Mars Liberty

More than one level of the TIL arcology was filled with gardens. Light came through sunroofs, the slanting windows, or was piped in via fiber-optic line to the hydroponic tanks in deeper areas.

"The Tachyon building is a self-sufficient work environment. We can operate independent of outside support if necessary. We can grow our own food and generate our own electricity," Leda said as she leaned out over the balcony railing around the catwalk surrounding the largest. They looked down through a light canopy of leaves into a large Koi pond. "Gardens like this one provide oxygen generation. A percentage of the organic wastes the building generates are used for horticulture, making us fully compliant with municipal codes."

"It's beautiful," Ajax wondered aloud. Leda started his tour of the arco at the top. “It looks like paradise down there.”

Ivy hung from the walls, broad-leafed shrubs stood in manicured rows, drooping palm-fronds nodded as the air circulated through. The atmosphere was moist, a result of the computer-controlled watering system, and warm, due to the massive ducts conveying heat and stale air up from the lower-levels. A curtain of water vapor cooled the warm, rarified, air for its return to the bowels of the arco.

Company botanists in short-sleeved work uniforms inspected the plants, took notes and collected samples. One blossom caught his eye, something Lotus shaped but the size of a deflated rescue-ball .

"What's that?" He said and extended his arm to point it out.

"That's a strain of what we call the Fire-Flower," She said once she’d identified the subject of his inquiry. "It's a plant we bio-engineered to survive on Mars. This is what we got when we altered it for more optimal conditions. Pretty spectacular, isn't it."

“Stunning is a better word. It’s unearthly.”

"It's a test for potential colony worlds. If the Fire-Flower will grow in the soil then colonists will be able to grow the grains that we've developed. The first step towards colonial success is self-sufficiency."

"I always thought that TIL just made engines," Ajax said, feeling foolish for not taking time to research beforehand. “I had no idea the company had so many interests.”

"We’re big in the bioengineering and manufacturing industries. The arco was built to showcase our manufacturing capabilities in that area among others," Leda said, tossed a dead leaf over the edge of the balcony and turned away. "Though we also have considerable holdings in commercial transport."

Ajax watched the leaf fall until it hit the water. "So what's next?" He said as she led off toward the lift.

"Executive offices occupy the next twenty levels below this- all very boring," She said and pressed the ‘down’ button at the bank of lifts in front of them. "Are you hungry? I think it's time you met some of our people."

***

The food service gallery was below the executive offices and above the levels where the various TIL directorates carried on operations. Salarymen and women of every ethnicity lined up to receive their meals much like the prisoners in SolMax did, only the dishes on display behind the counters looked and smelled like what they were labeled as. There is good quality Tofu-Loaf and some Near-Beef. The only animal products available were various local cheeses and fish fillets supplied from aquafarms beneath the waves off the Gulf coastal states. The price of the food was deducted from his meal allowance. All he had to do is show his ID card.

"Attention everyone!" Leda said as she stood on her chair. Ajax sat beside her at a long table with a plateful of pasta and fish. Activity slowed as the people milling about them stopped to listen. "The TIL family has a new member today. This is Ajax Kinkaid. Please help him feel welcome."

Leda tugged Ajax to his feet as the people around him smiled, applauding with sincere gusto. While Leda looked on, Carmen, from Lunar Operations, asked about his favorite astro-ball team. Antonio, from Customer Relations, invited him for Squash at the courts in the King's Island complex. Sharon, from Accounting, wondered what branch he had transferred in from. Ajax had never followed astro-ball and played competent soccer but not squash. When asked where he had come from, he named Alpha Centauri. His listeners seemed quite impressed, like they had never been outside of the arco before. Leda confirmed later that most of them had not.

Ajax had seen most of the upper half of the TIL building by the time 5 o'clock came and the first shift ended. Leda confirmed that corporate lodging for him had already been arranged.

“What’s the catch?” Ajax said as he piloted her vehicle toward the newly constructed Royal Churchill Towers, a short hop from mid-town in what used to be Parsippany, New Jersey: the VIP annex for mid-level executives escaping from arcology life.

“There’s no catch,” Leda said. “Your focus needs to be on your job, not on how things are at home. We have a whole department working on making your home life the best it can be.”

