Aurora (The Exodus Trilogy)

by Andreas Christensen

  “Actually, I was to be arrested today, and I believe others may be targeted as well.” That made Tina sit up a little straighter. He motioned for her to relax.

  “I got a message late last night, telling me to get up here. I still have no idea who warned me, but obviously someone close to Havelar disagrees with some of his ideas. So if it’s all right with you, I might stay for a while.” She nodded, surprised at the sudden turn of events.

  “Do you think they will come for you? Here?” she said. He shook his head.

  “No. Too many armed people up here. Besides, that would open up a whole new chapter, and I don’t think Havelar is ready for that. Yet.” He stifled a yawn, and Tina noticed he looked tired. No wonder, as he wouldn’t have slept at all through the night.

  “But we can't hide forever. If he thinks he can get away with it, he’ll arrest anyone he sees as a threat. Had I stayed at home in Fort Andrews, I’d be snatched already. We may have bought a little time, but the fact remains that we need to gather some kind of opposition, and the need to organize is apparent. Especially now that we know how far he’s willing to go.” Neither of them spoke for a moment, before Tina broke the silence.

  “We’re still no match for him though, if he decides to use force. If we are to be more than just a fly to be swatted away, we need allies, more people, organization, and whatnot. That means we have to expose ourselves.”

  “And then we need to know who we can trust,” he replied, smiling now. “I’d start by looking around you, Tina.” He rose from his chair and walked toward the door.

  “Come on outside with me,” he said and motioned for her to follow, as he stepped outside. As they stood side by side, he pointed at the cabins surrounding hers, the docks where a raft was being unloaded, a fishing boat floating downriver, a crew of four carrying a log toward the foundation of a new house.

  “This is where we will find our first allies, Tina.” She looked around, as she realized what had been here, right under her nose, the whole time. Greg laughed out loud, and patted her on the back.

  “These people are here for a reason, and it’s not just your business I’m talking about. I noticed it even as I stepped onto your dock. This place, Port Hammer, is the starting point. This is where the journey from colony to country begins.”

  Chapter 7

  THOMAS DUNN

  Thomas stood next to George Havelar and tried to stand still in the freezing cold. Havelar had insisted they take a walk outside, and when Havelar insisted, Thomas knew better than to object. Obviously he had wanted to discuss something important. The blizzard had finally ended, weeks after it began, and it was nice to be able to go outside again. Cancri’s rays didn’t warm much though, so he kept his coat zipped all the way up and his cap drawn well over his ears. Havelar didn’t seem to be bothered as much, as he still kept his jacket loose and smiled.

  “Few people know what I’m about to tell you, and I trust you to keep this to yourself,” he said.

  “You’re a curious type, Dunn. I still think there’s more to you than you’ve let me know. I trust you though, and value you more than anyone. You’re the kind of guy to get things done, and the list of traitors you gave me will be very valuable as soon as everyone is rounded up. There have been a few setbacks, I know, but as soon as we have everything under control, it’ll be time to set the next phase of the Human Expansion Program in motion.” Havelar looked at him as though waiting for a reply, but Thomas hadn’t come this far by speaking more than he listened. When he said nothing, Havelar continued.

  “The Human Expansion Program. It sure is a lot more than most people would dream of.” The governor seemed to weigh his words, as he stopped for a moment.

  “Yes, we shall conquer Aurora. We shall spread out, and populate Verdi. We shall build ships and sail across the great seas, and in ten years, there will be human settlements on every continent of the planet. In time, we might even have a colony on Rotane. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past by putting all eggs in one basket, so the sooner we can spread off the planet, the better.” He paused, and Thomas sharpened up, looking away from the magnificent vista and right at Havelar. He still didn’t speak though.

  “But the Human Expansion Program is more than just spreading out and taking this planet for our own. It is about evolution.” Thomas cocked his head slightly. He had a few theories about where this was heading, but he was far from certain.

