by J. J. Green
“No, I’m not saying that,” Strongquist replied. “But now that we’ve thoroughly explored that avenue of inquiry, we are turning to the Gens. Of the two groups, it’s the least likely to harbor Natural Movement members. That’s why we looked into the Woken first. But if the Natural Movement infiltrator died with the First Generation, it’s possible that the cult has been passed down somehow from one generation to the next.”
Cariad said, “Okay, there’s one more thing I want to talk about. You told us today that the Guardians have a mandate to save the colony at all costs. That’s the first I or anyone else heard about it as far as I know. Let’s be frank: we’re almost entirely in the dark about you. You’ve told us hardly anything about who you are or what’s happened on Earth since we left. Are you from the Global Government? I guess you’re military, seeing as you’re armed. But whose military are you? And how come you’re so intent on making a success of the colony?”
Strongquist looked uncomfortable but nodded. He couldn’t twist his way out of answering Cariad’s questions put directly and in front of others. “All good points. Yes, we are from the Global Government. We were sent to save you when the Natural Movement’s plan to sabotage the colony was discovered in the historical records, as you know. But we are also here to protect the colony because you represent humanity’s hope. As Faina said in the stadium, Earth, Mars, and the Outer Moons are overpopulated. They’re also polluted and low on resources.
“When we set off, longer than eighteen years ago, the situation was dire. Now, it’s probably at crisis point. The Solar System is not a place you would wish to return to. The one reason that the resources required to build our ship and send us here were allowed was in order to save you. You are humankind’s hope. If the Nova Fortuna colonists succeed, there is a chance for the rest of humanity.”
“Do you mean that if we make the colony viable, we can expect refugees from Earth?” Cariad asked.
“As far as we’re aware,” Faina replied, “no refugee ships have departed Earth to come here. The Global Government is struggling to keep everyone fed, let alone anything else. It would find it hard to justify spending the billions needed to build a ship that would only save a few thousand people. Besides, overwhelming a fledgling colony with thousands more mouths to feed wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interests.
“Which isn’t to say that, at some point in the future, you might not receive some arrivals hoping for a fresh start. But I don’t think you need to worry too much about that right now. However, if the colony flourishes, it will prove that deep space colonization could be the long-term answer to the problems in the Solar System.” She placed her hands palm downward on the tabletop and leaned forward. “We want you to succeed. Humanity needs you to succeed. We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that.”
“Success at any cost?” Cariad asked bitterly. “If it means killing innocent people who just happen to have a different opinion? Is that a price worth paying? I didn’t think that was what we were trying to build here.”
“If their opinions are invalid and their actions harmful,” Anahi said, “we have every right to deny them, with force if necessary. If someone gets hurt as a result, is that our fault? But anyway, we have the Guardians’ word that they won’t harm anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary for the sake of the colony.
“Now, it’s time to move on from this circular argument. I have an announcement to make: starting tomorrow, the process of reviving the remaining individuals in cryonic suspension will resume. We’ve looked at the problems that led to failures in the past, and we believe we’ve ironed them out. With more Woken around, we’ll have the benefit of additional expertise. Everything should go more smoothly. I’d appreciate it if you could lend a hand with the process, Cariad. I understand that you oversaw many of the more successful revivals after you’d recovered from your own.”
Cariad hesitated, surprised. The invitation was the last thing she’d expected from Anahi. She was sure the woman must hate her following her recent interfering. Then she remembered the saying: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Was this Anahi’s way of keeping an eye on her?
It didn’t matter. The saying worked both ways, and several of her friends were still lying frozen in slush. If an attempt was going to be made to revive them, she wanted to be there. “Sure. I’d be happy to help.”
“Good,” said Anahi. “I thought you would agree. I put someone rather important to the top of the list. The colony needs a clear sense of purpose and direction, and so tomorrow you can be in attendance at the reviving of Aubriot.”
Cariad’s heart sank.
