<I know, it’s a shame that my translation system can’t capture a lot of that, but I can hear the undertones, and the melody of their songs speaks volumes. I wish I brought a voxbox to talk back properly…. I had just planned on a quick swim.>
<Not so quick anymore,> Darla replied. <Sun's almost set.>
<Crap! You're right,> Tanis exclaimed and signed to the dolphins that she needed to return to shore before darkness fell.
“It has been our pleasure to share the shallow seas with you,” the cows said in unison.
“Knowing your people are beneath the waves makes Mars a true home for all Earth’s children,” Tanis replied with the salutation she had always given to orcas.
“Using orca speech, human?” the lead cow laughed. “We say in response, ‘May the Sun shine through clear waters, and may you never fall to the depths’.”
Tanis nodded solemnly, surprised that the playful bottlenose dolphins had such somber parting words. She repeated them before waving farewell and turning back toward the shore.
Only two strokes later, a pair of fins came up on either side of her, catching her under the armpits. She rose half out of the water as two of the pups propelled her toward the shore, laughing excitedly as they went.
Their tailfins tickled her legs, and Tanis couldn’t help but laugh with them. She was waving in farewell just a few minutes later, as they deposited her on the shore and slapped their tails with delight before swimming back to the pod and the scolding chirps of the cows.
She rose and began to walk up the beach as the Sun sank below the cliff edges of the Valles Marineris, shrouding the Melas Chasma in darkness.
Her augmented vision gave her a clear view of the beach, and Tanis walked along it for a kilometer before coming to the path that led over the dunes toward the cabin she had rented on the low bluff, beneath the high cliffs of the valley.
"Huh, I don't recall leaving the lights on," Tanis said as she walked up the narrow path, now winding between low scrubby sage brushes and cacti.
<I read one person inside,> Darla said. <It's—>
"Peter," Tanis finished, a grin splitting her lips as she picked up her pace. "He wasn't supposed to come down 'til tomorrow!"
She leapt up the steps in a single bound and had the door open a second later. Stepping into the small cabin, she saw place settings laid out on the table, and a grinning Peter standing at the counter.
“Glad you finally made it,” he said while wiping his brow in mock relief. “If I’d had to call you in for dinner, it would have ruined the surprise.”
Tanis took a moment to soak in the scene before her.
The cabin had a small living room with an attached kitchenette. Peter had moved the couch so the table wasn’t crammed against the counter. A candle sat between a pair of plates, each with a wineglass alongside it, and a basket of bread lay next to the candle.
Pots on the stove behind him added a visual to the already prevalent smell of pasta sauce and meat that her nose had picked up before she’d opened the door.
Peter himself was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that bore a few red splotches, courtesy of his efforts at cooking.
She met him halfway across the small cabin, their arms intertwining and lips meeting before she rested her head on his shoulder.
“This is easily the best day in ages,” Tanis said after letting out a long sigh. “I promise. It won’t be that long before we see each other again.”
Peter brushed her hair away from her face, and gave a small shake of his head. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Tanis. You know that the TSF doesn’t make exceptions for your love life.”
“Selfish bastards,” Tanis muttered as she peered beyond Peter at the cooking detritus. “Looks like a windstorm hit this place.”
“I was a bit rushed. Got down here an hour later than I expected, but then you took forever to get back…. Turns out I could have taken my time after all.”
Tanis separated from Peter and gave him a seductive wink. “Let me change out of my swimsuit and I’ll be right there. I met a pod of dolphins, and they nearly wore me out with their antics.”
Peter’s eyes roamed down her body, one of his hands following as it traced its way over her breasts and stomach. “The dolphins get to have all the fun with you wearing just that, and I don’t?”
“What? You like this look?” Tanis said, doing her best to give a seductive pose.
