Karl crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ve managed a little more than that, Aldene.”
“Yes, you have. A little more than that. But there’s nothing here for refugees, and from the sounds of it, there might not be any left in thirty years.” Aldene spoke softly, but she slammed a fist down against the arm of the chair. “We should have stayed back, helped build the Fleet.”
“You couldn’t have known what awaited you here. The probe readouts were lacking almost every detail,” Flint said.
“And now we know why. Because the Suckers destroyed it shortly after it arrived,” Karl said.
“Have you received any messages from the Eureka?” Flint asked.
“Nothing. We had no idea you were here until the smoke signaled from the crashed lander,” Karl answered.
“We found the beacon. It was faint but traceable.” Flint paced the bridge, seeing it was highly similar to the one Fairbanks had recreated.
“If the beacon still works…” Karl started.
“Then maybe tapping into the location emitter will allow a message out,” Aldene finished.
Karl was already moving for one of the seats, and Flint found himself watching as Karl maneuvered through the commands on his console. “What should we say?”
Flint took this one. “Let them know the first lander drop arrived mostly unscathed. Tell them about the Suckers and warn them not to send anyone else down. The second lander didn’t have such good luck. Oh, and tell them to reply to the message the same way we sent this one.”
Karl typed out a long message, and with the tap of a finger, it was off.
“Now what?” Flint asked.
“Now we wait,” Karl answered.
Flint would assume the crew of the Eureka had an idea of what was going on down here. They would have learned from the two crashes, and had probably tested it further with probes or drones. Captain Barkley might be a little wet behind the ears, but she was smarter than most.
It turned out they didn’t have to wait long. A response came, and Flint couldn’t believe how nervous he was as Karl read it out loud.
“We’re pleased to hear the four of you are alive and well. We deduced the danger and have a plan to retrieve you when necessary. What are the councilman’s wishes at this time? – Captain Barkley.” Karl glanced over his shoulder at Aldene. “What should I tell them?”
“No point in hiding it. Let them know Fairbanks received a minor injury, and that we’ll have him contact his ship as soon as he can,” Aldene said as captain to captain.
Flint needed to tell them something else. “What about the time difference? They’ll want to know.”
Aldene shook her head. “Let Jarden do that. Somehow, I don’t feel it’s our place. They’re his crew.”
Flint didn’t like leaving them in the dark, but he guessed it wouldn’t hurt them to wait another day on the information. He wished he could talk to Wren about it all, and he hoped Kat was hanging in there. He could see her face lighting up as they received the message, letting the crew know he and the others were okay. She would have been a mess worrying about him.
Wren
Wren couldn’t believe it had worked. Charles told her the Watcher had responded to his own language with a few spoken words, and she was thrilled he was making progress. She wanted to stay for the interaction between the android and the Watcher, but she’d been beckoned to the bridge.
This better be important. She knew it would be. Barkley wasn’t in the habit of wasting anyone’s time.
The elevator doors slid open, and she instantly felt a different mood on the bridge. “What’s happened?” she asked, and it was Kat who answered first, a smile spread over her face.
“Flint’s okay. They all are…” Kat paused. “Well, the first lander. The other wasn’t so fortunate.”
Wren’s chest loosened at the news. It had felt tight since they’d left, and she took a deep breath, letting out a hearty sigh. “That’s great. How are you communicating?”
Tsang filled her in on the beacon trick, and she wondered what it was like, being on a ship underwater. Probably similar to being on a ship in space. You either stayed inside or you died.
“What’s Fairbanks saying?” Wren asked, genuinely curious.
Barkley took over. “They told us he’s healing up from an injury, but he’s okay.”
“Do you believe them?” Wren asked, ever the skeptic. Her fiancé used to give her grief about it all the time, but as a researcher, it always paid to consider all factors.
“We currently have no reason to,” Barkley said. “Unless you think we shouldn’t?”
Wren considered this. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t be telling the truth. What’s the plan?”
“Fairbanks will either want us to find a way to get them off-planet or send a team down,” the captain said.
“Or stay status quo and do nothing,” Wren offered.
“Or that… for a time.”
“Did you ask after his wife and kids?” Wren asked.
“No. We didn’t want to prod. Again, we can wait for Fairbanks to contact us.” Captain Barkley smoothed a wrinkle on her uniform as she turned away from Wren, looking out the viewscreen.
Wren had a million questions for the Pilgrim, but it wasn’t her place. “How are we doing with the ‘distractor’?”
It was the name they’d given to the plans for engineering. They needed to find something large enough, that used enough energy, to draw all the insects to it, allowing a ship to come and go when necessary. Wren had thought of the plan, though Barkley liked to think of it as a team effort. Wren was okay with that, as time for egos was limited. She had enough work on her hands with the virus she was creating.
“Still at the drawing board. They came up with a fission device, but I don’t want to harm anything on the planet with this… unless we have no choice,” Barkley said. Wren was glad to hear it. The world had a lot of amazing things to offer, from what she could see. As a biologist, she was eager to get down there and see what kind of life she could find and study.
