by Chris Hechtl
The group stumbled out of the shuttle and waited patiently for their luggage. To their dismay, they were relegated to what some were already calling the skids, an area where the zero balancers were left to live. None of them had land they could go to. They arrived in the skids just before dark. Don swore up a storm as Pat, Tirel, and Malory did their best to put their tent up and make camp.
The following morning Don stormed off to the administration building. There he protested vehemently that they should be able to just go out and pick a place, but his protests fell on deaf ears. “We win the lotto and this is the thanks we get? A ticket here and camping gear?” he snarled.
“Be glad you are getting that much, mister. Your ticket said a one-way trip here for your family, nothing more,” the woman behind the counter said firmly, reading his file from the screen in front of her. “When the transit barracks are cleared out, you and your family can be allocated a spot if you are still here,” she said firmly.
“That's it? I've got a family to feed! It's cold outside, and I've got a toddler!”
“Then you better figure something out soon, right? Everyone in skid row is like that. You got plenty of incentive to get out of there,” the woman said by way of dismissal. She looked over his shoulder to the next person in line. “Next?”
Donald looked at a guard and then stormed off, fists clenched in suppressed rage.
Donald returned and informed Malory in a quiet voice what he'd found out. Malory bit her lip. She was a bit put out as well since she had the kids to shelter and feed and was the main breadwinner of the family. But she sniffed the air delicately. “It's … thin, but like fine wine, nice. So much better than Earth,” she murmured.
Donald looked at her, then caught her nod down to the troubled kids. He looked down, caught on that he needed to get with the program and then put on a show of approval. He took a deep breath. “I know, right?!?” Donald said with a wide grin.
Tirel instantly bucked up, smiling and imitating his dad.
When the kids were asleep, the two adults talked with some of the other parents around a campfire. They found out Governor Thrakle had held them in orbit until the planet's seasons had shifted to late winter. It was early spring, cold and wet, but there was no snow. “So, we have him to thank for not being dumped into the snow and freezing to death,” Malory murmured.
“Right. I'm tempted to just go out and find a place far away, but they are down on claim jumpers. I know a few people have tried it, but you can't get far on foot. And so, what if you do go out there?” Birdy, a thin woman said as she waved a hand. “The planet has barely been terraformed. Most of the animals and plants are still spreading out. There isn't much food in the wild. Some of us might remember our camping days, but for me …,” she shook her head.
“You grew up in the war though, right?” Donald asked.
“I'm not from Earth,” the woman replied with dignity. “I'm from the moon.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Camping for me was a completely different experience,” the woman said.
Malory studied her and realized her thin stature was due to her light gravity birth and origin. Living on the planet must be hard on her. Just breathing … she bit her lip.
“They said the transit quarters will open up on a case-by-case basis,” Donald said. “How is that supposed to work?”
“The first of us here get first dibs and then on down the line,” a guy explained as he poked at the fire. They'd learned the hard way not to try to burn green wet wood. He cracked a couple sticks, folded them, and then added them to the fire. The fire popped a bit, startling a few who had been dozing in its warmth.
“Basically, the people in the transit quarters, they are simple barracks by the way, are waiting on their own land to be settled. Some have to work on getting it cleared; a few are waiting on transport to get there and move their gear to it. Some of the homesteaders are hiring some of us to work,” another guy said.
“Great,” Don muttered.
Malory suppressed a yawn. “I'm going to turn in,” She told Don. He waved a hand but then kept talking to the guys. Malory glanced at Birdy. The blond woman looked sympathetic. She nodded once to Malory and left as well. They silently made their way to the area designated as a latrine in the dark, did their business, and then went back to the lights of the fire to their respective shelters.
~~*^*~~
Landing City or Capital City quickly became the hot spot on the planet, though a second start-up city and several small trading towns were laid in right away as people spread out all over the planet. One small group of colonists had pooled their resources to purchase one of the smaller continents. They named it Eternia and set up shop there once their gear was landed in the capital.
Over the course of several weeks they moved their gear and families to their new home.
The group going to Eternia was something of an odd lot. There were dozens of engineers, some Neos, and a couple retired scientists and their families. One of the engineers had come to the planet with only a single change of clothes. Instead of the usual luggage, he'd packed a couple advanced 3D printers and parts to keep them running.
Doctor Dreyfus Grayskull was one of the major proponents and landowners of the Eternia Project. He'd always liked the idea of a scientist utopia, an engineering Mecca where people like him could design and build until their heart's content.
Setting up the colony was tedious; he itched to get to the real work. Many times he'd come to loggerheads with some of the tradesman who had wanted to set up the plumbing and other infrastructure first, or make things more comfortable. When he finally got his building built to his spec by his robotic 3D printer, he'd dived into it and hadn't minded the group “borrowing it” for their own needs.
He had no problem with fussy things like routine maintenance, bed calibration, cleaning the hot ends, and other things, but supplying proper material was an issue. For plastic polymer, all they had available was a limited amount of PLA. The PLA was locally produced from plant extract like vegetable oils. It was okay, but not as good as ABS, which was unfortunately petroleum based. Petroleum was practically nonexistent on the colony.
