It was not an issue for the colonists, nor for the contractors working for AsterX or MASS. In fact, if a colonist was not happy or not performing well, or even if they were just plain troublemakers, they would be shipped back at the first opportunity. But this was obviously something denied to the clones. At first Mia was annoyed at missing out on an opportunity to quiz the ore hauler further about it when Gizmo had interrupted them and stuck its big metal foot in it. But after spending a few hours talking to Gizmo on the long journey back, she was rather glad it did.
Mia probed the droid for information on the history of the clones as well as the UN agency involved in the Mars scientific survey, and had become so enthralled by how much it knew that she lost track of time. Two things about Gizmo began to fascinate her. One was its depth of knowledge. She’d had no idea it possessed such an encyclopedic reservoir of information on the colony, all the way back to when the first bootprint was stamped onto the surface. The second thing that fascinated her was the fact that it regurgitated this information without bias of any sort. It had no opinion, no agenda, no social or religious allegiance. What it gave her was pure data. From Mia’s perspective it was the perfect witness. So, from what the little robot was telling her, and from what she had known herself, she pieced together a history of the Pioneers—the clones.
The first humans to populate Mars came on a one-way ticket. There was no going back, they were here to stay. This suicidal colonization project was funded by a kind of reality TV franchise. Surprisingly, it worked for a while. That was until the population of Earth got bored and the money started to run out. So a new source of funding was sought and this turned out to center around setting up a genetic research lab, for doing research that was ethically forbidden on Earth, namely human experimentation. This did not go well, as a rogue genetically modified bacterium escaped into the colony environment, infecting the colonist population with an incurable psychotic malaise. Most died during this period. But then it got even weirder, as the stored DNA of these, now dead, colonists was used to create the clones. The Pioneers.
Mia had been aware of the rogue bacterium, as it had made its way back to Earth and started to infect the population there. She vaguely remembered that a way to kill it was found quickly so its effects were minimal. All that happened shortly before Mars had gained its independence. But what Gizmo was telling her seemed to have taken place long before any of this.
“But if all this happened almost twenty years ago, like you say, Gizmo, then how come all the clones look like they’re thirty-five?”
“Grow tanks.”
“Grow tanks?”
“It was a technology developed whereby the original DNA could be utilized as a biological blueprint to reconstitute an exact human replica from a stem cell biomass. This process was accelerated so that the resultant being was, to all intents and purposes, fully grown.”
“Holy crap.”
“Indeed.”
“So why the hangup over Earth, why can’t they go back?”
“A side effect, if you will, of this process was retained memory essence. In simple terms, many could remember significant elements of their previous incarnation. In one way this was fortunate as they still possessed the skills of the original. An ethical problem arose after the colony came back online and was no longer conducting clandestine experiments. This was a result of the families of the original colonists, after presuming their loved ones were dead, discovered exact replicas of their loved ones existed as a result of experimenting on the colonists.”
“Yes, I can see how that would go down.”
“So, once the clones had regained control of the colony they made a pact to never return to Earth. They would stay true to the ideals of the first colonists. Hence the reason they prefer the title Pioneers.”
“That’s quite a story. How come this isn’t more widely known? I mean, this is the first time I’ve heard it.”
“It is all there if you choose to look deep enough. But they do not talk about it much, and it is never mentioned in any public profiles of the colony.”
All this new information was fermenting in Mia’s head as they made their way down the ancient riverbed and into Jezero crater. The terrain eventually flattened out and about half a kilometer into the crater the road forked. The right would lead them to Jezero City, but Gizmo took the left fork. This would take them to the Industrial Sector and the location of Central Logistics HQ.
The Industrial Sector was situated approximately thirty kilometers north of Jezero City on the far side of the crater. The very first colonists had discovered an extensive cave system with a small entrance at the base of the crater rim. It was mineral rich so, over time, they sealed up the entrance with a massive airlock, created an atmosphere inside and began to mine it. But it had a dark past as the clandestine location of most of the genetic experiments that had taken place here. After the demise of the geneticists, the outpost went through a period of decline as essential maintenance resources from Earth became scarce. At one point the colonists had considered abandoning it and consolidating at what was now called Jezero City. But it was independence and the collaboration with the asteroid mining corporation, AsterX, that had breathed new life into it.
As a reward for their assistance in helping the fledgling colony state gain independence from Earth, AsterX had been granted exclusive rights to use Mars as a waypoint en route to the exploration and exploitation of the mineral resources of the Asteroid Belt. All the extracted ore was returned to Mars and processed in the refineries of the Industrial Sector before being shipped back to Earth. This was the main economic engine that financed the colony and enabled it to prosper greatly.
The old cave system had been expanded enormously since then, with new additions to the existing facility spreading out across the surface of the crater. There were shipyards, for the building and servicing of all manner of craft that plied the trade routes from Earth, Ceres and the Asteroid Belt. Around these shipyards were small factories that processed the raw materials that fed the expanding colony’s insatiable needs. Regolith from Nili Fossae was processed into the cement that fed the large scale 3D printers that worked 24.5/7 building the vision. Ore from Elysium ended up as steel and aluminum, rolled into sheets or extruded into the myriad of shapes needed by the designers of the ever more complex structures. Sand and silicas were transformed into glass and ceramics. Chemical reactors produced methane, oxygen, hydrogen and a raft of other gasses by the ton. It was a busy place.
