Titan Cruel Moon

by Kate Rauner

  "What I want to do is contact Earth," Yash said.

  Fynn jerked his gaze up from his stew. "I thought no one on Earth would talk to us."

  "No one's likely to pay for communications for our colony. But there are several active comm centers on the Earth and Moon for various space missions. I'd expect an answer if we could get a signal through. And we paid the labs that designed our pods, so they weren't cheated. The Kin provide over four hundred experimental subjects. They'd love to know how their stasis system is working on humans. No doubt, they'd pay for an exchange with us."

  Yash bit an apricot in half and chewed. "So Liam, can you do that?"

  Fynn and Drew sat straighter in their chairs. The Advance Team acted as if Earth had vanished, as if contact was impossible, so this was news.

  Liam poked at his meal with a spoon. "We have data on all spacecraft currently active in the solar system and on the Mars colony. Could ping the comm frequencies they use, see if I get any response. Tyra?"

  Tyra perched on the galley counter, her heels hooked under a drawer pull. "It's not as easy as you make it sound. Earth will have antennas pointed at their spacecraft. If they're directional antennas, and they should be, they won't hear a ping off the side. Maybe as Earth and Saturn move through their orbits we'll get some favorable orientations." She squinted as she concentrated. "Earth orbits the Sun in one year, Saturn orbits in twenty-nine years. Titan circles Saturn every sixteen days, but that shouldn't matter much. I can't picture it in my head. I'll run the problem on Orpheus."

  Yash fished out another apricot and glanced casually at Liam. "So you approve? You're the Herschel's commander."

  "Sure. Makes sense."

  "It would make sense, politically, to ask the surviving Cohorts for their support," Yash said.

  "As you say."

  "I'll talk to them on the surface." Yash folded his apricot pouch. "When can we leave?"

  "With three of you, don't need the Hera's passenger berths. Take one of the other shuttles and we'll load cylinders of used stasis fluid in its cargo bay. Greta can take samples." He turned his head toward Drew. "Then you maintenance types can recover mineral salts from the fluids for the greenhouse."

  Evenings were leisure time and no one wanted to load the Hera after supper. So the next morning they secured five dozen body-sized plastic bags inside the Demeter, strapping them to the walls to leave an aisle down the center of the cargo bay. Fynn, Drew, and Yash joined Tyra on the shuttle's bridge and each slid into a harness on one of the four chairs.

  The forward monitors showed stars in a black sky as clearly as any port window would. Overhead, Fynn spotted the shadowed side of a broad, flattened cone that shielded the Herschel from its nuclear power plant, held way out front on a long support boom. "We're going to see Saturn, aren't we?"

  Tyra leaned over the wide arm of her seat, studying the display. "Absolutely. I have a shortcut set up to do just that. As soon as we clear the Herschel, I'll roll the shuttle and put the planet on the monitors."

  They drifted away from the dock and Tyra tapped her arm controls. "We see a half-Saturn today."

  The planet swung into view, a huge half-circle of bright, striated beige clouds. Titan orbited close to Saturn's equatorial plane, but was inclined enough to present the rings as ribbons across the planet's middle. It was magnificent and Fynn held his breath, forgetting about deaths and dangers for a moment.

  Chapter 14

  F ynn followed Drew out between the sagging fluid sacks and found a stevedore waiting with several pallets. A medic stood by, ready to extract samples from each sack, though Fynn doubted they could do a complete analysis with the equipment in the clinic.

  While Fynn had been on the Herschel, the four survivors from the last awakening had recovered. The Farming Cohort, Max Bauer, was a teacher at the Kin's school so Fynn knew him well. A favorite with students, he taught biology and managed the Kin's gardens in the compound on Earth. He was a good choice to lead the greenhouse crew, and Fynn wondered how long he'd known he was training his students for Titan.

  Mister Bauer's big frame slumped as he talked with Yash, maybe from stasis aftereffects, and fatigue lined his pale face. Fynn would have said hello, but his father was obviously deep in conversation with the Cohort, so Fynn walked on.

  Tyra caught up to Fynn and passed him to walk alongside Drew. Drew paused to smile at her. "Are you staying for lunch?" he asked.

  Tyra nodded brightly. "I want to visit a friend of mine." She turned to Fynn. "I think you know her. Rica Ness."

