Terminus Project: Mars (Dystopian Child Prodigy SciFi)

by Casey Herzog

  Jude saw things a little differently. In his mind, if the invaders wanted full and good control of the Retribution, it would behoove them to keep enough of the crew intact so as to ensure good and easy management. Of course, much like the Unity before her, the Retribution was designed to be operable by a team of twenty at any one time. Still, the invaders did not seem to mind or notice the discrepancy in numbers. It was also possible their captors had qualms about condemning to death a crew of juveniles. None were yet nineteen, and the youngest in their cohort were still fifteen. Still, if he wanted reassurances that the armored knights on board meant them no harm, Jude only had to look to the way they had treated Ana and the others wounded in the skirmish.

  Assuming the invading forces had indeed wiped out the entire Saturn Cohort and the chiefs of staff in the boarding action, there would be seventy-six dead. This did not include the seven who had died in Jude’s futile attempt to hold the enemy at the airlocks. There was the possibility that some of the crew engaged in the defense had been taken prisoner aboard the invader’s ship, the Unity. If that was the case, their captors weren’t saying anything of it. All Jude could do was focus on those that were here with him. There were nine wounded during that disastrous defense at the air lock, and Jude was desperate for word on their condition.

  The Retribution was built on the same design as the invading vessel Unity, so Jude’s captors had an easy time walking about. The ship was shaped like a long pole, with two circular wheels affixed to the upper half of the ship. These rotundas spun at a fixed speed to create artificial gravity for the crew. Each rotunda was massive and housed the mess halls, bunks and more. It was so large that you didn’t even notice the curve of wheel when you stood on it. Jude was glad his captors had opted to hold him and his cohort here rather than in any of the ship affected by zero-g.

  Ana was physically the best off of the survivors, but from what Jude could gather, she was the most affected by the surrender. It seemed she really had intended to give her life in that battle rather than become a prisoner. The other survivors all faced varying cuts and lacerations from the rubber explosives used to disorient the defense. Some had deep gashes and tears, but there was hope there would be no further deaths recorded.

  A heavy gauntleted hand on Jude’ shoulder roused him from his reflections, and he turned to find himself staring at one of the five knights, still clad in her suit of armor. She was tall, at least six five, and her suit bulked out her physique so that she was almost twice as broad as Jude. She was an imposing sight. Her shaved head glistened under the glare of the flight, and her mismatched green blue eyes eyed him with a singular self-assurance that made Jude feel small, like he was in the presence of some sort of god.

  “Your crewmate, Anastasia Fuertes, is proving somewhat difficult to control. Was she the one you were wrestling with when we came aboard?”

  Jude looked at the woman’s breastplate, noticing for the first time the scratch his spear tip had left there during the engagement. “I am sorry, I didn’t realize you were the one I struck.”

  “I don’t need an apology; I don’t care if my armor gets a few knocks. Still, I need to know, is this Ana going to be a liability? I should not need to tell you that my team does not want insurrectionist activity from your platoon.”

  “You can trust me; I don’t want any further fighting either. I can’t say I know what Ana is thinking right now though. She and I have never seen eye to eye about our mission.”

  The woman pursed her lips and seemed to chew her lip as she considered his words. “Well that’s a familiar story. I guess you are only part way through your mission, not even past Saturn…” The knight trailed off, seeming to lapse into some distant and private memory. “For now, your crewmate is being held in the infirmary. It will do for the moment, but you will need to talk to her and convince her to give up her fight soon. We don’t have the patience to deal with prisoners.”

  Jude took a deep breath, wondering just how he could be expected to speak with Ana after what had just passed between them. Something else in the knight’s words bothered him too. “I’m sorry, but aren’t we all your prisoners? If you don’t have time for us, why are you treating our wounded.”

  The knight turned, indicating with a tilt of the head that they should walk. “You shouldn’t consider yourselves as our prisoners. After all, we don’t consider ourselves your captors.”

  Jude began to walk slightly ahead of the knight, feeling uneasy as he heard every heavy footfall of her metal boots on the deck. “So, what would you call yourselves?”

  “I call myself Minerva. As for how we see ourselves, we like to think of ourselves as liberators, saving you and your crew from being tied to the same six wasted years of mistakes we were forced to endure.” There was a hint of pride in the woman’s voice as she spoke, her words echoing louder than her footfalls as they walked the corridor of the wheel.

  “You were part of the Unity crew then? We had to study you extensively on mission. You must be Minerva Tharis, the Martian. You were second advisor to Alphred the Unready.” Jude thought back to the many video lectures on the Unity they had been forced to watch. There were even tests to ensure they remembered each and every crew member by name and photograph.

  Minerva laughed, and her giant gloved hand patted him on the shoulder once again, leaving Jude to feel much like an insect. “Alphred the Unready…what a name. I would have thought they’d come up with something a little bolder for the man.”

