by Trent Falls
Across from John sat two UN emissaries to the colony. One was a male in his late thirties with wire frame glasses and a well-kept light brown beard. His name was Derek Chase. Derek was the official representation of Earth government on the colony. He was there on the behest of the world governments of Earth to ensure that the colony followed some semblance of law; that it acted as both an extension of Earth while representing its laws and values.
The other emissary was a beautiful dark haired woman who was Chase’s assistant. John smiled sideways at Aiyana Rodriguez, then twenty six. She was every bit as smart as she was pretty. Chase didn’t know but Aiyana and John had been involved in a relationship for the last few months. It wasn’t long after Aiyana arrived that she and John had found each other romantically.
Aiyana shot John an angry sideways glance, knowing that Chase had not seen how the Marshal was looking at her. In her expression she begged him silently to behave. Aiyana didn’t want her boss knowing she had fallen for the lawman. She wanted to keep a professional appearance; at least for the time being. She kicked John under the table, finally getting Carn to cooperate and sit up straight.
“Weather sat says we’re probably due for strong rains later this afternoon.” Chase said, taking a sip of his coffee as he studied his touchscreen tablet. A map of New Australia with radar and satellite images of the area cycled on the tablet screen.
“Tomlin says they should have the power plant fueled on schedule.” Aiyana replied, checking her own tablet on the table which sat next to her coffee.
John said nothing but sat back quietly, drinking from his own coffee mug as he worked over a plate of scrambled eggs. John was the representative from the Marshal’s Office at the morning meeting, which was typically held at the same time each day over breakfast.
“What’s the report on the heist last week, Marshal?” Chase asked John.
“We caught two guys at the port trying to ship the drill bits and the portable computers back to Earth.” John explained. “We have them in custody now.”
“And those anarchists?” Chase pressed.
“Nothing more than the three we captured last month.” John took another sip from his coffee. “We still think they were tweakers sent here by some activist judge on Earth. They became stim junkies once they transitioned here on their work crews.”
“Fucking assholes back on Earth!” Chase cursed. “They seem to think that just because this is a colony planet that we take any degenerate who applies for emigration. We’re already saddled with the name ‘New Australia’!”
“So it’s true that came about as a joke?” Aiyana asked.
The popular consensus was that the original colony commander for New Australia, Dylan Hobbs, was apt to lean towards heavy-handed discipline. Hobbs allegedly suggested that Earth should empty its prisons and send inmates to the colonies as work crews. Another popular theory was that the first colonists felt treated like inmates under Hobbs’ command and thus called the new colony outpost as ‘New Australia’ given the original Australia’s beginnings as an English penal colony.
“No one in the Earth governments likes the name.” Chase explained. “They wanted people of all walks of life to go to the colonies. Making it sound like a prison colony tends to keep the best and the brightest from applying.”
“Cheers, Derek!” John raised his coffee mug to Chase in a mock toast.
“Present company accepted of course.” Chase smirked back at John.
“No offense taken, Mister Chase.” John replied in a rather informal manner, taking a sip from his coffee before setting it down. “Besides, take a look around. This place sells itself!”
“Very funny Carn!” Chase smirked back across the table at him. “Maybe you can help me update the travel brochures later.”
“I can! My sister sent me this really nice 3D camera from home.” John joked.
“Come on. Let’s get serious, shall we?” Aiyana interjected. “We have a lot to get done today and over the next week. Once that nuclear reactor goes online we’ll be able to expand the city by twice its size. With the power plant online we can start the heavy machinery plant.”
“Phillips and his crew are just about done doing site work for the heavy equipment factory.” Chase added. “It’s going to take about six months to get it fully up and running.” Chase looked over at John. “We expect to add about 600 new workers from Earth when that’s done. We want to bring families down here, not just single beer-swilling tool pushers.”
“That’s kind of stereotypical, isn’t it Derek?” John asked sharply.
“Maybe it is, but workers with families are more stable.” Chase replied. “My point is we’re going to start being more discriminate with who we bring here. We need to start thinking about the future. As it is we have enough problems with illegal gambling, drinking, stim-heads, and prostitutes. I’m tired of that shit! We need to clean this place up!”
“Hey!” John turned his head slightly as he picked up his mug of coffee. “You’re preaching to the choir my friend!”
Chase took a final drink of his coffee and set his mug down. He turned off his data tablet and stood up.
“I gotta go.” Chase spoke quickly. “I got to head back to City Hall. I forgot I got a subspace transmission due back to Darmstadt.”
As Chase stood up he caught sight of Tommy, the fifty-something grey haired owner of Carolina’s. Tommy was at the bar getting ready for the start of the day. He was busy on the touchscreen computer at the bar, going over the previous night’s orders and assessing inventory.
“Tommy! Hey thanks!” Chase waved into the open side door to the restaurant.
“Hey! No problem! Takeiteasy there pal!” Tommy waved back indirectly.
John watched Chase leave as he sat next to Aiyana. Aiyana leisurely continued eating her breakfast while looking down at her personal tablet computer.
“You always keep your head buried in that thing?” John asked his girlfriend.
