Harris stepped out into the heat. “Wow. This is like a furnace.”
Trish stepped out and immediately went back in. “That’s too much. Didn’t they say a transport was coming for us?”
Harris looked back with a laugh. You still think you and Bobo coming down here as agents was a good idea?”
“Bobo?”
Harris nodded. “You and Jim-Bob. I’m thinking a month or two down here as infiltrators would do you good. Would loosen you up. Mostly your heads from your bodies, but you’d be looser.”
Trish returned a half scowl. “Aren’t you Mr. Funny today.”
Tawn walked up beside him. “The heat is definitely turned on here.”
Harris looked around. “Where’s Gandy?”
Tawn gestured toward the Kingfisher. “Not coming out until our ride is here.”
A windowless van with enormous sand-tires pulled up beside them.
A ramp dropped down from its side. “Hurry in please.”
Tawn waved at the Kingfisher. Gandy sprinted the thirty meters to the vehicle as the hatch closed behind him. Trish hurried just after. Harris and Tawn casually walked up the steps. The ramp flipped shut, almost throwing Tawn to the floor.
“That was rude.”
The driver looked back. “You were wasting our cool. Something to know on this planet, people like their cool. If you go through a door, hurry through and shut it or the owners will shut it on you. The average person will only last about fifteen minutes out there. It’s basically an oven.”
Harris asked, “Why would you come out here to live?”
The driver shrugged. “Just want to be left alone. To live in peace you know. Most of us figured no one would want to bother us. Which brings me to this question. What are you here for?”
Harris replied, “You a pacifist?”
The driver nodded. “That’s why I came out. You two look military.”
Harris scratched the back of his neck. “We were military. She’s a slug and I’m a stump.”
The van screeched to a halt. “We don’t want your type out here.”
Tawn said, “Relax. We’re here to help. We’ve come out to talk to your leaders. We have an idea of what might be going on with the Earthers and we think we can help.”
“Dom government send you? If so, you can just turn around. The council doesn’t want your help.”
Tawn replied, “We aren’t with any government. Just concerned citizens who want to help right what’s wrong. We’d like to see Eden remain just a peaceful, quiet planet.”
The driver asked, “How you planning on helping?”
Harris said, “We’ll be discussing that with your council members.”
The driver replied, “I’m on the council and the council is open to everyone. So whatever you hold back here I’ll hear there.”
Tawn leaned forward. “What’s your name.”
“Bizzy Mister.”
Harris laughed. “Bizzy? How’d you get named that?”
The driver took some offense. “It’s Biznardo. It’s a family name, thank you.”
Harris elbowed Tawn. “Biznardo. That’s precious.”
Tawn turned with a scowl. “You think you’re helping?”
Harris looked at the driver. “My apologies. Was just trying to be humorous. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not.”
Tawn continued, “Mr. Mister.”
Harris chuckled.
“We believe the settlers that are giving you troubles are from New Earth.”
Bizzy replied, “Everyone is welcome here. We just ask that you commit to being peaceful.”
Tawn sighed. “Yeah, well, we don’t believe their intentions are peaceful.”
Bizzy cut in. “And that’s why we’ve been having problems.”
Tawn said, “There’s likely much more to it than that. We believe they are here as agents of New Earth. And their intention is to topple your government and take control of this planet.”
“That would be in violation of the treaty.”
Tawn nodded. “Yes it would. Which is why they aren’t official agents of the NE. They are thugs and hired contractors sent here to take control of this colony.”
Bizzy shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing here. Why would they want control? We came here specifically because nobody wants it.”
Harris said, “Have you heard the rumor that Eden might be rich in titanium?”
Bizzy scratched his head as he turned onto a road leading into town. “I’ve heard that, but we don’t allow mining. Residents are to live in symbiosis with their land. That’s where possible, of course, more of a guide than a hard-fast rule. Businesses are precluded from mining in any form.”
Harris replied, “And this is why they want control of the colony. Most people don’t know this, but the NE only signed that truce because they were running out of the titanium they needed to build more warships. They were falling behind in their replenishment production, and it was costing them planets. So they signed the truce, making certain to add Eden to the truce zone. They want your planet for its titanium.”
“Well they can’t have it.” Bizzy replied. “We aren’t giving it up.”
Harris sat back in his chair. “Then you better be prepared to fight because they are here to take it. I’ve heard you had some citizens leave in the last few weeks. Is that true?”
Bizzy nodded. “A few hundred have chosen to go. Most were recent settlers and just didn’t like the heat. We still have more than twenty thousand here. Not including the troublemakers. Who have been asked repeatedly to leave.”
Tawn replied, “They aren’t leaving. Right now they are just trying to scare you off. Easiest way to reduce your numbers. I bet they’ve had more settlers showing up every week while you are losing some. Am I right?”
“That’s recent, and can’t be construed as a trend. And I’ll admit that I’m fearful, too. But we aren’t giving up. The council is already meeting to figure out ways we can reduce any confrontations.
