Classical: MARS: Book 3 of MARS

by Matthew Ellis

  Jordan said, “Not really. Anyway, I think we should hear the Martians out.”

  Scout said, “Well, hurry up and get back here.”

  John and Wendy accompanied Jordan’s team back to Freedom. When they arrived, they were assigned quarters and allowed to explore the city. Scout issued temporary badges to them and apologized for the delay in negotiations.

  Chapter Twelve

  Delegates’ Journey

  Governor Kidd selected a team to go to Mars. He needed a representative of the government, a law enforcement team, a reconnaissance team, and a ship’s crew. He made some calls and had the team assembled in four days. Once the team was assembled, he called them into his office.

  Kidd said, “Welcome to New Mexico. I know very few of you have ever been here before. You won’t be staying here very long, so don’t get too attached.”

  The ship’s captain raised her hand. Kidd acknowledged her.

  She said, “Hi, I’m Captain Kimberly Ortiz. I have some questions for you before you get started with your presentation.”

  Ortiz was the captain of the Bulldog. It was a transport and trade ship. Her crew was herself, her engineer, two loaders, two housekeepers, two security officers, a pilot, and a weapons technician.

  Governor Kidd said, “Go ahead.”

  Ortiz asked, “Why have you called us all to this forgotten backwater? We could’ve left from anywhere in the world, but you chose to exercise control over us by forcing us to your bowl of dust. I go to Mars a lot, and I never come here.”

  Kidd replied, “The case you’re responding to originates in New Mexico, so the law requires that I give you the particulars here before sending you on your way.”

  Ortiz said, “No, the law requires you to brief us in person. It never says where that briefing has to happen.”

  Kidd said, “We have a world class spaceport facility in this state. You’ll leave from that facility. Also, this is not a forgotten backwater.”

  Ortiz sarcastically said, “No, that would require you to have some water.”

  The rest of the group laughed. Kidd was visibly upset, but no one else seemed to care.

  Kidd said, “You’ve all had your fun at my expense. Can we get down to business now?”

  The law enforcement team was made of New Mexico State Police officers. There were six elite officers on the team, and every one of them was specially trained to deal with extreme environments.

  Sergeant Jacques, the leader of the police detail, said, “Why do you even need us? You have the reconnaissance team to track down and find your fugitives.”

  Kidd replied, “You’re going to be the security force for this mission. On the way there, you’ll assist the security detail on the ship. Once on Mars, you’ll be the only armed people during the search.”

  Jacques asked, “Why won’t the Martian Army be assisting with the search?”

  Kidd replied, “Because they don’t exactly trust us. I suspect they’ll be watching you. They’ll probably be armed, but in defense of themselves.”

  Jacques asked, “Are we to be the jailers once the fugitives are apprehended?”

  Kidd replied, “You’re pretty smart. Of course, you’ll be the jailers.”

  The reconnaissance team was four women and two men. All of them had extreme survival skills, and had recently taken Martian simulation training. Their leader was Halley Iskin.

  Iskin said, “So we’re going to have lots of support on the mission. What about once it’s over. What kind of reward are we looking at?”

  Kidd said, “Those details are in my presentation. If you’ll turn your attention to the screen, everything will be very clear. Of course, I’ll be able to answer any questions you might have once the presentation is done. Please hold your questions to the end.”

  Governor Kidd put the video on the screen. It went over all the details of the case. It also went over what to expect in space. The section on what to expect on Mars frightened everyone, mostly because it consisted of propaganda meant to convince people not to leave Earth. Expectations of the crew were discussed, as well as the rewards they could expect. Once the video was over, they had a lot of questions.

  Iskin asked, “How did that explain my question. I still don’t know who’s paying us or why. All I saw was a bunch of bullshit.”

  Jacques added, “I didn’t once see a piece of evidence presented against your so-called fugitives. I’m not sure we’re doing something worthwhile.”

  Kidd said, “I assure you we have cause against these individuals. They’re criminals, and the treaty with Mars clearly allows us to recover criminals. They don’t want us to send them our criminals any more than we want to let them go free.”

  Ortiz said, “I’m not sure I want to offer my ship anymore. I’m not convinced that you’re in the right.”

  Kidd answered, “The contract we offered you is more than generous, and I assure you that we’re not framing anyone here.”

  Iskin asked, “So why haven’t you told us who’s financing this mission?”

  Kidd pressed a button on his phone. A few seconds later, two bankers walked into the office.

  Kidd said, “I’d like to introduce you to Kevin Jones and Kathryn Wiley. They’re bankers from Wells Fargo Bank. They’re the ones financing this mission.”

  Mrs. Wiley said, “We’re the victims in this case. One of our employees, a senior employee, was murdered, and the fugitives are the prime suspects.”

  Mr. Jones added, “It doesn’t exactly make us think they’re innocent when they flee the planet. People used to flee the country, but times are changing.”

  Kidd said, “Thank you. Now, if anyone has any questions for the bank officers, now’s the time to get them out.”

  One of the officers asked, Isn’t that Scout’s father in law?”

