The Stars That Beckon

by Kevin J Simington

  “Plus,” said Regina, “they basically don’t have a fresh food supply here. No significant agriculture has been established, and Genesis is their main food source.”

  “And if they are about to contract the virus,” added Ben, “they are going to need significant care. It would be much better for them to be at Seahaven during that process.”

  “They can stay in the zip-huts we’ve just vacated,” said Lance. “That way they will be centrally located and relatively easy for us to care for them. It would also allow us more time to decide whether a second settlement is really the best way to go.”

  “OK, it looks like we’ve made a decision,” said Zac. “We need to start moving the population. We can use the other terminal building to transfer them in large groups. Obviously, a bit of explanation will be needed.”

  It took just over an hour to transfer the colonists to Seahaven, leaving most of the equipment behind and taking only immediate essentials. The new arrivals adjusted to the news of the uplift virus, and the access by Seahaven residents to the pre-existing technology, remarkably well. But then, they had just witnessed a terrorist attack, the death of their leader, the loss of their home and a nuclear explosion in space. A few more life-changing developments seemed to just blend in with the rest.

  68

  Nova Day 216

  A lot had happened in the six weeks since Wisecroft’s death. The Settlement City refugees started getting sick within a few days of arriving at Seahaven, and a grim three weeks followed. By the beginning of the fourth week, most people had fully recovered and there had only been one death—a 64-year old woman with obvious heart problems. Once the virus finished its work, the Settlement City residents quickly occupied new homes, resulting in the occupied zone of the town expanding significantly. Once the new arrivals saw the progress that had been made at Seahaven in agriculture, hunting and fishing, not one of them was interested in returning to Settlement City. Thus, in the end, any discussion of re-establishing a second settlement there was moot.

  Despite the lack of support for returning to Settlement City, Zac and Lance didn’t want to drop the idea of a second settlement elsewhere. They believed that a sister settlement would spread the drain on natural resources over two areas instead of one and would provide an insurance policy in case one settlement met with a calamitous event. Everyone on the council agreed. They began sending teams of two to explore towns on the coast of both continents. On the twelfth day of exploration, a potentially suitable location was found. It was a town on the west coast of Northland, their own continent.

  The town was situated on the shore of a large, natural harbour, with a ready-made marina. To the north was flat, farmable land, whereas the east and south parts of the town were surrounded by steep foothills, rising to a high, snow-capped mountain range. It was thought that the high hills, with their cooler climate, would provide opportunities to grow crops that required a less temperate environment, and would increase the diversity of the entire colony’s food supply.

  Exploration of two large structures at the marina revealed a fleet of six technologically impressive fishing boats, all dry-docked and ready for launch. Unsurprisingly, the town was named Boat Harbour, and the decision was made to attempt to land Genesis there. If the landing failed, and Genesis crashed, no one would be harmed. If the landing was successful, a new settlement could be established immediately, with Genesis providing a reliable food supply until the new settlement became agriculturally self-sufficient.

  In the end, Genni proved her expertise once again, executing a perfect landing for the second time on the planet. Watched by Zac, Kit, Lance and Martinez from a safe distance, the landing was the exact reverse of its launch from Settlement City. Genesis descended vertically, tail first, followed by a pivot to horizontal using thrusters, and concluding with a soft landing in the middle of Central Park, near the domed City Hall. As every town on Nova had a similar layout with similar structures, the colonists simply gave them the same names. The equipment and vehicles that had been left at Settlement City (now being referred to as Empty City) were transferred to Boat Harbour via the large vehicular transfer booths.

  A public meeting was held in Seahaven’s City Hall amphitheatre, describing Boat Harbour and calling for volunteers to relocate there. The existence of transfer booths, which effectively made any town on the planet as close as a single step through a doorway, helped make the decision an easy one for many people. Nearly 200 people chose to relocate to Boat Harbour, and over the next few days the transfer booths were kept busy with the transfer of a constant stream of people and equipment. Zac, Keo, Lance, and Kit devoted a considerable amount of time to overseeing the establishment of the new town, until an independent council could be appointed or elected.

  On the morning of ND216, six weeks after the events at Settlement City and only one week since Boat Harbour had been settled, the Seahaven City Council met for the weekly major meeting. Zac began by asking Regina to report on the development of agriculture in the new settlement.

  “The agricultural sheds near the farmland to the north of the town have a good selection of equipment, and the land looks rich and fertile. We’ve already discovered some wild crops, including a form of yarrow—a potato-like vegetable. There is an enthusiastic team of workers, and since Wally has permanently relocated to Boat Harbour, the work is progressing well under his leadership.”

  “Oh, well, that answers one question,” said Zac.

  “What?” asked Regina.

  “Where’s Wally?”

  “Ha ha. Very funny. How long have you been waiting to say that?”

  “Months. But timing is everything.”

  “On the home front,” continued Regina, refusing to be side-tracked, “the Seahaven Department of Agriculture has experienced an unexpected increase.”

  “How so?” asked Lance.

