Jim struggled to put the test tube he held back in its tray. His head was still pounding from the night before, the New Year‘s celebrations that marked the first full year on this new world. The festivities that took place in the central dome were toasted with far too much moonshine. The engineers who had improvised the still had been heroes the night before, but today they were quite unpopular, and for good reason. Half of Jim‘s staff was down with severe hangovers, and the rest walked around like zombies with rotted out stomachs. It made their work for the new year all the more difficult.
With all their stores used up, the people of Galilee were now wholly dependant on their growing operations. The hydroponics were already stretched to the limit as it was growing plants, beans, and fruit. Now they needed to start producing more, protein rich plants, and maybe even animals. The problem was, the Deliverance‘s stores were not built to house animals, only animal embryos and sperm. That meant fertilization and breeding that would have to done from scratch. And in order to circumvent the usual growth process, they would have to introduce the growth hormones into the mix. Thinking about it all made his head ache all the more. But then again, why should he surprised? Since they had arrived on this new world exactly one year ago, they had been met with nothing but challenges. Their very survival seemed to hinge on the successful resolution of each, but with each victory came another one, and another. But that was the nature of life on the Centauri world, unforgiving, inhospitable, and unrelenting.
Jim‘s eyes snapped back open when the test tube he was holding nearly slipped and crashed on the floor. He managed to catch it just before its contents spilled everywhere. He then turned to see all his colleagues who were there staring at him.
―I‘m awake!‖ he yelled over his comm line. He heard muffled laughter come from his earpiece in response. A few deep breaths were needed to calm his heart and ease the fresh pounding in his skull, and he noticed the fog his breath was making on the faceplate of his envirosuit. Finally, he slid tube into place on the rack and decided to take a quick break.
―I‘m going to get some wake-up juice, don‘t anybody try to stop me!‖
There was some applause from the others as he slid past them and out of the sealed room.
After a quick trip through the decontamination chamber, Jim pealed off his sticky envirosuit and found himself a seat in the doctor‘s lounge. Grabbing himself a glass of ginseng tea, he lamented that they had no means to make coffee yet on this planet. Many a day he woke up and wished he could get his hands on a big cup of espresso. But unfortunately, none of the scientists back home had thought to include some of those precious beans in their large stores of growing seeds. As he sat down, a lady in a lab coat came by and began to talk to him.
―How‘s it going, Pensacola?‖ it was Marsha Bremmer, a fellow scientist who asked as she sat next to him.
―Not too good,‖ he replied, leaning his aching head back against the thin cushion of his metal seat. ―I‘ve been looking over the schedule for fertilization set by the Captain and it does not look doable without us all pulling double shifts for the next few months. How about you?‖
―Can‘t complain,‖ she said, taking a sip from her own cup of tea. ―Has the Council at least told you when they‘ll have an enclosure set up for those critters they‘re asking us to breed?‖
―Not yet,‖ he said. ―They‘ve been too busy with all this gubernorial business to talk to a lowly research scientist right now. From what I‘ve heard, they‘ve finally found themselves a candidate.‖
―Really? Who?‖
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―Don‘t you listen to office gossip?‖ Jim asked. ―They say it‘s that Grigerii fellow who works in urban planning and development.‖
―That might be good for us,‖ Marsha replied. ―If he‘s a planner, he might be willing to expand our facilities for us.‖
―Hope so. They say he‘s pretty pro-research, and has even said he‘d set aside resources to start some terraforming projects.‖
―That would be interesting. It would be about time too.‖
―Yeah,‖ Jim said sarcastically, ―if you don‘t mind all the added work it‘s going to mean.
It‘s not enough that they‘re adding animals to the breeding program, now we‘ve got to start thinking about breeding new strains of trees and plants that can adapt to the local conditions.
Real mess of work that‘s going to be!‖
―Well, at least you won‘t be taking orders from the Captain anymore. I know you don‘t like the military types too much.‖
―Does it make a difference? One tyrannical boss replaces another?‖
Finishing up her tea, Marsha set her cup down and pat Jim on the leg. ―So long grumpy!‖
she said, getting up and heading back to where they their envirosuits were stashed.
―How did you manage to stay so chipper after a night like last night?‖ he hollered at her.
―Because I didn‘t drink any of that rot gut you guys were so fond of!‖
―Oh yeah,‖ Jim said, letting his head rest against the meagre cushion again. Marsha laughed at him as she slipped her suit back on, and then ducked back through the decontamination chamber and back into the lab.
