MEEK Page 31

  “So we are a weapon in their arsenal, is that it?” asked Winter.

  “Yes, but the same psychology works in our favour also; why would anyone want to attack something when they have no knowledge about their retaliatory powers? You must bear in mind they were told very little about us. They probably don’t believe what they heard anyway. Most of them want to forget we exist.”

  Jade touched Jay’s hand in a thank-you gesture as he sat down. Conifer rose again and motioned for Jade to come forward.

  “A part of Elder Winter’s question was about us needing a reason to take the offer. Jade has asked to be considered for a position in the new colony. It is therefore appropriate that she answers that question.”

  It was make it or break it time for Jade and she took a deep breath and thought of Mark.

  “I, as everybody is aware, have personal reasons for wanting the Council to accept the offer. I am not going to talk about that because it is trivial compared to the real reason why we should take the offer.” Jade paused and sought inspiration, her eyes looked out on to the Tuathan landscape outside the huge windows of the Hall.

  “Look out the window, what you see are our accomplishments aided by the wonderful compassion of the Friend. It is beautiful and it was literally modelled on our dreams. Not alien dreams, but dreams of Earth by people exiled from their home world. Trees, plants, animals, fish all transplanted just as we were. Tuath is our adopted home and it is well loved by us all. Earth is the home that gave us our existence and made us who we are, Tuath is only a reflection of that origin. We fear the natives, as we call them, but we are Earth’s natives also. It is the inhabitants of Earth we fear but there is still a deep love and longing for Earth itself in our hearts. We need to reconcile our hearts with our origins to be truly content here on Tuath. We have a right to the land they offer. Accepting it, and putting our toes into Earth’s soil is a reward and a recognition of three thousand years of tears shed by our brave ancestors. Can we deny them that? Can we deny our future generations the rightful claim they have to a place on the planet of their origin?”

  Jade looked out at the audience, she saw that some of the elderly in the audience were shedding tears. Jade knew then that her speech had been long awaited; she had expressed something that had been quietly suppressed. There was a long silence that lasted for a full two minutes. Outside the building, the listening crowd began to sing an old song, a lullaby called Earth Light. It had been years since Jade had heard it. Her mother sang it to her and sometimes told her stories about how bright Sol was. Softly, pervasively, the song drifted into the Hall. Eventually Conifer took the podium. Now it was her turn to take a deep breath. She looked at the elders who seemed lost in their own thoughts, listening to the song.

  “Is there any questions from the elders?” asked Conifer. An elder of advanced years by the name of Comet rose. “Jade, you have spoken well and you have exposed an aspect of our hearts that perhaps we have trained ourselves to deny, but answer me this. How will you reconcile your own conscience if Tuathans are slaughtered once again because of your eloquence and insight?”

  Jade was taken aback by this notion of having to take some personal responsibility for this decision’s consequences. Comet had a valid point.

  “I have found love and trust on Earth and am biased, I would hope that only those who understand the risks and still volunteer will go in the expedition to settle on Earth. I cannot guarantee that history will not repeat itself. Tuathans have been prepared to sacrifice their lives for the greater good and will I hope always respond that way. In this the individual must accept responsibility for their choice to go.” Jade had not quite answered the question as she realised a failure to peacefully settle on the reservation would be a massive blow to her conscience and personal happiness.

  Conifer realised the heart of the matter had been reached. This was a vote from the individual heart, it was time to call the elders to vote.

  “The vote is for or against the offer to set up a reservation, nothing more. Logistics will be discussed as a separate issue and will be done so in collaboration with the relevant government ministers. Please place your vote in the box and I will ask the President to announce the result.” This was done and the President announced the result was a unanimous yes in favour of acceptance. Next would come the logistics which took hours of discussion without any plan being drawn up. Eventually everyone went home tired. The information would be handed over to an AI and then to the government for feasibility studies, then to the President for approval. Jade was told it could take up to a month before they got around to looking at personnel. The crew all assured her that in the light of her speech and, considering she was the only Tuathan with established credentials, her chances had to be excellent. She went home a lot happier and relaxed than she had been since she had arrived back.

  Two weeks passed, and she was called to space headquarters for an interview. A lot of the questions were about her relationship with Mark. Jade quickly gathered they were trying to find out where her loyalties would lie if it came to a test. She was quick to cut through the diplomatic chat and explain that they had nothing to fear. Mark’s loyalty was to his honour and his humanity, not some political agenda. Doing the right thing was as natural for him as it was for her. There would be no conflict based on philosophy. They were satisfied with this and assured her she would have a place on the ship. They would be sending a fairly small contingent at first, probably less than twenty personnel. Her job naturally enough would be liaison officer, although for protocol’s sake she would hold the title of ambassador. They were working on an escape plan if things went wrong. She would receive her orders in three weeks and would be fully briefed at that time. They encouraged her to make suggestions if she found anything in the organisation to be unsuitable. The Pride of Tuath would be used for this first expedition. The main transportation of colonists would be aboard one of the old original deep-space ships that they first came to Tuath in. This ship would be refurbished and brought back into commission and would bring the colonists and equipment for the reservation in the second year. It could be cancelled if there had been any problems.

