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Athens (Chapters 1-3)
Date: 22 February 2008, 11:55 pm
Corporal Michael Hawkins is a terraforming engineer with the UNSC Colonization Program. In 2520, he was on the colonization ship Columbus heading to the planet Athens, one of humanity's newest colonies. For the next five years, he and the other thousands of terraformers made Athens more habitable for human life, and in 2525 Athens' population exceeds 100,000 people. Hawkins lives a modest life and comes to marry a beautiful fellow engineer, Sarah Howell, and together they have one child, John.
All is going well for humanity, with over 800 colonized worlds and a population of over 50 billion, until 2525. News reaches the public that aliens, technologically superior and hostile, have been discovered. The loss of Harvest frightens and angers the human population. Millions volunteer for the UNSC Marine Corps. Hawkins is one of them. He leaves his home and his family, against protest from Sarah, to report to basic training on Reach.
This is his story.
Part One
Chapter 1
6.10.2520, 08:00 (Athens Time)
Aboard Terraforming Vessel Columbus
Michael Hawkins woke with a start as the hull shuddered. He sat up in bed and listened closely. The ship continued to moan, but eventually the noise faded out. Realizing the ship was descending through atmosphere, he stretched and got out of bed.
The corporal was of average build, with brown eyes, brown hair, and a face with soft yet hardened features. At twenty-eight years old, he was in good shape. He walked to the shower and expressed what could be described as anticipation.
He undressed and turned on a jet of steaming hot water. As he stepped in he remembered how cold it was coming out of cryosleep a week ago; he was in it for six months. They all were.
Mike was aboard the UNSC Columbus, a mammoth of a vessel that was the spear point of space colonization. The Columbus was a terraforming ship – that is, it carried the people, the machines, and the materials needed to make a planet habitable for human life. Right now it was landing on the surface of Athens, the fourth planet in the Marata solar system. Mike was twenty light-years from home.
Athens had been studied before, of course, otherwise the Columbus wouldn't have taken a six-month long jump through Slipspace to get there. It was a relatively small world, about 3,000 miles in diameter. It had freshwater oceans and lush grasslands, making it an ideal human habitat. It had only two continents, and the Columbus would be landing on the larger one, Pertrene. It had been decided that the smaller continent on the other side of the planet, Prinlor, would remain barren of human life.
With over 800 colonies already established throughout UNSC controlled space, it was just another planet on a long list. But with 50 billion human beings inhabiting the galaxy, a little more space wouldn't hurt.
After a preemptive survey from orbit in 2510, Athens was confirmed to have a suitable climate, although its soil was not quite ready to support large-scale farming. Back on Earth, the UNSC Colonization Program put together a plan to make the planet support a large population. One of several colonization ships, the Columbus disembarked with a workforce of two thousand men and women and millions of tons of machinery and material.
The crew was put in cryosleep for the journey, and when the ship was a week from its destination they were aroused from their deep slumber.
Mike stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and suited up in his uniform. It was a standard issue outfit for UNSC crewmembers, with his name and rank imprinted over the left breast. He grabbed his compad and rucksack and left the room, heading for the lift.
The interior of the Columbus was well kept. The shiny metallic floor was swept clean, and the halogen lights set in the corners of the walls and ceilings brightly illuminated the corridors.
He maneuvered through several hallways until he reached the main corridor. The residence sector of the Columbus was four decks tall and located above the bridge. With so many people on board it often got a bit disorienting to move around. But signs helped Mike along the way, pointing to the lifts. There were six lifts lined along the forward bulkhead of the ship, each capable of carrying five tons. They led to the other decks and the storage hangers.
As he walked the hull shuddered again, and then abruptly stopped with a thump. He powered up his compad and confirmed his thoughts when he found a message from the captain addressed to all aboard: WELCOME TO ATHENS, EVERYONE. PLEASE PREP FOR UNLOADING AND REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS. LET'S GET TO WORK. – CAPTAIN PEARCE.
Waiting for the lift among a crowd of fellow engineers, he found Sam Langley. Sam was a good friend of Mike since they went through college together.
"Morning, Mike", Sam said.
"Actually", said Mike, checking the time on his compad, "It's about midnight".
"Oh, yeah, back on Earth it is. Here the sun should be rising any minute. How'd it feel to wake up in something warm?"
"A lot better than waking up like a frozen Popsicle" Mike replied. He chuckled to himself, remembering the freezing chill he had felt when waking up in the cryo-chamber.
The lift arrived, which essentially was a large elevator. The crowd shuffled onboard, and when there was no more room someone hit the switch and the lift descended rapidly. Michael felt his gut rise in his throat; he hadn't experienced true gravity in quite a while. The ship spun during spaceflight to create centrifugal force, a mimic of gravity.
"So", Mike started again, "how long do you think this will take?"