  Fynn's face warmed. "She's the electrician on my furnace crew."

  "Yeah. I know." Tyra's smile widened. She winked and bounded off toward the mess hall.

  "Seems like Tyra is trying to tell you something," Drew said. "Something about Rica."

  Fynn ducked his head while his skin cooled. "Rica's dating Casper."

  "Not that's there's any such thing as dating on Titan, but, how do you know? Did you ask her?"

  "No. I mean... they look like they're together. Besides, I'm her crew leader."

  "Then what was Tyra's wink about?"

  "Maybe it's about you, Drew."

  "If that's true, the girls shouldn't be left alone to whisper about either of us."

  Fynn looked up to see Drew's pale face flushed pink. "Then let's join them."

  ***

  Tanaka was waiting, so Yash and Max Bauer headed for the tower. Greta met them at the bottom of the stairs, and Max started up first, giving them a moment of privacy for a quick kiss. Greta took Yash's hand and tapped his sleeve pad, turning his coveralls blue. "There's no reason to antagonize the adjuncts. Everyone's wearing blue, at least when they're in the village dome."

  Magnus Alf stood on the balcony at Tanaka's door. Yash wasn't surprised to find the Security Cohort there. "Magnus. How are you feeling? It's fortunate you're alive."

  Slender where Yash was skinny, and graceful where Yash was awkward, the Cohort tilted his head by way of acknowledgment. "More fortunate for me than for you, perhaps. You'd have preferred any of the others had survived." He narrowed his pale gray eyes, watching for a reaction.

  What he said was true. On Earth and at the spaceport, the two clashed frequently.

  Magnus held the door open and Yash shifted to stand between the Cohort and Greta as she passed.

  Inside, Tanaka sat at his desk with the adjuncts behind him. Magnus moved with more assurance than most Kin showed only a week out of stasis. He took a position at Tanaka's right shoulder.

  Liam was on the screen, using a camera in the crew quarters that allowed him to sit, hands folded on the table.

  No one offered to bring more chairs, so the others stood in front of Tanaka's desk. With the death of the Medical Cohort, Greta was the ranking doctor. Max was Farming Cohort, and Yash was Chief Engineer. His heart sank. These were the Kin's surviving leaders and they were so few.

  Tanaka spoke, bringing Yash out of his thoughts. "Doctor Rupar. Tell me why so many of my Cohorts are dead."

  "I'm afraid I have no answer."

  Tanaka turned cold eyes to the screen. "Commander Westergaard. They would be alive if you had not awakened them early."

  "Would have made no difference. It's the pods that malfunctioned, on the flight to Titan or in the waking cycle, we don't know. But today or three months from now, would be the same."

  Tanaka eyes returned to Yash. "Doctor Rupar, I ask again. Why are eight Kin dead? I must have an answer."

  "I agree," Yash said. "We must have an answer. If the pods can malfunction at random, then we need to wake everyone as soon as possible. If the problem is in the awakening cycle, then they're safer asleep until we find the fault. But I'm out of my depth here. I propose we contact the stasis pod designers on Earth."

  Tanaka's expression froze. "The mongrels? No." He raised one hand as if to fend off the idea.

  "We should talk to the lab that developed the pods," Yash said. "Transmit our stasis logs to them and ask for assistance."
>
  Max arched his pale eyebrows. "I didn't think that was possible."

  "It's possible. Liam's searching for a frequency we can use."

  Tanaka pointed to the screen. "Commander, I forbid contact with Earth. Since you have nothing further of interest to add to this discussion, go unload the Gravitron. Perhaps you can accomplish that." Tanaka tapped his sleeve pad and the wall screen went blank.

  Yash took a quick breath at Liam's sudden dismissal.

  "Clearly the Cohorts died in the awakening," Tanaka said. "I viewed the bodies. They are perfectly preserved."

  "Brain activity could have ceased months ago," Greta said. "And the pods kept the bodies alive. I can't tell from my autopsies. We need help."

  Tanaka's eyes widened. "They were weak. Some genetic flaw killed them."

  "There's no basis for concluding that," Greta said.

