The heavy metallic gate opens with a crash and a blare of sunlight filled the seemingly empty garage filled with an odd assortment of brass gears, wheels, tanks, valves and gauges. As the echo of the gate dies down “ ‘sat you Jade?” a gruff voice asks from the darkness.
“Who else would it be” responds the female silhouette standing in the door frame.
“Well arriving at this time I’d expect it to be an angry client who’s fixin’ to castrate me because I told ‘em my best runner’ll be on the job”
“take it easy , I’m what 12 minutes late?” she replies coolly walking into the center of the garage, travel worn jeans held up by suspenders, on her hips a holster with two guns resting gently at each side. A tight fitting tee-shirt underneath a leather bomber jacket with a large patch on the back embroidered with “Steam-Runner’s Union” shoulder length choppy red hair framing her face. Her skin is an off color, an almost orange-brownish hue.
“More like 25, you know that even a few minutes can throw the whole day outta’ whack. Get suited up, I’ve promised these clients they’d have their package by mid-day… That gives you 40 minutes all together”
“Hey, you said it yourself, I’m the best runner you’ve got, where’s this going, Nerio right? I can make that run in under 30. Where’s ol’ cloud skipper”
“Right where ya’ left ‘em kidd-o, and yeah you can make it in 30 but you seem to forget not all of our dealings are legal”
“In that case I’ll make it in 20” she said with a smirk as she walked towards a wall with a number of large tanks with various tubes and valves “What type of illegal we dealing with this time?”
“You know we get paid more for not askin’ anythin’ right?”
Picking up what seems to be two large iron tanks with a series of tubes running along the sides, jutting out from the sides were two handles on front two straps. Pulling the straps over her shoulders and checking the various pressure gauges “aw you know me Rich, always curious”
“Yeah well they said it was very and I mean very time sensitive”
“Rich,… I thought we stopped doing bomb drops”
“you know these times are rough Jade, besides I never said it was a bombdrop, neither did they, I just think it is, I think it’s in all of our best interest that we get this package outta’ here and to its proper destination. He says stepping into the light of the garage with a small package in his hands, his skin the same color as Jade’s “We’re getting paid top dollar for this one too, you best hurry up” handing her the package carefully.
“yeah yeah” tying a green bandana around her face and pulling a pair of aviator goggles on. “We’ll I’m off.” She says as she sprints back out the garage, jumping as soon as she makes it past the gate. At the height of her jump a loud roar and a blast of steam are the only things that the senses can comprehend. She blasts off into the sky leaving the red desert below her feet. Soaring a few stories above the ground “G’mornin’ Mars, lovely day for a bombdrop isn’t it?”
_
Diving westward and only pulling level until she’s a few feet above the ground, kicking up the Martian dust, leaving a trail of mud behind her cruising at an easy speed of 110 MPH for a good five minutes until she catches a minute flash in the horizon, reflexes kick in and she pulled up straight 90 degrees soaring up into the sky, spinning slowly take in her surroundings.
“you’ve gotta’ be shitting me” she says to no one but herself “fucking bandits.” Keeping her left hand on the butt of one of her guns and her right hand on the throttle she dives westward again into one of the many canals hoping to lose them. Checking behind her shoulder every few seconds to mark their progress, a group of seven gaining on her but flying above the canal.
You stupid fucking cunt why’d you dive here now they’ve literally got the drop on you. Enough of this running bullshit looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands, time for cruise control she curses herself as she flicks a switch next to the throttle. Savoring the few moments she has before the chaos she closes her eyes and lets the adrenaline pump through her veins. In one fluid motion she turns on her back and pulls out her two double-barreled revolvers; the one in her left hand a bright silver in her right a deep black. weren’t expecting a sweet lil’ girl like me to be packing two 12-shots were you fuck faces? she thinks to herself as she shoots off three rounds from each of the massive guns hitting one of the bandits square in the chest, the bullet passes through his chest and an explosion of steam sends the other six sprawling throughout the sky; the shrapnel from the tank takes out another two. With each shot she sinks closer to the ground arching her back to keep level. She fires off another six rounds in the direction where most of the bandits crashed in the canal, she hears a scream and knows she hit at least one more of the bastards.