  “Evolution, sir?” he said. Havelar nodded.

  “Yes, evolution. The process that eventually led to some of the greatest achievements in human history, that made us able to save our species when the need arose.” Thomas motioned for Havelar to go on.

  “But our evolution took thousands of years, millions perhaps, we never managed to figure that out. Not in any accurate way.” He paused, and Thomas noticed something he’d never seen before, although he couldn’t immediately put words to it. It might be uncertainty, but that wouldn’t make sense. Havelar uncertain? No, it couldn’t be. Or could it?

  “I’m afraid, Thomas. I know everyone sees me as some kind of tough leader, too tough sometimes I guess… But the truth of it is that I’m terrified. Imagine lifetimes, generations, humans coming and going, human history passing as man evolved, and suddenly a world of billions is wiped out by a rock that no one saw coming. And here we are. Sixteen hundred of us. In a few generations, there will be more, but imagine what would have happened if it had hit just a generation or two earlier.” Thomas could vividly imagine that, and he’d had those thoughts as well. He suspected his conclusions might turn out to be different from Havelar’s though.

  “We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and it’s not just about cobbling up the technology. It’s about making us able to speed up technological innovation, and to do that we need to be smarter. We need the future generations to be better than ours.” Havelar fumbled in his pocket, dug up his mini tablet, and switched it on. Then he turned it toward Thomas. It was a graph, and on the X Axis along the bottom there were numbers from one to ten, and the Y Axis on the side showed different numbers. A line starting at a point in the bottom left corner of the graph rose slightly as it moved from left to right. Havelar explained.

  “This is a graph showing how the average intelligence level in a certain demographic has risen through seven generations, the last three are projections.” He put the tablet back in his pocket.

  “Did you know that the average IQ level has increased by approximately one point with every generation for as long as we’ve measured intelligence? Most people aren’t aware of course, as the average will always be a hundred, but an IQ of a hundred today is higher in our generation than in the generations before us. So we are in fact witnessing evolution with every generation. It’s just that the changes are so small that you wouldn’t notice. But that’s what evolution is about, you know. We just need to give evolution a nudge in the right direction, so to speak.” Havelar paused, and Thomas noticed he was eyeing him, watching for a reaction. Thomas decided to urge him on a bit. He wanted to know where this was leading. He nodded slightly, and Havelar continued.

  “We need the best genes to help natural selection take its course. The candidates are on this list, a hundred young people, to breed the best quality babies. Lots of them. Twenty years from now, these babies will be the backbone of our emerging civilization. These will then breed another generation of prodigies. While others will also have babies, these special babies will be given the best education and training, to realize their full potential. Being among this elite will carry a lot of benefits, and there will be incentives to have many babies. These benefits will of course be withheld from those not chosen for the HEP.”

  Thomas looked away, across the snow-covered fields, sparkling in the midday light from Cancri. It was beautiful, astonishing actually. A couple of Rahrahs, silvery wings spread wide, flew high above, gliding across the sky, unusually quiet. This could be paradise, he thought. A new Eden, its marvels apparent even
in the harshest of times. The contrast to what he was hearing amazed him, and he had to concentrate not to tell the governor how insane his words sounded.

  “How do you intend to get people to go along with this, sir? I mean, to be honest, I believe many will balk at these ideas. There will be strong opposition…” Havelar cut him off sternly.

  “Do you think I haven’t thought of that? Trust me, I have. And don’t think for a second that I haven’t thought about just letting the plan go, and choosing the easier path. Let people go about their business, do their little things, so to speak. But you know where that leads? Nowhere! And if another rock turns up in our path a generation from now, or we finally discover other life forms and they turn out to be hostile, then what? We survived the end of Earth, barely. Do you think we’d survive the end of Aurora as well?” Havelar shook his head, set his jaw, and wrinkled his brow.

