Chapter 3

Xi Pegasi System
Devinstown, New Geneva
Lenna MacGregor Medical Center
14/17/41 NR 1412 Hours

Her cat was missing, and Luisa McDaniel ran through the greenhouse, bounding down the long pathway between the laser beam straight rows of corn. The soil here was black and loamy, not the gritty red dust that swirled in the bitter wind outside the huge, glassed dome that soared over her head. She landed lightly and slid to a stop as she spotted a black and white streak disappear into a row of corn fifty meters ahead.

“Ganymede, come back here,” she demanded as she pushed off in the point three eight gravity field of her home world. The corn grew over four meters tall here, much taller than on the heavier gravity planets Man had settled. Luisa’s home was one of the dozen cities that had flourished on Mars since the first settlers had landed thirty-five years before. The Mars Company had recovered from the stunning loss of their first colony ship, the HG Wells, and had not only launched more colony expeditions, but they had also discovered another wormhole, thus truly launching mankind to the stars. Now, there were outposts in no fewer than five star systems, and...

No, wait. It was a dozen systems now, and she was fighting for Mars. She was on her ship, and she had to get past the United Nations blockade. They’d found the hidden wormhole and the first Mars expedition, and they were going to take their home from them! David was saying something about a missile salvo, and the wormhole opened as she nailed the entry vector and fired the engines. Darkness, a hellish light, and ... smoke? Something. A light? She looked at it and - her eyes opened.

Soft light filtered through the room, and she stared up at a pastel blue ceiling. Funny, it looked just like the one she’d seen when she’d gotten the flu that time. Cool, dry air whispered in her face, and she sniffed. Something beeped loudly, and she turned her head to find the source of the sound. The medical monitor showed a blinking, heart shaped red icon, and the alarm beeped again.

The door opened, and a nurse appeared at her side. “Hey, you’re awake! How do you feel?” She was petite, with a round face and clear blue eyes that contrasted sharply with her Oriental features. She pushed a button on the monitor, and the alarm stopped. “Your heart monitor lead came loose,” she explained as she reached under Luisa’s gown and adjusted something sticky located just above her left breast. She leaned back a bit and peered into Luisa’s eyes. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t really know.” Luisa’s brow furrowed. “Hungry?”

The nurse laughed softly and straightened. “That’s good. Our hospital food is actually pretty good. Even we eat it. My name is Anna,” she pointed to her name tag, “and I’m going to tell Doctor Ozawa you’re awake. I’ll see what she will let you have to eat, and I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”

“Um, sure.” Luisa blinked a couple of times and tried to raise her right hand. “Ouch!” A sharp pain lanced though her right elbow.

“Oh, sorry,” Anna said with sudden concern. “You have several broken bones on your right side, so be careful. The nannies have knitted the bones together, but they’re still fragile. Try not to move too much, okay?” “Oh, no worries,” Luisa grated. “I’ll be right here.” Anna smiled again and disappeared though the door. Luisa lay back and cursed softly at the uncaring ceiling.

Luisa looked up from her tray as her door opened yet again. “Look, I’d just like to finish eating before, oh.” She stopped speaking as her visitor’s military uniform registered. “Uh, sorry?”

Her visitor was a man about thirty-five to forty years old. He was only slightly taller than she, at close to one hundred eighty centimeters. He appeared to be of Indian heritage, with skin a shade darker than hers. His lean frame and erect bearing marked him as a military man even more than the simple undress uniform coverall he wore. His dark brown, closely clipped hair framed a face formed of prominent cheekbones, a strong chin, and a hawk-like nose. His easy smile and hazel eyes softened his visage into something more toward pleasant than handsome. Luisa’s eyes widened as she noted the stars on his lapels. She sat up as straight as the various casts and braces on the right side of her body would permit.

“Please, this isn’t a formal visit,” he said. “I understand that you’ve had a hard time, and I don’t want to cause you any undue stress while you’re recuperating.” He stopped at the side of her bed near the foot and clasped his hands behind his back. “My name is Aaron Peters. I command the Geneva Naval Service, and I am here as Council President Rita Davies’ representative. I am pleased to welcome you to New Geneva on her behalf.”

Luisa nodded, and took a moment to compose herself. “My name is Luisa McDaniel, of the Martian Defense Force. We really don’t have much of a formal command structure, but I was second in command of the Erinys, one of our strikers – a light combat ship.”

“It’s good to finally meet you, Ms. McDaniel.”

“Luisa, please, Admiral Peters. Ms. McDaniel died some years ago.” Luisa smiled sadly, as she noticed his rank notation on his name tag.

“Very well, Luisa, and I am Aaron. Admiral Peters is too formal for me.”

“Thank you – Aaron. Won’t you sit? I’d like to know a little more about what has happened since my arrival, and I’m sure you have many questions for me, as well.”

Peters retrieved a stool from the corner and sat at her bedside. “You’ve been out for about thirteen days. Your ship, I’m sad to report, was a total loss, and you were the only survivor. We managed to recover some data from the computer, but it was badly damaged. I am told that you were gravely ill for some time, but you are making a remarkable recovery.”