“For whatever it is that I’ll be doing.” He added.

“Officially, what you’re going to be doing is working as an on-call pilot for the Security Directorate, courier type things which will have you making a lot of runs to Mars and Alpha Centauri. How big of a hull were you rated for?”

“Anything up to five hundred tons.” Ajax said and eased the wheel right to avoid a pit in the roadway.

"Here we are," She said as she accessed a file. "Utbird was the name of your last ship? What's that mean?"

"It's a kind of ghost. Everything I've flown has been called Utbird. It was a good luck charm, until recently that is."

"Really," She said as she closed the visor and looked his way. "Like now you see me, now you don't? Are you good at disappearing acts?"

"It goes a little deeper than that," Ajax said. The trip odometer projected onto the forward windshield clicked down a fraction as the car rolled past another distance marker. “It was a job at the time.”

When she realized that no more explanation was forthcoming she moved on. “How long has your certification been suspended?”

“Less than ten weeks.”

“We’ll have to do something about that.” Leda said and pulled down the sun visor, a telecom screen was mounted into the backside of it. She punched in a number code from memory. A man with graying hair and a blue TOC uniform appeared onscreen.

“Directorate of Training and Certification, Captain Brewer speaking," He said in a rote, machinelike way. Dark crescents beneath his eyes were the price of a lack of sleep. "How can I help you, sir or ma’am?”

“Donald, it’s Leda.” She said and swept the hair away from her face so that he could identify her. The TOC man visibly brightened.

“La-leda. What can I do for you?” Captain Donald Brewer stammered. “But, ah, my manners. You look well today, as always.”

“You’re too sweet, Donald, but I’ve got a real situation on my end. I have a man here just back from the frontier who let his pilot’s license expire while he was in transit. He’s supposed to take out one of ours as soon as the window opens and this didn’t come up until the last minute," She said in a voice that implied a stake and that she was tied to it with a dragon on its way. "I don’t suppose it would be possible to wave the red tape on this, would it? We have him on file. If you want it we can send it over.”

“Anything for our friends at TIL,” Captain Donald said and grinned. Little dragons he could deal with. “It happens all the time. I’ll just need his name and Citizen ID number.”

“Thank you so much, Donald, that’s another one we owe you.” Leda said and turned her head quickly to flash a smile at him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just remember that someday I’m going to get around to collecting.” Captain Donald said. Ajax laughed when she flipped up the sun-visor, ending the call.

"What's so funny?" She said.

"You sure know how to get things done."

"Of course," She said seriously. "Rule number twenty-three, know the limitations of your contacts. Donald is a little lonely but he’s also a real nice guy. He just wants to help.”

“What’s rule number one?” Ajax said.

“The three most important things: people-product-profit.”

“In that order?” Ajax said as a right turn led them off of the expressway and onto a narrow, private-access road marked “Troy Hill Enclave- Residents Only.”

Leda laughed and said, “Not always. It depends on which one is the most important at the moment. Those are usually the three finalists.”

***

An armed guard wearing the TIL logo checked his pass once they’d reached the gate-complex. Leda directed him to the underground parking garage, then down two levels to space number 46, marked with the his name in bold letters.

"So how much do you know about me?" He said as he killed the lights and the engine. “You certainly know more than what I put down on the job application.”

“We like to be especially in touch with your needs.” Leda said as she threw her door open. “We have as much information as we need about you. Only the things the company considers relevant.”

“Like what?” Ajax said and closed his door as she moved without further announcement to the nearest elevator. The elevator had no buttons to indicate desired floor.

“Like you worry too much, but it results in a meticulousness that the company finds attractive. Floor forty-six, please,” She said and the doors closed. “And you have a lot of names.”

“I’m sorry I asked,” Ajax said as the elevator started moving upward. “How much checking did you do?”

“We got your psych eval. and physicals from military records. They were quite disappointed to lose you. We spoke with one of your old commanders who commended your natural talent. I hear you’ve been giving the Customs Authority fits.”

“I’m not here to make trouble.” Ajax said

“Interesting.” She said as the elevator doors opened as silently as the lift has risen. The teal plush under his feet looks new and Ajax feels immediately at ease surrounded by the pastel colors on the walls. His apartment was at the end of the hall, number 46A. Leda removed a key card from her purse and flashed it front of the retinal scanner that controlled the lock to the door.