  “That’s what he was: unready for command, the weak link in the chain of the Unity. Any other name, the chiefs said, would only have fed a false sense of awe and mystique around him.”

  “Did they now? It certainly is a lousy name. I suppose I would think twice before joining a man with a such a rubbish title.”

  Jude was still a little intimidated by this tall woman and her broad armor, but he found her candor and easy conversation enough to disarm him. “Well, you did follow him, you and all the others. If it weren’t for your selfishness, our mission would never have been needed. If you’d just done your jobs as you were supposed to…”

  “Oh my, spoken like a boy who really didn’t want to be part of this mission. How did the powers that be find you then? I’ll take it you weren’t harvested out of some military academy.”

  “My parents were frequently stationed on Lunar base growing up. I never went on any of their trips, but the government just assumed I must know a thing or two. That, and perfect grades in school.”

  The woman snorted. “A bad combination if you don’t want to get noticed. Tell me, when the officers came to your door, did you try to fight them off, or go willingly.”

  Jude bit his lip and found himself staring down at his feet. “I went with them. I was told it would be good for Earth and good for my family. I know my mother and father lived much better as a result of my leaving, my sister too.”

  The armored giant stopped as they came to the infirmary. She took a deep breath and looked at Jude like she was trying to puzzle him out. He could not tell what she was looking for, but a smile, friendly and warm, seemed to take over her features. It was out of place against her massive armored frame and tall height. “Listen, my team will be putting on a memorial service later on in the mess. I don’t know if Earth policy on dealing with the dead has changed since our day, but among our team we honor the fallen by telling their story. We are extending an invitation to your crew to join us.”

  “They aren’t my crew.” Jude was quick to correct her. “I guess I should ask, do we have the right to decline your invitation?”

  The woman raised an eyebrow. Her smile did not disappear, but its character changed to something like amusement. “You are welcome to sit out, of course. We will, naturally be keeping note of who among your number attends, including your hotheaded second in command. Take that as you will.”

  Jude shuddered as the armored tank of a woman edged past him, patting him on the shoulder as she walked away. Only when the behem
oth was out of sight did he allow himself to enter the small infirmary.

  Comparing the medical facilities of the Retribution to the Unity’s was like comparing the benefits of a hospital with that of a medicine cabinet. The architects of the Retribution knew their crew would face more conflict than their predecessor, and this was reflected in the spacious medical bay. It had done them little good. Of the twenty beds, only five were currently occupied by crew of the Retribution. Members of the Unity who had sustained injury in the conflict were using another seven. On both sides, the injuries were largely superficial. Combat in the void was brutal, and anything that might make you in real need of medical attention would likely kill you before you had a chance to receive treatment. A broken rib on one of the Unity’s boarding knights and lacerations on those who had been hit by Minerva’s grenade in the final stand at the air lock were the worst wounds sustained. Ana, by comparison, was barely hurt at all. The blow she had received from Minerva’s metal fist hadn’t wounded her too badly, leaving a bruise on her stomach that did slow Ana down. The only reason she had not been okayed to leave the bay was simply to keep her in sight.

  As she caught sight of Jude, she swung her legs off the bed and sat upright. It was obvious she was overextending herself as she doubled over and almost fell off the cot as she clutched her stomach and let out a hiss. Jude rushed to her side and gently grabbed her by the shoulders to help right her.

  “Get off me, Jude; I got it.” Ana flailed her arms, then reluctantly eased herself to the bed once more. “What did they bring you here for anyway?”

  Jude frowned. He hated Ana’s curt manner and cut-to-the-chase attitude. There was never any room for small talk with her. “I wasn’t brought here,” he answered defensively. “The Unity crew is allowing us pretty free range of the ship, all things considered.”

  “Really? Well, how goddamned civil of them. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess what you’re thinking right now. You’re probably thinking, ‘Oh, these guys seem quite nice actually. Maybe they aren’t all bad. Maybe we should cozy up to them and join their resistance.’” Ana’s mocking, girlish impersonation caught the attention of the whole med bay, bringing Unity and Retribution crew alike to a standstill.

  “Keep a lid on it, Ana.” Jude hissed, taking her by the lapel and lifting her nearer to his face. “Carry on like this and you’re going to get yourself jettisoned.”

  “Good! Bring it on, let’s get me to the airlock!” Ana was shouting, seemingly close to stark-raving mad. Short of other options, Jude shut out his compassion and gave her another sharp blow to the abdomen.

  “Get ahold of yourself. You’re no good to me as a corpse.” Jude’s lips were pressed right against her ear, eyes darting around to check who was watching. The answer: everyone. He let go of her lapel, and Ana dropped back onto the bed with a groan of pain. Jude held an indignant scowl on his face, hoping those who watched him assumed he was just taking out his frustration on his disobedient crewman.