“Ya’ had enough yet? Why don’t ya bastards go back to the flatlands before you all end up dead” she screams at them shooting madly as she circles the two left standing, though the only thing that can be heard is the roar of her steam engine and the continuous blasting coming from her guns until even that dies down to a soft click. She circles the area again counting the bodies and then it hits her, there we’re seven, she only took out six of them, she’s out of ammo and flying in circles above the ground. Quickly spinning scanning the area for one more impact site if she was lucky the bandit would’ve turned tail but she knew Martian criminals, they never give up. She spotted him out of the corner of her eye and made a b-line straight for him, he was just standing up getting his bearings, the blast knocked him unconscious it seems he hadn’t noticed her until it was too late and she came straight at him, pulling up at the last second her foot connecting with his jaw knocking his head clean off.
“Woah” she gasped as the red pool of blood beneath her shrunk as she ascended “That was cool…oh shit” checking her watch the whole ordeal had only taken 15 minutes she still had time to make it to Nerio, but she’d have to floor it. She rose out of the canals to see that the pursuit and ensuing fight took her in more or less the right direction, but that didn’t change her mind, she pulled the throttle as far back as she could and spun madly throughout the air reaching speeds of close to 250 mph. she could see the town of Nerio from here from what she could remember of the address was that it was on the southeast part of town, she veered to the left and ascended higher into the Martain Noon. She was on the outskirts of southeast Nerio, she released her throttle and checked the address, only to speed off again, flying low she weaves her way through the buildings until she finds the right address, a large saloon, as she flies by she drops the package in an open window and speeds up into the air, switching on her CB radio.
“told you I’d make it in 20, they wanted a discreet drop right?” she says with a smile into the receiver.
Rich’s deep voice comes through the receiver “See why I said you we’re my best runner, I’ll let ‘em know it’s there.” After a few short seconds of radio silence “Alright get back to the shop, and be careful someone said there was bandits on the main routes.”
“Oh no whatever will I do?” she says sarcastically “see you in twenty” checking over her shoulder back at Nerio she can see a small cloud of smoke spiraling up from the southeastern part of town.
Jade steps into the garage, slinging off her pack as she walks towards the lockers
“what the hell’re you doing?” rich exclaims from the back
“you act as if there’s any more deliveries within the next hour” she replies as she hangs up her steampack.
“god damn it…you’re actually right… well stick around the shop don’t need you drunk for the rest of the day”
“Who said anything about getting drunk?” she says slightly crestfallen as she pulls out a cigarette
“ I could tell by the look in your eye kid, besides y’know flying drunk’ll get ya killed.”
“If you’re an idiot who can’t fly” lighting the cigarette
“You’re next run is to steamco”
“Fucccck you know I hate those fascist”
“Fasicist? Those so called fascisit are the one reason we’re not under imperial rule”
“yeah but they dominate all aspects of Martian economy, it’s a load of shit”
“So? We’re free aren’t we? No cops, no army, no fuckin’ empire”
“those fucks are just as bad”
“What’s your beef with Steamco anyway?”
“They have a huge monopoly, not only on Martian transport but energy, and the medical industries, and besides haven’t you heard of their goonsqauds? Sounds a lot like Nazis and the Gestapo to me”
“The wha?”
“Earth, 1930’s- to ‘40s Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party which oppressed many different people, suppressed free speech, and committed a large scale genocide on the Jews”
“oh… that sounds pretty terrible
“Exactly, and the Nazis had a secret police force called the Gestapo which silenced anyone who opposed the Nazis ”
“And you’re saying that Steamco has people like that?”
“Why do you think that they were so adamant about a police free Mars back during the revolution? It ain’t as bad as the Nazis but it’s not far from it”
“You’re a smart kid jade, I don’t see why you dropped out”
“I just love flying man, besides the university, just promotes Steam-co approved ideals ”
The roar of a steam engine is heard outside the garage, a young man lands at the gate. Unkempt blonde hair poking out from underneath a leather aviator helmet, a light beard extending from the ear flaps, his t-shirt and pants can both be described as ragged. On his feet a pair of worn out leather boots.
“Yo Stanley how’d yer run go?” Rich asks
“Slow as shit I bet.” Jade says flopping down on a couch across from the lockers
“at least I wasn’t late, I bet you just got in didn’t you” Stanley says smirking.
“Yeah from my first run, made it to Niero and back in under 40 minutes”
“bullshit” He replies with a mixture of disdain and awe in his voice
“Nope, she ain’t lyin’ th’ girls good, a pain in the ass but good” interrupted Rich.
“Whatever, So what’s my next drop?”
