by Pete Molina
Chapter 24
Terra woke in her little room on board the Express. She just couldn’t sleep any more. She checked with Plato for the time.
You’ve been sleeping for six hours and thirty-three minutes, Plato responded.
Has anything significant happened while I was asleep?
Not to my knowledge.
Terra rubbed her eyes and got out of the small bed. The cabin wasn’t very big but it did have a small desk unit built into the wall with a screen. She activated the screen and put it in mirror mode which showed her an image of herself. It was still a shock to see such a young face staring back. She’d get used to it, but it was going to take a little while. She remembered herself as being older, as she really had been before the backup…not too old but not really young either. Her hair was a little messy, definitely a case of bed head, and she felt dirty. What she really wanted was a shower and some tea. She would have brushed her hair but she realized that she had absolutely nothing to her name but what she was wearing at the moment.
Terra was wishing that she had a change of clothes. Sure, the clothes would keep clean automatically for weeks without needing a real washing, but she wasn’t used to wearing the same thing twice. And she had slept in them. She had had a number of different outfits in her office at the Embassy, but it was too expensive to transport that kind of thing if one didn’t have to. They charged for every kilo, and the price was certainly enough to justify just buying new clothes on the other side. Terra also needed to use the restroom although she had no idea where it was, probably off the main room.
Terra opened her door to the main room and stepped out. Jeff, Sam, and Ignus were nowhere to be seen at the moment. They must all be sleeping, on the bridge or down in the cargo hold, she decided. Terra took a quick look around the main room and saw the bathroom off in one of the corners, so she headed straight for it, avoiding several pieces of trash and a few pieces of clothing that Ignus had strewn about. She genuinely hoped that the bathroom would at least be clean.
She was pleasantly surprised to find that the bathroom was clean. Probably self-cleaning, she decided. Ignus didn’t seem like the domestic type, not judging by the mess in the main room, which considering there was a fog system and a SS companion on the ship made little sense. The SS system could easily clean up the mess using the fog system, Ignus would have had to ask to have it left dirty, not a great way to run a business. The bathroom looked normal. It had a shower stall that was closed off behind a opaque white door, and the other usual amenities.
“I wonder if it works in zero-g?” She mussed aloud.
“The restroom facilities will function in zero-g, using the fog system,” a voice chimed in. It was Darla.
“Thank you, Darla. But I wasn’t speaking to you.”
“I apologize for the intrusion then,” Darla replied and was silent.
“Darla?”
“Yes?”
“Where are the others?” Terra asked.
“The two other passengers are both sleeping. Captain Scott is on the bridge, also sleeping,” Darla replied. The feminine voice was actually kind of soothing, Terra decided. It would be good to have another female around, even if it was only a simulated female.
She turned and locked the bathroom door and proceed to get rid of the wrinkled clothing. The shower was warm and just what she needed. When she was finished, she asked Darla if there were brushes onboard and Darla told her where to find a few. They were also clean, Darla assured her. When she was dressed, having had Darla launder her clothes while she was showering, she felt dignified again. She stepped out of the bathroom to find Jeff and Sam both sitting on the couch sipping mugs of what smelled like coffee…which made her stomach rumble.
“Good morning,” Jeff greeted, seeing her emerge. Sam repeated the greeting, and Terra responded in kind.
“I haven’t slept that well since I was restored. How about you?” Sam inquired.
“You were restored two days ago. How many hours of sleep have you even had?” Terra asked.
“About eight, including the last six, and I’m already looking forward to a nice nap later today. Space travel does have its advantages in that respect.”
“Is that coffee you guys have?” Terra asked. It smelled pretty good. Coffee always did, but the taste was awful.
“Yeah, it’s a synth-blend. It’s not bad,” Jeff said. “Let me get you some.” He stood up and went to the food dispenser. “Would you like some breakfast too, I was about to order up some blueberry pancakes and eggs?”
“Just tea for me, but breakfast sounds great,” Terra replied. Her stomach started to rumble, and she realized that she was ravenous.
“How about you, Sam?” Jeff asked.
“Sounds good to me too. Should we call Ignus and see if he wants to join us?” Sam added.
“Did I hear my name?” Ignus called down from the bridge. A few seconds later he came down the lift column to the main room. “Did you all sleep well?” he asked.
There was a chorus of “yes” from all around.
“Good, Good. And breakfast sounds wonderful. It’s amazing that you ended up on my sleep rotation, with all the variability in our departure,” Ignus said.