  Ana shot him a look. Her eyes were watery, and her face bunched up in pain. However, she seemed to show a sign of understanding. The familiar defiance was still there, but it seemed tempered now, less prone to lashing out. She took a minute to recover herself and then lay flat on her back.

  “I’m…I’m sorry, sir.” She said the words loudly enough for the others to hear. “I guess I’m just a little sore the fight didn’t go better. I shouldn’t blame you for that though…I know…I know we had lost long before the boarding action.”

  Her eyes took a moment to dart to the others, no doubt making her own calculations. She moved her hand to Jude’s. She squeezed it lightly and began to stroke Jude’s skin with his thumb. It was an uncharacteristically affectionate action on her part, and Jude stared at their joined hands in some confusion. It took a minute for him to see it, or rather feel it. There was a pattern to the way her thumb stroked his skin, an order to the movements that she repeated on a loop as she silently watched him. It was crude form of code, basic letter drawn out over and over.

  A N P L…Plan.

  Jude’s eyes connected with Ana’s once more, and he took a deep breath before expelling it as a sigh. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” He said, to answer in a way that wouldn’t be interpreted suspiciously by those who would be listening. “We just need to play it by ear and see what our gracious overlords have in store for us.” As he spoke, he began forming his own word on Ana’s hand. He could not be certain, but he felt she understood quickly.

  GET HOME.

  Ana’s eyes locked with his, and she nodded, the grim determination of a fighter returned to her face. Jude smiled back at her and continued, “The overlords are going to hold a memorial service in the mess later. It’s for both crews to pay their respects for the dead…apparently.”

  Ana made a strange sound and gave a wan smile. “Please tell don’t tell me you’re thinking of asking me along as your date, sir.”

  “I wasn’t going to call it a date, but that was the idea. We aren’t required to go, but I know our new superiors will be keeping careful tabs on those of us who sit out.”

  Ana grimaced and then nodded. “Understood… but this still doesn’t count as a date.”

  “I never implied it was.” Jude gave her one last glance as he tried to figure his enigmatic crewman out. Accepting his inability to read her, he stood up. “Get some rest for now. I’ll pick you up before the service begins.”

  “Not a date, sir,” Ana called after him.

  ***

  It was strange entering the mess. Over the last few hours, the Unity had successfully docked with the Retribution and the other ship’s crew came across en masse. The survivors of the Retribution were outnumbered two to one. The Retribution’s oldest surviving members were only just eighteen, and hopes of manufacturing some insurrection against their captors was all but impossible to consider, still, Jude was certain that his second would be trying to do just that. Even as they walked into the room, he could sense her counting, weighing up numbers and odds in her head as she looked at the sea of black Unity space suits contrasted against the white uniforms of the Retribution’s crew.

  Jude’s gaze was preoccupied by the armored, boarding knights. Though some had vacated their suits, ten remained in their battle plate, a clear sign of might for their captives to see displayed. The most striking of these armored warriors was still Minerva. She was the tallest person in the entire company, her close shaved head less than an inch shy of hitting the ceiling lights. She stood with arms crossed on her chest and cast her eyes towards him. She noted the presence of Ana, and Jude thought her head moved in a very slight nod of approval, or perhaps recognition to him. He didn’t know if he should respond. It seemed best not to.

  The two took their seats, choosing to sit on one of the tables rather than chairs. There was silence, and all eyes fell to the cleared area in the center of the room. There, a single chair sat, at present unoccupied. The young faces of the Retribution’s crew looked about, trying to discern who was meant to come forward and fill this space. Even Jude craned his head to see if there was something, or someone he had missed.

  At last, Minerva Tharsis, arms still firmly across her chest, spoke in a robust voice. “On the occasion of the battle between The Unity and The Retribution, we are gathered to pay our respects to those on both sides. In this moment, let us not forget that we have more commonalities than we have differences. Both our ships chartered the same journey, and our goals were once the same. With this in mind and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who serve the Retribution, we ask their highest-ranking officer: Cohort Leader, Jude Fox, to lead the tribute to those of this fine vessel who gave their lives fighting for what they believed in.”

  Jude felt a multitude of eyes turn to him. He had not considered that it would be his duty to read the roll call of the dead for his ship. It still had not fully sunk in that he was, for all intents and purposes, captain. He gazed dumbfounded at the sea of faces watching h
im, until a nudge from Ana prompted him to action.

  Pushed off his perch, he walked through the crowd, trying to keep as dignified a posture as he could while trying to avoid eye contact with everyone. To his great relief, Minerva had not left him thoroughly unprepared and she handed him a data slate that, upon quick study, held the ship’s manifesto. The names of the dead were listed in red.

  Walking into the circle, Jude declined to sit in the chair that had been put out. He stood as straight as he could, one hand held behind his back. He gave one nervous glance to the crowd and spied Ana looking back at him. Her face was not one of scorn or derision. Instead her eyes looked at him with something close to respect; she gave him a nod as if showing her support.