Jordan said, “I don’t like the idea of political parties. We considered banning them when we wrote the constitution, but we decided that people are smart enough to decide how to run a good party. Unfortunately, I think we were wrong. I’ve already seen partisanship at its worst, and hatred taking over a portion of our population. Please stop with the hatred, or we’ll be forced to legislate morality, and no one wants that.”
That night, the ad aired on television, along with the old one. The opposition saw it and made an ad responding to Scout’s response. It was an ad full of hate and fear. It blamed all of Mars’ problems on the current administration, immigration, and the treaty with Earth. They called for a hard-line stance against anything to do with Earth.
Scout and Jordan were together when the ad aired. Jordan was upset when he saw how they responded to their ad.
Jordan said, “We’re going to have to do something about this. “
Scout said, “I hoped we could avoid legislating campaigns. I hate telling people how to convince others of new ideas, but it’s necessary.”
Jordan asked, “When should we start?”
Scout answered, “We need to get rid of the DeNoPE delegation before we deal with any new business. We need to hurry the investigation of their claims.”
Jordan said, “I’ll redouble my efforts. I’ve almost cracked it a few times. I’m sure I’m close to the truth.”
Chapter Forty
Rescue
Jordan, Bob, and Clive got into their environmental suits and headed toward the tarmac. Wendy and John soon joined them.
Jordan asked, “Are you ready for this?”
Wendy said, “We’re about as ready as we’re ever going to be.”
Bob asked, “Are we going to get your ship first?”
John answered, “Kevin will meet us in orbit.”
Jordan asked, “How often do you fly your ship?”
John answered, “About once a month. We need to stay sharp.”
Jordan asked, “Why haven’t we ever seen you on our satellites?”
John replied, “Because we avoided those things like the plague. We saw what they did to ships during the war, and didn’t want that to happen to us.”
Jordan said, “Do you also have some technology that makes you invisible to our sensors?”
John replied, “You’ll learn that in good time; maybe even today.”
They got into their Star Brigade ships and took off into orbit around the planet. Once in orbit, they located the DeNoPE ship just passing the new moon.
Jordan asked, “Is that the superfast ship?”
Bob replied, “No, that’s still here. That’s the prison ship. It’s slow, but heavily armored.”
Jordan said, “Well, these people say they can get through the armor. Let’s find out if they’re right.”
Bob said, “We should wait until their ship arrives to join us.”
Jordan said, “Just don’t lose sight of them.”
Bob said, “That won’t be hard. Their ship is moving at 350 K-P-H.”
Clive said, “I wonder why they’re going so slow.”
Jordan said, “They’re probably trying to get information from them without us, or Earth’s authorities, knowing about it.”
Clive noticed a tiny blip on his radar. It was there for half a second, and then gone for a minute.
Clive asked, “Is that your ship?”
John answered, “That’s her. She used to have a name, but none of us remember what it was.”
Jordan said, “Then you get to do the honors when the mission’s over.”
The ship was right next to them before they saw it. It was black, so it blended with the darkness of space. It was fast, so radar couldn’t hold its signal for very long unless it held still. It was smaller than the Renaissance, but still much larger than the Star Brigade ships.
Jordan said, “That is an impressive little ship.”
Wendy said, “We’re going to it now.”
Jordan asked, “How are you going to do that?”
John said, “Watch.”
A cable hit the side of the Star Brigade ship. It made no noise and wasn’t detected by the ships sensors. Then a tube came out of the ship and attached to the Star Brigade craft. Wendy and John walked through the wall of the ship into the tube and it pulled them to their ship.
Jordan asked, “How the hell did you do that,” over the intercom.
Kevin answered, “We have a technology that allows us to pass through certain types of solid material. This iron ship is no problem, but steel would’ve presented a challenge. Aluminum is the easiest metal to walk through.”
Jordan said, “That was damned impressive. I hope to learn how to do that one day.”
Kevin said, “You will. I have faith that our two colonies are destined to be allies.”
Jordan said, “Now that we’ve established how you intend to get into their ship, we can make a go of it.”
John said, “We need to get within 500 meters of their ship for the pneumatic tube to work.”
Jordan said, “I’ll keep you clear until then.”
Clive interrupted, “The DeNoPE ship will be in communications range of Earth in another two hours. Right now is the best time to strike while the moon is interfering with their signal.”
Jordan said, “I just hope they don’t have any of those devices I found on that tourist.”
Bob asked, “The ones we found in Notah’s house?”
Jordan said, “Those would be the ones.”
Jordan and Bob moved their ships just out of visual range of the DeNoPE ship. When their weapons were locked on the target, they fired on it.
Jordan said, “Now’s the time to make a move. I’ve got them distracted.”
The Martian ship moved into position and Kevin activated the pneumatic tube. The Star brigade ships continued firing nonlethal shots on the opposite side from the tube.
The guard yelled, “Send a message to General Rich. We’re going to need reinforcements.”
