Chapter 18
For the first time since his youth, Raymond Ginyit felt lost and confused. His captives had escaped and a crazed killer was loose. Ginyit wondered briefly how much of his own identity had taken control of Apela. Focus, he thought, focus! The immediate problem is Apela. She has to be stopped. Killed or captured. She’s already slain most of the Angels of Mercy. Her movements are unpredictable, making out-thinking her nearly impossible. She may be using my memories to avoid capture. Perhaps I could trap her with some sort of enticement. What can we use as bait?
The answer came with the sound of Liechter’s voice on the intercom system requesting an audience. Ginyit granted it, and eyed him intently as he entered the spacious throne room.
“Yes, Liechter. What is it?” he asked in his most concerned tone.
“I would like to take one of the pickups and leave the station.”
“Dr. Liechter, I’m sure you are aware we have a rather extreme security breach. This is hardly the time to go galavanting around,” Ginyit said coldly.
Liechter became animated and his voice rose, “I’m not going to go galavanting around. I need to get off this station. Apela’s last intelligent words were she was going to kill me.”
“The woman is insane. There’s no reason to believe she’s going to single you out. In her current state I doubt she would even recognize you.”
“You didn’t see the look in her eyes. I know she’s looking for me.”
“Very well, doctor. If it will make you feel better, take the pickup from Gate 27. It’s just had its corbinite coils replaced,” Ginyit said with just a hint of disgust. “I’ll have it ready for you in half an hour.”
“Thank you,” Liechter said gratefully, and hurried from the room.
He had been so easy to manipulate.
After Liechter left, Ginyit said, “Computer, connect me to Major Reynolds.”
“Major Reynolds speaking.”
“Major,” Ginyit responded, “what section do you currently have Apela located in?”
“Level Two, Section Ten, sir.”
“Thank you, Major. I would like you to allow her easy access to Gate 27. Make no efforts to capture her. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father Ginyit,” Major Reynolds answered, sounding confused.
“Computer, close link to Major Reynolds and pipe this section of recorded conversation through to Level Two, Section Ten.
Half an hour later, Liechter was aboard the pickup. He had just left the station and felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief. As he began to accelerate, the thrusters suddenly stalled, leaving the pickup floating in space.
Those damn technicians. They must have screwed up the coil installation. Well, at least I’m off the station.” Getting up from the pilot’s seat, he turned to find Martha Apela staring back at him. His sense of relief turned to terror.
From outside the ship, blood could be seen splattering the frontview window. Liechter’s screams could not be heard through the vacuum of space.
Martha Apela looked down at her bloody hands and felt good. She was incapable of rational thought and had only her emotions and her confused subconscious desires guiding her. Liechter lay dead at her feet. She didn’t know where she was, but she she was safe and warm. Curling up into the fetal position, she went to sleep feeling content.
Meanwhile, on the Saint Marie, Homer had decided to keep a diary. It was an experiment to see if the process helped to sort out the disconnnected blocks of information he had absorbed over the last few days. It would also have the additional effect of leaving a separate recording of events if he should be somehow destroyed before returning to Gredoria. His first entry read:
March 3, 2327
Dear Diary,
Today, as I was correlating various pieces of info, I noticed a pattern which might explain some of the antagonism between Terran humans and Martian humans. It involves their religions, a framework they use to percieve the world.
On Terra, approximately sixty percent of the population belong to an organization called ‘The Church’, which was formed during a time of food and energy shortages in the year 2170. The Church helped to distribute food and material goods and saved millions of human lives. In response, many of the recipients of these goods became loyal followers of The Church and provided financial support.
During this same time three thousand colonists on Mars were abandoned by the Terran government. Food and supplies normally sent to Mars to supplement their inadequate crops and industry were never sent. The colonists were made up of scientists, engineers, psychologists, and doctors. To survive they became expert at genetically modifing plant life, recycling supplies, and using their resources, which included time and energy management, as efficiently as possible. As an isolated culture, they evolved a code of ethics called The Way of the New Age Friends’ and an organization to teach their children this philosophy.
The philosophy of the New Age Friends has recently started gaining popularity on Terra and The Church sees this as a threat to their own organization. The New Age Friends have incorporated modern physics into their belief structures, which are at odds with the teachings of The Church.
I find it interesting both organizations believe in the continued existence of their souls. The Church teaches the human soul goes to a place of great comfort called “Heaven.” The New Age Friends believe the soul leaves the body as a form of energy and joins with the energy of the cosmos. I seem to identify with the New Age Friends concept of life-after-death and have incorporated it into my sense of identity.
The antagomsim between Mars and The Church seems to be based on the differances in childbearing practices rather than the destination of the human soul. The Church requires a more natural method based on an entity called “God” who directs the lives of humans, The Church states humans should not interfere with his will. The Church will allow some individuals with specific damaging genetic traits to select their children from artificially inseminated eggs, but speak with great hostility of the Martians who perform this ritual prior to all pregnancies. The Church believes the Martian humans should practice the same childbearing rituals its own members do.
I have also been studying a concept called synergy, which Chris intoduced me to. It explains how humans can maintain a sense of individuality while simultaneously supporting their community or culture. Most races strongly emphasize the importance of the community over the importance of the individual. This may be an important component in making humans so creative. The concept of working for both the self and the community simultaneously, may in a synergistic process, fuel additional problem solving skills. Synergy is strongly advocated in the philosophies of the New Age Friends and may be a reason for its growing popularity on....