Tweet
Bright Beginnings
Hello Gentle Readers,
This story grew from some SMAC technical topics that have bothered me for a while that I was fleshing out. It was written in one sitting, and it poured out pretty much in the form you see here. Is that unusual? Being a novice, I wouldn’t know.
I hope you enjoy it!
Hydro
************************************************** ****
Bright Beginnings
M.Y. 2148
“Sir, I can see it! Just beyond the next rise!” the excited outlook exclaimed.
Finally, after 6 years, Davin’s mobile city was reaching its destination. Mercifully, the trip had been uneventful, unlike the previous two expeditions he had commanded. Worms were pitiless if you were under-defended, or worse, undefended. Davin knew better now.
Watching his city ‘walk’ always amazed Davin. Looking across the green and pink river valley he could see his over 200 semi-autonomous ‘vehicles’ lurch, roll, fall, or hobble along on their course. Each was a vital prefabricated component of the city he was chartered to found, but right now each resembled a spider, centipede, crab, giant tank, misshapen speeder, or bizarre hybrid out war holo. Most were fairly small, like one of the quads that would be a portion of the colony’s admin center, which was merely 64 cubic meters. Davin’s personal favorite he nicknamed “The Behemoth”. It was the great tracked solar and conventional power complex, which was over 100 meters long and 20 meters high and massed over 100,000 metric tons! It led the way, crushing everything in its path. Other smaller city components followed in its wake, as did the myriad of personnel vehicles, which were easily identifiable as great tracked busses. Obviously, getting a new colony of 10,000 people to its destination over hostile terrain was a major undertaking. Especially since the journey takes years.
The colony’s site had been surveyed over 2 decades ago, and it was very good real estate. In addition to being in a river valley, it had decent near-surface mineral deposits, a mostly wet western exposure, and an average amount of xenofungus. The only thing that made this the 8th Gaian colony instead of the 3rd or 4th was the lack of any ‘specials,’ like abundant minerals or a small oasis of edible vegetation. Or a mysterious monolith – those were prime locations! Since they had been en route for so long, Davin and his staff have had plenty of time to plan. The advance party was already preparing the site and scouting for surprises. Davin didn’t like surprises.
*****
“Loala, how are you today? Keeping your seeds dry?” Davin joked. It was the fifth day after arrival and colony setup was proceeding well. Being outside and wearing breathmasks all the time is hard on morale. It was time to get an informal pulse on his people.
“My seeds dry?!!! Has something happe…? Oh, you’re fooling me! You know my seeds are always dry!” Loala said simply. Loala was one of those rare people, Davin noted, that was always in a good mood and supportive. She was happy to be a biologist technician, and couldn’t think of being anything else. Her coworkers adored her, but thought her to be a bit ‘uncomplicated’. Davin smiled.
“Yes, I’m fooling you. I know you and Mel are doing a great job. But how are you doing?” he inquired.
“Oh, pretty good,” Loala responded. She perked up and pursed her lips, concentrating hard. “The hab units aren’t ready yet. Everyone’s working on the power station – so no time for houses! Some of us have to sleep outside.” In a quiet voice she added, “Some people get a little scared at night. The fungus is awful near. But I don’t mind. I love being outside. I hope we can plant soon, it is getting a little late in the season. When will we plant?” By the time Loala was done she was almost shouting. So much enthusiasm!
“Pretty soon, I think,” Davin responded, chuckling, “why don’t we go and have a brief chat with Agricultural Administrator Layne? Marilyn will know!”
As the two walked off toward the drilling and ferrocrete materials processing site Loala lectured Davin on the proper care and feeding of Chironwheat IV. Davin loved every minute of it.
*****
“Let’s make this quick. Mr. Shin, report on infrastructure,” Davin commanded. In a small colony it was efficient to call his Administrative heads for a meeting once a week. Holomeetings would come later. This was only their 4th meeting, so he pretty much knew the status on major projects. Still, it was useful for the other Administrators to be informed on each other’s efforts.
“Power is secure and running at 80% efficiency, adequate for our needs. We have laid the supercon-cable and placed nodes at services, habitation, admin, and production. Agriculture can come a little later,” John Shin commented, looking over at Ms. Layne, who nodded in assent. “Water supply trunk lines are complete, but not feeders. We successfully installed our first groundwater production wells last week, and the prefab purification module is working fine. The nitrate we extract from the water may be turned into fertilizer.” Administrator Layne nodded again. “The wastewater processing facility is operational, but not yet integrated into the unfinished lines,” Shin continued “but will be complete in two weeks.”
