Colony B Box Set

by Michael Campling

  Mac raised his eyebrows. “I did what had to be done. It’s unfortunate, but he brought it on himself.”

  Someone called Evelyn’s name, and when Mac turned around he realized that a crowd of onlookers was quickly gathering. Most of them looked nervous, apprehensive, but a sizeable number were glaring at Mac, eyeing the gun in his hand.

  He lowered his rifle and raised a hand to appeal for quiet. “Friends, you see here the result of the chaos that has been allowed to develop in our settlement. But there’s no need to be alarmed. Along with a few trusted friends, I am in the process of restoring law and order. Abide by the rules and you’ll have nothing to fear from me, but make no mistake, if there’s any trouble, we will take action to correct it.”

  “You can’t do this!” someone shouted from the crowd, but they were quickly shushed, and Mac allowed himself a smile.

  “For too long we’ve been at the mercy of muddled thinking from the likes of Evelyn. Oh, she means well, I’m sure, but where is our security? Where is our strength?”

  “Is that what you call this?” Evelyn demanded, gesturing toward Matt’s body. She addressed the crowd. “How safe will you feel when you must live with the fear of being gunned down in the street? How strong will you feel when you’re dragged from your homes at gunpoint?”

  A rising tide of angry murmurs ran through the crowd, growing louder as more people came to see what was happening.

  “Evelyn, do you expect people to go along with your scaremongering?” He shook his head and tutted as if scolding a child. “These good people know the truth. They know the troubles we’ve endured under your leadership.” He smiled and held out his hands, counting off each point on his fingers as he spoke. “We’ve had youngsters running away in the night. Armed strangers coming to the very edge of our homeland. Poor young Milo dragged into some mad scheme concocted by Connor’s wayward daughter. And then, to make matters worse, the so-called patrol team set off on a hare-brained mission that ended in total failure, leaving a brave man, our friend Finn, dead on the hillside and left to rot. And in the face of all that, what did you do?” He took a step closer to Evelyn. “Tell them. Tell them the truth. Tell them where Connor and his friends have gone. And more importantly, tell them how he’s made his way across the lowlands.”

  The crowd was silent now, waiting, perhaps sensing that something was wrong. All eyes were on Evelyn, but she remained silent.

  Mac held his arms out wide. “We had the means to get off this hill, did you know that?”

  There were gasps from the crowd.

  “Oh yes,” Mac went on. “All this time, we’ve had a vehicle, a planetary rover, a tough little thing, big enough for half a dozen of us, and all fired up and ready to go.”

  “Bullshit!” someone called.

  Mac shook his head and turned to Derek. “Perhaps you’d care to confirm the truth of what I’m saying.”

  Derek licked his lips. “Mac’s right. There was a rover hidden up in a cave, but Connor took it to try and find his daughter.”

  The crowd was getting angry now. “One rule for them, and one for us,” someone called out.

  “So ask yourself this,” Mac cried, “can you trust our council now that you know the truth? Can you trust them now that you understand how they’ve deceived you?” He paused for just long enough to let his words sink in, then he gave Derek a meaningful look. “What do you say, Mr. Kline? Whose side are you on? Are you with the old council, or do you stand with the people?”

  “I say the council has to go,” Derek cried. “I hereby stand down, and I ask Mac to stand in as caretaker, to lead us through this difficult time.”

  Well remembered, Mac thought, and he favored Derek with a beaming smile. “Very generous. Very kind. I’m humbled by the faith you’ve placed in me, and I’ll do my best to rebuild our troubled community.”

  A few people clapped, and there were one or two cheers from the crowd, but most stood in silence or grumbled quietly with their neighbors.

  “Have you all gone mad?” Evelyn demanded. “A man lies dead. Murdered. And you want to reward this wicked crime by handing over power to the perpetrator?”

  Mac’s expression darkened. “Your time is over, Evelyn. I asked for your help and you refused. Now, the council is disbanded. You have no purpose here. It’s time for you to go home. Are you prepared to go peaceably, or do you need an escort?”

  Evelyn rounded on him, pointing her finger. “You’re the one with no authority. Nobody voted for you. You’re setting yourself up as some kind of tin-pot dictator, and people won’t stand for it.”