“Just got some mail that needs to be delivered to CMC”
“how much?” Jade burst out
“Will you mind your business Jade, this is my drop… how much?”
“ a shitload. You know the holidays and all”
“Enough for one person?” Jade asks inquisitively
“Nah, looks like we’d actually need two runners on this job, seeing as you’re the only two back from the first shift it goes to both of you”
“Race ya’” Jade bursts out.
“Stakes?” Stand asks, his interests piqued.
“I win, you do my next drop to steam-co”
“And If I win?”
“You won’t, but by some miracle if you do I’ll cover half of your drops for the day”
“That don’t seem fair if you lose” Rich says slightly dumbfounded by Jade’s proposal
“I won’t though. Besides if he were to take on mine we’d be back-logged and I’d have to cover his ass anyway, so just the one drop’ll suffice.”
“Cocky”
“Pussy”
“Will you two quit the banter and get to fuckin’ work already.” Rich exclaims barely hiding the amusement in his voice.
“So we got a deal ?” she says smirking
“Yeah, you’re on. Hope you like seeing dust clouds”
“Oh please, look at the bright side, at least now you’ll have an excuse to stare at my ass”
The three of them stand outside the depot. The two runners with burlap satchels at their waists standing before Rich.
“Alright you two know the deal” Rich states as if reciting a creed “this is a race between Steam-runners; as with any race between steam-runners the rules are simple the first one to deliver the package and return to the depot is the winner. A wager was placed upon the outcome of this race; a steam-runner’s word is bond. Should a steam-runner break their word a duel is acceptable at the discretion of the winner. There is no such thing as cheating but violence is forbidden. Runners do understand and agree to these terms?”
“Jeez how many runners out there do you think still remember that?” Stan blurts out “I thought that died with the union”
“It’s only dead if we let it die.” Jade retorts defiantly
“I said, Runners do you understand and agree to these terms?” Rich repeats
“Yessir” the two runners repeat in unison.
“On yer mark…git set..Go”
The two runners sprint for a good ten feet before the deafening roar of their engines starts up and they shoot up into the air in a cloud of steam leaving a puddle of mud beneath them. They both climb into the air before leveling out and darting off into the orange Martian landscape. Intentionally lagging behind Stan Jade glides easily through his slipstream picking up momentum and velocity. The skyscrapers of Central Mars City Can already be seen to the north.
“C’mon you call that flying?” Stan calls back to jade mockingly
The damned fool can’t even tell I’m fucking with him Jade thinks to herself as she tightens her grip on the throttle preparing to slam it back. Angling herself so she’ll whiz just by Stan’s head Jade pulls the throttle as far back as possible.
“I guess you’re all talk and no g-what the fuck?!” Startled by the sudden overtake Stan momentarily loses control and quickly loses speed, altitude, and his balance. Hurtling towards the ground and instinctively remembering drop protocol; feet first throttle up. He pulls back on the throttle and blast of steam sends him back up into the sky, soaring to a higher altitude that Jade. He shifts his weight and enters a forward dive straight towards Central Martian City using gravity to increase his velocity and gain on Jade.
Nearing top speed Jade flips into cruise control as she nears the border of Central Mars City. Checking over her shoulder to see how far behind Stan is. Catching on to his plan she dives until she’s only four feet from the ground and sharply turning counter clockwise kicking up a huge dust cloud in her wake as she continues her circle for two more laps then darting off towards CMC.
Too focused on CMC and not his surroundings Stan is caught off guard by the dust cloud and before he knows it he’s blinded by the dirt and dust. Slowing his speed and his descent as he regains control.
Swerving through the streets of CMC Jade quickly finds the CMC postal corp. She lands right at the door and enters not bothering to remove her gear, body covered in dirt. She hands the satchel filled with mail to the first worker she can find and rushes back out without a word. Jumping and starting her engine once she’s in the street, ascending above most of the buildings of CMC. Heading south back towards the depot she sees stand just as he enters the city limits and can’t help but laugh at the expression of surprise, scorn and admiration. She sets her throttle to full speed and kicks in the cruise control.
Landing back at the depot making her way through the other runners Jade finds Rich at the Dispatch booth.
“Shit that was fast” Rich exclaims “what happened to you?”
“Spent most of my time fucking with Stan to be honest, got a little dirty in the process, Am I done for the day?”
“Well the Steamco drop was supposed to take a few hours, you know how they are with their paper work an’ shit. So yeah I guesso, You headin’ home?”