His subordinate obeyed the order and got on the radio.
He said, “Star Brigade ships stand down. We’re on a fugitive recovery operation sanctioned by your government. If you do not cease fire immediately, we will be forced to destroy you.”
Jordan asked, “Should we reply?”
Bob said, “Are you crazy? That would identify us. We don’t need Rich knowing who attacked their ship if this fails.”
Jordan continued firing on the ship. The ship fired back, and Jordan took evasive maneuvers while Bob fired on the ship. Then Clive took a turn. They all evaded the fire long enough to allow John and Wendy to board the ship and locate the refugees.
Michael asked, “What took you so long?”
Elaine added, “They were torturing us.”
Wendy answered, “We’re here now, so you’re not going to be tortured anymore.”
John added, “We couldn’t let them see us when you first left or it would’ve been suspicious.”
Wendy freed the refugees from their restraints and led them toward the pneumatic tube. When they reached the wall, Elaine protested.
She said, “We can’t go through the wall. Now what do we do?”
Andres said, “Keep your voice down. We don’t want them to know that we’re out of our cells.”
Elaine said, “But how is this a rescue if we’re trapped?”
Wendy said, “Just trust me. Put this helmet on.”
Wendy placed the helmet on Elaine’s head. She sprayed her with an aerosol can full of foul smelling vapor. It burned her nose and hurt her eyes. Michael was convinced Wendy was going to kill them.
Elaine asked, “What the hell was that?”
Wendy answered, “Now you can walk through walls. I guarantee it.”
Wendy walked through the wall to prove it to the refugees. Then John convinced Elaine to follow her. She passed through the wall into the pneumatic tube.
John said, “The rest of you need to follo
w her. Put your helmets on and I’ll spray you.”
The rest of the refugees put their helmets on their heads and followed Elaine. Then John went into the tube.
***
The guard’s subordinate got a message to Earth requesting backup, but he neglected to tell DeNoPE who was attacking them.
The guard asked, “Did you send that message to Rich?”
The underling replied, “I sure did. Help should be here in just a couple hours.”
The guard said, “That should be enough time to hold these zealots off.”
***
Once the refugees and the Martians were safely on board the unnamed ship, John sent the request for the DeNoPE ship’s destruction.
Clive said, “We’ll be happy to oblige that request.”
Jordan said, “Let’s not be happy about killing people.”
Clive said, “Understood, sir. I’m just happy to end this situation.”
Jordan, Bob and Clive targeted the ship’s engine. They fired simultaneously until the ship’s exhaust caught fire and exploded. They moved as quickly as possible away from the exploding debris.
Jordan asked, “Did anyone take damage?”
Bob replied, “I’ve got some scratches on the paint, but nothing significant.”
The other ships were undamaged. They returned to Mars before the reinforcements arrived.
Jordan said, “Stick to the story. Terrorists came to attack the ship and we came to its defense.”
Clive asked, “How are we going to convince them of that?”
Jordan said, “The original Martians have that all worked out. They projected an image of a terrorist onto their flight recorder, and their ship has a false identifier. We found a terror cell in Houston and used their code.”
Clive said, “That’s ingenious.”
Jordan said, “Yeah, it’s ingenious, but we’re still killing people to advance ourselves.”
Clive said, “We killed thousands during the war.”
Jordan said, “They were trying to kill us. These people are just following orders to return fugitives to Earth.”
Clive said, “Nothing is ever that cut and dry. These people chose to work for DeNoPE, and they have an agenda that we stand against. You’re pretty sure Rich is behind this, so we’re really dealing with enemy combatants.”
Jordan said, “That’s what I keep telling myself to justify what we’re doing.”
Elaine, Michael and Andres took their helmets off and approached Wendy.
Elaine asked, “What the hell was that stuff?”
Wendy answered, “It’s a chemical that allows a human to pass through certain metals.”
Michael asked, “How does it work?”
Elaine said, “I guess there’s no harm in telling you that, but I’m not going to reveal the recipe just yet. We need to keep some secrets to ourselves.”
John added, “I invented a spray that puts an acid on your clothes and skin, but it’s toxic. That’s why you need the helmet. When you hit metal while wearing the spray, you melt it.
Andres asked, “Is it dangerous?”
John answered, “Not really. The spray only stays on you for three hours, and the acid doesn’t react with skin. You shouldn’t use it if you have open skin, though. It reacts with the iron in your blood.”
Elaine asked, “Do we have to wash it off?”
John answered, “Not unless you intend to touch your face.”
Michael asked, “How does the metal solidify once you pass through it?”
Wendy answered, “The acid melts the metal through a chemical reaction, but it only stays melted while it’s in contact with the acid.”
Elaine asked, “Does the metal look normal once you pass through it?”
Wendy replied, “It’s obvious that something happened. The metal is never the same, so we try not to do this unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Jordan said, “You guys are going to make amazing allies.”
Michael, Elaine, and Andres stood in front of Jordan. They needed his help.