Chapter Fourteen
Ethan watched the curve of the planet’s surface straighten out as the shuttle sank lower into the atmosphere. Below, the regular lines of the settlement were clear to see, carved on the natural landscape. After the heat of the meeting his emotions were finally calming, and the sight of the settlement and the planet they had yet to name provoked an unfamiliar feeling in him.
The only sensation he could liken it to was how he used to feel when returning to the kindergartners’ dorm at the end of the day when he was a little boy. His spirits would rise when he saw the room and his caregivers. Even the smell of the place had made him feel warm and content.
His feeling at that moment in the shuttle was similar, only stronger. He was looking forward to returning to the farmers’ temporary housing, and maybe tomorrow he would go out to his farm, though he would stay well away from the lake. He’d planted seed with Cherry’s help. Perhaps the shoots would be showing.
Though Nova Fortuna had arrived only two months prior, Ethan already felt a kind of bonding with the new planet that was greater than anything he’d felt in all his years aboard ship.
Garwin, who had been dozing in the seat beside him, stirred and woke up. He peered over Ethan and out the window. “Nearly there.”
“You know, I never thought about the planet much until now,” Ethan said. “I always focused on whatever we were supposed to be doing here. It was always, what do we have to do now according to the Manual? What do we have to watch out for? What do we have to do exactly right? That’s what you and I were brought up to do, wasn’t it?”
“As far back as I can remember,” Garwin replied. “From the moment I left my milk mother until Arrival Day, everything I did, everything I learned, was aimed at one purpose. Build a colony. Survive.”
“That’s how I saw things too. But look at it. Did you ever see such a wonderful sight?”
Garwin smiled. “Never. Not in any vid of Earth. Not even in art.”
“And you know what?” Ethan said, “It’s ours. It belongs to us. Living here is what we were created for. We mustn’t ever let anyone take it away from us.”
Ethan was finally understanding what the feeling in his gut was—for the first time, he was seeing the planet as home. Not only that, he knew he would fight to his dying breath for his right to live there however he wanted. The conflict with Anahi and her supporters wasn’t about Woken versus Gens, or minor points like whether flitters should be used for non-emergencies, it was about protecting his home, his territory, and his independence.
They didn’t say much more as the shuttle made its final descent and landed, but as they were leaving the shuttle field, Garwin asked Ethan to follow him. It was soon apparent that they were going to the flitter shed.
A Gen called Verney was guarding the vehicles. Ethan only knew him by sight. Verney’s job was to check that the Gens who borrowed the flitters had the authority to do so. The man took no notice when Garwin went in and beckoned Ethan to do the same.
Inside, the space was full of the boxy, flat-bottomed vehicles, their covers down. Only one was missing from its bay now that it was nearly evening.
“Are we going somewhere?” Ethan asked.
“No,” Garwin replied. “Or at least we’re not, not today. I wanted to bring you here so that we can talk without being overheard.”
Garwin m
oved closer and held Ethan’s gaze firmly. “With most of the Woken remaining shipside, we have the planet virtually to ourselves at the moment. If we find a site for another settlement soon and transfer everything and everyone there little by little… Well, we could do it under their noses. It’s us Gens who are in charge of most everything down here. We could manage it if we were careful. Then, once we’ve built our defenses at the new place, the final few who are managing the facade of a working settlement can transfer over. When the next Woken or Guardian visits, they’ll find a ghost town. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Ethan replied. He glanced around the shed. “I’m guessing this is the reason you brought me here.”
“You guessed right,” Garwin said. “I can’t leave my job for long periods without it being noticed, but you have the perfect excuse to be away from the settlement. Everyone will assume that you’re working on your farm, and no one’s likely to check on you. You’re also a lot younger than me, Ethan. I have to admit I’m not up to spending hours traveling about these days. Verney here will let you take a flitter no questions asked.