  “No, there has to be a certain degree of coercion, force even. For this plan to succeed, we need to control whose genes are merged, and which traits we want to be strengthened. Intelligence is obvious, but of course physical qualities may also be quite useful. And appearance would make it all a lot easier, as the candidates might actually end up being attracted to each other.” Thomas surprised himself by laughing softly. He was appalled, but what the governor was implying was just too surreal.

  “I guess that’s the hard part, right? Getting them to have sex with each other… I mean, Governor, we may be accused of rape here!” He cut off, having nearly revealed his disgust. Havelar didn’t seem to have noticed, because he just grinned.

  “Oh come on, Thomas, don’t be such a backward hillbilly. Sex may not even be necessary, as long as they learn to cooperate. I wouldn’t expect any of them to have sex unless they wanted to. We have excellent technology to avoid all that messiness. In fact, I expect the first generation to be all test-tube babies. Later though, with all the good traits enhanced to the maximum, I expect many will choose their mates from the HEP in the old fashioned way.” He grinned and held up a hand when Thomas tried to say something.

  “I know all this might seem radical. That’s why I want anyone capable of organizing an opposition to be held for as long as necessary. In time, more people will see that this is the best way to ensure our long-term survival.”

  “I guess you heard about Admiral Hamilton,” Thomas said. Havelar didn’t have to answer, as Thomas continued. “I led the team myself, but he was gone already. It’s no secret where he went though.”

  “Port Hammer. That place seems to be turning into a rallying point for dissidents,” the governor spat. “I am ready to use force if need be. We cannot leave evolution to chance, and we need to have the situation resolved before the HEP can continue. And the longer we wait, the harder it will get. The HEP needs a strong hand, or it won’t work, you know that.

  “Of course, this will be different from what we’ve all been used to back on Earth. But this is a new world, and we need to make sure we develop and evolve quickly. We don’t have the luxury of time. It’s almost a miracle that humanity managed to survive for as long as it did back on Earth. We really need to have strong, intelligent babies to take us further than we can even imagine...” Thomas said nothing, as his mind considered the consequences. Sooner or later this would lead to violence. There was no way around it. Whether it came this winter, or next year, or the year after that, he couldn’t predict, but there was no way Havelar would be able to pull this off without some kind of major confrontation. It was just too far out there.

  The political development and the reaction to it by a few very foresighted people were the reasons he had ended up here in the first place. But he had always considered Havelar to be a cunning leader and a worthy adversary. Now though, the degree of derangement surprised him. The man standing in front of him was a raving lunatic. There was no doubt in his mind. A very dangerous lunatic that might tear them all to pieces if Thomas didn’t play his cards well.

  As they turned to walk back inside, Thomas felt an urgency he wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, and it was obvious that one of the candidates for the Human Expansion Program had to be Maria. She wouldn’t know yet, of course, and no names had been mentioned. But he clearly remembered the interview last summer, and she was still on the list. Good intelligence, good physical qualities, no family history of mental or physical illness, limited sexual experience. She was the daughter of Ramon, but Havelar probably considered that a benefit. He shuddered at the thought. He’d been thinking of her a lot lately, and he suspected there was mutual attraction there. He would continue working to undermine Havelar’s reign, just as he had when he anonymously warned Admiral Hamilton of his imminent arrest. Now though, he started to realize how little time he might have.

  When Havelar left for another meeting, Thomas quickly entered his office and picked up his tablet. He made sure his signal was scrambled and activated an encryption protocol. Then he quickly entered a short message, We need to talk. Now, and sent it to Kenneth Taylor. He put his tablet away, as the encryption protocol made sure the message was erased, with no possibility of retrieval.

  RAMON SOLIS

  The room had gone silent. The critical voices had been heard, or rather, ultimatums had been given: Loyalty or immediate incarceration. Colonel Quellar stood easily in the corner, apparently aware that her presence made Havelar’s poorly hidden threat a very real possibility.

