Colony Three Mars (Colony Mars Book 3) Read online

  They had now gathered in the same council chamber, overlooking the vast central cavern in Colony Two, that the original council of Dr. Vanji had occupied. But this council was markedly different. For one, all were welcome regardless of perceived status in the colony. Secondly, there really was no official hierarchy, save for Xenon sitting at the head of the long stone table. He had taken to donning a dark robe for these sessions, like a Victorian judge. He sat now, as mediator and final arbiter—should that be needed.

  In the center of the table, a 3D rendering of the planet Mars rotated, and around this, the current estimated orbital position of the Chinese Xaing Zu Industries spacecraft. Holburn, who knew most about these things, hence his elevation to the role of systems tech, was currently explaining the orbital mechanics that the Chinese crew was undertaking.

  “They have to execute several elliptical orbits, using both their main engine and the atmosphere to help slow them down.” They all watched as the spacecraft’s planetary transit was drawn out in ever decreasing ellipses.

  “It will be a few more sols before they’re in a position to contemplate landing.”

  “So, how long is a few more sols?” Anika pitched in with the question.

  “They estimate three sols to reach optimal orbit. Another one for systems checks and prep.”

  “Four sols,” she replied, and left the words to hang in the air.

  The council were all silent for a moment. Their collective gaze fixed on the slowly rotating orb.

  “And how long before COM gets here?” It was Jann who finally broke this moment of communal contemplation.

  Holburn consulted a tablet he was holding. “Around fourteen.”

  “COM are the people we need to worry about the most. Now that they’ve won the court case to regain ownership of the Colony, all they have to do is set foot in either facility, and it all reverts to them.” Anika made a wide sweeping gesture with her hands. “Including everything that’s ever been developed here.”

  Her fears focused on the fact that the Colony One Mars consortium had taken the International Space Agency through the Court of Arbitration to regain ownership of the Colony. And they had won. But there was one caveat, they physically needed to set foot inside either of the facilities before it would all legally revert to them.

  “And what happens then? Where does that leave us? Are we all just products of COM’s bioengineering division? I mean, will COM own us—physically?”

  “That’s why we should keep these bastards out. I’m not going to end up as a lab rat.” It was a voice from the crowd of colonists that had packed themselves in to the council chamber and taken up standing positions around the walls.

  “What choice do we really have? We can’t survive, long-term, without critical component supplies from Earth. And once they land, how long could we realistically keep them all out, even if we wanted to?” Nills gestured at the mass of colonists.

  “We have no choice but to let this play out.” Jann’s voice was calm and measured. “I for one, have no love of COM. After all, it was me who prevented Dr. Vanji from leaving, and I also scuppered their original plan. So they’ll have it in for me, first and foremost. But there’s no point in hiding from it. Nills is right, we have no future in isolation, we’ll all end up dead anyway.”

  Before anyone else could reply, Xenon rose, extended his arms slightly, palms facing out, and spoke.

  “It seems, on balance, we have no choice. We must embrace this challenge and try as best we can to assimilate the newcomers. Only then do we have a future.”

  There was another moment’s contemplation by the ad-hoc colony council while they all considered the words spoken by the Hybrid.

  “However, that doesn’t mean we should make it easy for them,” he finally said before sitting down.

  Jann now took up the baton again. “Our immediate issue is how best to prepare for the imminent arrival of Xaing Zu Industries. And let’s face it, their intentions are clear, they’re after the exact same thing as COM. Acquire the genetic knowledge that extends human lifespan and return to Earth with the prize—and achieve this before COM land and reclaim ownership of the facility.”

  Holburn deactivated the 3D holograph of the planet and sat down. “And what if they don’t?”

  “Don’t what? Find what they’re looking for or leave when COM arrive?” said Anika.

  “Both, I suppose.” He gave a vague shrug.

  “The knowledge that they, and COM, seek resides in all of us, it’s now part of our DNA. How they plan to divine its properties is not clear. But my fear is that it will involve invasive examination on… selected subjects.”

  “I’m not going to be a goddamn lab rat,” came a voice from the assembled mass of colonists.

  Jann raised her hand to silence the outburst. “Even with this, the likelihood of Xaing Zu discovering anything substantive in the time they have available is minimal.”

  “Meaning they will not be inclined to depart when COM arrive,” said Holburn.

  “Precisely. So at that point I would envision a face-off between the two parties.” Jann replied.

  “And therein lies our opportunity,” said Nills. “If we can pit one against the other, then…” He made a gesture. “Divide and conquer, as they say.”

  Again there was a moment’s contemplation by the council before Xenon leaned forward and spoke.

  “It would seem then, that this is the point where outcomes become uncertain, and thus open to considered manipulation for our benefit.” The council all nodded at this summation of the situation.

  “So, what do we know of their respective numbers and resources?” Anika pitched her question at Holburn.