  “You’ve said your piece,” Mac replied. “Rob, would you make sure Evelyn gets safely home?”

  Rob stepped forward, but Evelyn wasn’t about to wait. “I’ll make my own way. I’ve seen enough.” She cast a glance at the onlookers. “When you’re ready for some sanity, you’ll know where to find me.” Then she stalked away, her head held high.

  Mac scanned the crowd, judging their mood. If he was honest, they were being more passive than he’d imagined. Matt Pierdew’s outburst had been a stroke of luck. It had given him a chance to put on a show of strength while still being able to claim self-defense. But even so, he’d expected more resistance, especially from that rabble in the patrol team. Even without Connor and Parry, the team ought to have stepped forward to support Evelyn. Volunteers, he sneered inwardly. Weak, spineless, do-gooders.

  Mac faced the crowd. “As you can see from this fine body of people here, we have no need of the patrol team anymore, so consider it disbanded. If you were a patrol team volunteer and you want to help your neighbors, talk to Rob, and he’ll find a job for you. However, you will be required to hand over any equipment that’s been issued to you. So come on, John, Phoebe, it’s time for you to set an example. Step forward and surrender your weapons.”

  A ripple of anxious murmurs spread through the assembled settlers.

  “John and Phoebe!” Mac called out. “Step forward. You’ve nothing to fear.”

  “They’re out on patrol,” someone called out. “Been gone all day.”

  Mac’s expression tightened, then he turned to Rob. “Find them. Pick a team of two and get moving. You can take anyone but Sarah. I want John and Phoebe brought here within the next thirty minutes.”

  “If they put up a fight?” Rob asked.

  “You’re free to engage them,” Mac replied. “I’d rather have them brought in alive, but if it comes down to it, eliminate them. I don’t want them left out there on the hill—they could cause a lot of trouble for everybody. So don’t come back here without them. Understood?”

  “Absolutely.” Rob turned smartly to the troops and said, “Lou, Danny, you’re with me.”

  Mac watched them depart, then he glowered at the crowd. “It seems that your patrol team leaders have left the settlement in our time of need. But what about the rest of you? If you were a member of the old patrol team, step forward and we’ll be glad to have your help.”

  No one moved.

  “Come on, while the offer stands,” Mac cajoled them. “We haven’t got all day.” He plastered a fixed grin onto his features, but his smile soon fell away when nobody answered his call.

  Mac beckoned Sarah, and when she stepped closer, he lowered his voice. “Do you see any patrol team volunteers in among them?”

  She searched the crowd for a moment then shook her head. “Not one. Looks like they stayed away.”

  Mac grunted. “No, it’s worse than that. They’ve taken off somewhere.”

  “But why? How could they have—” Sarah began, but Mac cut her off.

  “Someone came snooping and put two and two together. That can only mean one thing. They’re getting ready for a fight.”

  Sarah nodded grimly. “Let them try. We’re ready.”

  “Let’s make sure of that,” Mac said. “As planned, we’ll establish a base in the big tent. As soon as we’ve fetched the gear and made the base secure, I want patrols around the clock with
one Matrix operator on every patrol. Divide everyone into three groups. They’ll take turns to be on watch, but at the first sign of trouble, I need every single person to be ready.” He paused as another thought struck him. “And as of now, we’ll have a curfew. From sunset to sunrise, I want no one except our patrols outside.”

  “Got it.”

  Sarah made to leave, but Mac grabbed her arm and fixed her with his gaze, his eyes cold. “Send a message to Rob. Tell him the situation’s changed. I’m not interested in taking prisoners—not anymore. From now on, we shoot to kill. Make sure Rob knows that and then brief everybody else. I don’t want there to be any doubt.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Mac let go of her arm, then dismissed her with a nod. He watched her march away, then he headed for the big tent. He had supplies to organize and defensive positions to build. And a lot of thinking to do, he told himself. A lot of thinking.