With some time to himself, he decided to let his thoughts wander a little. Anything was preferable to thinking about his throbbing headache. That, and their work schedule for the next year were things he would very much like to forget. He began looking for something to think about, something that would remind him of what it felt like to be happy. At last, something wonderful came to mind, and it took him by surprise. Trees. If Grigerii won this election and they started the terraforming program, they would be breeding trees. He had never seen any except the ones that existed in the indoor parks on TO-One or Luna. But if this worked, they could be seeing lush forests growing everywhere soon. They already knew how the nitrogen rich soil and carbon compounds would cause them to proliferate, if ever they started planting them.
And, as expected, they would help in the terraforming process, producing oxygen and making the planet liveable, much as tiny bacteria strains had done the same for Terra billions of years ago.
But more important than compounds and chemicals was the fact that they could actually grow real forests here. To think of how that would look, to be able to live outside without the need for enviro suits and pressure domes. It almost made him feel happy he‘d come on this mission. But of course, he had little back home anyway.
And with that thought, the headache came rushing back. Grabbing his temples, he wished the damn thing would pass so he get back to the usual headaches that came with this place.
Chief Bristol checked over the connections one last time. Everything was green. The transmitter dish was up and running, and from what his instruments told him, the solar batteries had collected just enough juice to power the signal for their broadcast. Across from him, a desperate looking fellow and a woman looked over and waited in anticipation.
―Well, are we close?‖ she asked her spot in the middle of the broadcasting room.
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Bristol gave them both the thumbs up. ―Close as we‘re gonna‘ get. I‘m flipping the switch in five, four, three…‖
The young man cleared his throat and adjusted his headset, pulling the microphone closer to his mouth and making sure the earpiece was securely in place. Although no one listening would be able to see him, he began to fuss with his clothes too. There was no way around the nerves, not with his level of inexperience. As one of only two broadcast journalists who had been brought aboard the survivor ship to this new world, David was entrusted with the job of broadcasting the news. To his senior, Amanda, who was infinitely more experienced, the more important job of collecting the stories fell. She had given him all the advice he could handle, but still his hands shook and he spoke too fast.
―Just relax,‖ she said to him again. ―Keep your voice and tone even and try not to speak too fast. Ready?‖
David nodded, cleared his throat one more time, and took a few deep breaths.
―How many people do you think will be listening in?‖ he asked.
―I don‘t know,‖ she replied, ―everyone?‖
―Oh boy!‖
―Relax, that‘s how many – three hundred people? And if you make a mistake, they‘ll only remember it forever.‖
―Not helping!‖ David pleaded. Amanda laughed.
―Relax! You‘re ready. Just do it like you did it last night, when you spent all of it practicing instead of getting to sleep.‖
―How‘d you know?‖ he asked.
―Experience,‖ she said.
―Alright you two,‖ Bristol interrupted, ―powers on, and we‘re ready to go!‖
Within seconds of Bristol‘s words, the transmitter room hummed to life as the power began to flow in. The service lights on the switchboard blinked on, and next to David, Amanda pointed straight at him. Without skipping a beat, he began to speak.
―Hello and welcome to the first broadcast of the Galilee Wireless Network. As part of our efforts to establish Terran settlement on this new planet, we are committed to bringing you the latest in politics, entertainment, and opinion polls as they become available. As the first news broadcasting system to be established since Deliverance, we are committed in bringing people truth and accuracy in reporting, free of taint and bias, as much as possible. I‘m David Burke, your host, and here are the top stories from Galilee.
―Our first story deals, of course, with the gubernorial elections. As of last week, candidates Grigerii, Anderson, and Marlowe all weighed in with their announcements that they would run in next month‘s election. So far, none of the candidates have established a clear lead over the others, although Grigerii‘s proposed terraforming initiatives have produced a bit of a stir and have prompted both Anderson and Marlowe to commit to counter-platforms. Both candidates at this time appear to agree that such initiatives would be a misappropriation of resources that would be better spent closer to home. Anderson, an ardent psychologist and member of the Galilean Psychic Health Organization, or GPHO, has proposed creating new recreational facilities and counsel services to address the growing problem of psychic distress and boredom that he says have become a problem here in Galilee city. Marlowe, on the other hand, has recommended the expansion of our existing pressure domes to accommodate more population growth. As part of the Engineering Union, he has been outspoken about the need to 58
expand Galilee‘s resource base, increasing our reliance on local minerals and raw materials for continued construction.‖
―Meanwhile, the economic indicators prepared by the Galilean People‘s Council…‖
It was an hour or so later when David finally reached the end of his stories. Having covered politics, important messages from Captain Greeley, and some social gossip, it was finally time to wrap things up.