  He stood up, tapped an icon on his tablet and a 3D rendering of the Chinese landing craft materialized in the center of the long table. “There are eight crew,” he began, “generally referred to as taikonauts. The commander is Jing Tzu. A highly regarded individual. Two are flight and systems, two are scientists, presumably geneticists. That leaves three that are, well, probably military.”

  “Weapons?” said Anika

  “Unknown. But we should assume they’re packing something. Also, and this is curious, they have no transport with them. So they’ll be relying on us to move them between facilities.”

  “Why do you think that is?” Said Anika.

  “My guess is that they’ll have full fuel tanks, ready to take off again at a moment’s notice. So they’re trimming as much weight as they can elsewhere. Not having a rover would be a considerable saving.”

  “And COM?”

  Holburn tapped a few more icons on his tablet and the Chinese craft was replaced by the COM lander. It was enormous by comparison, and there was an almost audible moment of awe from around the table when it rendered.

  “As you can see, this is a much larger mission. Twelve crew. We have little information on who or what they are bringing with them. But it’s safe to assume, judging by the size of the craft, they’ve brought everything and the kitchen sink.”

  “Weapons, rovers?” said Anika.

  Holburn shrugged. “I would guess, all of the above.”

  “Okay,” said Jann. “Let’s focus on Xaing Zu first. The plan is to meet at the landing site and bring them all to Colony One. That’s where the research lab is, that’s where they want to start.”

  “Then we should put on a show of force. We’ll bring both rovers and the bed, and have some of us visibly armed, just to let them know we won’t be a pushover,” said Nills.

  “I will endeavor to be as open and transparent with them as possible regarding access to the research lab. Let them see that the knowledge they seek no longer exists. Maybe then they’ll be satisfied.”

  “And if not?”

  “Then there is still a population of around twenty-five over there, it won’t be that easy for them to try and coerce us.”

  “Maybe for Xaing Zu, but COM will be a different matter.”

  “True, but there’s not mu
ch we can do at the moment. We’ll just have to wait and see what transpires. Then seize our opportunity, if one should present itself.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” said Anika

  Xenon once again rose and spoke. “If such a moment escapes us, then we fail. And if that is the case, then so be it.”

  4

  Embrace

  Jann sat in the dim light of the balcony, looking out across the expanse of the main Colony Two cavern. Here and there she could glimpse the night shift going about the business of maintenance, their presence evidenced only by the sweep of a torchlight. The ceiling illumination was many hours into its nocturnal cycle, painting the cavern roof with the illusion of stars. She felt a cool breeze across her face from the array of large air recyclers overhead. It felt like a summer’s night back on Earth.

  “Can’t sleep?” Nills’ voice drifted out from within the darkened room.

  Jann turned her head, trying to penetrate the inner gloom to where she and Nills had been sleeping.

  “No, my mind is like a racetrack, it won’t let me sleep.”

  She heard a rustle of sheets and Nills materialized from the dim interior and sat down opposite her on the balcony. He was naked save for a sheet gathered around his waist.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  Jann looked back across the cavern. “I wonder if we’re doing the right thing.”

  “Letting these guys in?”

  “Yeah. Maybe the others are right. We should batten down the hatches and throw boiling oil over them at the gates.”

  “And how long would that go on for? We agreed the best way forward is to face it head on.”

  “I know… and you’re right, but I just have a bad feeling about it all.”

  “Well, there’s nothing we can do. We don’t have what they’re looking for so we’re going to have to convince them of that one way or the other.”

  Jann looked over at Nills and studied him for a while. He was silhouetted against the dim light of the cavern, his face obscured save for his bright smile and a faint glint from his eyes.

  “Actually, Nills, that’s not entirely true.”

  Nills froze for a moment and Jann could sense his mind was coming to terms with the implications of what she just said.

  “Go on,” he finally managed.

  Jann shifted in her seat, and pulled the sheet around her.

  “I went looking for it, in the cave under the medlab in Colony One, the place where I first met you and Gizmo.”

  “You mean my Alpha.”

  “Yes, sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

  “It’s okay, I shouldn’t have said that… go on.”

  “Anyway, that was months ago, when we were extending the research facilities.”

  “And you found it.”

  “Yes. I isolated a test sample and then purged the cave.”

  Nills leaned forward. “When were you going to tell me this? Who else knows?”

  “Just Gizmo. I was planning to kill it before they got here. I didn’t want to burden you with it.”

  Nills sighed. “Do you still have it?”

  “Yes. I was about to irradiate it this morning, before the meeting, but…”

  “But what?”

  Jann took a moment before replying, then sat forward. “If it’s what they want, what they’ve come here for, then we could simply hand it over, be done with it. It could spare the colony a world of grief.”

  “And what if they take it back to Earth?”

  Jann sighed and sat back again. “Therein lies the dilemma. The irony is if we deny them this then we are doing it for the good of Earth, not Mars, not for us.”

  Nills thought about this for some time, scratching his chin in a slow absent-minded manner. “Tell no one else,” he finally said. “Keep it between us. We’ve time yet to decide. Maybe it’s good… you know, to have an ace in the hole.”

