Colonization (The Seamus Chronicles Book 3) (5 page)

The smoke was from dad, I should have known, he loves to burn things. I’m a little frustrated that there wasn’t more discussion. I could have used that cardboard as sun protection or to write on. I’ll have to talk to mom about consuming resources.

Recycle, reuse, reduce has been a part of my life forever; I forget that my parents learned these things as adults. Any use that destroys or materially transforms something needs to be carefully thought. A deadly virus and a nuclear winter destroyed the Earth, but it could easily have been the destruction of natural resources that did us in.

Everyone was grateful that I stood with the rafts and prevented them from drifting further away. Mom was kind of pissed that I brought my reactor back and not food, but that didn’t last too long. While I stayed by the clearing as a point of reference, Henry and my family went to the rafts and brought back supplies.

The sun and the large moon are setting and the small moon is rising. The temperature is falling and I think we may be headed for our first true night. That would mean that the days on this planet are long, though it could be a seasonal thing.

“Seamus, how about you stop playing with your reactor and come up with an idea for opening cans.” Grace is annoyed with me.

In a stunning move of efficiency Liam did not pack a can opener. There were two in the galley of the C-5 and he was sure that the life of the can opener would out last our supply of cans. More of me rubbed off on him than I imagined. Unfortunately, that means a trip back to the C-5 before we can have soup.

“Grace, I can’t open a can. We just have to be patient and wait for a chance to go back to the C-5.” I want to be calm, but it’s not my responsibility to solve every problem.

“I think what she’s wondering is if your reactor is really a priority?” Mom articulates the issue she and my sister are concerned with.

“Henry and Liam are working on a shade system so someone can wait with the rafts and not literally burn to death. Dad is playing with fire and seeing if he can find combustibles. What do you want me to do?” I ask.

Sofie is trying to entertain Remmie, but she is listless and not as engaged as I am used to seeing her. She glances over at our conversation but expresses no interest in the argument. I wonder what she thinks about my use of time? Hopefully she would support me working on my reactor.

“We didn’t even save anything that uses electricity! Your reactor can’t help us here. I know it’s your life’s work, but get over it.” Grace is more animated than usual, even at her most angry.

Her blisters are getting worse and I can see that she has popped some of them. Every movement results in a grimace. Topping extreme discomfort with epic hunger is not a calming mix.

I get her point, sort of. We didn’t save any electronics on the first trip. Reactor work could probably wait until we’ve salvaged something that uses the power it can generate. But there is still the feeling inside of me that we will really need this. Much in the way it evolved into a warp unit and a solar sail I believe it will become something more once again.

This thinking brings me back to the seed of an idea from earlier. Sails and shade go together. Instead of converting this unit back to electricity generation I should keep it as the solar sail. I can configure it to block the harmful radiation but let through the wavelengths of light that we are used to.

Fortunately there are a few tools still in my pocket. There are at least four connections that need to be reseated, but that seems to be the only issue. It won’t be super sturdy with what I have but I can get it done. The next trip to the C-5 will have to include some tools. There will be another argument about my priorities, but I have to believe I’m right.

“Seamus, come help me. I want to see if we can break a piece off of one of these plants.” Dad does not care what I’m working on; he needs me for his project.

“Hold on.” I know he hates it when I don’t give details, but I need to know if this will work.

About fifteen minutes later I have all the connections reseated. In theory the reactor should be ready to function so I connect it to my laptop, which still has some battery left. I’m a little surprised when the interface shows a mass of electrons on one of the registers.

Remembering the specific wavelengths of light that reached the Earths surface isn’t too hard. I may have left out one or two, but I think the ones that are most noticeable are a good place to start. I kind of wish that Cassandra was here, she would probably know them all. It only takes a minute or two to configure the containment field to pass only good light.

The next challenge will be getting the reactor started. At Ames we needed the power from the electric grid, and not just a wall socket. The rest of the reactors were started from the original. We have no grid and no original reactor here; I’ll need to be really creative.

“Seamus, let’s go. I’m done waiting for you.” Dad is scolding me like I’m a child.

