by Ken Lozito
“When Ashley first showed me the planet, I thought it was fake,” Connor said.
Tobias brought up a three-dimensional image of the planet. “Now that we know more about you, I can understand why you’d think that.”
Tobias bridged his fingers together in front of his chest. “I’m very sorry for what happened to you, Connor,” Tobias said. “I can’t imagine what you must be thinking right now. It’s going to take you some time to adjust. Have a look around the colony. There’s no shortage of things that need to be done, problems that need to be solved. Think about where you’d fit in here. In essence, this is a second chance for you should you choose to see it that way.”
Connor had more questions about the colony and the events that had led the Ark here. At times during his conversation with Tobias, he felt as if his mind were spinning. He didn’t know what to think or how to feel. Perhaps a tour of the colony would help.
The mere thought of his wife and son were enough to thicken his throat. He hadn’t seen them in years, but he’d always assumed there would be time to reconnect with them. He wondered what had happened to the other Ghosts. Were they here, frozen in stasis? Or had they lived out their lives quietly thanks to Wilkinson? Connor might never know all the answers to those questions, but he intended to find out as much as he could.
The door to the conference room opened, and Ashley Quinn walked back in. Tobias came to his feet and Connor followed suit.
Ashley came over to them and spoke to Connor. “There’s a transport leaving for the planet. Lars, Noah, and our son, Sean, are going down.”
“Oh, Lars is going too. That’s good,” Tobias said. “Lars Mallory is the son of Franklin Mallory, who’s our head of security. If you’re up for going down to the surface, I think checking in with Franklin would be good. He can set you up with a couple of tour guides over the next few days.”
Connor nodded. “I just want to thank you both. I really don’t know what to say. I think going down to the planet is a good idea.”
Ashley smiled. “Good, I’m glad. Lars is just outside the door. Once you get down there you’ll be set up with some clothes, and there’s a colony initiation program to help familiarize you with . . . everything. I’ll be coming down planet-side tomorrow and I’ll find you.”
Connor left the room, and Ashley let the door close before facing her husband.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked.
“I meant what I said. I can’t imagine what this must be like for him, and at the same time I’m wondering if there are any more people in the same boat as him,” Tobias said.
“We can initiate a search, but we really won’t know until we open up each stasis pod and look inside. Did you tell him everything about the messages from Earth?”
“I think he has enough on his mind right now. We don’t even fully understand what they mean,” Tobias said.
“We’ve been here six months and we still don’t fully understand why they changed course. I never would have thought such a massive override was possible,” Ashley said.
“Do you think there is a psychological profile on him somewhere? Each person who was part of the Ark program had to go through a selection process, and despite what information we were able to retrieve on Connor, so far it’s minuscule compared with our other colonists,” Tobias said.
“I’ll look, and Franklin will be evaluating him to be sure Connor’s not a danger to himself or others,” Ashley said.
Tobias eyed her for a moment. “You like him, don’t you?”
Ashley smiled. “Yes.”
“He reminds you of John, doesn’t he?”
Ashley looked away. “A little bit. My brother was military for life.”
“Connor is special forces. We know that much at least. There’s almost no mention of the Ghosts he referred to, so he must have been part of some black ops group. Those groups generally don’t include the nice guys.”
“Given some of the local wildlife on the planet, that may be a good thing,” Ashley said.
“Has there been another attack?”
Ashley shook her head. “No. They would have told you if there was. It’ll be interesting to see what Connor thinks of our new home.”
“Ever the mother of us all. Okay, let’s get back to work,” Tobias said.
Ashley kissed him on the cheek.
“Will I see you for dinner tonight?” Tobias asked.
“Only if you’re very lucky,” Ashley said, grinning, and they left the conference room.
8
As Connor left the conference room, he had the feeling that Ashley and Tobias needed to discuss a few things, probably about him. Taken at face value, Tobias and Ashley seemed like genuinely good people. They had a job to do, regardless of the circumstances of his own unanticipated presence on the Ark.
Connor needed to get away and welcomed the opportunity to get some fresh air. Even before the Ghosts’ last mission, it had been a while since he’d been planet-side on Earth. A deep pang seized his chest and he felt his throat thicken as he thought about Wilkinson’s last message. The admiral must have recorded it while Connor had been with the doctors, which meant that there must not have been a lot of time for Wilkinson to throw all this together. The more Connor thought about it, the more he wanted to know about the circumstances that had led the Battleship Carrier Indianapolis to intercept their combat shuttle. Had Wilkinson known about the mission to Chronos Station beforehand? He couldn’t have found out about it in the time they’d just happened to discover the combat shuttle the Ghosts had used. There was too much coincidence there for Connor’s tastes. He didn’t know whether to hate the old admiral or thank him. Wilkinson had seemed sincere in his message, and he’d served with Connor’s father in the military. Connor still had no idea how Wilkinson had smuggled him aboard the Ark.
More than once he found himself looking for Kasey or Reisman. One of the reasons the Ghosts had been so successful was that Connor took the feedback from his team very seriously. In the end, the decision was always his and the team knew that, but he always tried to give his team the opportunity to share their expert opinions.
