Colonization (The Seamus Chronicles Book 3) (16 page)

The containment field stops a little ways beyond the quarry. It’s a pretty good setup because we can go off and work with the radiation but not have to carry the rocks too far from their source. I wish I could say I planned it this way.

How Cassandra figured out the process for harnessing the radiation was concerning at first. I thought that we were coming here to experiment but it turns out she had some clear thoughts on what to do. It gave a little credibility to the conspiracy theory.

Liam shared with me that Cassandra had noticed some rock formations in the river and actually saw one of them change when a leaf was moved. She hypothesized that it was the exposure to the sun that caused the change. This makes more sense than her claim that she just thought this might work.

When the rocks are exposed to the radiation alone nothing happens to them. If you create a water bath and submerge a rock and expose the whole thing to the sun, that’s when you see some action. The rocks break apart quickly and two different substrates fall to the bottom of the bath. There is a heavier clay-like material that sinks quickly and settles along the bottom. A lighter grainy substance settles slowly on top of that. A fierce bubbling and the release of some type of gasses accompany the whole process.

The grainy substance looks similar to the soil we’ve been working in. I can imagine that once it dries out it will be close. If we could include some broken down organic matter from the trees I bet it would be an exact match.

Once removed from the water, the clay-like substance hardens quickly. It is surprisingly light but very hard. The whole thing is interesting, but materials science really isn’t my thing.

I want to understand how the water has any effect on the strength of the radiation. Back on Earth we had heavy water that was polluted by radioactive exposure, but I don’t think that materials changed state when they came in contact with it. But I also have to remember that we are not back on Earth and the rules no longer apply.

At least Cassandra has maintained the rigors of good science. She is documenting a variety of tests and carefully controlling the variables. Scattered about the quarry are a variety of shaped ingots of material. Each has a different consistency and they are ordered from softest to hardest.

Unfortunately, I have to remember that while this is interesting it will not feed us or keep us warm. Every hour we spend out here messing around is an hour where we consume resources without contributing any. I’ve been pushing to go back for a few hours, but it’s a delicate balance to not spoil sport with a ‘not invented here’ attitude.

In hindsight I should have insisted that we bring a fourth so that I wouldn’t be stuck here with these two. As soon as I catch them making out we are leaving. This gives me another reminder that Cassandra is just using my brother. When she wants him to do something she’s sickeningly sweet, otherwise she works to keep him at arms length.

“Hey Seamus. Cassie wants to work with bigger samples, do you have any idea how we might be able to break off a huge chunk of rock?” Liam breaks me from my thoughts.

“I think I know how the monoliths were carved out, but the containment field won’t let us try that idea. But if she’s run out of samples to work with we should go back to the village. This is good stuff to know but we need understand where it fits on the list of priorities.” I’ve grown enough to know that confronting my brother directly will not work.

“If you can convince her I’m happy to go back.” He says, shaking his head.

My brother has been an annoying thorn in my side for almost twelve years, but I don’t like to see him manipulated like this. Having him be frustrated with her is a good thing; maybe I can sew more seeds of discord.

“I don’t mind being the bad guy, but with Sofie we try and work together. I’m just sayin’.” I poke at the rift I see between them.

“Don’t lecture me on relationships. Cassandra may not be perfect but neither am I. She is not manipulating me, she’s just stubborn. Like you.” He’s not taking any of it.

“So you love me so much you had to date someone just like me?” I tease him.

“If you make me puke I’m going to be pissed.” He laughs at me.

“So you’re not getting me a bigger sample to work with?” Cassandra steps into the clearing.

“Seamus and I think it’s time to go back to the village and see where this work falls on the priority list. My guess is somewhere below food and water, but if you disagree you can argue about it with my mom.” Liam surprises me with his stance.

“Fine. Can we at least bring the ingots back so I can study them some more?” She asks Liam and ignores me.

“I would be disappointed if we didn’t.” My brother is all smiles as he packs up the samples and prepares to leave.

Arriving back at the village I find my father working on a leaf. He’s trying to cut it to a specific shape, a rectangle. The work doesn’t look particularly difficult but it is labor intensive. I’m not sure how I could help, so I stand there watching.