  The Friend had been in the thoughts of Jade a lot lately and she had taken to visiting its Monument, which seemed to keep increasing in size as every year passed. People often left flowers on the central dias by the chair. The walls had elaborate paintings of the first encounter and the construction of Tuath. It was a very peaceful place; homemade scented candles were the only lighting during the day the soft light of the sun added to the ambiance. The original chair had been replaced and a large throne was in its place. Jade could not help feeling it might find this ostentatious and not approve. She wondered how Mark would react if he ever found out this place and its significance. Jade like all the old crew of The Pride had never spoken of the Friend and it would remain a secret and something she dared not share with Mark.

  Eventually, the logistics report came. Jade spent a long day contemplating it.

  The Pride of Tuath would be under the control of a high-ranking captain. His name was Hawk, Jay would be second in command. Clover had rejoined and was the ship’s empath, which meant she would be working closely with Jade. There were only fifteen others, all unknown to Jade. It was a far smaller contingent than she had hoped for. Nineteen when she had indicated fifty would be a suitable number. It showed a lack of trust that would not be missed by the natives. Jade made a note to that effect. They were to proceed to Mars where they would land and collect data on the progress of the colony. They were not allowed to inform Earth of their intention to do this until one hour before reaching Mars. This Jade interpreted as a try to catch them unawares ploy, more lack of trust. The length of stay on Mars was at the captain’s discretion. They would then proceed to Earth and position themselves in a geostationary orbit above the reservation while the scanners went to work. Once the AI gave the all clear they could land. The second in command, the empath and the Ambassador would disembark
first. Full disembarkation would be on the direction of the second in command. No new information about Tuath was to be divulged. A set of guidelines will be available on the disc ship. The commander of the ship had total authority on the reservation. Medical scanning of all crew will be required every twenty four hours for the first ten days. Submit any responses within one week and be prepared for a briefing and training sessions in one month.

  Jade listened to the holo repeat this twice before sending an acceptance. She did not in the end voice her disapproval of such blatant mistrust as it could jeopardize her position. “Time to bow to the elders, the stars are so far smiling on Mark and I, let them continue to do so,” she decided.

  The briefing and training session went smoothly. It was good to meet up with Jay and Clover. Jay confided he was glad not to be the commander. The last voyage had taken its toll on his nervous system and he felt the President had made a wise choice. Time dragged on for Jade but she tried to busy herself saying goodbye to friends, family and the places that she loved. No one had been given any indication as to how long they were expected to be away. The talk among the crew, indicated it was to be left to the captain and the individual crew member to decide. Jade had reconciled herself to the possibility that she might never return, for her the voyage was a migration and she hoped to find a new life with the man she loved. Jade desperately wanted their little colony to be a huge success, so that others would come and she would have a community of Tuathans to relate to.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE DEPARTURE, JANUARY 2034

  The Pride of Tuath had become a second home to Jay, Jade and clover. An air of excitement was on the ship. Hawk tried to suppress it with a military manner. Outside the ship, it seemed the entire population had turned up for the farewell. The President had declared it a holiday, not that that mattered because Tuathans tended to work when they wanted to anyway. Everyone had hoped for an appearance from the Friend but it didn’t eventuate. The AI was streaming last minute operational data to the space centre. The colony on Gateway was on alert and the crew were taking their respective departure positions. The gravity neutralizer coil glowed orange and small controlled blasts of air started the ascent. Once in space, the photon drive took over and they arrived at Gateway two hours before the portal opened. Last messages were broadcast to Gateway and the control centre on Gateway confirmed that The Pride was fully functional and ready to go. The portal opened and The Pride leapt forward into its golden halo.

  As soon as they emerged in sol’s solar system, the crew set the trajectory for Mars and closed down the AI’s ability to broadcast. It was however still able to accept incoming data without acknowledgement. The first call came from Mars itself; just a welcome with a please respond. Hawk gave the order to remain silent. Three more requests came in and they in turn were ignored. There came a period of silence, an uneasy silence as this covert operation did not feel comfortable to the Tuathan psyche. Time passed and, as they drew closer to the inner planets, it became obvious that they were not on course for Earth. A message came in, “Tuathan space ship, you are off course if you are heading for Earth. Are you in trouble? Can we assist? Please reply.”

  “Wait five minutes AI, then send the following message to the Mars colony Greetings, this is The Pride of Tuath, thank you for your concern all is well.” Hawk continued stalling.

  “We are glad to hear that. We have notified them on Earth of your safe arrival. Your current trajectory has us confused.”

  Hawk consulted the AI waited ten minutes, then sent. “We wish to land first on Mars as we wish to visit your colony. We will be there in one hour. Does that cause any problems for you?”

  “That is fine, you are free to land. We will pass the message on to Earth Base.”

