Defying Mars (The Saving Mars Series) - By Cidney Swanson Page 0,26
smiled at the images her mind returned. Someday, she thought. Someday the embryos would be awakened from their long cryogenic rest. Someday wild creatures would roam free on Mars as they did on Earth.
“I come here when I need to think,” said Mei Lo. “Did you realize this crater hosted one of the early Earth robotic missions?”
Jessamyn thought she remembered something about it from school.
“A rover landed here,” continued the Secretary. “It inspired a generation of children to yearn for the world we call home. Without Curiosity and her predecessors, there would have been no Mars Colonial.”
“Harpreet inspired me,” said Jessamyn.
“Not your grandfather?” asked Mei Lo in surprise.
Jess thought about it. “No. Isn’t that funny? But I remember every one of Harpreet’s visits to my classroom. I wanted to be just like her.”
The Secretary nodded. “You’re well on your way, Jessamyn.”
Another silent minute passed.
Jess noticed a transport craft circling overhead, perhaps bringing citizens of New Tokyo to her own settlement for the upcoming week of gatherings.
“You must miss her very much,” murmured the Secretary.
Jessamyn nodded her agreement. Her throat felt swollen and she didn’t trust herself to speak.
“I miss her every hour of every day, myself,” said Mei Lo. She shook her head once, twice, and then took a deep breath. “I canceled my afternoon meetings to come out here with you today. I wish to speak to you of something that you must never share with anyone else on Mars.”
Jess’s heart beat faster. Was the Secretary going to give her blessing to a rescue mission?
“I became the recipient of a terrible secret when I became CEO of Mars Colonial. I now intend to share it with you.”
Jess turned to the Secretary, feeling confused.
Mei Lo continued. “During our years of conflict with the Terran government, members of MCC became aware of certain irregularities in the Terran Re-body Initiative as it was practiced on Earth. My predecessors noticed other things—similarities in the rhetoric and speech patterns of successive governing officials. Odd disappearances of elected officials which were always treated as though they were deep and unsolvable mysteries. Or not investigated at all. After a decade of these and other observations, the CEO of Mars Colonial came to the conclusion that some members of Earth’s population were using the re-body program to extend their lives indefinitely.
“The deception seemed limited to government officials, but as there were hundreds of these, and as they re-bodied more frequently than the prescribed eighteen-year period, we deduced that many thousands of Earth’s citizens met an untimely demise in order that Earth’s governing officials might remain alive—and in power—for inordinate amounts of time.
“When the Terran Head of Global Consciousness Transfer voluntarily left her position due to ‘irreconcilable differences’ with her government, agents from MCC questioned her privately. She confirmed our suspicions about the abuses of the system. Days later, she disappeared with no trace. No real effort was launched to find her remains or the cause of her death.”
Jess murmured, “She knew too much.”
“It would appear so. The Terran program, while utterly repellant, had at least seemed fair-minded from a certain perspective until this point. However, when the Secretary General of Mars Colonial at that time confronted the Terran Viceroy and Chancellor with this information, they did not attempt to deny our accusations. Instead, they issued a simple warning: Tell the people of Earth what you know, and we will destroy every man, woman, and child upon Mars.”
A sharp intake issued from Jessamyn’s lungs.
Mei Lo nodded grimly. “The No Contact Accords were signed with this understanding between the Viceroy and MCC. Mars’s CEO made a deal with Earth’s Viceroy to keep this secret,” said the Secretary as she gazed out over the lengthening shadows. “We have taken seriously the Viceroy’s promise to use deadly force if we did not keep our silence. Only Mars’s CEO and three members of the MCC board of directors were privy to this information. Those four told only the incoming CEO, who told the next CEO, who told me.”
“Why tell anyone?” asked Jess. It was Earth’s problem, wasn’t it? That much seemed clear to her.
“Why, indeed,” murmured the Secretary, watching as the Marsian sun seemed to hang over the horizon, resisting day’s end. “I have wished, many times, that I did not carry this dreadful secret.” She turned to Jessamyn. “Don’t you see what it means for you? For me? For every citizen of Mars Colonial?”
Jess frowned. “It doesn’t mean anything for us. I mean, for Terrans, it’s definitely a problem.”