Jeff was getting the trays with a plate of blueberry pancakes and a side of scrambled eggs out of the dispenser for each of them. It was synthesized very quickly by the ship’s systems to be ready to serve in minutes. They all sat down at the small table, which could only seat four.
“So what brings you three out here? I don’t get passengers very often, and if I’m being too nosey just let me know. Most of my passengers are pretty tight lipped types caught up in some intrigue or another,” Ignus said ,digging into his pancakes. “Of course, I couldn’t help recognizing two of you, Miss Gates and Mr. Hughes.”
The three of them looked at each other, and Jeff spoke up first. “I’m sure you’ve seen me in the news lately, and, of course, running an express to Mars you’d have to know Terra.”
“Yes, that’s it exactly,” Ignus replied.
“Well, as you know, I was implicated in that Virus attack, which I assure you I had no willing part in. Unfortunately I don’t think that the US government is going to let me go for very long, especially if they can’t find Sam Storm, the terrorist who claimed responsibility for the attack,” Jeff explained, giving Sam a glance. Sam was acting perfectly innocent eating his eggs and listening to the conversation. “Terra was kind enough to offer me a ride with her when we met last week, mostly because her restoration was triggered accidentally by the Virus, making us both suspects.”
“So you’re fleeing to Mars with Miss Gates here to escape possible prosecution?” Ignus smiled. “I’ve seen people do this before, but Mars has extradition. Why go there?”
Jeff shrugged. “I don’t expect to escape them forever, but it should give me some time to think about what I should do, and Miss Gates was kind enough to let me tag along with her. Perhaps out of sight will be out of mind.”
“Um…perhaps, but I’ve never known the government to give up on chasing any one. How about you Miss Gates, what’s lit the fire under you? And again if I’m being too nosey, just tell me to shut my trap.”
“Well, there is a very important vote taking place in a few days. You probably know something about Mars politics, Ignus. Ariel Stoneman has been using my absence to try to bring about some legislation to lessen my family’s voting power, and I have to be there to stop her. She can’t win if I vote. It isn’t possible. But if I’m not there, I can’t vote, so I lose by default. No ordinary transport would get me there in time, and I worry that she may resort to violence to stop me, which is why we’re traveling by cargo container in secret,” Terra explained. It was mostly the truth. It just left out the part that they were probably being pursued by the FBI and that they were searching for a Terrorist to see what he owed them.
“I’ve heard about that on the news. Never did care
for Ariel Stoneman,” Ignus said with disgust. “I’m glad you’ve cut your hiatus short and are going to teach that woman a lesson.”
“Are you a Martian, Ignus?” Terra asked.
“Well, I was born there, but I moved off planet to the Ulman Antimatter Station when I was fifteen and I’ve been working in space piloting various ships for a long time. The Express is actually my ship. I just contract to Fed-Ex. It keeps their overhead low and I get to do what I want. There’s about ten of us express ships that do the Mars run. I’ve delivered other stuff to the Jovian moons too, if the money was good,” Ignus said with pride. “So I can’t really say I am a Martian except by birth and upbringing, I’m a spacer through and through.”
Terra filed the information away for later. If they had to go elsewhere after Mars, this could be an advantage.
“So you own The Express?” Sam asked.
“Well, the bank owns her really, but I’ll have her free and clear in another eighty years. No rush, I got plenty of time. I just have to remember to get backed up whenever I stop at port. She’s insured, but only if I’m up to date as possible.”
“So what about you, Greg, what’s your story?” Ignus asked devouring the last of his pancakes and moving over the smaller plate of eggs.
“Well, to level with you, Ignus. I’m kind of a pariah at the moment, I am Sam Storm 23.1,” Sam said, deciding to go with honesty.
Ignus stopped eating and stared at him. “You’re joking, right?” Ignus asked pointing his fork at Sam.
“Nope, I was restored by none other than Damon Harding from a very very old backup, thirty years out of date no less, to give them some insight into why my other version did what he did. I told them I didn’t know, because I don’t, and then I decided I’d better get the hell out of there. So in return for giving them a little insight they gave me a new identity, kind of like witness protection, and some money and told me to get off the planet where I wouldn’t raise eyebrows. My other version is not well liked on Earth, and it was getting dangerous. Jeff here is my crèche mate, so when Terra said she’d let him tag along, I kind of just fell in with them,” Sam explained.