  Kidd replied, “Yes, it is. But he has nothing to do with his daughter anymore.”

  Jacques asked, “What evidence do you have against the fugitives.”

  As he said, “fugitives,” he waved finger quotes in the air. The bankers noted his sarcasm but answered his question with no condescension.

  Wiley said, “Well, he did flee the planet. But beside that, we have his DNA at the scene and video evidence placing him at the scene at the time of the crime.”

  Ortiz asked, “Why is the reward for the mission so high?”

  Wiley answered, “Because we really want to catch these murderers.”

  The meeting went on for two more hours. The bankers answered the financial questions, and everyone decided to go through with the mission. Then Governor Kidd prepared a vehicle to take everyone to the spaceport in Upham.

  The trip from Santa Fe to Upham took about three hours. Once at the facility, the ship’s crew prepared the ship.

  Ortiz said, “Let us get our ship ready. It’ll take us about an hour, and then we’ll bring it to the terminal.”

  Kidd said, “While you do that, we’ll get our bags and head to the terminal.”

  The ship was modified to be a prison ship. The cargo bays were converted to prison cells. The cockpit was reinforced so the fugitives wouldn’t be able to get to the crew. The rest of the ship was left alone, so that once the mission was over the crew could recover their vessel with minimal trouble.

  The crew finished checking the fuel levels, the security of the cells, the supplies and life support. Once their preflight inspection was complete, they moved the ship to the terminal. The other teams were waiting to board the ship.

  Captain Ortiz said, “Come aboard. Bear in mind that we have a weight limit, so I hope you packed as lightly as possible.”

  Governor Kidd said, “Once you’re all on the ship, I’ll keep in touch. There’s a series of satellites that make communication with Earth possible between here and there.”

  Iskin said, “We couldn’t really pack too lightly. We have to take a bunch of survival gear with us.”

  Sergeant Jacques said, “Just like women to over pack.”

 
; Iskin replied, “My whole team has to have the gear, you fucking chauvinist pig.”

  Captain Ortiz said, “Let’s keep the horse’s asses silent on this trip. I don’t want to have to put you in check.”

  Jacques said, “Understood,” and continued loading the ship.

  Jacques loaded the crew’s supplies in their assigned property lockers. The other loaders filled the cargo bay with the carbon fiber rods the Martians requested.

  A loader said, “Should we pack these rods in boxes or something?”

  Another loader answered, “Nah, they’re strong, and they’re for the Martians anyway. It’s no big deal if they get a little scuffed.”

  Once the ship was loaded, Governor Kidd returned to Santa Fe and the bankers returned to Albuquerque. They would both be in constant contact with the ship and crew during the journey.

  The first day of the journey saw the crew leave Earth and pass the moon. The ship was a superfast ship, as were most interplanetary vessels. The trip would take 40 days to get from Earth to Mars, because they happened to leave when the planets were very close together.

  On the second day, and every day afterward, the bankers called to check on the progress of the ship.

  Jones asked, “How far have you gone so far?”

  Ortiz replied, “About two million kilometers. It’s only been one day.”

  Jones said, “I realize that, but I have people who need daily progress reports. I have to give them updates on your progress.”

  Ortiz said, “So you’re going to be a bugaboo. This isn’t going to be a fun trip.”

  Jones said, “If you think I’m bad, just wait until the bankers start calling.”

  Ortiz said, “I figured that much.”

  Kevin Jones ended the call. Immediately after Captain Ortiz ended her transmission, Mrs. Wiley called.

  Captain Ortiz snapped, “We’ve gone about two million kilometers. We’re on schedule and it’s only been one fucking day.”

  Wiley said, “What did I do to you? I don’t see why you’re being so short with me.”

  Ortiz said, “Because I wasn’t even able to walk away from the damned comm unit before you jumped in my ass. I just got done telling your partner the same damn thing I told you.”

  Wiley said, “You do realize we’re the ones paying you. It’s in your best interests to keep us happy.”

  Ortiz asked, “Why don’t you pester the governor?”

  Wiley replied, “Because he won’t answer my calls.”

  Ortiz thought, “You mean it’s that easy?”

  Wiley continued, “You’re next on the chain of command.”

  Ortiz said, “Just don’t make a pest of yourself.”

  Wiley said, “I can’t promise that.”

  Ortiz said, “Then we might not have a happy working relationship. I’ll give you your damned reports, but keep your intrusions to a minimum.”

  Wiley said, “I will. I’m going to keep my pestering to you alone. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

  Ortiz said, “So I’ve heard.”

  The call ended and Captain Ortiz got to work. She issued everyone’s work assignments, and made sure everyone was still sane.

  The next week continued the same way. Everyone was able to keep up with the demands of space travel for the beginning of the journey. However, the second week took a heavy toll on the passengers. The Bulldog’s crew was used to interplanetary space travel because they made routine deliveries to Mars, but the others were used to life on land.

  Jacques started shooting at the windows in his quarters. The Bulldog’s security force had to be called in to stop him from damaging the ship so badly that it would not be able to get them to Mars.