  The last reply had come quickly. Hawk saw this as an indication that there were probably no nasty surprises prepared. The Pride scanned the colony furiously as they hovered above it, then gave the all clear for a landing. Inside the colony, they were busy sending and receiving instruction from Earth and preparing for the unexpected visit on very short notice. The director of the colony was looking stressed and was trying to make sure the Tuathans got a good first impression of the colony. Hawk had decided he, Clover and a communications officer would go into the colony. He saw no reason to risk more than that. They disembarked through the ship’s airlock wearing full space suits and walked the fifty metres along a stone slab pathway from the landing pad to the colony’s airlock and decontamination area.

  “Welcome to Mars. My name is John Kelly, I am the director here.”

  “My name is Hawk. I am the captain of The Pride of Tuath and the commander of this expedition. Thank you for your welcome. This is Clover and Rivers. The rest of the crew will remain on the ship as we were concerned that we might overly tax your life-support systems.”

  John was taken aback by meeting a Tuathan for the first time. Hawk was a very small man in stature but commanded a huge presence. Their eyes were slightly larger than normal and this gave them a look of innocence that was very attractive. The lady, Clover, was very pale skinned with long black hair. Rivers had red hair worn short and he had green eyes that seemed to shine. John found it hard not to stare at them and was feeling awkward. They, however, were completely at ease. John had been told they liked to drink tea and took them to a dining area where tea, coffee, sandwiches and cakes had been laid out. This seemed to please them as they were not shy about helping themselves. Hawk smiled. “You must excuse us we have been eating replicator food and it cannot quite replace the taste of natural foods.”

  “Please feel free to help yourselves. I was not really prepared for your visit and I am not sure why you are here. It is a great honour and pleasure for us of course. Is there anything specifically I can do for you?” John had decided to grasp the bull by the horns as he was feeling out of his depth in this situation.

  “As you are probably aware, we also had a colony here many years ago. We wish to see for curiosity’s sake how you are faring. Just a general walk around and some facts and figures on the place would suffice; just the usual tourist tour around. We realize that they are probably anxious to meet us on Earth, so this is only a very short visit.”

  John was pleased to hear this as Earth had indeed pressed on him to get them to leave as soon as possible. Hawk was given a tour and he asked many questions. The colony was still far from being self-sufficient and the population numbered less than 200 at any one time. It was however capable of producing high grade moly steel although some ingredients had to be brought from earth. Hawk’s questioning highlighted the fact that The Consortium saw Mars as a safe toxic waste dump and pollution was not an issue, this gave the planet an industrial advantage in their eyes. John naturally enough asked some questions of his own especially about replicator technology. Hawk described the technology but did not go into how to actually make the machines. John also asked a question that had been on his mind ever since he had first heard about the Tuathans. “I have never heard reference to you using robotics or androids apart from AI’s .”

  “You are right , we use AI extensively. It pervades every aspect of our lives on Tuath which was one of the reasons it was decided long ago to avoid using robots to perform anything but dangerous activities. Androids have the potential to reduce human experience to a virtual life. All technology must be judged on its merits, we can either use it or end up reliant on it to a point where we are irrelevant.”

  John had not expected this response and felt confused. Here was a race who lived for knowledge and science and yet had banned what to him seemed a natural path to follow. “I would have thought that your lives would be enriched by having androids to take over the menial work in your society.”

  “Oh don’t worry our society is highly mechanised but it becomes a question of ethics. If you have androids making your food, you have lost the art of cooking. If androids pick your grapes you have lost the joy of the harvest. If androids make and bottle your home- made
jams are they really home made? Where is the human satisfaction? You open yourself up to living in isolation. When you cook or make food do you not want to share your delight with others by freely offering your creation as a gift? This is the very essence, it is the joy of life.” Hawk looked deeply at John, It was for Hawk as obvious as the nose on his face yet he could see that John was trying hard to come to terms with it. At that moment John was seeing the Alien side to Tuathan logic. He made a mental note to report this attitude to Richard and Kana, it could help in their negotiations on Earth.

  “There is a lot in what you say, Hawk. We are already developing androids and no doubt will have to confront these issues at some time in the near future.”

  “Machines are and can only be what they are, by their nature they can reduce the quality of life of their owner simply by being entertaining and useful. The owner becomes distracted, spends time with the machine that should have been spent on human pursuits. The decision to limit androids was an easy one for us due to our overriding philosophy of life.”

  The trio spent exactly two hours in the colony and met every one of the personnel. They even signed autographs. Then Hawk said it was time to leave and thanked John for his co-operation. Some of the personnel asked them to take personal items and handwritten letters to their loved ones on Earth, which they were happy to do. John watched them enter the airlock with a feeling that it would be really amazing to visit a colony built by Tuathans. That it would be far more interesting than the one he had just shown to them.

  Hawk boarded and immediately The Pride went into a high orbit. Hawk called the crew together and informed them that there had been no unpleasant surprises. He later remarked to Jay that he thought the natives seemed to be unstable, that they did not derive much joy from life. Jay said he was probably right and it would explain why they did not value life as highly as Tuathans. Hawk had always been interested in philosophy and psychology, one of the reasons he had been offered this mission. Hawk told the AI to proceed to Earth slowly. His talks with John had left him with thoughts that we wanted to explore before they arrived. He called Clover to his quarters. “Give me your opinion of Jade’s relationship with Professor Crawford, please.”