<Stars, Tanis,> Darla muttered privately. <You’re a ridiculously attractive woman, but your sexy pose is like something a gangly teenage boy would make. I have so much work to do on you.>
<Hush, Darla. I’m supposed to keep you a secret; you can’t just blather in my head when I’m with someone who can’t know.>
<I don’t blather!>
<Blatherer.>
Luckily, Peter had responded with his hands, so Tanis didn’t have to maintain two conversations at once.
* * * * *
The food was cold by the time they got to it, but it was still surprisingly good. Tanis hadn’t known Peter was such a skilled cook, but she hoped he’d treat her again in the future.
Following the meal, they took a short swim, which led to more shenanigans under the ringlight, and finally—well after midnight—sleep.
In the morning, Peter rose first, and Tanis pretended to be asleep, hoping he’d make her breakfast in bed. Before long, she drifted off for real, only to be woken by Darla’s voice.
<Harm is trying to reach you.>
At first, the words made no sense, and Tanis wondered why Darla thought she needed to get out of harm’s reach. Then the AI repeated the words, and they shuffled into the right order.
<Harm Ellis? What does he want?>
<It’s just a message, requires your auth tokens to play it.>
Tanis groaned softly. <Why not send it so either of us could open it?>
<You’ll have to ask him. Probably specist,> Darla said with mock indignation.
An encrypted message from Harm could mean only one thing: her vacation was about to come to an end before it had even gotten underway.
She closed her eyes and passed her auth tokens to the message. It opened up, and she saw that it was audio only. She shared access with Darla, and they listened together.
<Tanis, I’m sorry to interrupt your time on Mars, but I have an urgent matter that I need your help with. One of my assets, a man named Simon, has gone missing under rather peculiar circumstances. He was…> Harm paused for a moment before continuing. <He was working on a case that was not fully logged. I can’t use normal channels to hunt him down because that would expose his operation to the wrong people. He last reported in from Ceres, which is just a short hop from where you are now. The Kirby Jones is nearly done with its refit on Vesta, and I’ve adjusted things so that its final certifications take place on Ceres, which will give you a cover for being there. Your crew should already have their orders and soon be on their way to meet you there. I need you to catch the first ship to Ceres and dig into Simon’s disappearance. Once you send acceptance back to me, I’ll let you know where a datapacket has been dead-dropped. It will have more details on Simon and the case.>
The message ended, and Tanis groaned again. <I hate Ceres.>
<Why? It’s like Vesta…but nicer.>
<OK…’hate’ was an overly strong word. I don’t have fond memories of the place. That’s where I did basic and had my first posting. I worked my ass off to get off that ball of mud.>
<Ceres is terraformed nicely,> Darla still seemed confused. <It’s no more a ball of mud than Mars.>
<Well, when you’re in basic, everything is mud.>
<I doubt Simon was there undergoing basic training,> Darla retorted. <You need to suck it up, Tanis.>
Tanis pursed her lips and gave a resigned nod before sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. <Yeah, I know…this really isn’t about Ceres, it’s about leaving Mars.>
<Mars? Or Peter?>
<A bit of both, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, spending time with Peter is at the top of my ‘love to do’ list, but Mars in general is where I come to recharge. 0.38gs is a big part of that. It’s nice not to feel like I’m walking in soup all the time. Terrans spin their stations up too much.>
As she gave her reasons to Darla, she walked to her wardrobe, where she stood debating whether to wear a casual outfit or her uniform.
<You know that when we played the message, it will have notified Harm,> Darla prompted. <He’s going to want to know we’re on our way.>
<I guess ‘find someone else’ isn’t an answer we can send.>
Darla snorted. <Not how being a Mickie works.>
<OK, uniform it is.> Tanis reached for her casual blues only to stop when Darla made a pouting sound.
<I bought you all these nice clothes, and you’re going to wear your uniform right away? You know you can travel as a civilian, right?>
<I figured it would help break the news to Peter.>
The AI in Tanis’s head let out long cry of frustration. <You think I’m joking when I say I have so much to teach you, but I’m not. There, the white sundress with the roses. Put it on, no shoes, and the ivory necklace. That will help break the news to Peter.>
* * * * *
Breakfast was bacon and eggs smothered in maple syrup, one of Tanis’s favorites. The bacon was thick, and had a spicy taste. It was complemented by bold coffee and Peter’s welcome company.