  But Tanaka wasn't listening. "Max Bauer survived. His wife and daughter were also in that pod level and they survived. A girl only eight years old. It must be genetic. I will compare the dead Cohorts' genomes to those of us who survived and revise my studies. Yes, this is an oversight on my part, but I can correct it."

  "Even if you're right," Yash said. "That won't help us awaken the others safely."

  "No need." Tanaka smiled. "No need to worry. True Kin are strong and will survive. Those who die... We're better off without them." His eyes glowed. "Titan is already testing us. It is a hard lesson, but this moon will evolve the Kin to perfection."

  Tanaka rose. "Adjunct Maj, show my guests out. Are my Kin at lunch? I will prepare to speak to them."

  He walked toward his bedroom door and Yash shifted to block his path, to force more conversation, but Magnus grabbed his arm in an iron grip.

  Maj opened the door to the balcony. "Doctor Lund, gentlemen. If you'll wait down in the mess hall."

  Yash and Max followed Greta out. "Isn't Magnus coming?" Yash asked.

  "He moved into the tower," Greta said. "Apparently, he's an adjunct now."

  Yash heated water as they waited. He didn't expect to have time to sip a calming cup, but he needed something to do.

  Greta frowned. "You never got on well with Magnus."

  "He treats everyone as an enemy, and that made building the Herschel harder than it needed to be."

  Greta's lips tighten. "I thought you needed tight security."

  She was still upset over the secrets Yash had kept from her. Her eyes flashed a brilliant blue when she was angry, but he didn't want her glare aimed at him, so he hurried on.

  "Security, yes. No one on Earth would fund the Kin to colonize Titan, and some mongrels might have stopped us. So many planetary protection laws were passed after the Mars colony! But secrecy hurt us too. I couldn't bring vendors together or integrate dome systems for testing. Or arrange an independent evaluation of those stasis pods. Now people are dead." He sipped some water, but it was hard to swallow. He should have done a better job on Earth.

  Greta lifted her eyes to gaze at nothing in particular. She was thinking, and it gave her face a pretty, dreamy quality he noticed despite his gloom.

  "What if there's nothing wrong with the pods?" she said. "They may be functioning as intended. Don't forget the process hasn't been approved for humans. What if individual physiology is the difference?"

  "You mean, Tanaka may be right?"

  "In a way. I have each individual's medical analysis and can preserve tissue samples to examine onboard the Herschel someday, but the human body is complex. I do wish the labs that developed stasis could review my findings."

  A hum rose above the background noise of fans and pumps and Yash, along with everyone in the mess hall, looked up. The team stood and applauded.

  Tanaka was riding a flier, standing upright on its step. He maneuvered directly over them, and the flier's downdraft scattered cups and plates. Yash's sleeves flapped from his thin arms.

  "My Kin, do not worry about future awakenings." Tanaka's voice played through their ear gels. "We continue our quest to perfect humanity. Our honored martyrs, heroes of the Kin, will be laid to rest on Titan's surface, preserved forever in the cleansing cold, to inspire us and our progeny on pilgrimages throughout time."

  Yash frowned and leaned close to Greta. "Heroes? That's not what he called them inside."

  She pursed her lips, hushing him.

  "Maliah Rupar, a great daughter of the Kin, has explored our peninsula and discovered a mountain of black tar and white ice. That shall be their resting place."

  Yash searched the crowd for Maliah. She was gazing up, the flier's wash whipping tears from her amber eyes, and she raised a fist. "Kin," she shouted. "Kin, Kin, Kin." The chant spread until everyone was pumping a fist, shouting, and jumping in slow motion waves.

  ***

  In the commotion after Tanaka flew back to his tower, while everyone retrieved plates and cleaned the mess hall, Fynn and his crew hunkered at their table. They'd finished lunch and Rica warned that lingering over a second cup of tea would be condemned as self-indulgent.

  Drew sat next to Tyra. "What did Tanaka mean by pilgrimage? Vacations to view dead bodies?"

  Tyra grunted. "Nothing creepy about that."

  Drew arched his eyebrows hopefully. "How long can you stay? Sorry there's no more tea."

  Tyra stood. "I should get back to the Herschel. Maybe you'll all come up to the ship soon?" She nodded farewells and bounced off. Drew watched her pass the barracks and disappear into the dock.

