Rufus Oladepo looked across the podium of the Terraforming Committee Hall to where Luka was standing, flanked by two security officials and in front an array of empty seats. If it was Rufus’s intention to make Luka feel small and helpless, then he had succeeded. The man was not only impressive in stature, but he was also the ultimate power on Mars and, to emphasize that, he was backed by all the political leaders of the Committee who stood behind him. Luka examined the faces of each and every one of them and saw no emotion as they stared down on him from their exalted position.
Luka, barely out of hospital, and still breathing supplementary oxygen from two prongs inserted into his nostrils from a line to an air tank on the floor at his feet, couldn’t stop himself physically trembling as he waited to hear his fate.
“Luka Schäfer,” said Rufus, in a booming voice made more imposing by the acoustics of the room. “You have been found guilty by this committee of the attempted murder of Bard Hunter and shall be sentenced accordingly.”
The weight of anxiety pressed down on him. Even though he had admitted everything, even though he had broadcast his own crime to the whole of the planet, he still feared for his future. He was fully prepared to accept whatever sentence they saw fit, but he wasn’t sure he had the strength to endure it.
“Before I pass sentence, the Committee would like to acknowledge that your act – even though it was heinous and misguided – highlighted some serious failings at the hierarchy of the corporate structure on Mars. The exposure of these failings is leading to widespread reform as we speak, and many have expressed the view that we should be grateful to you for revealing the corruption and misdeeds which threaten to blight our growing society on this planet. I have also been asked to make allowances for the personal sacrifices you have made to bring these matters to our attention. Nevertheless, attempted murder remains a serious issue that comes with serious penalties.”
Luka went cold and staggered sideways. His leg knocked against the oxygen tank and it wobbled until the security official standing next to him caught it and set it straight again.
“However, this is Mars,” said Rufus. “We have no prisons here. Not yet. We also have need of people with your skills. It is the view of the Committee, therefore, that your punishment shall be to work for the good of Mars society in any role that we, or any future administration, sees fit. In the light of this, Luka Schäfer, I have decided to pass a suspended sentence on you of twenty years.”
Confusion clouded Luka’s mind as he stared up at Rufus.
Rufus looked directly into Luka’s eyes. “Do you understand what I am saying?”
“I…” Luka’s mouth was dry. He had to swallow before he could speak. “I don’t think so.”
“It means you will not go back to Earth. You will not go to jail. The sentence is suspended. But, if you commit another crime within that period, those possibilities could occur.”
“So… I’m free?” He barely dared to hope.
“You will be assigned a supervisor at the Terraforming Committee offices who you will report to once a month and you must abide by a nighttime curfew for a year. But, yes, other than working in the roles assigned to you, you are free to go.”
Luka’s legs gave way from beneath him with the shock and he fell backwards onto the seat in the row behind. He allowed his head to fall into his hands as days of pent up anxiety evaporated, relief caused his muscles to release their tension and emotion flowed out of him in uncontrollable sobs.
•••
Out on the street, once Rufus had pulled away the attention of the waiting ICN crew by offering to make a statement, Luka headed back to his accommodation. After leaving hospital, he had been assigned an apartment where he was put under house arrest and, without anywhere else to go, it made sense to return there.
But he had barely walked a few steps before he saw a tall, blonde man leaning against the wall of a nearby building and looking back at him. With a sting of recognition, Luka knew it was Erik Bergman and a sudden anger swelled inside of him.
“Luka!” The Swede’s face beamed into a smile as he waved an exuberant hello.
Luka pretended not to hear. He clasped his air tank tighter under his arm, averted his gaze and kept walking.
“I came to Tharsis City, especially to see you,” said Erik, bounding towards him. “I’m so pleased the Committee let you go.”
Luka was forced to stop and look up into the smug face of the man who had betrayed him. “Leave me alone!”
He wanted to ball his hand into a fist and hit him. After that, he wanted to keep hitting him until Erik knew what it was like to feel his life being pulled away. But such an act of violence would breach the terms of his sentence and so he forced himself to hold back.
Erik looked confused. “I thought we could catch up.”
“Catch up?” Luka raised his voice so loud that it echoed off the surrounding buildings. Passersby hurried past while pretending not to notice. “You tried to kill me!”
Erik’s confusion deepened. “What are you talking about?”
“You sent me out to die in a solar flare.”
Not so much as a flicker of guilt or remorse passed across Erik’s face. Luka couldn’t bear to look at him anymore and resumed his walk, feeling the pain in his damaged lungs as he breathed harder and faster.
“I don’t know what you think I did, but it wasn’t me,” insisted Erik.
Luka stilled and thought back to the food which was brought to him when Anita had him locked up. As he went over the events in his head, Luka remembered it had been the security official who had told him the tray had been sent by his “friend” . After that, Luka had assumed it had been Erik who had engineered his escape. It hadn’t occurred to him that it could have been a false assumption.