“How did things go at the quarry?” He finally asks me.

“Fine. We came back because we weren’t sure what we were doing was a priority.” My response emphasizes the ‘priority’ part.

“Communication is a huge issue for all of us. You guys were off at the quarry; the McMurdo folks are on a supply run. Grace and Sofie are working around Remmie’s’ schedule, there’s a lot going on.” Dad says.

“Agreed.” I’m listening.

“I’m making signs. Mom and I call this the boulevard. Grace calls it Centre Street, and Sofie said you are calling it Main Street. We need to eliminate confusion over simple things if we have any hope of getting past larger things.” Dad never stops working while he talks.

He’s got a point. When I first started working with real Ph.D.’s I was just a kid. I used words like ‘thingy’ and ‘whatchamacallit’ to describe scientific tools. An older scientist really called me out on it. The man said that it didn’t matter how advanced my understanding was if I couldn’t communicate using the established terms correctly.

“Do you think it’s possible that we are all being duped by the government?” I’m now thinking about those bigger things.

“What do you mean, ‘duped by the government’?” Henry appears from out of nowhere looking like hell.

“Mike was saying that some of them think this is all a test for the people who volunteered for some Mars program. Sarah wants out and is accusing mom of being a part of some government scheme.” I explain quickly.

“I’ve been around government agents, officials, and operatives long enough to know it when I see one. The Crenshaw’s scream ‘government pawn’ but you people absolutely do not. And the little kid? Please.” Henry sinks to the ground.

“Where did you go?” Dad asks with concern.

“After moving the reactor closer to the water I wanted to see if our plane was inside the containment field. Thought we might get lucky.” He smiles wearily.

“But it’s not?” I’m not sure why he looks so rough.

“No. But it’s close enough that I couldn’t resist grabbing a few supplies. I guess it took me longer than I thought.” Henry can barely keep his eyes open.

His body is covered in blisters and there is white spittle cake around his lips. Sofie looked similar to this when she was suffering from radiation poisoning, but a little worse. Henry is the only one who has gone off alone and this gives me another piece of fodder for the conspiracy theory even though I know it is untrue.

“Let’s get him in to the cabin and make sure he has some water.” Dad puts down his tools and gets to his feet.

Together we carry Henry down the boulevard and to the central cabin. We didn’t bring hinges with us so there is no door. Over the opening is a large leaf fastened at the top. Dad pushes it aside and we enter the dark cool space.

Over in a corner, taking up almost half the cabin is the life raft and Jake. I expect Grace to appear any minute, as she has been watching him, but she does not. We lay Henry down as carefully as we can.

No sooner does he hit the vinyl floor of the raft does Jake sit up and point.

“Look!” He shouts before falling back, his face contorted with shock.

“Jake!” Dad yells, hoping to get him to stir again.

I reach into the raft and slap his face a few times. Not hard but enough to wake a sleeping person. He does not budge.

“Jake! It’s okay, we’re taking care of you!” Dad is still yelling but Jake does not respond.

My sister bursts through the door. Seeing four people startles her but she recovers quickly.

“Was that Jake?” She asks.

“Yes. He said ‘look’ and then passed out again.” I explain to her.

My sister shakes her head and then steps around us. Reaching under the raft on the back side she emerges with a notebook and pencil. I should have known that she would have kept a notebook handy.

When we were kids Grace always had a stack of paper and pencil ready to go. In cars, on planes, and even outside in the hammock she was drawing and writing. She’s still writing, but now it’s not for enjoyment.

“I’ve been keeping a journal. Jake has done this seven times now and it’s getting more frequent.” She scribbles in the notebook.

“Does he always say ‘look’?” Dad asks her.

“Two of the times he woke up he said ‘see’ or at least I think that’s what he was saying.” Grace answers and looks at Jake sadly.

We all believed that Jake was affected by a physical condition. The assumption was that when we crashed he hit his head hard enough to damage his brain and put him into a coma. I had never thought that it might be a psychological injury.

Even though we have space warped and traveled faster than light several times, there are effectively no studies on the impact these activities have on the human body or mind. Even though I consider it wicked cool I guess there could be people who are totally freaked out by the experience.

