by Letts,Jason
Refusing a discussion seemed a faulty move when he had a right to the authority and a just argument behind his intentions for it.
“Release the door locks,” Loris said to Lopez.
A moment later the door slid open and Iotache walked in empty-handed. He had the Unified uniform on and his white hair was still perfectly combed. For all the running Loris had done, Iotache hadn’t seemed to exert himself for a second.
“I’m glad we could keep this civil,” Iotache said, coming around one of the control consoles to the open space in the center of the room. Loris, Panic, and Lopez eyed him warily.
“From what I heard I was to be ambushed in the pinnacle conference room and eliminated. Do you deny it? That doesn’t sound civil to me,” Loris said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“It’s always been on you how much of a fight you put up,” Iotache said.
“That doesn’t speak well for your argument if you assumed you could only win it with the end of a gun. Maybe you should get moving to the detention center now and find yourself a comfortable cell.”
Iotache feigned a polite smile.
“It wouldn’t matter if I did. Once what I’ve told the senior staff gets out to the entire station population, there will be people hounding you at your heels every second of the day to give up your position. Things have changed since the destruction of Earth. There’s a new reality we have to face that makes the preservation of the species the top priority, not plunging headfirst into the midst of an enemy we don’t know for the sake of revenge.”
“You made this argument when I first came on board, and it’s as vacant of logic now as it was then. We couldn’t ask for better tools to strike back with. Besides, don’t pretend that your scheming is part of some revelation you had after the explosion. Stayed can tell us all about how long you’ve been angling for control of the Magellan,” Loris said.
At this, Iotache nodded his head.
“A fair point. I don’t pretend my attempts were honorable before, but it goes to show that the difference between a righteous cause and an ignominious one is just a matter of circumstances.”
“What could possibly justify such a naked power grab?”
Iotache pursed his lips and took a step closer to them. He clasped his wrist as his arms hung.
“The fate of mankind has always been best placed in the hands of those who know the most. There are so many discoveries that Unified scientists and scouts made about the universe, things that were too sensitive or too mysterious to even record in the archives. I alone know them. But beyond that, Unified had scandals and cover-ups that have come to bear heavily on our present situation.”
Loris peered at the old man, wondering if he had suggested that Unified played some part in the explosion.
“What are you saying?” Loris asked. His guess couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Out in the galaxy there exists a secret colony of humans.”
CHAPTER 9
“We don’t have time for this.”
Loris had managed a feat he never believed possible. Usually emotionless to the point of appearing vacant, Riki Lala now displayed an unmistakable feeling. That feeling was annoyance, and it made her thin arms twitch ever so slightly as they sat together with a few others from the scientific research team at their chip table.
“We have all the time in the world,” Loris said.
“Which world are you talking about? Ours has already run out of time,” she said.
Loris marveled that annoyed Lala had the capability of cracking jokes. But he was right. Since relinquishing his position and control of the station, they’d spent nearly four months with nothing to do as they continued hurtling through space toward their destination, which surprisingly was only a slight tangent from their previous course. Since abdicating, Loris took on Iotache’s role as Chief Meandering Nuisance, though officially he had been demoted back to Fleet Captain.
“Is there anything you can tell me about the atmosphere and the terrain?”
Lala’s eyes rolled back so far it was like she was trying to hide inside her body.
“If I answer three questions, will you go away?”
“You’ve got a deal,” he said, rubbing his hands together and leaning closer to the table. In an instant, he’d pulled up a model of the system before them based on the most recent data gathered by the station’s systems. In what seemed to require monumental effort, Lala shifted her eyes to look at it.
“This planet is even smaller than the moon but has an atmospheric density comparable to Earth’s. The key difference is that instead of oxygen they have methane. As a result, there’s no liquid water on the planet. It’s actually very similar to the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, which has liquid pools of ethane and methane. The lifeforms there must breathe methane and presumably have it in liquid form running in their veins.”
Loris had his hand covering his mouth, nodding. Because of the planet’s size, these were details that were impossible to acquire from farther out.
“And now what do you think the best approach would be? What’s interesting to me is that the planet is in between a failing sun and a gaseous cloud resembling a small nebula. If we made our approach around the sun, we might benefit from some electromagnetic interference. If we came through the nebula it might give us cover if they’re using spectrographic radars,” Loris said.
He drew two hypothetical approach routes on the model and stood up to follow them closely toward the planet’s surface.
“Based on what we’ve learned so far, it’s impossible to tell what technology they have developed for space travel, let alone their methods of detection. We don’t even know if there’s anything orbiting the planet and wouldn’t be able to learn more without being in close proximity. I’m afraid I can’t help you much with this one,” she said, sounding happy about it.
“I’d have to go with my gut then. I’d approach for the attack through the nebula, which might make for a better escape route.”
Suddenly one of the other researchers at the table spoke up.