"What, terraforming Athens?" Sam asked.
"Yeah".
"Probably a good five years at least. It'll take a long time to make the soil more fertile". Sam was one of the crew's soil specialists, who figured out how to make the soil nutritious for human crops.
"Well, for us, knowing the size of the planet, it probably won't take long to lay out". Mike was referring to him and the other Planet Surface Design Team members; they were responsible for deciding where roads would go, laying out cities, and designing buildings best suited to the planet's climate.
When the lift stopped and the door opened, Mike was greeted with a blast of cold air. But his breath was taken with an awe-inspiring site, the main cargo hanger. It was the center of activity this morning. The hanger was absolutely huge, measuring at least one thousand feet long and four hundred feet wide. Mike craned his neck to look up at the ceiling at least three stories above him. The space was filled with the hustle and bustle of hundreds of people – all terraforming engineers checking equipment or heading to their workstations there on the main deck.
The hanger was dark. Most of the light fixtures were set on the gray walls lining the hanger. The ten hanger doors, once opened, would provide natural lighting.
Lined along the walls and in aisles were the terraforming machines themselves; massive earthmovers, which were essentially giant bulldozers. JOTUS farming equipment, ground vehicles, and everything else that would be needed to shape the planet was on the ship.
The main hanger made up the bulk of the Columbus. There were other storage hangers on the upper decks that weren't nearly as large but were just as important, holding food and water for the crew, and seeds for the future farms.
The confusion separated Michael and Sam, but he didn't worry; they would meet up later in the day.
Michael moved forward, his attention suddenly fastened on one of the hanger doors. As it opened, the dawn light filtered in, adding natural light to the cavernous space.
He was so fascinated by the fact that he was on a new planet that he didn't look where he was going, and he bumped into someone overlooking an earthmover. He dropped his compad and bent over to pick up. As he was doing so he noticed the slim legs in uniform next to him. Mike realized it was a woman he had bumped into and stood up. She turned to face him, and he blushed as he thought of an apology.
"Uh, sorry about that", he said, gesturing over his shoulder at the organized chaos going on in the hanger, "It's a bit crowded in here".
She smiled and Michael felt his face get warmer. "No problem, happens to me all the time," she said in a soft voice. "Although it's not always an accident when you're on a six month long trip with men all around you".
It took Mike a moment to realize she was talking about herself; she was very attractive. Her smooth, wavy blond hair came down just past her ears, and her sparkling blue eyes and soft face added her beauty. Being an engineer, her smarts and looks were enough for any man to die for.
"Oh, yeah, right", he stuttered. He looked down at his feet as he thought of a better response. Michael was shy, and the last relationship he had with a woman had been years ago. "Well, uh, my name's Michael. Michael Hawkins". He extended his hand.
She looked at him slyly for a moment and then took his hand. She had a firm grip.
"Sarah Howell. Nice to meet you," she said.
Mike smiled awkwardly and then noticed the surging mass of people around him. By this time all of the elevators coming from the quarters were running full loads as everyone prepared for the first day on Athens.
"I gotta go", said Mike. "Maybe I'll see you around?"
She smiled again and brushed aside some hair that had fallen in front of her eye. "Yes, that would be nice. To be honest I hardly know anyone aboard". She said this exasperatingly, as if it had been bothering her the entire trip.
"Well, maybe I can call you sometime", he said, indicating his compad. "Nice meeting you, bye". He forced a smile as the blood in his face boiled.
"Good-bye, Michael". She gave a short little wave and turned back to the equipment.
Mike stood there for a second, staring at the back of her lovely head, her hair done up in a bun. He thought for a moment, she's the one, and then he turned and moved with the flow.
Chapter 2
6.10.2520, 08:30 (Athens Time)
Aboard Terraforming Vessel Columbus
Ten minutes later, Michael arrived at his team's station. It was located in a forward corner of the hanger that wasn't surrounded by towering equipment. The other team members were already there. He put some extra supplies in his pack as he prepared to move out.
Sergeant Kurt Stromsfield threw him a glance and nodded, glad he was on time. Stromsfield was the team leader of the architects, or more officially, the Planet Surface Design Team. There were twenty of the designers that would work together on creating the infrastructure for the new world, but Michael Hawkins was probably the best man on the team below Kurt.
The team members were gathered around a squadron of Warthogs. These tough, jeep-like vehicles were usually the forward fighting units for Marines. But unlike the Marine Corps variant, which sported a .50 caliber machine gun, these ones had a bench seat in the rear. They were also unarmored. This was because the Warthogs were used mainly for scouting rough terrain and getting around once local settlements were established, and the colonization engineers did not expect to be fighting anyone on barren planets.
But just in case, each Warthog had an MA5B Assault Rifle with five extra clips stored in the rear. Everyone in the UNSC went through basic training and knew how to use a weapon.