  What seemed a lifetime ago, these men and women had been among the most powerful people in America. The Consortium. Their influence had run deep inside the Andrews administration, and major decisions had been discussed with these people before any public statements had been given. Now though, Ramon didn’t recognize any of them. The ones who had been critical of the Human Expansion Program, or with anything at all, were fully subdued. A few still stood staunchly by Havelar’s side. But no one could doubt that the balance had shifted. This was no longer a loose congregation of powerful figures with their own agendas and opinions. All power resided with one man, the one who had taken them from a doomed Earth to this new world, where none of the old rules mattered. This was Havelar’s time, and everyone in the room had subjected themselves to his reign. Ramon as well. He remained skeptical to this idea, but he could sympathize with his friend’s motives. He wondered who would be chosen for the HEP. At first the idea had appalled him, but after hearing the arguments, and Havelar’s reassurance that inclusion in the HEP would be voluntary and followed by benefits that might tempt quite a few, he’d come to accept it. Somehow they had to avoid becoming as vulnerable as it turned out they were back on Earth.

  “I guess everyone is aware of the obstacles and ready to do whatever it takes to meet them head on. There are powers that will resist, and some of those will be very dangerous. We all know what happened on Mars. And we know there have been some serious instances of sabotage, which means we may have to use force.” The room was quiet, and everyone around seemed to take in the weight of the words. Havelar pressed on.

  “We have taken measures to stop any serious opposition from organizing, meaning that we have arrested a number of people we considered possible leaders of such an opposition. Unfortunately, Admiral Hamilton managed to escape. And there was no possibility of capturing Major Hammer either, as the entire community up there would resist, I’m afraid.”

  “I guess we can’t shoot everyone who doesn’t agree with us,” someone said, and got a sharp look from the governor. Apparently this was no time to try to be funny.

  “No, we can’t. But make no mistake. I will use any means necessary to bring us back together, and the HEP is far too vital to our long-term survival as a species to have a few disgruntled individuals stand in its way.” Havelar looked as determined as ever, and Ramon recognized it from years of doing business together. George Havelar would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Perhaps that particular trait was exactly what had gotten them all to Aurora in the first place. Sometimes though, Havelar needed a co
unter balance, and Ramon had taken that role more than once in the past.

  “We may have to talk to our enemies though,” Ramon said, earning him an equally sharp look from Havelar. Ramon didn’t balk though.

  “Except for the terrorists, I doubt anyone wishes for this situation to turn violent. If it’s necessary, well so be it. But we should try every option before we go down that road.”

  “What do you propose, Ramon?” Havelar said.

  “I believe the best thing would be to speak to a leader. Someone who can speak on behalf of the rest, who commands respect. Were we to reach an agreement with such a person, the others would follow. And I believe we should go far to reach such an agreement. The HEP is non negotiable of course, but there may be other issues as well.”

  “And who do you propose we speak to?” Havelar said, eyes narrowing.

  “Admiral Hamilton. I know you don’t like it, but a lot of people listen to him, and he is the one person who would be able to unite the forces that are apparently working against us. I don’t think we’ll be able to turn him around, but I’m sure he would see the dangers of this division.” Ramon waited for a reply, but Havelar only nodded slightly, and he saw a few of the others nodding as well, although whatever their previous positions, it was just one opinion that counted at this point.

  “Yes, Hamilton is the man to speak to. He could unite them against us, or he could make sure everyone follows his lead, bringing us together,” Havelar agreed after what seemed an eternity. “I don’t like it, but it seems I have no choice.” Havelar bit his lip, and suddenly seemed uncertain of his next move. Ramon was about to speak when Havelar interrupted him.

  “Ramon, I want you in charge. I would never be able to come to an agreement with the man. I can’t stand the sight of him, and it’s mutual. The colonel will give you an armed escort, not as large as to provoke anything, but enough to make them aware of what they are facing.” Havelar extended his hand, and Ramon took it.