“I won’t let you down, George,” Ramon said. Havelar smiled.
“I know you won’t. Our hope of unity rests with you now. If anyone can pull this off, you’re the one,” he said. Then he sat down and put his tablet in front of him, as Ramon knew he often did to record any ideas that might be useful later.
“All right, we need to plan how to do this. What terms to offer, how far we’re willing to budge, and how to respond to the most likely demands.” As they continued discussing the details, Ramon reflected upon their situation. He would do this, not only out of loyalty toward his old friend, but also because he believed it was the right thing to do. He could sympathize with the ones who felt they should go in a different direction. Ideally there should be more individual freedom and less control by the administration. But unity was important as well, and this was their one opportunity. How could they take any chances, remembering what happened to Earth? Of course there would be personal sacrifices, but if that made their common survival in the long run more likely, it might be worth it.
And the one thing they couldn’t afford was war. He feared that more than anything. The split was bad, but open war in a population of sixteen hundred? If it came to that, it would have to be settled quickly, or they might never recover. One strike to sever the head of the snake, to minimize the sacrifices. If that meant a hard, swift blow, he wondered if he had it in him to be as merciless as would be necessary.
No, this split was too dangerous to be allowed to continue. He could see the consequences, and although he had his doubts now and then, his faith in the unity of this colony was what steeled him for what would come.
MARIA SOLIS
The night was cold, and Maria pulled the zipper of her coat all the way up to her chin, quickly crossing the street, careful not to stumble on the uneven ground. With the curfew in effect, Fort Andrews was dark, with only the starlight to see by. Maria had stayed with Geena too late, and she had to sneak past the patrols to get back home. She didn’t worry too much about it though. She’d done it a few times before, and the guards hadn’t been too difficult to avoid. Besides, it was just a ten-minute walk, and she was already halfway there.
Just when she stopped to listen for the patrols, she heard noises coming from behind the next building. She contemplated going back the way she had come, but that would take her away from home, and she was dead tired. She just wanted to get home and crash on her bed. She decided to go around on the north side, keeping close to the building. If it was just loud teenagers, she’d probably slip by quietly. She had to make sure it wasn’t the guards though. If it was, she’d have to wait until they passed.
As she moved closer to the sound, it became clearer, but it wasn’t until she almost stumbled upon a frightened couple fleeing the scene that she heard the shouting voices. She moved closer to the edge of the building and peeked out. There were at least fifteen to twenty people gathered in the street, shouting at a small group of soldiers. The soldiers were armed, but didn’t seem to be threatening them. A tall heavyset man stood in front of the others, clearly taking the lead.
“Let them go, for Christ’s sake. They didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, fuming. A sergeant answered as he stared intently at each and every one of them.
“You all know there’s a curfew. Anyone caught outside will be punished.” Then he smirked.
“A couple of days in the brig would do them good. And the same goes for all of you.” That last remark brought curses and shouts, and Maria noticed the soldiers holding their rifles a little more tightly. She made herself as small as she possibly could. There was no way she could pass, and going back might bring attention to her. She didn’t think anyone had noticed her, and the couple she’d encountered was long gone by now. She was stuck here, and all she could do was pretend to be invisible. In the shadow, she almost was. She was thinking maybe she ought to close her eyes as well, when she saw a man, a skinny fellow with the shoulders of his olive green parka hunched up tight, throw a stone at the nearest guard. It all happened too fast, as she held her breath. The guard noticed the stone and managed to avoid it as he swung his gun up and squeezed off a round without aiming. A woman standing next to the skinny man bent over, clutching her leg. She screamed, and then time seemed to slow down as the events got out of hand.
The man who had thrown the stone froze with his hands held up high, and a couple of others followed his lead. As the soldiers seemed to turn their attention to the skinny fellow, the tall man who’d been talking to the sergeant less than a minute ago, reached into his pocket and produced a heavy knife. Shouting something, he threw himself at the sergeant. A soldier standing nearby managed to club him in the face with the butt of the rifle, which brought him to the ground, knife slipping out of his hand. Before he had a chance to get up, the sergeant stepped forward, unfastening his sidearm.
“Stupid fucking asshole,” he said in a slow, flat voice, pointing the gun at the man’s head.
“A knife to a gunfight? I never thought I’d see that one for real.” Then he fired. Once. Twice. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Maria had a hard time not screaming, but she found herself unable to look away from the blood seeping into the snow-covered ground, quickly coloring it a deep pink.
“Sarge, why did…” one of the soldiers started, before another pushed him and he fell quiet. The sergeant just stared at the dead body before he said anything. When he did, it was in a quiet voice, but Maria heard him clearly.
“These people attacked us. We defended ourselves. We made it out without military casualties. They all died.” A corporal nodded firmly, lifting his gun to point at the protesters. Then he emptied his rifle in two- and three-shot bursts. The sergeant followed suit, and moments later, the rest of the soldiers fired everything they had into the group. The sound was deafening, and Maria covered her ears as she leaned back as far as she could, letting the shadows cover her entirely. Still she could hear the whimpers and moans once the barrage ended, followed by single shots here and there. When the last shots had been fired, all she could hear was a deafening silence.