“They’ll find a way. I can only assume Jarden brought the brightest in the field along for the ride,” Wren said.
Tsang and Kat nodded their agreement.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work,” Wren said.
“How’s it coming along? The research?” Barkley asked with a raised eyebrow. Not everyone knew about the Watcher on board, and she intended to keep it that way.
“Well. We’re close to having a prototype.” Wren was proud of her ability. It was like being away from the job for a couple of years had freed her thought patterns. She was able to do so much more, with far fewer people than ever before.
“That was fast,” the captain said. “Good work.”
“Thanks. Charles has helped a lot. Thanks for filling me in, and let me know when the councilman responds,” Wren said.
She turned and left the crew on the bridge. She couldn’t wait to see what Charles had learned from their “guest.” Her legs pumped quickly, and she had to slow down to stop herself from jogging the whole way back to the lab.
Jarden
Jarden didn’t ever expect to be this happy again in his life. He sat in a private dining room meant for the captain to have extravagant dinners with dignitaries or for special occasions for crew members. There were no dignitaries to be found on Domum, and this was about as important as an occasion could be.
Jarden’s hand clutched his tumbler of Scotch, and he nervously took a sip. “You kids are so grown up,” he said, trying to not stare at Nik and Oliv too much. The boy was so much like him at that age. His jaw was strong, his hair thick, and a flicker of awareness to all situations sat in his eyes, like a man well beyond his teenage years.
Oliv was simply beautiful, and from what Leona told him, an absolute treasure to be around. She was always trying to research the animal life on the planet, categorizing and cataloging when she wasn’t living a secret life training as a pi
lot on the simulators.
Jarden waited for them to reply, but the conversation had been slow to start. He needed to break the ice. Somehow their two years seemed a longer time apart than his sixty. He picked away at his salad and potatoes with a three-pronged fork.
“Nik, why don’t you tell your dad what you’ve been up to?” Leona said. Always the peacemaker. She forced a smile at her son, and Jarden found himself wondering what she thought when she looked at the old man beside her.
Nik cleared his throat, poking at some beans on his plate. “I’ve been working with Karl at the colony a lot.” He sat up straighter, proud of his accomplishments. “As you know, we have to use technology from our past, chains and pulleys, rudimentary tools, but you know, it’s kind of fun.”
“Fun?” Jarden pressed him.
“Yes. We still have everything automated on the Pilgrim, but out there… up there,” Nik corrected himself, “we have to fend for ourselves. When I’m swinging an axe for firewood or building a fence, I feel free, a part of something. A new step for humanity.” Nik suddenly looked embarrassed. “Probably sounds stupid.”
“Not at all, son.” Jarden noticed how Nik’s eyes met his for an instant after calling the boy son. That was a good sign. He remembers I’m his father. “I think it makes more sense than you know. We are animals, and hard work with our hands to create things is built into our DNA. After centuries of technology, we consider ourselves spoilt, but it’s freed up our time and minds, so we can create amazing things like the ship we find ourselves in right now.” Jarden waved his hand in front of him. “But that survival gene is in us, as strong as ever. It fights to break free all the time, and what you’re doing up there is helping this colony survive. I’m proud of you, Nik.”
Leona’s hand met Jarden’s on the table, and all was right in the universe. For that moment.
“I’ve never quite heard it put that way… Dad. I’m just happy I can help the colony,” Nik finished.
“Karl’s taken a shine to him. Nik’s well on his way to becoming the number two up there. We think of Karl as the Mayor of Logtown, and with more people wanting to move from the Pilgrim up to the surface with each passing month, he needs good people beside him,” Leona said.
This appeared to take Nik by surprise. “Seriously? He hasn’t said that to me.”
“Maybe he didn’t want it to go to your head. He came to me last week to discuss you moving up there on a more permanent basis.” Leona let go of Jarden’s hand, and he instantly missed its presence.
“But what does it matter? Dad’s here now, and we’re going to leave,” Oliv said, taking the attention off Nik for a moment.
“I don’t know what to tell you, honey. Do you want to leave?” Jarden asked, curious what they all thought about it.
Both kids looked straight to their mother, but Jarden didn’t mind. They’d always gone to her for guidance. It was probably for the best.
Leona sat back in her chair. “I don’t know what you coming here means, Jarden. Why don’t you tell us?”
“I hadn’t thought that far. I spent my life trying to get here to you. I hoped I’d find you on a world we could live on… together. But I’m too old for that.” Jarden pointed up, as if that explained everything. Leona nodded, understanding. She always knew what he was thinking.
“Does that mean you aren’t here to whisk us away?” Oliv asked.
“I’m not. I only wanted to find you. After that, my plans ended.” Jarden was ever a thoughtful one, and of course he’d considered many scenarios, probably thousands, but it had all disappeared from his mind the moment he’d found his family alive and young. None of his predicted situations had involved teenage children.
“But what about the invasion? Can we really leave Earth to fight these Watchers?” Leona asked.
“What choice do we have? We’re only two colony ships and a handful of fighters. The Earth Fleet made their bed; now they have to sleep in it.” Jarden took another drink of Scotch, this time finding the bottom of the glass.
