Titan Cruel Moon

by Kate Rauner

  "How's she doing?" Greta spoke softly from habit. She doubted she'd disturb the woman lying motionless in the bed.

  The medic smiled through his worry. "Coming in and out of consciousness. Awake more often lately, I'd say."

  Movement caught Greta's eye, and she looked up to find Fynn hovering in the doorway. After an encouraging squeeze to the medic's shoulder, she joined him. "Let's go to my office."

  Greta sat on the small plastic sofa but Fynn paced, running a hand through his hair, starting to talk and then stopping to pace some more.

  It was hard to wait for him. She lost focus and sunk into her own thoughts. She didn't want to think about Tanaka's death, so perversely, her mind returned to that night over and over. Heat flowed into her face as her pulse raced. She'd avenged Yash, but Tanaka's death had brought no peace. The anger remained.

  Fynn stopped abruptly, bouncing off the floor a bit in reaction to his jerky move. "I showed Maliah the video of Dad's murder."

  Startled from her own thoughts, Greta blinked at him.

  He glared back, defiant. "She said... she said it was Dad's own fault. That he was disloyal. I don't know if I should pound the walls or cry. She ran up the tower before I did anything."

  Fynn flopped down next to Greta and hung his head. "I didn't tell her that she's wrong, that she's crazy. I didn't do anything."

  She put an arm around his shoulders. "Maybe that's just as well. We need..." She almost said, need to think. But that wasn't what she'd done. Her anger still burned, but her mind was thinking again. "We should have realized. I should have realized. Tanaka created an idealized vision of the Kin, made us feel heroic, as if we were the chosen few. Any questions, any doubts were willingly squashed to preserve secrecy for the mission. He built up the rest of Earth as a threat. Only Tanaka could lead us to paradise, and only if we escaped the mongrels. The bigger the lie, the more often repeated, the more credible it becomes. Yash saw the mission and not the man, and I suppose some of the others did too. But Maliah sees Tanaka and the colony as the same thing. Many Kin do."

  "Dad worried that we'd fight among ourselves and ignore Titan's real dangers."

  "Without the mongrels anymore, Tanaka needed a new enemy. Yash didn't see that. I didn't realize that." Greta pulled her son closer.

  "I'll post the video," Fynn said. "Everyone will see the truth."

  "Like Maliah did? They're scared. Scared by stasis sickness, scared by death, maybe scared by Titan too."

  "Kin are brave," Fynn said. "I remember our track meets, our boxing classes." His voice trailed off.

  Greta smiled sadly. Sports were nothing like what the Kin faced on Titan. Fynn was hiding from the situation.

  "Maybe scared is the wrong word. I talk with my patients in the clinic. It takes time to draw them out, to get them to confide in me, and then they tell me things they won't say in public. They're exhausted and depressed. Some want to hide in a corner. Some are outwardly brave, but scared inside. This is worse than anything we ever saw on Earth."

  "You've known? And you're telling me this, now?"

  "Medical data is privileged." That sounded hypocritical to Greta as she said it. It was ridiculous for a doctor to worry about breaking confidentiality when she'd killed someone. Killing Tanaka had changed her forever. "Maybe trouble shows Kin we're not the only true humans after all, not so special, not a chosen breed. But the Herschel's crew hasn't fallen into the colossal lies Tanaka spoke from the tower. They're farther away and retained independent thinking. I hope their example will encourage others to break free."

  Voicing her hopes wasn't helping Fynn with his confusion. She took him by the shoulders. "You must be careful. The adjuncts are looking for someone to replace the mongrels as a scapegoat. Someone to blame for any problem that might pop up in the colony. Maliah is, too, maybe. And ongoing troubles with your furnaces make you an easy target."

  Staring eye to eye apparently brought something else to Fynn's mind, but he glanced away before speaking. "Mom, there's something else I need to ask. I showed you the video and a few hours later, Tanaka was dead. I've got to know. Did you kill him?"

  Greta knew she should feel ashamed, but she didn't. Her chin tilted upwards and she clenched her jaws. She also knew she couldn't lie. Not because she didn't want to. Because Fynn would see the truth if she tried. Besides, truth was part of their bond.

  "Yes," she said. "I did. It's over now."

