North of the river, there were mountains that would probably protect them somewhat from the northern winds the meteorologists had said they should expect come winter. The geologists suspected the area to be rich in minerals as well, and the sooner they could get started on mining their own resources the better. He could see the peaks from here, still covered in snow. He wondered whether they had glaciers or some kind of snow up there throughout summer too. The lower temperature and the altitude made it entirely possible, even though the highest couldn’t be more than around two thousand meters.
When Thomas looked to the south, the only thing he could see was more grassland. But he knew that there were large forests in that direction, from what they had told him. The rough maps they all had on their tablets now showed the forests to be about a three or four-day walk away. To the west, there would be grasslands and sparse forest in between lakes and a few hills or mountains. It seemed the terrain varied more to the west, and beyond the first lakes no one really knew much of what to expect just yet.
The site itself stretched over an area of more than two square kilometers. They would have several housing areas, where all living quarters would have at least one air-tight room, and there would be communal air-filtering facilities that would provide these rooms with clean filtered air. In the southern end of the site would be a runway for the shuttles that would remain valuable means of transportation, both around the area, as well as to and from the Exodus, which would remain in orbit, to serve as a communications / weather / scientific satellite. From time to time, someone might need to get up there for maintenance or some scientific work that couldn’t be conducted on the ground, and the Exodus had great equipment for astronomy, which would be used for getting to know the planetary neighborhood.
Getting the fusion reactors that would provide electricity for the colonists up and running was one of the highest priorities. At the moment, the first one was actually being assembled, just north of the site, close to where the greenhouses would be situated. South of the reactors there would be a large administrative building and a hospital. The hospital would be the only building, at least for the time being, that would be completely air tight, with filtered air in the entire building. And of course, the labs of the scientists would be clustered together, somewhat resembling a university campus. That was where Thomas was standing right now, in the western part of the site, too far from the shuttle field, he thought. After unloading the crate, he walked over to the nearest person for a quick breather.
“So, how’s it going over here? You found anything interesting yet?” he said as he leaned against a stack of crates still unopened. A girl, or rather a woman, probably somewhere around thirty, eyed him sideways. She seemed to have something else on her mind, but as she was the only one there, it was obvious the question had been directed at her. She didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, and Thomas noticed that she had beautiful eyes, and the rest didn’t look too bad either, with close-cropped black hair and Latino features. Judging from her hair—or lack thereof, she must have been one of the last ones to wake up, he thought. Of course, the facemask hid most of her face.
“Well, that’s not really my area of expertise, but … I’m working on agriculture, and that seems promising … Ah, there seems to be a bit of wildlife here actually. The first thing they found was some kind of insect, well, several kinds actually, that live right here on the ground. Kind of similar to beetles, just really small, so I guess most people haven’t noticed them yet. And then there are the mosquitoes and bees, or whatever we decide to call them. There seem to be a lot of them further inland. There is actually a team of four biologists exploring the area just west of here as we speak.” He reached out a hand toward her.
“I’m Thomas. Dunn. Administration.” She took his hand, and shook it lightly.
“Maria Solis,” she said. Solis. That would make her Ramon’s daughter, Thomas thought. Ramon Solis was one of the head figures of the Consortium, but even so, he didn’t seem close to Havelar. Deeply Consortium entwined of course, but a different person altogether.
“So, any other life forms around?” he continued. “Any proper aliens?” he winked at her, and he could see her smile under the mask.
“You know, Mr. Dunn … we are the aliens here.” Hmm, he thought. She’s teasing.
“Come on now, you know what I mean,” Thomas pushed on, half joking.
“All right then. Well, to answer your question, no. Not intelligent life, or at least not as we believe intelligent life would behave. We did find several tracks of some kind of large species right next to the shuttle field, and there have been infrared sightings of living things both to the north and south. From the size of mice to horses. But no sightings yet though. And there are large CO2 emissions from the plains out west that cannot be anything other than living beings. But it’s early still. Most of us came today. We haven’t even got all the equipment down from the Exodus yet. I guess there will be new findings every day, as we explore the area more.” He nodded, and decided he would talk some more with her later. He took out his mittens; it was chilly, even this time of year, so he put them on.