―That‘s all for now, folks. I‘d like to thank everyone who tuned in and rest assured, we will be back with more of the news soon. Depending on the power situation, we can either expect to have another broadcast for you tomorrow, or later in the week. As you all know, the Captain has stressed conservation as we are still reliant on solar cells for power, and the weather around here is unpredictable at best. Nevertheless, we hope that we will be able to give comprehensive coverage during the course of the gubernorial campaign in the coming days and weeks so that the electorate can stay informed. Thank you all for listening, we hope to be with you again soon. I‘m David Burke, good day Galilee!‖
The transmitter‘s hum died down as the lights slowly blinked off and the signal died. As soon as everything had powered down, Chief Bristol dusted his hands off and nodded to them.
Amanda then looked over at David approvingly.
―How do you feel?‖ she asked.
―Like I‘m going to throw up,‖ he replied.
―Good, that‘s the right feeling. And you did good.‖
―Hoo! Yeah?‖ he asked, taking a deep breath.
―Sure! You even got a catch phrase. ‗Good night Galilee‘. I like it!‖
―But does it get any easier?‖
―Oh yes!‖ Amanda replied obviously. ―With luck, you might even become a household name someday.‖
―Shouldn‘t be hard, I‘m the only other broadcaster on this planet. And you don‘t do any of the talking!‖ he said, pointing his finger at her.
―You should be happy then. You‘ve got the market cornered.‖
―On behalf of the crew of the Deliverance and the people of Galilee, I hereby transfer all sovereign authority over the people of this new world to the honourable governor-elect, Doctor Anton Grigerii.‖
Captain Greeley held all the official documents in his left hand, signed and ready to pass over. His other hand he stretched out to Doctor Grigerii, who took it with both hands and shook it firmly. A few journalists, including Mr. Burke, and some cameramen buzzed around and snapped pictures just a few feet away.
―Thank you, Captain Greeley,‖ the Doctor reciprocated. Turning to face the cameras, he added: ―With this one gesture, we now see authority pass from the hands of the armed forces to the civilian branch. I am both honoured and flattered that the people of this new world have chosen me to act as their first governor. This is a momentous occasion for us all, and I shall dedicate myself to the furtherance of settlement and development on this new world.‖
The cameras snapped several more vids of the two men standing together with their hands joined. With their statements complete, the questions began to fly. Grigerii availed himself to answer them, while Greeley quietly withdrew to the back. Standing there, Lieutenant Mulligan, up until now, the second in command of the Galilee settlement stood and whispered to him.
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―How do you feel about this?‖ she asked.
―What do you mean,‖ he looked and muttered at her out the side of his mouth.
―You know,‖ she said, trying not to move too much either and attract one of the cameras.
―Handing things over like this. Did you ever think you‘d regret handing things over to someone else?‖
―Why should I?‖ Greeley replied.
―Because I know you,‖ Mulligan came back. ―I know when you‘re pissed about something, because you never say anything about it.‖
Greeley‘s face reddened a little. He almost turned to say something, but didn‘t at the last second. With all the attention and journalists in the room, it would be rude to do anything that could cause a scene right now. But she was right. After all the time their crew had spent together, they had come to learn a thing or two about each other. In the course of a year, most people come to learn a lot about those they work with. But after the year they had been through, everyone in his crew had come to know each other the way most people know their families.
What could he tell her except the truth?
―Maybe a little,‖ he said quietly. ―Never thought I‘d miss the job, but yeah, I think I‘m a little sad to know that it‘s over for me. You happy now?‖
Mulligan smiled, and the smile quickly faded. ―Not really. I‘m sad too.‖
―Really?‖ he asked. Mulligan nodded. ―Well, look at this way. At least now w e get to let a civilian handle all the reporters and press statements. Don‘t know about you, but those were never my thing. And now that we‘re becoming a real colony, there‘s likely to be a lot more of that.‖
―Guess your right,‖ Mulligan said with a quiet chuckle.
