Yeah, I guess I coulda given you all a direct link, so here 'tis:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4161812/20/Centauri_Arrival_Rediscovering_the_Past
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A NEW WORLD
Chapter 20
Amon placed a hand on a lit panel control. A moment later the laboratory door opened and Rhona followed him down a hallway to another door with a guard seated to one side. The guard stood quickly, waved a device near Amon, then touched another control. Rhona reflexively brought a hand up to shield her eyes as sunlight streamed through the opening door.
She walked forward a few paces then stood fast just outside the doorway awestruck at what she was seeing, gazing about like a tourist on vacation in a strange land. There were buildings scattered everywhere - businesses, shops, a library, a theater. There was a manicured park area in the center of the district with a walking path, a small lake, a fountain, tall trees. There were small wheeled vehicles parked on sidewalks and others silently cruising in and out of side streets and parking areas. Rhona looked up and saw people in one building leaning out of windows from their living spaces watching the ever changing scenery play out on the streets below. And the din of hundreds of people talking, laughing, even singing; the smells of food being cooked in restaurants and homes; human life everywhere.
But Rhona was drawn more to what was above her rather than the bustle of humanity all around her. Up there were sky, clouds - and twin suns that radiated light and warmth. The sky of Chiron. Are we still underground?
As Rhona’s mind filled with numerous questions, she focused on the ground again and began looking for Amon. He was no longer standing close to her but was conversing several yards away with his bodyguard Holden. She could not hear what Amon was saying though from the brusque, pointed gestures he was making along with occasional glances toward Rhona, it seemed Holden was probably being put in his place. Holden’s eyes were downcast, his features grim, his jaw set. Occasionally he would sharply nod his head in acknowledgement but never said a word in reply to Amon’s lecture. After a few minutes Amon walked over to Rhona, face flushed from his passionate rebuke. As he approached Rhona glanced at Holden behind him. Holden slowly looked up as Amon walked away and his eyes met Rhona’s. His face was stern. He silently stared at her a few moments then sharply spun and walked away.
Rhona’s eyes regarded Amon as he approached her. “I’ve ordered Holden to Council Intelligence Services to be properly debriefed on what has happened,” he said in reply to Rhona’s queried expression, “and then back to the Hall of Discipline to be reprimanded for his behavior.” Surprisingly, Rhona felt the tiniest stab of pity for her would be attacker and briefly pondered just what a reprimand would entail.
But Holden’s fate was quickly superceded by the activity around them. Rhona’s squinting eyes once again looked skyward. Amon said, “It is a hologram. An elaborate network of them specifically.”
Rhona looked at Amon, eyes wide in disbelief. She gazed up at the sky again, shaking her head and only muttering, “Incredible. I mean, it looks so – real.”
Amon smiled as he too squinted at the holographic sky. “The University and Morganite team who thought up the plan would be pleased to hear it. It’s been this way for so many years now we almost take it for granted. Then again, that is a complement to their creation - the naturalness of it.”
“But what about rain and wind? Are they created as well?” Rhona asked.
“Oh, yes,” Amon answered, “along with the appropriate thunder and lightning. The holocomputers program what we call ‘predictable randomness’. Basically it keeps the weather patterns changing just enough to keep it interesting but still slightly unpredictable.” He motioned toward the “sky” with a hand. “If you were to see this hologram turned off, you would see nothing but a stone surface riddled with miles of electronic and computer equipment of all shapes and sizes.”
“What about the suns?” Rhona asked. “Are they holograms as well?”
“One of them is real,” Amon replied. Rhona eyed him with incredulity. Amon chuckled, “No, it isn’t a real star. It is a man-made one - a fusion reactor with the plasma held in place by a magnetic field to keep the heat in check. Otherwise, it would burn everything here. And this ‘star’ has the benefit of never collapsing as there is not enough mass for it to do so. The energy output should be constant for generations to come.”
“Incredible” she whispered. Then another thought came to her. “Does it snow?”
Amon looked down, shrugging slightly. “No. Not exactly. The holo-emitters can create the illusion of snow but we have no way of creating the accumulation of it.” He chuckled. “We ran an unannounced test of a holo-snow program a few years back, but it was not well received by the population. What is the use of snow if you cannot utilize it for recreation? Just seeing it wasn’t enough. It was only a small part of the full experience. University scientists are still working on it, though.”