“Thank you. Mr. Booth, construction?” Davin queried.
“Ah, yes. Our surveys were correct, and there are plenty of raw materials for ferrocrete. Our main challenge is to excavate, process, and move the material. Fortunately, “ Gregory Booth puffed, “conversion of the demobilized prefab colony chasses into support vehicles is way ahead of schedule. We will have foundations for the prefab facilities done by the end of the week, AND” he added significantly, “be able to start on the hab facilities by next Monday!” The rest of the Administrators grunted or nodded in approval. This would be a major morale boost.
“Excellent. Ms. Layne?”
“Our seed stocks are secure, and we are currently augmenting our food supplies with some plantings and harvesting of some of the local flora, specifically Chiron Gourds and Fiber Fungus,” Marilyn Layne informed them. There were groans. Eating fiber fungus was like eating partially decomposed straw, even if it was nutritious. “We are severely understaffed, as you know. I expect to get my staff back within three weeks,” Marilyn stated as she looked pointedly at Administrator Booth. Mr. Booth just lifted his chin and turned toward Davin.
“Production?” Davin prompted.
“We will be ready to start basic fabrication in 5 weeks, after we get some of the colony chasses converted to mineral extraction and hauling. I propose our first unit be a Davin Terraformer,” Administrator Myrtle Jameson exclaimed. The rest of the room hushed.
“Just Terraformer, no ‘Davin’, thank you. Insolence aside,” Davin had to smile in spite of himself, “that’s a good idea. The latest communication from Gaia’s Landing is that expansion is not such an imperative. Can we afford it?”
“Certainly. Between converting colony chasses and scrapping unneeded sections I project that the terraformer will be over 60% complete at the end of our first year. We should be able to complete it in about 4 years. Further, we may request extra energy from HQ to hurry things along,” Myrtle suggested.
“Good idea. I will include that in my next report. Well, seeing as we don’t currently have a Social Administrator I believe we are done, dismissed,” Senior Administrator Davin Prots concluded.
The group continued to discuss details among themselves as Davin prepared to leave. Administrator Booth immediately rushed to Davin’s side and began explaining about how he was designing and supervising the standard ferrocrete complexes, which looked very much like rounded tree branch protruding from the ground. An odd design, but structurally efficient and easy to maintain and modify. Plus, Lady Deirdre had personally approved of the aesthetics of the design. Enough said. Booth explained that the iron and nitrate from the building materials made the ferroconcrete weather to a pleasing brown, and the trace copper created the greenish streaking…
Yes, yes, Davin thought, I know all this. Must you always be so annoying? Davin looked for an excuse to escape from Greg’s clutches. Then he spied Loala. AH, perfect! Loala to his rescue!
Loala was absently stroking her breasts with her right hand. That was a little odd. Moreover, what was she doing in the Admin complex? Her left hand was clenching and unclenching unconsciously. His curiosity piqued, he excused himself from Gregory and approached Loala. Loala finally saw him coming and immediately started babbling.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble. Now they’ll all hate me. I couldn’t help it, it just happened,” Loala sobbed. Her eyes looked like they were red from crying, or maybe from lack of sleep. She started rubbing (caressing?) her breasts faster. Uh, oh, Davin thought.
“Sh, shhhhh, it’s OK,” Davin soothed, “now what’s the problem?”
“Uhm, well, they’re MY children, they came to me in the night, they’ll all HATE ME and MY CHILDREN!” Loala pronounced. The other Administrators stopped their conversations and looked toward the disturbance.
Davin knew what the problem was. Someone had taken advantage of a trusting Loala, and now she was scared. This would be difficult, but he could help.
“Loala, I know, I know, I was a father once and I understand” he soothed. He reached to put his arm around her shoulders, thinking that she could cry and get it all out.
She reacted by flinging off his arm and screaming, “NO, You DON’T UNDERSTAND!” She ripped open her blouse, and nestled between her breasts was a small mass of mindworms. Davin backed away in shock, and the other Administrators, when they saw, fled the room.
*****
Loala was doing much better now that it was clear she and her ‘children’ were safe. The last week had been pure agony, but extraordinary agony. An immediate communiqué had been sent to Gaia’s Landing, of course, and a psi team dispatched.
