing to the town when he had to, his new life suited him perfectly. “At present the economy is largely barter amongst ourselves, this will change with the next big influx of migrants. Tuathans provide the schooling and medical facilities. Our priority is to establish a sound working economy,” said Barr
y.
“How is Paul and the others coping, Barry? Any homesickness?” asked Mark.
“Not noticeable so far but it may come later, I think. Right now we are too busy and are grateful to be alive and outside again. My family have all taken to Tuath like ducks to water. They love the outdoor life and the freedom to explore a new and exciting environment. Paul is flat out doing what Paul does best, organising. He has established a good rapport with the Tuathan government and elders.”
The elders watched the progress of the natives with concern but were becoming gradually aware that the process was working well. Lough had been pushing them to accept his proposal to establish a central Earth government in Ireland. The initial reluctance to commit to building another city was giving way to the realisation that expansion would have to come soon. The Tuathan population was growing as more children were being born than had previously been the case on Tuath. Lough eventually got his way. His plans were approved and he asked for a one-year leave of absence in two years’ time so he could inspect and consolidate the sense of Tuath and Earth being part of the same community. The elders approved this also. They had discussed the need to consolidate ties as they feared a sense of separatism could affect future harmony. Much discussion centred around the possibility that they had alienated the Friend by allowing the natives to settle on Tuath. The lack of a recent appearance was causing unhappiness within the general population and resentment was growing. The numbers of visitors to the Hall of the Friend had grown weekly since the arrival of the natives. Another subject of discussion had been whether or not to offer genetic engineering techniques to the natives. Some felt this would, over a long period of time, bring them closer in physique and intellectual compatibility to the Tuathan norm; the short lifespans of the natives was blamed for a lot of their destructive behaviour in the past. The elders decided to put the problem on hold for a few more years and see how things settled down, first.
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