“Have I mentioned today how beautiful you are, Tanis?” he asked as he refilled her cup.
“Pretty sure you haven’t,” she replied with a wink. “What’s been holding you back?”
Peter snorted. “Tease. I’ve said it at least a dozen times this morning.”
“Only eleven,” she corrected him. “Not that I’m counting, or anything.”
“And yet four of those times, you didn’t respond at all.” Peter’s eyes locked onto Tanis’s, his deep brown pools imploring her to open up to him. “What’s on your mind?”
<Best get it over with,> Darla advised.
<He’s not going to like it.>
Darla didn’t offer a rejoinder, and Tanis reached across the table and took Peter’s hand. “My leave got cut short. I have to catch a ship to Ceres today.”
Peter’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You just got to Mars four days ago. Last month, your shore leave got cancelled, so I took up the Jorgen negotiation. Then you show up here, and I manage to pass the account off, only to have you leave again? I’m going to look like an idiot at the firm.”
“I’m sorry, Peter. I didn’t mean to put you in a position like this…the fleet re-org is making a mess of everything right now. Once I get my ship put through its paces at Ceres, I should be able to—”
“Don’t ‘should’ me, Tanis.” Peter pulled his hand away and flopped back in his chair. “I don’t know why you still serve with the TSF, anyway. The Marsians would take you in a heartbeat, and the feds couldn’t stop you from transferring to your home state’s military. Then you wouldn’t be traipsing about Sol and could get stationed on Mars 1.”
Darla whistled. <He’s kinda mad.>
<Noticed that, didja?> “I can’t transfer out yet, Peter,” she replied calmly. “I’ll botch my career path if I do it before reaching major, because Marsians don’t give commanders who transfer the captain’s chair. I’d end up as someone’s XO and have to work my way back to the big seat.”
“Is that so bad?” Peter asked. “You’d probably get the XO’s billet on a bigger ship than your little patrol boat.”
Tanis bristled at his tone. He never gave the Kirby Jones the respect it deserved—but she didn’t expect someone who hadn’t relied on a ship and its crew to keep them alive under fire to understand the relationship that built.
The Jones was her home and her bastion. Leaving it—even to move up to a larger ship—would not be easy.
“It’s not the same, and there are nuances to the promotion paths that would mess me up. Once I get to O-4, a transfer would be a lateral move, and I’ll put in for it.”
<Really? You’d leave the TSF for the MSF?> Darla asked. <Kinda a step down, even if you keep the same perks.>
<I’d at least consider it,> Tanis replied to Darla, while Peter stared at her with narrowed eyes. <I kinda hope that by that point, Peter will see the potential I have in the TSF.>
<Just when I think I’ve catalogued all the ways you need me….>
“Well, that doesn’t help us much today,” Peter said sullenly. “I guess you’d best get ready to go.”
“I’ll help with the dishes first,” Tanis replied. “I have a few hours to kill before I need to get to Pavonis Mons and take the strand up to my transport.”
“Already booked?” he asked, his gaze narrowing again.
Tanis shrugged, giving him a winning smile. “I’m efficient. I thought you liked that about me.”
“Normally,” he qualified before letting out a long sigh. Then he ran a hand through his hair and gave her a wan smile. “Shit…I’m such an ass. Look, I know you don’t want to go either…. Forget the dishes. Let’s hit the waves instead.”
Tanis picked up her last piece of bacon and gave him a lopsided grin. “That sounds like a better way to spend the morning. Let me get my suit.”
“Why?” Peter asked with a grin. “There’s no one for a dozen klicks.”
Tanis shook her head at the eager look in Peter’s eyes. “What about the dolphins?”
“What about them? They’re naked too.”