The team had five Warthogs out of the fifty or so the ship stored. They were chosen as the first scouts because they needed to see the terrain for themselves. The ship also had a fleet of civilian vehicles stored on board, but those would be used in a few years when the work of the terraformers was done and civilians started living on the planet.
Mike climbed up into the driver seat of the lead Warthog and Kurt hopped in the side seat next to him. In the back Harold Westing and Carl Bonning made themselves comfortable.
He powered up the Warthog and the engine growled. Mike looked over at Kurt.
"What's up, Sarge?" he asked.
Sergeant Stromsfield rechecked his compad. "We're to proceed north of the landing zone to scope out the terrain and find a nice flat spot for the first settlement. Says here it's recommended that the vehicles spread out with a half mile between them to cover more ground".
"Say, Carl, let's see if we can borrow a 'Hog later so we can scout out the land ourselves", joked Harold.
"For a joyride on the biggest field in the Universe", said Carl.
Kurt sighed. "Not on my watch".
Mike turned around in his seat and saw the rest of the Warthogs were loaded up. Two of the five hanger doors on the south side were already down and the heavy equipment was being readied to move outside. Almost everything was planned, so work would start immediately. The hanger looked somewhat more organized now that there wasn't a mass of people everywhere.
Stromsfield gave the order to move out and Mike throttled up the big machine. The other Warthogs followed suit. The nearest open hanger door was at the other end of the hanger, near the lifts. The door was hinged from the bottom, so when it opened it made a giant ramp that angled down to the ground outside.
Mike turned down the ramp and the Warthog's tires thudded onto the earth.
The beauty of the place stunned him. He, like everyone else, had seen photos of the planet from orbit, but he didn't expect it to be so serene, even if it was the first planet he would be terraforming. The Columbus had landed in the northern region of the planet's largest continent, which was mostly hilly grassland. The yellow grass was at least waist-high, and was the only thing to see for hundreds of miles. A light, constant breeze from the ocean ruffled Mike's hair. The blue sky was dotted with clouds, and the medium-sized sun had just risen in the east, bathing the whole scene in yellow light. The sun's rays warmed Michael's cheeks, and as he glanced west, he squinted at the untainted light.
Michael looked at the dashboard's compass and turned north towards the shoreline about five miles away. Doing so took him around Columbus, and the view showed him just how large the ship was.
The exterior of the ship was a fifth of a mile long, slightly longer than the main hanger, and because of its mission, it wasn't built for looks. The ship was essentially a giant container filled with supplies, along with quarters and a mess hall to accommodate the two thousand people on board. The ship had landed on its flat bottom, which, like the rest of the hull, was three feet thick and made out of extremely strong steel colored a dark shade of gray. Mike also got a good look at the bridge, which was positioned in the lower forward area of the ship. The large windows provided a spectacular view during spaceflight.
As they moved away from the ship, Mike got a better sense of just how big the grassy plain was. There seemed no end in sight, and nothing but grass covered the wind-swept landscape. The Warthogs tore through the grass, flattening the thick stalks and leaving a trail in their wake. Surprisingly, Mike saw no animals of any kind.
"To all scout units, this is Scout One", said the sergeant. "Spread out so we're all separated from each other by half a mile. Look for a flat area where we can set up the first outdoor settlement. I'm sure it won't be hard to find a good spot". Stromsfield waited for the person in charge of each Warthog to respond.
"Scout Two, roger". That was Charlie Finch; another good man that Michael had gone through school with. He reminded himself to talk about old times with him when they got back.
"This is Scout Three. Anyone feel like a campfire on the beach tonight?" Mike recognized the voice of Jennifer Olney, the only woman on the design team.
Next over the frequency came James Keller, someone who Michael wasn't acquainted with. "Hell, it's only five miles away. Sarge, why don't we check out that area and skip the rest? I imagine it's pretty flat around there. This is Scout Five, over".
Stromsfield replied, "Negative everyone, just stick to the plan. Follow your orders and get the job done". He looked over at Mike, who just rolled his eyes. "But I'm sure we could take a swim if you all insist", he added good-heartedly.
"See, the Sarge ain't half bad!", replied Nate McKlosky. "Oh, Scout Four, over".
There was laughter and joking on the radio until Stromsfield shut them up. Mike was glad they were off to a good start.
It was early morning, and the day was only beginning as the sun rose higher in the sky. They had ten hours to scout the area around the landing site before the building, planting, and earthmoving began. They had a long job ahead of them.
Chapter 3
7.5.2520, 13:00 (Athens Time)
Aboard Terraforming Vessel Columbus
The table erupted in laughter as Sam said the punch line to a joke they had all heard a thousand times. Mike Hawkins, Sam Langley, Charlie Finn, and several others sat around a table in the ship's mess hall, enjoying lunch.