“Yeah, I need a shower after creating that dust cloud for Stan”
Letting out a huge bellow of a laugh “you’re too much for me kiddo. Git home safe see you in a few days kid”
“Yeah, See ya’ then. Tell Stan I said to have fun with all that Steamco Bullshit.”
Jade steps out of the shower walks toward her bed and turns on an old stereo system. It’s a shame these things are so hard to come by here on Mars Picking out a CD and placing it in the tray; John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things floats through the air Say what you will about Earth…but nothing beats their music. she says softly to herself as she tosses herself onto the bed. Reaching towards her jeans hanging off of a chair nearby and fishing out a pack of cigarettes. Placing one between her lips and lighting it. She watches the smoke spiral up to the roof as she hums along to the modal melodies. She tosses the cigarette into an ashtray and lets herself be carried off to sleep by Coltrane’s quartet.
Two days later Jade arrives at the depot and despite the fact that most of the runners are there. Jade immediately finds Rich.
“what’s going on why’s everyone so quiet?”
“It’s…. Stan” Rich says choking on his words “He didn’t make it back from the Steamco job the other day, I figured he went straight home after… and he was supposed to show up yesterday… but he didn’t… I figured he was too burnt out from all his work yesterday… He didn’t show today either… I got worried sent some people to scout his routes… he’s dead Jade. He got killed by some bandits on his way to Steamco.
“Where?” Jade utters with a vacant expression painted across her face
“ ‘bout 15 miles southeast of Steamco. City”
“I’m going” she replied with a fire stirring in her voice
“We’ve already got people getting’ the corpse” Rich replied grimly.
“Tell them to wait. I’m not going for the corpse” she exclaims, retracing her steps out of the garage.
“Then what the hell’re you goin’ for?” Rich replies
Pulling her goggles over her eyes, checking the gauges on her steam-pack “To find out who killed Stan…and kill them” She said with a fire burning behind the goggles.
Wiping the steam from the inside of her goggles before she took off. She climbed the Martian sky until she hit the cloud line, setting her engines one stand-by as she stares off into the horizon. She pulls of her goggles and runs her sleeve across her face. Weeping as she takes in the Horizon, the sky; blue spotted with puffs of white stretching onto infinity until it finally met the orange playas and deep red canyons. It was the first time in a while, since she first began flying that she realized the beauty of the planet she was privileged enough to live on. She dried her eyes and flew off into the Horizon.
Grabbing her radio; “Rich, Who’s getting the corpse? Put me through with them”
“Its uhh… Xiang and Agnes” she hears over the wind and static. “Told ‘em you was on your way. They we’re just about to bag the corpse, they seem pretty pissed”
“Don’t really give a shit… Xiang should understand he’s an older runner he should remember the Union.”
“Yeah…Stan was a good kid…I was hopin’ someone would remember the ol’ days. You’re a good kid Jade” The radio goes silent as Jade floors it until she can see Steamco City in the distance, slows down and drops her altitude. She levels out and scans the landscape until she catches a glare in the orange desert. She glides towards the glare until it turns into three growing dots. She lands and walks to the scene.
“Jade” Xiang says with a quiet dignity in his voice.
Agnes Keeps her mouth shut as Jade inspects the corpse.
“One shot to the skull…No way this happened flying… Stan might’ve been a crap flyer but not that bad…but the sand around his body looks like he crashed down here” Jade thinks aloud as she examines Stan’s lifeless body. “You guys touch the body at all?”
“Not yet” Xiang says solemnly “We just got here when Rich told us you were coming…What you’re doing Jade…Is good.”
“See any shells nearby? His gun’s were out so they definitely didn’t catch him off guard…you guys see any shells?”
Xaing replies “Nope”
He doesn’t have the package… so that means he was coming from Steamco. But it looks like He came down while going towards the city… None of this makes sense.” Reaching for her radio and pressing down on the transmitter; “Rich…did Stan make his drop?”
“I was jus’about to find that out… you know how them Steamco offices are”.
“Alright…Look this kill seems a bit weird. Couldn’t’ve been Bandits… I know that sounds crazy but I’ll explain… find out who was sending that.
“I’ve got runs to do today you know? I’m going to give Rich so much shit for making me do this” Agnes snaps at Jade. Xaing simply closes his eye as Jade wheels around and plants a fist across Agnes face. Agnes sprawls across the sand her lip bleeding.