Rhona smirked. “So, you can create a star, an entire underground colony immune to all knows methods of detection, create in believable detail the weather patterns of the planet above, but you can’t make it snow?”
Amon merely smiled, then pointed toward a not so far off building. “Please, this way.”
As Amon and Rhona walked down the sidewalk together, Rhona noticed the trees in the makeshift park wave slightly; a moment later she felt a slight breeze on her face. She shot a look at Amon, delightful fascination on her face. Amon said nothing but smiled back at her in reply. All Rhona could do was look around and say “Incredible. Remarkable.”
Continuing on, Rhona became aware of more and more people casting furtive glances at her as she walked by. In time, people began openly staring at her and excitedly chatting among themselves. Appears the word has gotten out about me, Rhona thought. That sparked another thought. “Councilman, may I ask how you were able to come to the conclusion that I was not an agent?”
Amon nodded in reply. “It was quite simple, really. A matter of analyzing blood samples and looking for specific DNA markers.”
Rhona looked at Amon with a frown. “What DNA markers would indicate I was from Earth? I’m just as human as you.”
The scars on Amon’s face warped into weird patterns as he spoke. “We began to notice in the second generation of Planet born children subtle but definite mutations in their DNA, specifically the increase of nitrogen in the blood and organs. Though we lived in structures with plenty of breathable oxygen, it was never what you would term air tight. And growing our crops in Chiron soil means heavier concentrations of nitrogen in our food supply, more than would be present on Earth. Over the years and decades our bodies have slowly adjusted to this environment and absorbed certain aspects of it. The nitrogen mutations are completely benign and harmless but the markers are there. A Chiron born female your age would show definite signs of passive nitrogen mutation. Your DNA has none of these markers.”
Rhona pursed her lips, nodding in understanding. “Fascinating,” she whispered. “But, if I were indeed an agent from another faction, wouldn’t it be possible to alter those markers as to make it appear I was Chiron born?”
Amon shook his head confidently. “Plausible, but technically impossible. Human genetic manipulation would leave telltale marks behind indicating they were unnatural. No matter how gifted the geneticists are, they could never design strands that would completely fool specific, intensive testing.” Amon spread his hands. “We have come a long way in genetic sciences, but we cannot compete with nature. Nature has a head start in this race measured in eons. By comparison, mankind has barely gotten out of the starting gate.”
Rhona continued nodding while listening to Amon’s explanations, losing herself in the discussion. She harkened back to what her science team had researched so far regarding the widespread genetic manipulation by Chiron survivors. Working in the genetic field with such freedom was something almost non-existent on Earth, but craved by many scientists in the field. Rhona thought of the awesome possibilities such freedom could bring when they began colonization of Chiron.
Then Rhona briefly went cold as that reality hit home. As far as Command knows this planet was devoid of human life when they began colonization planning. Will these people be willing to just pack up and move when Earth colonists begin coming here? Are they going to be willing to live in harmony with a society at odds with the one they have created?
Amon tilted his head, pondering Rhona with questioning look. “Are you all right, doctor? You seemed distracted just now.”
Rhona blinked and forced a quick smile in self defense. “Yes, I’m quite all right. A little groggy from the drug you gave me perhaps.” She quietly cleared her throat and asked in a slightly tentative voice, “Councilman, how many people live in this colony?”
“Oh,” he breathed out, “I would say a little over four thousand people, a third of them children.”
Rhona dropped her eyes for a moment, her throat tightening. “That many?”
“Yes. We have very skilled citizens from the Hive who, as you obviously know by now, are experts at creating underground dwellings and thriving in them. Their expertise was critical in carving out spaces for our people. We were fortunate to have so many escape from Chairman Yang before the others left. As our population grows we should be able to expand as much as our citizens need.”
Two young boys around ten years of age ran up to Rhona and Amon as they walked. “Are you from Earth?” one of the children blurted out to Rhona.
Rhona glanced at Amon who nodded in permission. “Yes, I am.”
