The plan was to select six vials, one for each crew member, and on Earth docking clearance, claim they were souvenirs from the first site of the historic mission. As the jars had no seal or opening device, and they were identical in appearance, they would be passed off as unremarkable ornaments, but rather personal reminders of the trip which had ‘proved’ there was no immediate threat from Jupiter, Ganymede or some long extinct species. Harley was sure he could pull this off, especially as the panel was in disarray with Akhenaten’s fall from favour. The next step was to make their choice of vials from the data they had deciphered.
Four were pretty much automatic inclusions. They were the pure alien DNA, the enabling catalytic broth, the fast-forwarding maturation gene, and the perfect specimen as chosen by the Primedes. This particular vial was intriguing because it was the result of several thousand steps of engineered evolution from the original Neanderthalien in the hologram. The inclusion of chimpanzee contribution in this ‘parent’ had been to satisfy the alien geneticists that all three promising branches of hominids were exhaustively evaluated. On arriving at the perfect specimen to join with their own template, the chimpanzee had disappeared, and the remnant was more Neanderthal than Homo-Sapiens. This begged the question of what the Primedes foresaw as the challenges which the evolutionary environment would throw at Earth’s inhabitants, presumably including themselves.
The two remaining jars were taken from the most promising strands in which the base design was Homo-Sapiens rather than Neanderthal. The first was very similar to current humans, but had a significant uplift in epidermal protection against solar radiation. The second had the same epidermal enhancement but was a much larger frame, yet well short of the perfect Neanderthal, at eleven feet tall. All of the specific primate candidates, two human and one ‘perfect’ Neanderthal had this skin reinforcing gene. The justification was presumably because there was emphasis in the Primede text of increasing radiation in virtually all solar systems. They maintained that this was an inescapable consequence in the life of a star, as it progressed toward its death throes, to become a red giant, white dwarf, pulsar, or even a supermassive star which would ultimately surrender to gravity, and its supernova’s legacy of another black hole. The Primedes had charted this study in relation to their own sun being hauled toward the supermassive black hole at the galactic core. They claimed that in one way or another harmful radiation was the long term threat.
Chapter 7
The scanner checks only picked up the rocky thickness of ancient Ganymede stone vials as they disembarked, and they were quickly ushered to the mission debriefing room.
Harley’s first surprise was the new incumbent sat next to Alexander. They avoided protracted eye contact as the leader of the High Command spoke. His brevity was explained by his need to attend to the global shortage of vaccine and post-contagion medication for the pandemic. He introduced Galileo as one of the successors to Akhenaten. “We now consider that there is a need to divide the responsibilities invested in this panel. Galileo is the new technical Guardian of Science, his influence will benefit both life-forms residing on Earth, including derived security issues. The Social Guardian has yet to arrive, but I can tell you she will be here within one week. My need to address the increasing concerns with the plague requires my presence in Rio de Janeiro, where she is now directing operations. Her name will be familiar to you. Cleopatra’s immediate priority lies with helping to contain the infection in the worst regions. The rate of spread of this contagion is the major worry, the vaccine and recovery medication is effective but we simply can’t keep up with the pattern of outbreaks. I will have to leave you now, and Galileo will complete the data documentation of the Ganymede mission and any actions it warrants.”
Harley digested the good and bad of this announcement. He was asked by Galileo to highlight any information which had been obtained in the last two days of the mission because they already had the rest. Harley asked that Rodriguez and Christophe Rivet be allowed to go to their families without delay. This was agreed and they were administered vaccine before departure. Rodriguez took the catalytic enabling broth with him as a safeguard against premature, unilateral experimentation. Christophe took the maturation vial for the same reason. The remaining panel members listened patiently to Harley’s précis of how the mission had ended with intense frustration that Ganymede’s history of surface upheaval had thwarted their investigation of the major site. Nero’s damaged laser attachment was still evident, and such risks, together with the poor calibration of their instruments had been but two of the factors in conceding to an early return. Because he knew Galileo well, but didn’t want anyone to suspect this, he suggested there must be more to learn from the second site. “It would require very accurate calibration of the scanners and sophisticated hovercraft to explore the real hot spot once we have found it. I am happy to make recommendations if this is thought to be worthwhile. I can do this at any time.”
Galileo welcomed this and asked Harley to stay after the session closed. He then proceeded to give an account of how the mistakes of Akhenaten would be avoided in future. Harley asked Nero, Anton and Beethoven to wait at his quarters until his session with the new Guardian was completed.
Harley asked exactly how Galileo’s new appointment had come about. The reply gave him good reason to try to delay the departure of Rodriguez and Christophe Rivet. “It is an appointment of temporary convenience. It gives the illusion of balance. However, I had to accept because the situation with the plague is indeed catastrophic, but not in the way Alexander told you. The supplies of vaccine and supplementary medication are being deliberately strangled by the High Command. Cleopatra is apparently conducting a placebo tour of all new outbreak locations. She is presiding over the High Command’s desire for natural attrition of the human population, because it is seen to be less controversial than its political equivalent.”