“Don’t you ever disrespect a dead-man like that again you little piece of sh-“ Jade screams as Agnes quickly reaches for her pistols. Jade’s instincts take over, stomping on Agnes’s wrist before her fingers reach the holster. Swiftly grabbing one of her twelve shots and lining up both barrels with Agnes’s eyes.
“You just gave me every right to paint this sand with your brains I hope you realize that kid”
Trembling Agnes crawls backwards across the sand slowly, wanting to look to Xaing for help but too fearful to take her eyes off of Jade.
“You’re not even worth it though…a good runner is dead right there, there doesn’t need to be a young one right next to him” Jade says coldly as she holsters her gun. “Go back to the shop, Xaing and I will take this…we’ll take Stan back”
Agnes flies off. After a short while Xaing approaches Jade “You hold onto dying ideals… but they’re ideals worth dying for never forget that.”
They place Stan’s rotting corpse into a black bag and they both carry it back.
“Quiet nights of quiet stars” Jade thought to herself as she laid across her rooftop, bottle of whiskey in one hand, cigarette in the other. Looking up at the stars reminded her of Stan. The song so strange to him at first, but he later grew to love, the same way he did with her. It was Their song. Portuguese sounded so strange to him, Jade told him it’d grow on him. He eventually would mimic what he once thought as gibberish.
Two weeks after his death and she was now here; drunk, depressed, angry, and directionless. The whiskey burned her throat, but she never grimaced. The moons were full, the tears came like memories
The night was cold, like tonight. The moons were full, like tonight. I was drunk, like tonight. He was drunk too. He could tell I was cold, I was wearing his jacket. Shivering as liquid fire slowly fills her mouth and spreads throughout her body. I said I was still cold, he grabbed my hands, they were warm. The sting of hot tears pierces the cold. His kiss completely captured me, everything about that one single moment was perfect. It wouldn’t have happened any other way than that, neither of us would settle for anything less than perfect.
We laid there, silently for a moment; gazing into each other’s eyes. We both knew it couldn’t be more than just that one moment, that one night, but we didn’t care we both wanted it for so long, all the banter, all the competition the jokes, the sidelong glances across the garage, led up to this one moment, and that’s all it would be, one moment, one night.
Two weeks pass by as Jade flies into the garage. Pulling off her goggles and making a b-line straight for Rich’s booth. “Any word”
With a grin on his face “Finally, they never got it, He was killed before hand.”
“And he didn’t have the fucking package on him!”Jade screams “look up who sent it, we have the right to now.”
“let’s see “he says clicking away the computer. After a few seconds and a good amount of furious typing; “A mister James Orwall…. From…AthenIa.”
“…Imperial?”
“With that name and that location…most likely.”
“Get me an address.”
“Jade don’t go killing imperials”
“I really doubt this guy had anything to do with it, but I want to know what was in that message, someone didn’t want Steamco getting that, I’d like to know what it is.”
“And then kill them?”
“Of course.”
Jade soars through the clear Martian sky towards Athenia. At the meeting point of the horizon she can see tall white skyscrapers, black paved roads soon paint the desert below her as she approaches the city limits. She flies until she hits the no fly zone and flies around the border until she finds the nearest entrance to the airway.
The deeper she goes into the city the more people she begins to see walking along the paved roads. She works her way through the intricate city all the while straining her eyes against the brightness of the city.
She lands and walks though a dense crowd down a few city blocks. She stands out among the crowd. Her bulky steam-pack disrupts the flow of all pedestrian traffic. Many people stop and stare and the two very large guns hanging off her waist. Her skin tone is darker, more Martian than the rest of the crowd. Her fiery red hair shines among the crowd of brunettes and blondes. Her dirt stained clothes a smear on the clear canvas light blue suits, her steam-pack’s iron tanks shining against the crowd’s leather briefcases.
She works her way through the crowd, unable to adjust to the speed of having to walk, envious of those still on the airway above her. She finds her destination, stands in front of the building in shock. Pressing down on the radio’s transmitter; “Rich, you’re not gonna’ believe this shit” She says dumbfounded.
“What is it?”
“Imperial as fuck…it’s the fucking embassy.”
After a few seconds of radio silence “You’re shittin’ me, you goin’ in?”
“Of course, I came here to find some things out, and I will” she says boldly
“You know they’re gonna’ take your guns right?”
