Regulated Planet, page 27
part #2 of Worlds Apart Series
Tyris smiled. “No, no more hiding.”
Marlee smiled mistily up at him. There had been moments when she’d doubted they would reach this point. And now, here they were.
Then something else he’d said hit her. “Did you say Nerris and Mother are here?”
“Yep. They’re waiting outside. I wanted to talk to you first, but I’m sure they’re eager to see you.” Tyris held out his hand to her and they walked hand in hand into the main gathering area.
Nerris was looking around, examining the architecture of the tunnels, while her mother stood next to her father. They were holding hands. It was a sight she’d never expected to see, and Marlee was surprised at how much it touched her.
Releasing Tyris’s hand, she crossed the room. Both of them held out their arms to her, and Marlee hugged them both in the first complete family hug she’d ever had.
Cheers started up around her. Many of the other residents of the tunnels, who knew her story from Milandra’s programs, clapped loudly, and Marlee smiled.
Her mother held out a hand to Tyris, and he joined them in the hug, if a little awkwardly. He wasn’t used to being close with his family, but he was going to have to learn, because she planned to have a close knit family.
“Is this why you’re giving up everything you’ve ever know or wanted?” Marlee turned at the sound of the voice, and recognised Tyris’s mother, with his father standing next to her.
Kerit stood behind them, shrugging. “Sorry, bro. I said they’d see you soon enough, but they weren’t willing to wait.”
“Tyris hasn’t seen fit to include us in anything in his life since he returned, so we couldn’t be sure he was going to remember to include us in this.” His mother’s voice was sour.
Tyris stepped up, and said, “It’s good to see you, Mum. And you too, Dad.” He hesitated for a moment, then gave his mum a hug.
It looked awkward, but it was a start.
Marlee wanted to join in welcoming them, but aside from what they might have seen on Milandra’s show, they only knew her as some girl Tyris had brought back from Zerris with him. So she hung back until Tyris beckoned her forwards.
“Mum, Dad, you probably already know by now, but Marlee and I are engaged. And we’re having a baby.”
His mother looked at her, and her eyes softened. “Welcome to the family, Marlee.”
Marlee smiled, glad of another person they didn’t need to hide their relationship from.
With all the noise and commotion, she almost didn’t notice the sound from the doorway—her tablet giving a small ‘incoming message’ beep. She frowned, and went to pick it up. Who would be sending her messages at a time like this?
Her heart almost stopped when she read the hurried words from Milandra.
“What is it?” Tyris asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Marlee handed him the tablet with the short message. “The Space Force has been given the order. They’re coming to find all the women who are hiding with you.”
Tyris swore. “The bastards. It was all a trick. I should have known something was up when they decided not to prosecute me. They just wanted me to lead them to everyone here.” He stared around the room, running a hand through his hair. “We have to get everyone out.”
“Where are we going to go?” Marlee demanded. “There isn’t anywhere, Tyris. The group is just too big for us to hide anywhere else.” Her eyes filled with tears, thinking of all the women who thought they were safe.
Tyris swore, and turned to stare at all the people gathered in the tunnel.
“What’s going on?” his mother asked.
Turning to her, Tyris said, “The Space Force is sending people in here after the women who are hiding with Marlee. They used me to find them all.”
“But Kerit said that you and Marlee had been granted an exemption?” His mother frowned.
“Yes, we have,” Marlee said. “But that doesn’t help everyone else down here. I’m not the only woman in this situation. We’ve had three babies born since we arrived here, and they’ll all be taken away from their mothers.”
“And I’m not sure how firm our exemption is. They could be looking for another reason to arrest me for all I know. And now they have proof that we’re involved in this uprising,” Tyris added.
Tyris’s mother frowned. “Perhaps we should get out of here? I wouldn’t want them to change their mind on your baby. I didn’t think I was ever going to get a chance to have a grandchild, I don’t want any issues.”
“You don’t get it, do you, Mum? This isn’t just about us.”
Marlee added her voice to his. “I can’t just walk away and leave all these people. They trusted me.”
“So what, you’re going to stay here and risk yourself for them?”
“There must be somewhere we can go?” Marlee said.
Tyris sighed. “Where? The same law is in existence all through the Colonies, on every planet. We might find somewhere to hide for a while, but anywhere we go will be found eventually.”
He was right, but she didn’t want to accept the answer. “Damn, Weiss,” she said. “If he hadn’t sold out Zerris, we could have taken them all there.” She threw the tablet on the bed in frustration.
“Maybe if we could lay claim to some of the anysogen, we could go looking for a new planet?” Tyris suggested. Then he sighed. “But it won’t help these people now, it would take too long. Any possible unoccupied planet is just too far away. Nothing is even suitable for a last ditch attempt.”
His words stirred something in Marlee’s mind. A last ditch attempt. It wasn’t perfect, but maybe it could buy them a few months… “How about Semala?”
Tyris stared at her for a moment, then shook his head slowly. “There’s just too much dust still in the atmosphere. Very little light reaches the surface, and if that wasn’t enough to stop everything surviving, the acid rain will.”
Marlee sighed. “That’s it then, there’s nowhere else.”
