“There they are,” shouted Li Li pointing to two dots sitting in an open area on the edge of a stream.
“Thank God they made it,” sighed Archimedes. “Not that I believe in God, just a figure of speech,” he added redundantly, because his views were well known.
The dots grew larger and larger and they held their breaths as the ground came closer. There was so much to absorb they didn’t know where to look.
“Touchdown,” said Anne reading the instrumentation.
Akash’s image appeared on screen. “Well, hello again. So this is it. You’ve all arrived safely. Eden is just outside the hatch doors. You are cleared to disembark following the agreed procedure. Good luck and thank you. We are all here holding our breath, our fingers crossed, watching closely. Just remember that if anything goes wrong the jumpers are programmed to abort and return, but for some crazy reason I have a good feeling about this.”
Before they could respond the screen switched to an image of Prosperous and the others. They smiled and waved.
“About fucking time,” said Akoi with a broad smile.
“We saw the flash of light as you jumped, like a small supernova,” said Junji.
“Okay, so are we doing this?” asked Prosperous.
“Fuck yeah,” said David to a chorus of profane agreement.
“In unison,” suggested Li Li.
“One, two, three…” counted Prosperous.
And with that both hatches opened simultaneously and there was a hiss of air as the pressure equalised. Li Li and Akoi were the closest and climbed out first. They were hit immediately with the strange perfume of exotic plant life and the heat of a tropical day. Li Li squinted in the sunlight and Akoi reached for sunglasses kept in her shirt pocket.
“Come on, get out, I’ve cramped up,” said David pushing Li Li from behind.
She jumped to test the increased gravity. She didn’t expect to be able to sense the difference but she thought she felt oddly heavier. She walked forward to greet Akoi and give her a hug and then turned to survey the valley. The explosion of pastel colour was disorienting, like being sucked into an impressionist painting.
“Remember to keep your focus,” said Akoi. “You know the drill.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Li Li as she looked toward the waterfall and the high escarpment dripping with multi-coloured vegetation. “It reminds me of Hawaii.”
“Li Li,” snapped Akoi. “Focus.”
David tapped her on the shoulder. “Akoi is right sister; let’s stick to the routine. There’s plenty of time to play tourist.”
She turned to face him and he was suddenly taken aback by a wild stare that pierced into his soul. She hugged him and kissed him on the mouth. “We made it bro. Deadly eh?”
He laughed. Aboriginal slang always sounded absurd with a French accent. He peeled her off gently. “You’ve got the manics Li, take a deep breath.”
She did as he commanded. “Okay, fine, focus…” She closed her eyes and made a deliberate attempt to clam her reaction. “Hmm, I’ve never smelt anything like it. Sweet, sort of caramel.”
“With a hint of gardenia and chocolate,” said Constance grabbing her by the hand. “Come on Li, you know the drill.”
After a period of looking around wide-eyed and hugging each other with excitement they set about establishing the camp. The four protectors set up a laser security fence and retrieved their arsenal of weapons, each strapping a pistol to their hip and a hunting knife to the opposite leg. The science team went about their tasks setting up tents and equipment. It was a routine they had rehearsed and after three hours of focused work it was time for a break. Akoi poured herself a drink of water from an insulated dispenser and wiped her beaded brow.
“Humid,” she said.
The others joined her, their tropical hiking gear dotted with patches of sweat.
“The light is different,” said Shunji as he took his turn getting water. “More golden.”
“This sun emits a slightly different spectra than our sun,” said Archimedes, his pale English face flushed red with the humidity. “A little less on the UV spectrum, a little more toward the IR.”
It was something they all knew but basic facts helped ground their experience.
“Shit, an alien world, a real fucking alien world,” said Anne, reflexively stabbing her knife into the ground as she squatted to drink from her flask.
At that moment they all heard the distant commotion of soulful howling. Akoi and Prosperous immediately ran to their rifles and Anne and David pricked up their ears. David was the first to see them: a red cloud twisting and turning in the sunlight. “There,” he said pointing. “Flyers of some sort.”
“Noisy,” said Shunji nervously.
“Should we be worried?” asked Archimedes.
“Not sure,” said Akoi putting binoculars to her eyes to get a closer look.
David stood rigidly still, as if he was sniffing the air. “They haven’t seen us. There’s no sign of predatory behaviour. I’d say it’s just a flock of birds…”
“That howl like wolves,” said Anne.
They all stood and watched the sky as they flew overhead, close enough to make out that they were a vivid crimson colour and seemed to have slightly translucent wings. No one saw feathers.
“What shall we call them?” asked Li Li.
“Howlers,” said David.
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was simple and appropriate.
“Probably seed and fruit eaters,” said Prosperous. “Predator birds usually fly solo.”
“On Earth,” said Akoi. “We must assume everything is dangerous until we are sure it is not. A false sense of security killed the Pangaea team remember.”
They all nodded their agreement but Li Li didn’t believe it. Intuitively Eden felt benign, but for the moment Akoi was in charge of security and she had agreed she would follow her orders.