“I’m not gonna’ need ‘em, I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Jade walks through the gate holding her guns by the barrel and hands them over the first guard she sees as she takes off her heavy steam-pack. Another guard approaches gesturing to take it from her. She glares at him; “No way in hell. This isn’t some Steamco steam-pack, this is a custom piece of art, no one touches it but me, the same goes for my guns you so much as think of pulling those triggers you’ll be looking down those barrels”
“Not a problem Ma’am we we’re just trying to help, but I hope you understand we needed to take your guns, protocol.”
“That’s the only reason you have ‘em. Don’t lose them”
She walks towards the front desk. Gives her information and asks where she can find Orwal. The receptionist looks at her strangely as she looks up the information.
“James Orwall can be found on the fifth floor of the western wing in room 5121 in the Martian relations department”
“Thanks” Jade says blankly accepting her visitors pass and walking into the building. Once she enters the actual building she quickly becomes the tallest and brightest person in sight. She reaches the fifth floor and quickly finds the office number.
Looking up from his desk as Jade knocks on the door James Orwall is a lanky and tall, by Earth’s standards at least. Dark hair and light skin. His green eyes peer through the glasses hanging low on his nose.
“… A steamrunner?” he says inquisitively.
“Yeah… I understand had you some business with my outfit recently”
“Please take a seat” he says straightening up behind the desk.
Jade steps into the room and drops her steam-pack on the floor in front of his desk.
“I trust everything is fine?”
“The runner sent out on your drop was killed, before he managed to deliver your parcel”
“Oh. I see, Bandits?”
“Is this office…private?”
“Yes of course”
“Look, we don’t know what you were sending, but whoever killed him knew about it and didn’t want it getting delivered.”
“hu- how do you know this?”
“Not all Martians are imbeciles Mr.Orwall, The only thing missing was the parcel. Not even his pack was touched. Bandits take everything Mr.Orwall.”
“I’m sorry…but is that pack custom?” Orwall blurts out.
Caught of guard “wha- yeah… look my friend is dead I’m trying to find out who did it and why”
“Sticking to the old union code?” he utters taken aback trying to hide his excitement.
“What does an earth-boy like you know about the unions?”
“Sorry, the reason I took this job was because I simply love Martian culture” he says, his speech growing faster as it becomes harder to hide his excitement. “And you an actual steam-runner going off on a vendetta like this, it’s just too mind blowing”
“I’m glad you’re entertained by me and my people, but a good man is a dead can you help me or not?”
“I’m sorry” he says solemnly. “ This is a desk job I don’t get nearly enough contact with actual Martian life as I was expecting. I’d like to help you but I’m afraid I can’t, but while you’re hear I’m doing research on custom steam gear. I’m sure the embassy would pay you for your time”
“look If you know about the union and the code you should know how important this is”
“I do, which is why I’m insisting you let me examine your gear, It won’t take long. I can do it right now”
Hesitant Jade agrees and lifts her pack onto his desk, he examines it for a quick moments making sounds of interest. He hands the pack back to Jade. “I assume you left your information at the desk? I’ll have them send you a check, I never got your name.
“Jade, Jade Fitzgerald,” she says as she exits his office. Noticing a small piece of paper taped to the throttle of her pack
As she exits the office she examines the piece of paper, scrawled across it in sloppy handwiritng “Meet me in Oracle Park. 20 minutes”
Jade was standing in front of the statue of Athena admiring its detail when Orwall approached her.
“Sorry, the information you asked for is sensitive, and me telling you within the building would’ve been risky.”
“So much for a private office then” Jade replies full of sarcasm”
“hah, well when you asked that I was expecting to have to talk about this… How much do you know about Steamco Jade?”
“More than the average Martian.”
“It’s history?”
“Which version, theirs, yours, or the peoples?”
“ What do you know of Deimos?”
That they failed to terraform it, it became irradiated and uninhabitable.”
“And about those who were involved with the project?”
“Look If I wanted to be quizzed I would’ve stayed at the university. What does this have to do with Stan’s death?”
“You’ll understand in a bit, just tell me what you know about those involved with the project.”
“They died, radiation sickness”
“Well, That’s where we start then.”
“The story Steamco put out, or believes; to be honest our intelligence on them is very limited, is that everyone died of radiation poisoning and sickness. That they died tragic deaths, that the moons of Mars will never again be habitable. I’m sure you’ve heard this all before, but all of that is false.”