  He didn't seem surprised, and his expression barely changed. "What about Magnus and the other adjuncts?"

  "I do not forgive them, but until we can be certain the Kin will believe your video, there's nothing more to do." She paused to think. ""Except, maybe, to protect the Kin. Tanaka said we should watch each other, and that may be a good idea. The dome cameras will protect individuals from Magnus by allowing everyone to see what's happening without either of us being involved. Raise an alarm if you find them turned off."

  "What about Magnus?"

  A coldness settled in Greta's mind, her professional calm asserting itself. "Yash has been avenged and no one must ever know. Especially not Maliah. Not as long as there's a chance she may come back to us."

  Greta expected Fynn to crumple into her arms, but he sat straight, his eyes unfathomably deep, and his dark face composed as if he'd made a decision. His chin jerked in a single, sharp nod. He looked so much like his father.

  ***

  Fynn moved slowly down the greenhouse's center aisle until he spotted Max on a hydroponic frame overhead. As the big man clambered down, a dozen Kin appeared from the dense leaves and among the bins to form a loose circle around Fynn. Max greeted him loudly, perhaps ensuring that everyone in his large crew could hear.

  "Have all the newcomers been assigned to your crew?" Fynn asked. All the people surrounding him were part of the Advance Team.

  "Yes, but they're taking medic-prescribed naps right now. None of them were in on the Herschel's secret, so they're shocked as well as stasis fogged."

  Fynn grunted. He could sympathize.

  "What can I do for you, Fynn?"

  Fynn tried to match Max's tone without feeling ridiculous for shouting at someone a pace away. "I need to run three shifts of engineers. Until we can fabricate new controllers aboard the Herschel, we have to operate the furnaces on manual. With all the newcomers added, you've got the biggest crew. May I ask for volunteers from the greenhouse?"

  Vanja Hanssen stepped out of the crowd with her usual narrow-eyed suspicions. "Who cares about your worthless furnaces? We've got power and heat from the fission reactor." She crossed her arms and glanced around for support. Most of the faces turned toward Fynn were carefully expressionless but a few frowned. Whether at his request or Vanja's challenge, he couldn't tell.

  "But not carbon dioxide," Max said. He waved toward the ceiling. "The newcomers may exhale more, but we must grow more food, too. We've finished planting an entire frame over there. More plants need more carbon dioxide."

  Max tilted his head toward the crowd. "Olsen, you fell out of the frames twice today, so maybe you'd be better off on the floor. Would you like to go with Fynn?"

  The stocky Kin who stepped forward had a face blanketed with Earthly freckles. Maybe they'd never fade. "Sure thing. And I think..." Olsen looked over his shoulder.

  One of Rica's barracks mates hopped out of the crowd. Mika was a long-faced Samurai and, despite her perfect porcelain skin, several years older than Fynn. She stepped forward confidently without a glance at Olsen.

  Thurstan and Lukas followed. They were also typical Kin, squarely built Vikings. Both had shared classes and sports with Fynn and he remembered them as straightforward competitors.

  Olsen looked back at Fynn with a satisfied smile. Apparently, those were all the volunteers he expected.

  Fynn bit his lip to stop a smile. Max knew exactly who'd be interested. He might not risk open conflict, and Fynn wouldn't act as if they were in cahoots, but the Farming Cohort was on his side.

  He led his rec
ruits away. Once they were in the tunnel, Olsen, the stocky freckled-faced one, stopped and pulled out his flat pad and scribbled with a fingertip. He held up the pad. I've got dumb slate. The words faded. He leaned close to be heard over the rush of fans blasting air between the domes. "Most of us do. We saw you argue with Maliah when the newcomers arrived, and we know you'd like to see Kin go back to the way we were on Earth. All the rumors say so."

  The others leaned close too. "Though, rumors make that sound like a terrible wish," Mika said.

  "Rumors that say me and my father aren't loyal?" Fynn kept his expression as bland as possible. Despite Max's tacit recommendation, he wasn't sure if the recruits were under Tanaka's spell.

  "We know that's ridiculous," Olsen said. "And, with the tunnel's wind noise as cover, we know it's safe to talk here."

  Fynn sighed with relief. These Kin would fit in well with Ben and Rica on furnace operations, and he had another project in mind too.

