“The serum development timeline; is it possible to shorten it without undue risk to the subjects?”
“It’s possible. However it is still possible there are side effects we have not yet discovered.” Now the truth was out. It would not require a genius to place all the pieces in the right places now. The elders were silent, each sifting through the facts.
“The ethics involved in granting approval for your time schedule are somewhat confusing. The fifteen years we can approve here and now. We need to collect more data and discuss whether a shorter timespan is possible and desirable.”
Lough was content enough with this decision. He then waited for the colonial contingent who were ushered in quickly and given an update. Lough, Barry and Mark then went into a small room where Kana was waiting.
“Before you hear Richard’s address from the Consortium, please remember it is not Richard or my wish to use standover tactics. The views expressed are not our own. In fact we are here to betray our employer. We were given sealed orders to be opened should you not acquiesce to our demands. Here they are, we both have a fair idea what’s in them.” Kana handed them to Lough, placing her finger in the lock first to open them.
“The orders are to annihilate us including the colonists if they don’t surrender,” said Lough.
Outrage and shock followed. Kana calmly suggested now was the time to re-enter the hall and allow Richard to put his points across. “He will do it slowly and painstakingly. In the meantime, I strongly suggest Mark, you arm some disc ships and board the tube ships. Also get ready to overpower and arrest all Consortium personnel here. Preparation for a pre-emptive attack on Mars is highly recommended.”
Richard delivered his speech, it was couched in neutral tones but the threat was clear. Afterwards, the three ships’ captains and the guards were invited to attend a buffet while the elders deliberated. They were shown into a comfortable salon where they were encouraged to do some speechmaking and toasting. The drinks had been specially prepared. Once asleep, they were disarmed and transferred to holding cells. The Tuathans had very little to do, with the entire procedure being carried out by Mark’s men. Mark then gave the Tuathans assurances that they would try to take over the ships peacefully. He gave the orders and three disc ships headed towards the tube ships, who were expecting their captains to return in the next hour or so.
The tube ships allowed the colonists to transport aboard and were overpowered by superior numbers and the element of surprise. The crews offered little resistance and were brought back to Tuath unharmed. Tuath was safe once more until the Portal opened again. There was now plenty of time to prepare their next move. Richard and Kana found themselves to be celebrities although unemployed. Mark took them both back to his home. Jade made them comfortable and insisted they stay as house guest until their future looked more settled. The recent events had left Kana and Richard feeling their ages and were in need of a long rest. They were delighted to meet Conor and he was full of questions about the Consortium and life on Earth. Conor’s relationship with the Friend intrigued them, but Conor could not enlarge their knowledge of the alien very much. The primary law had not allowed the alien to share its true nature with Conor or anyone else. Kana asked him if he thought the Friend knew of the current situation. He said that the Friend almost certainly did as it appeared to have powers similar to premonition but based on a complex ability to gather data, analyze, then extrapolate the outcome. “That’s pretty scary. No wonder the prime law is so important to it,” said Richard. “Right now however I want to do some fishing and sailing. Mars is so restrictive; Kana and I are going to make an effort to enjoy Tuath.”
Over the next two months, the elders and Tuathan government pleaded for a non-violent solution to the coming conflict with Mars. The natives on Tuath outnumbered the natives on Mars. It was not necessary for Tuathans to be directly involved apart from crewing the disc ships. The Tuathans were even prepared to look at fast tracking the serum. Richard felt the days of negotiation were over and it would be better to overwhelm Mars, then negotiate afterward.
It was agreed a Tuathan fleet of twenty disc ships would blockade Mars. The Consortium would be denied access to Tuath and, until an agreement was reached, they would also be denied access to Earth. The elders were very unhappy about all this and the debate went on for months. They insisted no violence was to take place and a diplomatic solution was to found quickly. Richard doubted that Chang even wanted a diplomatic solution. As far as the board was concerned, Tuath was already in the Consortium’s hands. That being the case, what logically would be Chang’s next move? It was hoped he would do nothing until he was sure that the situation on Tuath had been resolved one way or another. Then he would oversee the serum development on Earth.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
MAY 2052
“I see little point in waiting for the Portal to open. I move we take the ultimatum to Hawk and demand he follows our time schedule.” It was a close vote but Chang got his way. He decided he would visit Earth to make sure all went smoothly. The Consortium only had one small tube ship and a lander.
Hawk had guessed this was not going to be a pleasant meeting if Chang himself was doing the negotiating.
“I am not here to negotiate, that has already been done. I am here to inform you of the new research and development schedule and to see it is implemented immediately,” said Chang.
“I am not able to comply until I receive a direct order from the President ratified by the elders.”
“They have already ratified it. All you need to do is implement it.”
“How can you possibly know if it’s been accepted? I wish to wait.”
Chang was losing his patience, he had always found Tuathans infuriating. Their lack of a sense of urgency made him aggressive and their logic was infuriating. Chang decided to call a spade a spade.
“I know because they were given little choice. It was a case of do it our way or get burned. We know you have tried to stall this serum development but it didn’t work. Now do as you are told!”