“What are we doing to prevent this? When I say we, I mean we as the Brotherhood?”
“Mobilisation is underway right now. We have to time the strike against the High Command at the same time as we attempt to disable the control of communication and essential supplies for the assembly of more Borg domestiques. This is the only way we can compensate for being outnumbered, and having a more distributed network of instruction. This seemingly inefficient means of authorisation has been necessary to remain a covert resistance, but that now has to change and quickly.”
“There may be another way we can change the balance, but we must intercept my two human crew members. If I’d known about the shocking restriction of medicines to combat the plague, I wouldn’t have asked for their early departure. Come with me to try to intercept them, and I will explain the whole preposterous story. We should go after Rodriguez first.”
*
Their private access to the ‘Borg only’ air cars allowed them to get to the Hub in a shorter time than the underground transport which Rodriguez and Christophe would have taken, but they had left a lot earlier. If they missed Rodriguez, Harley would have to go to Vancouver. The Hub, at what used to be Cape Canaveral, was on an immense network of sky stations for personnel-carrying projectiles which could achieve speeds of three thousand miles per hour, only restricted by air traffic congestion. The trip from this Hub to the equivalent in San Francisco was considered to be commutable. They put out a public announcement at the Hub for Rodriguez together with a display of Harley, and he found them. The anger spilled over when he heard of the double-dealing of the High Command, and he gave them the vial. “Good luck. I’ll call you when I get from San Francisco to Vancouver, and if Michaela and the kids are in good shape, I’ll be back to help in any way I can.” He thanked Galileo for his understanding when he realised he was a significant player in the Brotherhood, and now a mole in The High Command.
The same PA call for Christophe Rivet proved to be fruitless, they were informed that he was already somewhere over the Atlantic, and was expected in Paris in a couple of hours. A message would
be waiting for him on arrival.
When Harley said they needed the best geneticist possible to oversee the experiments with the vials, it was met with a prolonged frown. “What’s the problem?”
Galileo shook his head lazily. “The only individuals actively working on genetics now are humans, and they are very carefully scrutinised. The High Command’s view is that the Borg don’t need such wasteful effort to improve the species. They maintain that improvements are best directed through research exclusively in electronics. The only human genetic developments permitted are related to synthetic food. They want farming land to be converted over time to industrial complexes for more miniaturisation technology. They are obsessed with rationale, and it will be very risky for me to go against it.”
Harley said this made it even more important to get in contact with Christophe Rivet. “He will know the best people in this field. I will go to see him on compassionate grounds, as that will be safer than video communication.” It was agreed.
*
Cleopatra had been joined by Alexander and was able to give him the ‘excellent’ news that the infection rate had crept up to one in six, and the fatality of those infected was also on the rise, because there was less medication to be shared by more patients. The current figures indicated one in three who had contracted the plague in the last two weeks had not survived. Although Alexander was pleased with this trend he recommended that slightly more vaccine was released, to demonstrate that they were doing their best in such difficult circumstances. The control of vaccine distribution was centred in only four places, so its supply was logistics dependent as well as needing to be available. Chicago, Frankfurt, Beijing and Johannesburg were examples of the ‘bigger is better policy’ of the manufacturing automation revolution of the twenty-second century. They were the only locations where pharmaceutical companies were allowed to research and produce medically approved drugs. It now shone as another legacy of globalisation which in theory drove down production time per unit, but failed in the prime purpose of combatting a pandemic. The logistics situation had turned from a scheduling farce into one of a hijacking nightmare. Alexander asked Cleopatra to ease off on those which were deliberately sponsored by the High Command, as the organic growth in genuine theft had reached corruption levels as lucrative as heroin, and the new mind-swap drugs recently developed from under the radar. ‘You2Me’ exploded on to the scene after the Era of Conflict, and had helped certain sections of humans adjust to their new subordinate role to the Borg.
*
Harley was confronted with worse news as he met Christophe in the reception area of St. Marie Hospital. “She has miscarried Harley, and they believe the plague is responsible. There’s no good news yet on Genevieve, she’s not deteriorating, but she doesn’t know she’s lost the baby. It’s just as well we hadn’t determined the sex of the embryo as it would have made the loss even more difficult to take. Anyway you must have something urgent to tell me if you’ve come all this way.”
Harley couldn’t bring himself to tell Christophe about the real reason for vaccine shortages, after hearing about the miscarriage. “I know it won’t mean much to you at the moment, but one of Akhenaten’s successors is a much more objective thinker. Rodriguez has given me the catalytic enabling broth to get started with the various DNA templates, and I need to speak with a top geneticist to oversee our experiments. A human is required, and I thought as you frequently mix with the best medical brains on Earth, you could recommend someone.”
“Are you saying the status of fiddling with the jars has changed because of this newly appointed Borg? Who is he?”
“His name is Galileo. Look, I can’t say too much yet, but he’s on our side.”
“I see. Well, in that case you should speak with Douglas Newton, he is in London at present, but travels the world to give censored presentations on this subject, as he is not allowed to practice it anymore due to the current restrictions. I’ll give him a call and you will hear from him. Look, I’ve got a hell of a lot on my plate here. Do you want to take my vial back as well?”