“I want you to look for a place. Somewhere like this area, where the vegetation isn’t too dense and the ground is flat. Somewhere that seems safe. As soon as you’ve found it, we’ll build a fence, set up a generator, and start bringing supplies over. Before we know it, we’ll have a new home.”
As the impact of what Garwin was suggesting settled in, Ethan didn’t answer right away. Garwin mistook his silence for a reluctance to agree. “You’d be doing it for Gen autonomy, don’t forget. But if you want to think about it… I understand it’s a lot to ask.”
“No, no. It isn’t a lot to ask at all. All my life I’ve wanted to be an explorer. You just gave me the perfect opportunity. I’ll start out at first light tomorrow.”
***
When Ethan returned to the flitter shed the following morning, he was surprised to find someone besides just Verney there. She seemed to be waiting for him.
“Hi,” Cherry said. “I hope you brought plenty to eat. I couldn’t sneak much off the table at breakfast.”
“I have plenty of food,” Ethan replied, “but Garwin didn’t mention anyone else coming along.”
“He didn’t? He must have forgotten. I suggested that two people should go. You know, in case something bad happens. Then the other one can go and get help.”
“Makes sense, I guess.” Ethan scanned the identical flitters in their bays before pointing at the one nearest the door “We’ll take that. Jump in. Wait. Did you bring your weapon? We don’t know what we might find out there.”
“Of course. What did you think I was gonna do? Leave it at home and let the sluglimpets get me?”
“The what?”
“The creatures that ate people in the First Night Attack.”
“Is that what we’re calling them now?” The memory of Lauren’s corpse threatened from the edge of Ethan’s mind. He suppressed the image.
Cherry said, “A Woken gave them some long, scientific name that no one can remember, but we’re calling them sluglimpets. You know, like the animals in the vids at school. Half slug, half—”
“I get it. You know they’re a lot bigger than slugs and limpets? Don’t imagine that if one attacks you you’re going to flick it off.”
“Of course not. I wasn’t there on the first night, thank the stars, but I heard all about it.” She had climbed into the flitter. “Are we going to set off now?”
Ethan climbed in the other side. He put his bag next to Cherry’s on the back seat and started the vehicle. As it rose thirty centimeters above ground and hovered, the interface screen came alive, displaying a map of the immediate surroundings. Satellites launched from the Nova Fortuna mapped the terrain and weather systems for several hundred kilometers around, broadcasting the data to the surface. As long as they stayed with the flitter, Ethan and Cherry would know exactly where they were.
The sun was just coming up and the streets were quiet. Ethan drove the flitter the shortest route to the gate in the electric fence. It opened automatically, and they were soon heading out across the fields. Ethan took them in the direction of the lake, as if he were heading toward his farm. As soon as they were out of sight of the settlement, however, he veered sharply to the right.
Cherry had been training her weapon on random items in the landscape, turning to keep them in the sights as they passed by. At Ethan’s change of direction, she lowered her gun and peered at the interface. “Where are we going?”
Instead of replying, Ethan took one hand off the steering disc and touched the interface image with his finger and thumb, pulling it smaller and increasing the scale. The flashing red dot that signified their flitter slowed its pace rapidly on the larger map. Their direction was obvious.
“The ocean,” Cherry exclaimed. “Great idea.”
A grin spread across Ethan’s face. “We’ll be the first humans to ever see it up close.”
“But what if they have those thread monsters that live in the lake there, only ten times bigger?”
“Don’t worry. We won’t go too near the water. Only look at it from a safe distance.”
***
They’d been traveling for around two hours and the sun was well up when Cherry put the flitter cover down. The wind was invigorating. They were passing through a wide valley that meandered between high hills. Below them was what looked like an ancient, dry river bed, filled with water-rounded boulders.
“Do you think,” Cherry said, “when the Woken and the Guardians see that we’ve all left the settlement to strike out on our own, they’ll come looking for us?”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“And will they be able to find us?”
