Parting Gifts

by gerald hall

  “I know that too, my friend. I did everything that I could to get them out of the war zone. I feel guilty as hell that I failed you, Deborah.” Arthur sadly replied.

  “I don’t think that my mom and dad really wanted to come out here anyway. They just wanted to spend the rest of their days at home. That house meant a great deal to both my adopted parents and my natural parents too. Arthur, you know that it used to belong to my natural parents until they both disappeared, don’t you?”

  “No, I wasn’t aware of that. That means….”

  “Yes, my friend. My father was the person responsible for the First and Second Events. I inherited my gifts from both of my parents though. My mom was pretty special too. But nobody realized that until well after they got together. Even then, only my parents actually figured out that my dad couldn’t really use the full potential of his gift without my mom being with him.”

  “I’m really sorry about what happened to them and to your other friends who died back there in your hometown. It is a terrible shame that so many people have died in the fighting.”

  “Arthur, we can mourn the friends and family that we have lost. But what is far more important is that we can celebrate the ones that we have saved. Don’t you agree?”

  “Of course.

  Chapter Thirty Eight:

  Arthur Wheeler’s Laboratory

  Hebes Chasma, Mars

  September 30, 2048

  Deborah announced herself on the intercom at the heavy steel door that secured the entrance to Arthur’s research lab. A few seconds later, she heard a loud buzz and then the sound of multiple steel bolts sliding to unlock the door before it began to slowly open. Deborah then walked in to see her old friend working on another device on his workbench. The walls of the lab seems to be lined either with sophisticated scientific instruments or 3-D printers that could reproduce virtually any kind of part.

  “Hello, Arthur. I got your invitation to come visit you at your lab. I know that you have very hard at work at this new project of yours that you have been keeping so quiet about for the past few months. I take it that you have some new breakthrough that you want to show me.”

  “You could say that. You remember the last time that I invited you under similar circumstances before my family and I moved to Mars, don’t you?”

  “Yes, that was when you showed off your new anti-gravity drive module prototype. I was very happy that nothing blew up that day.” Deborah replied with a smile.

  “Well, you are going to find what I am about to show you to be equally groundbreaking. It will also mean something extraordinary for all of the polymaths here on Mars.

  “OK, you’ve got my attention, my friend. What do you have for me?”

  “In a way, it is very closely related to my gravity drive technology. When I first developed it, one of the key elements was the discovery and harvesting of minute quantities of dark energy. A small team of our fellow polymaths had made a breakthrough in finally identifying dark energy and capturing it. Dark energy is key to the generation of anti-gravity.

  That dark energy is also key to the ability to create a warp bubble like what Miguel Alcubierre postulated in the paper that he wrote in the early twenty-first century. I have been working with about a hundred other polymaths in refining Alcubierre’s theories and translating them into a working piece of hardware.”

  Arthur turned on a holographic display that showed one of the captured M-class asteroids that now orbited Mars as a new moon. Arthur entered in a couple of additional commands that made the image of the surface of that asteroid translucent so that a three-dimensional diagram of the interior of the asteroid was now visible.

  “As you know, we have been mining the interior of this asteroid for a variety of metals including nickel, iron and even some rare earths. We have utilized that excavation of the interior to create an installation within where people could be housed and certain other industrial and scientific activities could be performed. In other words, it has been turned into a space station. Already over ten percent of its volume has been hollowed out.” He explained to Deborah.

  “I know that we have tried to shift as much industrial activity off of the planetary surface as possible for environmental reasons. No one wants to contaminate Mars’ surface with industrial waste, especially with all of the efforts that we are making in trying to terraform it.”

  “Well, Mankind needs to expand its presence far beyond this solar system if we are going to survive as a species. Colonizing and terraforming Mars is a very good first step. Unfortunately, even inhabiting two worlds makes our existence rather fragile, especially with our species’ propensity towards self-destruction for very irrational reasons. I don’t think that is what God has in mind for us. Do you?”

  Deborah knew that Arthur was referring to the impending conquest of Earth by the jihadists, whose altruistic behavior was essentially nonexistent. It was unspoken among the polymaths, but not so much among the Marines, that once the Islamist groups finished consolidating power on Earth, that they would soon be setting their eyes upon the human refugees living on the Moon and then upon the colony on Mars.

  “So you are planning on building a faster than light craft at that asteroid station for people from Mars to travel to other star systems?”

  “Not exactly ‘at’ the station, Deborah. We are planning on building a faster than light drive within the asteroid as we continue to hollow the body out. We are going to create enough interior space within the asteroid to house Mars’ entire population of polymaths and their families. Then we are going to turn the entire asteroid into a starship for us to travel to a new world to settle on. We already know that we can generate a warp bubble around the entire asteroid and push it through space-time at superluminal speeds, based on our calculations.”

  “That is going to be an incredible accomplishment. But, if we do this, we are going to leave a lot of people behind here on Mars.”