It was probable that Chang would kill to get what he wanted, but he needed the help of the Tuathans. Hawk was searching in his mind for some sort of compromise. He decided he would appear to comply while still stalling the process as much as possible.
“Very well, let me have your new schedule. We will gather the research team and explain it to them.”
“That’s better. Get them here immediately.”
“Many of them are out monitoring the released animals. Some of which have ranged a long way from New Tuath. I will send out a call to return.”
“Do it! In the meantime show my people to their accommodation.”
Hawk had already bought two days, how long he could keep this up was hard to judge. The new schedule involved assessing the original releases now, then to skip the larger mammals and go straight to releasing large primates. The primates were only allowed one year before human trials began. This from Hawk’s point of view was very risky but he was aware natives did not venerate life in quite the same way as Tuathans. He had no idea what was happening on Tuath and he would need to prepare his people for any eventuality. He was glad his family were on the coast away from New Tuath. Clover would be told to stay away, these people were unstable; he didn’t need an empath to tell him that. Hawk briefed his research staff on the need to work slowly. The field team returned and the data was analysed carefully. Chang was constantly interfering so Hawk made sure work stopped while detailed explanations were given.
Chang spent most of his time at the embassy reinforcing the perception that it too was as much a Consortium facility as Mars was. The councillors at the embassy offered no resistance. He put in place plans for the re-establishment of those on Mars and planned to not rely on Tuath to transport them but to use his tube ships, once they returned.
December came, and the first releases were declared successful. The primates were given the serum and were placed in confinement until the researc
h team were confident they were showing no symptoms. Hawk had told them not to release the primates until after the Portal had opened and he had received communication from Tuath.
In January, the portal opened and twenty disc ship poured out and headed for Mars. Hawk received a message that he was to accept no orders from the Consortium. That diplomacy had broken down and the fleet was manned by colonists seeking to subdue the Consortium on Mars. Hawk was quick to relay this message to Chang at the embassy, which he did with a sense of satisfaction. Chang sent orders for the defence of the Mars facility. He was in possession of the only armed tube ship in operation. He rapidly embarked for Mars immediately and managed to get there ahead of the Tuathan fleet. He went in the lander to the surface to take command of the situation. The fleet arrived and wasted no time: firstly they tried to board the tube ship, but it took evasive action then fired on the nearest disc ship. It launched a group of three missiles, only one of which connected with its target. It then headed for Earth apparently abandoning the Martian colony. The commander of the disc fleet, A Tuathan named Brand called on the Consortium to cease fire and negotiate. More missiles were fired from the surface and one disc ship was destroyed. Brand was completely incapable of dealing with such aggression and ordered the fleet to retreat. Meanwhile the majority of the fleet’s crew, who were natives, were close to mutiny. It was obvious the Tuathans had no intention of defending themselves except by retreating. It was also obvious the tube ship heading for Earth must be pursued and destroyed. Arguments broke out that lost precious time. On Mars Chang had ordered all defensive positions to aim to kill and fire at every opportunity.
Brand eventually accepted a compromise. He would stay with six ships and repair the crippled ship. Three ships set off to pursue the Consortium ship to Earth under native control. The remaining ten ships would attack the Mars base and seek to negotiate if possible. As they approached Mars, they received a message. “Surrender or New Tuath will be destroyed.” The native commander of the fleet knew that although the tube ship would not have reached New Tuath it was probable it would get there before it could be stopped. It was a stand-off: he had the fire power to obliterate Mars. The few Tuathans aboard the fleet were protesting strongly. They stopped in deep orbit above Mars and procrastinated; in doing so they played into Chang’s hands. Surface-to-space missiles were launched in large numbers. The commander saw the danger, raised shields and retreated as fast as possible. They lost another three ships.
The tube ship arrived above New Tuath weapons primed and awaited the order. Chang had seen the Tuathans run twice, they did not have the ability to fight. He had called their bluff and won, now was the time to take New Tuath by force and extract the serum from them. He ordered a surgical strike, a demonstration of their intention to use force followed by a call for surrender. The tube ship fired one missile into a water-treatment plant and another into a hydroponics farm. Hawk ordered everyone to evacuate the city and head for the coast. He was confident the research area would not be harmed and gathered his key personnel there. He did not immediately send his surrender, instead he watched his screen coldly as a third missile was launched. It was aimed at a factory complex. Hopefully, most of the inhabitant would have left. The AI said disc ships were approaching and that the tube ship was repositioning itself to fire on them. Hawk was holding his breath. The screen lit up and the AI announced the disc ships had destroyed the aggressor. Hawk was in bewilderment, Tuathans could not use aggression. Disc ships are unarmed. He contacted the disc ships.
The commander of the disc ships explained the situation then requested Hawk to send a message to the Consortium on Mars, telling them their ship was destroyed and they were to surrender to the now native-led force. Hawk did this, then ordered everyone to return to put out the fires in New Tuath that were currently out of control.