―Yep, hard parts‘ over, now we can get take it easy for awhile. Anyway, I‘m sure they‘ll find something for us to do soon enough.‖
“Grigerii went on to answer questions regarding the timetable the scientific community has placed on the growth of animal farms. Said he, „we should be cutting into home-grown steaks and mutton joints within a years time‟. Critics however, have stated that his plan for accelerating the growth of human settlement on Galilee is unrealistic, and will put undo strain on our limited resources. Grigerii responded to these criticisms by saying that the people are with him, and that his promise for expanding settlement is what earned him the position of governor in the first place.
“In other news, we have learned today that Governor Grigerii has created a new position in his cabinet and asked Captain Greeley‟s to fill it. The Secretary of Armed Services, as the position is to be called, will act as a military advisor to the Governor and be charged with the responsibility of keeping Galilean citizens and territory safe. This announcement came shortly after a report filed by Lieutenant Francisco, the commander of the Deliverance‟s Marine unit, that his marines have sighted another strange plant formation in the vicinity of Galilee. These plants, which they have dubbed „Devil‟s Weed‟, were spotted fifteen kilometres outside of the colony‟s outermost marker. The last time they were sighted, some weeks ago, the plants had not yet reached their current location. It now appears that they may be expanding into this area and safety precautions may need to be taken. There has been no word yet from the scientific community regarding the nature of this strange species, aside from a report filed by Doctor James Pensacola, which states that a similar finding was made over a year ago near the Deliverance Ridge. Doctor Pensacola further states that as the ranking scientist in the field, he 60
was responsible for conducting research on the species, but that his work was cut short by the relocation of the Deliverance and the colonists to Galilee. The reason for the termination of his field studies he does not dispute, he claims. However, Pensacola went on to say that the Captain also chose to dispose of all samples related to his work. This, he claims, was a mistake.
“Captain Greeley, when consulted, declined to comment on whether or not this indigenous life form might pose a threat to the new settlement. At this time, he claims, there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that this species will in any way be dangerous, but urges colonists who are traveling in the outside environment not to take any risks by exposing themselves to it. When asked why further research was not conducted into the species, and why he chose to destroy all material related to the study of this life form, the Captain commented as follows:
‗The health and safety of my crew and the colonists were of greater priority to me and at the time, I did not want to run the risk of contamination. Bringing our people to a safe location where we could begin the business of establishing a true colony seemed more important than the research of one scientist.‘
“Well, that‟s all for today. As the power situation has continued to be in our favour, I would like to invite all our listeners to join us again tomorrow at the same time. Thanks for tuning in. For all of us here at GWN, I‟m David Burke. Good night Galilee!”
In their envirosuits, Cole and Anjay could hear virtually nothing around them. About the only thing they could sense was the crunch of their boots as they marched along the rocky face.
The wind whistling against the outer shell of the protective gear also told them they weren‘t in Galilee anymore.
―Are you sure we should be doing this?‖ Anjay said from behind him.
―The doc says he needs some new vids of these things if he wants to get an analysis,‖
Cole replied.
―Yeah, but he said the marines were going to handle it!‖
―Yes, but if you remember, he was complaining about it, saying it would be forever until they came out this way again. Remember?‖
Anjay threw her hands up in frustration. ―Whatever! All I‘m saying is, we should‘ve checked with him first before we did this.‖
―Ah, he‘ll be happy as hell when he sees us coming back with some fresh new pics for him. Besides, nobody‘s going to know we‘re gone. Practically everybody‘s at that inauguration party anyway. Just trust me.‖
Anjay felt a cold shiver come over her. Maybe it was the wind, or maybe it was how she always felt whenever Cole said something like that. ―Anyway, its just over here,‖ he said, pointing over the next ridge.
A few dozen paces more, and they had to the top of the rock formation. The exact spot where the Devil‘s Weed was supposed to have reached, according to the last patrol. Cole and Anjay stood and watched for a moment, trying to see through the dense clouds to where the ground was supposed to be.
―Come on! Where are ya?‖ Cole yelled after awhile. Anjay rolled her eyes.
―Do you honestly think that yelling at the weather is going to make it cooperate?‖
Cole ignored her and continued to plead with the clouds to part. He even began motioning with his hands, sweeping them apart in front of his chest.
