“Yes.”
“Did he mention this development on the way to Tuath at any stage?”
“No, I knew nothing of it until I witnessed the meeting with the alien.”
“Did the elders seem aware of this turn of events prior to this declaration to the alien?”
“I am not sure. If they did they had not mentioned it to us and Mark had no knowledge of it before that moment, I am sure.”
“Do you think that is rather unusual?”
“A bit, there could be a lot of explanations. After all, there was a lot of pressure on Lough at that time.”
“Hmm. Let me ask you another related question. Please, take your time in answering: is it possible Lough is lying or concealing information?”
Richard did take his time. It was strange and yet, there really could be a simple explanation.
“Tuathans don’t lie or steal or cheat. I have never known it to happen.”
“Not even if it were for the greater good? The end justifying the means, so to speak?”
Richard paused and ran some scenarios through his mind. Would they lie to save an innocent life, for instance? To protect a loved one?
“I cannot be sure. It has never been tested. They say they don’t lie but are there circumstances where it would be tolerated? I really am not sure. Such a situation would be extremely distressful for them to deal with, possibly to the extent it could damage their mental health permanently.”
Chang stood up from his chair and positioned himself on a small platform looking down on the other seated board members. They were looking back nodding an affirmative even though he had not said anything. He then turned back to face Richard.
“You and Kana are to pay a visit to Hawk and Lough on Earth. You will go by tube ship and use one of our own landing craft. Do not accept landing assistance of any form. Land the craft rapidly, then wearing environ suits enter their city. Do not notify them of your intention to land. Let it be a surprise visit. Keep an eye out for any mammals running around freely and ask to be briefed on the progress of the release programme. Give them as little time as possible to prepare or hide evidence. They are not skilled liars so question them carefully, seeking inconsistencies. Keep us informed here and retire to the embassy complex at your discretion to await further instructions.”
Richard and Kana both nodded their agreement to carry out the orders and left the boardroom. They packed in silence and awaited their captain and crew to take them to the tube ship, Connie One parked in orbit. Connie Two and Three were being fabricated on Mars, then separate components joined together in orbit. Neither of them were happy with this assignment, but they could see the sense in it. If Lough was playing some sort of game, it was with the lives of all natives. Kana said she could not believe it was even possible for Lough to do such a thing.
Lough had briefed Hawk on his plan. It was to stall the development of the serum as long as possible. He had worked his private AI to breaking point while on Tuath and he presented his findings to Hawk, who was looking very distressed.
“It is to be carried out in three stages. Release small mammals and marsupials into their native habitats in four months, then observe for four years. Repeat this procedure with large mammals, including apes. Then repeat again with a human sample. This will give us close to fifteen years before we have to open the gates to the first group native migrants. The population on Tuath will be integrated by then and will have grown. The population on Mars will have shrunk significantly as they are barely breeding at all. The Martian population will be outnumbered at least eight to one by the Tuathan natives and we will outnumber all natives by fifty to one. The Consortium will to a large extent be ineffectual especially if we insist on an indoctrination program for those wishing to come here. We would also insist the rehabilitation process takes another fifteen years with only small mixed groups being allowed in at a time.”
Hawk had to admit the plan made sense, but ethically it did not sit well with him. This was because the research was already showing good results. His guess was that they could safely release humans in four years. He explained this to Lough who turned a deaf ear to it. After some heated debate, Hawk said:
“I am only prepared to go ahead with this plan if I am ordered to do so by the elders. “
Reluctantly Lough agreed; he felt he had a fifty-fifty chance of getting them to agree.
Two days later, Hawk announced a tube ship was in orbit above them and a landing craft was on its way. Lough was grateful he had not gone back to Ireland and was here to fend off any awkward questions. He had already guessed what this visit was all about and was quick to warn Hawk to keep the research crew away from whoever it was who was visiting them.
Richard and Kana strode to the decontamination lock and then into the greeting room. Hawk and Lough were waiting for them.
Lough swung into action. “Greetings and welcome. What a nice suprise!”
“It’s official Consortium business I’m afraid, Lough.”
“No need to be afraid Richard. The Consortium is welcome here on business as well as pleasure. Come let us have coffee and cake in the observatory, it is a sealed building.”
The observatory was a purpose-built restaurant. It was designed to entertain native visitors and overlooked the central gardens with their famous shooting fountains. These fountains reflected light from the buildings and shot water spouts from six to sixty metres into the air. The spray watered the gardens and delighted the children.
Kana took the lead noticing that the couple sitting at a nearby table were probably empaths, as they were not talking and the table was just a bit too close to be normal.
“We wish to be present when you release the mammals if you haven’t already done so,” said Kana.
“No, we are not quite at that stage yet, but you are most welcome to witness the release when it happens. Hawk will contact you when all is prepared.”
“When is that likely to be?”
“We estimate in four or five months.”