Entrenched in this hive of industry was Central Logistics. Its sole purpose was to distribute goods throughout the entire colony and its satellite outposts. Raw materials from the Industrial Sector, food from the agri-domes in Jezero City, specialist supplies from Earth, water from the processing plants out at Isidis, ore from the mines. As well as provisioning the multitude of way stations and outlying research stations. All of this required a small army of couriers and vehicles to haul goods from A to B. From the big ore-carriers to specialist containers for transporting liquids and gases, to pressurized rovers for transporting food and other perishable goods that could not withstand the rigors of a 0.6% atmospheric pressure and outside temperatures of minus sixty.
Gizmo backed the rover into a free docking station connecting them to the main hub at Logistics. That same instant the screen in the rover dash lit up as the central mainframe communicated with it, assessing its systems and resources, and scheduling the next tasks for the crew.
Mia read the screen. They were to unload the spent supplies brought back from the way station and take them to the reprocessing center. That would be Gizmo’s job. Good, she thought, that will keep it out of trouble for a while. Mia, on the other hand, was to report to Central to pick up a package for delivery to the MASS HQ. Excellent, looks like Dr. Malbec found me a way in. HQ was where the remains of the wrecked rover was stored, so delivering there would at least get her moving in the right direction with the minimum amount of suspicion. The problem was the MASS se
ctor was a sizable facility, and Mia still did not know the exact location of the rover’s remains. And even if she did, she would still have to find a way to get past security.
The pick up wasn’t for another hour. The rover needed to be fueled and given the once over. This was done automatically but still took time. So Mia decided to head for the canteen. She was hungry, and she also hoped she might get an opportunity to talk to a few other couriers.
“Now remember, Gizmo, try and act like a dumb G2 unit. We’re in the hornet’s nest here, okay?”
“I shall do my best, difficult as that may be.”
“And take your time doing this unloading. I don’t want you hanging around me in the canteen.”
“I sense I am being shunned.”
Mia raised a finger to the robot, like a teacher making a point to an errant child. “Be good, okay?”
“Define good?”
“Oh for heavens sake, Gizmo, just… don’t communicate with anyone.”
“If you insist.”
“I do. Now, I’ll let you get on with it. I’m going to eat.”
The canteen was spacious. It was early evening and the main shift of the sol was over. Half a dozen couriers were milling around, some eating, some just chatting. Mia headed to the food dispensing machines and placed her palm on the ID pad. It scanned her hand and then displayed her name along with a mug shot, and gave her the green light to make her selection. She grabbed a few energy bars, an apple, and a carton of juice, then turned around to decide where to sit. She was keen on not drawing too much attention to herself, to blend in with the ebb and flow of the crowd. The tables were in long rows with enough seating at each for around a dozen people. She picked an empty one and sat down in the middle. It didn’t take long for someone to bring their tray over and sit down opposite her.
“Hi, haven’t seen you around here before.” He was a tall frizzy haired guy with an easy smile and a bright face. He reached over and offered his hand. “Dexter.”
“Mia,” she shook his hand. “Yeah, I’m new. Just started a few sols ago.”
He looked around and gestured with both arms. “Welcome to courier central, where the great problems of the universe are discussed, and sometimes even solved.” He touched a finger to the side of his nose.
Mia smiled back. “Good to know.”
“So what route have they started you on?”
“I’m just back from delivering supplies to the way station at Nili Fossae.”
Dexter’s eyes widened. “Really? They don’t normally give such a challenging journey to rookies. It took me three months before they let me out of the crater.”
Mia decided it was best not to comment on it. Instead she changed direction and tried to get him talking about himself. “So you must have been everywhere by now?”
“Oh yes. I’ve done the Elysium route several times, even been up at the MASS research station in Utopia Planitia.”
“What do they do up there… at the research station?”
“I don’t know, something to do with the nuke experiment.”
“Is that where they’re doing it?”
“No, I don’t think so. I heard it was further north, near the ice cap.”
“That must be quite a journey.”
“It’s a bit boring, to be honest. Lots of flat featureless land. The only thing to break up the horizon are the way stations, and boy are they a happy sight after seven hours of traveling across nothing but flat emptiness.”
Before Mia could think of a reply, another woman sat down beside Dexter with a flourish. She leaned across the table. “A word of warning,” she jerked a thumb at him. “Our resident Romeo. He hits on all the new girls.”
Dexter rolled his eyes. “Jeez Marina, thanks. Now why you have to go and say that, eh?”
Marina laughed and slapped him on the back, then tipped her head at Mia. “Just joking, he’s really dead on, got a girl over at Jezero he’s really sweet on.”