  They sat in silence for a while before Nills finally spoke.

  “Do you ever miss Earth? I mean, it is your home.”

  “I’m not sure if I know where home is anymore, Nills.”

  “I’d like to think it’s here, Jann. But I know, in my heart, you will want to go back to Earth at some point.”

  Jann hesitated. “I don’t know. There’s nothing there for me anymore. My father’s dead now and… well, I don’t have any other family alive.”

  “You don’t talk about him much, what was he like?”

  “He was like any alcoholic, tormented by his demons. But don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t a bad man. My mother died when I was still a baby. So my father was left to his grief, to the demands of a small farm and to the needs of an infant. It must have been hard.”

  “Well, from where I’m sitting, he did a good job.” Nills smiled.

  “It came at a cost, Nills. If I were to sum up his legacy, it’s that he instilled in me an almost primal need to run away and hide. And I’ve come to realize it’s probably what defines me. Run and hide, that’s all I ever do.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself, there’s more to you than that.”

  “I grew up on a rural farm, no family, few friends, just myself and my father. Every now and then, when things got too much, he would drink himself into a rage. All the anger, the grief, the frustration would come out in a torrent of violence. Not directed at me, thankfully, but at anything that wasn’t nailed down in the house, and some things that were. So, at those times, I would run and hide. Out into the fields to my secret place. I would stay out all night sometimes, staring up at the night sky and wish some alien spacecraft would beam me up and take me on an adventure through the stars. Then, in the morning I would go back. My father would be crashed out on the sofa, or sometimes he would make it to his bed. When he woke up later, he would say nothing, just clean up the mess and be extra nice to me for a few days.”

  “That must have been scary, for a kid.”

  “In a way, it’s what gave me a love of nature, of biology. My friends were the plants and the animals, and the stars were my dreams.” Jann shrugged. “Ahh… I’m getting soppy. I’m sure you’re not really interested in hearing about my screwed up childhood.”

  Nills didn’t reply and remained quiet for a time. Finally he shifted in his seat, leaned in closer to Jann and, in a low voice, said. “The family of Nills Langthorp has tried to contact me.”

  Jann felt a wave of emotion wash over her and she gathered him up in her arms and held him tight. She had always feared this might happen. In truth, she knew it was only a matter of time.

  The colony had, for some time, adopted a policy of open and transparent communications with the public back on Earth. It had been envisaged as a first-line defense strategy—open themselves up to the world, be accessible and get the people on their side. It helped that Rachel and Xenon were masters at picking the right stories to focus on. The message was controlled, managed and massaged to present the colony, and its colonists, as people you could relate to. They no longer referred to the inhabitants as clones or Betas or Hybrids. They were all simply colonists. The stories were about everyday life in the colony: the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs, the hope and fears. In reality, it was a kind of propaganda.

  They broadcast as much as they could over X-band so anyone on Earth with a big enough dish could receive it. This resulted in a number of enthusiastic amateurs relaying all this information via the Internet out to the broader world. By now there were thousands of media channels back on Earth dedicated to dissecting and discussing everything that the Colony transmitted.

  Recently, they had been putting out more and more stories about their fears for the colony with the arrival of Xaing Zu Industries, COM, and other planned missions. As a strategy, it worked. People started to question the motives of these corporations, and how they would treat the colonists. So the propaganda war that they now waged mattered. If communications stopped when COM arrived then at least Earth would know that something was not right. How much all of this ef
fort helped in the fight for the colonists to keep control was debatable. In reality it probably didn’t matter to the likes of COM one way or the other. They were going to do whatever they wanted and the colonists were powerless to stop them.

  But this openness also had some unexpected repercussions. Now that they were open for all to communicate with, the families of original colonists, who they assumed were dead, found that clones existed of their loved ones. Identical in every way to the person they had lost. It raised hitherto unknown emotional and ethical issues for both parties. This communication had to be handled very delicately. Some embraced it, some retreated from it, and some on Earth simply reviled it as being the devil’s work, advocating that the entire colony on Mars should be razed to the ground, with everybody in it.

  Jann detached herself from Nills and looked at him. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. To be honest, I’m a little confused. I mean, I’m not who they think I am. I’m not here to satisfy someone’s morbid curiosity.”

  “You don’t have to engage if you don’t want to, Nills.”

  “I know, but… I have memories of them… I really don’t know who I am.”

  Jann moved closer again and held his hand in hers. “For what it’s worth, I know who you are. Someone I’m very glad I found.”

  Nills gave a wide grin. “Now, you are getting soppy.” He stood up. “Come on, let’s try and get some sleep. There’s nothing to gain from dwelling on things that have no clear answer. We’re here now, so we may as well get on with it.”

  “You go, I’m going to sit here for a while longer.”

  He kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, but don’t try and work it all out tonight. There’s much we don’t know yet. Too many uncertainties lie ahead.”