Power was the next major issue, but he'd planned ahead with that. Not only did he have several generators, hydroelectric among them, but he'd also packed along a compact fusion reactor of his own design. He'd intended to set up the fusion reactor in the basement of the building, but his intent became known to some of the workers. Some of the leaders had told him that the community didn't want a nuclear reactor near the city. He'd fumed for days at that obstruction.
Without his reactor, there were continuous problems managing the power they had available. Most of the power came from solar panels and a few off-shore wind turbines, but the colony had other demands for power, such as the experiments he wanted to run, and a limited supply of energy. The day-to-day needs of the growing city took up a majority of the power.
He had been forced to use his other generators to power his equipment. Within a month though as he started to build additional equipment for new projects, he'd found he was quickly outstripping his supply.
~~*^*~~
Years ago, Malory had learned about how and why she had grown up loving pasta. Pasta was quick and simple, packed with sugar, and it was an easy way to feed a family on the cheap. Only soup could rival that since it had a lot of broth. Once she had a way to store food without it getting stolen, she'd managed to build up a small stockpile of pasta and simple food dishes to feed her family.
Spaghetti dinners were by far the favorite of the kids, though they tended to pall over time. She tried to change it up with different additions, spices and the occasional rare treat of freshly-baked bread.
Birdy showed her more of the trade going on in the skid row community. A few of the people with rough carpentry skills were pinching scraps or other goods from the work sites to improve their hovel homes. Birdy occasionally came by with something to trade, usually a paper pr
oduct or one time a bar of soap.
Malory tended to enjoy those visits. She learned to put a stock of tea in so the two of them could share a cup and talk for a bit before Birdy moved on.
One time Birdy told her about a new town being set up at a crossroads. The cities and towns would function much the same as they did back in Sol, as centers of trade, industry, social events, and so on. Even people in the far-flung homesteads wanted social contact on occasion or supplies they couldn't make locally. Usually it was tools or food not grown by them.
Don had hopped on that idea and the desire to move to the town to get a fresh start. Malory stomped on the idea firmly. The kids were settled into the new routine, she had a decent job, and if they were on the road, they wouldn't have any work to feed their family. He'd been petulant about it, even trying to bully her into agreeing to go until Birdy had come back around and had casually let drop that the town he was so interested in was over five hundred kilometers away in a valley that tended to get a lot of snow. That had ended Don's grumbling and desire for adventure.
For the moment at any rate, Malory mused as she stirred the pot carefully. She didn't want the sauce to burn. That was a problem with cooking over an open flame; you couldn't control the temperature very well she knew.
Skid row was starting to empty out here and there. As people moved on, they took what they wanted and then gave the rest to their neighbors and friends in the community. A few small businesses had cropped up, like Birdy's trade and an Asian family's laundry business. Some people had gotten rough about wanting to do the same job, but there was room for all.
Malory had learned a bit since coming to the planet. For instance, having some skills was vital. Specialist skills were highly valued and paid well. Unfortunately, she'd never gone for a higher education back on Sol. She'd been too busy first trying to survive during the war and then she'd been too busy taking care of her family.
She had learned a few tricks, like knitting and sewing. She did the mending of the kids’ clothes, Tirel had a thing for tearing up the knees on his pants. They were growing, so getting them replacement clothes was an issue.
~~*^*~~
Governor Thrakle frowned as he had similar thoughts about small businesses and trades that were cropping up. They were unregulated. Free market economics was a great way to get start-ups, but the freewheeling economy meant the government was missing out on tax revenue. There had also been plenty of complaints about bad deals, theft, or other issues.
Skid row was a growing concern for him; there were reports of job-site thefts and a growing black market there. Cottage industries had also cropped up there, so he couldn't blame people for trying to do something to improve their lot in life.
His plan to clear out the temporary housing and move the “zero-balancers” in had hit a snag when some of the shareholders had returned. Apparently, living in the outback had been a bit too hard on a few. He'd also seen reports of deaths from exposure, accident, or other things.
He shook his head. Some of the pioneers were still hanging in there, but others were back looking for a handout. They were as bad as the “zero-balancers.” He was starting to become impatient with them and lob them in the same category as those who wouldn't get off their butts and help themselves.
As the capital began to expand, social events were started. He enjoyed some of it, but there were also reports of drunkenness and other issues. Law and order were sketchy in some parts of town, and practically nonexistent in skid row.
He rubbed his brow tiredly. Obviously, more deputies were needed. Finding a way to train and pay for them though …
One way or another he was going to need to get a handle on the businesses and tax thing he vowed, looking up to the view outside his window. People wouldn't like it, but it would have to be done for the good of all.
“Honey, Captain Holt is calling again,” Fin's wife called out to him.