“What do you mean?” Jade asked puzzled.
“They didn’t die, its habitable but not for us. The people involved with the project; not all of them died from the radiation, some of them we’re able to survive it. Do you know why the original Martian settler’s descendants evolved so fast that you look the way you do and I look the way I do? The trace radiation from the performing process creates an environment more susceptible to mutation, that’s why Martians developed adapted to the environment so quickly, supposedly within three or four generations the skin tone of someone from Earth would have adapted the orange hue that you have”
“Yeah radiation enables mutation, interesting but I still don’t see what you’re getting at”
“There’s some evidence that points to signs of life on Deimos.”
“You’re kidding”
“No, and this prior genetic susceptibility to mutation coupled with the heavy amounts of radiation caused them to evolve quite differently from you and I”
“In what way?”
“Well, one can only imagine… evolving to survive in a nuclear wasteland”
“So what does this have to do with Stan?”
“Ah! Right sorry… got caught up in the narrative. Well this information is…quite classified.” Orwall spoke, a twinge of nervousness creeping into his voice. “I wasn’t even supposed to find out, I stumbled upon it, which is why I don’t know all the details. I feel as if the higher-ups are planning on using this in some way to gain some leverage on Steamco. I saw it as a potential threat to the Martians, so I tried to inform Steamco.”
“You’re imperial why would you want to do that?”
“You’re people too, the culture you’ve all developed here it’s something I admire, the freedom”
“So what someone found out about the message and killed the messenger? I knew that kill was too clean to be bandits.”
“Marine most likely, I wish there was more I could do to help.”
“Let me ask you this, if you wanted to help the Martian people, why go to Steamco?”
“They’re the closest thing you have to a government, the only body big enough to warn we don’t know the implications of what can be up there, as I said I feel like what I know is barely the surface of this thing. Especially since this thing was so heavily under wraps.”
“So why tell me?”
“You’re one of the people. I figured you may know what to do, especially since you have a must more personal stake in this than I do.”
“Do you still have the proof?”
“yes I’ll need to make another copy”
“Good. I’ll set up a run to somewhere in Athenia for tomorrow, Meet at Bacchus’ pub at noon.”
“What’ll you do with the information?”
“I’ll take it to someone who will actually know what to do. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.”
They say their goodbyes both of them seem to have a mutual understanding of the gravity of the situation. The vendetta shifts priority for Jade. Jade reaches for her radio, pressing down on the transmitter speaking into the mouthpiece “Rich… I’m gonna’ need off for a few days. Can’t explain, it involves Stan.
Jade stepped into the office of Arthur Walden. The dimly lit room was covered in various maps and leather bound books. The room couldn’t be described as messy, but it could be mistaken for it; the books we’re too neatly stacked to be unorganized, too many notes placed upon the maps in a meticulous fashion. On the walls old Steamco propaganda posters hung on the walls. A silhouette of an old Martain folk hero Roland Wong seemed to be the center piece with the caption in bold red lettering “No Freedom, No Future: Support Steamco”.
Jade stands in the door frame and politely knocks. Arthur Walden, a man of about 50 years of age, broad shouldered, and heavily bearded says from behind a stack of books “How may I help you?”
“What are you working on Professor” Jade says
“Oh, Miss Fitzgerald” He said tearing himself from his work “It’s been years”
“Look I came here because I need your advice.” Jade blurts out abruptly “Something very big landed on my lap, and I don’t quite know what to do with it”
“Big how, I hope you know I’m not one to give fiscal advice, never was”
“It’s information, information that could have a large impact on Martian history and politics”
“I highly doubt that Miss Fitzgerald”
“A runner got killed over this information, if my suspicions are correct, done by imperials.”
“Nonsense, Imperials don’t meddle in Martian affairs, I highly doubt they’d kill a runner”
“It was a message to Steamco, I’ve contacted who sent the message, It was someone at the embassy, it appears he came across some information he wasn’t supposed to see. He tried passing it along to Steamco. The runner sent on that run was killed very cleanly, too professional to be bandits, too clean to be mercs, who does that leave out”
“Military”
“My thoughts exactly Professor. So would you like to see this information or not.”
She hands him the folder. He goes over the information quickly but under much scrutiny taking in every bit of information he can from it. “so…life on the moons of Mars.”
