by Jason Hutt
Cillian tapped on his desktop and an image appeared in the air to his right showing withered, decaying corn plants. The next image showed another dying field of wheat.
“The latest batches of seeds from the Conglomerate have failed,” Cillian said, “We’ve got our biologists studying them and we don’t think the problem is on our end. Of course, if we could get some of the damned Conglomerate folks here we could show it to them.”
He hesitated, staring at his clasped hands. His fists shook slightly.
“That’s not all though. We have reports of a cholera outbreak in Mannheim and…something else. We don’t know what it is. We’ve lost two dozen people in the last two weeks. We haven’t been able to isolate it. We can’t tell if it’s coming from the air, the water, or the soil. We just don’t know.”
He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and rubbed his hand over his thinning, close-cropped hair. He stared vacantly at something Maria couldn’t see.
“I hate these damned things,” Cillian said, “I feel like I’m talking to myself. Anyway, word from the inspectors is that for now we’re staying on the watch list. I’ve heard though that we’re real close to being declared non-viable.”
He shook his head.
“I can’t believe it. Demeter…our home…Maria, we could lose the whole damn colony. It won’t take much.”
The message ended there and the projection dissolved. Maria’s chair swiveled back around and she saw that the car had just reached the outskirts of the city. Long rectangular, modular shelters stretched for several miles. The landscape was dotted with the dark grays and rusted tans of what were intended to be temporary living quarters. A steady stream of people were coming out of the shelters and making their way towards small landing pads, where large crowds stood along the pad’s perimeter fence. Of the several hundred that lined the fences, only a small handful were allowed onto the platform and on-board the waiting work buses.
“Reply to Cillian,” Maria said, “I’m sorry to hear about the outbreak. I’ll put in another request for help. If I have to, I’ll drag a few of the docs with me when I come out. Hang in there. We’ll get through this. We’ve survived worse. Stay strong. I’m doing everything I can.”
The words sounded trite in her ears. She was still chewing on the inside of her lip when her aircar finally descended onto the Senate Building’s landing platform.
Maria stood facing the window in Senator Hunter Graham’s office as she cradled a drink in her hands. She took a gulp and grimaced at the unpleasant burn as the scotch made its way down her throat. She wrinkled her nose at the small bit that was still left in her glass. She could feel the eyes of the room’s other occupants burning into her back.
“What do you say, Maria? Can we count on your support?”
She turned away from the window and looked at the balding man whose office this was. He looked up at her, holding a quarter full glass of scotch inches from his lips, ready for a celebratory drink.
“I don’t know, Hunter,” she said, “With what you’re asking for with this, I don’t know that I can support it.”
“Come on, Maria,” Hunter pleaded, “I cannot overstate how important this is. It could, well, it could set us both up for a long time to come.”
“I know what you’re after here, Hunter. Pass this, you secure the support of the Conglomerate, the military, and you’ve got an easy path to nomination in next year’s election,” Maria said.
Hunter Graham, her senior in experience by a decade, looked up at her with a sly smile.
“Come on Maria, the music is playing. Why don’t you join me on the dance floor?” Hunter asked. “What can I get you that would make you weak in the knees?”
All eyes were once again on her. Admiral Kersey, the round, little cannonball of a man, stared at her like a vulture waiting for the lion to finish its turn at the carcass. Sanjay Arresh, the Conglomerate’s top lobbyist, stood leaning against the far wall.
“I need emergency aid for Demeter,” she said, “An injection of capital, food, medical supplies, nano-assemblers.”
“That’s chicken scratch, Maria. What’s your real game?”
“Long term reforms – xenobiology and genetic engineering – plus a Conglomerate research facility or other subsidiary relocated to Demeter and some of the other outer colonies.”
Sanjay arched an eyebrow at her. “That’ll take some arm-twisting. I’m not sure that’s on the table.”
“Well, now, just hold on a second,” Hunter said, “Let’s not toss on a bucket of cold water just as the fire’s getting’ warm. I bet we can work something out. Those kind of reforms don’t come cheap, though. I want a fair trade.”
“Such as?” Maria asked.
“A public show of support from you and your bloc on the Family Planning Act reforms. A couple interviews, a favorable hearing, and a couple of public appearances in support.”
Maria nodded and put her glass down on the table. She leaned back against the window. From Hunter’s office she could see the Capitol steps. A small crowd had gathered. Maria couldn’t make out the words on their protest signs.
“Why, gentlemen, I think we need to sweeten our offer. Senator Cahill needs to be committed to this little endeavor,” Hunter said, placing his empty glass on the table. “Why don’t you tell us what your real heart’s desire is, Maria? Why, I do believe, there’s something just a touch more close to home, isn’t there? Something that would put you on the lead horse in this charge.”
Maria stayed silent.
“Come on, Maria. Don’t be coy with me. I know the name as well as you do.”
“Cabot,” Maria said.
Hunter smiled wide. “Now there it is, boys. The cherry on top of the sundae. Maxime Cabot -wanted for the murder of over 1000 people in the terrorist attack on Nexus Station as well as the man responsible for the death of your son and the disgrace of your husband.”
Maria nodded.