Both boys looked at each other with amazed expressions. “Wow! A real live alien!” the other child exclaimed. Mouths open and eyes wide, they sprinted off towards another crowd of children, yelling at them and animatedly pointing toward Rhona. Rhona could not hear most of the talk but she distinctly heard the words “Earth” and “alien”.
As they made their way along the sidewalk toward the structure that allowed access to the surface, more and more people stepped forward to catch a glimpse of Rhona. No one seemed apprehensive or frightened of her. Instead they seemed genuinely curious, inquisitive - and welcoming. More than one person made a point to welcome Rhona to their colony. Others, smiling with affection, offered her God’s blessing - Believers, most likely. A few were reserved but bowed slightly as they passed - probably Hive or Spartans. A smiling teenage girl with an orchid of some type in placed in her hair glided through the growing crowd and handed Rhona a small, hand picked bouquet of exquisite flowers and greenery. The arrangement radiated color as well as a mixture of pleasurable fragrances. Rhona could not suppress her smile and thanked the girl for the gift. She is definitely a Gaian.
Eventually the citizens’ curiosity reached fever pitch and Rhona was pelted with questions: “Is Earth still the same? How many people are left? Is it possible to go back there? How destructive were the wars? How many died?” - one after the other the questions came. Amon was eventually forced to raise his hands and quiet the crowd. “I promise all your questions will be answered in due time, citizens. Please let us through. We must make contact with those on surface.”
Rhona remained mostly silent for the duration, uncomfortable with such instant notoriety, somewhat frustrated that she was unable to answer questions that clearly required lengthy, thought out answers. But she kept up appearances, smiling, making eye contact with as many as possible, allowing the citizens to touch her and shake hands with her in order to prove to the citizens that she was indeed human, just like all of them.
As she and Amon reached the entrance to the structure that would lead them to the Garden of Paradise, Rhona stopped. She reached out to Amon, halting him. They looked at one another for a brief moment then Rhona turned to address the crowd that had formed. She nervously cleared her throat, then spoke.
“Citizens of - uh - this colony,” she began. A few quietly laughed at Rhona’s hesitation. Rhona also smiled at her awkwardness. “I just wanted to tell all of you that what you have created here is - well, it is beyond words, quite frankly.” Murmurs of approval and many smiles broke out in the crowd. “As you all know by now, I am from Earth. But also know that while I was born there, you are all part of her as well.” Quiet now, and stoic expressions. Had she crossed the line with that statement? It stood to reason these people had become so independent, had prospered as a civilization so far from their original homeworld, they would have easily disregarded any connection to Earth. She decided to press on.
“I know that over one hundred sixty human years and millions of light years separate our worlds. But we share something far more fundamental, something that time and distance will never displace. Just as many of you look upon me as evidence of Earth’s will to survive - an ambassador of sorts - so I, as a representative of Earth, look at all of you thriving on this world in exactly the same way. I see in all of you the resiliency of humanity that strengthens our will to overcome hardship and survive. We did it on Earth over the course of many years. You - all of you in this colony - have done exactly the same. We have lived different histories but we are all survivors. And that, more than anything else, not only makes you a part of us but makes us a part of you.” She bowed her head in reverence and respect to the quieted crowd. “Thank you all.”
A smattering of applause began which quickly became louder. Then hoots of approval. Lavish blessings and well-wishes poured from the crowd as Rhona and Amon entered the structure and boarded the large freight lift that would take them to the surface. They were both silent as they entered, Rhona awash in the appreciation and affection the citizens of this colony had showered on her; Amon, occasionally appraising Rhona with that ever-present slight smile as the lift ascended, was quiet for - some other reason. And when Rhona let her high sprits resume normal levels again she began to sense it. She turned and looked at him, her expression dull.
“I became aware of something when you were making your speech,” Amon replied to the question Rhona never asked. “Earth - your people - are coming here, aren’t they.”
Rhona tried to hold her expression but failed. “Yes, we are,” she said quietly.
Amon looked away and focused on blank lift door in front of him. The subtle smile than Amon wore was still there but Rhona noticed for the first time his facial muscles tense. Amon’s mind worked to process what Rhona had confirmed to him. After a time he began nodding grimly.
“This could be - quite difficult,” he said.