STELLAR DATE: 02.16.4084 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Pavonis Mons Elevator
REGION: Mars, Marsian Protectorate, InnerSol
Tanis stared out the curved window of the elevator car as it rose through the shaft cut through the center of Pavonis Mons, watching the grey rock flash by until the car passed into the four-kilometer-deep caldera.
Even centuries after the planet had been terraformed, Pavonis Mons’ inner slopes were still covered in the ubiquitous, ruddy dust. Not enough strong weather made it over the top of the fourteen-kilometer-high peak to greatly disturb it—though what did deposited snow that had to be melted off the upper slopes of the caldera, lest it begin to form glaciers.
The elevator car sailed over the rim of the ancient volcano, and the narrow view suddenly exploded into the breathtaking view of the Tharsis Bulge’s high, arid plateau.
Most people failed to see the appeal of Tharsis, but Tanis always had. It was only a short journey from her childhood home, and she’d often vacationed amongst its volcanic peaks in her younger years.
Heavy worlders rarely came to the bulge, what with Marsian air already thin, and Tharsis’s even thinner. For natives with enhanced lung capacity—such as Tanis—hikes in the high desert were only a little discomforting.
The skies over Tharsis were almost always clear, most of the clouds not rising high enough to shroud the ancient magma formation. What cloud cover did attempt to shroud the region was usually disrupted by Olympus Mons, the twenty-one-kilometer-tall mountain that split weather patterns and kept the high plateau clear.
It was there that Tanis had seen her first Old-Father cactuses. The leathery skinned plants grew over fifty meters high and were unique to the planet. They couldn’t grow on heavy-g worlds like Earth or Venus, and lower-g worlds didn’t have the right atmospheric density for them.
But on Mars, they thrived, dotting the steppe with their towering forms, the oldest of which had been there for fifteen hundred years—nearly at the outset of the terraforming project.
As the elevator car continued to climb the strand that stretched to the Mars 1 Ring, Olympus Mons rose over the horizon, its gradual slope appearing to be more like a lump than a mountain.
Light glinted off ships rising from Crispin Spaceport, set in the massive volcano’s three-kilometer deep caldera, torches fl
aring brightly as ships lifted into space, twenty-one thousand meters of altitude starting the vessels out above the majority of the atmosphere, limiting the impact of their engines.
<You really like it here,> Darla observed. <You seem at peace.>
<That’s because I didn’t get a chance to visit my family,> Tanis replied with an audible laugh, glancing around at the other passengers, all seated in rows facing the windows. <I do love it here, but give me a few weeks dirtside, and I’m all but itching to get back into space.>
<I wonder why that is.>
Tanis gave it a moment’s thought before replying. <Downworlders are too…small.>
<Small?>
<Yeah. I think it comes from always thinking two-dimensionally. They never seem to have the same scope to their viewpoints and desires as spacers—well, non-ring spacers. Folks who live on rings are a lot like downworlders.>
Darla made a soft hmmming sound for half minute. <I suppose,> she finally said, <that makes sense. Now that I think of it in that light, I suspect even AIs succumb to such thinking. I wonder if that’s why I prefer space as well—though I loved swimming with dolphins. That’s on my list for when I eventually get a body.>
Tanis snorted, careful to do it only in her mind. <You’re never really going to get a body, are you, Darla?>
<What makes you say that?>
<Because I can tell. You’d get lonely.>
This time, Darla’s silence stretched over a minute. <Maybe. I just like organics. You’re fun, you don’t take yourselves as seriously as AIs. You let me play dress-up with you. It’s like I get all the perks of a body without actually having to have one of my own.>
<There’s nothing wrong with that, Darla. I’m starting to think that I’d get lonely without an AI to share my mind with as well.>
<We don’t really share a mind.>
Tanis rolled her eyes. <You know what I mean.>
Their discussion was interrupted by an announcement on the audible intercoms. “All passengers, ensure your seat harnesses are secure and all belongings are stowed. Delta-v matching and inversion in five minutes.”