“Yes, I will thanks. I will leave you to be with Genevieve, and I’ll keep you in touch with whatever comes to fruition with Professor Newton.”
*
Harley took a more relaxing route to London, anticipating a call from Newton. The wait was interrupted by news which was going to make his proposed task even more difficult. Although the reports had not given a name to the revolts, they were clearly being orchestrated by disenchanted Borg domestiques. The areas of demonstration were curiously scattered around the centres of pharmaceutical production and were thought to be protests at the handling of the pandemic. It was however the forerunner to protests in a number of other major industrial centres. The demonstrators were peaceful and unarmed at first, but when the Borg authorities witnessed increasing numbers, and the knock-on effect of strikes, they began to use force. It was anticipated, and the protests became riots at the same time as the majority of the upper ranks of the High Command in these regions were rounded up and incarcerated. The exception to this was in Rio de Janeiro, where Cleopatra had slipped through the Brotherhood net and evaporated. Astonishingly, she had apparently ordered the decommissioning of Alexander before her disappearance.
Harley made video contact with Galileo from London. “I have a meeting with someone in thirty minutes, but I have been following the news. It seems pretty worrying for the High Command if the reports are accurate. Is there anything I need to know before I return?”
The intensity of emotion in Galileo’s voice struck Harley as confusing at first. He had tried to convey loyalty to the establishment in case the call was being monitored. The reply did help to settle his concern, as it was being monitored by someone else, directly.
“These uprisings seem to be under control at present, but we can’t determine if this is the full extent of the protests, or whether there will be a second wave. You can’t believe everything you hear on the news, for instance, Cleopatra is with me, and she denies terminating Alexander. She says he was alive when she left, and her departure was at his command. She also explained that he had instructed her to increase the inflow of vaccine to Rio, but for it to be wasted on those who were already incapable of recovery. She is apparently here to refrain from accepting the place she was offered in the High Command. She says she is unsuitable for handling such critical duplicity. She is listening to this conversation, and I’m trying to get her to stay calm in order to reconsider her premature instinct to leave the Command. The reports of Alexander’s demise may well be rebel disinformation.”
Harley knew that that Galileo couldn’t risk portraying anything but worry and loyalty, and decided to terminate the call. “Are there any problems which would prevent me getting back to the Cape Hub?”
“You must be extremely vigilant, because we have no idea how many of these protestors are ready to kill loyalists on sight. I will make sure there is a domestique security unit there to meet you. Take only a direct flight. Don’t come via another Hub. Is that understood?”
“Yes, I’ll transmit my arrival time.”
Chapter 8
Michaela Rodriguez had feared she may never see her husband again. The children, at four and six years old couldn’t be expected to comprehend the perils of deep space, or the indiscriminate ruthlessness of the plague. She flung her arms around him and held him close, long enough for Lucy to tug at her skirt, indicating it was her turn. Antony was more patient; all he wanted to hear about was Jupiter. The only thing on Rodriguez’ mind was the status of the pandemic in the region of Vancouver. Michaela declared it to be as safe as anywhere at present, judging by the low contagion rating.
“There’s no point in moving Cameron, the news updates keep reminding us that travelling is a greater risk to the individual, and helps the infection to spread. We have all been checked and we’re fine. My mother speaks with the neighbours continually and there doesn’t appear to be any significant outward spread from Vancouver.
Our biggest problem right now is the food supply. Transport is limited and rationing has begun, so we have to make sure we don’t waste anything, and this is difficult after years of living in a disposable world. We even have to venture out to pick wild berries. Wheat stocks are dwindling and local farmers are being threatened by the Borg enforcers to ship out more than they want to. I can see this becoming a serious problem if the plague doesn’t recede.”
Rodriguez felt he couldn’t share his knowledge that the Borg were manipulating the supply of medication to their agenda, rather than the needs of the victims. This would undermine whatever hope she and the family had that the emergency rationing would soon be over. However, if he wanted to return to help Harley, he had to give Michaela a good reason, and one she could support. He chose to swear her to secrecy with respect to what they had really discovered on Ganymede. “This gives the likes of Harley a chance to threaten the High Command unless we humans are treated with more respect. He isn’t a supporter of their discriminatory treatment of our species.”
“He isn’t involved with these protests we are hearing about is he? I can understand why they are demonstrating, but it is worrying that they are now ‘killing’ one another. How does that help?”
“Harley is well respected by both the High Command and the domestique protestors. That is why he wants to exploit the knowledge we brought back, but have not disclosed, in order to bring the issues back to the discussion forum. Whether or not he succeeds Michaela, I have to help him. He’s risking a lot to get a better deal for us, and I can’t demand that for our children if I’m not prepared to share that risk.”
Michaela nodded tearfully and hugged him again. He would leave in two days.
*
Harley’s reception from Douglas Newton was initially mired in disbelief on the part of the geneticist. Showing him the jar he’d taken from Christophe Rivet was met with a blank look and a shrug of the shoulders.