“That long? We were under the impression it was imminent.”
“To us four or five months is ‘imminent’.” Lough was smiling, but Richard noticed Hawk had the face of a poker player.
“Do you have a schedule for the research?” Kana knew they would have.
“Of course. It is carefully scheduled as mistakes in this case would be fatal.”
“Can we have a copy of it?”
“Yes, I will send for one now.” Lough had decided there was no point stalling this part of the plot. It was better to thrash this out now and see how it turned out. Any stalling at this point, would look obvious. They made small talk while they waited. An aide arrived and handed a notepad to Hawk who handed it to Lough. Lough looked at it and attempted to diffuse the coming reaction by saying “Yes, it looks good. We really are very hopeful this will be the cure.” He then handed it to Kana who read it slowly, noting the lack of any technical data or any real explanation for the timeline. Her face was easy to read: it was full of disappointment. “This will take years, nearly fifteen years before an all-clear will be given!”
“Yes. That is if it is indeed what we are hoping for. There are no guarantees, but as I said it looks promising so far.” Lough was smoothing things to the best of his ability.
“But this is such a long project it could be twenty years before you start a resettlement program with this schedule.”
“No, not quite that long. Look, your disappointment is understandable but, Kana, you are a scientist, you surely realise the magnitude of what we are doing. There can be no room left for error, it is going to be a painstakingly slow operation. I am confident the end result will justify your patience.”
“I have to say the expectations of the Consortium have not been met by this. We do not wish to sound ungrateful, but what I hold in my hand is too remote a hope.”
Lough gave a shrug of resignation. “I’m sorry you feel that way, I wish I had more to offer.”
&nbs
p; Richard stood up. “Thank you Lough and Hawk, we will relay this to the board of the Consortium and return to the embassy where we will await instructions from Mars. Oh, and we will stay on Earth to witness the release of the animals.” They departed with the feeling something was not quite right and were both in a hurry to get away from New Tuath so they could compare thoughts. As soon as they got on the lander Richard said, “It’s your call Kana. You have the greater expertise.”
“It is much too careful. The situation calls for a greater degree of risk and yes, I grant a possible sacrifice of innocent life, which Tuathans won’t do,” said Kana.
“So we have a problem.” Richard had been reading the notepad as he spoke. “Let’s get back to the embassy before we come to any conclusions.”
In their assigned quarters, they sat facing each other.
“I feel at the very least they could take five or six years of this process by releasing primates now,” said Kana.
“That does seem reasonable, but a few dead monkeys is after all a lot easier for our consciences to handle than theirs.”
“True, but even with their sensibilities I still feel it’s overly cautious.”
“All right. That’s our report is it? We tell Chang they are confident their new serum will bear fruit but they want at least fifteen years of trials. We on the other hand, think it could be done in less than half that time.”
“Yes, send that. If he asks why we think they are stalling say it is probably due to their sensitivity about killing animals in experiments.”
The message was sent and Chang immediately sent a reply. “You are to be present at the release and are to capture two of the animals and bring them back to Mars. This is to be done without the knowledge of the Tuathans.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
SEPTEMBER 2051
Richard and Kana were met by a smiling Mr Chang. “You have done well, the specimens you brought back will be assessed immediately we have been waiting for them with great anticipation. Rest up. We will call a board meeting as soon as our research department has a report on the animals.”
Richard and Kana had found their little espionage mission very distasteful. Recapturing two of the animals, one wallaby and one rabbit, had also proven a hard thing to do in an environ suit. Hawk had released a mixture of twenty animals all with tracking devices attached. They had thrown the devices into a deep estuary. It was left to the Tuathans to surmise what had become of the bodies.
They didn’t have to wait long for a summons. The laboratories had worked twenty-four hour shifts; ten days later, they were in the boardroom.
“You did well on Earth. We now have examined the animals which you say had been exposed to contaminated air for nine days prior to recapture. I am very pleased to report they are clear of the plague virus. We do not understand how the serum is made or how it operates specifically. We do know it appears to work. Naturally, we have already begun using a serum incorporating blood samples taken from the test subjects but we do not have any contaminated subjects here to test on. Our own samples will be taken back to Earth for this purpose.
“Now for a far more delicate matter. We believe the Tuathans are lying to us, their motive are as follows. They are aware our population here is diminishing. If we languish here for another fifteen years we will be so few in number as to be ineffectual on the political stage. Meanwhile the Earthmen on Tuath will be thriving but will be the pawns of the Tuathans. The Tuathans will offer us the crumbs from the table in any negotiating that takes place once they announce their cure. They may even refuse to allow most of us access to Earth on the grounds we are ‘ethically corrupt’. That would in effect, leave us here in banishment unless we can find a planet of our own which, in the medium term, is unlikely.”
Richard and Kana were prepared to admit the scenario described was possible but they doubted the motives of the Tuathans was to use the situation for political advantage. They expressed their faith in the Tuathans and left it at that. Chang was not so generous.