“I have to. These are duty reports.” Ana responded, her eyes still fixed on the tabled.
Chase carried his portfolio case and a few sets of plans out of the restaurant. The city administrator walked out quickly across the dusty dirt road towards a line of parked cars about a half a block up from Carolina’s. John and Aiyana could still see Chase even though neither one of them paid him much attention.
“Speaking of work what time do you think you’ll finish up today?” John asked.
“Sweetie, I’m like you – always on duty!” Ana looked up at John and smiled lovingly.
“Well, maybe you can take a break and stop by my apartment later tonight. I’m making chicken tacos.” John noted.
“Mmmm! You know how to win a girl’s heart, Marshal!” the younger Ana cooed.
“I’m making them that fancy way you like too.” John added.
“You got wine?” Ana asked.
“Red.”
“Is it local?”
“No, it’s from Napa Valley.” John explained. “I got a buddy on one of the highliners. I asked him to bring me down a few bottles.”
Chase was about at his car. The administrator opened the door and threw his attaché and plans into the passenger seat. John gave him just a passing glance, returning his attention to Ana.
“You’re really working hard to get me to move in, aren’t you?” Ana grinned at her boyfriend.
“Come on! I gotta try.” John grinned at her. “I don’t understand why we can’t be more out in the open about this. Lots of people know.”
Chase was in his car. Across the street a man in a black highliner jacket and blue jeans walked out into the street.
“Fine! I’ll move in!” Ana conceded. “You’re going to have to move a lot of your man cave shit out into storage though.”
The man in the black highliner jacket walked across the street. He was walking directly towards Chase’s car. John caught sight of the man, finally holding his attention on him.
“That couch has
to go too. And that thing you call a bed.” Ana continued.
“What’s wrong with… the bed.” John found his attention fixed on the man walking across the street.
The unknown man in the highliner jacket appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. He had short brown hair and a tan hue to his skin.
Chase was in his car, thumbing through the recent messages on his comlink computer screen. The man in the highliner jacket was a few feet away, looking directly into Chase’s driver side window.
“ANA GET DOWN!” John shot up to his feet. His 9mm sidearm pistol was drawn.
There was a rapping at Chase’s window. Chase looked up to see the man in the highliner jacket staring down at him. He had rapped on the window with the bright silver ring on his third finger. A maniacal smile was fixed on the young man’s face.
“GET DOWN! GET AWAY FROM THE FUCKING CAR NOW!!!” John yelled, rushing out into the street with his sidearm fixed on the man in the jacket.
Chase looked down from the man’s face. A claymore mine was strapped to his chest. The detonator was in his left hand.
“FUCK!” Chase shouted; brutally terrified.
In the blink of an eye John saw the man standing next to Chase’s car. He then saw the man and the top of the car vanish in a fiery blast and explosion of smoke. The boom was deafening.
John was pushed back by the blast to fall on his back on the dusty road.
Julie emerged from Alex’s stateroom and walked back towards the hangar bay of the Tequesta. She continued to towel dry her hair as she walked. She saw Aiyana sitting on the seats at the right. She was staring intently at John across the way. John remained sleeping, lying across three of the fold down chairs. He startled in his sleep, briefly at first then shaking for a few seconds. Visibly, John was having a bad dream.
“He still has nightmares.” Aiyana spoke indirectly to Julie, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on John.
“Yeah.” Julie answered grimly. “All the time.”
“It’s just like… how he used to get them years ago.” Ana noted sadly, still staring at John as he slept.
“He’s been getting better.” Julie replied. “A little anyway.”
Julie stared at her uncle for a while. He was still in his dirty outdoor gear, which made him look very soldier-like. His right arm sleeve was rolled up. His EEF Marine Eagle tattoo on his right arm was visible, although smeared with grease and dirt. Though the man sleeping on the chairs resembled her uncle he was dressed in the attire of a mercenary; a beast. The soldier that was John Carn was unfamiliar… and a little scary. Julie remembered how he killed the men at the base. She shook her head to drive the thought from her own head.
Aiyana stood up. Her black flight suit creaked slightly as she stood.
“I need to get going.” Ana breathed. She looked at Julie for a moment, then at John. “You don’t wake him do you?”
Ana looked back at Julie to see her shake her head ‘no’. Aiyana looked at John again. She walked across the hangar to the life support controls. A call box was set into the bulkhead next to the controls.
Ana depressed the button to call the flight deck. “Alex. I’m leaving.”
“Hang on. I’ll be right back.” Alex’s voice replied.
Ana released the com button and stepped away from the box. She looked over at Julie again. “Your uncle is a good man, Julie. Remember that.” Ana extended her right hand to Julie.
Julie took Ana’s hand to shake it but instead hugged her quickly. “Thank you!” Julie spoke warmly as she hugged Ana tightly.
Ana was taken aback slightly by the sudden embrace but soon relaxed. “Don’t mention it.” Ana replied.
Julie pulled away shyly, suddenly realizing she might have overstepped her bounds. She wiped a tear away from her right eye with the back of her hand. “Sorry.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Ana smiled back at Julie.
Alex appeared from the front of the ship, walking quickly out into the cargo area towards the group.
