The Proteus Bridge by M. D. Cooper & James S. Aaron

Author:M. D. Cooper & James S. Aaron [Cooper, M. D. & Aaron, James S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Wooden Pen Press
Published: 2018-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

NESTING

STELLAR DATE: 06.15.2958 (Adjusted Years)

LOCATION: Glorious Achievement District

REGION: Ceres, Anderson Collective, InnerSol

Fugia told him to stop gawking at everything, but Ngoba couldn’t help himself.

From the moment they left the plain corridors of the Visa Bureau, he was surrounded by new sights, sounds, smells, and people, which had him staring at something new every direction he looked. The people of the Anderson Collective might have liked to dress in boring monotones of brown, grey and black, but they surrounded themselves in color. Bright murals showing workers and families covered every public surface large enough to hold paint. Groups of uniformed children passed them, singing high-pitched anthems that seemed to have something to say about the bright future of the Collective.

When there weren’t kids around making noise, Tina availed them with the history of their current section of the Insi Ring, which had apparently been finished only two hundred years ago, making it relatively new. There were still remnants of the “bland corporatist” architecture left from the original construction, before Ceres declared independence from private control and Andersonia came into being.

Whenever Tina mentioned Andersonia, she pointed at the green-brown blur of the asteroid above them, which always occupied a central place in the sky. While Ngoba understood he was on a ring spinning around an asteroid, he couldn’t shake the idea that everything was going to fall into the sky at some point, or go spinning off into space.

“I’m confused,” Ngoba said finally. “Is it the ‘Anderson Collective’ or ‘Andersonia?’ Ceres is the place, right, just like Cruithne is an asteroid, but someone might live in the Lowspin section. Are there other parts of Ceres besides Andersonia?”

“That’s an excellent question,” Tina answered brightly. “You have such an observant partner, Fugia. You should be proud.”

“I certainly am.”

“Andersonia is the dream of what Ceres will become once we finish the grand terraforming project.” Tina joined her hands and pressed them against her breast. “Andersonia is the dream in every Andersonian’s heart, of the best place for all humanity to live—close to nature, free of the distractions and pollutions of technology.”

“So you’re Terran Absolutists?” Fugia said, sounding irritated by the whole conversation.

“Oh, no,” Tina said. “We acknowledge that humanity must spread beyond the Earth. Our goal is to spread the purity of humanity’s relationship with nature, as well. No one speaks of nature when they talk about progress.” She gave an exaggerated laugh. “At least, I haven’t read that part of the history books.”

“Who reads books anymore?” Fugia asked.

Ngoba shot her an irritated look of his own. Her obvious dislike of Tina was going to get them in trouble. He didn’t know what Fugia’s meeting was about, but he wanted her to get there so he could get his payout. He worried that he was going to have to make sure Fugia didn’t sabotage her own mission.

The commercial district was lined by tree-filled gardens that gradually became shared vegetable plots in the residential section, where Tina explained their apartments were located. “You’ll be staying in a very nice group division where they keep open living spaces just for families visiting Ceres.

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