by Paul Rix
"Great work, Sakura," said Maxwell. "I knew the ship wouldn't let us down, despite her age." She turned toward Garrett. "It seems we have some time to become better acquainted."
Chapter 10
Garrett had done enough talking, conscious he may have said too much already. "I was hoping maybe you could tell me what Earth was really like. They taught us Earth history at the academy, but you must have so much more insight."
The sole reason for boarding Britannic had been to discover information about humanity's distant past. He'd been inquisitive to understand at first-hand what Earth objects might be on board and had thought that physical contact would make them more real. But being able to speak with people who had lived their lives on Earth was a thrilling and unexpected bonus. They could bring history to a whole new level of understanding.
Captain Maxwell screwed up her face. "It doesn't feel correct speaking about Earth in the past tense. As far as I'm concerned, I was there only a week ago. That is not history. This is totally screwing with my head."
O'Brien and Takahashi both nodded their agreement, although remained silent. O'Brien had hardly spoken a word. He slumped his chin onto his chest as he absently picked at his fingernails.
"I don't mean to be insensitive," Garrett replied. "You'll find that most people you meet will be fascinated to hear your first-hand experiences. There's a substantial sub-culture with an interest in Earth history. You could regard them as nostalgic romantics."
"A sub-culture? What is the public's view of Earth?"
"It's not negative if that's your concern. At best, there's a curiosity that humanity could have killed off its own planet. President D’Angelo, the Federation leader, has taken steps to withhold information and discussion regarding Earth history. She is on record as saying we need to look to the potential in our future rather than the mistakes of the past."
O'Brien lifted his head, his eyes hollow yet intense. "And where do you sit, Mr. Garrett?"
"I'm of the opinion we need to learn from our mistakes. That's the only way to build a better future. I studied the twentieth century when I was at school. A fascinating period when the world seemed at war most of the time and almost annihilated itself. Yet creativity in the arts and sciences seemed to blossom out of the violence. It's a shame we've never returned to see what happened to those who remained on Earth."
Captain Maxwell raised her eyebrows. "Has there been no contact at all with Earth during the past two thousand years?"
"Not that I'm aware of. I suspect we're monitoring any possible radio transmissions and I understand there are also some people pushing for a return mission to Earth. But although propulsion technology has advanced significantly, a round trip would still take twenty years. Far too long to be practical or for anyone to be interested in going."
"I suppose that makes sense," said Takahashi. "But surely there are scientists with enough curiosity who could send a mission with robotic probes."
Garrett nodded. He had occasionally wondered the same thing. "You'll have to ask President D’Angelo that question when you meet her. For now, I would like to hear your version."
Maxwell shrugged. "What would you like to know?"
Garrett thought for a moment. There was so much he wanted to discover about Earth's culture. History books provided only so much information, and they only dealt with hard facts. Here was a chance to understand the thoughts and feelings of those that had lived on Earth. Their experiences could only add to his sketchy knowledge. In particular, had humanity really made the world uninhabitable? "Why don't you tell me about your last days before leaving Earth, Captain Maxwell?"
"You're not asking a lot, are you? And please call me Lacey. I think my commission may have lapsed." This time, her smile was genuine and warm.
"In that case, you can call me Oz." Garrett returned Maxwell's smile.
"Those last few days were incredibly frenetic. Remember, we were the final PEA to depart Earth. Britannic was regarded as the last hope for people to escape the planet. Countless millions of men, women, and children desperately wanted to be on this ship even though we had facilities for only one thousand."
"But you weren't responsible for the selection process."
"No, thank goodness. I wouldn't have been able to do that. An AI algorithm selected all the colonists on each of the PEAs. Everyone under forty years of age was eligible to apply. The actual selection criteria remained a closely guarded secret but included factors such as genetic health, specific practical skills, and even fertility. Anyone lucky enough to be selected could take up to three people with them. Usually, their partner and children, unless you came from a large family."
This was additional information to Garrett. "You're telling me the selection process tore families apart?"
"Absolutely. In my case, I was the one who passed the selection process to be a colonist. The process took almost two years to complete all the tests and was brutally effective in weeding out those with even a minor blemish. I chose my husband and two sons to join me. My parents were too old, and they understood. But I left two sisters behind. My husband left two brothers back on Earth." Maxwell paused to wipe more tears away.
"I chose my brother and his wife. They're on board this ship," said Takahashi, her eyes also glistening at the memory of leaving loved ones behind. "I hope to god they're okay."
"My wife wouldn't join me," O'Brien said, grimly. "She wouldn't leave her family behind because she was close to her mum and her sisters. According to her, the risks of Project Exodus failing outweighed her chances on Earth. I can't tell you how many arguments we had on the matter while I was undertaking the selection criteria. It looks as if she may have been right. I have a young daughter, only three years old, who also stayed behind."