“Just this week we started a new ‘don’t reply’ initiative. If they call you out in town or wherever, just don’t reply. That gives them nothing to escalate the situation with.”
Tawn let out a deep breath. “Oh boy. This is going to be tough. Convincing pacifists to fight for their freedom. This may be unwinnable.”
Bizzy smiled. “There is no winner or loser if there’s no fight.”
Harris said, “This planet has a large supply of titanium ore. New Earth is desperate for that ore because they need it to rebuild their fleet. They want the war turned on again and this planet is their way to do that. They are here. And their numbers will only grow until they take control. You’ll be pushed aside or killed. They don’t care which.”
The van pulled into a garage and then to a stop. “Welcome to Dove. Through the doors and straight down the hall will take you to the grand room. A number of our citizens will be meeting in there. I’ll be joining you shortly.”
Tawn said as they walked. “So how do we convince a group of pacifists they have to fight or they’ll lose everything?”
Trish replied, “Especially when they consider having to fight losing everything. Everything they care about, anyway.”
Harris pulled open the door to the hall. “I’m surprised Domicile hasn’t had reps out here to try to deal with this. They’ve just been hands-off. They have to know about the titanium.”
Tawn shook her head. “The truce states that no official or unofficial representative of either New Earth or Domicile will set foot on this planet. They can give advice or offer supplies, but they can’t come here without it being a violation. And from what we hear on the news, both sides are watching carefully for any violations.”
The group walked into the grand meeting room. A raised platform stood on the middle of the room. Hundreds of lounge pillows lined the floors surrounding the platform. Several dozen Eden citizens were laid out in a relaxed fashion as they listened to a speaker.
<
br /> “I returned from my trek north to find a handful of new settlers in my home. I kindly asked them to leave over the course of a week if possible. They moved on without incident. I believe we can sit with these other new settlers over a cup of tea and calmly discuss all grievances. They are human beings just like us. Thank you.”
A handful of applauders praised the short speech as the citizen stepped down off the platform.
Harris said, “Is there a sign-up form or something? How do we get up there.”
A woman sprawled out on a set of pillows beside them offered her counsel. “Anyone can speak. All we ask is that you be courteous and non-confrontational.”
Tawn stood. “I’ll give it a shot.”
Harris chuckled. “Well, this should be good.”
Tawn climbed the four steps to the center of the platform. Turning in both directions as she took a headcount of the small crowd. Twenty eight citizens lay about, most involved in quiet conversations with others beside them.
The Biomarine began. “Hi, uh, my name is Tawn Freely and I’m here to talk about the new settlers who are causing problems.”
A single audience member clapped, balancing on their pillow as they leaned forward to have a sip of a beverage from a straw. Tawn continued for several minutes before it became apparent that most if not all of the Eden citizens surrounding her were not paying attention. An agitated stare came the way of the other three.
Harris gave a quiet laugh. “She’s bombing. She needs an attention-getter.”
Harris stood, walking to the platform and up the steps. Once atop he raised a heavy boot and slammed it hard into the metal decking that made up the raised stage. All eyes in the room turned his way.
“Miss Freely, I believe you have the floor.”
Tawn looked out at the crowd. A handful of others came in through a side door.
“Citizens of Eden. This is your home. Your paradise. You’ve come here to live in peace and tranquility. Which is both admirable and noble. But you still live in the real world. A world with other planets and peoples who are hostile. And people with bad intent. Sometimes you have no option but to defend what you have from those who would take it.
“Those people are here now. They are on your world. They want what you have.”
Tawn looked around the room. The attention of most had returned to their own private conversations.
Walking down the steps, she returned to the company of the others, plopping down on one of the pillows. “Blind idiots. They don’t even care.”
Harris laughed. “I thought you were boring. No charisma.”
Tawn challenged. “You think you can do better?”
Harris thought and then stood. “I think I can.”
The thick, genetically engineered Human, stomped up the steps as he let out a roar and beat his chest. “People of Eden! A plague is descending upon your house! That plague is a conspiracy by New Earth to take your planet from you… by force! You must join now in her defense!”
With that sentence the watchers began to turn away. One by one their quiet conversations resumed. Harris looked around the room in disbelief.
A short walk back to the group had him standing over the others. “You’re right. They’re idiots.”
Gandy asked. “So what do we do? How do we stop this?”
Harris frowned. “We have to go to the source of the problem. We go see the Earthers. Maybe letting them know that their plans have been exposed will be enough to turn them back.”
Trish said, “I can’t say I think poking our heads in on the business of armed conspirators sounds like a good option. You have anything else?”
Tawn stood. “I think he’s right. This is a people problem. And we can work to resolve it on this end or that. And we just saw what our chances here are.”
As the group stood, Bizzy walked into the meeting room.
Harris waved him over. “We tried to talk. Nobody seemed interested in listening.”
Bizzy nodded. “Any talk that sounds confrontational and they will turn away. I tried to mention that to you on the way over here.”