  Captain Ortiz shouted, “What the hell do you think you’re doing.”

  Jacques, while fighting to escape his restrainers, answered, “I’m killing the intruder.”

  Ortiz said, “We’re in space. How the hell is an intruder going to get on board a fucking space ship in the middle of god damned space?”

  Jacques said, “I must’ve seen something that wasn’t there.”

  Ortiz sarcastically said, “You think? I’m going to order you to see the ship’s counselor and I’m confining you to your quarters without your weapon.”

  Jacques said, “Understood. I’m going to see the ship’s counselor right now.”

  Jacques marched to the counselor’s office. He sat on her couch and told her about his hallucination. She prescribed some antipsychotic drugs for him and sent him back to his quarters.

  The rest of the journey passed the same way. The bankers called every day to check up on the ship’s progress, and everyone not acclimated to space travel had to be ordered to see the ship’s counselor. By the end of the journey, no one was armed except for the ship’s security detail.

  The law enforcement team had to be accompanied by the ship’s detail once they arrived on Mars. They did not get their weapons back until they started to search for the fugitives.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Market

  David was ordered to the market to install more of the communication devices so General Rich could gather information from the Martians. David decided to try and disassemble one of the devices.

  “I wonder why it’s so damned important to him to get so many of these things installed.”

  David gathered his tools and the devices.

  “These things do more than he’s telling me.”

  He put one on the desk, and it immediately became invisible.

  “It must have a fuckin’ chameleon technology.”

  He felt around on the desk until he found the edge of the device. He picked it up, and it looked like skin.

  He put it back on the desk and drew the outline of the device with a pencil.

  “I wonder if this thing is recording me right now?”

  David took a knife out of the room’s drawer and put the blade next to the device. The device moved out of the way.

  “What the hell is in this thing?”

  He put his hand on the device and put the blade against the edge. It tried to move, but David held it still. The device opened and red liquid oozed out of the side.

  “Is this thing bleeding?”

  David pulled the top off the device and found a bleeding worm inside it. He checked the animal to make sure it was still alive. The worm was alive, but badly injured. David quickly stitched its wounds and removed it from the rest of the device.

  “The device is alive. What the hell’s wrong with that fuck?”

  David inspected the rest of the device and discovered that it had a lot of disturbing properties. The device was fitted with high resolution cameras, omnidirectional microphones, a router, and broadcasting equipment.

  “What’s the worm for?”

  He checked the database of worms, and this worm didn’t exist on Earth or Mars. He took a blood sample and ran an analysis of the DNA. It matched several species from Earth. It was part chameleon, part iguana, part cactus, and several other species.

  “That explains a few things. I know why it changes its appearance when it changes environment, but how the hell does it warp space and time?”

  He put the worm back into the device and sealed it. The worm went back to work, and the device worked as it was designed a few seconds later. It also started growing and a second device appeared a few moments later.

  “Well, that was unexpected.”

  David wondered how the device reproduced itself and repaired itself with only minimal help. He thought the worm must have something to do with it.

  “He must be genetically engineering new species. I wish I knew what the fuck he did to make this worm do what it does. That still doesn’t explain how it repairs itself and self-replicates. He must be doing something very advanced. I wonder if he has access to technology that came from somewhere else.”

  Once the device was working properly, David went to the market and placed the device on a wall.

 
Shai saw him and asked, “What did you just put on the wall?”

  David answered, “I was just feeling the walls. I wanted to know how you constructed these buildings.”

  Shai noticed his red badge and said, “Oh, you’re a potential immigrant. If you want to know anything that’s not on the website, you can always ask one of the terraformers.”

  David said, “That would be great if I knew who they were.”

  Shai said, “I was the cook on the original terraforming mission.”

  David asked, “Are you the reason everyone around here hates fish and chips?”

  Shai answered, “No, everyone hates fish and chips because we didn’t have anything else. They love me because it took so long to hate fish and chips.”

  David went back to his room, and he called General Rich.

  Rich asked, “How many of the devices have you installed?”

  David answered, “I’ve got them all over the city. I’ve been able to put them everywhere that isn’t secure.”

  David didn’t notice the delay was removed from the communication with the General.

  Rich said, “Good, now I’m going to need you to put a few of them outside the city. There’s a campsite a day’s drive outside the capital, and a few other places I need them.”

  David suddenly noticed that he was talking with General Rich on Earth without a delay. He wanted to mention it, but he had other questions to ask first.

  David asked, “Why are these things so damned important to you?”

  Rich said, “Remember your place, David. You’re just a tool I’m using. I can choose to use any other tool I wish. For now, information will be given on a need to know basis.”

  Rich thought, “My son’s partner was killed, and he needs justice. He doesn’t need to know it came from me.”

  David said, “I just realized what these things do. There’s no delay in our communication. How did you do that?”

  Rich said, “Again, that information is given on a need to know basis.”

  David asked, “Does it have anything to do with the search team?”

  Rich said, “Once again, that’s need to know. You don’t need to know.”