She lay there for a long time, shivering in the dark, even as other people came to witness the carnage. She had no idea how long she had been hiding, when a familiar voice spoke to her. She couldn’t make out the words though. She felt numb, and her brain seemed to be in a fog. She slowly lifted her head and looked up. It was Geena, wide eyed and with a shocked expression on her face.
“Th… They k… killed…” Maria stuttered, not able to finish. Geena looked around. Then she grabbed Maria by the arm and helped her up.
“Come on, we’ve got to get away from here. I think I know where to go, just hang on.”
Chapter 8
KENNETH TAYLOR
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Kenneth shouted, but the banging on his door continued unabated. He threw on a worn sweater, cursing as it got stuck in his facemask. Then he unlocked his door, and let the cold night air inside.
Geena withdrew her hand from the door, and hoisted Maria inside. Kenneth, taken by surprise, stumbled upon his own words, and stepped aside. Once the girls were inside, he shut the door quickly and looked at them. Geena breathed heavily, as she let her almost unconscious friend slump to the floor. Maria looked pale, almost blue, and shivered hard, as Geena sat down next to her and began to rub her sides.
“What happened?” Kenneth said. Geena turned halfway toward him.
“Get her something warm to drink, and I’ll explain.” He went over to grab a cup, and a few minutes later was helping Maria take little sips of tea, careful not to give her too much the tea was steaming hot.
“I found her just minutes away. Thought about taking her home, but then I figured your place was closer. Besides, I wanted you to hear this.” She paused, then asked, “Did you hear the noise? The shooting?”
“Yes, I heard it. What about it?” He had a bad suspicion, but he tried not to show it. “Hell of a noise actually. It’s been just a couple of days since th
ey shot that balder by the reactor. Was it another one?” Kenneth tried to sound inconspicuous, even though he knew this wasn’t about balders. Geena shook her head, as the words came out, hurried.
“There were dead people everywhere. The soldiers did it, I think. And Maria must have seen the whole thing.” He felt the hair on his back rising, as he looked over at Maria, still shivering uncontrollably. Hypothermia. He noticed a tear in the corner of her eye.
“Come on, both of you,” he said as he helped them up off the floor and over to his couch. Then he found them both blankets, and got a cup of tea for Geena as well. When he had poured himself one, he sat down on a chair across from them. By then, Maria seemed to be getting her wits back. She still shook, but not as hard as before, and she managed a weak “Thank you.”
“So, Maria… What happened out there?” he asked. She closed her eyes, and it seemed she had a hard time holding back the tears. She spoke, her voice shivering, and Kenneth had to move closer to hear.
“I was on my way home when I almost ran into a group of protesters. There were soldiers there, with guns…” Kenneth listened intently as she told the whole story, his disgust growing as he realized he was listening to a tale of cold-blooded mass murder. When her words subsided, Geena took over.
“I heard the shooting and wondered what was happening. And then, just as I saw the dead bodies, I found her. If the soldiers had seen her, they would have shot her too.”
“You did well to bring her here, Geena. I’m glad you did.” No one spoke for a while, until Maria suddenly broke the silence.
“They have to be arrested. They shot them, every one of them. Killed them.” Kenneth met Geena’s eyes, and it seemed she had come to the same conclusion as he had.
“Remember what happened to that kid?” Geena said softly.
“There will be some sort of investigation, surely,” he said. “But this is too big to explain away, so instead they will blame the protesters. They attacked, and the soldiers were forced to defend themselves.” Maria looked at him, wide eyed.
“But… but they were killed, all of them,” She stammered. He looked at her and saw the realization slowly dawning upon her.
“That’s what a cover up is,” he said gently. “A lie, presented with enough facts to be accepted for truth. There is only one problem…” he paused, emptying the last of his cup. Then he leaned forward, looking at Maria.
“You.” He leaned back again, before explaining.
“You were there, Maria. You saw the whole thing. You know the truth, and you’ve just told two others. Who knows how many others you could tell?” Geena suddenly got up and stepped over to the door, checking the lock.
“They will come for you,” she said, her face ashen.
“They will find out, and they will be looking for you. My God, Kenneth, what do we do?” Kenneth didn’t have an answer, so he did the only thing he could think of.
“Just wait,” he said, as he picked up his tablet, and typed a message. Then he encrypted it, using the software Thomas had given him. He pressed send, and laid the tablet on the table in front of him. No one spoke, but as the seconds passed, he could see Maria grasping the situation, and she sobbed as Geena held her shoulders.
They all jumped when the tablet buzzed. Kenneth grabbed it and read the message.
“What do we do?” Geena said slowly. Kenneth looked at them both and motioned for them to hold on. Then he made sure he had deleted the message before answering.
“We leave. Right now. Just give me a couple of minutes to pack up a few things.” As he stood up, Maria looked at him, and he noticed something in her eyes. Of course. It wasn’t just that she was in danger; it was also the fact that both her parents were here. Leaving meant more to her than to Kenneth and Geena.
“Where do we go?” she asked.
“There’s only one place we can go.” Geena said, and paused for a moment.