  CHAPTER 13

  Truck Two

  Connor stepped through the inner door of truck two, his hands at shoulder height, his fingers spread wide. He scanned the main compartment, expecting to be grabbed and thrown against the wall, but there was only one other person present, and she didn’t look as though she was about to attack. The woman stood in the center of the compartment, her spine straight, and her arms folded across her chest. She wore a suit, but no helmet and her pale gray eyes were fixed on Connor, unblinking. There was a defiant jut to her chin, but no malice in her expression, and Connor gave himself permission to breathe. Perhaps, here was someone he could do business with, someone who could take the tension down a notch or two. I hope to God I’m right, he thought. If we don’t turn this around, a lot of people are going to get hurt.

  Moving carefully, Connor closed the door behind him, then he unfastened his helmet and lifted it from his head. “I came alone, just like you asked.” He took a breath, then trying hard to keep his voice level, he said, “Where’s Siobhan? You said you’d let her go.”

  The woman nodded slowly. “In a moment. First, I want to get a few things clear. My name is Doctor Lyndsey Teare, and I am in command of this fleet and this mission. I understand that your name is Connor and that you are in charge of your people, is that correct?”

  “Pretty much. I’m Siobhan’s father, and I’m the leader of our patrol group, but I don’t represent the whole settlement. We have a council for that purpose, and I’m not part of it.”

  Lyndsey raised an eyebrow. “Nevertheless, you seem to have taken a certain course of action on behalf of your settlement. Are you trying to tell me that you’ve acted alone?”

  “Not exactly. Look, this is beside the point. I need to know my daughter is safe, and I won’t cooperate in any way until you show her to me.”

  “Siobhan is safe, there’s no need to worry about that. I left her in the cockpit with Kyrksen and a couple of guards, and quite frankly, she’s not the one I’m worried about.” A wry smile curled the corner of Lyndsey’s lips. “She’s something else, your daughter. She really is.”

  “She takes after her mother.” Hesitantly, Connor returned Lyndsey’s smile. “So, can I see her now?”

  Lyndsey narrowed her eyes. “All right. As a gesture of goodwill, I’ll send for her.” She crossed to a workstation and flicked a switch. “Kyrksen, you can come through now, and bring Siobhan with you.” She paused. “And, Kyrksen, you won’t need a weapon, so I’d better not see one when you walk through that door.”

  Someone replied over the speaker, but Connor couldn’t quite make out what was said. Lyndsey flipped the switch then stood back from the workstation. “She’ll be out in a second. Why don’t you take a seat?” She gestured toward the metal chairs that Connor had sat in earlier with Siobhan, but he shook his head.

  “Thanks, but I’ll stay standing if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Connor heard the cockpit door opening, and he stepped forward, peering past Lyndsey to try and catch sight of his daughter. It only took a second for Siobhan to appear at the end of the narrow corridor, but to Connor, it felt like a lifetime.

  Lyndsey turned to watch Siobhan, then she stood back as if keeping out of the way.

  Siobhan strode defiantly into the compartment, but when she saw her father, she faltered, and Connor’s chest tightened. Siobhan’s eyed gleamed with repressed tears, and he felt her pain like a cold hand around his heart. He strode forward, his arms held wide, and Siobhan rushed to meet him. “I’m so sorry,” she began, but Connor wrapped his arms around her and said, “Don’t worry. It’s all right. Everything is going to work out just fine.”

  A tall, gaunt figure stepped into the compartment behind Siobhan. “Very touching,” he sneered. “All we need now is a few violins and the final curtain can fall.”

  “Save your sarcasm,” Lyndsey said firmly. “Let’s get down to business.”

  Siobhan released herself from Connor’s embrace “what about Jim? What’s going to happen to him?”

  “Clennan is still a member of this crew,” Kyrksen said. “We’ll deal with him as we see fit.”

  “He shouldn’t be punished,” Siobhan insisted. “I made him take the truck. It wasn’t his fault.”

  Lyndsey raised her hands as if to forestall further argument. “Despite what you may think, we’re not a bunch of soulless barbarians. If Jim wants to stay with the fleet he’ll be welcome, but he will have to accept certain disciplinary measures, such as extra duties in the galley and a cut in his pay, nothing worse.” She turned to Connor. “We have more pressing matters to discuss. First and foremost, you must realize that I cannot allow you to jeopardize our mission.”

  “That’s too bad,” Connor said, “because we cannot simply stand back and allow you to destroy this planet.”