Mia could see Dexter was taking umbrage. “Yes, I do, thank you Marina.” He turned to Mia and jerked a thumb back. “Mother Superior is what we call Marina around here. Mainly on account of her advanced years.” He tapped his head. “Going a bit senile.”
They bounced off each other in this vein for a while and Mia zoned out. When they finally settled down into what passed for rational conversation between this pair, Mia decided to venture a question.
“Do either of you know Christian Smithson?” There was sudden silence. A definite reaction. One that signaled to Mia that, A: they did know Chris. And B: they didn’t much care for him.
Marina looked around the canteen and then leaned in. “How well do you know Christian?”
Mia considered this for a moment. “Well, judging by your reaction, not very well. He’s an ex boyfriend. He dumped me a while back, which is fine by me. But he ran off with some stuff that I’d rather like to get back.”
Marina sat back. “You poor baby, how’d you get mixed up with that shit?”
Mia shrugged.
“Well, you’re better off without him, take my word on that. And you’re not the only one he’s robbed either.”
“So where is he?” Mia asked.
“You just missed him. He headed out on a run for MASS this morning, won’t be back for a few sols.”
Damn it, Mia thought. But before she could quiz them any more her slate pinged. She fished it out of her pocket, and read a message from Gizmo.
I have completed my allotted tasks and have elected to seek refuge, in solitude I might add, within the confines of the rover, as it seems I am not to be trusted in public. By the way, in case you have not checked in, there is a package waiting for you at Central.
Mia shook her head.
“Problem?” asked Dexter.
“No, just some droid issues, no biggie.” She shoved the slate back in her pocket and stood up. “Gotta go, nice talking to you all.”
They said their goodbyes, and Mia headed for Central.
11
Dumb Droid
The package was small, about the size of a box of chocolates, well-wrapped and marked Top Priority. According to the instructions on the rover screen Mia had to deliver this, in person, to Lab-B13, which was located very close to the maintenance area in the MASS research sector.
It had all the hallmarks of Dr. Jann Malbec. A simple ruse to get Mia as close as possible to the location of the damaged rover, without raising any suspicion. That was the easy bit. The hard part would be finding the exact location when she got inside and then doing some investigating without being rumbled. But Mia had a pretty good idea how to do that from all her years of experience on the force. It was called acting dumb.
The facility was at the far end of the Industrial Sector, and then some. It was a large isolated cluster of domes connected to the main reactor via a half kilometer long tunnel. One got the feeling that MASS wanted to be as far away as humanly possible, but still have an escape route.
They followed the road that skirted the bulk of the sector, tracking along the rim on the crater wall. Further on, this road would lead out of Jezero heading east into the Isidis Plain, and then on to Elysium. But Mia and Gizmo weren’t going that far, it took them around forty minutes to navigate their way around to the main entrance of the MASS facility and dock.
The rear airlock door of the rover opened and standing right inside the entrance was a guy with the bored look of someone who would rather not be here dealing with couriers.
“What you got for us?”
“Package for Lab-B13.” She handed him her slate.
He glanced at it. “Okay, fine. I’ll take it from here.”
“Sorry, top priority. I need to deliver it personally, see.” Mia showed him the line on the slate again.
“Yeah, whatever.” He stood aside and let Mia and Gizmo, who was holding the package, into the facility.
“You’re sure giving that droid a workout. Do you really need it to carry such a small box?”
“Yeah, pretty dumb.”
Mia was only a few paces down the corridor when he called out, “Hey, you know where you’re going?”
“Yes, no problem. Thanks.” She picked up the pace.
When they were out of earshot she turned to Gizmo. “There’s a lot of cameras around here.”
“Yes, I have noticed.”
“Come on, let’s get this delivered. Then we’ll see if we can get lost in this maze.”
It didn’t take long to hand the package over to another bored looking lab tech. Mia realized then that this was generally how couriers were treated. Whether it was here on Mars or back on Earth. They were, for the most part, invisible to people. Nobody took any notice. She had to admit it was an elegantly brilliant way to move around incognito, except for the cameras. If someone got suspicious later, all they needed to do was go back through the recording and she’d be fingered. But at least the facility seemed to be devoid of people. The corridors were deserted.
“Listen, Gizmo. I want you to start acting strange.”
“Some would say that is how I normally act.”
“Yes, well that’s not what I mean. What I want you to do is stop and start, then maybe spin around a few times, like your circuitry is acting up. Then stop. I’ll start poking and prodding you, like I’m trying to fix you. I might even give you a kick.”
“And the point of all this physical abuse?”
“I want to make it seem like you’re on the blink, screwed up your internal map of the facility—so we look like we’re lost.”
“I have to admit, that is a reasonably good ruse, Mia.”
“Thank you Gizmo. Now can you start going bonkers—for the cameras.”
The little droid proceeded to stop and start, then it spun around a few times. Finally it went completely nuts, shaking and rocking with a ferocious pitch. Then it stopped for a brief second before racing off at high speed—towards the maintenance sector. Mia ran after it shouting, “Come back you dumb bucket of bolts!”
Colony Mars Ultimate Edition Page 59
