Return To Dust by Stuart Aken

Author:Stuart Aken [Aken, Stuart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912053841
Publisher: Fantastic Books Publishing
Published: 2018-08-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Belatedly, the announcements from Hoshiko and, more importantly, from CenCom had changed everything in the settlement. The Earth people had trusted their GrandMa absolutely, and her threatened abandonment felt like the ultimate treachery. A betrayal many found hard to come to terms with. Tatiana’s suggestion to her people that they should respect what they’d done to save the whole species muted some hostility toward the Marspers. The ComTee, in particular, were now well aware of dangers they’d previously faced in ignorance.

She’d invited Daisa, Brigitte, Tu and Gabriel to a conference with the 20-strong ComTee. Invited, not summoned, since she wanted their presence to be voluntary.

Happily clad in a wraparound gifted by Brigitte, Tatiana, headed the event, introducing their guests more completely than she’d found possible at the greeting feast. ‘These 4 are part of the group GrandMa called the Unconnected, and we should …’

Daisa stood and interrupted. ‘Sorry, Tatiana. Not me. I have the standard implant. The Unconnected don’t, because it’s too risky to implant the chip once your brain’s finished developing. They were all too old by the time they developed the implant.’

Tatiana thanked her for the correction. She was impressed at Daisa’s honesty in excluding herself from a cause for admiration and praise. ‘Even so, we should be grateful to these Marspers. They’ve given us our boobslins for a start.’ She glanced at Gabriel and wondered when she’d be able to thank him properly. ‘Great to run more easily. And they’ve brought new medical supplies, bots and a load of droids. Add to that their tech knowhow, and we can expect things to improve around here.’

‘What about GrandMa leavin us, though?’ Amira asked the question all members of the ComTee were eager to have answered.

Tatiana shrugged and glanced at the Marspers.

‘You’ll manage. We’ve already started converting the new DNA memory bank to hold every piece of data CenCom holds. Once done, we’ll be able to access everything and duplicate whatever we like.’ Tu looked around at the assembled women and their token man. ‘We’ll even be able to copy the GM that created your housing, furniture and hygiene units. In a few days, you’ll have real freedom. A chance to move forward on your own, along lines all of us want, free from the pure logic that drives CenCom. I know it worries you, but maybe try to see it as an opportunity to make a fresh start and really decide how and where we wish to go as a species.’

‘It’s good, then? Tu, in’t it? Funny name.’

Tatiana frowned at her colleague’s rudeness. ‘Their names aren’t so different to ours, are they? All ours come from our backgrounds, the mothers who gave birth to us. So do theirs. Shouldn’t be rude about them. Not very helpful, is it?’

‘Din’t mean nothin by it, Tatiana. Just they sound a bit strange to me ears, is all.’

Daisa signalled Tatiana and she gave a nod of approval. The Marsper stood. ‘Names. You know Earth had close to 12 billion people at the start of the catastrophe? Most had first and family names.

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