“How does it help, having somewhere you can go?” Tyris’s mum asked. “I mean, the Space Force is going to burst in here any minute. They’re not just going to let you all go, are they?”
Tyris heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. Nerris seemed to think that not being part of the Colonies for so long meant they could legally not return if they didn’t want to, and the president didn’t correct him. Maybe that was because he didn’t think we’d be able to find anywhere to go, but if we did, maybe we’d be able to bargain. Tell them it’s the only way to keep us quiet. But it doesn’t matter, because there isn’t anywhere.”
Marlee could imagine the Space Force flooding into the tunnels and arresting everyone. How long would it take before they found them in the maze of tunnels? Not as long as she thought probably, and they were wasting precious minutes discussing ideas that were impossible.
Tyris’s mum didn’t seem ready to let go of the idea. “Even if Semala was habitable, you wouldn’t have any support from the Colonies. It would be almost like living back on Zerris. Primitive and awful. Really, you don’t want to be there.”
Marlee bit back a sigh. They needed to move on, and come up with a plan that worked. But she didn’t want to upset Tyris’s mother, so she said as calmly as she could, “These mothers are going to have their babies taken away from them if we don’t do something. The hard life we had on Zerris seems like paradise in comparison.”
She waited to see if Tyris’s mum was done, and they could move on.
The woman hesitated, then said, “I suppose I can see your point.” She hesitated again. “What if there was a way to make Semala more habitable?”
They didn’t have time for what ifs. Marlee opened her mouth to say so, but one look at Tyris and she paused. He looked thoughtful. “Do you have something in mind, Mum?”
Marlee looked back at his mother.
“There’s a technology my research group has been working on, to remove particulate matter from the upper atmosphere. It hasn’t been tested yet, we haven’t been able to convince the Colonies to let us try it.”
Tyris frowned. “Why? Is there some sort of risk?”
His mother shrugged. “There’s always a risk with any new technology. In this case, the reagent we’re using to create the transformation is toxic. It should be all used up in the reaction, but the government isn’t ready to risk it.”
“So you’d love the chance to get to try it on a planet that isn’t controlled by the Colonies?” Tyris guessed.
She hesitated, then shrugged. “Sure. But that isn’t my reason for suggesting it. It sounds like it might be the answer to your problems right now.”
“But what if it doesn’t work?” Marlee said. “Then we’ll be…”
“... on a spaceship, a fair distance from the Colonies,” Tyris finished. “That sounds like a damn sight better place to be than right here.”
He had a point.
“Are you willing to risk it, Mum? I mean, you’d have to come with us, and that would mean you’d be leaving the Colonies too? Are you sure you want to do that?” Tyris asked.
“I’d have to talk to your father,” his mother said. “But I’ve been working on this for a long time. I’d love the chance to see if it works or not.”
It wasn’t the answer Marlee had expected. Tyris had mentioned that his parents were more focused on work than on him and his brother, but she hadn’t quite believed it. It was a little sad.
Tyris didn’t seem to notice. “You’d better talk to Dad, we don’t have long to make up our mind.”
His mum looked at him, and for a moment Marlee thought she was going to say something more. Then she turned and left the room.
“Do you think it will work?” Marlee asked, when she was gone.
Tyris sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe.” He paced across the room. “This is all happening so quickly.” He paused, then pulled her into his arms. “I was looking forward to things being quiet for a while. I wanted to have some time to just be together. To talk about our baby. Maybe plan a wedding.”
Marlee smiled, and hugged him back. “We’ll have all those things. So long as we’re together, we’ll make time for them. One way or another.”
“That’s true I suppose.” Tyris kissed the top of her head. “Where we are doesn’t seem to matter anymore, so long as we’re together.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
“Your father seems keen to come on board.” Tyris’s mum came back into the room. “And Kerit said he wanted to come too.” She seemed surprised.
Tyris raised an eyebrow. “Ker?”
A scream came from down one of the corridors, followed by loud shouting.
“They’re here.” Tyris took a step towards the door, then paused. “Maybe you should stay here, Marlee?”
Marlee frowned. “Not a chance. I’ve already spent weeks sitting around here wondering if I was going to see you again. If you’re going out there, I am too.”
Tyris opened his mouth to object, but his mother spoke before he could. “You should know better than to argue with the woman you plan to marry. She has as much right to be there as you do.”
He looked at Marlee, and laughed. “I don’t stand a chance, do I?” He held out his hand to her. “Come on, we’d better find who’s in charge and see if we can sort this out before anyone gets hurt.”
“We’re ready to stand beside you, too.” Nerris stepped forwards.
Others followed. Her father and mother, holding hands. Dr Benton. Tyris’s parents and Kerit. Towards the back of the room, she saw Milandra arrive, breathless, with the broadcast man. And all the men and women who had joined her since she’d escaped the Space Force. They all had their own reasons for fighting, some more obvious than others.
“We’re not ready to give up yet, and we’re tired of running,” Anna spoke up, her baby in a sling.
Her husband took her hand, adding his voice to hers. “We want to stand beside you.”
Marlee stared around the room. Surely the government would have to listen when so many people were objecting.