“Okay, fresh sandwiches for lunch,” said Constance as she opened a container. “Enjoy them while they last. If we can’t find food, we’ll soon enough be eating freeze-dried crap.”
Li Li grimaced with the thought as she bit into her cheese and ham baguette. She swallowed a mouthful and then held the rest of the baguette in her mouth to free her hands so she could undo the top buttons of her shirt and untuck it from her hiking pants. Akoi frowned. “Just getting some air to my skin,” she mumbled inelegantly through the baguette.
“Just don’t leave too much skin exposed. We don’t know what will bite and sting as yet. I don’t care how hot you feel.”
Li Li nodded reluctantly. She looked at David for moral support but he did not react. She sighed. She just wanted to take her socks and boots off and walk the ground barefoot. She squatted as she finished her baguette and looked at the ground cover. It was a blue-grey colour with a round leaf structure, soft to the touch and covered with puberulous trichomes (fine hair) – a cross between clover and velvet plant. She pinched it to release the oils and sniffed her fingers. It had a vaguely sweet camphor smell. This would make it a type of Trifolium, although this was an Earth taxonomy that might not apply on Eden. In any case, the ground was as good a place to start as any.
They finished their lunches and disposed of the waste so that nothing harmful remained. Then they disposed of their own human waste in specially designed toilets. Li Li resented the chemical smell. It reminded her too much of a bad experience in the portable toilets at a music festival.
“Can’t wait until I can shit in the woods,” she said loudly as she wiped her hands with an anti-bacterial tissue.
David laughed. “Sheet? Like a piece of paper?” he asked, poking fun at her accent.
“Oui, shit imbecile.”
He laughed again because she was angry. “Well, which is it? Wee in the woods, or sheet in the woods.”
“Connasse,” she cursed. “Merde, merde, déféquer, aller à la selle.” She walked up to him to give him a playful slap across the head. “Make fun of me fucker and I’ll
sheet on your head when you are asleep.”
Her sudden blast of profanity caught everyone’s attention and suddenly they were all laughing. She knew then that there would be no end of the teasing and everyone would now make a joke of it.
“Okay then,” said Akoi when she had recovered her composure. “Next phase. David and I will scout the area and Anne and Prosperous will stand guard while you set up your experiments. We’ll be back local time, 1600.” She reached down, grabbed her hunting rifle and slung it over her shoulder. When David was ready they walked out of the perimeter toward the beach.
Li Li watched them until they disappeared. She felt giddy and half-laughed and cursed because she realised she was falling in love. It wasn’t part of the plan but it was certainly a welcome side effect. She walked to one of the toolboxes and found a trowel and sample bags. There was no need to walk anywhere; instead she dug the trowel into the ground below her feet. There would be weeks of research just to reach a preliminary understanding of the biology of the soil. The simple genetic structure of bacteria would tell her a lot about how life had evolved on Eden.
She wiped her brow of sweat and defiantly undid all her shirt buttons. She flapped the shirt to circulate the air around her sweating back and chest (she was too small breasted to ever need a bra); rolled up her sleeves and tied the loose ends into a knot so her skin could breath. Akoi might not like it, but what could she do? It was her professional judgment that there were no allergens or irritants to worry about and she figured that in a week she’d have turned totally native and be swimming naked in the sea.
She dug her trowel into the soil and turned it over. It was a dark brown colour, clearly made up of sediment washed down by the river water. She placed a sample in a plastic bag and took a deep breath. She wasn’t a soil specialist but it seemed rich in nutrients and full of microorganisms. At that moment she felt a slight fluttering sensation around her neck and reflexively swiped at it. It took her a moment to realise something was buzzing near her. She stumbled backwards in fright and tried to see what it was. Perhaps she had been stupid to undo her shirt. As she twisted around she saw a delicate orange moth-like insect flittering about, possibly attracted by a strange, new smell. She breathed a sigh of relief and held out her hand. It alighted gently. She couldn’t immediately grasp its physiology. It seemed to consist of two, delicate wings without a thorax, abdomen or head. She went to grab it by pinching at its wings but it seemed to sense her and fluttered away. As she watched it more of the things appeared. She sat entranced by the sight, all fear gone. This was beautiful. She sat on the ground, ran both her hands through the soft grass. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks. This was her new home and it was glorious.
Back on Earth the Crickets made it back to the control room just in time. They piled in noisily to be hushed by technicians monitoring the jumps. They found seats at the back with Tshering and Pema (who had been allowed to stay up late to watch, knowing full well that Eden would one day be her new home – and out of which she had created an elaborate fantasy involving dwarves and elves).
They watched everything closely, oohing and aahing at the vision of their friends setting up camp, pointing out detail and whispering amongst themselves as they imagined their future on a new world. Pema stayed remarkably alert and asked Alice surprisingly astute questions, enough for Alice to ascertain that she was well aware this was real and not a fantasy movie.
When Tshering thought she had had enough, she bundled her up in her arms and assisted by Freja, they made their way back to the apartment, with Akash promising he would follow soon and Alice and the other Crickets announcing they would stay up to analyse the incoming data.