Life on Locus isn’t what I would call easy. Every single time that I wake up there is something I need to do so that I can be guaranteed to eat and drink tomorrow and the next day. My hands have callouses and my muscles are often sore and tired. I am happy.

Sofie and I are living together and we have a nice little routine. We get up together in the morning and have a small meal before going for a walk. Some days we don’t stop talking at all, others are almost silent. The relationship isn’t effort-free, but it is perfect.

The animals that damaged our rector in the beginning have not come back inside the containment field. I don’t know if they avoid it because they need the sun’s radiation to survive or if there is another reason. Eventually we will be secure enough in our survival that we can track them down and learn more about them.

The first vegetables are coming in from the garden. I never thought that a string bean would bring such elation. Our rationing is proving very effective and we still have enough food to last us a couple of months.

Supplies from the two cargo planes have been unloaded and organized in the central cabin. There are plans to break down the planes themselves and use the aluminum and other materials for bigger and better shelter. The cables and wiring have been cannibalized already and most of the huts in our new village have electricity.

It’s not Earth and for those of us born there it never will be. But maybe it’s better. Like Sofie said before we left, there is no pollution, no corruption, and no crime. We have the chance to build a new civilization based on trust and respect.

In addition to mom there are three other women pregnant: Sarah, Gretchen, and Cassandra. My brother is going to be a father and I am going to be an uncle. The baby boom will be a little crazy but it needs to happen if we are going to survive.

For the first few weeks here I noticed all the things we forgot or chose to go without. Each one seemed like a mistake and I thought the omission might cost us our lives. Lately I have been marveling at the things they remembered to bring.

Today I am impressed that they brought canning supplies. As we go through the harvest each crop is divided into ‘eat’ and ‘store.’ The pile that will be stored is sealed into glass jars and placed in the cool dark confines of the central cabin. Within a few weeks there will be enough food grown on Locus stored to last us several months.

Chickens seem to have taken over some areas of the village. One of the guys from McMurdo grew up on a farm and he has a system for keeping the chickens and the roosters paired up. The approach ensures that we get enough eggs to eat and that we get enough baby chickens to keep the flock strong. We haven’t eaten any meat yet but I think it’s only a matter of time.

One curiosity about the chickens is that there have been several mutations. If all of the mutations were similar I would think they were adapting to the environment here. Unfortunately, no two changes have been the same and it seems like they are evolving into completely different species.

Jake woke up and has been feeding himself and drinking but he still hasn’t spoken. I think that Grace is waiting for him because she doesn’t seem to be interested in any of the more eligible guys. Hopefully Jake will come back to us and she won’t waste too long pining after a damaged soul.

As Sofie and I wrap up out morning walk in front of the central cabin Dad shows up with a basket of vegetables. He still gets up before everyone else and likes to ‘do things’ before any of us need him.

“Good morning, you two have a nice walk?” He asks with a smile.

“Wonderful.” Sofie answers and I think she is genuinely happy.

“We are running out of space in there!” Mom comes out of the cabin rubbing her belly, which is growing large.

“Well this is just the first load for today. There are probably another eight to ten baskets to pull.” Dad wears his satisfaction on his face.

Meeting like this has become a part of the routine for us. I don’t want to say that Sofie and I are peers with mom and dad but they now treat me like an adult. Our steady, comfortable relationship is similar to theirs and I think they like having ‘friends’ like them.

It surprises me a little that we have so much to talk about. We stand around chatting for a while until the others make their way to the cabin. Once most of us are accounted for there are some discussions about priorities and chores and then we all head off to work. There have been a few cases of people slacking off, but on most days everyone contributes something.

“Before we get started today I want to propose that we vote on a leader.” Luke, the boyfriend or husband of Sarah, is standing in front of the door to the cabin.

A chorus of ‘come on’ and ‘Aww Luke’ come up from the others from McMurdo.

“No, this collective approach isn’t going to work much longer. We need a leader and I’m willing to throw my hat in the ring.” He says with a hand up asking for silence.

Several people look to my mother, who says nothing. I can see my dad preparing to speak but mom’s hand goes to his arm and he remains silent. If someone wants to crown him or herself leader they won’t face a challenge from my family.