“They’ll find us for sure. We can’t go far. We don’t have the equipment or the time. If we did, maybe we could hide on the other side of the planet. Then, it might be a long while before they found us. Hiding from them forever isn’t the point though. What we want to do is get out from their control. If they come after us and try to force us to return, we’ll have to put up enough of a fight for them to conclude that it isn’t worth their while to make us come back.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. I don’t think most of the Woken or the Guardians are bad people. They just don’t trust us not to mess up. I don’t think they’ll do us much harm if we make it clear that all we want is to be left alone. They probably wouldn’t go so far as to turn us into slaves or anything like that. At least, not according to Cariad. She said one of the aims of the Nova Fortuna project was to create a better society. Fighting each other isn’t better, it’s taking a step back. I can’t believe they would really want that.”
“But without us, what’ll they do?” Cherry asked. “There aren’t enough of them to create a settlement by themselves.”
“At the meeting Garwin and I went to on the ship, Anahi said they could start up the generation cycles again. Create new babies and bring them up. Maybe they’ll do that. Or return to Earth, though it sounds like conditions are bad there. But if it’s only the Woken who go, maybe the Guardians could fit them in their ship. I don’t know. They can do what they like. It isn’t our problem.”
He sniffed. “Does the air smell strange?”
Cherry breathed in deeply through her nose. “Yeah, it smells kind of… Hmm… hard to describe.”
Ethan checked the interface. The dot that represented their flitter was at the blue edge of the ocean, but the scale of the map was large. He widened the image with his fingers and took another look. They were nearly at the ocean, but hills on their right were obscuring their view. Ahead of them, the valley petered out and ended in a narrow gap.
“We’re almost there,” said Ethan, excitement rising in his chest. “It’s through that opening.” He pushed the accelerator and pointed the flitter’s nose at the patch of sky between the final hills of the valley. He peered ahead. Was it only sky that he could see? Or was that different blue a
t the bottom something else?
The flitter cleared the last tens of meters. Ethan’s eyes soaked up the ocean view that spread out before them. Less than a second later, the flitter’s nose dipped and suddenly they were zooming vertically down.
Cherry screamed as she fell forward. She hadn’t fastened her safety belt. Ethan grabbed her with one hand while desperately pulling at the steering disc with the other to return the flitter to horizontal. He was hanging forward. Only his safety belt was preventing his certain death.
Cherry’s fumbling fingers quickly found and fastened her belt. Ethan could concentrate on controlling the flitter.
“What’s wrong?” Cherry yelled. “Pull it up.” The rocks below were zooming up toward them.
“I can’t. I’m trying. It won’t move. It’s sticking to the cliff. Oh, wait. I’ve got it.” Ethan pressed the screen. The flitter responded instantly. A handful of meters from the base of the cliff, its nose lifted until it was horizontal once more.
“That was close,” Cherry exclaimed.
“Yeah. No traveling without safety belts from now on.”
The flitter’s default setting was to remain thirty centimeters above the ground and Ethan hadn’t changed it. The vehicle had done what its program told it, maintaining a short distance between its base and the nearest surface. Only the nearest surface had been the cliff face. Ethan checked the screen. They were five meters above sea level. Blue waves were below and all around them.
“This,” said Cherry, “is amazing.”
Ever since he’d been a young child, Ethan had wondered what it would be like to see an ocean. He’d also wondered how it would feel to set foot on the solid ground of a planet, but the concept of an ocean was something else. It was fairly easy to imagine standing in a landscape. The Nova Fortuna had Main Park, and he anticipated that a landscape would be similar, only bigger. To an extent, he’d been right.
But it had been almost impossible for him to grasp the concept of a vast sea of quadrillions of liters of water. Not like the expanse of space, empty and barren, but somewhere where entire ecosystems lived and died under the waves. Vids of oceans on Earth had seemed unreal, like cartoons. The most water he’d ever seen in one place was the contents of the vats that fed the showers. Water was a precious commodity aboard Nova Fortuna. The idea of enough of it to fill an ocean boggled his mind.