The pain of the grief from each of the three officers was hard to experience for Garrett. He had never considered what sacrifices the original colonists had made and how many loved ones they had left behind. That agony eclipsed the grief he felt for Mercy's death. It would have been an impossible situation to say those goodbyes. Especially knowing you were on the last ship and there was no possibility of ever seeing their loved ones again. He had a new respect for the colonists who had volunteered to start new lives on a faraway planet they had never seen before.
After a few moment's reflection, Maxwell said, "Another matter you probably don't know about is the riots. The Exodus Facility was located near Houston, Texas. It was an enormous site, about five thousand square kilometers. All equipment, supplies, and personnel passed through the facility before being sent into orbit and transported to their particular PEA. Every colonist had to report there three months before assignment to an ark. They were then run through countless health checks, immunized, and provided with the most basic astronaut training. There were drop-outs even at that stage. Some people failed the final health checks. Others reconsidered, which is understandable."
"I assume there was a wait-list, to replace those late drop-outs."
"There was a daily lottery," O'Brien sneered. "Millions of desperate individuals paying vast sums to have a chance to be one of the lucky two or three replacements required each day. It became a huge spectacle. They gave the winner a single spot on an ark. No family members were allowed unless they also won a ticket through the lottery. You can imagine the odds of that happening."
"It was at the Exodus Facility where everyone entered cryo-stasis," Maxwell continued. "After we'd signed a waiver, of course. They then transferred our pods into space and loaded us into position on Britannic."
"I hadn't realized. I always assumed cryo-stasis occurred once on board an ark."
"They could have done it that way but would have taken too long. The equipment at the Exodus Facility could freeze fifty people an hour. That's an entire ark in one day."
"You mentioned riots," Garrett reminded her.
"Oh yes. Tens of thousands of troops guarded the facility. For the last thirty years, millions of people had accumulated around the f
ences, living in squalor and whatever temporary shelters they could find. All of them trying to break into the facility. Over the years, as each flotilla of PEAs left Earth, the crowd's desperation increased. They knew ours was the final launch, so I guess they felt they had nothing left to lose."
"I don't know what they were thinking," said Takahashi. "They would never have been allowed on the transfer vehicles."
Maxwell continued her story. "As crew, we were at the facility for five months. We had to complete flight and systems training on simulators. Although we were many kilometers away from the fences, we could hear shots being fired every night as the guards attempted to pacify the people. The closer to the launch date, the more intense the shooting. We had no access to news, but we heard rumors that they had breached several sections of the fence in coordinated attacks. Tens of thousands of people were shot and killed. Yet they kept on coming. It was a dreadful human disaster."
"Was life on Earth really as bad as they say?"
"I don't know what you've been told. But—"
"It is unimaginable," interrupted O'Brien. "There has been over a century of natural disasters. Wildfires, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It is as if the planet itself was sending a message that it no longer wanted humans to remain. Billions of people have died or been made homeless because of global pandemics and food shortages. Medical science cannot keep up. Many governments have collapsed or been beaten into submission by neighboring armies as countries attempt to grab land for their own people. Governments in the three superpowers are about to crash, along with the global economy. It's a horror story brought to life. Who knows where it will end?"
Maxwell and Takahashi looked at him aghast after his emotional tirade. The memories were far too raw for them.
Garrett was unsure what to say. This was far more real than he had expected. "I'm sorry for raising the matter," he said softly. "History paints a very different picture of humanity pulling together and uniting in a common goal. I guess the truth was too painful for those who escaped."
"Damn right!" snapped O'Brien. "This isn't history for us. This is our present. It's only five months since I said tearful goodbyes to my wife and daughter. Not two thousand years. I hope the rest of your people show more sensitivity than you seem capable of."
The remark stung Garrett but he could appreciate O'Brien's reaction.
"It's okay, Luke," Captain Maxwell said soothingly, as she rubbed his arm again. "I'm sure Oz here is as interested in our lives on Earth as we are about his life in the Stellar Cluster."
O'Brien didn't reply, averting his eyes from everyone's gaze.
"Ask me anything you'd like," replied Garrett. "I'll do my best to answer."
"Let's start with a straightforward question," said Maxwell. "Who are you?"
Chapter 11
Garrett had never enjoyed talking about his personal life. As far as he was concerned, it was ordinary and nothing special. There were countless men like him across the Stellar Cluster, each living one day to the next and trying to do the right thing. Despite the mundane nature of his life, it had been fulfilling. Until recently. Mercy was the only person he had allowed close enough to know who he really was.
Yet there was a connection between himself and the three members of Britannic who, through no fault of their own, found themselves out of time and ripped away from everyone they knew. Talking to the bridge crew was comfortable. Although he couldn't be as open as he had been with Mercy, he felt as if he could regard them as comrades.
He started with his life in Lafayette's Space Marines, working his way up to be a veteran gunnery sergeant. His life back then had been so much simpler. The Marines provided food and lodgings and all he had to concentrate on was the welfare of the men and women who relied on him to keep them safe. He skipped some of the more gory experiences he had faced in battle; Captain Maxwell and her team weren't ready to hear about that.