  "You all took the flier lesson? Would any of you be interested in a job on the surface?"

  Olsen, who seemed to be the group's leader, raised a hand. "Oh, yeah. We didn't get to go outside yet."

  ***

  Olsen and Thurstan both filled their surface suits better than Fynn did, so he checked their shoulder seams for signs of strain. Satisfied with the suits' fit, he opened the airlock hatch.

  Fynn insisted they stand still on the ice ramp, their fliers gripped in one hand, while he warned them about radiation from the fission dome. "Remember, radiation travels in a straight line from the reactor. Above the ice shield, it has a straight shot at you, so fly low around the domes."

  He led them along the coast to the spirals' bay where they splashed the methane surface to draw out the odd little blue ghosts. Then back to the domes, to fly low along the side away from the lake to the Gravitron platform and the damaged dome. They landed beside the tube of plastic, half as long as the furnace dome and several times taller than any of them.

  Fynn spotted why the shuttles had trouble pulling the furled dome loose. "There are supposed to be straps keeping it in a tight bundle. Look here. Something scraped the dome surface and the straps are cut to shreds."

  Olsen ran a hand along the plastic surface. "What could do that?"

  "Inside each Herschel segment are connection points for installing equipment once it's reconfigured. They're supposed to fold flush, but maybe one of them was sticking out when the dome slid in."

  "So the shuttle pilots sliced the dome?"

  "Yes, halfway lengthwise." Fynn drifted along the damage as slowly as possible on the flier. In addition to slicing it, the pilots had overlapped the cut edges and welded it tight so the dome wouldn't unravel in space. It was a mess.

  Fynn passed out handsaws from the patching kits. "These blobs of plastic are the weld points, and we need to cut them loose so the bots can spread the dome out flat."

  It was a tough job hovering the fliers close to the plastic, sawing back and forth, and losing half the effort from each stroke as the fliers bounced. Eventually all the weld points were cut and the dome slowly flopped open like a gigantic flower.

  The decabots squatted nearby, apparently immobilized by a dome that failed to match their expectations. Now as it opened, something triggered their programming and they lumbered forward, grasping at the folds of plastic.

  "Now what?" Olsen asked.

  "The layers are like honeycombs. They're opening now, but won't really expand until the bots pump in atmosphere to inflate them." Casper could explain it. Fynn missed the awkward engineer.

  ***

  Maliah walked through the mess hall. Seven tables were enough to seat the Kin, and the adjuncts were stacking the others, turning one table on top of another and piling chairs on top. That would keep everyone together so they were easy to observe.

  She moved among the Kin, stopping to exchange a word or a hug from time to time. The Advance Team she knew well since she'd worked with them on the Herschel in Earth orbit. Maybe on different parts of the ship, and maybe she hadn't seen them every day, but they were united by the shared mission secret. Among the newcomers, many Kin had been classmates and barracks mates, so she found friends at every table.

  Often, red, swollen eyes full of tears would turn to her. "What will we do without Tanaka?" someone would ask.

  "We're Kin," Maliah answered. "We'll follow his teachings and his plan for Titan. We'll make him proud."

  Here and there, she'd slip a tea bag or packet of sugar from her pocket and press it into someone's hand with a whisper. "We're chosen."

  She finished her tour and the adjuncts followed her up the tower stairs to the top balcony overlooking the mess hall.

  Magnus stood at her shoulder. "You inspire them and comfort them. I didn't hear a single complaint about nothing but beans and spinach for the meal. Not while you're nearby. Just keep up the good work and I'll handle the rest."

  She spun around and glared into his face. A smile flickered at the corner of her mouth when he stepped back, startled. "You'll handle nothing. I know what happened to Yash Rupar. You killed him."

  Magnus swallowed before answering. "Only as Doctor Tanaka directed."

  Maliah drew in a slow breath. That could be true. Tanaka told her to turn off the cameras that night, and he was in the furnace dome before Magnus struck her father down. But Fynn's video caught the other adjuncts too. They'd seemed upset.

  From a corner of her eye, she watched Maj for a reaction, saw her eyes widen and her mouth drop open. Obviously, she didn't know anyone had seen what happened to Yash and that gave Maliah an advantage.

  "No, Magnus. He wouldn't waste one of the Kin. Discipline, yes, but never waste."