Connor approached a trio of young men who appeared to be in their late teens. Prolonging treatments could fool most people, but there was an unmistakable youthful vigor in the eyes of each.
“I’ll be tagging along with you down to the colony,” Connor said.
The tallest of the trio had straw-colored hair and blue eyes. He greeted Connor. “I’m Lars Mallory, Mr. Gates.”
There weren’t many people Connor had to look up to, but Lars was among the few. His broad shoulders and muscular body had the look of someone who was extremely active.
“You can call me Connor.”
“Is it true you were a colonel in the special forces?” asked the shortest of the trio.
He had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and his eyes were alight with excitement. Connor guessed he didn’t get out much, considering his pale complexion.
“Sorry, I’m Noah. As you may have guessed, this is my ship,” Noah said with a grin.
“The Genesis story,” Connor said.
“Yup. Are you a religious type?”
“No, religion and I don’t mix well,” Connor said.
Noah’s brows pulled together. “None of them?”
“Never mind him. He studies religions as a hobby. I’m Sean, by the way,” said a sandy-haired youth with freckles on his face. His skin was bronzed by the sun.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind speaking about it,” Connor said.
Noah’s eyes lit up.
“How about we hold off on the theological discussion until we get on the cargo carrier shuttle,” Lars said.
The trio was eager to get back to the planet, and Connor followed them into the hangar.
“So what do you guys do planet-side?” Connor asked.
Lars answered first. “Since we’re eighteen, we get to rotate through different occupations in addition to our ch
osen professions. I’m back in Field Operations and Security, which is headed up by my father.”
Connor nodded and looked at the other two.
Noah adjusted the straps of the pack he was carrying. “No field work for me. I work with the different scientists and help get their systems up and running. I also get to visit all the FORBs and set those systems up as well. Connect them back to the compound. That sort of thing.”
“FORBs?” Connor asked.
“Forward Operating Research Bases. They’re away from the main compound. Some of them are accessible via land transports and we need to fly to others. Someday, when we build the maglev train lines, they’ll all be connected,” Noah said.
Connor looked at Sean, who wouldn’t make eye contact with him. “And you?”
Sean pressed his lips together in annoyance. “I rotate through like the others,” he said and quickened his pace to march ahead of them.
“Did I say something wrong?” Connor asked.
“Nah, Sean always gets sensitive about that stuff. With his dad being the governor and all, that usually impacts what Sean gets to do,” Noah said.
Lars led them to a cargo carrier that was fully loaded with equipment containers. They checked in with the deck officer and were allowed aboard. The deck officer scanned Connor’s palm and then informed him that he’d get ID tags at the compound. Since Connor didn’t have any belongings, he took his seat and strapped himself in.
Noah stored his gear and took the seat next to Connor.
“You never answered my question,” Noah said.
Connor knew he hadn’t answered the question about whether he was in the military and had hoped they’d let it go. Apparently not. “Yes, I was.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “Wow, are you able to talk about the missions you’ve been on? Have you been on a lot of them? Were they dangerous?”
“No, and I’m not at liberty to say,” Connor said.
Noah’s eyes drew downward in disappointment.
“So you set up systems, right?” Connor asked Noah, and he nodded in reply. “Are you any good with getting information off of the Ark’s computer systems?”
“There are none better. The Ark systems are linked with the compound’s. What is it you’d like to find out?”
“I have a list of things. I guess they’d be considered historical records now,” Connor said.
“That wouldn’t be a problem—” Noah began.
A woman in the row ahead cleared her throat and poked her auburn-haired head over the seat. “I didn’t realize you had so much free time, Noah Barker,” Lenora said. She glanced at Connor and gave him a wink.
“I don’t, Dr. Bishop,” Noah stammered.
“Are you sure?” Lenora asked and pursed her lips in thought. “Because it’s been two weeks and our data link still isn’t working right at FORB 97.”
Noah nodded. “I know I’ve kept you waiting, but I’ve been working on it. There’s something local that’s interfering with the signal, and I’m working on a solution. We’re trying additional sensors to bolster it.”
“Uh huh,” Lenora said, sounding unconvinced. “Then you won’t mind accompanying me out to 97 to check out the systems yourself. I think you’ve done all you can from the compound.”
Noah’s face paled and then he sighed. “Oh, joy,” he said.
Lenora smiled at Connor. “You could come too. You look like you’d make yourself useful.”
Connor suspected Lenora would put anyone she could find to work for her. And with those eyelashes, he was sure many found it hard to say no to her.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Bishop, but Mr. Gates will be going through orientation for the next few days,” Lars said.
Lenora shrugged, turned around, and sat in her seat.
Noah cleared his throat. “So you really don’t believe in any religion?”
The carrier left the hangar, and Connor craned his neck to look out the window at the Ark. The Ark was the biggest ship he’d ever seen. They could have lined up all the battleship carriers in the NA Alliance fleet and they wouldn’t have reached the end of the massive ship.