“I appreciate it,” Tyris said, nodding to everyone. “But I don’t think this fight can be won so easily. Someone needs to stand up to the government now and say we won’t be ignored. But we also need people who are going to continue to fight if we’re arrested. We need to split up. There are many exits to the tunnels, head for different ones and make sure as many of you escape as possible. Then keep spreading the word. Keep telling everyone who will listen what’s happening. Because that’s the only way we can win.”
As soon as he said it, Marlee knew he was right. She saw relief in many eyes—relief at being able to run with a clear conscience. She hoped most of them would make it away, and not just because Tyris was right and they needed people to continue to object and spread the word.
Tyris’s mother stepped forwards, her face determined. “You’ll need me with you to explain the process if you’re going to convince them to let you try our technology. And besides, your father and I will add legitimacy to your story.”
Her parents stepped forwards next. “We’re staying too. Someone needs to put forward Zerris’s side of the story.”
Nerris looked at Tyris, and nodded. “I’ll go with the others, and see if I can keep things organised.”
Tyris nodded. “Thanks Nerris. Good luck. Get them out of here. Now, while you still can.”
No one waited to be told twice. The sound of fighting and yelling was coming closer. Panic twisted Marlee’s gut, and as if in response, the baby kicked hard. She rubbed the spot, trying not to let her courage desert her.
This had to work. It had to. She didn’t think she could bear it if anyone took her baby away from her.
But there was no time to think, no time to let the fear take hold. Tyris squeezed her hand, and together they headed towards the sounds of fighting, encouraging the few people they ran into to go the opposite way. Most had left at the first sign of the Space Force troops, and after the first screams, there was an ominous silence. Marlee hoped it was because the troops were getting lost in the maze of tunnels.
A few moments later, they discovered that wasn’t the case. When she realised that the delay was instead caused by the troops stopping to handcuff the pair of heavily pregnant women and their partners, Marlee bit her lip and slowed, pulling on Tyris’s hand. One of the women shook her head silently when she saw her.
Tyris paused to look at Marlee, then pulled her back around the corner out of sight. “It’s not too late,” he said. “You can go join the others and keep our baby safe. I’ll delay them long enough for you to get away.”
Marlee balked at what he meant by delaying. Either way, Tyris would not be joining her in hiding. She couldn’t bear to do that again, not knowing where he was, or what would happen to him. She shook her head. “I’m in,” she whispered fiercely.
Tyris’s eyes overflowed with love, and he pulled her to him in a tight embrace, his lips fierce on hers. Then he took her hand, and together they turned the corner and faced the Space Force troops, with both sets of parents standing behind them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tyris demanded, his voice echoing in the narrow confines of the tunnel.
The response was immediate. The two men in uniform turned towards him, one reaching for his gun. A sense of familiarity caused her stomach to turn over. This was it.
A man walked forwards through the soldiers. He wasn’t like the others, his black suit marking him as different. But when he held up his hand, the others stopped dead. “You two should leave, if you want to stay out of this,” he said.
He knew who they were, though how he could recognise them through the dark glasses he wore Marlee had no idea. Why would someone wear sunglasses in the dark tunnels?
Stepping forwards, Tyris said, “It’s too late for us to stay out of it. I was involved from the moment you used me to find these people. In fact, I’m surprised you’re not looking for an excuse to arrest me again.”
Tyris knew this person, and from his clothes, he must be someone important, but she couldn’t guess who. It couldn’t be the president, he wouldn’t be down here in the tunnels. Would he?
“Arresting you won’t help public opinion in the slightest. So long as you leave now and remain quiet, as we discussed, we have no issue with you.”
Tyris reached for her hand and she squeezed it, reassuring him as best she could that she was behind him.
“We won’t remain quiet,” Tyris said. “Not as long as you keep hunting down these people. You can arrest Marlee and me, and those who haven’t fled quickly enough, but there is no way you can catch everyone. The news will continue to get out and our message will continue to spread. You can’t silence the truth. Not this time. There is too much at stake for these people, and they have nothing left to lose.”
The expression on the man’s face didn’t change. It remained blank for a long moment. Marlee held her breath. Tyris’s speech had swayed her, but then, she wasn’t exactly hard to convince.
“We cannot let you have the anysogen planet. It’s not an option.”
“How about Semala then? We’ll do a swap. Its not like it’s any use to you anyway, so you don’t lose anything valuable. All you lose is one big problem—us and all the people here, and anyone else who wants to come with us.”
There was a long pause, while the man stared blankly at them. As blankly as someone wearing sunglasses could anyway. “That planet is uninhabitable,” he said. “What use is it to you?”
Tyris glanced back at his mother, who up until this point had remained silent. Taking her cue, she stepped forwards. “We have a technology we believe can make it habitable again.”
“You don’t have Colonial approval to use it.” The response was quick. Had they expected this? “The ethics committee said there were too many risks. It would never be approved for planet wide use.”
“But if the planet we use it on isn’t part of the Colonies, then the ethics committee’s concerns aren’t a problem,” Tyris’s mother said. “If our plan doesn’t work, it’s not your problem. You can just point and say, ‘I told you so’.