He also neglected to talk about his own family and the wealthy lifestyle he had shunned. The rift with his brother was a wound he was not prepared to re-open.
But as Garrett moved on to recall some of his exploits as a bounty hunter operating within Colonel Lane's squad, he relaxed into his role as a storyteller. Britannic's crew were genuinely interested in discovering information about the places he had visited, from planets to the gigantic artificial transit stations at strategic points around the Stellar Cluster.
"It sounds an exciting life," Captain Maxwell commented. "And rewarding. You and your colleagues clearly enjoy your work. I would like to meet the inspirational Colonel Lane."
Her words brought reality crashing back down around Garrett. The hollow feeling returned to the pit of his stomach as he considered how to respond. "I'm afraid that's not possible," he whispered. "The colonel's dead. They all died. Murdered. There's only me and one other."
"I'm so sorry. That's why you're out here on your own?"
Garrett nodded. "I needed time alone. To understand and reconcile what's happened. It's difficult and very raw at the moment. I'd rather not talk about it. Can we talk about something else?"
There was an awkward silence before O'Brien spoke up. "Has alien life been detected or found?" Both Maxwell and Takahashi straightened.
"Evidence of life has been found on all the planets we've inhabited. A diverse range of plants, animals, microbes of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Evolution is such an amazing thing. There have been many predatory or poisonous life forms that have rendered humans dead or seriously injured. We're far more careful these days when colonizing a new world."
"I was thinking of intelligent life. One of my biggest hopes and fears is meeting an extra-terrestrial."
Garrett stifled a smile. "No, Luke. We've not encountered intelligent life. Evidence of an intelligence race, however, has been uncovered. Unfortunately, they and their planet died a very long time before the first human settlers arrived."
"That's a shame," said O'Brien. "I always believed it would be momentous to encounter another civilization. Imagine what we could learn from one another."
"From Oz's exploits, it sounds as though humanity still has too many dark secrets in its closet," said Maxwell. "What would an advanced alien civilization think of us?"
"I may have given you the wrong impression. Criminals make up a tiny fraction of the Federation. And we are only human because of our imperfections. You'll never eradicate those weaknesses."
"And who is to say an alien race is any better?" said O'Brien. "I've seen enough vintage movies to know that they're not all benevolent."
Maxwell laughed. "Perhaps it's best that there are none close by, good or evil."
"So, that's dealt with intelligent aliens," said Takahashi. "I'm more interested to discover if there are intelligent machines. They conducted research on Earth, but the technology didn't make it practical. If two thousand years have passed, then surely there have to be sentient machines and robots."
"You'll be pleased to hear that there are many droids; for every activity you can think of. From cleaning droids all the way through to complex battle droids. Machines and sophisticated computer programs assist our lives. However, there are controls in place to limit the artificial intelligence capabilities of all these devices. Federation law prohibits sentience, as you call it, and anything close to it."
Takahashi's eyes couldn't hide her disappointment. "Why?"
"They enabled sentience about fifteen hundred years ago. Scientists on the planet Yume created three machines that achieved varying levels of consciousness."
"I assume something went wrong," said Takahashi.
Garrett nodded. "It went bad. No one had expected that the machines would have a strong survival instinct. When the scientists tried to turn them off, the machines defended themselves by taking control of all computers and droids on the planet. They killed half the human population within two days. That was two hundred thousand people. The Federation was forced to contain the threat before the sentient machines found another world. So the
y carpet-bombed Yume with the entire stock of nuclear and high-yield weapons in their armory. The planet's surface and everything on it, living or artificial, was vaporized."
"Oh my God!"
"I believe creating conscious artificial life is one of the few federal crimes with a guaranteed death penalty. Yume is a lesson in being careful what you wish for."
"Wow," said Maxwell. "This conversation has turned very dark. There must be some positives living in the distant future."
"I'm not the best person to sell the present. But I promise you, there is more than enough to excite you."
A chime from the control console stopped any further conversation. "That's the environmental system," said Takahashi. She took a few seconds to study the data on the screen in front of her. "The central core is now pressurized and contains enough breathable air to be safe. It still needs to warm up though."
"Are you able to open the hatch?" Garrett asked.
"Yes, but I wouldn't recommend keeping it open longer than necessary unless you want us to freeze."
"Let me return to my ship. I'll contact the authorities and get you the proper help you need."
"You won't abandon us?" The desperation in Takahashi's plea was genuine and heartbreaking.
"Of course not. I'll fetch some supplies and be back before you know it."
Chapter 12
Once Garrett was gone and the hatch resealed, O'Brien took the opportunity to voice the doubts he had been holding back.
"Lacey, do you think we can trust Oz?"
Captain Maxwell frowned. "We have no reason to not believe him. If he isn't who he claims to be, then he's been able to create an extremely elaborate lie."
"I agree," said Takahashi. "Why try to deceive us? What does he have to gain?"
"But we're unable to verify his claims. Are we going to accept everything he says at face value?"