“Why are you even still planning an attack on a planet we’re no longer going to?” he asked. “It doesn’t make sense. You’re just wasting time we could be spending analyzing the planet we’re actually going to, the one with people on it.”
Loris scoffed at him.
“The only information you’re going to get about that planet, short of how many comets fly by each century, that you don’t already have is from Armand Iotache, and he’s not saying a thing. He won’t tell us how many people are there, what they have, who they are, or how they got there. Doesn’t that seem a little strange to you?”
“Yes, it does. Aha! That’s your third question. You’ll find the door around the corner and to your left,” Lala said, grinning and with her hands on the table. Loris lowered his eyes at her and shook his head.
“They must be Unified defectors, but I can’t find anything in the archives. For a real colony, there would be missing ships, supplies, people. There would’ve been records of them passing through the planetary shield or at least a takeoff log. Why would anyone forsake the most tolerant, effective governing institution in the history of humanity?” the man said.
A female researcher at the table shook her head.
“Can we talk about the real issue? Getting to this colony was Iotache’s plan all along, and he was going to steal a space station to get there against the will of over a thousand passengers. He was going to stage a coup and hijack a space station!” she said, throwing her arms in the air.
“She’s on to something,” Loris said to Lala.
“Of course she is. She’s part of my staff,” Lala said. “But I find it worthless to analyze whether people should or shouldn’t have done this or that. Do you know what you get when you combine science and ethics? Synthetics.”
“That’s clever,” Loris said, his eyes widening. He’d have to find a way to infuriate her again later for the sheer entertainment value of it
.
“She’s right,” the female researcher went on, “but it doesn’t make me sleep easy knowing that the person we’ve put in charge attempted to kidnap me along with everyone else on this vessel. And no, Captain Roderick, that doesn’t mean I think we’d be better off with you and your plan to swoop in on an unknown planet with guns blazing.”
“What is your name?” Loris asked, intrigued despite getting snubbed at the end.
“Hicox,” she said.
“I’ve been relatively offended that you’ve spent so much time around here and haven’t bothered to even learn our names,” the man said. “Do you want to know mine too?”
“Not really,” Loris said. “What I’d like to do is ask my third question.”
“Shoot,” Lala said, and Loris opened his mouth to ask a question. “No, I mean that literally. Do I seem like the kind of person who engages in euphemisms to you? Someone please shoot me.”
“What about the probe picked up from Unified command? Have you learned any more about that?”
“As a matter of fact, I have,” she said. “While the compounds are still completely foreign to us and attempts to analyze them have been unsuccessful, we did notice something peculiar when checking for signs of emissions. While we thought this was basically a rock launched out into space, it does emit microwaves at an extremely low frequency. So it is communicating at some level even now.”
Loris raised his eyebrows.
“Do you mean to say that this probe is still relaying information back to the life forms who sent it? That could mean they might be able to detect our position and attack again.”
“I only agreed to three questions, but considering there’s no bomb on the ship and the microwaves have very little capacity for transmitting information. I think it’s unlikely we’re a target. Now if you don’t mind, we should really get to more pressing matters before someone important comes in here and catches us goofing off with a model of Detonus.”
Acquiescing, Loris got up from his seat and waved goodbye to Hicox and the guy whose name he didn’t want to know.
“No one would ever accuse you of goofing off, Chief Lala,” he said. The breath she took as he left his chair couldn’t have contained more delight if she were having an orgasm. Considering she’d been so accommodating by answering a fourth question, Loris decided a reward was in order. As he walked by, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
The walls were supposed to be soundproof, but even people in the hall jumped when she screamed.
A week later the Magellan slowed to a halt and took a high orbit around the planet housing the secret colony. All of the station’s occupants rushed to the bay windows and were delighted by the sight of a planet so vibrant and beautiful that it made Earth look desolate in comparison. Every land mass seemed to be bursting with green, and the seas were like blue sapphires. After six months of space travel, it was hard not to be entranced by the promise of such a stunning new home.
Loris had been assigned to join the first envoy departing for the planet aboard the Hudson. Fifty others gathered at the docking bay, creating a buzz of excitement in the air that Loris couldn’t help but share. To his surprise, he spotted Stayed in the group. It had been the first time he’d seen the ex-commander since the takeover. All this time, Loris had wondered if Stayed had been killed, but he appeared to be in better shape than he was when Loris broke him out of solitary confinement.
It wasn’t until they’d all boarded and strapped into their seats that they finally saw Armand Iotache, who wandered back into the cabin to join them. Looking out at the passengers with a grin, he held a bar attached to the ceiling and leaned his head against his arm.