This was only the 5th mindworm capture ever recorded, and it was the only instance where the mindworms came and essentially adopted the human. The psi team was nonplussed. In all previous instances the worms were violently captured, co-opted (or killed if that failed), trained, and then put into service. Even more amazing was that Loala had no documented psi ability. Either the whole working theory on mindworms was wrong, or Loala was much more than she seemed. Davin believed the ladder to be true.
Later that week Lady Deirdre Sky herself came to the colony and asked Loala to join her at Gaia’s Landing to study and nurture ‘her children.’ Loala was overawed by The Lady, and refused to look her in the eye. She glanced at Davin instead. Deirdre looked at Davin and grinned, “Well, Davin, do you consent? It seems you are the tiebreaker here.”
“Loala,” Davin began, “you know that Deirdre loves Planet, and your children, don’t you?” Her head bowed again, Loala nodded. Her brown hair escaped the clasp at the back of her neck and fell forward, covering her face.
“Do you want me to go?” Loala asked in a small, childlike voice.
“No, I don’t want you to go. But your children will be much better cared for there. Deirdre is one of my oldest friends, and I’m sure she can be your friend, too,” Davin reassured her.
“OK. But you’ll holo me? Every week?” Loala asked plaintively.
“Gladly! You know that!” Davin added, “and I expect you to holo me whenever you need to.”
Loala thought for a moment. “I’ll do it,” Loala said, as she looked up, brushed her hair back, and looked Deirdre straight in the eyes. “Would you like to see my children, Deirdre?” she asked.
“I would be honored, Loala,” The Lady stated serenely.
Loala discretely opened her blouse to reveal the grey writhing mass, now apparently larger. Without hesitating Deirdre reached out and gently caressed the outer portion of the mass. She looked at Loala and smiled, and Loala immediately smiled back. Each looked radiant. Loala looked expectantly at Davin. Summoning every gram of his courage, Davin stepped forward so he, too, could pet Loala’s children.
*****
The next day Deirdre assembled the 12,000 colonists for a brief ceremony.
“Seldom is it my privilege, fellow Gaians, to be present during such happy circumstances. Through your extraordinarily arduous journey to this colony site and your distinguished efforts, you have expanded the frontier of our society. You, our pioneers, are the best Gaian society has to offer Planet!
“But today we are doubly blessed. Loala and her ‘children’ demonstrate that Planet is with us, for how could such a momentous event occur otherwise! To commemorate this event, I hereby name this colony, the fruits of your labors, Mindworm Pass. May these tidings shine as a light to guide our future, for our future is with Planet!
*****
Excitement ran rampant through Mindworm Pass. The Davin Former (always called The Terraformer in Davin’s presence) was finally complete! Three years of effort, and a little energy from Gaia’s Landing, finished the job. Lady Deirdre Sky sent a personal holo message to the colony, commending them for their efforts. The anticipation for the unveiling was palpable!
The reason for the production time and the huge amount of resources was clear once the terraforming ‘unit’ was assembled and displayed in the commons of Mindworm Pass. The terraformer was not one machine, but an integrated system of machines. According to Dr. Davin Prots’ original concept and design, each terraformer squadron included three groups of vehicles and facilities: earth moving, synthesis, and biogenics. Earth moving was self explanatory, even if the scale it operated on staggered the imagination. A combination of old-fashioned dig-and-haul, vibraconics, thermal destruction, explosives, corrosives, and laser modules were fitted into the chassis of a dozen vehicles. The synthesis portion was a mobile fabrication works, which created solar panels, automated farm machinery, and control systems for boreholes, mines, and other grids. The biogenics mobile laboratory portion of the trio was the smallest, but perhaps the most important, since it tackled the day-to-day challenges of optimizing the land for its intended use. It is what allowed a doubling, in some cases, of food or mineral production.
By unanimous vote, the other Administrators insisted that the esteemed Dr. Prots himself dedicate the former squadron for Mindworm Pass. Davin tried to beg off, but eventually succumbed. Davin found it strange that all of his colleagues back at Gaia’s Landing never got any credit. He definitely had not worked on it alone.
Davin sighed. Might as well get on with it. He mounted the newly constructed podium and started his speech.
*****
Another milestone has been reached, Davin mused. We have doubled our population in only six years! Ample food production as a result of the Mindworm Pass Former and some very productive terrain had led to a surge in population through more births and fewer deaths due to various vitamin and mineral deficiencies chronic to humans on Planet. Of course, ample thought must now be given to support facilities and the now inadequate infrastructure.