“Living humans on the moons of mars”
“Miss Fitzgerald, I’m sure whatever’s up there can no longer be called human”
“That’s what my contact at the embassy thinks as well. He has a lot of other ideas too”
Arthur simply gives Jade an inquisitive that implies nothing other than “go on”
“He hasn’t expressed any of these ideas to me, but he told me what he found was very little of a much larger document or series of documents. He believes this is something huge. Something that may help the Imperials gain some leverage on Steamco.”
“and that’s why you came to me? You couldn’t figure out whom to side with”
“I didn’t know who to go to” she objected fiercely. “I needed to bring this information to someone who might know what to do with it”
“No need to be offended Jade, I see your temper hasn’t changed much” Arthur said with a twinge of disdain poorly hidden in his voice. “I appreciate you coming to me with this, I know exactly what to do with this information”
“Really?” Jade asked calming down “What?” anxiousness rising in her voice
“If your contact is correct and this is just the surface of something much deeper, we need to investigate this ourselves or at least verify what we have before we make a move”
“What did you have in mind?”
“A few things. I just hope that most of my connections in this university are as strong as they used to be”
Walden sifting through a pile of papers finally picks up the receiver of his phone. “Yes, Miss Arrinton, Put me through to the observatory. Thank you. This shouldn’t take long. Mister Harrison and I have been colleagues for a while now and I believe he owes me a favor or two. Ah! Hello Harrison how have you been? Fine fine thank you for asking. Ah yes I’m calling because I finally have some use of that dusty old telescope of yours. Anything that can get a clear picture of the surface of Deimos. Oh I know you astronomers don’t care much for things that close anymore but I think you’d be intrigued by some information I have. I’ll be there shortly with a former student of mine. Thank you.”
“So? What’s the plan?” Jade asks.
“Simple, we go to the observatory point that big telescope at Deimos and hopefully nothing’s there.”
They left his office and walked across the campus towards the observatory. About 10 minutes before they reached the building Jade could see the domed metallic building over the horizon, with a large cylinder pointing up towards the sky accusingly. A fist, Jade thought as she first laid eyes on it, a fist pointing at the sky. They entered the building, Jade and Walden climbed the stairs into the main office of Mister Harrison.
“So what is it we are looking for Walden?” he asked without looking as they entered the room.
“What is it all you astronomers look for? Life.”
“What? You’re insane don’t waste my time” he replied coldly his eyes not leaving the starchart on his desk.
“Crazy?” Jade repeated, Harrison’s head lifts from the desk at the sound of her voice “Check this out” she tosses the files on his desk. “See that on the front, Imperial seal. This came from the desk of some bigwig, and its only a portion of a larger file. If they’re concerned we should be to. Someone got killed delivering this, for delivering this.”
A few minutes pass as the balding man behind the desk eyes the files, going over them meticulously, behind his thick framed glasses Jade can see his eyes zigzagging over the papers.
Rising from his desk and to a control panel “Holy shit..this is…this could be big.” Flipping switches and pressing buttons methodically on the control panel the whole building starts to hum and churn as the gears shift the telescope into the proper position. “We’ll take a few shots at different levels of magnification and see what’s up there.”
Images come up on the screen; a wasteland, some small buildings, beasts, giant humanoid beasts.
“Jesus Christ” Walden sighs “they’re hideous”
“Wait…there’s something else…looks like… a launch pad of some sort.” Harrison says to himself as he tinkers with the controls, the building starts to hum again, more images come up on the screen; craters, debris, rocks, in above the surface, blurred
“What’s that?” Jade inquires
“Not sure, but whatever it is, it is quite large, and quite fast, this telescope can capture images at high speeds and that’s blurred.”
“Zoom it out.”
“What? Why we wanted to see the surface this is what’s going on on the surface, a bunch of beasts flinging rocks at each other”
“I don’t think the Imperials would be too concerned about them flinging rocks at each other, zoom it out, atmospheric view or someshit”
Harrison flicks a few switches and Deimos can be seen on the screen
“There. Those dark specks, those aren’t on the surface, and they’re not part of the Deimos. What the fuck are they? See if you can focus on them”
Harrison flicks a few switches and the building hums and churns again.
Just as the hum and churning dies down a commotion is heard outside the door, and in a split second the door is gone. In its place soldiers, a blur of fatigues, camouflage, and high caliber automatic weapons swarms through. A middle aged man dressed in high ranking military garb walks through the center of soldiers.
“This facility is now under control of the United Earth Coalition” He says briskly.