Luka stopped again and turned. “You didn’t send me a WristTab hidden in a bowl of stew?”
“No! Luka, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What about the rover? The one that stranded me? The one that was booked out in your name?”
“I wouldn’t do that to you – I wouldn’t do that to anyone. If I did, do you think I would put my name on it?”
Luka hung his head, embarrassed that he had doubted his friend. It was obvious who had tried to kill him. “Anita,” he said. She must have used Erik’s name because she knew Luka would trust something which appeared to come from him. And she had been right.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you told me about her,” said Erik. “That woman has a lot to answer for.”
“Yeah.” Luka was full of emotion. After all he’d lost on Earth, all he’d thought he’d lost on Mars, it seemed that there was a glimmer of hope for him.
“Why don’t we talk over lunch? I’ll pay – I’ve got some news I want to share.”
•••
Luka had assumed they would go to one of the mass catering halls in Tharsis City to eat, like they had done so many times back at Thor Town, but Erik had really meant it when he said he was going to pay. He led them to a quiet restaurant which was experimenting with opening in the middle of the day for light meals such as sandwiches and soup. By the look of it, it wasn’t a successful experiment as there was only one other table occupied when they arrived.
They were met by the owner, an older man with hollow cheeks and a thin wisp of gray hair who greeted them with enthusiasm. When he recognized Luka, his face brightened even more as he reached out to shake his hand. Which he did vigorously.
“Luka Schäfer!” he exclaimed. “Can I just say, I think it’s brilliant what you did. It was about time someone stuck it to those corporation heads. A bunch of crooks, the lot of them.”
Embarrassed, but also gratified, Luka let the man pump at his hand until he ran out of steam and let go. The man then composed himself, resumed the manner of a restaurateur and invited them to sit at any of the seven available tables. Luka, wary of being recognized by somebody else, opted for the back corner where he pulled his chair tight into the two meeting walls to huddle away from the rest of the world as much as he could. He placed his air tank on the spare seat next to him and adjusted the tube so it ran over his shoulder and down his back to be out of the way as much as possible.
From his vantage point at the back of the restaurant, he could see how old and tired it had become. In the evening, the owner most likely kept the lights down low to create an intimate atmosphere, but it was brighter during the day which allowed the scuff marks on the walls and the wear marks on the floor to show. Printed posters on ageing paper along one wall proudly detailed the history of the place, with pictures of its grand opening showing the smiling owner, when he was a little younger with a little more hair, presiding over a restaurant packed with diners. It also detailed the man’s journey from university on Earth, to being chosen to come to Mars to work on an early construction project, the diagnosis of a heart condition which led to a complete career change and a decision to go into the restaurant business. It was obviously a personal project for the man and Luka felt sorry that he didn’t seem to have very many customers.
On the opposite wall, a window showed the live view across the desolate Martian landscape. Luka gazed at it, while Erik spent an inordinate amount of time studying the menu, watching a single rover traverse across the plain with a trail of dust stretching out behind it.
Luka, still dealing with the emotional fallout of being freed by the Terraforming Committee, didn’t have much of a stomach for food and ordered soup while Erik eventually went for a very grand-sounding sandwich platter. The owner brought them both a mug of water to drink while they waited for their meals, and they began to talk.
“How are you?” Erik asked.
It was a general question, but the way he glanced over the table suggested he was referring to the oxygen line running into Luka’s nostrils. “My lungs are bad,” Luka said, “but the doctors say if I improve enough over the next month, I shouldn’t have to carry an oxygen tank around with me the whole time.”
“What about work? They said at the hearing they were going to give you some kind of job.”
“I have an appointment at the Terraforming Committee offices next week to find out. I have a feeling I might be back working on the Noctis City project. Although, I’m in no condition to do any physical labor.”
“That’s ironic, seeing as that’s what you came here to do.”
“Yeah,” said Luka, who was still waiting for the reality of it to sink in. “What about you? You said you had some news?”
Erik’s smile widened. “I got promoted!”
“Congratulations! Promoted to what?”
“Anita’s old job: Head of Martian Projects.” Erik grinned again and drank from his mug of water as the restaurant owner brought over their soup and sandwiches.
Erik’s platter was a triumph of presentation over generosity with four neatly cut sandwich quarters placed equidistant around a small plate with a swirl of brown relish between each one. Luka’s soup was vegetable broth with recognizable green and orange pieces of beans and carrots suspended in the thick liquid. It smelled amazing and it made him hungry after all.
“What happened to Anita?” asked Luka. “I heard she’d been detained, but I don’t know what happened after that.”
“She’s denying everything, so there will have to be a trial. I don’t think they’ll let her off with a suspended sentence, like you. There’s already talk about having to build a prison on Mars.”