Better contact Gregory, Davin thought. He loves to fuss over projects such as these. Perhaps a new project, like a rec commons, would be appropriate.
Maybe later. Right now I want to give Loala a holo, Davin thought. I really look forward to our weekly calls, since seeing and talking to Loala helps me focus, or just sooth my mind. Loala has always had that effect on people, a natural empathic ability. She never tells me much about what she is doing, but occasionally I get to see a holo of Edward, Loala’s ‘child’. He sure is huge now. I wonder what you feed a mindworm? I could ask Loala. But now that I think of it, I really don’t want to know.
*****
Breaking news from Gaia’s Landing: Deirdre has been elected Planetary Governor! She got the support of Lal and Zak, although it was rumored that Zak demanded consideration. Yang voted for himself, and had the support of Miriam. That was ominous.
Two weeks after the announcement, the Gaian War Ministry contacted Mindworm Pass and ordered them to start immediate production of a particle impact speeder. Davin regretted the production lost due to retooling, and the loss of the rec commons. No matter.
*****
“Senior Administrator Davin Prots, Report to the Admin Complex Immediately,” Davin’s datapad demanded. Must be serious, Davin though as he shook himself awake, I hope no one is hurt! Davin quickly put on his breathmask, slapped his datapad to his waist, left his apartment, and sprinted to the Admin Complex. At 92 he was no longer spry. He was winded and his left leg had cramped up by the time he arrived.
“Status?” Davin enquired.
“Unknown EM signatures coming from the south, apparently up the river, Sir,” the rather young technician replied.
Davin looked over at Administrator Layne, the only other member of his staff present.
“We know it’s not a mindworm, since that area is clear of fungus. We have no scouts scheduled to be returning from that direction,” Marilyn answered. She had obviously had the same questions he did, and had gotten the answers forthwith.
“Try a standard greeting...” Davin started.
“We already tried that, and got no response,” Marilyn replied tightly.
“I see, then…” Davin started, but was cut off again.
“Sir, I think whoever is out there is transmitting! I have it now, putting it on speakers,” the tech volunteered.
Static filled the room as the scanner honed in on the signal, which finally resolved itself: “ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDGIERS, MARCHING AS TO WAR! WITH THE CROSS OF JESUS, GOING AS BEFORE….”
“Oh, god…” someone said from the back of the room.
*****
Davin was past tears. He looked down from the fungus at the top of Mindworm Pass Valley toward his city. The fires had died down now. He could see the remains of the Admin Complex, the hab buildings, everything. He had no idea how he made it up here, or if anyone else was alive. Mindworm Pass was gone.
Davin turned away. He had seen Marilyn immediately grab a taser and rush to join the synthmetal garrison. Gregory had arrived in the Admin Complex shortly thereafter, just after the Believers arrived. He had seen the garrison take a direct hit and cease to exist. Davin shuddered as he imagined his stalwart Marilyn blown to pieces. After the synthmetal garrison had been summarily destroyed, Greg and a large number of Gaian citizens had tried to surrender. They were rewarded with a messy execution - at point-blank range. Davin could still see the raging fires, consuming all that he had worked so hard on, smell the sickening stench of burning flesh, and hear the cries he could only assume were rapes and pleas for help, for mercy…
Davin was wrong. He wasn’t past tears.
He was one old man, injured by the look of blood on his abdomen. Was it his? He couldn’t tell. He might try to make it to the next town up the river, Velvetgrass Point. That would take months on foot, at best.
Suddenly, Davin was tired. He remembered his wife, Sadia, long dead with their children. Then he remembered Loala. For her, I’ll try…
Davin paused and turned: what is that rustling from the fungus behind me?
*****
Datalinks Annotation: Dr. Davin Prots’ datapad was located in M.Y. 2191 during fungus removal while terraforming the hills surrounding the newly founded New Mindworm Pass. In accordance with the express wishes of Lady Deirdre Sky, a white pine was planted in his honor in the Gaia’s Landing Commons with a synthmetal plaque that reads: “In Remembrance of Dr. Davin Prots, Inventor of the Terraformer. Your Gift To Humanity On Planet Has Been Incalculable. You Were a True Friend, and Will Be Missed. Lady Deirdre Sky”
*****
Two shadows obscure the plaque for Davin Prots. An ancient woman kneels to the grass by the plaque and places a single seed on the ground its base. A Chironwheat IV seed. The 2-meter tall mindworm at her side reforms its bulk to form a pseudopod to help Mistress Loala off her knees as she tries to stand. Then they turn and walk into the light of the Chiron suns.