“We cannot sit here and stagnate. I have sent a team with our version of a serum to Earth. If it doesn’t work and the released animals are still alive, some hard decisions will have to be made.”
Some general discussion followed and they agreed to reconvene once the team on Earth had sent more data.
Richard was growing increasingly nervous of the way things were coming into place. “If the board are looking to upset the current power balance it could spell another round of precarious negotiation and quite frankly, my love, I am totally pissed off with it.”
They were sitting in their quarters watching old movies and drinking lemon tea. Kana leant over and stroked his hair. “We are Consortium property Ricky, are we not?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?” He looked into her dark eyes, but she was wearing what Richard called her Zen face, which he always found sexually arousing.
The next board meeting had them both hoping Chang and his cronies were not going to do anything rash.
“Please make yourselves comfortable, this is going to be a long session. The room has been locked down for full security. Feel free to speak your minds.
“Firstly, the serum we tried to develop from the blood of the trial animals was unsuccessful. Secondly the animals released by Hawk are thriving and most are pregnant. This has reinforced our view the Tuathans are playing games with us. Lough will be returning to Tuath in January. Our proposal is that we send all three of our tube ships through with him and park in geostationary orbits. You will be on one of the ships. You will then attempt to convince the elders and Lough that it would be a wise move for them to consider giving orders to allow human trials. People currently contemplating taking the treatment could instead be given the serum.” Chang waited for this information to sink in.
“If for any reason, you do not receive assurances that they will return the next year and comply with our request, you are to open your sealed orders. The captains of the three tube ships will do the same. If they are willing to comply, you will return with them but the tube ships will remain in orbit around Tuath until further notice.”
Richard was on his feet. “This is nothing but primitive gunboat diplomacy. You want us to stand over them with a loaded gun!” Kana quickly gave him a sharp kick. Richard took a deep breath and sat down again.
“It is up to them how they interpret our actions. I am not asking you to use threatening language, our resolve should be self-evident, however. We cannot wait fifteen years, Richard! It is a luxury we can’t afford.”
Kana quickly rose in order to stop Richard from speaking. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say so she opened her mouth and waited to find out. “Yes, yes we both see the problem and we will do as requested. Please understand this has been a trying experience for my husband and, quite frankly, we are both anxious to bring it to a conclusion.”
“Thank you Kana, I knew you would see the need for this approach. The board is very grateful for both your past efforts and loyalty, we will not forget it.”
Later that evening, Richard and Kana sat quietly writing notes to each other in a darkened bedroom.
Kana: We both know what the sealed orders will say.
Richard: We must warn them.
Kana: Play along with the board. We will warn Mark when we get to Tuath.
Richard: It means we cannot go back to the Consortium. They will view us as traitors
Kana: If it has to be that way, so be it. Miko will be safer on Tuath, we will take her with us. We may need to leave her with Mark and Jade.
Miko had grown into a very self-reliant and resourceful young lady. She was now nearly fourteen years old, and would have no difficulty adapting to Tuath. Kana and Richard had both felt guilty about dragging her with them wherever they went and their inability to provide a real home.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
JANUARY 2052
Lough had enjoyed his stay on Earth and was returning to Tuath feeling that he would be able to
convince the elders to support his schedule for the return of the natives to earth. He had notified Mars that he would be travelling home on a disc ship. When he arrived at the Portal it was just about to open. Yet lined up to make the leap, were three Martian tube ships. They were already making their run for the Portal and in a minute had disappeared. Lough’s suspicions were aroused: he ordered the captain to get to Tuath as quickly as possible. They leapt through the Portal ten minutes behind the tube ships. On exiting Lough found that the tube ships had not parked at Gateway, but were heading for Tuath.
Lough landed at the capital just as the tube ships took up their positions. The elders were waiting for him, they had received notification of the Consortium wishing a high-priority conference. The Consortium’s lander touched down outside the Hall of the Elders and the captain and ten armed guards escorted Richard and Kana into the hall.
Kana handed Lough a note. “Get Mark and Barry here immediately, Tuath is in grave danger. I need a private meeting away from the security personnel that are with us.”
The conference began with a statement from Lough.
“I welcome the representatives of the Consortium but I have to request time to deliver my report from Earth in private to the elders. This will only take two hours maximum. Please avail yourselves of the amenities around the Hall; we will reconvene in two hours.”
Richard gladly took the opportunity to give the Tuathan some time to assess their position and allow time for the colonial representatives to arrive.
For Lough the moment of truth had arrived. He had promised Hawk to get Council approval for the time schedule, so he decided to press ahead with it before the Consortium made it any more difficult. He gave them a fair presentation and did not neglect to emphasise the need for the fifteen-year time period to underscore Tuathan security. Then one of the elders asked the question he was dreading.
MEEK Page 46