Bringer of Light, Chapter 41 (part three)

Having heard Captain (Ret.) Sergey Bardish’s final message, Weng dredged up old memories. Now, he must make a decision…

Sergey had done as he asked. He was on Mars. But Sergey had known Riss better. He should have listened to the old man.

Now, it was too late. Riss did not need him. Neither did Mars.

Mars—his Mars—was already fading in the past. Not in his future. But that was no reason to keep it from being in others’.

“Martin, we cannot win.”

Martin let his hand drop and stared at the floor.

“The gas cannot be used,” Weng said. “Lù yáo zhī malì, rì jiu jiàn rénxīn. This place no longer belongs to us. Live and let live.”

The Overseer yanked a lettuce cube from its resting place and threw it against one of the lab walls. He picked up another and did likewise. A third. Opened his hand, let it drop to the floor.

He stared at the floor, at the remains of the lettuce, its tiny roots spread out in a soggy tangled mess.

“We must ready to leave,” Huynh said. “Overseer, there are many who would support you still.”

Martin laughed, a thin, hollow laugh. “Me? I doubt it. And you had best start referring to me as Velasquez-shi.”

He stomped on the ruined lettuce plant, folded his arms.

“Sam, you must lead.”

“Me?”

“I am not in the best frame of mind at present. But I must agree. We can’t stay here.”

Weng nodded. His life here was not with Riss. He knew that, now. He wanted no fighting. No arguments. Just…to go somewhere else.

But where?

“How many 3D printers do we need? How many hydropons to set up? Gravity generators?”

Huynh replied, “We have already set aside the appropriate number of each, Sam. Some of us anticipated this possible outcome.”

“Anticipated? As in, you already have picked a location and constructed living spaces? Prepared water reclamation plants?”

Martin shook his head. “There are several land transports waiting. Two ships, as well. I have been in contact with those who did not trust…”

His voice trailed off before resuming, bitterly.

“…our new ‘leaders.’”

“And where do we go to start up a new colony?”

They said nothing for a few moments. Weng felt himself sighing and successfully resisted. So. They really hadn’t planned that far ahead, after all.

If they stayed on the planet, somewhere else far away from the current settler pod locations, he was sure Riss and her new “United Mars” would leave them alone.

For a while.

But eventually there would be conflict. It had happened before, with devastating consequences. Once, Weng had “flown” the Mars Warplane in a virtual museum on Lunar Base. The VR game left him with the distinct impression that it had not been a particularly enjoyable experience in reality. Certainly nothing they wanted to repeat.

They also couldn’t go back to Earth. Even if the conflict were to end before they arrived, the various UN nations would surely not forgive them for abandoning the colonies. Money and resources wasted. A new world thrown away, left to radical rebels. They would be blamed. Imprisoned, perhaps.

That left only one option.

“We will need to seek another planet for colonization,” Weng said.

There was a shocked silence.

He continued.

“Or a moon.”

Next: Bringer of Light, Chapter 42 — Meditation. A New Foundation