“One more minute, I think this is going to be big.” I answer quickly.

The electrons! If I dump the electrons it should kick start the reaction and project the containment field. A few more keystrokes is all it takes. The reactor is glowing and blue, and I have found yet another use for my invention. Now I have to go help my dad. I can explain it to them while we work.

When I get to my feet a shiver runs down my spine. A few of my blisters have burst, but I notice the cold. It’s not an arctic, biting cold like the winters in New Hampshire, but it’s drastically different than we have experienced so far. Looking to where I last saw the sun, I realize it’s gone below the horizon.

Moon glow continues to illuminate the planet, but without the rays of energy from the sun there is no warmth. The thin atmosphere lets’ the heat that was present during the day dissipate out into space. I wonder if planetary scientists ever studied this phenomenon from Earth?

The leaf my dad is holding is tough but not as heavy as I suspected. He’s tried to burn almost every loose item he’s found but so far nothing catches fire.

We struggle to tear the leaf. One corner of it is charred from where Dad tried to light it by leaving it in the fire but it’s not weak enough to get through.

“This reminds me of the rubber membrane we used to reroof the front porch. Do you remember that?” He asks me.

“No. That was probably Liam who worked with you.” I almost never helped my dad around the house.

“Well that stuff was a nightmare to work with. We had to use a new razor after every three or four cuts.” Dad recalls.

The point of his memory is lost on me. We didn’t grab any of the boxes with tools so a razor blade is not readily available. How do you cut something without a knife or blade? These are the things that really concern me.

Our ancestors were able to come up with methods to cut stone without metal tools. That knowledge was effectively lost during the industrial revolution. There were theories in textbooks, but implementing them is a different story.

I remember reading about diamond cutters that were still working with ancient technology. A string coated in tiny diamonds was used to cut another diamond. The friction of the diamonds being dragged by the string is what allowed them to cut the hardest surface on Earth.

“Hold on.” I say to my dad.

It takes me a minute or two to take my shoelace out. I bend the plant down so that I can reach the base of the leaf. If I can get it off the tree we might have a few more options for how we work with it. Dad has a puzzled look on his face, but he quickly helps me to get the leaf closer to the ground.

I wrap my shoelace around the stem and sprinkle some dirt over the top. After pulling on the ends a couple of times I give it one more time around. This is more like it. I’m pleased with the efficiency of cutting in both directions. It also makes me happy to know that even though I’m not used to working with my hands, I have remembered an ancient cutting method.

Dad catches on and drops to his knees to scoop a handful of dirt. He sprinkles it on the leaf and I can feel the shoelace bite into the plant. Progress is faster than expected, and after no more than three minutes we are almost through the stem.

“Seamus my boy!” Dad declares as the leaf comes free from the tree.

He takes the leaf and heads back to where his fire is burning. I can tell that he wants to untie his shoe and start cutting the leaf itself. Managing to resist, he finds an open space, drops the leaf, and sits down on top of it. The lace of his right shoe is undone almost before his butt hits the ground.

My hands are actually pretty cold, and holding them over the warm fire makes me feel better. Henry has managed to drag Jake closer to the fire and everyone else is here too.

The temperature has dropped sharply, and although it’s not literally freezing we can see our breath. The atmosphere must be so thin that it does not help retain any heat. We can make it through the night, uncomfortably, but consistent, reliable fire will be important for future nights.

“Seamus, can you help me cut off a few more leaves? I think we can use them as some bedding. Even if people don’t want to sleep they might stay warm under a leaf.” Mom is looking to solve the immediate problem of our comfort.

“We should be careful not to kill any of the plants. I’m okay with harvesting, but not destroying.” Our impact on this ecosystem is fascinating, but I want it to be minimized.

“Look at you, physicist, space traveler, and environmentalist. Seamus Robinson in the jungle is something I never thought I would say.” Mom nudges me with a smile.

We make quick work of the first leaf and then head several plants deeper into the forest. The next leaf comes off quickly as well. While I know some of it has to do with getting better with our rudimentary tools, I feel like the plant matter is weaker.

