Athena Lee Chronicles 7: The Martian Inheritance (11 page)

“Yes, Ma’am. It will be done as you have said. Miss Lee trust my words that you are in good hands and safe in the company of Amalie. I will return shortly.” He swept up the Captain and Lieutenant and hurried them out a side door. I was left with Corporal Jenkins as protection.

Amalie took my hand and led me off the stage and through the theater door. She had a firm grip for someone as old as she appeared to be. We went through the main doors into a lift and up to a private apartment overlooking the Marketplace.

“This is my summer home and where I greet many visitors. I know you have questions, dear, but let me talk a bit first.” She sat down in one of the chairs by the main window. I sat down next to her. Corporal Jenkins wandered the room looking for security threats and eventually stationed himself by the window, but not in view of it.

“Athena, I am sorry that you had to witness Admiral Dorr’s display earlier. Politics have become complicated on Mars. Many are waiting for me to either step down or pass on from this life. Many believe that I do not have any hereditary successors. Your appearance is something of a surprise to most of Mars. You see, they forgot about Amelia. Poor Amelia… Her mother, my daughter, left this world at a very early age. The official records of her death list it as suicide. I have always suspected that it was murder, in by someone trying gain access to this office. Politics are not usually violent on here on Mars. Amelia spent her early life hidden from view. I was worried about her safety and kept her as safe as I could. Most on our world didn’t even know that she existed. Many thought she had died with her mother. When Amelia was eighteen she begged me to be allowed out into the world. I gave in and placed her in a platonic group marriage for her protection.” She paused and looked at me closely. “You have been informed about what our laws are?” I nodded yes to her.

“Good. We protect our young. Amelia went to work for the diplomatic office. I placed her there under a pseudonym. She loved it. Her excitement warmed my heart. She loved her job. Then one day she met a boy around her age from another planet and they fell in love. Thinking that it might keep her safe I allowed it and she left the planet and my heart. I saw your surprise at my mentioning your sibs. Amelia sent me brief notes and short vids about all of you: your births, growing up, and things that made her smile.”

This woman continued to shock me. “We had no idea that she was still in contact with her family. Dad never mentioned it.”

“My dear sweet Amelia may not have mentioned it to him. When the communications stopped I had our embassy investigate. I then found out about her illness and death. It hurt to lose the child of my heart, but at least I knew that you and the others still existed.”

At that moment Wilson started talking to me. “Athena! Grab Amalie and get under cover: someone just launched a group of rockets at your location! You only have seconds!”

“Grandmother, we need to run! Jenkins, rockets incoming!”

I grabbed my grandmother and had just reached the entranceway when my world went white. The flash and sudden concussion threw Amalie and I to the floor. Corporal Jenkins had been directly behind me. Catching the worst of the blast, he was tossed over us and crashing into the far wall. He lay there groaning in pain. Blinking my eyes rapidly cleared them of the flash spots.

“What the hell kind of weapon was that? The room we were in is just… gone!”

“Something that is not supposed to be in anyone’s hands! Help me up, child.” My great grandmother was laying on the floor staring up at me. I reached down and helped her to her feet. Looking around I caught sight of Jenkins. Kneeling down I checked his vitals. “He’s alive!”

I heard pounding as emergency crews came racing up the stairs. “Primus Dorr? Are you OK?”

A large man clad in a bright red suit carrying an axe was standing over the two of us. “I’m fine Captain, but my granddaughter’s guard is hurt.” She pointed to Jenkins.

“Athena, if you had not grabbed me… ” I stopped her.

“Great Grandmother can we discuss this somewhere else? I think the walls have ears… ” I pointed above me and all around.

Amalie nodded her head. “I think you’re right. Let’s make sure your guard is taken care of properly.”

Following the rescue crew were her security forces and Gaston Pebbleberry. “Primus are you well?”

“Gaston I’m fine, let us go somewhere… more private to discuss this. Shall we?”

Gaston led us past the rescue workers to a private lift hidden in the wall. After he keyed a special code the lift descended rapidly. Below her house was a small hangar bay containing an unusual looking shuttle. Gaston held the door open as Amalie climbed on board. “I think we are secure now, child. Now, how did you know about the attack?”

I looked in Gaston’s direction. Amalie saw that and answered my unspoken question. “He is completely loyal, but only to me. Technically, he is a cousin of yours but he claims no family. He has sworn his loyalty to me and I believe him.”

“Since you knew about me do you know the story of my rescue from the Diablo system?”

“I do. I was very happy to hear that you had returned. My spies were shocked at the information that you uncovered about the governor and all the corruption.”

“OK, that makes this a shorter story. Located on one of the wrecked ships in Diablo was a functioning computer console. It had functioned beyond every piece of equipment on the ship, save the reactor. In that computer I found a functional Artificial Intelligence.”

“Wait, you found an AI?”

“Yes. PPL scientists had made the breakthrough early in the war. Unlike the AI’s that we use today this one was fully aware and free-thinking. He had been trapped on that ship for a long time. I saved him and he moved in.”

“Moved in?” Amalie looked puzzled Gaston looked horrified.

I pointed to my head. “My neural interface. He took over my link and moved in. His name is Wilson.”

“You have a computer living in your head?”

“Yes. He helps me out from time to time and can tap into most computers. He is somewhat of a secret and only a few in our government know of his existence. And now you.”

