by Pete Molina
Chapter 31
Sam marveled that within three hours of landing on the surface they’d stopped a political coup and were now back in the comfort of Terra’s dome dressed in real clothes instead of spacesuits and camouflage and enjoying dinner with her staff.
“So you hitched a ride on a Fed-Ex express in a cargo container?” Carl asked, taking a bite of some freshly baked bread.
Terra finished the bite she’d been chewing and then answered. “We didn’t know how to get by Ariel. So we took the fastest ship possible. It cost a pretty penny, but it was worth it,” Terra explained, taking another spoon full of the vegetarian soup Fiona had prepared.
Almost all Martians were vegetarians; even now that they could get synth-meat most of them didn’t partake. When Mars was first settled, there was no synth-meat as the technology that made it possible didn’t yet exist. There were very few animals on Mars, mostly just goats to help recycle some of the non-edible parts of plants that were being grown in the dome agricultural areas. Half of the domes of Olympia were agricultural domes. They were at a lower pressure than the habitation domes because the plants needed less pressure to survive. Because animals took tens or hundreds of times their own weight in grain to raise them to an age that they could be slaughtered and used for meat, Martian colonists wisely decided they’d rather eat the grain. Most protein came from either soy products or genetically modified plants. Terra was not a strict vegetarian, of course, with her weakness for a certain Chicken Caesar Salad prepared on Earth.
“And then when the Express went into final deceleration, you detached in your modified cargo container and landed in it?” Fiona asked, with some awe and some displeasure at Terra taking those kind of risks.
Terra caught the disapproving tone but ignoring it. “It seemed the only way at the time. I believe the container is in the gorge five kilometers away where I used to wander in my youth.”
“And the camouflage that made you look like us, where did you get that? Are they selling that kind of thing on Earth now?” Jordan asked. It had taken them by surprise at first when Terra turned into Fiona.
“Well, I can’t take credit for that…and it’s not a common thing on Earth at all. Jeff here has some connections at one of the Newbie fog companies and he got it through a friend,” Terra clarified. She had managed to avoid talking about the fact that the FBI was after them.
“Really?” Jordan responded, looking at Jeff again as if reevaluating him “Well, you never know what new things the Newbies will think of, do you? We could use some of their types here, or at least some of their technology. I think it would make life here much easier sometimes.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, Jordan, a lot of Newbies wish they could sell their technology to you here, but unfortunately the US isn’t keen about letting a lot of that cutting edge stuff go. They tend to classify that kind of thing and give it to the Fleet and their own military,” Jeff explained with a smile.
“So there could be invisible fleet operatives wandering around Mars at this minute, and we’d never be the wiser?” Jordan asked.
“I suppose it’s possible,” Jeff conceded. “Not a very pleasant thought, is it?”
“No, not at all,” Jordan replied, turning his attention to his soup trying not to think about it. Martians valued their independence, and there was a growing resentment of the Fleet presence in orbit and on the surface.
“Well, I’m just glad Terra is back,” Fiona exclaimed. “And the poor dear has certainly been through enough in the last few weeks with being restored and having to come back to Mars so quickly to avert disaster.”
“Thanks, Fi,” Terra said.
They continued on in pleasant conversation, filling Terra in on the happenings of the past eight years. Fiona commented that it was very strange to have to tell her things that her other version had lived through, but she was glad to have this Terra back. The other version had become more silent and unapproachable until finally she told them she was going on hiatus and dissoluted.
When they finished dinner, Carl, Jordan, and Fiona all went on their ways, restating their welcome to Jeff and Sam and wishing them all a pleasant evening. Terra led Jeff and Sam to the main living room.
“Well, now that all that’s over, we can get down to the real reason we’re here. I vote we start in the morning,” Terra said. She had been acting much more coolly after the vote was over, more like she had been before they left.
“I second that one,” Jeff replied. He looked really tired as well.
Sam couldn’t understand, they’d gotten by one obstacle today to get at their real purpose, but now that it was cleared up, they were both talking about sleeping, Sam didn’t think he could sleep if he wanted to. He was too anxious about what was going to happen next.
“You aren’t even curious enough to look tonight for whatever your other version left for you?” Sam asked.
“Whatever she left behind will still be there in the morning,” Terra assured him. “And today has been one long roller coaster ride, literally and figuratively, so I would personally like to get a little sleep before getting into what my other version has been up to and what your other version wanted from me.
Sam had to admit that it had been a long day with one thing after another. “I guess you’re right,” Sam said grudgingly, clearly disappointed.
“Hey, we’re not all as young as you. All this running around has exhausted me. I know you want to keep pushing, but if you want to do it tonight, you’ll have to do it without me,” Jeff said, getting up.
“Well, I’m not going to bed just yet,” Sam replied. “I’m going to scan the net and see if references to Jeff or me pop up anywhere. Hopefully, we’re still anonymous here, but you never know.”
“If they know I’m here, you can bet they know you’re here as well,” Terra pointed out, they being Damon Harding and Agent Dawson.
“I guess you’re right,” Sam agreed.
“Let me show you to your rooms then,” Terra offered, getting up and leading them down one hallway. “If you need anything, just access the dome system, and it’ll wake someone to help you.” Terra showed each of them to separate rooms that looked like mansions compared to the little rooms they’d been using on the Express for the last few days. The beds were real, not fog suspension systems, which was different as well.
“In a real bed in one third-g, this is going to be one of the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years, I just know it,” Jeff remarked.
“Good night,” Terra said as they left him there. “Your room is over here, Sam. You can access the data terminal if you want. Just be careful not to get noticed while you’re out on the local datasphere, and remember that we’re quite a delay from Earth at the moment.”
“Sure thing, Terra. Thanks for the hospitality,” Sam said.
Terra smiled. “Of course, I couldn’t have made it here without you guys. I owe you a lot more than I can replay right now.”
“It was nothing…Goodnight, Terra.”
“Goodnight, Sam. We’ll hunt for clues tomorrow and get back on track.” Terra left him and headed back towards the family lodgings on the other side of the main living room.