Volume XIX, Issue VII: Special Book Section
Apollonius
By Bob Kirchman
Copyright © 2017, The Kirchman Studio, all rights reserved
Chapter 4: Apollonius Takes Charge
In the endless light of the midnight sun the supplying of Great Northern from linear induction shuttles proceeded round the clock. Soon the voyage would begin. Cohen and Ben Gurion shuttled down to meet with Zimmerman. A plan was laid out for command of the Great Northern and oversight of the colonists on board. Once shuttled to the Martian surface, the colony would be administered by the Alaska Autonimous Republic and Israel, but there would be no official presence of either nation there. Because AAR/Israel operated the only ship capable of supplying the colony, this would be enforceable from Earth. Should the colony divert from the agreed upon mission and somehow challenge this chain of command, supply by Great Northern could be suspended. If, as Apollonius had hinted, there were great resources to be found beneath the planet’s surface, the mining off them might finance additional long-distance ships and allow for annual and then twice-yearly visits and departures. George Apollonius might have detested the added oversight over the mission but he was gracious as he nodded to it. Soon the craft would be underway and he would be pretty much in charge of everything anyway. The crew would be busied by the operation of the ship and the colonists would be under his leadership as they traveled outward. Finally, Apollonius came aboard on the last Earth shuttle. He and 29 colonists made up the passenger manifest as the Zimmerman Organization had exercised no hesitation in disqualifying those it felt it needed to. That number could be shuttled down to the Martian surface in the ten Mars shuttles she carried. These craft would remain on the planet. Should an emergency force evacuation of the planet, all the colonists could take off in these craft and with emergency rationing in place, make it back to Earth orbit if need be. Future missions would add more ‘lifeboat’ craft to the colony.
George Apollonius took up residence in the VIP suite, the only quarters that came close to being spacious on the craft. The other 29 colonists were still crowded, though there were empty bunks. The chief surgeon and the engineers for the colony had slightly larger quarters but the cramped nature of the compartments brought to mind ocean voyages in sailing ships. The nine crewmen who would remain on Great Northern had slightly larger cabins than the higher ranking colonists. Due to the staggering of hours on duty, each crew member occupied a single cabin but because all but one were married, the couples enjoyed the luxury of a two-room suite apiece. There were ten crew cabins and a wardroom where the crew would take their meals, watch movies, read and enjoy large-screen Skype conversation with family and friends on Earth. Exercise could be had on some equipment there as well and all of the crew used the gravity ring as a sort of perpetual track for running. Apollonius rarely left his cabin. He was the oldest person on board but the colonists knew that he would be governor of the new settlement and pretty much deferred to his commands.
The settlers were a rather raggedy lot, some prisoners taking up the offer of land and a future in a new world, some were adventure seekers who possessed skills needed for the venture. Others seemed to be of a quiet mysterious sort. They had skills, of course, but they seemed to fit some profile set by Apollonius himself. The selection process in the end rather resembled final jury selection for a drug trial. Zimmerman and Apollonius faced off like prosecution attorney and defense attorney and took turns questioning the final pool of applicants. Elizabeth O’Malley and Hannah were always at Rupert’s side. He requested that, knowing that in the combined pool of their insight he probably would have not agreed so readily to the mission in the first place. In the name of ‘diversity’ or in claims of potential ineptitude, team Zimmerman was able to reduce substantially the number of people suspected of being Apollonius stooges. Still, in the end there was a small group that they noted Cohen and Ben Gurion should watch closely. Twenty-nine men and women and Apollonius would initially man the Mars station. Though they could have sent fifty cramped in the initial voyage, it was remembered that the Great Lake freighters could be operated quite smoothly with a crew of thirty or less. Crewmen would perform varied functions as needed and could be trained to do other functions en route. When cabin fever rose to a head, a crew this size could blow off steam with a few fights and life would settle down again. Full-blown mutiny was unlikely.
Zimmerman and Ben Gurion did not fail to consider the possibility, however, that Apollonius might have some reason in his mind to take over the ship. He was a smooth persuader as he had been on Earth, using his fortune to influence the leadership of the world. It was clear to everyone that this was ‘his’ colony on Mars. The Federalism of AAR and Israel would not quibble with that. All of the colonists were duly warned/informed of this. Apollonius’s Billions were funding the venture so essentially the creepy old billionaire was ‘buying’ the first house on Mars. The Zimmermans doubted it would ever become a colony of 40,000 souls, however, and Cohen and Ben Gurion would still have the honor of first setting foot on the Martian surface. They would lay no claim, rather the colony would be like the bases of exploration in Antarctica… operated by their respective countries but on soil that was considered open to all mankind. Research would be done, resources would be sought. It was like the beginning of a new Century of exploration but the reality was that Sixteenth Century explorers had found ready access to the new world’s treasure. Mars would not likely offer such opportunities. Cohen and Ben Gurion, once they had established that it was safe, would return to Great Northern and the colonists themselves, who would train en route, would monitor their one-way descent to the ‘new colony.’
Abiyah told Sarah that she should go down the ladder first and be like Neil Armstrong in the history books. “It’s not likely you’ll meet a bear or anything down there, and you’ll have one whale of a story to tell the grandkids someday!”
You are too modest, Abiyah!” She responded, recounting many of the heroic man’s past achievements and victories.
Yes, but in the realm of great exploits,” Ben Gurion continued, “You need to catch up with me.”
Alright then, we’ll jump down together.” Sarah said dreamily. “That would be so romantic. History would say we touched a new world together, husband and wife!”
If I don’t push you first!”
(to be continued)
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Copyright © 2020, The Kirchman Studio, all rights reserved