This story grew from some SMAC technical topics that have bothered me for a while that I was fleshing out. It was written in one sitting, and it poured out pretty much in the form you see here. Is that unusual? Being a novice, I wouldn’t know.
I hope you enjoy it!
Hydro
************************************************** ****
Bright Beginnings
M.Y. 2148
“Sir, I can see it! Just beyond the next rise!” the excited outlook exclaimed.
Finally, after 6 years, Davin’s mobile city was reaching its destination. Mercifully, the trip had been uneventful, unlike the previous two expeditions he had commanded. Worms were pitiless if you were under-defended, or worse, undefended. Davin knew better now.
Watching his city ‘walk’ always amazed Davin. Looking across the green and pink river valley he could see his over 200 semi-autonomous ‘vehicles’ lurch, roll, fall, or hobble along on their course. Each was a vital prefabricated component of the city he was chartered to found, but right now each resembled a spider, centipede, crab, giant tank, misshapen speeder, or bizarre hybrid out war holo. Most were fairly small, like one of the quads that would be a portion of the colony’s admin center, which was merely 64 cubic meters. Davin’s personal favorite he nicknamed “The Behemoth”. It was the great tracked solar and conventional power complex, which was over 100 meters long and 20 meters high and massed over 100,000 metric tons! It led the way, crushing everything in its path. Other smaller city components followed in its wake, as did the myriad of personnel vehicles, which were easily identifiable as great tracked busses. Obviously, getting a new colony of 10,000 people to its destination over hostile terrain was a major undertaking. Especially since the journey takes years.
The colony’s site had been surveyed over 2 decades ago, and it was very good real estate. In addition to being in a river valley, it had decent near-surface mineral deposits, a mostly wet western exposure, and an average amount of xenofungus. The only thing that made this the 8th Gaian colony instead of the 3rd or 4th was the lack of any ‘specials,’ like abundant minerals or a small oasis of edible vegetation. Or a mysterious monolith – those were prime locations! Since they had been en route for so long, Davin and his staff have had plenty of time to plan. The advance party was already preparing the site and scouting for surprises. Davin didn’t like surprises.
*****
“Loala, how are you today? Keeping your seeds dry?” Davin joked. It was the fifth day after arrival and colony setup was proceeding well. Being outside and wearing breathmasks all the time is hard on morale. It was time to get an informal pulse on his people.
“My seeds dry?!!! Has something happe…? Oh, you’re fooling me! You know my seeds are always dry!” Loala said simply. Loala was one of those rare people, Davin noted, that was always in a good mood and supportive. She was happy to be a biologist technician, and couldn’t think of being anything else. Her coworkers adored her, but thought her to be a bit ‘uncomplicated’. Davin smiled.
“Yes, I’m fooling you. I know you and Mel are doing a great job. But how are you doing?” he inquired.
“Oh, pretty good,” Loala responded. She perked up and pursed her lips, concentrating hard. “The hab units aren’t ready yet. Everyone’s working on the power station – so no time for houses! Some of us have to sleep outside.” In a quiet voice she added, “Some people get a little scared at night. The fungus is awful near. But I don’t mind. I love being outside. I hope we can plant soon, it is getting a little late in the season. When will we plant?” By the time Loala was done she was almost shouting. So much enthusiasm!
“Pretty soon, I think,” Davin responded, chuckling, “why don’t we go and have a brief chat with Agricultural Administrator Layne? Marilyn will know!”
As the two walked off toward the drilling and ferrocrete materials processing site Loala lectured Davin on the proper care and feeding of Chironwheat IV. Davin loved every minute of it.
*****
“Let’s make this quick. Mr. Shin, report on infrastructure,” Davin commanded. In a small colony it was efficient to call his Administrative heads for a meeting once a week. Holomeetings would come later. This was only their 4th meeting, so he pretty much knew the status on major projects. Still, it was useful for the other Administrators to be informed on each other’s efforts.
“Power is secure and running at 80% efficiency, adequate for our needs. We have laid the supercon-cable and placed nodes at services, habitation, admin, and production. Agriculture can come a little later,” John Shin commented, looking over at Ms. Layne, who nodded in assent. “Water supply trunk lines are complete, but not feeders. We successfully installed our first groundwater production wells last week, and the prefab purification module is working fine. The nitrate we extract from the water may be turned into fertilizer.” Administrator Layne nodded again. “The wastewater processing facility is operational, but not yet integrated into the unfinished lines,” Shin continued “but will be complete in two weeks.”
