Regulated Planet Page 2

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, but it will be okay, really. I’ll be there with you the whole time.”

  She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and nodded.

  While he grabbed his belongings from the cabin, she did the same. He pressed the buttons to release the door, and turned to her. “Are you ready?”

  She wore her best dress, the one Jaimma had given her for her birthday, with pink frills. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He took her hand, and she gripped his fingers. Together, they stepped into the doorway.

  Despite the bright sun he knew shone above them, the sky glowed purple this far up in the atmosphere. All around them, concrete and glass covered walkways ran, limiting their field of vision. So long as you weren’t in one of the outer walkways, it was easy to miss the fact that you were in the upper atmosphere.

  There wasn’t time to take in the view though. Half a dozen soldiers stood right in front of them with sub-machine guns raised. Shocked, Tyris shielded Marlee behind his back before stepping forwards, hands held up. “Here now, what’s all this?”

  The soldiers didn’t lower their weapons. “General’s orders, sir.”

  “Then where is the bloody general?”

  “I’m right here, Captain Bekkert,” a loud, self-assured voice answered.

  Tyris groaned under his breath. General Harrington strode towards them. What a piece of bad luck. They’d never been on good terms, despite their connection. Why couldn’t someone else have been on duty today? He let none of these thoughts show though, drawing up his own courage to shelter Marlee, who trembled against his back. “General, I can assure you we are no threat.”

  The general stopped on the tarmac in front of the ship, scrutinising them both. His eyes lingered on Marlee for a moment, taking in her handmade dress, then his eyes moved on, dismissing her as no one of importance based on her appearance. He turned to Tyris. “Of course I know you’re not a threat, son, but you said you had someone with you and we had no idea what you meant.”

  “She’s no threat, either, so how about you tell the firing squad to stand down?” His terse demand bordered on insolence, but right now he didn’t care.

  He could only imagine how nervous Marlee must be feeling. When he had arrived on her planet, he’d been met with kindness and consideration. He presented far more of a potential threat to the villagers on Zerris, but they had never treated him with suspicion. He felt a shadow of shame for the people here on Urslat.

  “Stand down,” General Harrington ordered the men, and they immediately lowered their weapons, though they remained where they were. “So who is she?” the general asked.

  Tyris held out a hand to Marlee. “It’s okay,” he urged, trying to ignore the general’s stare.

  She took his hand again, putting her trust in him. He smiled at her, then turned back to the general. “This is Marlee, sir,” he introduced her. “And I think you’re going to want to hear about her home planet.”

  General Harrington’s gaze flicked over her, then back to Tyris. “Come inside. You can tell me all about it.”

  The general turned, and walked back towards the terminal. Marlee and Tyris followed a few steps behind, the soldiers taking up the rear.

  “Why did he call you Captain Bekkert?” Marlee whispered.

  “Because that’s who I am,” Tyris said.

  “You’re a captain?”

  He hadn’t actually told her much about his life on Urslat—it had never seemed necessary. Now, he realised a little background might have helped.

  “Yes, a captain in the Space Force. They own the ship too.”

  “Oh,” Marlee said, conveying a world of surprise and confusion in that one word.

  Tyris squeezed her hand. “It will all be okay.” He seemed to be saying that a lot. He hoped it would prove to be true.

  When the general stepped into the tiny space elevator, Marlee held back.

  Tyris nudged her forward. Probably best not to explain to her how the lift worked.

  He didn’t let go of her hand as the doors slid silently shut behind them, ignoring General Harrington’s raised eyebrow. His stomach rose into his mouth as the elevator plunged towards the planet at rapid speed. Marlee swayed on her feet, and looked at him mutely.

  “We’re just going down to the planet. It feels a little weird, but it’s perfectly safe, I promise.”

  “Yes, perfectly safe,” the general echoed. “We’ve been going up and down in space elevators for decades now.”

  Marlee nodded, but her fingers didn’t loosen on his.

  Nor did she seem any happier when the doors opened and they stepped out onto the planet for real. Tyris though, was surprised by how much better he felt. The ground seemed more solid under his feet, whether from an effect of real gravity or simply his perception, he wasn’t sure. Their surroundings didn’t look much different to the space dock, all concrete and glass buildings. They followed the general into one, and through several corridors, to his office.

  “So, Tyris. You have quite a bit of explaining to do.” The general’s broad statement gave no indication of where, exactly, Tyris should start with his explanations.

  “Yes, I realise that, sir.” His posture stiffened to attention. Somehow, Harrington always had that effect on him, whether in or out of uniform.

  “Let’s start with your new… friend.” He looked Marlee up and down, and for the first time in a long time Tyris realised how primitive and dowdy her clothes appeared.

  Marlee pulled herself up straight, and looked the old man in the eye. “I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself. Sir,” she added.

  Tyris hid a grin.

  “Well, then, miss. Who are you, and where are you from?”

  “My name is Marlee, sir, and I’m from Zerris. Had the planet not been destroyed, I would have been born on Semala.”

  The general’s eyebrows shot up, and his forehead creased. “Zerris?” He turned to Tyris. “What the hell? That planet was destroyed.” His voice was rough.

