He Without Sin (28 page)

“First, I am told that the Resources team has more than fulfilled their task of locating, extracting, and delivering the raw materials we need for R & R…” David pauses in mid-sentence apparently to assess whether there is a question about his meaning. There is none, although there are a few murmurs, and he continues, “… and so their function will change for the remainder of our stay. They will now be tasked with the work of prepping the Hobbe for our return and will be split into two task forces, one supporting Mark and technically directed by him on this end, the other task force at the other end, up top, under Grigor’s technical direction.

“The focus of the Processing and Fabrication group—it’s more than just Mark alone now—will continue the good work of that department for a time. But that focus too will change as it transitions into recycling mode, cannibalizing this base camp, as well as our other outposts, before departure.”

“And the flyers,” adds Mark.

“And the flyers, one at a time” repeats David, nodding a thank you. He moves slowly as he talks, walking from side to side in front of the group. “As we get closer to departure, each of you will reach that time when you have to say goodbye to this world. One or two at a time, you will be re-assigned to your shipboard duties until at last we can make one final ascent leaving only the double L system behind.” David lowers his head, turns, and calmly moves closer to front and center, where he began his address. He leans back, but does not sit, on the stool provided for him and crosses his arms. He remains silent for a moment, looking over the assembled team until the scattered hushed chatter stops.

“A few words about mission objectives. The documentation of the conditions here—animal, mineral, and vegetable—is complete. And I would add, is a complete success, as is the recording of planetological parameters. The verification of evolutionary goals for the native population is also complete and will be well-received back at GE central. And here, I want to add something personal,” David says as he scoots back and up onto the stool, bringing both feet up off the floor and onto the lowest rung of the stool.

“About the people. There is a high correlation of the progress of these people, genetically, to the ideal. It was with some trepidation that I investigated, as you all know, the possibility of pushing their numbers even higher. I am now prepared, without hiding my sincere relief, to share with you the news that this goal has been accomplished.”

I can see one or two faces showing mild confusion, as if they don’t know whether to cheer, clap, or quietly wait for more. A couple others smile and nod at David; Wes gives him a thumbs up, but I swear it looks like he’s doing it for our sake, not for David’s, as he makes sure his gesture is visible to all. It is refreshing to see David ignore his childish behavior and quietly regard the assembled team before continuing.

“Several on our Resources team—Dylan, you are one of them—have played a large part in seeing that the strongest line, or now I should say lines, of genetically advanced people have got a solid foothold in the environment and have a real chance at not only surviving, but prospering and eventually dominating the planet. And that is a real achievement that will set this mission and all of you apart from the ordinary.” There is a general light applause, and any tension among the audience members seems relieved. “But that phase is played out and over. ‘Our’ people, if I can call them that, will have to make it on their own from now on.”

David’s glance now rests on me for a moment before he says, “During this close-out phase of our mission we are going to take a stab at giving them a push down the road to cultural maturity. Genetically, we are done. But culturally, there is a long way for these people to go. I believe we can help them. Shipley? Jason, I want you to assume responsibility for this effort.”

I am shocked, but try to keep evidence of it off my face. The result is that I make no response physically, nor can I think of anything to say. After a few moments of delay, during which several turn partway around to see my reaction, I look and see Carol looking at me with concern. She raises her eyebrows and I discreetly shake my head ‘no’ and manage a weak smile. I determine not to say a word but instead to simply return David’s gaze.

I was blindsided! I know that baboon Brachus set
this up. I’m a communications officer, not a social
psychologist! Aside from the insult of not being
consulted before the announcement, I have a deep
sinking feeling as I struggle to think what to do
with this responsibility. Carol and I talked this over
already and we have a vague idea what needs to
be done, but how?

Carol rightly mentioned that at no time did David
address Wes or mention him by name in his speech. And that’s surely a slight to him. And neither was
he given an opportunity to sidle up next to David and pretend to more importance than he deserves. She’s right about that too; David handled the Wes
part of it very well.

Since I was given the task, I’m taking it. I met with
my new group—handpicked of course. Carol,
Dylan, Craig, Porter. I’ve asked Mark in as an
advisor only; he’s fully occupied already. No
decisions yet, just identifying those of us whom I
will count on. Specifically not Brachus, Lester, Rick,
or Chris. They are all tied too closely to exactly
what needs to be corrected.

The current situation as extensively documented by
Dylan, and witnessed by a number of others,
including myself, is quite harsh. It’s based on the
people recognizing that yes, they do have some
sort of guiding force that wants them to prosper
and multiply, but that entity ensures compliance
via fear and force, sometimes overwhelming and
merciless force. And he, meaning Brachus, has set
down a number of arbitrary ‘rules’ for behavior to
satisfy his own preferences and tastes; his own
ego.

In all this, they as a people have been given some
guidance, it’s true, but it has been piecemeal and
sometimes contradictory. Dylan emphasizes that
he sees the people, when they are faced with major
decisions, motivated by fear rather than more
mature guiding principles.

Leftover Dreams

“We’ve got to try to break this cycle of endless war, endless killing. And at the same time we’ve got to leave a strong and lasting sense of societal and individual responsibility.”

I found some interesting case histories in the archives. The concept was reported as having good results in different but similar situations on previous missions. I did a lot of thinking about it and bounced it off Carol. It’s a good idea. I think it’ll work. It has to work; we only get one shot and then we are out of here.

“The first idea is this: we need to send a clear message that the lessons they’ve learned in the past are not necessarily the best. In fact they need to be updated with a new, simple and clear set of principles. The principles have to be presented in a compelling way, a way that will impress and be remembered—hopefully forever. Thar’s where the second part comes in.”