“Thank you. Mr. Booth, construction?” Davin queried.
“Ah, yes. Our surveys were correct, and there are plenty of raw materials for ferrocrete. Our main challenge is to excavate, process, and move the material. Fortunately, “ Gregory Booth puffed, “conversion of the demobilized prefab colony chasses into support vehicles is way ahead of schedule. We will have foundations for the prefab facilities done by the end of the week, AND” he added significantly, “be able to start on the hab facilities by next Monday!” The rest of the Administrators grunted or nodded in approval. This would be a major morale boost.
“Excellent. Ms. Layne?”
“Our seed stocks are secure, and we are currently augmenting our food supplies with some plantings and harvesting of some of the local flora, specifically Chiron Gourds and Fiber Fungus,” Marilyn Layne informed them. There were groans. Eating fiber fungus was like eating partially decomposed straw, even if it was nutritious. “We are severely understaffed, as you know. I expect to get my staff back within three weeks,” Marilyn stated as she looked pointedly at Administrator Booth. Mr. Booth just lifted his chin and turned toward Davin.
“Production?” Davin prompted.
“We will be ready to start basic fabrication in 5 weeks, after we get some of the colony chasses converted to mineral extraction and hauling. I propose our first unit be a Davin Terraformer,” Administrator Myrtle Jameson exclaimed. The rest of the room hushed.
“Just Terraformer, no ‘Davin’, thank you. Insolence aside,” Davin had to smile in spite of himself, “that’s a good idea. The latest communication from Gaia’s Landing is that expansion is not such an imperative. Can we afford it?”
“Certainly. Between converting colony chasses and scrapping unneeded sections I project that the terraformer will be over 60% complete at the end of our first year. We should be able to complete it in about 4 years. Further, we may request extra energy from HQ to hurry things along,” Myrtle suggested.
“Good idea. I will include that in my next report. Well, seeing as we don’t currently have a Social Administrator I believe we are done, dismissed,” Senior Administrator Davin Prots concluded.
The group continued to discuss details among themselves as Davin prepared to leave. Administrator Booth immediately rushed to Davin’s side and began explaining about how he was designing and supervising the standard ferrocrete complexes, which looked very much like rounded tree branch protruding from the ground. An odd design, but structurally efficient and easy to maintain and modify. Plus, Lady Deirdre had personally approved of the aesthetics of the design. Enough said. Booth explained that the iron and nitrate from the building materials made the ferroconcrete weather to a pleasing brown, and the trace copper created the greenish streaking…
Yes, yes, Davin thought, I know all this. Must you always be so annoying? Davin looked for an excuse to escape from Greg’s clutches. Then he spied Loala. AH, perfect! Loala to his rescue!
Loala was absently stroking her breasts with her right hand. That was a little odd. Moreover, what was she doing in the Admin complex? Her left hand was clenching and unclenching unconsciously. His curiosity piqued, he excused himself from Gregory and approached Loala. Loala finally saw him coming and immediately started babbling.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble. Now they’ll all hate me. I couldn’t help it, it just happened,” Loala sobbed. Her eyes looked like they were red from crying, or maybe from lack of sleep. She started rubbing (caressing?) her breasts faster. Uh, oh, Davin thought.
“Sh, shhhhh, it’s OK,” Davin soothed, “now what’s the problem?”
“Uhm, well, they’re MY children, they came to me in the night, they’ll all HATE ME and MY CHILDREN!” Loala pronounced. The other Administrators stopped their conversations and looked toward the disturbance.
Davin knew what the problem was. Someone had taken advantage of a trusting Loala, and now she was scared. This would be difficult, but he could help.
“Loala, I know, I know, I was a father once and I understand” he soothed. He reached to put his arm around her shoulders, thinking that she could cry and get it all out.
She reacted by flinging off his arm and screaming, “NO, You DON’T UNDERSTAND!” She ripped open her blouse, and nestled between her breasts was a small mass of mindworms. Davin backed away in shock, and the other Administrators, when they saw, fled the room.
*****
Loala was doing much better now that it was clear she and her ‘children’ were safe. The last week had been pure agony, but extraordinary agony. An immediate communiqué had been sent to Gaia’s Landing, of course, and a psi team dispatched.