“Seeing how he just saved my life, I think the least we can do is keep that secret.”

“Thank you, grandmother. Now what exactly was that weapon?”

“It was something that is accounted for very carefully. Whoever is behind this attack is toast. We will certainly find them.”

I stared out the window in deep thought. I barely noticed that the ship had launched and was heading toward Mars. “Great-grandmother, how is it that you are still alive? I have met only one long lived person like you before.”

“You have? Who? You tell me and I will tell you. How about that?”

I took a deep breath. “He told me his name was Sam 0256, I met him a few years ago. He told me a very interesting story about a colony ship.”

“Sam 0256?” She closed her eyes and smiled. “Ah, Sam. He was a lost soul. One of his best friends dying in his arms changed him. Much of the wonder of life left him then.”

“Were you a colony ship pilot too?”

“No dear, I was something else entirely. I think this conversation should wait until we get home, don’t you think Gaston?”

“Of course, Amalie. There will be many questions I think. Don’t worry Alice this rabbit hole is not that deep!”

__

Back on Deimos, Admiral Dorr paced in his office. Damn that woman! How had a granddaughter slipped past us? This plan had been a century in the making! It can’t fail now. Mars must be in our hands!

“Sir, I have news!”

“Well? What is it?”

“She survived, Sir. Both of them did.” The messenger had to duck as a large book came flying at his head.

“Damn it to Hell! Can’t anyone do anything right? Killing two women is easy, just shoot them!”

Chapter 15

Down on Mars, Captain Gorshin regretted leaving Athena alone. However, he had an alliance to form and a trade deal to secure. The PPL ambassador had already contacted him to say that the James Cook was authorized to start liberty in Dilmun. A liberty call should make Lieutenant Zakaszewski’s mission easier. The flight down to Mars was interesting. Instead of using the James Cook’s shuttle, the Martian Military flew them down on a private ship. Unlike most colonial shuttles, this ship’s engines ran quiet and smooth. You could hardly tell that it was a shuttle moving through space. Even the G-forces were muted. The planet loomed large ahead of them. Large domed cities spread out in every direction. The land surrounding each city was green and brown! He tapped the ships copilot’s arm. “Yes, Sir?”

“The green areas, is that the terraforming?”

The copilot smiled. “Yes, the work of generations. One day our children will breathe the air without masks.”

The shuttle headed for the largest visible dome. To Captain Gorshin’s eyes It was larger than Freedom station and New Reno put together. He asked the pilots. “How long did it take to build all this?”

“Sir, it took over a hundred years. The original dome has been preserved and turned into a pretty nice museum. They can answer most of your questions there.”

The Captain took that as a ‘go away’ by the pilots. He returned to his seat next to Kinno, and spoke to him quietly. “What’s your opinion of these people?”

“Sir, they seem better than the Imperials, but similar too, in some ways. They really do think of us as like poor country farmers who don’t know anything. We need to watch our backs.”

“I agree. I do wish that Commander Lee was with us.”

__

On the other side of the Dilmun dome, the first shuttle from the James Cook was landing. Fifty of the PPL’s finest were about to have liberty in the galaxy’s most famous city. Dar and her six man team were part of the first group of sailors. The official plan was to ‘touch base’ with PPL agents and locate the target. With any luck they could secure and transport their target before Martian security caught on. Or at least that was the the plan going in.

Nothing prepared the team for the inside of the dome. Expecting a hangar bay or sealed landing strip the inbound flight center was a surprise. It was outside the dome. Masks were provided to those exiting the shuttle. Green plants surrounded the immense domes. The classic red dust of Mars was nowhere to be seen. Lawns surrounded the spaceport on all sides. If you didn’t know any better, you would swear that this was a planet just like back home. Inside the terminal were signs proclaiming the basic laws and the penalties that law breakers would incur. Many sounded very painful and disabling. These were not a people to cross.

Dar took everything in: the signs, the people, and the security. She was machinelike in her concentration. Details were very important if her mission was to be successful. When the terminal doors opened forty-three sailors ran off in groups of two’s and three’s. So much to see and experience. Only her team stayed together. The vast terminal was filled with uniforms from a dozen worlds including quite a few imperial ones. Avoiding the larger groups of strange military, Dar led her group to the visitors center at the rear. Here were vid screens showing local attractions and free local maps and information for visitors. According to her briefing this was where her contact was supposed to meet them. Signaling her team, she had them spread out and blend in.

Some of the attractions made her smile. She could imagine Athena’s delight at the full body massage and mud bath treatments. Or the Technology of the Ages Museum. If they went in there she might have to pry the girl out with a crowbar. Dar shook her head. Damn mission. This could be a fun place for a couple. Maybe if they caught … No, don’t think like that. Concentrate on the mission, she told herself. She was so lost in thought that she almost missed spotting the contact she was meeting.

A man dressed in extremely tight shorts and nothing else bumped into Dar as she stared at one of the vid screens. She glanced in his direction. Why would someone wear something like that? In public even. The shorts were skin tight and very revealing. Every nuance of the man’s body could be seen, and he may as well have been wearing paint rather than latex. “Excuse me, sorry. Have you seen Harvey? He was here just a moment ago.”

Surprised that this near naked man was speaking to her she at first missed the code words. “Harvey, have you seen him?”

“Uh, what?” She realized what the man had said and tried to recover. “Isn’t Harvey a rabbit?”