I have ideas on how to do all this, but want to save them until I get buy-in on the general plan.

“It’s not going to be easy; I’ll need all of your help to make it happen,” I say and cross my arms as I try to adopt David-like gravitas and charisma. I can see by Carol’s wink that it’s not exactly working. But I know this team is on my side, and they all want to help; I’ve talked to each of them individually.

“Having said that, the second part is going to be trickier to pull off than the first. I’ve settled on a concept but we will want to kick a few of your ideas around too.”

“Jason, Tracy said she would like to help, if you think you could use her.”

At the beginning of the mission she was in tight with Brachus, or so it seemed. No, not ‘seemed,’ she was. She was the human firewall between him and the rest of us.

“Carol, since she talked to you, will you please tell her thanks, we’ll let her know.”

Porter says, “What about that second part you mentioned? What do you mean ‘trickier than the first part’? What are we up against?”

“I don’t know how much you’ve seen of the constant warring, the bloodshed of the so-called ‘our’ people and the surrounding groups. Well, some of that was encouraged by Brachus and Lester. They would make a kind of a game out of it. What it has done is instill an attitude of ‘might makes right’ and an attitude in ‘our’ people that they have a ‘destiny’ to prevail. These are attitudes that will not serve them or any population well going forward.

“I know David has a special interest in the lineage he has been following but as most of you must know, there are other scattered small populations over much of the globe. Some message of cooperation and coexistence must be sent, in my opinion, so future generations may peaceably cohabit this planet.”

“But how? What is your plan? Jason, I think I can say we are all on board, but let’s get this going. Where do we start?”

It’s now or never to get this plan on the table and fill in any holes we can detect; I push on.

“The first part, instilling a new set of principles has to be done in such a way that it’s the talk of the land. It can’t be a quick ‘here, read this’ kind of thing. It’s got to be implemented in a powerful manner that cannot be ignored, to make sure it will be the stuff of legends and lore for generations to follow. We have to replace the paradigm of fear and punishment with one of hope and reward. These are principles that we’ve all learned. Common sense, you might think, but it’s not so to a new society. And they need these ideas if peace and prosperity are to thrive.

“The second part has to have the same enduring quality but with added danger—danger to one of us. We have to teach a lesson that will replace the endless cycle of deaths and Wes-worship with a symbolic or ritual sacrifice that will serve as the proxy for all others.” I look over the group one at a time and repeat, “All others—now and into the future.”

“Wait—who are you? Symbolic proxy? Where did you come up with this stuff?” ask Porter. We all look at him to see his half-smiling quizzical expression.

This breaks the tension a bit, I can see, and Carol follows with, “Yes, Jason, tell us. Where
did
you come up with this?”

“All right, I did a lot of research. There is a ton of history out there and some good ideas from previous missions.” I stop for a few seconds to make sure they are all listening and say, “But look guys, this is serious. Forget about our official directives; forget about David for a moment. What about these people? I think if we can help them we should.”

“I’ll second that,” agrees Dylan and there are nods all around.

“There has certainly been no lack of native interaction already, for better or worse, and my plan does not alter that, but the players have changed—to us.” I pause to let this sink in.

“Let’s assume the prediction made by David is correct and the genetic tracking and shepherding is over. The people are
the
people, genetics aside. Let’s try to make a positive difference in their development.”

We are meeting in my quarters. It’s a bit cramped and I suggest moving out to the mess hall. Mark is there, happily, and I begin to lead the way to join him. He is chewing and nods when I point to the empty spaces at his table. Before I sit, I see Brachus just outside the hall entry, motioning for me to come. I’m not going to avoid him, so I excuse myself for the moment.

“Yes?” I say upon approach.

“Quite a little team you’ve got there Shipley. Quite a team.”

“Yes, they are. How can I help you?”

“You’re not going to make any difference out there you know. They’re animals.”

“Really? We will see.”

“They understand force, that’s about it. And they understand me; they listen to me.”

At this, I make no response. I look into his eyes. They dart from me towards Mark’s table, and back.

“I know what you’ve done,” he says, voice lower than before, “and I won’t forget it. I’ll be watching. One mistake and…” and he trails off.

“And…?” I prompt, but he declines to continue. “Look, you did your job; David said so. What’s the problem? I’m going to do my job now.”

“No problem. None at all,” he says, with his big-toothed grin.

I can’t resist adding, “You’ve got them jumping through all kinds of hoops, don’t you? You’ve bullied them into treating you like a king or something. You think that makes you a leader? Someone to respect? Is that what you’re getting from this?”

“At least I don’t go around behind people’s backs slandering them to their superiors.”

“It’s not slander if it’s true, Brachus.”

“You don’t know what’s true and what’s not, you’re…”

“Ah, but the videos! Your own pictures and videos. I wonder if any copies of those still exist?” The grin disappears. “I wonder who would like to take a look at those back home? Tell you what, let’s both hope those don’t have to turn up again, ok?” No response, but the eyes don’t dart anymore. They are looking at me steadily. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got a meeting to attend.”

Silence for a heartbeat, then the grin reappears and Master Brachus says, “Most certainly, do attend to your meeting.” And he turns and walks away from the mess hall entrance.

“I hate to bring this up again, but you said something about danger to us, or one of us,” says Porter when I rejoin the group. “What danger? And which one of us?”

“Well, James, one of us has to die,” I say solemnly. After a pause I add, “Someone has to die, James, and it’s going to be me.”

Mark stops chewing and looks at me and says, “Whoa, hey now! I’m just trying to have a quiet bite to eat here and people are dying already.” He resumes chewing.