“Jarden, we can’t abandon them. We’re talking about billions of lives,” Leona said, her voice quiet.
“Dad, she’s right. There has to be something we can do,” Oliv pleaded. She’d have an idea of what home was like. Home was safely on Europa or Earth, where she’d gone to private schools for the wealthiest children and had other affluent friends, none of them with a care in the world.
She didn’t understand the other side of it: that Earth was eighty percent destitute, Mars was a dump waiting to burn down, and the other colonies were just a dome crack from away from dying. Jarden shook his head slowly. “We can’t even get off the surface without being attacked by those Suckers.”
“Your crew has an idea that might get us out of here,” Leona said, and it was Jarden’s turn to be surprised.
“And how do you know this?” he asked.
“Because they told me you’re refusing to contact your crew above. They filled me in instead.” Leona’s eyes were hard, and Jarden could tell he was walking on thin ice with his ex-wife. He couldn’t be the same man he used to be, or this wasn’t going to work. He was an old man now, and she was still a young woman. He didn’t think his chances were good either way, but he had to try.
“I’ll talk to them. I was anxious about… healing up and seeing my family.” This seemed to please the kids.
“What are you going to tell them?” Nik asked, the ever-curious one.
Jarden didn’t know. His plate was still half full, but he pushed it aside, noticing the kids had hardly eaten either. He was about to answer, when the door chimed and a handsome man of around forty peeked his head in.
“Sorry to disturb you. Hello, Leona.” His gaze lingered on her before meeting Jarden’s watchful eyes. He averted his stare and found Nik. “Nik, are you still coming to the surface for your shift? They’re going to be leaving in an hour.”
Nik took a moment to look at his mother, and Jarden fought the urge to tell the boy he couldn’t go. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with them all after being gone for so long, but he waited quietly on his side of the table. “I… can you find someone to substitute for me this time? Special circumstances and all.”
Jarden’s heart swelled with pride and joy at his boy’s response.
The man smiled. “I can think of a few people that are willing to go in your stead. Have a nice visit.”
Leona spoke. “Trel, come in and meet my… meet Councilman Jarden Fairbanks.” She stood and gave the man a light hug as he came over to them.
Jarden flinched at the contact between his wife and this man who, for obvious reasons, had his intentions set on her. “Jarden is fine. Pleased to meet you… Trel.”
They shook hands, and Jarden felt the man’s grip tighten as they did: a noticeable show of strength over a much older adversary.
Trel turned and left them, the door sliding shut behind.
“And who’s that?” Jarden asked, trying to see if Leona would break his heart once again.
Oliv answered, “Security lieutenant. He’s a good man. Helped out a lot since we’ve been down here, isn’t that right, Mom?” Her question seemed innocent enough, but Jarden would be watching the man closely. One thing he knew about most security officers bred in the Earth Fleet was that their brains were often far smaller than their muscles.
“Don’t think that distraction gets you free from answering me. What are you going to tell the Eureka?” Leona asked.
“That I’m staying here with my wife and kids.”
12
Charles
Charles sat just outside the barrier. The Watcher remained perched on a chair provided to him, and he was beginning to look less sallow since the added improvements. He wore the robe with pride now, and his posture had straightened.
Charles still didn’t know the creature’s name, but he’d deciphered a few words and phrases. The alien was speaking freely today, and it was all being recorded for later study. Charles didn’
t concern himself with decoding the words as he sat there. Instead, he was trying to build a repartee with the Watcher.
Charles repeated some phrases he’d learned, and the alien replied, speaking in low growls and guttural clucks. A few of the words were familiar. Home. War. Food.
He stayed there for an hour before letting the Watcher know he had to leave, and the subject seemed disappointed. Had he really made a connection? Could he find out where their world was located and help the war? Barkley didn’t seem so inclined to discover much about the creatures. She was intent on staying as far away from their home world as she could.
Wren, on the other hand, knew their only chance at preventing another fleet from entering Earth’s solar system was to hit them at home, where it hurt. They had a long time, though. Thirty years should be ample time to learn where the Watchers hailed from. Charles was already learning to communicate with the alien.
There were other factors at play. The Watcher could die before he got answers. Charles understood that organic beings all had expiry dates. This one wouldn’t live forever.
He went to the back office, knowing the software program was already cataloging their conversation, translating anything it could into English. Charles keyed in his access code and saw the script flowing on the screen.
The Watcher had repeated a phrase more than once, and the computer was scrambling to determine what it was. It wasn’t long before he had the answer.
You will all die. The Ober guided our Faithful to the window to watch you. Now we do Ober’s bidding. You will all die.
Charles was about to call for Wren’s private channel, when the Eureka’s alarms rang out.
Wren
“We have it, then? When can we test it?” Tsang asked.
Wren craned her neck to look back at Captain Barkley, who was clearly angry Fairbanks hadn’t replied to her yet.
“In a few hours. We’ll have to send a lander down, though,” Heather said.
Wren scrunched her face at this. “Won’t that be too dangerous? How about we send a drone?”
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