Tawn asked, “How do we get to the other colonists? The troublemakers.”
Bizzy replied, “Someone has to drive you. We don’t allow ships anywhere but the port itself.”
Harris scratched his head. “That something you could do? Drive us?”
Bizzy shrugged. “Sure. If you want. I will have to leave you there, though. They don’t care for visitors from Dove. You’ll have to find your own way back to the port when you’re done.”
Harris nodded. “Fair enough. When can we leave?”
Bizzy gestured toward the garage. “Now, if you like. Sorry you didn’t find our citizens welcoming. Sometimes it takes time for them to warm up to others.”
The van pulled out onto the baking sand of Eden. The hundred fifty kilometer ride took nearly five hours. Bizzy pulled to a stop at the edge of a cluster of buildings.
“One of you has to go in and see if they’ll accept you. I won’t leave until you are all inside. To do otherwise would be sending you to your death.”
Harris hopped down the ramp into the hot sand. A quick walk had him through a door to a welcoming room. After a short discussion with a local, he returned to the door, stepping outside to wave his hand. The group disappeared into the building as Bizzy Mister slowly pulled away.
Chapter 20
_______________________
“Welcome to Boxton.” The shift worker assigned to the welcome room said. “What’s your business here?”
Harris replied, “We’d like to talk to your officials about doing some mining.”
The man shook his head. “No mining going on here. The pacies won’t allow it. We’re out here trying to scratch out a living while they walk around all smug in their robes and sandals, sitting atop the only decent water source on the planet.”
Tawn said, “You must have water here. With this heat you wouldn’t be able to survive.”
The man crossed his arms. “We recycle what we use and are forced to purchase more from them. They claim it’s donations, we all know it’s a shakedown.
“We have plenty of water, two kilometers below. The pacies won’t allow us to drill for it. They took over a well from a former settler and have since blocked all others from tapping into it.”
Harris shook his head. “Why don’t you just drill it anyway?”
The man sighed. “Can’t get equipment here. They control all imports through that port. We’re all slowly going broke because of the water donations. They don’t seem to care. What is it you’re visiting us for again? Mining?”
Tawn said, “Actually we’re traders. Looking to do business.”
The man gestured toward a door as he stood. “Come on. Follow me. I’ll take you to see the commissioner. I don’t think you’ll find much of a market here, but I guess you can decide that.”
After a walk down a long hall they turned a corner into a room. “Daniel, we have visitors. They claim they are traders out scouting for business.”
Daniel Falburn pointed at a set of chairs. “Have a seat while I call you a transport back out of here. Maybe we can catch the one that dropped you before they get too far.”
Several attempts at a comm were denied. “Putz. Once they drop they don’t like to come back. You say you’re traders? I can’t say we have much to trade for unless you have drilling equipment. We could turn this place into the Eden it’s supposed to be if we had a well.”
Harris asked, “What reason do they give for denying you a well?”
“They claim we’ll be destroying the pristine planet. That the water belongs to them and they want it to stay where it is. What they want is for us to dry up and go away. A wellhead here would bring more homesteaders and they don’t want more.”
Harris leaned in. “We’re more interested in mining titanium. I hear this planet is crawling with it.”
Daniel leaned toward Harris. “I hear you’re a moron that beli
eves every rumor the pacies put out. There’s no titanium here. They started that rumor to help justify their position back on Domicile.”
Harris smiled at the directness of the Earther. “OK then, please tell me why any of you would move to this burning pit of a world?”
Daniel sighed. “We were told not to talk about it, but we had private companies offer a stipend to any settlers who would move to here or any of the other truce worlds. It’s that simple. They saw influence from Domers spreading out here and wanted to counter that with our own settlers. Government is probably responsible, but can’t claim it. We’ve sent back requests for assistance, but our government says they can’t get involved.”
Tawn said, “There’s been a number of news reports about unrest and people being killed. What can you tell us about those?”
“Out here? The only deaths we’ve had are from dehydration.”
Gandy asked, “No one killed by plasma rifles?”
Daniel shook his head. “Weapons aren’t allowed here. A couple of the settlers did try to sneak them in, but they were all caught at the port and confiscated. Those individuals were also put back on ships heading out of here.”
Trish said, “I still don’t get why any of you would come here. Even with the stipend, what does this planet have to offer?”
“It has what most of us want. A quiet peaceful life where we are in control of our own destinies. Out here you work for yourself. We were also told that even though the deserts covered most of this planet, there was water to be had. Not really how it worked out.”
A man came into the doorway. “Dan, the Fletchers just came in. Barely alive. Said their condenser broke a few days ago. They think it was tampered with.”
The commissioner rose. “I have to see to this. I’ll be back shortly.”
Daniel hurried out of the room.
Tawn lifted an eyebrow as she looked at Harris. “Wasn’t expecting to hear any of that. Sounds like the unrest out here is from hoarding water and not over some titanium ore deposits.”
Trish said, “We should help these people.”
ARMS War for Eden Page 18