  “I know. That is also why we have been doing everything possible to accelerate the terraforming process so that the people that are left behind will have a world that will require far less effort to survive on. Besides, we have a lot of very bright young people here now besides the polymaths. For the first time, they actually outnumber us and our families here on Mars.

  We will be leaving them plenty of technology, including one of the gravity drive shuttles and the knowledge necessary to build more if necessary. They will also continue to have the means to defend themselves, both through the Marine detachment and the battery of nuclear missiles that the Alliance graciously sent to us in the form of that old ballistic missile submarine.

  When we leave, we are going to open up perhaps space for thirty thousand more people to live in comfort at Hebes Chasma. In less than a generation, the colonists on Mars will have filled that space and increased their population twice over, I’m sure.”

  “Still, I can’t help feeling that we are abandoning them, Arthur.”

  “I’ve heard you say that before. That was when you were still living on Earth though. Now, the barbarians possess that world. We need to go to the stars if humanity is going to survive and progress. We are going to need every one of our brightest minds and most capable talents out there, including yours.

  Besides, if you stay here and the jihadists attempt to come to Mars, you know what you will be forced to use your gift again. Only this time, you will be using it to take thousands of lives, maybe millions of them. I can think of a hundred ways that those people destroying Western civilization on Earth right now can make it so that you are forced to decide to take innocent lives too, not just warriors. I don’t want you or any of our people to have to make that choice.

  Humanity needs to make a clean start. You know that you want to be a part of that too, Arthur. You know that you want your family to be a part of it as well.”

  Deborah looked into Arthur’s eyes as he spoke. What she saw was a deep desire for her to finally see peace. He wanted Deborah to come with the
others to live a life of peace that they knew they could not have in old Sol’s light.

  “This entire project is utterly amazing. How long do you think that it will take to complete?” She asked.

  “It will take more than a decade to complete the project and to ensure that the terraforming process is sufficiently advanced on Mars before we can leave.”

  “That certainly will give me a lot of time to think about it.”

  “True, but I wanted to let you know what we are doing. Obviously, we could use your help with the project. It will also give you the time to think about what you want to do.”

  “Thank you, Arthur. I will do all that can, short of employing ‘extraordinary measures’, to help you with this.” She did not want to use her gift again expect under extraordinary circumstances. Deborah feared what the consequences of such use would ultimately be.

  “I know that you will, my friend. I wish that we didn’t have to do this. You have no idea just how much I miss my old home in the North Carolina Piedmont. But, we are going to find a new beautiful world to call home someday soon. Of that, I am absolutely certain.

  Chapter Thirty Nine:

  Martian Interplanetary Transport Courageous.

  Martian Orbit, Mars

  January 1, 2049

  “Hey there, Big Brother.” Deborah said with a brilliant smile as Nathan blinked his eyes while still getting his bearing after being asleep for four months.

  “Is that you, Deborah? I figured that I wouldn’t see you at all until we arrived at Hebes Chasma.” A still groggy Nathan Marcum replied.

  “As soon as I heard that Courageous was in Mars orbit, I got Arthur to take me up to her in his personal gravity drive shuttle Manassas. I also brought Aaron and Peter up here with me.”

  “What about your kids? I heard that you had twins a few months after that Event on Mars.” Nathan said as he sat up and stretched his arms. He was also beginning to put on some clothing since everyone in the Therapeutic Torpor chambers wore little more than their underwear.

  “They’re doing fine. I’ve got some friends on Mars looking after them for a few hours while I greet my newly arrived family and friends.” Deborah replied.

  “When are you going to say hello to the rest of us? Your sister Suzanne is just a few rows down from me. We have several others from Ashley aboard this ship as well.” Nancy Marcum called out from the TT chamber that she had just emerged from.

  “You don’t know how much it means to me to have you all here, Nancy. But maybe you might want to say hello to your kid brother Aaron too since he is standing right next to me.”

  “I will. But will you at least give me a chance to put a few clothes on first. It is a little embarrassing to be sitting here in my underwear with my brothers gawking at me, you know.” Nancy said in exasperation. But, underneath it all, she was also very happy to be reunited with the rest of her surviving family once again.

  “Sure, Sis. We’ll turn our backs while you finish getting dressed. Then we will go see Marilyn and her kids.”

  “Marilyn Barnes is here now?” Deborah immediately asked.

  “Yes. She, Benjamin and Lissette left town just before that last attack. Jeff Knox has apparently insisted on it.”

  “I need to see her as soon as possible.”

  “She is really hurting about what happened back there.” Nathan said.

  “I understand that. But it is very important that I see her, Nathan.” Deborah said before immediately turning and rapidly walking towards the part of the ship where the rest of the passengers were being roused from their long sleep. Nathan and Nancy had to hurry to try to catch up with their adopted younger sister.

  It took less than two minutes before Deborah found the TT chamber where Marilyn was being helped out of. She had just been awakened and was still in the process of getting reoriented.

  Just then Marilyn turned her head and saw Deborah walking rapidly towards her. Deborah’s face was an impassive mask. Marilyn didn’t know what to expect. She only knew that she needed to speak to the remarkable young woman about a most personal matter.

