Emergence: A Military Sci-Fi Series (Terra Incognita Book 1) by Luke Messa

Author:Luke Messa [Messa, Luke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

15

I furrowed my brow. “How so? Looks like it’s thriving…”

He nodded. “That’s the problem. You noticed the oxygen issue, yes? When Bathos was first founded a century ago, the atmosphere was sixteen percent oxygen. Now it’s up to forty-one percent. And it’s climbing at an accelerated rate.

“Projections say it’ll be ten percent higher in a decade, and already some of our crops are suffering. Planetary growth of produce has slowed significantly. Lichen and fungus are overtaking some fields in the southern region. It gets a little colder every year. In another twenty years, the whole ecosystem we’ve built could collapse.”

“How is that possible?” Rook asked.

Stephan offered a weary smile. “No native wildlife. Place was just a dust ball teeming with potential when the first colonists arrived. Not enough people here using oxygen. We expanded too eagerly in our youth. I’ve been trying to find a way to rectify this for two years, and any possible solution comes with a host of other problems. We’ve foolishly painted ourselves into a corner.”

“Well, couldn’t you just get more people? Incentivize migration?” Turner suggested.

Stephan scoffed, “And have them do what? Stand outside and breathe? The amount of people we’d need to turn this around would have no jobs. And besides, the air is toxic now. Trust me—I’ve considered every option.

“We need Alliance tech to balance the atmosphere and the nitrogen in the soil, which is another whole issue. Otherwise Bathos is dead. And there are dozens of worlds that depend on our food. Reaching out was inevitable, though I’d hoped for a lucrative bargain from a place of strength and not desperation.”

Turner shrugged. “Wish in one hand…

“…shit in the other, see which fills up first,” Stephan finished the idiom then grabbed another smoke.

I tossed his lighter back to him.

He lit it up and leaned against the wall. “As if that weren’t enough, two of our customer worlds have dropped contact. I wasn’t overly concerned at first. That happens sometimes. But once I heard Samantha’s story… I feared the worst.”

“I can have Alliance recon investigate those worlds…”

“Yes, that would be greatly appreciated,” he answered.

“Concerning Bathos, I won’t lie to you,” I said. “I don’t know what kind of deal you’ll get with the Alliance. But I can promise you it’s not the same Alliance you left. Please evacuate. After this crisis, you can return with the tech you need to restore your livelihood.”

Exhaling smoke through his nose, he nodded solemnly. “Alright. It’ll take time. I share authority with three others. I’ll start prepping my sector for EVAC and convene with the other directors. Between Samantha’s testimony, yours, and mine, they’ll agree. I’ll also recommend to the leaders of the planets we supply that they do the same.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Very good. See to it as soon as you can. We never know when they’ll strike.”

Stephan pinched his eyes shut. “I have family out there on the fringes. My daughter Lauren and her children—my grandchildren. She gives me regular updates. Every day that goes by, I’m terrified I won’t hear from her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.