“Well, I’ll get back to my crates now. Got a lot of stuff to move before we’re done for the day. See you later.” Then he turned away, and walked toward the shuttle field.
Walking back, he thought of the secret containers still secured to the Exodus. He had placed trackers on all of them, and knew they hadn’t been moved yet. Whatever they contained, he would make sure that when the time came, he would be ready to go out on a little field trip of his own. The containers were too large to be placed in the shuttles, so they had to be moved from the Exodus to Aurora in some other fashion. Perhaps they were able to land by themselves? Anyway, if they held weapons, as he suspected, getting a hold of them could prove the difference between tyranny and freedom, and even though he doubted that he could secure them all, somehow he would make damn sure that Havelar didn’t get all of them. Maybe he could even steal one or more away. That would take accomplices of course, and he still didn’t know whom to trust. It would be a gamble, whatever he did, but he suspected the time for caution would come to an end, sooner or later. But not today. Thomas Dunn would be patient.
Epilogue
2245 ~ Aurora
It was their first night on Aurora, and everybody was gathered at the shuttle field, close to the safety of their three shuttles. When it came time to sleep, they would spend the night inside, with guards posted on the outside, and two infrared scanners continuously searching for anything that might constitute a threat. With the latest radar and motion-sensor technology, they should be safe enough. They hadn’t discovered anything dangerous so far, but better to err on the safe side.
Maria Solis still hadn’t gotten used to eating with the facemask on; it still felt awkward. You had to hold your breath as you opened some sort of lid where you could push the food in by little pieces. Then you had to wait for two seconds, as the sterilization system made sure the food was completely decontaminated, before another lid opened on the inside, and the food could be pushed into your mouth. It felt sterile and cumbersome, but for now they just had to get used to it. She quietly giggled to herself, thinking how gross eating anything with gravy or sauce would be. Drinking was easier, since they just inserted a straw, and as long as it wasn’t too hot, that worked for soup as well. She imagined there would be a lot of soup.
She had a good feeling, although there were concerns on her mind as well. But mostly it felt good. They were the first humans to spend the night on Aurora. Thinking about the thrill of exploration made her think of her grandfather. He would have been so excited to have had such an opportunity.
The first landing party led by Major Hammer had returned to the Exodus, once the samples were all taken, and the shuttle rockets were recharged. They had all returned on the second flight down, with more passengers and equipment, as they were eager to continue their work. Hamilton had allowed it, and put Hammer in cha
rge, as civilian authority wouldn’t take over until all passengers were on the ground. Two more shuttles had returned with them, carrying as many as they could carry, including Maria and her father. One shuttle remained back on the Exodus, as a safety precaution in case something happened on the ground. After all, most of the people were still on the mother ship, and it would be weeks before everybody was down on Aurora. By that time, all the living quarters would be up, with the air filtering system and the first reactor online. It would be hard work, but by early summer, they should have crops planted and most of the science and exploration projects up and running.
Suddenly Maria heard a noise from far away. It was a deep rumble, resembling a lion’s roar, although deeper. Though they hadn’t seen much yet, it being the first day and all, from everything they had discovered so far, the planet seemed to be teeming with life. She looked forward to exploring her new home, and wondered what their life on Aurora would be like. She turned and looked at her father, sitting right next to her, a little back from the campfire. Obviously, he hadn’t heard anything. He looked distant now, and she smiled inside her mask. Her mother was back on the Exodus, and she probably had that very same expression right now. They didn’t cope well with being apart. She knew she was privileged, being here in the first place. Even more so, as most people didn’t have their family around them. That was due to her parents being so high up in the Consortium hierarchy, of course, and knowing that had a bitter aftertaste. But who was she to complain? She did, however, suspect there would be a price to pay, since all that money that helped fund the Exodus project back on Earth would be worth nothing now that they had reached their final destination. Havelar would expect nothing short of obedience and strict loyalty from every Consortium associate and their families once he took charge. And how could her parents object to that, really? After all, the Consortium had taken her family away from the disaster that had awaited them on Earth, and given them a new chance.
“What is it, dear?” she heard her father say as she stared into the flames. It was her time to be far away now, lost deep in her own thoughts. She smiled again, and regarded him fondly.
