Space Colony One Books 1 - 6

The Concordia Deception-9

IT WAS ETHAN’S TURN with the plow. Five of the machines had been assembled from the kits brought aboard the Nova Fortuna. There were plenty more waiting to be put together, but the first crop was a priority. The farmers were sharing the use of the plows that were already available.

The machine was mechanical only. It had no computer controlling it or refining its operation according to variations in soil, plants, or the weather as agricultural technology on Earth had. The farmers would have to learn all the nuances of their job and not rely on support from tech, passing their knowledge and skills down to the next generation. Computers required complex parts, and those complex parts required rare, refined resources. Until the colony progressed to a level capable of providing those resources, it would rely on human ingenuity.

Ethan stared at the instruction manual, then at the plow, then at the manual again. The farmer who had brought the plow over had explained its operation. It had seemed straightforward while he was listening, but Ethan was having problems matching his memory of the farmer’s words with the machine in front of him. His difficulties probably had something to do with the fact that he had no interest whatsoever in operating it.

Heaving a sigh, Ethan approached the machine. Maybe he could learn how to work it by trial and error. There wasn’t anything around for him to collide with, so he wasn’t likely to do any harm. He didn’t even have a house yet to run into. He rolled the plaspaper document and pushed it into his back pocket before grabbing the bars on either side of the cab door and pulling himself up and in. He sat in the driver’s seat and stared at the controls. They seemed simple enough. Some steered the machine and others operated the plow.

“Hey,” called a voice.

Ethan jumped nearly out of his skin. A short woman was standing right next to the cab, squinting up at him from under a cap, her hands on her hips.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I guess you didn’t hear me arrive.”

A flitter rested on the ground behind her.

“I’m your neighbor,” the woman went on. “Name’s Cherry.” She held up her hand.

Ethan leaned down and shook it. “Ethan. But I thought my neighbor was—”

“He got reassigned. I took over his land. Always wanted to be a farmer, and here I am! Can I join you up there? I think I’m next in line for this plow. Thought I’d get a handle on it.”

“Sure.”

With some difficulty due to her shortness, Cherry climbed up into the passenger side of the cab. “Have you figured it out yet?”

“Honestly? No. I was just about to start it up and take it from there.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” said Cherry. “Do you have the instructions? Can I take a look?”

Ethan pulled the thin book out of his pocket and gave it to her. Then he pressed a button. The engine started.

“Doing good so far,” said Cherry, not looking up from the manual.

Ethan wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic. He had finally recognized her. Cherry had been two grades above him at school. Then he remembered something else that made him pause.

“Aren’t you going to start driving it?” Cherry asked. “You should go to a corner of your land and begin there.”

“Wait a minute,” Ethan said, “I’m trying to figure out what you’re doing here. Why are you a farmer? You were top of your grade in math and science.”

Cherry rolled her eyes. “Just because I was good at something doesn’t mean I have to like it. I didn’t want to do any of the jobs my grade average qualified me for. I wanted to be farmer. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

“So they let you change jobs? Just like that?”

“Not exactly just like that, but it wasn’t too hard. Things are in disarray at the moment with no Leader. I think they just got tired of arguing with me in the end and gave me permission to take over the land after it became vacant. They only wanted me to go away and stop bothering them.”

“Really?”

“Yep. So... Are you going to drive this thing or not?”

“Er... Do you want to try?”

“I’d love to.”

Ethan jumped out of the cab and walked around the plow to the other side. He climbed into the seat Cherry had vacated as she moved across to the driving seat. She turned her cap around so the bill faced backward and, giving Ethan a grin, she pressed the accelerator. The plow lurched violently forward. He grabbed the side of the cab to prevent himself from being thrown out.

“Sorry,” said Cherry.

He slid his door closed and Cherry did the same, then she set off. As they drove along the rough ground bounced them up and down and threw them from side to side. Cherry began to laugh and so did Ethan.

“Where do I go?” Cherry asked.

Ethan turned and pointed to the side of the lake where his land bordered the shore. It was as good a place to start as any.

Cherry swung the plow around so hard Ethan thought it was in danger of toppling over. He held on tight.

“Whoops,” Cherry said.

“Take it easy. What’s your hurry? We have all day.”

“I know,” Cherry replied as she stopped the plow at the edge of the lake where the vegetation gave way to the shore. Her expression turned more serious. “But it would be great if I could plow and sow my own land soon. The sooner this colony is self-sustaining the better.”

“I don’t think anyone would disagree with you on that,” said Ethan, “but, let’s face it, none of us knows what we’re doing. This is an expensive item of equipment that we can’t replace. It might be good to take things slowly, step by step.”

Cherry’s look darkened further. “You mean none of us Gens knows what we’re doing.”

“I guess I do mean that. We grew up aboard the ship, while the Woken and the Guardians—”

“Don’t say it.”

“Don’t say what?” Ethan asked.

“You were about to say they’re more experienced than us, better than us, just because they grew up on Earth.”

“Yes, something like that. The Woken went to college. They worked hard to become the world’s top scientists. They didn’t have everything provided for them like us. And they know how to handle living planetside.”

“And I suppose you think that makes them better than us?”

“It depends what you—”

Cherry said, “I can’t believe I’d hear an opinion like that from you, Ethan. Everyone likes you so much because you helped save people in the First Night Attack. But if the others heard what you just said...”

“What? What did I say?” He thought he’d only stated the obvious. “I didn’t say anything bad about Gens. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us. But we’re different from the Woken and the Guardians. There’s no denying it.”

“And there I was thinking of asking you... ” Cherry shook her head.

“Asking me what?” When she refused to answer, Ethan said, “Wait a minute. You aren’t really here because you wanted to help me with the plowing, are you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, I don’t think so. It doesn’t make any sense that someone as smart as you would want to be a farmer. Why are you really here?”