“Some words of advice. When you exit this ship, you need to treat the people you meet as you would an entirely foreign culture. The Unified society you knew doesn’t exist here, in fact what you’ll find might seem like quite the opposite. Don’t ask them where they came from or why they’re here. All you need to know is that this is their planet, they’ve been here for five years, and without the benefit of Corinna Roderick’s light engines it took them more than twice that to get here,” he said, glancing sidelong at Loris.
Iotache took his seat as the Hudson detached from the station. The ride through space and into the atmosphere was comfortable, so much like it had been coming and going from Earth. Through a window and on a monitor displaying images of the surface below, Loris tried and failed to catch a glimpse of structures or any evidence at all that a civilization existed here. Even as they closed in on a clearing and were able to peer through gaps in the vegetation, he couldn’t even see any signs of whatever ships had brought them here.
Only when the Hudson touched down could they see a few people had gathered near the edge of the forest to watch them land.
Iotache got up first and signaled that the large port door in the rear of the ship be opened. His grin had grown into a beaming smile.
“My brothers and sisters, it’s the great honor of my life to welcome you to the planet Nova.”
Already moist and muggy air drifted in from behind them, which was a surprise considering they had landed at a high latitude. As he got up from his seat and reached for his bag, Loris wondered if there was any ice to be found on Nova at all. Those behind him began to exit, but a hand fell on Loris’s shoulder before he could move. He jerked his head back to find Iotache holding him. They remained there in silence until the rest of the cabin had emptied.
“Let’s put the unpleasant past behind us,” he said. “And in that spirit, I’ll say you should leave your name, even your first name, and all mention of your mother behind. It would mean trouble for you, and you’d be better off creating something new to call yourself.”
“What? Why?” Loris asked.
“Now, come on,” Iotache said, his grip on Loris’s shoulder turning to a push.
They descended the ramp and took their first steps on the soft, mossy ground. The warmth reminded Loris of how it was on the Magellan before they fixed the temperature regulator. They joined the other passengers, who were standing across from a man and women who were wearing clothes fashioned out of what appeared to be some kind of tree bark, animal skins, and bright orange feathers. The man had graying hair and carried a tall walking stick with him.
When the man spotted Iotache, a hearty chuckle escaped from his lips. He bumped into the woman on his left, who smiled.
“Old man, you look older! And you’re late! We were expecting you months ago,” he hollered.
Iotache took a few steps into the gap between them.
“Young man is starting to look old himself. I would’ve been here sooner, but someone blew the Earth up.”
The man laughed again, louder and with more force.
“It’s about time. That place was in a sorry state when we left. Better to just wipe it away!”
“No, it’s not a joke. The Earth is gone, destroyed by an explosive planted near the core by alien life forms.”
The man’s laughter cut short and was replaced by a disturbed expression. He cleared his throat and looked around.
“Alright then. I guess you’re stuck with us,” he said, stepping forward and waving with his staff. “Call me Gallow, and this is Kid and Erina. You’re standing on Nova. It’s an unspoiled land, and unlike Earth we plan to keep it that way forever and with no exceptions. That means no exploited ground, no unchecked scientific development, no rampant population growth, no mass extinctions, though to be honest there are a few critters around here we may need to do something about.
“But the point is we’re trying to start over and live in harmony with our surroundings, as we were meant to. The ships that brought us here have been destroyed. Once we’re done stripping these flying travesties of nature of their supplies, including that station up there, we’ll destroy them too. That’s the price of admission, and if I’m hearing correctly, you don’t have much other choice in the matter.
“We know that giving up te
chnology will be difficult for many of you, but you’ll learn that Nova provides for us all. But casting away your gadgets is just the beginning. The first thing you’ll do here, other than pitch a tent, is to stitch yourself some clothing. Then you’ll burn what you’re wearing and anything else that you brought.
“Oh, and for law around here all we have are common sense rules. If you hurt anyone else, you’ll be punished. If you subvert our society in any way, you’ll wish you hadn’t. I promise you that.”
Gallow came forward and extended a hand to Iotache, who didn’t hesitate to shake it.
“This is an opportunity to live out our lives in peace and build a better civilization,” he said to the crowd.
“Let’s get over to the encampment,” Gallow said, turning to lead the way into the thick brush with the two women at his side. While the forest had a thick canopy that cast everything below in deep shadow, the sound of gurgling streams and the occasional glimpse of unfamiliar creatures made the journey light and interesting.
The walk also afforded plenty of time for Loris to ponder the tension he felt at giving up the life and technology he knew. No more adrenaline coursing through his veins while he chased down an enemy ship in a fighter. Being a leader in space is what he’d built his life on, but more than that it felt like forsaking his mother and the groundbreaking work she did that brought distant stars within reach. On Nova he was nothing and didn’t even have a name.
But then again, starting from scratch might give them something to build on. Brina felt adrift and purposeless without a home, and this could change that. She might have the time of her life helping everyone from the Magellan adjust to being assimilated into a simplified culture. Many of the current residents were still likely in need of help too.