“So, we really are shipping all of human life to the new frontier,” reflected Luka.
“Yeah.”
Luka scooped up a spoonful of soup from the edge of the bowl where it was cooler and brought it testily to his mouth. As he crunched down on a piece of green bean, the soup released a salty, wholesome sense of real vegetables which warmed him from the inside. Either the restaurant owner was a marvel in the kitchen, or Luka was learning to enjoy the taste of freedom.
“Why haven’t they arrested Bard?” he said.
Erik scoffed at the very suggestion. “A corporation head vital to the terraforming project? No chance! He’s busy mending his reputation by launching an all-out war on corruption and vowing to stop unscrupulous practices being brought from Earth.”
“Even though he was the one who brought them.”
“I heard him say on ICN that he only confessed to all those things because he wanted to save his own life. He denies any of it was true and blames everything on some shady figure at Ecoline.”
Luka looked across the table at Erik through the steam rising from his soup. “Surely people don’t believe him?”
“He can be very convincing when he wants to be. Which, seeing as it’s his future on the line, he really wants to be. They say he’s actually making a difference in the way business is being done out here. I suppose nothing stops corruption more than being caught in the act.”
“You can’t be saying it’s for the best?”
“I’m saying, if there’s nothing you can do about it, you’re better off looking on the bright side. You achieved a partial victory – you exposed the truth and you’ve escaped with your life and your freedom. That’s not a bad deal when you think about it.”
Luka considered his friend’s words as Erik’s WristTab interrupted their conversation with a bleep.
“I’m getting these more often now that I’ve been promoted. Did I mention that I’ve been promoted?” He grinned at his joke as he glanced down at the device. “Oh, it’s a message from Pete.”
“Pete?” said Luka, remembering the affable American with a smile. “How is he?”
“His wife gave birth to a baby boy last week, so he’s wandering around with the stunned and tired expression of a proud dad.”
The thought of Pete becoming a father brought an inner glow which warmed Luka even more than an amazing tasting soup ever could.
“He says I should watch ICN – there’s breaking news.”
Erik brought up the news channel on his WristTab, but Luka didn’t want to watch it on such a small screen. He waved across to the restaurant owner. “Excuse me! Could you change the window to ICN, please?”
“For Luka Schäfer, it will be my pleasure!” said the man.
The view of the Martian landscape disappeared from the window and was replaced by the image of a grave-looking group of people. A banner across the top declared it was LIVE FROM THE ADVISORY BOARD FOR MARTIAN SCIENCE.
The man in front spoke in a Russian accent and Luka remembered him as the one who had been interviewed about the discovery of life on Mars on the day it was first announced.
“As you know,” he began, glancing down at the Tab he was holding and then back to the ICN camera. “The discovery of what we believed were Martian microbes during a routine survey at the Noctis City construction site was made public after only initial tests were concluded. This was an unauthorized leak of information that, speaking for myself, I would rather not have happened.”
He pierced the camera lens with a steely look which conveyed the loathing he had for the person who had leaked it. “Since that time, as in all science, we have worked to confirm or deny our original analysis – always keeping an open mind and trying not to get caught up in all the excitement which, understandably, was all around us. We conducted many more excavations and studies of the site and we found more living microbes in the aquifer, but only in that one isolated place.
“We believe this is consistent with the suggestion that the microbes had not been living there for centuries, but had been put there within the last few months by human hands.”
There was some murmuring behind the camera. The HoverCam itself wobbled a little. The man, and the faces of the people behind him, remained stoic.
“Following the recent allegations that these microbes were not Martian at all, but genetically engineered Earth microbes created by human science, we have extensively studied this possibility. In addition, we received information from a whistleblower at Ecoline which has confirmed our conclusion. The microbes discovered under the Noctis City construction site are native to Earth, genetically altered to suggest they might have come from Mars. In short, this was a cleverly designed hoax to make people believe that life had evolved independently on this planet when, in fact, there is no evidence to suggest that is the case. I am stating categorically to you today that we have not, sadly, found the holy grail of life on Mars. If it exists, or has ever existed, then it still remains out there for us to find.”
The Russian turned from the camera and disappeared into the huddle of his grave-faced colleagues while the words, LIFE ON MARS: HOAX! appeared at the bottom of the screen.
“Wow,” said Erik, as ICN cut to an excited reporter who began babbling a repeat of the information which had just been relayed. “So, Anita really did plant fake microbes under the Noctis City construction site. This means you were right, Luka.”
“Do you know what else this means?”
“What?”
“It means that humans – and any other creatures we might have brought with us – are officially the only lifeforms on the planet.” Luka held up his mug of water to propose a toast. “To humans on Mars!”
Erik laughed, picked it up his mug and clonked it against Luka’s. “To us!” he said.