He turned back around. “Not one. Atheism isn’t that uncommon anymore.”
“The things I’ve read say that most people in the military do have faith in a religion. It’s a pretty interesting statistic that pivots toward belief, especially for those with combat experience,” Noah said.
“Religions are a destructive force responsible for thousands of years of war and bloodshed that stifled mankind’s growth and prosperity. I don’t need to believe there’s a super being watching me in order to adhere to a moral code,” Connor said.
“So you’d blame the institutions of religion because of the actions of certain members?”
“The scripture they follow is flawed and filled with contradictions. You can’t preach tolerance and also have a clause in there that implies ‘join us or die—if you don’t believe what we believe, you’ll go to a mythical hell.’ That’s all crap people use to control other people,” Connor said.
“Religions have had to change a lot in the past few hundred years and acknowledge the flaws of their earlier practices,” Noah said.
“Did God tell them to do that? Or was it common sense?” Connor asked.
“That’s the real question, isn’t it?”
“They had no choice. People were leaving them in droves. The old standards didn’t make any sense. I don’t have anything against anyone who chooses to have faith in something. Just don’t try and push those viewpoints on me. I’ve spent a bulk of my career dealing with groups that thought they were divine in some way, be it with some crazy concept or luring people in with empty promises. The patterns are there, even if you strip away all the shiny things people like,” Connor said.
Noah nodded. “Interesting viewpoint. People are so passionate about it regardless of what they believe.”
“I think the framework of religion had a significant purpose in our history, but it’s something we’re meant to outgrow, that we should outgrow. Yet I still see those same tactics used to subvert people, whether it’s religion or corporations,” Connor said.
“So you don’t like the institutions of religion, but God is okay?” Noah asked.
“One and the same for me. You’re born, you live, and you die. That’s it,” Connor said.
“You must be the life of the party,” Lenora called out.
Connor snorted. “So, did we bring two of each species from Earth on the ship?”
“We have the genetic materials for most species in the cryolabs, but we’re years away from using any of that stuff,” Noah said.
“And rightfully so. We can’t go changing the ecosystem here to make this place seem more like Earth. We have to adjust to life here,” Lenora said.
“If you tell me I can’t have a dog, I’ll never get to FORB 97,” Noah said.
Lenora laughed. “If you fix the issue, I’ll personally see to it that you get a puppy from the first litter.”
“Hey, Lenora, how does religion fit into your line of work?” Connor asked.
Lenora twisted around and eyed him. “You’re gonna burn,” she said and laughed.
Connor chuckled.
“In all seriousness,” Lenora said, “I’m a scientist. I believe there’s an order to the universe that we don’t fully understand. Just because we understand some mysteries doesn’t mean we can do away with others. Call it whatever you want, but I don’t think that you and I are here by accident.”
Connor settled back in his seat and watched as they closed in on the planet. He hadn’t seen distinct continents, only one large mass that stretched a long distance. There were vast mountain ranges that created a spider-work of peaks from one side of the vast continent to the other.
“We’re heading toward the western reaches. It’s heavily forested, with lots of freshwater springs. They still need to be purified, of course,” Noah said.
“Have you explored much of the continent?
It reminds me of the old references to the supercontinent Pangea,” Connor said.
“The seed ship provided much of the survey data we have. There are strings of islands that go across the oceans, but we’ve only been exploring the western reaches of the continent. Don’t forget there are only about twenty thousand of us awake at the moment,” Noah said.
“How’d the site for the main compound get picked?” Connor asked.
“Oh, it was the Ark’s artificial intelligence that took the data gathered from the seed ship and ran it through some pretty complex data models. We sent out probes of our own, along with survey crews, and Governor Quinn chose the first site,” Noah said.
“Do you have family at the compound?” Connor asked.
Noah’s features darkened. “No,” he said.
The cargo carrier plunged through the upper atmosphere and leveled off its approach. Connor didn’t press Noah for any more information. There was so much he didn’t know about the planet. He kept thinking about different things he’d taken for granted on Earth and then wondered what it was going to truly be like on this planet. He recalled Lenora mentioning something about alien ruins, so there would have been an intelligent civilization that had evolved during the planet’s history. If there were only ruins left, they must have died out for some reason.
Connor’s stomach growled and he smacked his lips, thinking about real food and how he’d never have another beer and burger in Tub’s Bar at the Wings Airfield in Colorado. His mind charged down the path of all the things he’d never have again, and at the same time, he looked around at the people in the cargo carrier and thought how they’d all volunteered to be part of the Ark program. They’d chosen to leave Earth and the other colonies in the solar system behind. How does one make that kind of decision? And yet, three hundred thousand colonists had been picked to be on the Ark.
Connor glanced out the window and saw that the landscape was much closer than it had been. They were flying over a vast lush forest that formed a treetop canopy. Their velocity was too fast for Connor to see the landscape in any detail, but a tree was a tree. As he took in the scenery, he kept thinking about what had happened to the Ark mission and how someone back on Earth had overridden the Ark’s destination and added another hundred and twenty years to their trip so they could come here.