  Vanja Hanssen hopped over, glaring at Tyra's back. "What's that space cadet doing here?" She smiled smugly at Drew. "We've all heard the rumors. The Herschel crew's loyalty's in question."

  Drew was indignant. "Who told you that?"

  "Some of us hear things. We deserve to hear things. Hey..." Her smile flattened. "You were talking to her."

  Drew's face flushed. "Once the labs are open, my permanent assignment's going to be in orbit. I have to keep up with the Herschel's progress."

  Vanja turned her glare to Fynn and his crew. "Why are you all sitting here, huddled off by yourselves?"

  Fynn scrambled for an answer. "We're the furnace crew. We have an afternoon's work to plan."

  Casper stared down at his hands, but Rica waved to an empty chair. "Sit with us. Talk. Listen. We've got nothing to hide."

  Vanja jerked her head, nose tilted high. "I won't be seen conspiring in a corner." She walked stiffly away.

  Rica moved her mouth a few times before words came out. "Well, she just doesn't make any sense."

  Drew hung his head. "Maybe I should join the rest of the maintenance crew." Shoulders hunched, he crept away.

  Casper bit his lip. "Should we sit with our barracks units?"

  Rica flipped her fading curls. "I'm not moving. You're not gonna report my conversations, are you?"

  Casper stared at his hands again and muttered. "Maybe it would be a good thing to move. Maybe it would help our crew, if everyone knew they could trust us."

  "The greenhouse crew sits together to plan their work shift, just like we do," Ben said. "The only difference is, they're the biggest crew, so they fill their tables."

  Rica crossed her arms. "Casper, don't you dare say anything."

  He looked miserable. "You know I won't."

  Fynn set his jaw. "We're a good crew, and we work well together. Maybe we should head to the furnace dome. The best way to prove ourselves is to get another burner online."

  Casper rose on wobbly legs and smiles crept slowly across the crew's faces.

  Fynn let out a huge lungful as he led the way. They were still a team, and he hoped they'd stay that way.

  Chapter 15

  I n their barracks washroom, Fynn turned his coveralls and socks inside out and shook them. Drew, standing nearby at a line of sinks, fussed over his mustache. Once he washed and combed each tawny hair to his satisfaction, he reached down to push the button on top of a fat disk as big as a chair seat. It beeped a few cheerful tones and rolled straight across the room,
bumped into the wall, and turned to nose its way along.

  "You vacuuming again?" Fynn asked.

  "Where do you think the dust's gonna go?"

  "What dust? We're sealed inside a plastic dome."

  Drew waved his comb. "I was trying to be delicate. I should say, the lint, hair, dead skin cells, and flakes of dried sweat."

  Fynn wrinkled his nose and carried his clothes into the shower. Hot water rejuvenated the room's sour plastic smell, but a good cleaning was worth a few sneezes. Water wouldn't hurt the sleeve pad, and the Ever-Clean fabric would be fresh for the morning.

  At his bed, Fynn hinged out some hooks on the wall and hung his things. The barracks fit the few personal items he'd been issued, so it was hard to make a mess. Drew tried, though. He tossed his coveralls on the next bed frame, his towel over the foot rail, and his socks on the floor. They had the entire barracks unit to themselves, so there was no one to complain.

  Fynn pulled on his jeans and red sweatshirt, the clothes he'd brought from Earth, and rubbed the soft cotton, sighing contentedly. Coveralls always felt clammy.

  Drew flopped on his bed to air-dry and held out his flat pad. "I've got something to show you."

  Spidery letters spelled out Hi Fynn on the pale gray screen. They faded away as he watched.

  Drew grinned. "Tyra sent that program to me. It turns the pad into a dumb slate. No memory of what's written. It just darkens for a minute where you trace."

  Fynn wrote Cool with one finger and pushed the pad back. "So comms with the Herschel is working?"

  "I can only send text, but, yeah."

  "Don't spend all your time chatting with Tyra or someone will figure out what we did."

  "Don't worry. We're safe here."

  Fynn frowned. "With only two of us in this unit, I'm afraid we stand out. Guys aren't scattered much anymore. I walked through the front row's purple unit, and it's nearly full. Maybe we should ask Casper and Ben to move in with us."

  "You'd still be the furnace crew, off by yourselves in your own unit."

  "You're here, and you're with the maintenance crew."