“Now place your eye on the scanner and input your employee number. After that you’ll be locked into the system. You won’t need a key.”

A laser scanner swept across his retina, recording the pattern of blood capillaries. Patterns like fingerprints, unique to each individual, would prevent unauthorized entry.

“Welcome home.” Leda said swept inside when the lock retracted into its housing.

“Thanks. Where are the lights?” He said, and the domestic control computer responded by turning on the lights in the entryway, pre-set to a comfortable level.

“I thought you were going to stuff me into something a little more low-rent,” Ajax said as Leda guided him through the apartment. “Is this what all your pilots get?”

Off of the dining room was the living room with the modern holo-entertainment center and several plush couches.

“Most of our pilots stay in the arco,” Leda said. “It’s closer to the spaceport. Did you read your benefits package?”

“Yesterday I was living above a run down spacer’s bar outside fifth-gate,” Ajax said as he shook his head at her question. “Today I have a contract with the third largest company in the Northern Combine. It’s been pretty overwhelming, to say the least.”

“So you didn’t then?” She said and tapped her chin with a finger.

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t break any rules did I?”

Leda lifted a hand to her mouth to cover her snicker.

“Of course not,” She said. “Though I must admit, someone must’ve wanted your contract something awful to bring you in like this. These accommodations are usually for assistant directors and above. Read your benefits package, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Attached to the living room was a den with faux-wooden shelves along every wall. Outside the den was a balcony, with a view more impressive than the one in the kitchen and a small spa tucked into a corner. The door to the balcony was in a small workroom next to the den, already furnished with a work-station and comfortable swivel chair.

“If you haven’t read the benefits package then you probably haven’t read the employee handbook. All three hundred employee guidelines are listed in it, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with them.”

“Are there any that can’t wait until morning?” Ajax said, looking into an empty hall closet that was as large as the bedroom above the Chief’s bar.

“Rule number two,” Leda said as her ear-piece rang. She squinted her wristwatch, displaying the caller ID, then fixed him with a serious look. “You don’t talk about company business with anyone outside the company, period. You’ll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

“I figured that much.” Ajax said and Leda was herself again.

“Sorry about the melodrama but privacy is one of the things we take very seriously,” She said as her comm-unit chimed again. “Excuse me, please, for just a moment.”

“Of course.”

She wandered back into the kitchen, muttering a stream of “yes-sirs” and “no-sirs” into the mouthpiece while Ajax continued to explore. He wondered where the cameras were.

“So do you like it?” She said in his ear minutes later as he was examining the misting nozzle in the shower.

“Yeah I like it.” He said and cut the flow of water to the showerhead. There was little of the precious liquid wasted.

“Then you’re going to love this.”

Leda kicked off her shoes and padded into the attached room. Ajax found her jumping on his king-sized bed. She giggled and collapsed while he looked around the room, opening the closets and the wide chest-of-drawers.

“I love doing that. It just never gets old. People keep telling me I need to grow up. They can go to hell.”

“All of this is mine?” He said and folds his arms skeptically.

“No, it’s the company’s actually,” Leda said as she swept her hair out of her face and sat on the edge of the mattress. “This is just what your contract says you’re entitled to. This unit in particular may be reissued while you’re away but you’ll have one like it.”

“God bless the company.” Ajax said and laughed.

“That’s the spirit,” She said as she stood and straightened her clothes. “They should have your car ready by tomorrow morning. It’ll be in the garage. I’ll be by early tomorrow.”

Leda made for the door but stopped and took out a business card, one cut from a thin wafer of silver alloy and laser-etched, laying it on the dresser-top.

“Call me if you need anything,” She said, then collected her shoes from the shower-room. “Mister Cutter wants to get you oriented as soon as possible.”

***

Two hours after leaving the Troy Hill enclave, Leda Montgomery arrived at her home in Freehold. She called a number from memory and a serious looking man appeared on tele-vid screen.

“Well?” He demanded. Her report to him would be her last duty of her fourteen-hour day. She knew his day would last much longer.