"So I hear this is the last planet to be colonized", Andy Hansen, one of the earthmoving engineers, said after the laughter died down.
"Really? Where'd you hear that one?" asked Michael.
"I overheard it before we left, from one of the officers".
"Just a rumor, I'll bet", said Charlie.
"Eight hundred colonies can be a hassle to manage, I imagine", replied Michael.
"Yeah, but that means we'll be out of work. Or forced to enlist", Sam said solemnly.
The group went quiet.
They were, of course, already enlisted in the UNSC, who headed the colonization effort and governed the human population. They were thinking about the Marines Corps; once they were no more use in starting human habitats on planets, they might be required to begin serving in the armed forces. It was an ugly situation for the UNSC at the moment; rebels and insurrectionists were in almost every system, and the Marines were stretched to the limit to hold them down.
Michael considered this and decided that no matter what it came to, he could never shoot another person.
The group resumed conversation on a different subject, and Mike and Sam got up together to put away their lunch trays.
As they walked toward a refuse bin, Sam said, "Man, you think that's true about us being drafted?"
They cleared off their trays in a refuse bin, and then put the trays on top.
"I don't know. Hard to say", Mike replied. "But if comes to it I'll never join the Marines. I'll hide if I have to".
Sam stared at his best friend for a moment, thinking he was joking. He was dead serious. Sam had never known Mike to defy orders; he always did what he had to do.
Well, maybe avoiding enlistment was just that.
"I'm with you, Mike. I always will be. But I'm not going to jail for this if it's too risky".
"Sam, don't even worry about it", Mike replied. "You said yourself it'll take at least five years to colonize this planet. And even then we have no idea if it's really the last one. Just go on living".
Sam grinned, and they started toward the lifts. "I'm glad you're here, Mike. Those other guys are okay, but you're the only one I can fall back on".
Mike was about to say something similar about Sam when the door to one of the lifts opening, revealing Sarah Howell.
Michael had called her only once since their first meeting three weeks ago, but she had been busy and couldn't talk very long. But she looked just as pretty as that first day, her slim figure outlined in the gray uniform.
"Oh, hi, Ms. Howell", he managed to get out. "Remember me?"
"Of course, Michael", she said as she stepped out, the doors closing behind her.
They were silent for a moment as she glanced between Michael and Sam, who was staring a little too much at her in the wrong places. Mike was embarrassed for his friend and tried to break the ice.
"Sam, this is Sarah Howell. We met onboard a few weeks ago".
Sam came to his senses and extended his hand. "Sam Langley, a pleasure to meet you". He looked at Mike and Sarah. "So, uh, are you two…together or something?"
Mike blushed at Sam's ridiculous question and felt like breaking his nose.
Sarah seemed not to be offended. "Oh, no, we're just acquaintances, for now".
Michael tried not to smile at the last two words she had said. Something more seemed to be in store. Mike decided now was a good opportunity to spend some time with her.
"Sam, I'll catch up with you later", he said.
Sam took the hint. "Alright, just come upstairs when you're finished", he said. He pushed the button for the lift and the doors opened again. As he stepped inside and turned around, he winked at Mike. Mike shrugged and turned to follow Sarah, who had already headed toward the serving counter.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?", he asked, catching up with her. "I just had lunch though".
"Sure thing. And you can call me Sarah, Mike". Mike grinned. Things were already warming up. He glanced at the table he had been sitting at and saw that his friends were starting in amazement, as if there was no way Mike was with her.
Mike smiled at them and continued toward the kitchen. When she got a sandwich and he a bottle of water, they sat at an unoccupied table in the corner of the room.
"Sorry about Sam", Mike started. "He's a little…unaware at times".
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I didn't notice anything wrong. Maybe I'm just used to it", she added with a bit of humor.
"Uh, yeah, I'll bet", he said. She smiled at him as she unwrapped her ham-and-cheese. Mike wasn't sure where to start.
"So, what do you do?", he finally asked.
"I'm a soil engineer", she replied between bites. "Probably the most boring job out of everyone here".
"Oh, no, I'm sure it's interesting. My friend Sam is one too, but he never talks about it. What does it involve?"
"Well", she started to say, "I work with the other engineers to check the content of the soil, and plan the new composition that will work best for crop growth".
"See, that's important. Without you, we wouldn't be able to make this a farming colony".
She sighed. "If you say so. What do you do, Michael?"
He explained for a few minutes what his job entailed, taking so long because she seemed genuinely interested in his work. They talked about where they had gone to school before joining the UNSC Colonization Program; as it turned out, they were both from the United States on Earth. This was surprising considering how many colonies existed.
Mike was already thinking ahead about what a relationship might mean onboard; it would probably be better to move into an outdoor settlement. Luckily, the surface designers were supposed to move into the settlement that was going to be established at the beach next week.