Cherry wasn’t meeting his gaze. “I do want to be a farmer, but don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. I think I better go. I’ll walk back to my flitter. Bring the plow over when you’re finished with it, okay?”

Before Ethan had a chance to reply, she jumped down out of the cab and set off along the shoreline.

His brow knitted in confusion, Ethan slid over to the driver’s seat and took the manual out of his back pocket to study it again. The engine was humming, and he only just heard another sound over it—something like a gasp and thud. He checked over his shoulder to locate the source.

A mass of thin, writhing threads from the lake had Cherry by her ankles. She was on her stomach being dragged into the water. She was terrified and her mouth gaped in a soundless scream.

Ethan leapt from the plow and was at her side in moments. He grabbed her arms and pulled as hard as he could. Cherry finally managed to scream, and the shriek she gave cut through Ethan’s mind. He was immediately back to the First Night Attack hearing the almost inhuman howls of settlers being digested alive.

No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t break the threads’ hold on Cherry. They were winning the dreadful tug of war. Cherry was slowly inching backward to the water’s edge. The prehensile threads were also squirming up her body toward Ethan, seeming to seek out the source of the resistance.

Desperately, he cast about for something to cut the threads, but all around him was nothing but vegetation, sand, and water. All he had with him were the clothes he was wearing. The moment he let go of Cherry, the threads would drag her into the water. Then there would be nothing he could do to save her.

“Please,” Cherry gasped. “Please help me. Please.”

“I’m trying. I can’t pull any harder.” As he spoke, Ethan’s hands slipped on her arms, and Cherry jerked closer to the lake. She gave another shriek. Ethan quickly grabbed her again and tugged with every ounce of strength he had, but he could only maintain a stalemate against the threads.

There was no one for kilometers around and even if he managed to comm someone, the struggle would be long over before help arrived.

“I’m going to have to let you go, just for a moment,” Ethan said through a clenched jaw.

“Noooo,” Cherry howled. “Don’t let go.”

“I have to. I have to run back to the plow. Try to hold on to the sand as hard as you can. Fight with everything you’ve got. Don’t let them drag you into the water.” When she didn’t answer, he said, “Cherry. Do you understand? Don’t let them drag you into the water.”

Her face was drained of color but she managed a brave nod.

“Good. Three. Two. One.” He released his grip and flew back to the plow. As he swung the machine around, he push down a lever that looked like it might lower the blades. His heart surged as the long, sharp slices of metal moved downward. But then his heart fell as the turning machine brought him in sight of Cherry.

She was scrabbling and clutching the ground like a wild thing, but she seemed to be having no impact on the inexorable tugging of the threads. She was nearly at the water’s edge.

Ethan pushed the accelerator forward and the plow surged ahead. He would need to drive it into the lake to avoid cutting Cherry with the blades.

The plow entered the lapping waves. Ethan hoped the water wouldn’t drown the engine. He drove toward Cherry. He had to turn even deeper into the water or he would hit her. Her feet were submerged and only the threads that were wrapped around her legs remained visible.

The threads jerked and pulled her deeper. The plow blades churned the water close enough to Cherry to freeze his heart. He passed just beyond where he guessed her feet were, and the water filled with clouds of black sand and hundreds of pieces of thread, still wriggling as they bobbed to the surface.

He was past Cherry. He looked back. She was in the same spot. He turned the plow, watching her all the while. She pulled up a leg so that she was on one knee. Then she was up and running.

He steered the plow toward her. After running for half a minute into the vegetation, she seemed to calm down. She stopped, looked around and found him, then sped over.

She climbed quickly into the cab, covered in wet sand, grazed, and still looking terrified. She grabbed Ethan and sobbed into his chest. He comforted her until her weeping finally slowed.

Wiping sand from her face and body, she said, “What the hell were those things? They were going to drown me. If you hadn’t saved me, I’d be dead.”

“I don’t know. When I think of the times I’ve walked along that shore by myself... ” Ethan shuddered. “We should head back to town and tell someone what’s happened.”

“Yeah. Let’s go. We can use the flitter.”

Ethan pushed the accelerator and turned the plow toward the place where Cherry had left the vehicle. “Only... ” he added.

“What’s wrong?” Cherry asked.

Ethan peered back at the lake, then around at the low vegetation.

“Only what?” asked Cherry.

“Those threads, or tentacles, or whatever they were, there were so many of them, and they were capable of moving an adult human.”

“You don’t need to tell me that.”

“It was the first time the creature or creatures attacked one of us. But they didn’t evolve to eat people, if that’s what it had in mind.”

Cherry said, “I think I know where you’re going. You mean whatever it usually eats is human-sized or bigger. I think I’m going to be sick.”

She wasn’t speaking figuratively. She leaned out of the cab and vomited. When the spasm was over she leaned back, looking exhausted, in her seat.

Ethan said, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“It’s okay. I was going to do that anyway. Have you ever seen any large creatures out here? I haven’t.”

“No, but the plants are knee height. It wouldn’t be hard for a large animal to conceal itself. All it would have to do is stay still and it would be impossible for us to detect. We could have walked right by something and never known it.”

“I think I’m going to be sick again.”

“The electric fences we set up aren’t enough. We need the xenozoologists to go over the area again with a fine-toothed comb. I don’t trust their report that the place is safe for farming. Not after today. When we get back, I’ll comm the ship.”

“You mean you have to ask the Woken for help?” Cherry asked. “Why? Why can’t we handle this ourselves? Why do we always have to go running to them at the first sign of trouble?”

“It isn’t like that.”

“It’s exactly like that.”

They drove the rest of the way back in silence.

Chapter Seven

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