Chapter 2 #2
Soaked to the skin, Sutherland stood in no more than a pair of pants and one boot, dripping everywhere.
Leonus tried not to stare. Terran-short but with skin the color of sandstone, and bloodshot, miserable eyes.
Sutherland’s Corps-buzzed hair grew in dark brown, speckled with gray, not yet long enough to lay down.
Rivulets in the dark hair on his chest made a deeply distracting river delta.
Despite looking much worse for wear, Sutherland was still a fine man.
Leo almost felt sorry for him there hugging himself in the hall, his form curled away from the security detail.
For a moment, no more than a flash—Sutherland’s true colors showed, a decent man, remorseful, fearful even, seeing the people in the room.
He transformed. In a flash—I would have missed it if I wasn’t staring at him like a fool—Sutherland put on a face, the fearful, decent soul replaced with an arrogant lordling.
He slid into the expression like putting on a coat.
Pushing that thought away, Leo looked at Sutherland’s file. The document made no sense. The man had an impeccable record, not so much as a uniform demerit. Solid, middle of the road. His awards were for attendance, consistency, plodding responsibility under any condition.
The pissy little Terran recited an eye-watering list of misdeeds, starting with the brawl, and culminating in the theft of a harvester bot. Leo tried not to laugh.
“Your father was one of the founders of the Terran Farm Corps!” Administrator Christopher continued. “A giant in the memories of Earth! And he would be—“
“Unlike anyone present,” Leonus said, without raising his voice. “I served with General Sutherland.”
“I’m sorry,” Sutherland quipped. The other administrator drew himself up at this blasphemy but Leo waved him down.
“Your father was the worst commander I ever encountered.”
Sutherland snorted, covering his mouth. His dark eyes caught Leo’s, gratitude softening the edges of his laughter. The false shell cracked, an opening to reach him. “I am disappointed to see his son following in those footsteps.”
Ah, there he was. Sutherland flinched as though struck.
“Your father was arrogant, with no regard for the people around him. He did whatever he wanted, overruled or ignored any advice he didn’t like.”
Sutherland’s chest heaved in and out, face ashen.
“Your behavior,” Leo began, “while disappointing, was not un-anticipated. Since you can’t be trusted with machinery, you will join the forestry crew for 10 days.
See if planting a few thousand seedlings by hand will recall you to your better self.
” Your true self, or I’m a private on his first day. “Dismissed.”
The next morning, Marcus lined up with the forestry team, stifling a yawn. He’d laid awake all night, replaying the hearing in a horrifying loop. Recall me to my better self. Who? Cassius was always my better self, the good twin.
Handed a basket of trees, he shuffled down the line, exchanging pleasantries and wondering how the hell he was supposed to manage.
A flash of unruly black curls and gap teeth caught his eye, and to his horror, Marcus realized he knew one of the Terrans.
He ducked his head and pretended to fuss with his bag, peering over his shoulder.
Fucking Darla! Practically a cousin, Darlanea Aziz had known both Marcus and Cass since their fathers hosted plant hunting safaris together.
She would know him instantly. Fucking Darla, in a Terran green jumpsuit, handing out manual planters and laughing that goose honk they’d mocked as boys.
There was no place to hide and no time to explain. Her face lit up in recognition.
“What are you—”
“Thank you so much!” He cut her off, using his eyes and stomach muscles to inform her any discussion needed a quieter time and place. She subsided but he knew she’d be on him as soon as they were alone.
The team leader blathered on about the importance of the project, and Marcus tried to listen, but he was frantically thinking what to tell Darla, muttering why the hell bots were not doing this job.
Unfortunately he was overheard, his question met with disbelief.
Marcus pulled in on himself and the foreman continued.
“Bots are fine for straight lines. But biome forestry is as much about art as science,” he said.
“I expect all of you to consider every stage of growth, to imagine walking through your forest. And Remember, these poplars are the last of this variety. If we lose them we’ll weaken our pollinators.
We have to renew the biome all the time.
So use all your senses, and lets finish this hillside! ”
Setting out, Darla fell in beside him, chit chatting until they were alone. She wheeled on him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m Cassius.”
“What bullshit is this?” she asked. “Where’s Cass?”
He dragged her around a boulder.
“Darla. Look me in my fucking eyes and listen. I. Am. Cassius.”
“The fuck you are!”
“Please, Didi, listen!”