―Cole, maybe we should just go home, yes?‖
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―What‘s the matter with you today?‖ he asked. ―Usually it‘s you telling me to get over myself and do stuff.‖
―Yeah, maybe in the lab where it‘s safe, but we‘re out here. Who knows what goes on out here when we‘re not watching?‖
―That‘s what makes it so exciting!‖ Cole tried to usher the clouds one last time, and then got tired of it. ―Forget this! Let‘s just go down there!‖
Without waiting, he ran on ahead. Anjay hesitated for a second, but could not let him go on ahead without an escort. Somebody had to keep an eye on him. Setting off behind him, Anjay set her eyes to the ground and tried to watch her footfalls. After a few metres the clouds began to obscure her feet. When she looked up, was startled when she quickly realized she couldn‘t see him anymore. The clouds were just too dense. Remembering her comlink, she keyed it to the preset frequency and called out.
―Cole! Where are you?‖
She was greeted with a quick reply. ―What do you mean? I‘m right here?‖
―Where is that?‖
―What! I –‖ there was a pause as Cole realized he lost her in the cloud. ―Oh! Sorry!
Hang on, I‘ll find you. Where are you now?‖
Looking around in vain, Anjay shrugged her shoulders. ―I don‘t know!‖
―Did you walk into the cloud in a straight path?‖ he asked.
―Yes, I think so,‖ she came back.
―Well good, come forward a few paces. Just start walking.‖
―Okay,‖ Anjay said, ―I‘m going to count my paces, okay? Did you count yours when you went into the fog?‖
―Uh, no,‖ Cole answered.
―You‘re supposed to, Cole! The Lieutenant said, if you get lost, remember how many steps you took and check your compass to retrace your path!‖
―Sorry! Must have forgotten! Are you coming?‖
―Yes!‖ she said. ―I‘m five paces in, six, seven, eight…‖
―Good, keep coming!‖
Anjay continued to step carefully, now barely able to see her feet. She kept her eyes on the ground though, heard the crunch of the stones beneath her. She kept counting. ―…twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…‖
The colour on the ground appeared to get darker. At first she thought she saw shadowy patterns there, but realized it something on the rock itself. Feeling around with her foot, she touched the black surfaces and noticed they felt soft. For a moment, the biologist in her took over.
―Cole, what are these things on the ground here? Lichens?‖ There was no reply. Anjay looked up quickly. ―Cole! Are you there?‖
Still there was no reply. Anjay started to look around frantically. He was nowhere to be seen, and meanwhile she was stuck in an impenetrable fog with no idea of which way to turn.
There was nothing but the heavy mist everywhere. A pale light shined through in from the Centauri suns, giving it an intense glow. But nowhere could she see any shadows, any bend of light that might be a trace of something.
―Cole! Answer me!‖ she called one last time. Nothing. Unable to contain herself anymore, she began to breathe frantically. Her eyes darted in every direction, trying to lock onto something, anything with the slightest shape or outline.
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And there it was, just ahead of her. In her panic, she must have come a few metres forward, because she could see the outline of a tall plant. Cole was nowhere to be seen, but there in front of her, was a full-grown stalk of Devil‘s Weed.
Anjay‘s breathing slowed, and involuntarily she found herself walking towards it. The hazy shape improved as she came closer to it. She could see what looked like petals at the top, deep crimson leaves that clumped together and looked up towards the suns. The stalk was long and green, with more crimson leaves branching off at several points. In between there looked to be thorns of some kind. As she drew to within a few metres of it, she noticed the orangey-yellow antennas at the top that looked up at the sky. Taking it all in, she shook her head as she realized what a terrible name the marines had given to the plant.
―‗Devils Weed‘!‖ she scoffed. Something like ‗Giant Rose‘, or ‗Centaur‘s Rose‘ would have been much better. Watching it sway slightly under the sun, she couldn‘t imagine why anyone who had seen it could have thought it to be an ugly thing. Although they were tough and hardy looking, it was hardly a horrid species. Perhaps it took a biologist to appreciate it, but it had a rugged beauty. She would have to make a point to put in a request for the name change when she got back to the colony. Without thinking, she reached down for the camera, and realized Cole had been the one who brought it.
―Dammit!‖ she yelled, forgetting for a second that he was still lost. Scanning the nearby rocks again, she noticed there were several more of the stalks in the distance, and the moss was everywhere. Who knew where Cole had got off to? Keying her comlink one last time, she called for him.
―Cole, where are you? Cole? COLE!‖ Again there was only silence.
She yelled many times, each time hearing nothing in response. She pounded at her legs in anger, when a sound near her foot caught her attention. She could hear the faintest noise, almost like a voice.
―Cole!‖ she called down to i