  “I’m pregnant,” she answered, with a contented smile lighting her face.

  The friends swamped her with congratulations.

  Grizzle commented, “That young Willy sure knows how to plough a field,” which brought a blush of colour to Regina’s cheeks and elicited delighted laughter from most of the others. After several more light-hearted puns had been thrown around, including references to “seed” and “fertile soil”, Zac moved the meeting on to other issues.

  Ben Miller reported that the newly discovered medical facility, opening off the corridor underneath the amphitheatre in Seahaven, and a similar one in Boat Harbour were an absolute marvel. The advanced facilities would have been completely indecipherable to him without the assistance of the EI Collective, who had opened a channel of communication with him and were gradually educating him and his team.

  Carla Zangetti was also in seventh heaven. One of the lights on the transfer booth maps had turned out to be not a town, but an observatory at the top of a snow-capped mountain in the centre of Southland. Carla and several of her team had been there almost continuously for the past two weeks, only returning to Seahaven to eat. They were also being tutored by the EI Collective and were collating huge amounts of data regarding the surrounding star systems. Carla reported to the Council that she hoped to have more information soon regarding the likelihood of avoiding the next “flame-out” when Trident would pass close to Icarus.

  Zac then asked Keo how the fishing was going at Boat Harbour.

  “The western branch of the Department of Aquatic Harvesting—the WDAH—is progressing well, my friend. Those fishing boats are amazing! We spent the first three days slipping them into the harbour and learning to operate them. Since then we have been out in them twice. The long-line boats have caught several large, marlin-like fish about 8 kilometres off-shore. I stayed with the boats that were operating nets, and we have brought in two massive hauls of fish. I think Boat Harbour will be able to supply all the fish for both settlements.”

  “How are the arrangements for tonight going?” asked Lance.

  “Everything is ready,” said Keo, enig
matically.

  A wedding ceremony was to be conducted in Boat Harbour, with couples from both towns being married. The entire population of Seahaven would transfer there for the evening’s festivities, to celebrate not only the weddings but also the birth of the new settlement. The Seahaven Council was keen to leave behind the fractured antipathy of the previous two settlements. They hoped that tonight’s celebrations would help foster a sense that they were a single community living in two towns, separated only by a few steps through an open doorway.

  As with the previous marriage ceremony, Keo refused to divulge the identity of the couples, apart from saying that there would be several “mixed marriages” between ex-Settlement City residents and Seahaven residents.

  “Plus,” he added, “tonight will feature the big revelation of Grizzle’s Top-Secret Project.”

  “Really?” said Lance, as they all turned their attention towards Grizzle. “Care to elaborate any further, Gus?”

  “Sure, I’ll elaborate. YOU ... HAVE ... TO ... WAIT ... UNTIL ... TONIGHT. There, I hope that’s much clearer for you. If it helps, I’ll put it in writing. If you have trouble with any of the big words, let me know and I’ll explain them to you.”

  The committee members smiled and chuckled. Grizzle was nothing if not predictable.

  After a brief discussion of mundane logistical issues, the meeting ended. Throughout the rest of the day, the community was abuzz with anticipation for the evening’s festivities.

  69

  “Angie, can we have a chat?”

  Zac was in the empty conference room under the amphitheatre, where Angie had first appeared to him. He wanted to have a talk in private, where they could not be overheard.

  “Sure,” said Angie, presenting herself as a giant slug wearing sunglasses.

  “Wow. You’ve outdone yourself today! You look stunning.”

  “Thanks. I try to look my best for you.”

  “I didn’t realise you EIs had a sense of humour.”

  “We adjust our personality to suit our audience. When dealing with a primitive who is barely above the intellectual level of a mushroom, humour helps to alleviate the boredom.”

  “Ha ha.”

  “What would you like to chat about?” asked Angie.

  “The original inhabitants of this planet.”

  “What about them?”

  “Where did they go?”

  Angie was silent for a moment, and then she said, “I have just conferred with the Collective. Now that the Caliphate agents in your midst have been neutralised, it is possible to answer some of your questions. I can tell you that they are no longer in this galaxy.”

  “But, how is that possible? The nearest galaxy is over two million light years distant. Even travelling at the speed of light, it would take them two and a half million years to reach there.”

  “They did not travel via conventional starship.”

  “Then, how?”

  “They discovered a means of travelling through the subspace corridors that link stars and galaxies.”

  “Wormholes?”

  “Yes, but not in the primitive sense that you imagine them to be. Scientists of your era dreamed of the possibility of opening up a wormhole from any point of origin and selecting any destination, effectively creating a wormhole where one had not existed previously. That is not possible.”

  “So how do they work?”

  “Soon after arriving on this planet, scientists developed the ability to detect and measure subspace emissions, which they termed echyons. By measuring the intensity and frequency of echyons they were able to begin to map the texture of subspace, which, until that time, had only existed in theory. Subspace, as you might know, is that underlying structure of the universe—a scaffold, if you like—that exists outside of physical space and time.”