The story came out in short bursts between dropping trees. One step to open the ground, pull the lever, and the tree slid into the hole atop its starter pod, the soil pushed by the next step. Soothing and repetitive.
“A daughter! Cassius has a daughter. At his age?”
Marcus brought up the photo. “This is her.”
“She looks like you,” Darla laughed. “Why didn’t he just back out?”
“It’s different for him, all those stupid posters! And anyway, as I have become aware recently, we did not plan this well.”
“I cannot believe,” she said. “You two fucking stumps are at it again?”
“Anyway, it’s done. And I have to make sure that Cassius is completely beyond recall. Which is why this has to be a secret. An absolute total secret.” She turned her face into the breeze and Marcus joined her, pulling open the neck of his coverall.
“Oh, poor Cassius,” Darla said after a moment. “I understand his motivation, though yours is a bit suspect. Where did this sudden altruism come from?”
“Hell. It came directly from hell. Do you know how hard it is to live as him?”
Her laughter, as deeply familiar as anyone in his family, settled his nerves.
“Let’s make a tulip poplar grove here,” she said. “While I think about this.”
They studied their terrain, the rocks and low shrubs already marked out. Step, step, load the planter, step step, load…
They continued in silence for a time- Darla clearly lost in thought.
“When we were kids,” Darla said, adding a tulip poplar trio down the slope. “You cared. I’m remembering that now.”
“Slander!” Marcus said, dropping another tree into his planter.
He blew on his palm, he was going to get blisters if he didn’t find some decent gloves.
But god the view was stunning. They stood on a high ridge overlooking the foothill zones.
Across the river the farm sat in neat squares.
He could almost see the stupid tuber bots.
“So what happened?” Darla asked, coming by him and shading her eyes.
“What on earth are you asking me?”
“Why are you doing this?”
Marcus bristled. Correct or not, her assumption that he would never stick his neck out hurt.
“What about you?” he countered. “What the hell are you doing here? Isn’t this,” he gestured, “a little naive for you?”
She shot him a dirty look.
“You know both my uncles were killed on Venus.”
“They were?”
“My God, Marcus!” She threw her hands up. “You came to their funerals!”
“I suppose so; was there an open bar?”
“At a funeral?” She slapped his shoulder. “Stop. The point is, the Peace Accords matter to me!”
“And—“
“You don’t understand this ship at all! This is a peace mission. The Peace Mission! A delegation to a new world-proving humans can get along! It’s the most powerful political symbol since—“
“Pffft, don’t be naive—“
“It’s not naive to try!” She cried, whirling on him. “This is so typical of you- Marcus!”
“Sshhh!”
“I will not shush! You don’t care about anyone but yourself. But you didn’t used to. So maybe you should–”
“I don’t need this!” Marcus stormed off. Ares and Darla both?
Alone on the mountain, he went back to planting.
First the Lion of Mars sits there, all handsome and overly serious in his black coat.
The man in the mural, driving a knife blade straight into him.
Turning into father. No one had ever cut through Marcus’ defenses like that.
It felt like disappointing Cassius, something Marcus went so far out of his way to avoid, he signed onto a lifetime voyage to protect him.
And now Darla? Selfish. No regard for others. Following in his footsteps.
As angry as he was- he still set each seedling exactly right, giving thought to canopy, the angles of the hill. The corner where their slope met the hull of the ship had a path, so bots could inspect the panels, he supposed. Based on the weeds, none did.
The Demeter would grow and thrive. She’d orbit Luna 2, serving as seed bank, housing, and back-up habitat. Not pointless. It’s like making art that won’t show for years. Meandering through crowds of wildflowers, Marcus calmed as he planted.
With a curse for his knees, he turned back, pricked by his conscience-
“Darla I’m sorry. I was an ass,” he said.
Darla made a show of pinching herself.
“Did Marcus Ali Sutherland just apologize?” she said but gave him a quick hug to take the sting.
“Alright, alright, I deserve that. But listen. Maybe I’m tired of being that guy, and I’m committed to this course.”
“So please if you ever cared about Cass and I…”
“I will not betray your secret,” Darla said. “Maybe I’ll even help you get this fresh start.”
“Thank you.”
Her eyes widened and she grabbed his sleeve.
“Oh no! What will you do about the Match?”
Marcus raised beseeching arms to the sky-
“Hope and pray opposites attract.”