  “Destroyed?” Tyris repeated. “Why would you think that?”

  “What were you doing there?” the general demanded, ignoring Tyris’s question.

  “No one told me it was destroyed,” Tyris pointed out. “I figured the Colonies needed more anysogen, and it had to be out there somewhere.”

  General Harrington frowned. “How did you hear of it? The history of Semala is classified.”

  “I didn’t,” Tyris admitted. “I made a couple of guesses and connected the dots. It wasn’t hard. I’m surprised no one else figured it out before now. But either way, it most certainly isn’t destroyed.”

  “And the anysogen?”

  The general’s eager tone put Tyris on alert. Instead of replying, he asked again, “What was supposed to have happened to the planet?”

  The old man’s face went taut. Then he gave a forced laugh. “An astronomer told us it the meteor hit it and the impact triggered an explosion in the anysogen, taking out the whole solar system.”

  “What was his name?” Tyris asked.

  “Pardon me?” The general raised an eyebrow.

  “The astronomer, what was his name?” He could make a pretty good guess, but he wanted to know for sure.

  “I have no idea. I didn’t pay much attention.”

  Tyris stared at him, at the tightness around his eyes and mouth that indicating he was lying. Why?

  The general stared back for several long moments, not backing down. Tyris had no choice but to nod his acceptance of the general’s story, even though he didn’t believe it. “If it’s a simple case of the planet being destroyed, why not just say so? Why remove all trace of its existence if it wasn’t even there anymore?”

  General Harrington frowned. “That’s classified. I’ve already told you more than I should have.”

  “I’m not sure Marlee’s people are going to accept that answer,” Tyris said. “They were waiting for someone to come back and rescue them, assumin
g someone would return for the anysogen.”

  “There are people living there?” The general stared at him in disbelief. “And they’ve survived all this time on an anysogen planet?”

  Tyris gave a small smile. “They’re resourceful people.”

  General Harrington’s eyes narrowed on Marlee. “I suppose your people are looking forward to being rescued?”

  “Zerris isn’t exactly the most pleasant place to live,” Marlee said.

  “The villagers are quite keen to leave Zerris, yes,” Tyris added. “They asked me to present their proposed deal.”

  “Is that so?” the general rubbed his chin. “We can talk about the options later. I need to inform the president of this discovery immediately, and I imagine you’re both tired after such a long journey. You’ll have to undergo medical exams, of course, standard procedure after a long absence like this, but then I’m sure we can find somewhere for Marlee to stay.”

  Marlee turned worried eyes to Tyris.

  “Actually, sir, I promised Marlee she could stay with me. She’s come quite a long way, and everything is unfamiliar to her. I think it’s better if she stays with someone she knows.” It made sense to keep their relationship quiet just in case Marlee was pregnant, he told himself. It had nothing to do with how his father-in-law would react if he found out—nothing at all.

  The general frowned, and Tyris did his best not to squirm. Then he shrugged. “That’s up to you, son,” he agreed. “Let’s get you kids along to your medical exams so you can get on home.”

  “Yes, sir.” He couldn’t wait to get out of here, and he guessed Marlee couldn’t either.

  Escape was not so easy though, General Harrington lead them out of his office himself. They walked through several hallways to the infirmary. A doctor came out, and took their details, then nodded to Tyris. “You can go through to the room at the end. Marlee, you can come with me.”

  Marlee threw Tyris one last, panicked look, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  She took a deep breath, and nodded, then followed the doctor who chatted easily as she led her away. Hopefully it put Marlee at ease.

  Heading towards the room he’d been directed to, Tyris suppressed a groan when instead of going to call the president, General Harrington followed him.

  Tyris sat down on the hard bed in the middle of the room, and the general took one of the more comfortable seats against the wall, just out of Tyris’s line of sight. Since they were the only ones in the room, the general kept talking. “So, what’s really going on? Did something happen to the anysogen?” General Harrington had never been one to beat around the bush.

  “No, it’s still there, and the pollution it causes is probably the only reason the villagers are interested in leaving the planet.”

  General Harrington sighed in relief. “How many people are we talking about? And what are they doing there anyway? Zerris should have been uninhabited.”

  Tyris hesitated, but there seemed no reason to withhold the villager’s story. “They left Semala in an old ship when the meteor hit. They had little choice of where to go, since they only had an old rocket booster engine. They were lucky to make it to Zerris. They’ve lived there ever since, managing to survive against some incredible odds.”

  “You sound as though you’re impressed with them.”

  “I am, sir,” Tyris admitted. “I lived with them for nine months, and I know I could never have done what they did, or built what they have built there.”

  “No doubt they’re eager to get off the planet now they have the opportunity.”

  “Not exactly, sir.” Reluctant to mention Marlee’s father without more information, he spoke carefully. “You see, they’re actually quite happy living the way they are, hard as it is for us to understand. Some of the younger generation, like Marlee, would like to taste life in the Colonies, but the older generation is far more reluctant.”

  The general frowned. “You said they were prepared to make a deal?”

  “They are, sir. But only because they want to get away from the anysogen.”

