Nilos looked away, “I only told you about us because I had no choice. You won’t have to worry about the Kyrios Cartel, they are a problem for my people to deal with, not yours.”
With one last tug to tighten the bandages, Shona asked, “Your people? Is this an Atlantean thing?”
“I can’t say.” Nilos examined the dressing and nodded his approval, “You did a good job, thank you.”
Shona tilted her head toward Silas in the corner, bound and gagged in a chair. “What about his arm? Or what’s left of it?”
“Allia’s blast cauterized his arm, he’ll be fine until we get to a medical facility,” he said with a shrug.
Calin slipped his blaster into its holster, “And now what? We took out Silas, you got your secret little base. What about the people of Caldera City?”
Nilos stood up and moved his arm around to test the stretch of the bandages, "Now that the SSA has a legal reason to take over the city, we can work on reinstating regular civil liberties and rights. With jurisdiction now, Earth laws will now take precedence and be in full effect."
“That’s better, but still not the best solution,” Calin leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms.
Nilos nodded in agreement, “But it’s the best we can do right now. The change will take time and effort. But with luck, we can improve the working and living conditions here on the Moon for everyone.” Then he looked apologetically toward Calin, “But unfortunately, the political climate will not be beneficial to smugglers or outlaws. A strong SSA presence is going to necessary until the transition to a new government is complete.”
Calin gave a cocky grin, “I think I can handle it.”
With a negative shake of his head, Nilos objected, “I’m afraid not.” He nodded toward Silas, “Once he talks, you, your crew, and your ship will be known to the PPD. I’m afraid your smuggling days on the Moon are over.”
Calin clenched his teeth and glared at Silas. Once again that son of a bitch ruined his life.
Nilos saw the anger flare in Calin’s eyes and held up his hands, "Now wait a minute! This little adventure of ours will get me promoted to Section Leader. And as a Section Leader, I will have access to additional resources that may help. And I have an idea I think you may like," he grinned mischievously.
Chapter 29
The colony ship Minerva was the latest and most technological advance ship built by the Solar System Authority. This was not one of the old glorified container ships they had transported the first couple of thousand volunteer colonist with to Mars. This ship was for colonists that paid big bucks to escape Earth and start new lives in the frontier of the Mars colonies.
It had been built like the Harbor Station but smaller, at 365 meters long and 120 meters wide, and was powered by a fusion pile reactor. Even propelled to around 58,000 kilometers per hour it would still take almost 200 days to reach Mars. The ship carried 4000 colonist and 1500 crew. Most of the crew were there as servants to the colonists, to cook, clean, and entertain. The structure of the colony ship was like a tourist cruise ship, but the atmosphere on board was different because this was a one-way trip. The colonist were scared, but excited to leave the crowded Earth behind and explore the open frontier of Mars.
The ticket cost was a million credits, and that was just to get to Mars. Once there, the colonists were expected to support themselves either through work, or if you were extremely rich, a large bank account. The SSA had established a Central Bank of Mars to stabilize the economy. So if you were excessively rich on Earth, you could be moderately rich on Mars. Much of this trip comprised of CEOs, successful actors and actress, crooked politicians, and even a writer or two.
But this trip had a few last-minute additions to its manifest. A former smuggler and a former thief who now appeared as successful investors in a mining firm, on their way to Mars to open their own Import and Export office. Dean posed as their personal attendant, much to his dismay. He grumbled about being a lowly attendant until he saw his cabin onboard the colony ship. This luxury was at a level none of them had ever experienced.
Unfortunately, when Calin had exposed Silas’s tyranny, he had also forever ruined his anonymity. A necessary factor when operating a smuggling business. After having their faces broadcast to the entire Moon during Silas’s confession, any chance of returning to their old ways of crime and lawlessness evaporated. As a gesture of gratitude the SSA, specifically a secretive group of gray-eyed Atlanteans who were now all under Nilos's full command, had arranged for them to gain new identities and passage on the Minerva. Mars was a blank slate, full of opportunities. And with the Sea Rover berthed in a private hangar below deck, it gave Dean time to install some new engine upgrades, another gift from their friends in the SSA.
Calin relaxed in the starboard lounge and stared out the floor to ceiling windows at the emptiness of space outside. He raised his beer to his lips and took a long pull before he set it down on the table next to him. His new cybernetic arm, a gift from Nilos, was much more responsive and stronger than his previous one. But it would take time for him to get used to it. This prosthetic was the most advanced available, and better yet it looked like a real arm, not like a robotic reject. It was weird to walk into a room and not be stared at like a freak. Welcomed but weird.
After their little adventure Shona had agreed to join the crew of the Sea Rover, much to Dean’s delight. Dean had always joked the Sea Rover felt more like a bachelor pad than a spaceship. The slow trip out to Mars gave Shona ample time to get used to the Sea Rover and Rose. For most of her career she had been operated solo, and even she said it would take time for her to get used to being part of a team.
He took another long drink of his beer and watched the nothingness outside the window. Sure, he had lost his business, his home, and all of his contacts back on the Moon. This may be a new life but he still had his ship, he had his crew, and he even had a new arm. He raised his beer in a toast to the slowly growing red dot of light that was the planet Mars out the window. He smiled a little grin of satisfaction. Here’s to the next adventure!
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About the Author
Lunar Escape is the first book in The Atlantean Conflict Series, a sci-fi dystopia adventure of ancient secrets, Solar System-wide action, and a smuggler turned reluctant hero.
C.P. Macdonald works as a graphic designer and illustrator, and to relax he is a landscape oil painter. But a lifelong love of science fiction drove him to write an entire trilogy at once. This book, Lunar Escape, is his debut novel and book one of that series.
Chris lives in Tennessee with his wife and two kids. He has a Bachelor Degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin in University Studies, focus on Engineering Management.
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