When he walked into the bedroom he found Pema curled up next to Tshering with Freja spooning her from behind. He took a moment to soak it all in. He was gloriously content. Things seemed to be going right this time.
72
Nuku, Prax and Biyu
Biyu wasn’t sure she liked the idea: a public display of the defence force followed by a televised reception in the Great Hall of the Common. It had been Prax who broke the news to her personally. He had mounted a scooter and flown out to find her covered in mud after completing a gruelling obstacle course.
“I’m not sure myself,” he commiserated after she had complained grumpily, put out by the interruption to her time trial. “I thought you should know given that it is our formal coming out ceremony.”
“Why?” she said as she wiped mud from her face with the back of her hand.
“Seems the public have been demanding it. The thera think it’s a good idea. A bit of pomp and ceremony.”
She scoffed at the thought. “The Romans only had their triumph after a significant victory, not before.”
“It’s more than that,” he said as Torv finally caught up with Biyu.
Torv bent over as she tried to catch her breath. “Am I intruding?”
“No. You’d have been informed fairly soon anyway,” he said.
She nodded and gave him a look he had come to understand all too well. Physical competition raised her testosterone level and increased her sexual aggression. She had continued to act as his consort, but of late he had felt the power balance shift and he was beginning to wonder if she was in fact treating him as her consort. He ignored her look. She might like wrestling in the mud but he found it distinctly un-erotic.
“There’s to be a formal ceremony in the capital,” said Biyu.
“Oh yes, I’ve heard the rumours…” Torv acknowledged.
Prax raised his eyebrows at this particular piece of news.
“Well, initial inquiries, thoughts, discussions. The training regime includes a display element: parades, small exhibition skirmishes, martial skills demonstrations. It was only natural to conclude they would eventually serve a public purpose.”
Biyu seemed impatient. “I understand the theory, but it is still a form of propaganda. I would have thought we were beyond that.”
“Says the gladiatrix herself,” said Torv. “It’s just an extension of athletic games.”
“She has a point,” said Prax. “The public are curious about what we’ve been up to. It will be a chance to finally show them. There’ll be flyovers of darts and drukhs. Circle parents will get to see their progeny in uniform…”
“What uniform?” asked Biyu.
“I mean armour,” he corrected himself.
She sighed. “As I said, I understand the theory. I guess I’m more worried about the more formal political aspects, like the reception. I’m not comfortable in those situations.”
“I understand,” he sympathised. “I’ve certainly had my fair share, but they serve an important purpose.” He paused to consider his next words. “I believe I can share that the anti-return faction has grown in strength…”
Biyu groaned. “See, as I suspected. Political games. The pro-return faction hopes to garner public sympathy…”
He nodded. “Yes, the anti-return faction feeds off uncertainty and ignorance. It is hoped this day of celebration will put some minds at rest.” He smiled mischievously. “Unless of course, you find yourself harbouring anti-return sympathies?”
She narrowed her eyes. “And if I did?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s not seditious. They raise valid concerns. Who knows? In the end they may prove to be right. Perhaps Earth should be left well alone.”
“You?” asked Torv surprised.
“I’ve considered their arguments,” he replied.
“Hah, see,” said Biyu stabbing at him with her finger. “Once a politician, always a politician.”
“To be human is to be political,” he said. “Might as well master it Biyu. I’m sure you of all people understand that political mistakes can get you killed on Earth.”
She sighed with resignation because she knew he was right. Perhaps she might learn something after all. “Okay then, consider me your novice. Now, if that’s all, I’d like to continue the course and thrash Torv – aga
in.”
She felt slightly ridiculous standing on the podium in full dress uniform: a concoction devised by aesthetes in conjunction with psyches. Apparently a lot of thought had gone into determining which combination of ridiculousness triggered the right psychological response. Of course she understood the theory. She was enacting the archetype of the warrior, of which there had been many female examples, some of whom had worn armour, or had at least been depicted wearing it. Aesthetes learned in symbolism and the history of art had analysed thousands of images and styles and reached a conclusion. In her case they had decided on dress armour modelled on the ancient Roman style: a silver curaiss featuring an elaborate embossed dragon motif in silver; forearm manica and shin greave, also with silver dragon motifs, and a rich, imperial purple breech cloth to indicate her status as a magnus. Her one protest of individuality was her primitive face paint, a broad red stripe that ran from ear to ear across her eyes.
She thought Prax looked equally daft in a gold-trimmed toga praetexta, which the powers that be had decided was now the official uniform of ambassadors – designed to suggest both wisdom and authority.
Nuku was the only one to look half-decent. She was wearing a Doric chiton designed from newly developed, luminous, colour shifting silk. It was the short-sleeved form. A simple square fabric folded across the body and clasped at the shoulders and tied at the waist. In this instance only her left shoulder was clasped - with a gold pendant shaped like a medieval astrolabe, the new insignia of a science officer. This left her right shoulder and breast bare. It was also held loosely around the waist by a gold chain so that her right thigh was exposed. Such a costume was clearly designed to invoke the archetype of the wizard. Ah well, she thought, as Prax would say, politics is theatre.
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