"Wow", she said when he was done explaining. "You pretty much shape the planet". Mike grinned and took a sip of his water. He had to report back to his workstation on the hanger floor soon, but he remembered something she had said the first day.
"You said when we first met that you hardly know anyone aboard. That true?"
Sighing, she said, "Yes. None of my friends wanted to work for the UNSC, so we didn't go through school together. I didn't make many friends there, either. So here I am, working on my first planet far away from home, all alone".
Mike paused for a moment, thinking it impossible that she hadn't met a guy in college. He decided that was too personal to ask about.
"Well, it was nice talking to you", he said. "Can we can meet for lunch here again?"
She thought for a moment, tilting her head back. Finally she looked back at Mike and said, "Yes, I can do that. Thanks for sitting with me".
She moved her loose hair to behind her ears. Mike looked at her, admiring her pretty face, and then realized he had looked at her too long and blushed and looked down at the table.
"Yeah, that's great", he said when he looked back at her. "We can get to know each other and you'll have a friend on board".
"Perfect", she replied. She stood up and Michael did too. Together they walked over to a refuse bin to dispose of their trash. They lightly shook hands and departed, each headed their separate ways.
Athens (Chapter 4)
Date: 2 March 2008, 7:56 pm
Chapter 4
8.27.2520, 15:00 (Athens Time)
5 Miles North of Columbus
"Settlement One"
Michael eased the Warthog to a stop at the edge of the camp. With the sun shining down on him, he climbed out of the vehicle and stepped to the ground. The other three designers with him followed.
The settlement, officially known as "Expeditionary Settlement Site One", or unofficially as "One", consisted of a dozen drab, white prefabricated buildings. Each housed a different group of terraformers that were approved to live on the surface for their work's sake. The camp was located only five hundred feet from the ocean in a typical grassy field, but a hill prevented view of the water. The breeze of the ocean still tossed the grass and ruffled Mike's clothes.
The structure housing the planet surface design team was closest to where he had parked the Warthog. He opened the door to the rectangular-shaped building.
The first room was nothing but workstations, desks with computers and swivel chairs. Pinned up on the wall were several maps and sketches, and the largest map detailed the area around the Columbus for a hundred square miles. "One" was a black dot five miles north of the landing site.
Michael found his workstation and logged on to the computer. He loaded up a map of the region and scrolled to where he had just returned from scouting, about ten miles to the southeast. There was a strange feature in that area, a large pile of boulders on top of a large hill. There was nothing else like it on the whole continent.
He entered some notes about the rest of the area. He left it at that, for he was no mineralogist.
But he thought to himself about the rocks. There were, of course, other rocks strewn all over the small continent, but this pile almost seemed intentionally set there, as if it were hiding something. He dismissed the thought as pure fantasy.
After logging off, he went to the back of the building where the bunks and supplies were. No one else was there because most of the design team was working on designating major roads to be plowed by the earthmovers. The dirt road created by Warthog tracks between One and Columbus was to be paved within a week.
Mike hadn't gotten any sleep the last night because was up late studying photos of the planet. He was looking for anything interesting, but there seemed to almost nothing but grass. Mike wasn't educated in eco-systems, but he couldn't help but wonder how the planet remained habitable with nothing but grasslands and oceans. Only one volcano was on the planet, located in the smaller continent of Prinlor.
"Hey, Mike, you got a visitor," said Charlie, who popped his head into the barracks. "She isn't half bad looking either."
Mike immediately stood up from his bunk and turned to see Sarah come in.
"Hello, Michael," she greeted.
"Hi," was all he replied.
Charlie was still in the room. Mike glared at him until he chuckled, leaving.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I figured you could use some company," she said. He looked down at his feet and thought about where this relationship was going. For the last month they had had lunch together and had gotten to know each other very well. She seemed to like him more every day, and Mike had already felt a tingle of deep desire.
Two weeks ago, she invited him into her quarters after lunch, but out of fear of how fast it happened, he politely declined, saying he had urgent work to do. That night he was angry with himself for not having taken the opportunity. He blamed it on not having a relationship for many years.
Then last week the design team, later than expected, moved into the first outdoor settlement. She was sad to see him go. She had no idea how much worse Mike felt.
"I know what you're thinking," she said. "We can stop whenever you want. But I already got permission from my supervisor to take up barracks out here. I supposedly need to take soil samples and study them," she added playfully.
Mike looked up with a grin on his face. He had made a decision. "Let's take a walk."
She nodded, and Mike stood up to put a couple of towels in his rucksack along with two sandwiches and canteens.
As they headed through the front room, Kurt Stromsfield gave Michael a curious look.
"Hey, Sarge. This is Sarah Howell; she's new in camp. I'm just going to show her around. That okay?"