  “Help me stand up, please.” Marilyn told her medic.

  She was still a little unsteady on her feet, but Marilyn looked directly into the young woman’s eyes that she had known ever since Deborah was born.

  “I’m so sorry, Deborah.” Marilyn quietly said as Deborah walked towards her.

  Marilyn knew what Deborah was capable of, perhaps more than anyone else except Peter and Deborah’s own children. The older woman still felt so very guilty about what she believed was a failure on her part. Tears were already running down Marilyn’s light-brown cheeks as a result.

  But then Deborah reached out and touched Marilyn on the arm. The young mother could feel that tingling sensation running through her arm as she reached out with her gift once more. She had done this once before with Marilyn, years earlier. Marilyn had another personal tragedy back on Earth that had torn her apart emotionally. Deborah touched Marilyn’s innermost feelings and reassured her that everything was going to be alright.

  This time, Marilyn felt a tremendous burden of guilt over not being able to convince Deborah’s adoptive parents to leave their home in time to save their lives. Their deaths also hurt Deborah very badly as well. But Deborah knew that even though she would miss Cynthia and Joshua very much for the rest of her life, she was comforted by her faith that they were now at their new heavenly home, free from pain and fear for eternity.

  What Deborah needed to do was to share that sense of peace with Marilyn. Even though Marilyn was now over sixty years old, she looked close to two decades younger. While some of that was genetics, Marilyn was also likely to live at least another forty years for another reason. Before Deborah was even conceived, her natural father Stewart had used his gift to heal Marilyn of the crippling injuries that she had suffered a few years earlier in an automobile accident. What that gift had also done was a general regeneration of Marilyn’s body and a reversal of the aging process on her body at the same time.

  Deborah did not want one of her oldest friends to have to live with that emotional burden for so many years to come. She had prayed numerous times since learning of her parents’ death and of Marilyn’s arrival, seeking answers to what to do next. Seeing Marilyn’s grief in her eyes, galvanized Deborah’s decision as to what choice to make.

  Marilyn’s eyes flew wide open in wonder at Deborah’s touch. The older woman had felt this before, but the impact of what Deborah was doing still ran through Marilyn’s body almost like an electric shock. Marilyn and Deborah looked into each other’s eyes. Then a gentle smile appeared on both women’s faces. It was as though there had been an unspoken understanding without words about what had happened and how each had understood and forgiven, themselves and each other.

  “Thank you, once again, Deborah. You are indeed the product of the finest parts of both of your parents.” Marilyn said as she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.

  “I am just glad that you were there for them for as long as you were. I am also thankful that you helped defend our old home for so long before you were forced to leave. But now you are here on Mars along with Benjamin and Lissette. I want to show all three of you around as soon as you are ready. This is an incredible place.”

  “Hi, Mom. I see that you and Deborah found each other.” Benjamin Barnes pleasantly said. He and his sister Lissette were standing there fully dressed.

  “Yes, we had quite a dramatic reunion, you might say. But everything is much better now, I’m very happy to say. Deborah, Nathan and Nancy were going to show me around the colony. Would you like to join us?” Marilyn asked.

  “Of course. I have heard so much about the facilities at Hebes Chasma. I would like to see how they compare to what we used to have down in Ashley.” Benjamin said.

  A few moments later, another pair of Martian colonists walked up and joined the group. They were wearing what seemed to be the ubiquitous Martian uniform of grey covera
lls.

  “All of you, I would like to introduce you to Timothy Clarborne and his wife Sandy Meriweather-Clarborne. They have actually been on Mars longer than I have. But they are also great people to know.” Deborah explained with a smile.

  “Hello, there. I would also like to welcome you to Mars, or at least to Martian space. We will be going down to Hebes Chasma shortly after everyone has been awakened and the cargo prepared for transfer. I have heard a lot about all of you from Deborah and her brother Aaron who has also been living at Hebes Chasma for a while.” Sandy said, her curly red hair floating freely in the ship’s microgravity.

  “Thank you, Sandy. This is all beyond amazing to me.” Marilyn answered.

  “Oh, you have barely scratched the surface of the wonders that we have built here on Mars with a little ‘help’ from a mysterious benefactor.” Sandy replied, alluding to the ‘event’ that saved everyone on Mars and transformed the world so dramatically. Sandy then continued to speak.

  “Benjamin and Lissette, I am sure that you find a lot of what we have here at the colony’s manufacturing facilities to be very familiar. Our facilities are a little larger than what you had at your micro-manufacturing plant in Ohio. That is because we don’t have the option of sub-contracting out to other facilities any longer for components. So we have to be able to build everything indigenously on Mars. Of course, it helps that we have access to so much raw material here on Mars or from the asteroids in orbit that we are mining. Now that the geo-thermal power plant is fully operational, we have sufficient energy to refine any metals that we need within a few hours from the raw ore.”

  “That is amazing. You have the technical specifications that you need to produce the full end items?” Lissette asked.