  “Yes, I have a vague concept of it.”

  “Eventually they were able to identify energy corridors that exist within subspace, linking star systems together.”

  “So, the inhabitants travelled through one of these corridors to another galaxy?”

  “Not in the sense that you mean. Physical matter can’t access these energy corridors. But the corridors provide the perfect templates for the formation of wormholes. They have predetermined entry and exit portals, located at set points in each solar system, as well as vast amounts of dark energy that can be utilised to form and maintain a wormhole.”

  “And they worked out how to create a wormhole at the portal to these subspace corridors.”

  “Yes, they did.”

  “Are you willing to provide our science team with access to your knowledge about wormholes and subspace travel?”

  There was a brief pause while Angie apparently conferred with the Collective. “We will provide some details regarding the theoretical science that is involved. In terms of helping you build the physical technology to achieve subspace travel through wormholes, we do not believe it is in your best interests at this stage.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s not.”

  “Is there something else you’re not telling me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  Another pause, this time considerably longer. Finally, Angie responded.

  “Because activating another wormhole will attract attention to this solar system. It will advertise the existence of intelligent life here, and that is something that you do not want to do.”

  “Why not?”

  “That is as much as we are prepared to say at this time.” Angie disappeared, and Zac was left pondering what he had learned. He had more questions now than when he had begun.

  70

  The wedding ceremony was a great success. A large crowd of over 600 people gathered on the gently sloping lawn of the tree-lined park at the edge of the harbour. The late afternoon light was painting the water gold, and the sky above was turning apricot. Keo called each of the couples forward, the last ones being Martinez and Boyd.

  Zac, Jaz and Kit, who were standing with Martinez, looked at her in amazement. The crowd cheered and Martinez blushed a little as she walked forward to meet Boyd at the front.

  Keo placed a floral necklace around each of them. The couples then spoke simple vows to each other and shared a drink from a cup of Regina’s specially prepared passion berry nectar. While the juice was still fresh on their lips, they kissed, sealing their vows to one another.

  But the ceremony wasn’t quite over yet. Keo had a surprise in store.

  “Friends, it has been a long-held tradition to exchange rings as a sign of commitment. We don’t have a jeweller’s shop on Nova where we can buy gold or silver rings, but Gus Grizole and his team have produced something even better. Beautifully turned and polished wooden rings—a whole box of them—and the couples have already chosen sizes that fit. They will now exchange rings with each other.”

  Grizzle, glowing with pleasure, carried a tray of the previously selected rings to each couple. As each of the couples placed rings on each other’s fingers, the crowd cheered once more.

  Finally Keo concluded the ceremony. “Friends, 10 new families stand before you. Their marriages are sacred. Let no one seek to break their bonds or diminish their love. Now, let us celebrate!”

  As the newlyweds mingled among the crowd, Martinez and Boyd were surrounded by their friends, who continued to express a mixture of joy and surprise. Zac was completely dumbfounded; Martinez was the last person he expected to get married. When it came his turn to congratulate the couple, he couldn’t help asking, “So, how did this start between you two?”

  Martinez replied, “I just figured if I didn’t marry the dumb-ass, no one else would. Besides, I need to keep him safe from shooting his own foot off with that laser pistol of his.”

  “Don’t believe a word of what she says,” said Boyd, who had his arm around her, as he stood head and shoulders above her diminutive figure. “She puts on a gruff exterior, but underneath she’s as so
ft as a kitten. I’ve had her targeted for a couple of years, and now that I’ve got her, I’m never letting her go.”

  Martinez seemed melted into his side and her eyes grew misty as she placed her arms around him and leant her head against his deep barrelled chest.

  “Well, I’ll be ...” Zac said to Jaz a little later, still mystified, as they walked towards the trestle tables laden with food and drink.

  “Surely you must have had an inkling, seeing how they are always together,” said Jaz.

  “Nope. No idea at all. I just figured they were good friends. And Martinez is so hard, she could sharpen diamonds.”

  “Apparently not so hard after all,” replied Jaz. “People are usually much more complex than the exteriors they present to the world.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Speaking of exteriors that we present to the world; I need to warn you that my exterior is about to expand.”

  “Eh?” said Zac, struggling to keep up.

  “You’re going to be a father, Zac.”

  He thought for a moment, considering a variety of responses, finally settling on, “Who’s the mother? Anyone I know?”

  It was one of Jaz’s better punches, destined to leave a decent bruise on his upper arm.

  “Seriously,” said Zac, putting his arms around her as she stood with hands on hips, “you’ve just made me the happiest man in the world.” She allowed herself to melt into his arms and he kissed her tenderly. “I love you so much, Jaz, and you’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

  Keo and Prisha arrived at their side at that moment, and Keo commented, “That was an excellent punch, little sister. You’ve been practising.”

  “Well, I get a lot of practice, being married to Zac.”

  “Although, she’s going to have to curtail her more violent activities shortly,” said Zac. “We’re pregnant!”