“Well that’s quite a story,” Ignus said. “Personally I could give less of a crap about the restoration facility and Damon Harding. If you’re running from him, your secret’s safe with me. That guy has always been too full of himself. I’m glad your other version took him down a notch although I can’t say that I agree with the involuntary dissolution of those people.”
“I don’t either,” Sam agreed. “I’d like to find my other version and make him answer for that at least.”
“Ignus, how long are you going to be at Mars before you head back to Earth?” Terra asked.
“I think about two days. I’m going to visit my brother who lives in Jumara Dome for a day and then I’ve got to get refueled. I’m not in a rush. Not after your express fee.” Ignus smiled.
“Good. If we need your services again, would you be agreeable to a charter contract? I would, of course, be paying out of my family’s personal funds,” Terra offered.
“Well, if we’re talking the rates like this trip without Fed-Ex getting their cut then sure I’m agreeable, but you must have access to your own ships. Some must even be as fast as the Express.”
“The Martian government does have some fast ships, but I don’t think we want to attract attention that would be given to us if we were flying about in diplomatic ships.”
“Okay, sounds good. Just give Darla a holler, she’ll know how to get in contact with me. But if it’s criminal, I don’t want any part of it,” Ignus warned seriously.
“Don’t worry, Ignus. It might give some people on Earth some indigestion but I’m a Martian citizen, and I am not subject to US laws unless I break them while in the US, which we’re not any more.”
“Right,” Ignus agreed, nodding his head.
“And besides, if anything happens, I’ll make sure your compensated,” Terra added.
“Well then, in that case you got yourself a ship and a pilot, if you need us. Just let us know when to pick you up and where to go and we’ll get you there faster than anyone, or my name isn’t Ignus Scott.”
After breakfast Ignus returned to the bridge, and Jeff went to take a shower. Both Sam and Terra had a seat on the couch. She was feeling pleasantly full and was just sipping on her coffee.
“So, Terra, are you going to give me that explanation now?” Sam asked.
Terra remembered that she had promised to explain her motivations in wanting to find Sam but now that they were on a ship in close quarters with Ignus and the ever present Darla, she wasn’t sure she wanted to discuss the matter. She felt she owed Sam an explanation, but she wanted to wait a little longer. Once they were on Mars in her family dome she could guarantee that they had some privacy, but not here. She wasn’t sure she trusted Ignus that far yet, and she didn’t want to get him so involved in their troubles that he would become a target himself.
“I know you’re not going to want to hear this, Sam. But I’d prefer to discuss that on Mars at my dome. The walls have ears here even if they are friendly,” she said with a smile.
Sam’s face lowered a bit with disappointment. “Sure, I understand. And it makes sense. I’ve go to start thinking these things through before I bring them up.”
“Well you’re young, that kind of self-censorship doesn’t usually develop until you’re at least fifty or so,” Terra reassured him.
“Yeah, I just wish I didn’t feel so useless here,” he replied.
“Don’t ever think that, Sam. Without you we won’t accomplish our goals. You’re just as important as Jeff and I, and probably more so.”
“So, are you really worried about the vote that this Ariel Stoneman is bringing up?” Sam said, changing the subject.
“Yes, I’ve looked over the proposition that she is putting to a vote, and it is directly geared to prevent any person or entity with more than twenty percent interest in the UMG from holding any office or serving on the Board of Directors. I am the only person who meets that criteria. It would effectively remove me from any influence except in votes brought to the share holders.”
“How is it that she has enough support to do this?”
“Well, my other version was doing some things that shareholders have been very unhappy about.”
“What kinds of things?”
“She killed a number of motions that could have helped certain families and shareholders in general without so much as an explanation. I have never done such a thing. I usually hold back my votes and let the majority decide unless I know they’re wrong for some reason. Then I would step in, but my other version wasn’t doing that. She was controlling the UMG which has made some of my prior friends into enemies. They won’t be glad to see me, but if I am there physically at the vote, I can stop them regardless. But I have to be there. I’m sure Ariel will try to stop me, at least detain me if not worse. That’s why we’re flying from the frying pan into the fire. After the vote we’ll at least be safe from Ariel, one way or the other. It’s just that fate has dealt us hands to play. I have to be there because if she wins, she’ll effectively have control. I’m afraid that no one will realize that until it’s too late.”
“Does she know you’re coming?”
“Oh yes, she just doesn’t know how or where yet, but she knows. She at least knows that I was on Earth yesterday. She knows I’ve been tied up with this investigation into the virus, and she is probably pretty confident that I won’t make it. At the same time, however, she will know that I’m off Earth now, and she can check with the standard spacelines to see if I’m aboard. Even so, none of them could make it, so where will she look then? This Fed-Ex route is not a secret to the UMG. It’s my guess that she’ll know we’re coming and will be ready.”