  “What makes you think you can stop us?” Lyndsey asked, then before Connor could answer, she went on, “Anyway, who gave you the right to say what happens on this planet? Our mission is sanctioned at the highest level back on earth, whereas you seem to have landed here by accident, and while I have some sympathy with your plight, the fact of you being here does not confer any special privileges on you or your people.”

  “This is our home,” Siobhan said. “We have a right to a decent life don’t we?”

  “Yes,” Lyndsey replied, “but is that what you really have here?” She threw her arms wide. “You’re surviving, I’ll grant you that. You’re existing at best, but is that all you really want? Do you really want to spend the rest of your days skulking around on a hilltop and scratching out a living?”

  “It doesn’t have to be like that though,” Connor said. “You haven’t finished your mission, so couldn’t you just stop? Couldn’t you leave us some small corner where we can make a better life for ourselves?”

  Kyrksen let out a bark of dry laughter. “You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. The symbiont reproduces and spreads itself independently from us. Even if we stopped today, it would catch up to you eventually. There’s no way to stop it.”

  “I’m afraid he’s right,” Lyndsey said. “It’s too late to turn the clock back. If we’d known about you when you arrived, then perhaps we could have made some accommodation for you while we waited for a rescue mission, but as it is…” She shrugged.

  “So, what are you going to do with us?” Siobhan asked. “You can’t honestly expect us to help you.”

  Lyndsey smiled sadly. “Of course not. But we have no objection to you returning home, so long as you give us an assurance that you will stay out of our way. I understand that you have a vehicle, and I’m happy to escort you back to it. We’ll even make sure you have enough supplies for your journey, but only if you stick to your side of the bargain. If you persist in bothering us, then we are authorized to use force to defend the fleet, and none of us want things to go that far.”

  Connor exchanged a look with Siobhan. “What do you think, Shiv?”

  “I just want to go home, Dad. I never meant for any of this to happe
n. It all just…went wrong.”

  “We did request a rescue mission,” Lyndsey said. “As soon as Siobhan explained why you were here, we sent a signal right away, but we haven’t heard anything back yet.”

  Connor nodded thoughtfully. “It’ll take a while.”

  “Yes,” Lyndsey agreed. “Our comms are good, they have to be, but even so, it takes a long time for a message to get through.”

  “And even longer for a ship to get here.” Kyrksen rubbed his hands together as if enjoying his role as the bearer of bad news. “Our journey here took almost five years, and that’s not allowing for the time it will take to prepare the mission in the first place.”

  “That’s understood,” Connor said. “But we have no idea whether they’ll even send a mission. For all we know, it could be decades before help arrives, so we need to maximize our chances of survival. We need you to call a halt to your mission. It’s the only way we’ll have a hope of holding on until help arrives.”

  “I can’t do that,” Lyndsey said. “And I can’t give you any guarantee that there will be a rescue, but you have my word that I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen. I have powerful contacts back on earth. I know people in the Galactic Resettlement Corps, and I’ll make damn sure they treat you as their number one priority. If I have to, I’ll go public.”

  Kyrksen stared at her. “You wouldn’t do that.”

  “You’d better believe it.” Lyndsey gave Kyrksen a grim smile. “I’d like to see how many people will want to sign up for resettlement when they find out how the GRC treats its passengers.”

  “Professional suicide,” Kyrksen muttered. “Madness. They won’t let you get away with it.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Lyndsey replied. She looked Connor in the eye. “Well, what do you say? You’re free to go either way, but I’d like to hear your answer.”

  Connor looked down for a moment, frowning. In many ways, he’d failed, but perhaps Lyndsey’s offer of help was the best he could hope for. He’d misunderstood the situation and misjudged his opponents. Lyndsey and her people had been given a job to do, and they were doing their best to carry it out. They had no intention of harming anyone, and further down the line, the results of their efforts would bring the hope of new life to countless settlers just like him. I know all that, Connor thought, but the way they’re going about it is just plain wrong. He recalled the verdant landscape he’d traveled through; the stunted trees and dense scrub weren’t as handsome as the forests of earth, but they were vibrant and alive. Could he really trade the wholesale destruction of an ecosystem for a few supplies and the promise of a quiet life?