“Tell me, boys, is that something we can do?”
Admiral Kersey leaned forward and said, “We’re closing in on him as we speak. Sprung our trap today. We’ve got these sonsabitches.”
“Our new delta seven interceptors will be more than up to the task,” Sanjay said, “They’re the best the Conglomerate has to offer, completely top of the line. There is no faster ship in production anywhere in the Republic.”
The Admiral chuckled. “Pretty damn proud of that thing myself. My boys tell me-”
“Admiral, don’t get yourself too excited,” Maria interrupted, “Can you catch him?”
The Admiral stammered in his response. “We’ll have him, Senator. I promise you. The operation is already under way.”
“I’ve heard that before,” she said with a fierce look of disapproval as she locked eyes with the Admiral and then his Conglomerate lackey. “Somehow, he always manages to slip through your fingers.”
The Admiral’s lips pulled into a malicious sneer. “We’ve infiltrated his network. For the first time in the better part of a decade, he’s been compromised. His days of running children are coming to an end. I guarantee that.”
The Marshall Conglomerate representative took a step forward from the wall. “That task force has tech that no one’s ever seen used in the field. Cabot’s people won’t know what hit them.”
“I’ve heard that before, too,” Maria said, “Yet somehow, Cabot still owns the only ship in the Republic that can jump through a wormhole without the assistance of a jump beacon.”
“We’re getting close.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Your trillions of dollars and teams of top scientists were outpaced by a lunatic in the desert of a dead world.”
“We…”
“I think you’re being a little harsh, Senator,” the Admiral said with a frown.
“Your son didn’t die that day on Dust, Admiral,” Maria said, staring at him, “Mine did.”
“We’ll catch him,” the Admiral said.
“When you do,” she sa
id turning her attention back to Hunter, “Then you will have my support. Bring me Max Cabot and I’ll support whatever you want.”
Hunter Graham smiled.
“You drive a hard bargain, Maria,” Hunter said, emptying his glass.
Maria simply nodded in reply. She turned back to the window as she clasped her hands behind her back. Another twenty or so people seemed to have joined the protest on the steps.
***
Hannah Cabot lay on her bunk amidst a small array of trinkets. She touched a small silver disk, the room lights faded, and she was staring up into a field of stars. The reds and yellows of an unfamiliar nebula dominated the view.
She held up her hand, flicked her wrist and the projection spun with dizzying quickness. She flattened her palm and the projection froze. She drew her hand closer and the image zoomed in on a planetary system that orbited a trio of red dwarf stars. Hannah searched the depths of her memory for the system’s name, but it wouldn’t come.
A chime interrupted her thoughts and her room door slid open.
“Hannah,” her mom, Sharon, called out, “You’re late for class. You need to get going.”
“What’s the point?” Hannah said with a sigh.
“Really?” Sharon asked. “We’re going to do this again?”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Yes, mom. We will do this again. For as long as I’m here and can’t go anywhere else. For as long as I’m stranded on this hideaway, we’re going to do this. Don’t you ever want to leave this place? To go somewhere, anywhere else?”
Sharon’s shoulders slumped.
“I’m sorry, mom. It’s not your fault. I just get tired of staring at these rock walls every day. I want a normal life. I want to go to these places we study.”
Sharon sat down on the bunk next to her and stared at the array of planets that floated around the room.
“You have your father’s wanderlust,” she said, “He could never stay in one place too long. Drove him crazy to not be out there.”
Hannah sat up and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees.
“So, let me go on a supply run? It doesn’t have to be with Max. I’m happy to go with Locke or Moreau. I’ve been stuck in this hole in the rock for ten years; I need to get out of here.”
Sharon smirked. “They’d be more than happy to have you in close quarters with them for two weeks.”
“I can take care of myself,” Hannah protested.
“I know,” Sharon said, “But it’s too risky. If something goes wrong and the Republic picks you up, that’ll be the end of your life.”
“So, I’m just supposed to rot away, live my life in hiding every day for the rest of my life, always afraid that the Republic will pop up and drag me away. All because I don’t have a chip in my neck? All because my life wasn’t approved by some committee on the other side of the galaxy? Because I’m a clone of a girl who died twenty years ago?”
Sharon closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. You shouldn’t be sorry at all. They’re the ones who should be sorry. Let me live my life. It’s not like I’m going to go out and murder people by the thousands. I just want to visit the Grand Falls of Sin Vega or go to Earth and see the Grand Canyon or take an expedition to the top of Olympus Mons.”
Hannah sat in silence. She resisted the urge to scream it wasn’t fair. But she heard her mother’s voice in her head; fair wasn’t a part of the equation at this point. Understanding that didn’t make her any less frustrated.
“Someday, I’m going to go to those places,” Hannah said.
“I know you will,” Sharon said with a weak smile.
Hannah shook her head in frustration. She stood and grabbed the thick staff that leaned against the doorframe.
“I guess I’ll go take out my frustrations in class.”
Sharon’s smile broadened. “Just try not to break any of the bones of your classmates.”
“No promises,” Hannah said as she marched out.