“Somewhere with a lot of people who won’t necessarily buy into the stories, who will protect us. Where the soldiers won’t get to us. The people there won’t let them.” Kenneth nodded. On Aurora, there were really just two places to be, if you didn’t want to take your chances in the unexplored areas surrounding them. It was either here, in Havelar controlled Fort Andrews, or…
“Port Hammer,” he said.
GREG HAMILTON
Greg Hamilton stood waiting for the Fort Andrews delegation to come inside. At first he had wondered what Havelar had been thinking sending Ramon Solis to lead the negotiations, but now he thought he’d figured it out. Greg and Ramon had always kept a friendly tone, and he figured Havelar had more faith in Ramon being able to broker some sort of agreement than anyone else. And he might be right. Greg hoped this could still be resolved peacefully, but the rumors that were spreading right now would make everything harder. He expected Ramon to ask about Maria, and he had decided to tell him the truth. Just yesterday she had come here, frightened and confused, and after hearing her story, Greg had promised to keep her safe here as long as she wanted to stay. He didn’t think Ramon knew everything that had happened, so he had no way of knowing whether Ramon understood the implications for his daughter.
He waited until Ramon had sat down on his side of the table before taking a seat for himself, on the opposite side. Right behind Ramon stood two assistants, a heavyset, stern-looking woman of perhaps forty-five and a younger man, tall with just a few wisps of hair, and a sleepy look about him. In the back of the room, two armed guards had been allowed in. The soldiers didn’t blink or show emotion, but being here, surrounded by potential enemies, he knew it had to be unnerving.
“We are worried,” Greg said as Tina joined him and took a seat beside him. “The way we see it, we are moving in the wrong direction. We should be exploring. Instead we are fencing ourselves in. People should be allowed their freedom, but instead, there’s a curfew in Fort Andrews and everything needs to go through administration. Whatever happened to free enterprise and the frontier spirit?”
“In Fort Andrews, we worry too,” Ramon began. “We worry that we are about to split up, just when we need to stick together.” Before anyone could respond, he pressed on.
“There are great challenges facing us. To create a viable colony, we need to expand, and do so in an orderly manner. Human expansion will demand much of us, and we can’t afford this split. We cannot accept it.”
“A viable colony…” Greg mused. He recognized the thinking, and now he would speak up. Of all Havelar’s cronies, Solis would be the most likely to understand.
“A colony, that’s how you see it in Fort Andrews, right?” He shook his head, with a smile that never touched his eyes.
“Back on Earth, we had no choice, and I for one was proud to serve, even though I never agreed with the politics. But here we should decide for ourselves. Have you seen how many have come here just in the last few weeks? Have you ever wondered why they’ve come? People are tired of it all. They want to take back what should have been theirs to begin with, their freedom.”
“So you propose anarchy? No rules and regulations? Just let people do whatever they want, go wherever they choose to, even if it means they expose themselves to whatever dangers might be out there?” Ramon cocked his head, obviously waiting for a reply, to negotiate his way into an agreement where Port Hammer got a few concessions as long as they submitted themselves to Havelar’s authority.
Greg would have nothing of it though. He was fed up, and just to make his point, he slammed his fist on the table. He noticed the soldiers tightening the grips on their weapons. Behind him, he heard the shuffling of Dean and the others. Nice to know Solis’s guards weren’t the only ones with guns in the room.
“No, we cannot accept this. Our rights are being taken from us, one after the other. In fact, most were gone years ago, before all this. And here we are, trying to make a fresh start, just to find our so-called governor continuing the work of his long-dead president.”
“What rights?” Ramon barked
right back at him, leaning across the table. “We’re talking of survival here. And not just the personal survival of you, me, and everyone in this room. We’re talking about the survival of our species. You should know better, a military man and all.” He slumped, and some of the air seemed to go out of him, but he pressed on.
“Admiral… I know you don’t see eye to eye with Governor Havelar, but I also know you’re man enough not to let that cloud your judgment. Let’s try to stick together now; we really need to. We can always talk politics down the road, when our colony is fully established. Let’s just get through winter first.” Greg didn't answer as he stood up, and walked over to the coffee table next to where Dean and Kim stood. He deliberately took his time pouring a cup of coffee for himself, then another for Ramon. He wanted Ramon to notice the character of those standing next to him, the fierceness in Dean’s eyes, the easy way Kim handled her weapon as she moved it slightly away when he passed her. Then he returned to the table and handed a cup to Ramon, as he sipped from his own. It was too hot, so he put it aside.
“No,” he said. When Ramon didn’t immediately reply, he continued. “It’s time Havelar started listening to others.”
“Havelar is the legally appointed governor, appointed by the president himself.” Ramon blurted, spilling some of his coffee on the table. Tina hadn’t said anything so far, but now she cut him off.
“President Andrews is long dead. However we feel about him, or felt about him, he holds no jurisdiction here.” She sat there, with her jaws set and her eyes unflinching, as Ramon turned toward her, and almost spat out the words.
“He was our legal president, and you sit there…” He fumed. Then he spoke again, slow and deliberately.
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