Michael asked, “What happens to us now?”
Jordan answered, “We have to keep you hidden until the DeNoPE delegation leaves for Earth.”
Elaine said, “I’m tired of hiding. I just want this to be over.”
Jordan said, “If they find out we killed the prison guards and destroyed the ship, they’ll come after us. It’ll be considered an act of war.”
Michael said, “They’d send us back to Earth, too. I don’t feel like being tortured again.”
Jordan said, “I don’t like that I have to keep that information a secret.”
Michael asked, “Are we going to stay in your town, or with the Martians.”
Jordan answered, “We have to keep both groups with us for a while. We don’t want DeNoPE finding out about the original Martians, either.”
Michael asked, “Are we going to be allowed to go with them afterward.”
Jordan replied, “It depends on the treaty negotiations, but your chances are good.”
Michael asked, “What if I can help you with another one of those devices?”
Jordan excitedly asked, “Do you know where another one is?”
Michael said, “I’m very good at watching people who want to hurt me.”
Jordan said, “That could help your chances immensely.”
The Star Brigade ships returned to Freedom and hangared their ships. The refugees and original Martians were escorted to a secure location via a tunnel under the base.
Michael told Jordan, “Follow me, and I’ll take you to where I saw one of those things.”
Jordan followed Michael to the campsite. Michael went directly to the rocks where David Jamison put a device. He handed it to Jordan, making sure to disable it with an electromagnetic pulse.
Jordan said, “Thank you, but are you sure you didn’t just hurt the worm inside the device?”
Michael replied, “The worm is fine. The pulse just disables the electronics. The worm is unconscious, but unharmed. You have to work quickly, though. When the worm wakes, it might be able to reactivate the device.”
Jordan took the device apart just as he had done the last time and ran more tests to make sure it was the same as the other one. It was.
Jordan thought, “I need to figure out how it works before that asshole kills another of these innocent creatures.”
Just as he was getting some interesting data, General Rich’s voice came into the speaker.
He said, “I warned you last time. This time I’m just going to destroy the device. If it kills you in the process, so be it.”
The device exploded, and Jordan barely escaped the room before it caught fire. He was upset, but alive.
He said, “I’d better go tell Scout what happened here. We need to come up with a plan for the election anyway.”
Chapter Forty-One
Jingle
Jordan went straight to Scout’s home after his encounter with Rich. He wasn’t happy.
Scout asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jordan replied, “I’m pissed. I found out some stuff about the devices, but Rich destroyed the one I took apart before I could save it. This is the second time he’s destroyed one of the devices.”
Scout said, “It’s just a device. We don’t really want DeNoPE’s crap on our planet anyway.”
Jordan said, “It’s not that simple. The device is powered by a living creature. I think it’s been genetically engineered. The only other alternative is unacceptable.”
Scout asked, “How come you never told me about it being a living creature the first time? What other alternative?”
Jordan answered, “I didn’t want you to worry about it. You have enough to worry about without having to think about an innocent creature being tortured for DeNoPE’s gain.”
Scout said, “That’s for me to decide. Don’t hold back information anymore.”
Jordan said, “Okay, Scout. If I can’t trust you with informat
ion like this, then I can’t trust anyone.”
Scout asked, “Now, what other alternative were you talking about?”
Jordan answered, “That it came from another world. That would mean that General Rich has discovered an alien race, and is working with them to subvert our government.”
Scout said, “That would be the end of our society. Let’s hope those things are genetically engineered.”
Jordan said, “Are you ready to see what the opposing party has to say about our policies?”
Scout said, “Some days I think they’re being influenced by an alien race.”
Jordan said, “It’s a common reaction when things don’t go the way you expect them to go. You blame the outsiders.”
Scout said, “I know that, but I don’t want to see Nazis on Mars. I see enough bullshit when I deal with DeNoPE without worrying about that crap.”
Jordan said, “Let’s put that out of our mind and just watch the ads. Then we’ll come up with a strategy to counter their hate speech.”
He turned on the television. The news was just beginning. The lead story was about the expulsion of David Jamison. A weather report followed the lead story, and then the station took the first break for advertising.
“The Mars Isolation Party approved this message. Do we really want two more years of Consul Ellison and Consul Green? They don’t’ seem to care about the security of Mars. They let a group of DeNoPE spies overrun the planet, and even after a spy device was found, they’re still here. We need leaders that will care about the security of the Republic of Mars. We thank Scout Ellison for building this society, but his time has passed. It’s time to make a change.”
Jordan said, “We can’t have these people spreading lies about us on TV.”
Scout asked, “What do you want to do about it?”
Jordan answered, “Make them tell the truth. Force them to issue a retraction of their previous ads.”
Scout said, ‘That’s called censorship, and I don’t want to resort to that.”
Jordan said, “We have to do something.”
Scout said, “I know just the thing. We need to counter their arguments with something that gets inside the voters’ heads.”
Classical: MARS: Book 3 of MARS Page 19
