Tundra 37 (36 page)

“How did you know she could do it?” Brentwood whispered.

“She inherited the Seers’ abilities,” Gemme whispered back, afraid to disturb her. “She has the same hypergene the Seers have.”

“But how? The Seers had no children.”

Gemme winked. “Just like the Lieutenants have their secrets, the Matchmakers have their own.”

She thought he’d smile at her teasing, but Brentwood looked furious.

“What’s wrong?”

“When the comet shower hit, and I was looking for survivors on the upper decks, the Seers directed me away from her. They didn’t think her life was crucial enough to risk losing me. I disobeyed direct orders and saved her anyway.”

“How horrible.” Gemme couldn’t imagine choosing between a disabled little girl and a lieutenant. She could never be a Seer. Even if she had their powers, she couldn’t calculate life so cold and rationally. Maybe it was such decisions over the years that made Abysme go crazy. Or maybe she was crazy to begin with. Gemme hoped Vira could handle the enormous responsibility of their job. She’d be there to help the girl every step of the way. “She sure proved them wrong.”

Brentwood smiled like a proud parent. “She’s the most important of us all.”

“Looks like you found more than hyperthium on your mission.” Ferris leaned against the portal to Gemme’s cell with a self-satisfied grin on his face. He wore his navy blue engineer uniform proudly. His new job assignment processing hyperthium fit him well.

“What do you mean?” Gemme paused, snapping the last buttons on her uniform. She checked herself in the mirror and straightened her ponytail.

“Lieutenant Brentwood? Of all people?”

Her fingers froze with her hair halfway through the elastic loop in her hair. Had he seen them holding hands? “I wanted to wait until the ship was stable before telling anyone. How did you know?”

Ferris chuckled and entered the room. “I have my sources.”

Her cheeks flushed with mild embarrassment. She’d have to get used to the idea of other people knowing about her relationship with Brentwood. At least they wouldn’t suspect her of setting up their pairing with the matchmaking system. They’d fallen in love the organic, old-fashioned way, and it thrilled her. Looking back on the past few weeks, the freedom of choice was superior to anything the computer could conjure based on genetics and analysis. To go from standing by the computer’s choices and defending her job to discounting the entire system was a stretch, and it showed Gemme how much she’d changed these past weeks.

“So you’re going to find your own match as well?” She turned the question back on him with a teasing look.

Ferris shrugged. “I guess I’ll know when the time is right.”

Gemme checked the wallscreen, feeling spoiled because they’d had full power for three days now, thanks to the first hyperthium shipment. “Speaking of time, the ceremony’s supposed to start any minute.”

“I’m waiting for you,” Ferris reminded her. “Got to look perfect for Brentwood, eh?”

“Shut up.” She threw a bath towel at his head and pulled the rest of her hair through her ponytail.

Ferris ducked and offered his arm. “If I may.”

“Only if you’ll behave.” Gemme laughed, and they left her cell for the docking bay at the rear of the Expedition.

Newly fallen snow glistened as the back panels of the
Expedition
rumbled open, and the bright rays of Solaris Prime shot in. Gemme stood on the top of the staircase with Brentwood at her side, watching the balcony fill with all of the families on the
Expedition
. Through all the destruction and desolation, there were still so many left to follow in their ancestors’ footsteps. They hadn’t failed Thadious Legacy after all. Mankind would go on, rebuild, and endure on Tundra 37. Maybe someday they’d even build another ship and try again for Paradise 18.

The landrover pulled into the bay lugging several containers of hyperthium behind it, and some bales of a new wheat-like plant that scientists had deemed edible after finding the strand in Luna’s pockets.

A wave of fondness came over her at the sight of vehicle. She’d spent so many days and nights with it, it was like running into an old friend. The crowd roared in applause, and their excitement fluttered Gemme’s stomach.

The hatch opened and Tech jumped out, his beard was a great deal longer than when Alpha Blue took off on their mission, and Gemme was glad he’d finally have some time to rest at home. People chanted his name. His wife stood rigid in the front row, looking as if she’d rather cuff him on the head than give him a welcome embrace.

“About time he came home,” Brentwood shouted over the applause. “I ordered him to last week, and he said he still had containers to fill.”

“Bet his wife thinks the same.” Gemme clapped as Tech bowed. Behind him, men pushed the hyperthium forward onto hovercarts for processing.

“I hope it’s enough to keep us going.” Brentwood caught Tech’s eye and saluted him.

“Oh, it’s enough.” Gemme raised her eyebrows. “Enough for generations to come.”

“That much?”

Gemme looped her arm around his. “For sure.”

The crowd hushed as the portal to the corridor behind them dematerialized and a grand silver in the sun emerged with wires trailing behind it. As the chair floated to the edge of the stairway, Vira’s face came into view. She looked much older than her years, and Gemme knew she’d gone through a lot these past weeks.

“She’s like the princess of Tundra 37.” Gemme stood on her tiptoes to get a better view.

“The ice princess,” he replied with a curve of his lips. “She’s a sign of hope for all of us.”

“So far, she’s doing pretty well,” Gemme said. “After all, the first order she gave was to lock up that chest.”

“Personally, I would have made you a lieutenant first.” Brentwood squeezed her arm.

“Well, that order came next.” Gemme ran her fingers over her own silver lapel pin, her instant connection to the girl. She looked forward to mentoring her as she and Brentwood led the crew into the new phase of their lives.

Vira gazed in their direction and nodded to them. Gemme waved and gave her an encouraging smile. They’d gone over this speech three times that morning. She knew Vira would speak well.

The little girl’s voice boomed over the masses. “Congratulations to Tech Dougherty and his mining crew.”

Applause rumbled through the bay, filling Gemme’s ears. She caught Ferris’s eye in the crowd standing by her parents and winked to them. They waved back before turning to Vira. The girl raised her small hands up and the applause settled down.

“And congratulations to all of you who have worked hard to successfully get the
Expedition
back online. Architects are planning new buildings, and under Lieutenant Brentwood’s instructions, I’ve sent a team to locate an appropriate place for our colony.” Her voice rose up, thundering in the high ceiling of the docking bay. “Tundra 37 is ours.”

The cheers rumbled around her, and Gemme turned to Brentwood. He winked at her and her neck flushed up thinking about the time they’d shared. She had to refocus on Vira’s speech. Even though she knew every word, she wanted to hear it spoken in this moment, from Vira’s lips.

The girl’s voice grew somber. “We’ve earned it with much sacrifice and hard work.”

Gemme thought about Luna, and all the others who gave their lives for this vision, all the generations of Lifers who lived in the confines of the ship so they could walk on a real world, underneath their own sun.

Vira gestured toward the Solaris Prime. Her voice gained strength, and Gemme recited the words with her, whispering them over the crowd, wishing for the other Lifers to catch onto her hope and believe it. “But this is only the beginning. Go now and carve your own paths in our new world.”