On Mars, Chang watched his screens as the Tuathan fleet returned for a third time. “The fools! What do they hope to gain, martyrdom?” The message from Earth did not arrive until after the missiles from the disc ships had been fired. Chang stood numbly staring at the missiles approaching as the call for him to surrender came from Hawk on New Tuath. The Consortium had also opened fire, but Chang knew it would be for the last time ever; they were after all a sitting target, defence shields either Tuathan or those of the Consortium had little effect against large, high-speed missiles. The missiles ripped into the Consortium base rendering it defenceless. All that could be done was to fight the fires, secure the airlocks and surrender. Chang had died in the control centre, bewildered; it had been a case of the best laid plans of mice and men. The control centre had been a prime target. Most of the board members had been there also. There was now no leadership: chaos reigned and survival was the priority, someone sent a surrender message followed three minutes later by a plea for assistance. The disc ships hovered above the complex transporting wounded as fast as they could. Brand brought his ships to assist.
At New Tuath the small fleet left, as they were unable to assist due to being susceptible to the Plague. They went straight to the embassy where temporary martial law was proclaimed. There would follow over the next six months a weeding out of Consortium people and terminating in an election based on more liberal (Tuathan) policies.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
OCTOBER 2052
Conor was swimming in a nearby creek and got a shock when he saw who was sitting on the grassy bank. The Friend waved to him and Conor swam towards him. The Friend wrapped a towel around him and asked if the water was cold. It was such a normal very human gesture that Conor was surprised by it. It reminded him that underneath all the differences there was a strong commonality, a simplicity in all living things that was at the core of life.
“Have you come to give me another lesson? I have improved and expanded my talents since we last talked.” Conor was excited to see the Friend again and wanted more insights.
“Oh, I’m sure you have Conor, but I have come to tell you it is time and to be prepared to start a new phase in your life.”
“What is going to happen, how will I know what to do?”
“When the Portal opens, you will feel the need to go. It is already a part of your nature. Just do what comes naturally. We will see each other on Earth.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
JANUARY 2053. THE END OF THE
BEGINNING
A depleted fleet came back. Widows and children wept. Tuath mourned, it had been such a long time since natives had spilt their blood. An old wound had been opened, old stories took on a fresh meaning. The natives on Tuath felt ashamed even though they had protected the innocent. They were truly becoming Tuathan. Violence was still in their soul but it made them physically sick, many needed extensive help with the trauma. Justifications didn’t seem to work. Forgiveness, acts of contrition were needed but who was qualified to give absolution? The Friend would only refuse to be involved, it never pretended to have the power to wash away sins although it sometimes judged and condemned. Conor had pondered this at length lately seeing the soon-to-be widows and orphans waiting for those who would not return.
Conor had to talk seriously to his parents. Mark and Jade had been preoccupied with events but not so much they didn’t realise their son was dealing with something they could only guess at.
“The Friend visited me and told me I was to be prepared to go to Earth when the Portal opens next. Apparently it’s something I will feel compelled to do. I would like your good wishes for this.”
Mark looked at Conor with compassion, “Son, we both understood your path in life would be an unusual one. One that we may not be able to fully comprehend. The Friend has attempted to guide you sincerely and we are grateful for that. You will always have our best wishes, you do not need to ask for that. You are very young but we cannot judge you by that. The time has come you must follow your own path.”
Once the Portal opened and the news reached Tuath, Conor was already on a disc ship at Gateway waiting. He had asked th
e elders also for their approval and help. They had been following his education and development closely and granted his request after talking to his parents.
The bond between the Tuathan natives and the Tuathans gained strength through this conflict. There was no doubt as to the loyalties of the colonists or their aspirations for a future of full integration between the two races. The Tuathans were also impressed by the psychological damage that having to involve themselves in violence had caused the natives; it was far beyond their expectations. Harmony and peace pervaded life on Tuath and it was proving to be highly addictive.
Conor was excited, he was being allowed a disc ship and crew to take him wherever he wanted to go. It was a teenage dream, but he knew there were expectations of him. He had decided to go to Mars first and see the damage. Less than 100, 000 people were now living on the planet. They were slowly rebuilding. New Tuath was now the governing centre but that was temporary. The administrative centre on Ireland was destined to take over. Lough’s dreams were coming to fruition. Galway was to become a large, thriving city again. It would literally become the centre of the Solar System. It was to be allowed to grow to be a city of two million people. This was to be a mega city by Tuathan standards. Lough had never bonded with a female for more than a year at a time. There was always a void in his life. Galway had filled that void, he loved it and was determined to make it beautiful. It was to be his life’s work, his grand and probably final opus. He had already chosen a place to spend the last thirty or forty years of his life. Tuathans who had first arrived at New Tuath had experienced homesickness for Tuath, but Galway, ah, yes that was to be something totally different, that was to be a real triumphant homecoming for the exiles from the stars. The most recent migrants had come straight to Galway and Lough was with them. He was instructed to develop the first truly planetary government on Earth. He would be negotiating with the natives in the embassy a new deal. The development of the serum would go along at the original pace and would possibly mean another twelve years before natives were trialled and declared free to walk under Earth’s skies, again.
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