“I'm sure he is,” the governor sighed. That was another problem, the ship's departure. He'd been shipping up hydrogen and provisions to make up for the delay. But a series of storms had delayed the landing of their last phase of supplies and colonists by over two weeks. Captain Holt was impatient to get going.
~~*^*~~
The more he was around the group, the more Doctor Grayskull had trouble with people. He'd always been socially awkward—a misfit, a hermit. He knew he had severe social anxiety disorder. He did his best to put up with the odd looks from people. He'd contributed to society in his own way, paying his way with his inventions. That was how he'd had the money to be a major investor in the colony; he'd sold some of his inventions to Lagroose Industries in exchange for shares, access to their labs and computers, and a full rejuv whenever he wished to have it. He'd left Mister Thrakle to manage his shares while he concentrated on other things.
He'd given in to family pressure and had tried dating without much success. He'd eventually come to realize he was born to solitude and had accepted it. That acceptance had allowed him to return to his lab and work on other inventions. He hadn't needed the money, but he'd loved the challenge of it all.
When he'd landed, he'd tried to more or less fit in while also staying out of everyone's way. He'd even tried to go to one of the barbecues and dances, but the crowd had given him the willies so he'd left early.
That night and an encounter with some rude drunks had made him decide to go it alone as soon as practical. He had already scouted an ideal location for his fortress on his property. Whenever he got the free time, he borrowed a truck and moved what gear he could handle out to the site and into the cave complex.
His plans to build his own fortress, his castle slowly evolved as he took on a more brooding thoughtfulness. He wanted something imposing; something to scare off would-be intruders but also impress people. A castle, yes, but with one hell of a front door! He took to sketching ideas on anything available whenever he had a free moment.
~~*^*~~
Malory easily found work in Landing; there was so much to do! She didn't understand why Donald had come back empty-handed and dejected, saying there was nothing to do. Sure, she'd had to start at the bottom since she didn't have many appreciable skills, but it was something! It allowed her to feed the family and save up a little to eventually get a place of their own. Donald tried repeatedly to find work, but he said he couldn't find anything. He resented being stuck at the campsite taking care of Faith, Patricia, and Tirel. Tirel had just turned seven and did most of the minding of his baby sister while his older sister was away.
The kids were busy between play and school. School was outside, weather permitting. They spent a lot of time doing light jobs to help out or hands-on training to learn useful skills as well as things about their new home. She envied them that. Each evening she came home exhausted, but they gushed about this or that. It helped to recharge her batteries and make her feel like it was all worth it.
She was grateful that the kids were in school; it meant someone was watching out for and educating them. She'd made arrangements to watch some of the other zero balancer's kids in her off time in exchange for the parents looking out for her brood. She started to resent that Donald would disappear whenever she was off. It was like he couldn't get away from the kids fast enough.
On her one day off, she got Donald, Patricia, and Tirel to help her cut small logs and haul them to their campsite to make a better lean-to shelter. The area looked like a homeless camp with improvised shelters everywhere, but she was determined to have the best she could. She'd saved up her credits and had bought a tarp that she used to layer over the branches to keep the expected rain out. They'd added a second tarp as a floor so they wouldn't have to sleep in the mud. Donald complained of course, but when the rains came, he hunkered down like the rest of them.
Malory found work for Donald with some of the construction crews the following day, but he complained and quit before the end of his first day. She found out later he hadn't quit so much as had been fired for not doing the job
. She wasn't sure what to do about him.
It was a constant struggle to be around Donald. He resented not having a game system or proper housing. Suddenly their fresh start wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Malory was amused that he no longer liked it there on the planet, but she and the kids did.
~~*^*~~
Some of the Neos from the communities were former Lagroose employees. There were not many Neos in the population, so the Neos stuck together in their own enclave initially for mutual support and comfort.
Paki Bello had traded in his meager savings of the 20 percent of his retirement benefits to join the colony. The Neogorilla son of Obi Bello had considered going to Pyrax but had wanted something fresh and new. He'd signed on to the Antigua colony and had worked before it had been finalized for Fin Thrakle, which had, with his retirement and savings from his time working for Lagroose Industries, paid for his trip out. He was classified as a contractor though, not a land owner.
Working for the colony administration as a guard and hired hand paid for a grubstake. All he had to do was last a year. Come next spring he'd have a hectare all to his own. Well, his and some of his friends he reminded himself, looking over to Alina Destiny and Beatrice.
Alina Destiny was a Neocat doctor. She had a geneticist background but could also handle trauma and general MD so she was highly valued for her skills. Beatrice was her bonobo nurse and old friend. Both had worked for Doctor Glass back when the company hadn't been run by the tin-plated bitch, Paki thought.
His nostrils dilated as he inhaled the air. It was bitterly cold and thin, but he couldn't smell anything except personal body odor and the occasional bit of smoke from the campfires on skid row. “If this is spring, I'd hate to experience winter full force,” he said as his breath formed a cloud around him. He snorted and then puckered his face in an attempt to make steam rings.
“The plants are working on that a bit,” Beatrice said with a shrug as she came over to his side.