“Subject is behaving exactly as his psych model described,” Leda said, hating the necessity of her client psychological evaluations. Most were not industrial spies, but relatively honest people happy to have a comfortable job, but psi-evaluations were part of her job description. “No type three aversion. He’s wild, but I don’t think he knows it.”

“Continue as his liaison and report any deviations from the psych profile or protocol. Bring him by the spaceport early tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mr. Cutter.”

***

Morning traffic was surprisingly light on the upper lanes of the Jamaica Bay Expressway South, both lower lanes were tied up by the traffic snarls around SOLCorp's massive HQ building. The trip to JBMS, normally a good four hours, took half that time.

The spaceport was built on land that had once been at the bottom of Jamaica Bay. The Rockaway Inlet was sealed off at the Marine Parkway Bridge and the area behind it drained. The levy holding back the Atlantic was 800 feet thick at its base and meticulously maintained.

A small, Lufthansa sub-orbital accelerated down the launch track as they exited from the JB Expressway, merging left onto the starport access road. The traffic bottle-neck at the barricaded main gate took up more time. A NYPD team swept their car for weapons, explosives, and contraband before letting them through.

Posted signs directed them away from the passenger terminal toward the long columns of hangars that sheltered corporate hulls. As they drove along the tarmac, a white Avianca Tachyon came into view. Artemis Cutter leaned against the fender.

“I wonder where his security boys are hiding?” Ajax wondered aloud. “Maybe he doesn't need them in this part of town.”

“I'm glad to see that you appreciate promptness as much as I do,” Cutter said as Ajax pulled his electric vehicle along the alongside the more powerful Tachyon. “Follow me, please. I think it’s going to be a very exciting day for you, my friend.”

Ajax opened his door as Cutter led off towards the hangar behind him. Something big was inside of it, a spacecraft, with a tarp covering the forward sections jutting out into the open. Technicians in coveralls moved in and out of sight around its base.

“We’ve modified one of our survey ships to accommodate our enhancements," Cutter said as fell into step together. "They’ve been thoroughly tested. I’ll introduce you to our chief engineer. He’ll give you the specifics on all of it. Here he is.”

A thin, nervous looking man was approaching them with a datapad clenched tightly under one arm.

“Ajax, this is Ronald Devolte, our project engineer. Ronald, this is Ajax Kinkaid, he’ll be taking the ship out. I’ll let you two get acquainted," Cutter said, giving the engineer’s hand a shake then Ajax a punch in the shoulder. "You’ll both have to excuse me. I have a meeting with the accounting department to attend. Miss Montgomery, I'll need you there.”

“What is it?” Leda said as Cutter turned on his heel and walked back towards the Tachyon with Leda trailing behind him.

“Durham is making trouble.”

“Good to meet you, old man,” Devolte said. “We’re glad to have you on-board. I understand you’re quite adept at giving the fleet fits.”

“So I’ve been told,” Ajax said and twisted around so he could take in more of the ship. Survey ships, he knew, were rather slow and bulky, fitted with large sensor suites and larger cargo bays, mineral exploration missions might last for years. “I guess I gave them enough fits that they decided to do something about it,” He gave out a slow whistle. “Christ and Allah.”

On this model there spikes and hull blisters indicating extensive sensor-suites, but the cargo holds were half normal size. There were four engines instead of the normal two and the nose of the ship, usually blunt, was gently tapered and rounded, like that of a shark.

“She’s named the Bonventure, and I see that you’ve noticed the extensive modifications we’ve made to the standard survey hull. Did Mr. Cutter tell you about what she's got on the inside?” Devolte said as he began pointing out various features: a mad-scientist showing off his new Frankenstein.

“The sensor suite is the advanced version of the Hughes-Unisys package the military uses on their fast recon ships. It's about forty percent more sensitive with twice the range. It won’t be on the open market for another two years."

"So when do I get to meet the navigator?" Ajax said as he ran his hand along the smooth surface of the hull. They were heading for a hatch mounted on the undersurface between the lower engines.

"Come now, old man, the company didn't think we needed one."

"What? That's impossible. Mercantile Charter, section seven-seven-three. All merchant hulls of over three hundred tons require a navigator in case of computer failure," Ajax said, his voice rising slightly in protest. "This is at least three hundred tons. I can't do everything myself."