  The adjuncts were silent. No one doubted she knew the truth. No one defended Magnus. She'd guessed right. He'd acted without Tanaka's approval. Of course, Doctor Tanaka never wanted her father dead and Fynn was an idiot. A weight lifted from Maliah. Magnus was not Tanaka's heir. She was.

  "What do you say, Maj?" Maliah spoke to the senior adjunct without taking her eyes from Magnus. "Do Kin demand an eye for an eye?"

  "Waste." Maj cleared her throat. "As you said, to waste a life..." Her words faded.

  Did that mean the adjuncts would kill at her command? Maliah was about to find out. Her unblinking stare remained locked on Magnus' eyes. "Then look to the future. Anyone who is imprudent or undisciplined is a danger to the Kin. Perhaps, if Magnus can't control himself, we'd be better off to send him to join the martyrs on Black and White Hill."

  The three adjuncts shifted quickly, surrounding Magnus, bodies tense. They were ready to follow her orders. Energy surged through her as her heart pounded. Maliah had won. She'd never felt this way before. Taller, stronger, more alive. More in control. This was Tanaka's last gift. To lead the Kin was truly to be larger than any one human could possibly be. It felt good. Incredibly good.

  Magnus tried to step farther away and bumped into Maj. He raised his hands, fingers spread wide. "No, never. I made a mistake, but I'm loyal. Loyal to the Kin. And..." He bit a lip and glanced over his shoulder at Shun's stolid face. "Loyal to you. Our warrior queen. How often did Tanaka call you our queen?"

  Maliah smiled and gripped his shoulder. "Then we won't talk about this again."

  She turned to wave over the railing to the Kin below. Maj and Shun tugged Magnus into place behind her. Someone below rapped out a beat on the table. Maliah raised her fist and the chant rose to greet her. "Kin, Kin, Kin."

  ***

  Two arched panels had been cut to open tunnels to the greenhouse, and Fynn kept them both stored with the furnace parts. With meter-long handsaws, the engineers took turns practicing on the edge of one of them until Fynn thought they'd be able to trim the melted portion of the Gravitron dome away and expose clean edges suitable for welding. Olsen had a knack with the saw, and his edges were always smooth.

  Olsen rubbed a blister on his hand. "Any excuse to go outside is fine with me, but why don't the decabot robot
s do these repairs?"

  "We haven't been able to hack into their programming," Fynn said. Tyra was trying aboard the Herschel, but she didn't have Maliah's talent for circumventing security. "They only react to programmed prompts."

  Olsen continued to massage his hand. "I knew the Robotics Cohort and he was a good guy. If only he'd survived instead of that jerk Magnus."

  Thurstan looked around nervously, but only the furnace crew was nearby. As an unintended benefit of spreading rumors about the engineers, none of the other Kin ever came into their dome.

  "How much of the dome will we lose in this repair?" Rica asked, pushing her long curls out of her face as she passed the saw to Lukas. So far, he'd worked on the furnace systems but was hoping to get outside the domes, and he attacked the panel with enthusiasm.

  "I can't tell," Fynn said. "But the Gravitron doesn't need the whole dome. Casper said they're all the same size and same basic design."

  That reminded him the ex-procurement agent was no longer on his crew. "Ah, Rica. Are you staying?"

  She frowned quizzically at him. "Staying where?"

  "Here, on the furnace crew. Permanently, I mean."

  "Of course I am. Why would you ask such a thing?"

  "I thought, maybe, with Casper leaving..."

  "Ha." She barked out a laugh. "He's got no backbone. What're you grinning about?"

  "I'm glad to have a top-notch electrician on the crew."

  She folded her arms. "Is that all?"

  "That's all."

  Suddenly optimistic about their repair project, Fynn thumped Olsen on the back. "You're ready to tackle the real thing. Let's go outside."

  Fynn led Olsen to the airlock, each carrying a flier, while Rica continued training the rest of the recruits.

  Olsen was eager to go flying, so there was no point working on the dome until they played around a while. Fynn and Olsen flew along the shoreline, far enough away from the fission dome to allow them as much altitude as they wanted for barrel rolls. They each had three quarters of their battery power left when Fynn curved their path toward the domes, sweeping low over the dun-colored lake and swinging around to the Gravitron platform.