Stromsfield knew Mike got his daily work done early every day, and so had no reason to prevent him from going outside with this pretty girl. He waved them out and Sarah and Mike walked outside through the camp.
They went through the tall grass to the beach, where Michael laid out the two towels on the white sand and sat with Sarah, looking at the waves lap up against the shore. The wind never blew strongly, but was enough to pick up the millions of grains of sand.
On any other colony, it would have been strange to see the couple enjoying their sandwiches on the beach in their UNSC uniforms. But it was regulation they be worn during duty hours, which on Athens was from 08:00 to 16:00. Mike had been surprised to learn that the slow rotation of Athens allowed a similar timescale to Earth's.
They talked about the years ahead. It had been officially announced that day that fully terraforming the soil of Athens to make it of any use to farmers would take five years. Until then Sarah and Michael would have to keep their relationship unofficial as the work continued.
Regulations be damned, Michael thought. As the night sky darkened and the stars started to shine, Mike took Sarah in his arms gave her a long, sweet kiss. He had not felt so good in years.
At this point it wouldn't be wise to go beyond that physically, but right there Michael said what he had wanted to since the first day he saw her.
"Sarah, will you marry me?"
Without hesitation, she said, "Yes," and kissed him again.
Athens (Chapter 5)
Date: 14 March 2008, 10:35 pm
Chapter 5
10.22.2520, 12:00 (Athens Time)
Ten Miles Southeast of Settlement One
Anomaly R-23
"Charlie, Nate, you two swing around to the north. We'll move in from the south."
Charlie Finch and Nate McKlosky nodded jogged away, straddling their Assault Rifles.
Michael Hawkins stopped for a moment, watching. When they disappeared he and Sam Langley moved.
The wide, softly sloping hill that they were maneuvering around was officially known as Anomaly R-23. At the summit was a large pile of boulders. The one Michael had noticed several months earlier.
Before, he had dismissed it as speculation and nothing else. It had to be completely natural. But what had happened pointed towards something more cunning.
They reached the south side of the hill and started up. Mike snapped the rifle up, scanning the large rocks. They were all large, probably weighing ten tons each, and were an earthy brown. Spaces between them were filled with smaller rocks, some of them strewn down the hillside. It was all too perfect.
Jennifer Olson, the only female design team member, had disappeared in this area twenty-four hours ago. GPS tracking records showed that her vehicle had actually been fifteen miles east of R-23, on a routine survey assignment. But when she had returned near the end of the day, as it was now with the yellow sun slinking toward the horizon, she had stopped at this hill.
Mike looked to his right and saw Jennifer's Warthog below. They had yet to check it out.
Mike and Sam reached the top of the hill. In a few seconds Nate and Charlie rounded the wide pile of boulders.
"We've seen nothing. Absolutely no trace of her," said Nate. Nate McKlosky, one of the Planet Surface Design Team members, worked with Mike.
"Then what the hell is going on here?" Charlie asked. "She can't possibly be inside this pile," he said, tapping a boulder with his weapon.
"Oh, alright. So she didn't come up the hill at all. She just walked off into nowhere," said Mike sarcastically.
They looked warily at the horizon, miles away. There was no trace of human civilization anywhere to be seen, in any direction. Just miles and miles of tall, wavy, field grass was all there was to see.
Sam looked dubiously at Mike. "Alright, I think we ought to fan out and track her trail then. We should get her by nightfall."
Mike shook his head. Of course Sam was being equally sarcastic, he could tell from being with him for years. But even though, there was nothing they could do.
Mike said, "She's on a routine assignment. She stops here for no reason. No trace of her at all. So what do we do, report that she was abducted by aliens?"
His attempt at humor brought a few smiles, but that seemed the only explanation. A terraformer doesn't simply disappear like Jennifer did. GPS tracking on vehicles was constantly updated at the dispatcher's command post on the Columbus. If anything strange was noted, radio communication was opened immediately. That's what the dispatcher should have done immediately for Jennifer when she stopped here. But the transmitter in the Warthog had been disabled, and as it happened the dispatcher had taken a quick leak in the head.
Now Mike led the team, which had been sent here when the beacon had reactivated an hour ago, to Jennifer's Warthog. There was nothing startling about it. Her compad was on the dash. She had left her pack on the side seat. There was even a half-eaten sandwich still left. It was so ordinary looking Mike expected Jennifer to appear behind them, ready to head back to camp.
But it wasn't so.
"Charlie, Nate, take this 'Hog back to camp. Stromsfield, and the Captain for that matter, is going to want an explanation".
They grimly nodded and climbed into the seats. Charlie powered up the vehicle. Mike and Sam sat in the rear for a minute as Charlie drove them over to the Warthog they had arrived in, and then the two jumped down and got in the other Warthog. Out of a hunch, Mike let Charlie lead so he could keep a visual on Jennifer's Warthog.