John took a deep sharp breath, finally waking. His threat response was immediately active as he scanned the area around him. Realizing where he was he settled back down quickly. He took another deep breath and forced himself to look over his right shoulder. His eyes squinted from the brightness of the cargo bay lights and from grogginess.
“Alex.” Ana reached out her arms to embrace her friend.
Alex walked towards Aiyana and hugged her as an old friend. “Take care out there, Ana.” Alex hugged her back. “Thanks for everything.”
“Hey, no problem. Sorry about all that nastiness back on Mars.”
“I understood. It’s your job.” Alex replied. “No hard feelings.”
Ana let go of Alex. She turned around to see John’s face, still dark from camouflage paint. She was startled for a second but soon melted back to calm as she looked at his familiar, yet worn, face.
“I owe you my life.” John grinned at her.
“If you look back on life we might already be even. Hell, you might even be ahead.” Ana smiled back at him.
As much as she tried not to Ana couldn’t help but hug John. Even after a decade she felt so right in his arms. She held on to him for a moment. He held on to her. Ana pulled away to find herself looking into his face. She threw caution to the wind and kissed him. She kissed him, not like a friend but like she used to kiss him, though not as deeply. Aiyana allowed herself that one luxury for a few seconds before pulling away from him.
“You ready with that gravity Alex?” Ana asked, keeping her eyes fixed forward on John.
“Got it.” Alex replied from somewhere outside her peripheral vision.
John smiled broadly back at Ana. For a few seconds he had Ana back, like it was… as beautiful as it was. Common sense and kindness would intervene against John’s emotions, making him simply stand there smiling at the woman he once loved.
Ana smiled back at him, sharing that love in that moment. The feeling was gone a moment after as Aiyana Rodriguez realized it wasn’t to be; it could never be.
Everyone in the cargo area felt their weight slip away. Ana’s black hair floated up slightly at her sides. She had been standing under an AC vent.
“Clean yourself up. You look like shit.” Ana smiled lovingly back at John.
With that Ana tapped the tips of her toes against the deck below her. She floated up towards the ceiling like an angel. Once on the ceiling she pulled the release lever for the airlock. She looked down, upside down, back at John. John floated in the air about a foot off the deck.
“See ya around.” Ana said her goodbye warmly to John. She then pulled her body around the hatch and up into the airlock.
The door shut behind her. A green light at the side of the hatch on the ceiling lit up, indicating an atmospheric seal.
John kept his eyes fixed on the airlock door. Julie tried to allow her uncle a measure of privacy but she found herself looking at him. John had an expression on his face she had never seen. For a few seconds John looked like a lost puppy. With Ana gone he regained his composure.
Alex reactivated the gravity in the cargo area. John, Julie, and Alex slowly came back down on their feet gently from zero gravity.
John finally turned his eyes towards Julie. He caught her looking at him. Julie sheepishly looked away.
“It’s okay Jules.” John smiled as he walked past her. He patted her shoulder with his gloved right hand and walked towards the front of the ship. “I’m going to go clean up.”
Ana’s ship detached from the Tequesta. The black prospecting vessel floated up slightly on repulse thrusters, then rotated around so it was oriented the same way as the Tequesta.
Inside the ship, Ana sat in the left pilot seat. She flipped a switch over her head, taking a quick passive scan of the area. The space around her was clear aside from the Tequesta. Ana nosed her black ship upward and hit the throttle. The Nightwing, as John had recently and unofficially dubbed the vessel, surged forward on its two larg
e main thrusters.
Ana couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness in her heart. She buried the feeling, dismissing it as sentimentality. She plugged in the coordinates for Mars in her nav computer.
A few seconds later the Nightwing flashed over in Cherenkov radiation, shooting ahead into faster than light travel.
Xin’Shi. The New World. A rough translation from Mandarin Chinese. The popular theory was that the planet was named by an American who was part of the original Xen pilgrimage from China.
The Xen home world was a lush paradise. It was neither untamed nor overbuilt. The capitol city of Kharin was a carefully planned city. There were no ground cars in the city. Only a few repulse transports flew here and there. All ground traffic to and from the city was limited to the outer perimeter of Kharin, where ground cars and cargo transports alike were diverted to garages and loading docks. The city limits were surrounded by a tall concrete wall. While the wall looked visibly able to defend the city, it was also landscaped on either side with thick leafy green trees. The buildings at the interior were either all dark tinted glass or glass and white concrete or stucco. The city was about average size compared to Earth cities, but it more resembled a park or medical complex without vehicle traffic.
Marcus Agrev was a second-generation Xen at the age of 50. His parents had been original pilgrims from the Tarim Basin camps. Like the Uyghur natives to the Xinjiang region of China where the Xen emigrated from Earth, Agrev had a mix of both Caucasian and Asian features. His white hair had the styling and a slight waviness as someone from western Europe, but his eyes had a slightly Asian appearance. This was common of the Xen people, as they were a broad mix of human genetics, typically within one or two generations. The Xen project in the Tarim Basin echoed the genetic mix of people who crossed the Silk Roads of the region centuries earlier, only the Xen had ventured into space rather than the Orient.