Stopping at the third leaf, I look back towards the fire but I cannot see it. This is the furthest any of us has been on this planet. Mom and I pull the leaf to the ground and I kneel to scoop some soil to facilitate our cut.

The ground here is different. It’s drier and almost sandy. This material feels like it will be far more efficient for cutting.

The leaf comes off easily and I start to search for the next one. I want to go deeper and continue discovering changes. Mom is holding the three unwieldy leaves but struggling.

“Mom, leave those on the ground there and we’ll get one more. I don’t think either of us can carry more than two at a time.” I tell her before turning to go a few meters further into the jungle.

After pushing a leaf to one side I stop dead in my tracks. Directly in front of me is another monolith. It’s not as tall as the one Sofie and I saw at the water’s edge and it is a different color, but the proportions seem to be the same.

When mom comes up behind me I can feel the tension as she sets her eyes on the object. Together we stand in silence for several breaths.

“This looks similar to one Sofie and I saw down by the water’s edge.” I comment eventually.

“What now?” Mom responds.

“Sofie and I saw a monolith just like this except it was bigger and a different color. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it because of the tide coming in.” I say without turning to face her.

“So in all those silent hours paddling the rafts to shore you didn’t think to bring this up? You would have a meltdown if Liam saw one of these and didn’t tell everyone.” She may have a point, but that was the old me.

“I don’t have meltdowns with Liam any more. Besides, it may be just an interesting natural phenomenon. Remember the ‘Giant’s Causeway’ in Ireland?” I answer while taking a step closer.

“I would buy natural if there were hundreds of them. This feels more like a moai or the beginning of a henge.” Mom answers with a little awe in her voice.

“You’ve seen one of these things and your jumping to moai or henge? No offense mom, but I thought dad was the one with the active imagination.” I answer her speculation with criticism.

We both step to the object and reach out a hand. We share a quick look full of concern and curiosity just before we touch the object.

The thing is smooth and cool and I get the impression that the color is infused inside, not applied to the exterior. There are no visible markings and I cannot decide if it is polished or just smooth.

“Well at the very least this can be a good marker for how far we’ve traveled. Let’s get the first four leaves back to the others and then we can talk about what to do next.” Mom leaves the object and begins her part of the leaf cutting process.

The night has been long and arduous. Mom and I wound up harvesting about twenty leaves for the nine of us. They provide a little warmth but comfort is not a part of the equation. Dad ran out of combustibles a while ago but I think we are past the half waypoint of the night. The end of the fire seemed to dash our spirits and my own emotions seem to swing between fear and boredom.

Just as I am about to fall off to sleep dad gets to his feet and begins moving purposefully. I can’t imagine what he’s up to but I’m not going to miss it. Henry beats me to him, but they don’t speak before I arrive.

“I’m friggin cold. I figure if I leave now I can get to the plane before the sun comes up and the water starts to rise.” Dad says.

“We need to be careful about burning energy. If you don’t make it all the way to the plane you’re wasting resources.” Henry is practical and disciplined.

“Well, I’m done shivering under a leaf too.” Mom surprises us all.

“If we walk-jog to the plane I think we can get there in time to hand carry some supplies. We’ll walk back just ahead of the water and bring the rafts back with us.” Dad sounds like he has been thinking about nothing other than this for hours.

There is a long silence. Dad’s plan is as good as anything, but I’m not sure he covered all the bases.

“Who’s going to stay here?” I ask.

“Hmmm.” Dad didn’t think of that.

“I will. We need to push further into the jungle and start laying out a village. Sanitation in particular needs thought. You boys going wherever you want is like a pack of dogs marking trees.” Mom responds.

“I’m going to the plane.” Liam chimes in and rolls his eyes.

“Do you think Grace would mind staying here with Jake and Remmie?” Henry asks. I’m sure he’s not comfortable leaving Jake.

We turn and look at Grace, who is watching us from under her leaf with Remmie. She nods subtly, and either assumes what we’re asking or just doesn’t care.