“So how do we get by her?” Sam asked.
“I still have some good friends on Mars, de
spite my other Version’s actions. We’ll make it, Sam. Don’t worry,” Terra reassured him. She didn’t want Sam to worry about this too much, but he was in the boat with her and if she couldn’t pull this thing off, Sam and Jeff could get caught up in this political mess as well. To be honest, she didn’t know exactly how they were going to get to the surface yet, but she had another day or two to think of something.
“Well, I guess I’ll just use the time on The Express to catch up on the events of the last thirty years and on my sleep,” Sam said, “and maybe check out some of the entertainment that’s been dreamed up during my long absence.”
The door to the bathroom opened, and Jeff came out, looking much more together than he had this morning.
“I’m next,” Sam said, getting up and heading for the shower. “I haven’t had a shower since I was restored. I’m probably starting to stink the place up.”
“Well I didn’t want to say anything but…” Jeff said, joking.
“Ha, you were always the smelly one, Jeff. Remember basketball season; no one could even come near your gym shoes, pee yew,” Sam said, holding his nose as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
Jeff chuckled. “It’s so strange seeing him again. Sam and I haven’t been close for a long time, and this Sam is right out of our past when we were closest. I’m thinking about stuff I haven’t thought about in decades, but he brings it all right back.”
“I know what you mean. Sometimes I meet people I haven’t seen since my childhood, and then it brings some past shock to you to know how long ago that was and how much things have changed,” Terra agreed.
“Past shock, it’s a trendy word today, but I don’t think most people appreciate that what we call past shock is relatively mild compared to what it could be.” Jeff was starting back up on his Newbie track and Terra didn’t want to be the choir. She already agreed with him.
“Yeah, it could be a lot worse,” she said to nip that conversation off right there.
“So, do you have a plan for when we get to Mars?” Jeff ventured.
“The outline of one. The tricky part is getting to my family dome. If we can pull that off, we’ll be home free. I think we’ll be needing those disguises again, so make sure they’re charged when we arrive.”
“They’re charging right now in our cabin. They’ll be ready in a few hours.”
“Good. Now if I can just figure out how to get to the surface undetected.”
“Are we assuming that this Ariel Stoneman will know we’re on a Fed-Ex express?” Jeff asked.
“Yes, I’m sure they’ll have it figured out without much delay, if they don’t already know. We need a diversion or a way to get down that doesn’t involve the standard shuttles. Any suggestions?”
“Maybe we should ask Ignus. He might have a way,” Jeff suggested.
“Yeah, let’s ask him. Ignus?” Terra called out. A few moments later Ignus dropped down from the bridge.
“You rang, Madam?” Ignus responded with the exact tone a butler would use.
“We need to get to the Gates Family Dome without being detected. We’re under the assumption that our mode of transport, The Express, has been compromised…any suggestions?”
Ignus stared off into space obviously deep in thought, and he stayed like that for several minutes, during which Terra and Jeff just looked at him, waiting for his return from his peculiar trance like state.
“Well, I can think of a couple of ways,” Ignus said, snapping back. “One is to get a second ship to dock with us and transfer you off. That could be observed, but having two targets might be better than just one. The second is to put you back in your crate, make some mods, and have the crate land on the surface using deceleration bags, some thrusters, and the fog restraint system. You should be able to make it. I’ve used it to drop contraband before, but never live contraband, so it’s your choice. Either way I’ll just pull in as usual and when the UMG security storms The Express they won’t find a soul but me and Darla, and no evidence to point towards your being here.”
“How are you managing that?” Jeff asked.
“Darla is making sure that nothing that comes off your body is left floating around. Everything is being collected and sent to the reaction chamber. No one will ever know you were on board.”
“Well, the first option sounds a little safer, but less likely to work, and we have to bring someone else with a ship in on it. The second is risky, but we can model it and see what the numbers come out to be,” Jeff said.
After a lengthy discussion and some intense computer modeling they decided to go for the container landing. It would hopefully drop them only a few kilometers from the Gates family dome in a small canyon, and they would walk the rest of the way in suits. If everything worked, they would be fine when they landed. If it didn’t, they’d all be waking up in the Restoration center remembering nothing of the past few days, weeks or months. They had three more days to get everything ready, and it was going to take every minute of it.