They started back down the trail that had been made in the tall grass, going towards Camp One. Mike reflected on the situation, and admitted sourly to himself that even he couldn't conjure any idea of Jennifer had disappeared. It simply didn't happen on a world where there were only 2,000 inhabitants, no wild or dangerous animals to speak of, and calm weather. It was as if she had been wiped from existence.
Athens (Chapters 6-7)
Date: 19 April 2008, 6:53 am
Part Two
Chapter 6
3.5.2525, 11:50 (Athens Time)
30 Miles South of Spiritfield
Mike looked up just in time to hit the brakes and turn the wheel. The Warthog's tires screeched in protest as he moved left around a stopped trailer truck. The truck's driver in front for protection, and turned and waved his fist as Mike disappeared down the four-lane highway.
Mike grimaced at the nearly fatal error, but then his mouth formed a grin and he laughed at himself. He had been looking down the computer screen of the Warthog, trying to find out how many more miles it was to his destination. He looked down again, after making sure no one else was on the long stretch of road, and learned he had about ten miles to go.
Even with 100,000 people living on the planet, Athens was still mostly barren farmland. The larger continent, Pertrene, was two million square miles, and it had been calculated that only half of that was needed to support the nearby systems and Athens' own population. To save on costs, only the north half of the continent had been "fertilized" with nutrients suitable for growing human food. The southern region was still covered by that typical grass.
Not that it looked much different here, Mike thought. The northern part of the continent was dominantly farmland, planted with billions of crops. Several major highways crisscrossed the northern region, forming immense fields. These were tended by automated JOTUN farming machines, which tilled, planted, maintained, and harvested the crops. All the human farmers had to do was repair the machines occasionally when they needed maintenance. Life was very simple on Athens everywhere. Even in Avoria, Athens' capital on the northern coast of 70,000 people, there was little to do except run small businesses or work in the tourist industry. The entire beach along the northern coast was a sandy stretch that attracted thousands of tourists every year. Many visiting people had called the planet "Paradise".
His thoughts drifted to Sarah, his lovely wife, leaving in a beach house along the coast. She would be taking care of John now, their one-year-old son. Mike wondered if-
"All UNSC units, this is Athens command. We have an emergency that takes top priority over all other assignments. Report immediately to Spiritfield. Medevac is needed. Out."
Mike cursed; he had been waiting for this chance to get away for so long. What could possibly be so important to interrupt all UNSC personal on the planet?
Medevac. That couldn't be good. He sighed, slowed down, and put the big vehicle into a U-turn, heading north again. He waved at the truck driver on his way to Spiritfield.
Chapter 7
3.5.2525, 12:20 (Athens Time)
Spiritfield
He had driven through here only an hour before, but everything had changed. As he approached the small farming town of Spiritfield, a place of 5,000 residents in the middle of Athens' crop fields, he couldn't believer his eyes. Blacked chunks of metal, some still burning, littered the fields and the roadway, which became increasingly clogged with civilian emergency vehicles. He began to understand the gravity of the situation when he finally reached the middle of town.
The bulk of a large cargo ship was sitting on what remained of downtown Spiritfield. It was severely damaged; huge, gaping holes in the hull were pocketed all over the ship and smoked poured into the blue, midday sky from unseen fires.
Mike had a dozen questions form in his mind, but he put that aside and did what his training told him. Stay calm, find out the situation, and do what he can to help.
He made his way through a haphazard of vehicles scattered on the wide roadway, and parked next to the burnt outline of a general store. He jumped out, grabbed his kit, and walked toward where the center of activity seemed to be.
Dozens of homes were smashed into dust and splinters. Fires raged everywhere. The sirens of emergency vehicles blared. The smoke of the fires suddenly shifted, blocking out the sun, and the town was bathed in half-darkness. Mike reached in his pack to grab his flashlight, and he lost his bearings. He walked past a medical station, and stared at the victims. Most were burned all over their bodies, and many had been injured by falling debris. He turned away when he saw one man had nothing but a blackened stump for a leg.
He was closer to the wreckage now, and he saw that firefighters were attempting the douse the wild flames that were spreading from the center of the crash. Hundreds of people were running around him. People screaming, crying, shouting orders. The town's small security force had become overwhelmed by the situation, and Mike heard a police sergeant order an officer to call for backup from Pertrene.
A medical officer from the town's small hospital ran by him; Mike grabbed his arm.
"What the hell is going on here?"
The man shoved Michael's hand away. "That ship crashed from orbit and we've got hundreds of injured here. Are you going to help or just stand there?"
Mike looked at the wreckage again. The freighter was about 500 feet long and 50 feet high. The ship was actually a giant cargo container attached to a propulsion unit. Those kinds of setups were usually automated, so there shouldn't have been anyone on board.
"How could anyone survive inside those houses?"