This was only the 5th mindworm capture ever recorded, and it was the only instance where the mindworms came and essentially adopted the human. The psi team was nonplussed. In all previous instances the worms were violently captured, co-opted (or killed if that failed), trained, and then put into service. Even more amazing was that Loala had no documented psi ability. Either the whole working theory on mindworms was wrong, or Loala was much more than she seemed. Davin believed the ladder to be true.
Later that week Lady Deirdre Sky herself came to the colony and asked Loala to join her at Gaia’s Landing to study and nurture ‘her children.’ Loala was overawed by The Lady, and refused to look her in the eye. She glanced at Davin instead. Deirdre looked at Davin and grinned, “Well, Davin, do you consent? It seems you are the tiebreaker here.”
“Loala,” Davin began, “you know that Deirdre loves Planet, and your children, don’t you?” Her head bowed again, Loala nodded. Her brown hair escaped the clasp at the back of her neck and fell forward, covering her face.
“Do you want me to go?” Loala asked in a small, childlike voice.
“No, I don’t want you to go. But your children will be much better cared for there. Deirdre is one of my oldest friends, and I’m sure she can be your friend, too,” Davin reassured her.
“Gladly! You know that!” Davin added, “and I expect you to holo me whenever you need to.”
Loala thought for a moment. “I’ll do it,” Loala said, as she looked up, brushed her hair back, and looked Deirdre straight in the eyes. “Would you like to see my children, Deirdre?” she asked.
“I would be honored, Loala,” The Lady stated serenely.
Loala discretely opened her blouse to reveal the grey writhing mass, now apparently larger. Without hesitating Deirdre reached out and gently caressed the outer portion of the mass. She looked at Loala and smiled, and Loala immediately smiled back. Each looked radiant. Loala looked expectantly at Davin. Summoning every gram of his courage, Davin stepped forward so he, too, could pet Loala’s children.
*****
The next day Deirdre assembled the 12,000 colonists for a brief ceremony.
“Seldom is it my privilege, fellow Gaians, to be present during such happy circumstances. Through your extraordinarily arduous journey to this colony site and your distinguished efforts, you have expanded the frontier of our society. You, our pioneers, are the best Gaian society has to offer Planet!
“But today we are doubly blessed. Loala and her ‘children’ demonstrate that Planet is with us, for how could such a momentous event occur otherwise! To commemorate this event, I hereby name this colony, the fruits of your labors, Mindworm Pass. May these tidings shine as a light to guide our future, for our future is with Planet!
*****
Excitement ran rampant through Mindworm Pass. The Davin Former (always called The Terraformer in Davin’s presence) was finally complete! Three years of effort, and a little energy from Gaia’s Landing, finished the job. Lady Deirdre Sky sent a personal holo message to the colony, commending them for their efforts. The anticipation for the unveiling was palpable!
The reason for the production time and the huge amount of resources was clear once the terraforming ‘unit’ was assembled and displayed in the commons of Mindworm Pass. The terraformer was not one machine, but an integrated system of machines. According to Dr. Davin Prots’ original concept and design, each terraformer squadron included three groups of vehicles and facilities: earth moving, synthesis, and biogenics. Earth moving was self explanatory, even if the scale it operated on staggered the imagination. A combination of old-fashioned dig-and-haul, vibraconics, thermal destruction, explosives, corrosives, and laser modules were fitted into the chassis of a dozen vehicles. The synthesis portion was a mobile fabrication works, which created solar panels, automated farm machinery, and control systems for boreholes, mines, and other grids. The biogenics mobile laboratory portion of the trio was the smallest, but perhaps the most important, since it tackled the day-to-day challenges of optimizing the land for its intended use. It is what allowed a doubling, in some cases, of food or mineral production.
By unanimous vote, the other Administrators insisted that the esteemed Dr. Prots himself dedicate the former squadron for Mindworm Pass. Davin tried to beg off, but eventually succumbed. Davin found it strange that all of his colleagues back at Gaia’s Landing never got any credit. He definitely had not worked on it alone.
Davin sighed. Might as well get on with it. He mounted the newly constructed podium and started his speech.
*****
Another milestone has been reached, Davin mused. We have doubled our population in only six years! Ample food production as a result of the Mindworm Pass Former and some very productive terrain had led to a surge in population through more births and fewer deaths due to various vitamin and mineral deficiencies chronic to humans on Planet. Of course, ample thought must now be given to support facilities and the now inadequate infrastructure.
Better contact Gregory, Davin thought. He loves to fuss over projects such as these. Perhaps a new project, like a rec commons, would be appropriate.