  “We can find them a place on some farming colony.” He waved a hand. “It sounds like they’d fit right in.”

  “I don’t think so, sir.” Tyris shook his head. “They’re not too keen on re-joining the Colonies.”

  The general raised an eyebrow. “Not keen on re-joining the Colonies? I can hardly believe that.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s true, sir.”

  “What do they want then?”

  “They want a planet of their own, one they can run themselves, without being under Colonial rule.” A big thing to ask. The reaction to the rebellion a few years ago made it clear the Colonies preferred total control. Tyris tried anyway. “They’re quiet people, not the sort to make a fuss, and I think if we can find somewhere for them, then we probably won’t hear from them again.”

  “Hmm, we’ll have to see about…”

  The door opened and the doctor came into the room, cutting off whatever the general planned to say. “Good evening, Tyris. It’s good to see you again.”

  Tyris smiled at Dr Benton. They’d gone through training together, and he’d always liked her.

  General Harrington made no move to leave, so Tyris did his best to carry on as though he were not there. “I’m not that easy to get rid of, I’m afraid,” he said with a rueful smile. Although he’d always made a habit of flirting with Dr Ameli Benton, the thought suddenly held no appeal.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Dr Benton said as she checked his pulse, then looked into his eyes and ears. “Did you sustain any injuries or contract any illnesses while you were away?”

  “I suffered a concussion after my ship crashed. I was unconscious for almost a day.”

  “Hmm,” she said and made a few notes on her computer. “Have you had any recurring tenderness to the head, persistent headaches, or dizziness?”

  Tyris shook his head. “No, I had no problems at all afterwards. I wasn’t sick and had no headaches the whole time I stayed there actually.”

  She nodded. “Good, sounds like you’ve recovered well. We’d better run an MRI anyway, just to be sure.” The doctor turned to General Harrington. “This is going to take a while. It might be best if you waited outside.”

  The general grumbled a bit, but couldn’t really argue. Medical examinations were always private, even if the report would land on his desk eventually anyway.

  Once the door closed behind him, Tyris heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

  She smiled. “He may be your father-in-law, but that doesn’t give him any right to crash your medical exam.”

  “Even less I’d think,” Tyris said with feeling.

  She looked over the notes on her computer and said, “Before we get started, I’d better check your implant.”

  Tyris stifled a grimace, and sat still, staring out in front of him, the shelves full of medical supplies blurring in front of his eyes. She held a scanner up to his arm and it beeped as it communicated with the chip implanted under his skin.

  “Hmm,” Dr Benton said.

  A nervous flutter rose in Tyris’s belly. “What is it?”

  Her forehead furrowed. “There’s been some damage to your chip.”

  Tyris’s heart beat a little faster. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s not functioning properly. Do you have any idea how it could have been damaged?” Her taut voice didn’t ease his concern.

  “My ship crashed, remember? I can only imagine the damage was caused then. I certainly haven’t touched it.”

  “Probably,” she agreed. “I’ll need to take some photos of the site, just in case they’re needed at any point, and you’ll have to make a statement.”

  Evidence. Of course. The government documented everything. Except what they didn’t want the public to know. “So by malfunctioning, you mean it’s not working at all?” His mind reeled. Marlee could well be pregnant. He hoped she remem
bered their conversation on board the Hylista.

  Was he going to be a father?

  “Are you all right?” Dr Benton asked.

  Tyris swallowed and nodded. He needed to keep a straight head. “Lucky you found out now.”

  Dr Benton stared at him. “Right. You’ve been away from your wife a long time. As soon as I’ve written up this report, I’ll replace the chip for you. Then you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

  Tyris searched her face, but it was carefully blank. “What…” He licked his lips. “What would have happened if you hadn’t discovered the malfunction? If… Milandra fell pregnant?”

  Dr Benton didn’t bother to hide the distaste on her face. “Terminations have been carried out in at least two cases, though the official line is the couples agreed to them.”

  Tyris swallowed. “Lucky I’ve been away from home, as you said,” he managed. He hoped against hope Marlee named someone else as the father. Anyone else. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be responsible for what he’d do to someone who even suggested a termination to her.

  The pictures and x-ray seemed to take forever. Finally, the doctor walked across to one of the cabinets lining the wall. “I’m going to replace the chip now. It will only take a few minutes.”

  Tyris nodded. He gritted his teeth for the local anaesthetic jab, and hoped Marlee was okay in his absence.

  How was he going to fix this?

  Chapter 2

  Marlee took a deep breath as she followed the doctor into another room. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she left Zerris. Of course she knew Urslat would be different—there were billions of people here. But back on Zerris, she hadn’t been able to imagine thousands of people, let alone billions. People here didn’t all know each other by name. Most of them didn’t know each other at all.

  Even so, she hadn’t expected to be greeted with guns and separated from the only person she knew. Had she made the right decision? She thought of Tyris, sitting through the same thing in another room, and her heart warmed. She was with Tyris. He knew how this world worked, and he’d teach her about it.

  “I hear you’ve come quite a way,” the doctor said. “What’s your name?”