Chapter 2
When the Guardian broke through the holographic forest canopy that gave the colony’s landing field some cover from the prying eyes of the Republic, Max felt a slight bit of tension release from his shoulders and his eyelids drooped. The small landing field was crowded with three other ships packed in tight. Max let the computer set the ship down and rubbed his hands against the all-white stubble that covered his cheeks.
A couple of guards emerged from the yawning cave that marked the entrance into their subterranean accommodations. They raced towards the ship as soon as it set down, flanking the boarding ramp. Max stepped into the passenger section, with its row after row of seats, and watched as his weary passengers slowly stood and stretched. The little girl looked up at him with a yawn. Max locked eyes with her, but quickly looked away. He coughed to let them know he was there.
“Where are we?” Adderman asked.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Max said.
The young man looked at Max quizzically.
Max frowned. “My pick-ups don’t normally end with me being chased by Republic Navy forces. Until I can find out what happened to Eleanor and why, you stay in the custody of our local law officers.”
“What? You can’t do this to us! Look my wife is eight months in; I didn’t pay you to lock us up in a cell.”
“You paid me to get you out of there,” Max said, “To smuggle out your family and your unborn child. I did that, but I also didn’t expect to lose contact with my friend. Now, we’re not barbarians here so you’ll be cared for, but you are going to sit tight for a while.”
Max nodded to Reggie who lowered the ramp. Adderman stood still, lips pursed, staring at Max. Max arched his eyebrows and waited. Eventually, the young man shook his head and took his daughter’s hand.
The little girl kept her eyes locked on Max as they walked down the aisle. A shiver went down Max’s spine as she gave him a slight smile.
Max went down the ramp after the very pregnant wife did and watched as they were led into the colony by the two guards. Mayor Victor Chen emerged from the cave entrance and slowly walked up to him; Chen’s eyes studied Max’s face.
“I need a drink,” Max said.
“I hear that was a close one, Max,” Chen said in greeting. He stuck out his hand and Max shook it firmly.
Max managed a half-hearted smile. “Too close, Victor. I’m worried about Eleanor. I think she’s in trouble.”
Victor took a long, slow deep breath. The air of the plateau was filled with the sweet smell of the wildflowers that lined the far edge of the field. Victor turned his head towards the sunlight that filtered through the projection and momentarily absorbed its warmth.
Max had watched Victor go through this little ritual every time he stepped out of their rocky enclave. Victor spent too much of his time hunched behind his desk, tending to the administrative matters that arose through the care of so many children the Republic never wanted. He seemed to soak in their surroundings, bask in the relative lack of human touch on this world, and recharge his personal jump drive.
Max looked out to the line of tall trees that towered above the sides of the plateau.
“How many pick-ups is this for you, Max?” Chen asked.
“Hard to remember,” Max said as he scratched the back of his head. “Two hundred, maybe more, and requests keep flooding in.”
“Two hundred families that you’ve smuggled to safe harbor either to here or elsewhere and this is the closest the Republic’s ever come to tracking you down.”
Max nodded.
“Well, we’ll keep an eye on the newsfeeds. See what we can find out. We’ll also run their chips,” Victor said, nodding towards the family currently under escort, “And see what we can get with a deeper background check. It’s possible the Republic just got lucky.”
“I don’t think so, Victor,” Max said, “I think they were waiting for me.”
Victor rubbed his chin. “Any cha
nce they got to Eleanor before you arrived? That this was all a setup?”
“Not a chance,” he said with a little more anger than he intended.
Victor raised his arms. “Easy, Max. We haven’t survived like this for ten years without being a bit cautious.”
Max nodded. He took a deep breath and let some of the anger drain away. “I know. Let’s keep an eye on these three just to be sure. There’s something about them…”
“Why didn’t you just leave them?” Victor asked with a nod of his head toward the newcomers.
Max stared at the ground and scratched at the back of his head. “There’s something about the little girl. Something in her eyes. She reminded me of…of her.” Max looked up and focused his gaze on a group of young men and women on the far side of the plateau. They were a group of roughly twenty kids, mostly teens and some in their twenties, all focused on a wiry, bare-chested, middle-aged man holding a four foot staff. In response to an unheard command, the students moved their staffs to a ready position.
Victor shuffled his feet as Max stared at the group. “Why don’t you go on over and say hello?”
Max let out a little laugh as he shook his head.
“Someday, Max, you’re going to have to either let her go completely or actually be a part of her life.”
“Sharon’s made it pretty clear that’s not an option,” Max said.
“I don’t think that’s really her choice,” Victor said, “Hannah will decide that on her own; her mother won’t be there forever to step between you two.”
“What would you like me to do, Victor? Walk up to her and say, ‘I’m sorry, Hannah, but you freak me out because you’re the clone of my dead daughter and you look and act just like her. I’m sorry I haven’t been a part of your life for the last eighteen years, but I’d like to be your father now.’”
Victor sighed and said, “Well, that wouldn’t be quite how I’d put it, but something along those lines.”
Max rolled his eyes and shook his head. “What are they doing over there anyway?”
“Doctor Leigh thought it would be a good idea to start teaching the older kids some self-defense. They’re out there practicing every couple of days.”