Maybe later. Right now I want to give Loala a holo, Davin thought. I really look forward to our weekly calls, since seeing and talking to Loala helps me focus, or just sooth my mind. Loala has always had that effect on people, a natural empathic ability. She never tells me much about what she is doing, but occasionally I get to see a holo of Edward, Loala’s ‘child’. He sure is huge now. I wonder what you feed a mindworm? I could ask Loala. But now that I think of it, I really don’t want to know.
*****
Breaking news from Gaia’s Landing: Deirdre has been elected Planetary Governor! She got the support of Lal and Zak, although it was rumored that Zak demanded consideration. Yang voted for himself, and had the support of Miriam. That was ominous.
Two weeks after the announcement, the Gaian War Ministry contacted Mindworm Pass and ordered them to start immediate production of a particle impact speeder. Davin regretted the production lost due to retooling, and the loss of the rec commons. No matter.
*****
“Senior Administrator Davin Prots, Report to the Admin Complex Immediately,” Davin’s datapad demanded. Must be serious, Davin though as he shook himself awake, I hope no one is hurt! Davin quickly put on his breathmask, slapped his datapad to his waist, left his apartment, and sprinted to the Admin Complex. At 92 he was no longer spry. He was winded and his left leg had cramped up by the time he arrived.
“Status?” Davin enquired.
“Unknown EM signatures coming from the south, apparently up the river, Sir,” the rather young technician replied.
Davin looked over at Administrator Layne, the only other member of his staff present.
“We know it’s not a mindworm, since that area is clear of fungus. We have no scouts scheduled to be returning from that direction,” Marilyn answered. She had obviously had the same questions he did, and had gotten the answers forthwith.
“Try a standard greeting...” Davin started.
“We already tried that, and got no response,” Marilyn replied tightly.
“I see, then…” Davin started, but was cut off again.
“Sir, I think whoever is out there is transmitting! I have it now, putting it on speakers,” the tech volunteered.
Static filled the room as the scanner honed in on the signal, which finally resolved itself: “ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDGIERS, MARCHING AS TO WAR! WITH THE CROSS OF JESUS, GOING AS BEFORE….”
“Oh, god…” someone said from the back of the room.
*****
Davin was past tears. He looked down from the fungus at the top of Mindworm Pass Valley toward his city. The fires had died down now. He could see the remains of the Admin Complex, the hab buildings, everything. He had no idea how he made it up here, or if anyone else was alive. Mindworm Pass was gone.
Davin turned away. He had seen Marilyn immediately grab a taser and rush to join the synthmetal garrison. Gregory had arrived in the Admin Complex shortly thereafter, just after the Believers arrived. He had seen the garrison take a direct hit and cease to exist. Davin shuddered as he imagined his stalwart Marilyn blown to pieces. After the synthmetal garrison had been summarily destroyed, Greg and a large number of Gaian citizens had tried to surrender. They were rewarded with a messy execution - at point-blank range. Davin could still see the raging fires, consuming all that he had worked so hard on, smell the sickening stench of burning flesh, and hear the cries he could only assume were rapes and pleas for help, for mercy…
Davin was wrong. He wasn’t past tears.
He was one old man, injured by the look of blood on his abdomen. Was it his? He couldn’t tell. He might try to make it to the next town up the river, Velvetgrass Point. That would take months on foot, at best.
Suddenly, Davin was tired. He remembered his wife, Sadia, long dead with their children. Then he remembered Loala. For her, I’ll try…
Davin paused and turned: what is that rustling from the fungus behind me?
*****
Datalinks Annotation: Dr. Davin Prots’ datapad was located in M.Y. 2191 during fungus removal while terraforming the hills surrounding the newly founded New Mindworm Pass. In accordance with the express wishes of Lady Deirdre Sky, a white pine was planted in his honor in the Gaia’s Landing Commons with a synthmetal plaque that reads: “In Remembrance of Dr. Davin Prots, Inventor of the Terraformer. Your Gift To Humanity On Planet Has Been Incalculable. You Were a True Friend, and Will Be Missed. Lady Deirdre Sky”
*****
Two shadows obscure the plaque for Davin Prots. An ancient woman kneels to the grass by the plaque and places a single seed on the ground its base. A Chironwheat IV seed. The 2-meter tall mindworm at her side reforms its bulk to form a pseudopod to help Mistress Loala off her knees as she tries to stand. Then they turn and walk into the light of the Chiron suns.