The medic grimaced. "There aren't any survivors on the ground. There were people inside."
Mike stared at the man, too stunned to speak. Why would there be people in a cargo ship?
"You got a ride?", the medic asked.
Mike didn't say anything for a minute, contemplating the situation. How many had been inside?
"Oh, yeah", he finally said, turning and pointing in the general direction of his Warthog. "I heard the call for medevac."
The medic said, "Follow me", and started walking. Mike hesitated a moment and then went after him, back to the medical station.
They went to a row of stretchers and the medic turned around. It was then Michael noticed the named printed on the man's uniform; Henderson.
"Josh and Vic will help you load up some people", Henderson said, pointing at two of the orderlies who walked up.
Mike was silent. He looked at the stretchers; these people were the most critically injured. He felt like he was at the front lines of a real war.
"Isn't there an air evac?" he asked, almost meekly.
"Pelicans are an hour away. You can get to Pertrene in 90 minutes with the 'Hog. Get moving."
Henderson moved on, and Josh and Vic looked at Mike.
"Where's your vehicle?", Josh asked.
Mike pointed at his Warthog down the street.
"That's too far to carry these people. Drive it up here."
Mike nodded and sprinted down to his Warthog. People were swarming the streets, so he drove carefully through the crowd until he reached the medic station.
He jumped out and helped load the injured into the rear. One went on the floor in the back, one went on the bench seat, and two were laid behind the backseat. All of them were close to dying, and none of them moved. They were covered in blankets and had oxygen masks over their mouths.
Only Vic came, jumping in the front passenger seat. "I'll keep an eye on them. You drive. We have to get to Pertrene, it's the only place with a hospital good enough for these people."
"I'm Mick Hawkins, by the way", Mike said as he continued north.
"Vic Burwell", the medic replied. "Are you a civilian?"
Mike smiled at the question. "Yeah, technically. I was actually one of the people who first arrived at the planet".
Vic nodded, impressed. Most terraformers left for home after the planet was inhabited by a large population, their work done. For one to stay meant he was dedicated to the well being of the planet.
After taking several detours around the wreckage, they were clear of town. Even then, the highway was still crowded with vehicles; ambulances and Warthogs were going in either direction to help evacuate the people who had been injured. Mike settled the 'Hog in at 80 miles an hour, even with what now seemed like a large convoy headed north.
Vic and Mike were silent for a few minutes as the Warthog picked up speed along the road, now six lanes. Mike eased the 'Hog over one hundred miles an hour, passing slower traffic, and keeping a steady hand on the wheel. Crashing now would kill everyone in the vehicle.
"So why were people inside that ship?", he asked.
"We don't know. All of them appear to be civilians."
"We?", Mike asked.
"Well, the officials in Spiritfield. The amount of people injured was too much so we had to call for help".
"It probably didn't just fall from orbit since it wasn't vaporized on impact", Mike said.
Vic considered this for a moment. "Yeah, it seemed like more of a controlled crash", he replied.
"Wait, you saw this thing come down?", Mike asked.
"Yeah", Vic replied, thinking. "It made a huge noise when it broke below the sound barrier a few miles up. I was at work in the clinic and went outside with everyone else when the building shook. We thought it was an earthquake."
"The town alarm went up about a minute later. We mobilized our response vehicles, thinking it was going to land in the fields…"
Vic's eyes suddenly swelled up, tears running down his cheeks. "But, it crashed right in the damn middle of town. Destroyed everything within a block. That's where", he said, "It's where my family is. Where they were". He broke down, sobbing into his hands. Mike was surprised by this, somewhat embarrassed but also struck by the tragedy.
Vic jerked up suddenly.
"God Damnit!" he, banging his fist hard against the dashboard. "I should have gone home! Got them away!"
Mike couldn't do anything but keep his eyes on the road. But he was thinking about calming him down, getting him to think about what was important.
"Jesus, man. Vic. I'm", he hesitated, searching for the right words. "I can't understand what you're going through. I have a wife and kid too, where we're going. I don't know what I'd do without them."
Vic looked up, frowning. Mike continued.
"But listen man, you can't think about them now. These people we have here, all that matters now is saving them. They have a chance if you focus. Got it?"
"Yeah", he sniffed. "I got it. I'm good". He breathed in deep.
"Alright, great", Mike said, relieved he had him back in order.
Things were silent between them for a few minutes. Vic seemed to have gained back his confidence, and Mike felt he had gained a new friend. But he was still utterly confused by the situation, and where the freighter had come from.
Why were there people in it?
Michael became more aware of the four injured people in the rear of the vehicle. He almost felt that he could sense their pain, their nearness to death. He would not let it over take them. So he motioned to Vic, who looked at him questioningly.
"You better check on them. We've got a way to go".
Vic nodded, carefully turned around, and got to work.
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