“Nothing, Dad. Just wondering what happened to everybody back on Earth. I miss Elle … Aunt Lorena and Uncle Esteban …” She took a deep breath and her father gave her a knowing look. They both knew the odds. Of course, a century and a half later none of them would be alive, even if they had survived Devastator’s impact. So, for better or worse, all they had now was each other, which was more than most had.
“Dad,” she finally said. “Why did they call it Aurora? No one ever told us at Selection, and we were all so busy anyways.” Her father’s face lit up, and she saw that familiar twinkle in his eyes that she’d learned to recognize even as a kid.
“Aurora …” her father began. “Aurora was the Roman goddess of dawn. A new day … Hope, new beginnings … I don’t know if that’s why they chose that name, but I like to think so.” Maria nodded and thought of what this had all been about. What was it, if not hope? A new beginning?
“I like that,” she said.
She was deep in thought again when she noticed Havelar and a few of his people waving at her father. He saw it too, and rose with a sigh.
“I just hope we can do better this time,” he said quietly, before he walked over to the head of the Consortium, soon to be governor of Aurora. Looking at her father, Maria thought he looked more subdued. Still, what he had said made her feel a deep sense of hope.
“This time, we make our own world,” she whispered to herself, watching the flames of the campfire light up the night. The first night of their new life on Aurora.
~
Watch for Part Two of the Exodus Trilogy
AURORA
Dear Reader,
In the new world of publishing, word of mouth may be the most important factor in a story finding its readers. If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review. It doesn't matter if it's short; the fact that someone read it, and liked it, could mean the difference between another reader deciding to try it, or moving on to the next story. And it would be much appreciated.
Be the first to know!
Sign up to be notified of my new releases. As a bonus, you will receive the story ALIVE for FREE! It's a story set on Earth after the events in EXODUS, and is meant to give you a glimpse into what happened to those left behind.
Your email address is safe with me — I promise never to spam you, sell or give away your email address — EVER. Looking forward to having you on board!
http://christensenwriting.com/signup/
About me
I'm a Norwegian writer, living just outside of Oslo, Norway. I write mainly science fiction, but I also try my hand at fantasy. In my writing I try to combine my interests in science and politics with psychology (which I incidentally have a Master's degree in - never thought I'd use it in this way!). I think my diverse interests and background gives me a few valuable perspectives that enhance my writing, and although my main literary interest lies in the scifi and fantasy sphere, I enjoy a good thriller or horror now and then.
From my reviews I learn that different readers enjoy different aspects of my books. Some enjoy the adventure; some find a message of hope, while others have said they find themselves nodding as they read it. One of my favorite reviews for Exodus said that "This book is science fiction in great form. It doesn't just make you think about the future, it really makes you think about the world around you today"
When I was a kid, I used to draw cartoons and make up all kinds of stories. It still took many years before I learned one can actually reach an audience all over the world, and even longer before I actually finished a book. Now I am thrilled to connect with readers and I'd love to hear from you as well!
I love the process of writing, and sometimes feel like I'm living the adventures of my characters. I guess that's the trick; to write the books you'd love to read (although I don't presume to know the formula for a bestseller - yet).
So what's my best book so far? The one I'm currently writing...
Connect with me online:
Website: http://www.christensenwriting.com
Blog: http://www.christensenwriting.com/blog
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/andreaschristensen
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/achr75
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/christensenwriting
Bibliography:
Novels:
EXODUS – The Exodus Trilogy, part 1. Science fiction (high tech / space opera). 2011 (1.ed.), 2012 (2.ed)
AURORA – The Exodus Trilogy, part 2. Science fiction (high tech / space opera). 2013
GENESIS – The Exodus Trilogy, part 3. Science fiction (high tech / space opera). Coming 2013/2014
Novellas:
ALIVE – An Exodus companion novella that can also be read as a standalone. Science fiction / Dystopian. 2013
VALERIAN'S COMPANY – Fantasy / Horror (dark fantasy). 2012
Short stories:
THE TUNNEL – Science fiction (time travel). 2012
THE TRIBE – Science fiction (time travel). 2012
Exodus (The Exodus Trilogy) Page 17