“Does anyone want to say a few words about who they feel should be the leader of this group? Feel free to speak in favor of yourself, I don’t mean to intimidate you into silence.” Luke’s confidence is almost unsettling.

“I don’t think we need this, Luke. We’re doing well with simple and I think it should continue.” Mike is a voice of reason and several people nod in agreement.

“Lets do a show of hands, who thinks we need a leader and who thinks collective rule is better?” Luke tries to muster support for his idea.

“Luke, a show of hands won’t work.” Mike answers him.

“Why not? There aren’t so many of us that we can’t count hands.” Luke replies and highlights a limited understanding of people and politics.

“Not everyone wants you to know how he or she voted. What if Sarah didn’t want to vote for you? Do you really think she would raise her hand and let you see that?” Mike explains the situation.

“We should vote.” Comes from the group but I can’t see who said it.

Mike looks at my mom and dad but neither of them have anything to say. Eventually my dad shrugs his shoulders and nods his head. Looks like there will be a vote.

“To save paper lets do it this way. If you think we need a leader write ‘leader’ and then the name of the person you think should be our leader. If you like the collective approach just write ‘collective.’” Mike says to the crowd.

He goes into the cabin and returns with a notebook and an empty can. He doesn’t need to count heads; Mike knows exactly how many people are here on Locus. Tearing out several pages he folds them twice and tears them apart. The empty can goes on a small table next to the door of the cabin and pieces of paper make their way around the group.

A few of us, including me, don’t go anywhere without a notebook and a pencil. I write ‘collective’ on my paper before handing the pencil to Sofie and letting her use my notebook as a table. The pencils are passed around and with so few of us the voting is quick and efficient. Folded pieces of paper are tucked into the can until everyone present has voted.

I want to delay the vote so that Liam and Cassandra have a chance for their voices to be heard. Now that we have all voted though, there is anticipation in the air and I doubt that we could wait for the results. A few minutes ago there was not even the idea of a vote and now it feels like the most important thing we have done.

Mike dumps out the can, and starts looking at papers. I think it’s a show of strength from my mom that she does not complain. If dad or I tried to count the vote there would be an outcry from Luke about favoritism and bias. The can is checked once more and the ground around the table is inspected for any errant ballots. With none found Mike is ready to announce the results.

“There were fifteen votes cast in this election. Two requesting Luke to lead us.” Mike pauses to let that sink in. “Three votes were for continuing collective rule. Ten votes were cast to have Donna lead us.”

There is stunned silence all around. Luke’s peers, those he believed were giving him the impetus to push for leadership, want my mother to be in charge. I suppose its true what they say about the power of status quo but I also know that my mom does things right.

“We’ll do this again soon. I think that organization and leadership are important parts of community, but they don’t need to be permanent or intractable.” Mom is not going to abdicate her role.

It’s an anticlimactic moment. There was a big vote and a movement for change but in the end things stayed the same. Mom doesn’t need to assert her leadership but she doesn’t need to be tested either.

“I propose a thanksgiving feast.” Dad finally says.

“We’re up like twenty chickens. I could sure go for some fresh protein!” Henry is excited by the idea.

Part of me thinks that he and dad had some of this worked out before hand. They make an unusual pair but they seem to get along well.

“Does any one strongly oppose a feast?” Mom asks.

No one speaks up. We are going to eat like kings tonight. We don’t have flour or cocoa beans or sugar so there will not be any deserts or sweets, but we have been on rations for so long. I don’t want to waste food but I can’t wait to eat until I am full.

Liam and Cassandra arrive at the gathering and my brother looks sad for missing the event, even if he doesn’t know what it is. They both say hello to a few people and then Liam comes to stand by me. Grace and Remmie appear from the path to the lake and everyone here from Earth will soon be together in front of the central cabin.

We have not gathered as a group since we arrived here. First we were scattered and then there was work to do. Once we settled into our routines we tried hard to keep at it, knowing that losing momentum could grind important tasks to a halt. Now that we are established it’s time to lift our heads up and celebrate our accomplishment.

It feels good and I am glad to be a part of this.