“So it’s settled. The guys are going to the plane and the girls are staying here. We’ll be back in a while.” Dad gives mom a gentle hug and a quick kiss.

I don’t like the way dad said boys are doing one thing and the girls are doing the other. It simply happens to be where out interests lie. Sofie or Grace could come to the plane and add as much value as I can. In fact I may be more suited to logically laying out a community than mom is.

“What’s going on?” Sofie is late to the party but it’s good to see her up.

“How are you feeling? Your color seems to be coming back.” Mom says to her.

“I feel a lot better, thank you. I just hope it continues.” Sofie answers.

“Well it’s a miracle, so I hope it continues too.” Dad jumps in.

“Actually, I set up my reactor in the solar sail configuration. I tweaked the settings to block all the wavelengths of light that were not common on Earth. Just like it shielded us from the Galactic Cosmic Rays in space it’s protecting us here as well.” I explain as much as I think they need and can handle.

“Seriously?” Dad looks at me a little sideways.

“Perhaps that is the explanation for why we all have more energy. Does the shield cover the whole planet?” Henry asks a great question.

“It’s hard to say how large the protected area is but I do not think it covers the entire planet. In fact, I’m not sure it will cover us out to our plane, let alone the space plane.” I have no problem admitting what I don’t know.

“Well you were right, this is big. I just wish you had told us what you were doing.” Dad can’t miss a chance to lecture.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. We should probably get going, though. Just because we are protected from the bad radiation doesn’t mean it won’t be hot.” I shift my focus to Sofie and study her face for any signs of lingering weakness.

“We’re heading to the plane for a supply run. Do you feel up to joining us?” Dad invites Sofie; it’s not a boys and girls thing.

“I’m staying here to figure out how to arrange a village.” Mom pipes in.

“Ooh I used to kick ass at Sim City. I feel much better, but can I stay and work on the village?” Sofie found something she’s interested in, and after not feeling well for most of the earlier work I’m sure she wants to chip in.

“Of course.” Mom and Dad answer in unison.

Dad and Henry turn to leave. Liam races ahead of them, he always wants to go first. I wait a minute for them to go before approaching Sofie.

“Take it easy, you still aren’t back to full strength.” I tell her.

“Thanks for your concern, and thanks for getting the solar sail up. I’ll never know how you come up with these things but I probably owe you my life.” Her smile takes away the cold I have been feeling.

“I’ll see you in a while, when we get back. Bye.” I touch her awkwardly on the arm.

“Be careful.” She leans in and gives me a kiss.

I may be able to float to the plane.

The ups and downs of emotion are frustrating. Some days I am so confident and sure that she’s my girlfriend, and I can basically kiss her whenever I want. Other days I worry that she’s not really into me and I need to be careful about how I act around her. Trying to figure out what drives the insecure days only creates more insecurity, the list of reasons she could stop liking me is long.

“Seamus, before you go would you mind moving the reactor? Now that I know how important it is I think it and the monolith should mark the center of our village.” Mom is planning already.

The move was simple, a matter of meters. In the little time it took the other three guys opened up quite a gap.

Rather than catch up with them I hang back some distance. I feel good about everything right now and I want to hold on to that feeling for a little while longer. Emotional lows will likely outnumber highs for a while so savoring the highs is especially important.

Without being cliché I understand for the first time what it means to have someone make you stronger. Before Sofie I believed that strength could only come from within. The will to continue anything had to come from an internal drive. Now I know that you can be strong and push hard for someone else.

Sofie is not my ‘rock’ or my ‘pillar’ as I used to hear kids at school call their significant others, but she is my balance. When I want to quit or complain her face comes to me and I know that I cannot, she would never. If I’m too excited or think something is done she reminds me that there are more challenges ahead.

The idea of a pillar distracts me. Why do I always get distracted when I’m thinking of Sofie? The monoliths we found could be pillars. But why would there be a pillar standing all by itself? I wonder if there were ever ancient Roman pillars found standing alone in random places?