Chapter 20: Good Riddance
Anton sat at the conference table in his wheelchair. Also present were Mia, Erwin, and the others who had interrogated the prisoners. Daria was present to record the session for the colony archives. Anton was very tired after the long interrogation sessions, but he found it fascinating as the various people presented the results of their work and they developed a fuller picture of what had been planned for them. It was not pretty, but it was fascinating.
Anton raised his hand and Mia called on him, "Is it possible that we could simply put these war criminals out an airlock?"
"No, Anton," Mia replied. "Very funny."
"I was serious," Anton responded.
Mia gave Anton an exasperated look, "I know. The answer is still no. We are going to send them back to Earth on the MTV. We have already discussed this. This time we will make certain that their landing destination is in Europe. They will then be arrested and sent to The Hague. This is not a time for you to settle old scores, though I fully understand you desire to do so."
"I assume when the time comes you will send me to The Hague as well?" Anton replied.
"No." Mia replied. "You will go back to Russia. Do not misunderstand me. I do not like what you did to Bojing. Maybe the Spetsnaz do it that way, but I will not put up with it under my command. After this meeting you are confined to quarters for a month unless one of the doctors orders you to the infirmary. Ludmilla will be allowed to bring you a tray of food for each meal. Do I make myself clear?"
"Da," Anton answered.
Mia turned to Daria. "This entire meeting is off the record – though I want the recording in the archives labeled 'top secret.' I will personally enter the data on Anton in his personnel record. The record will show that he got into a fight with a prisoner and caused minor injuries to that prisoner."
Daria looked up from her tablet and in her total deadpan replied, "Yes, commander."
Looking at the others Mia stated, "Now we need to work out the details of their incarceration during the remainder of their time here and then their transfer to the MTV.
20.1
Mia sat at her workstation in the command center. She had just gotten off of the radio with Captain Goodman – the MTV skipper. He was getting concerned because of how irregular this whole mission had been. First, at Mia's request, he had actually entered orbit. This was a maneuver he could do with his allocated fuel. Mission planners had always anticipated that there could be delays requiring the MTV to enter and then exit Martian orbit. Being in orbit did not use much fuel, but it did use consumable oxygen and food. On top of that, waiting like this increased his transit time back to Earth, thus requiring more oxygen, food, and other consumables. He had told Mia that he would need to leave in 72 hours with or without his cargo and passengers.
Mia had not yet told him that he would have six passengers he was not expecting and that they would have to be kept under guard. There was serious danger to his mission if he ignored their crimes. On top of that down here they had to load an extra shuttle pod with food and oxygen so that the MTV would have enough consumables to take back the extra passengers. They were also sending additional fuel, since there was not only more mass to transport, but some was being consumed in orbit and the homeward journey would be longer than expected. Nothing was simple. Tomorrow the fabricators were due to have the fuel transfer units completed and tested.
Right now it looked like it would be about 48-60 hours before they could send the supplies and people to the MTV. 60 hours is what she had told Captain Chapman. She knew and dreaded that when he reported this to Houston she would be getting a call. Houston would want to know details about the delay.
20.2
Daria once again found herself at the conference table recording a meeting. She was starting to feel like her role was to be a secretary not an archivist and librarian. For a few moments her mind started to wander back to the English Department at Lawndale State University.
It astonished her that for her entire career at the university Brittany Taylor was the department secretary. Had Daria stayed she would be walking in as usual in the morning and hearing Brittany's mindless prattle about whatever popped into her otherwise empty head. It had changed over the years. Daria had lived through Brittany's second and third romances, marriages, and subsequent divorces. She could really pick 'em! All of her husbands had 'abuse' as their middle names. They all had 'womanizer' as their first names. Poor Brittany. These guys were abusers, but they were well-to-do abusers and Brittany's lawyers made sure they paid up. At least her three children loved her – maybe pitied their poor mother – and kept an eye on her. Fortunately, she had gotten good settlements out of all three of her ex-husbands. Her father, before he died, helped set up a trust to hold the money. He had set up a trust for her inheritance from him as well. That way Brittany wouldn't blow all the money she received. Once his health had started to decline Ashley Amber had divorced him and cashed in on the pre-nuptial agreement she had with him. She figured that if his declining health used up the entire estate, then she at least had her share. Daria thought that she herself was just old fashioned. Daria believed in honoring her commitments.
Just before all of this conflagration on Mars began, Daria had received a short video from Brittany. In the closeup view Daria could see how the nearly perfect skin and blond hair of Brittany's youth had given way to fine lines, crow's feet, and gray hair. To be truthful, however, Brittany was a really good looking 62 year old woman. Her hair even still had that 'bouncy bounce.' Most women her age would kill to look like that. Daria guessed that some things didn't change. They just shifted. Anyway, Brittany was retiring from the university at the end of the academic year and planned to move to Florida. Daria had responded wishing her well. Their lives had taken such different paths.
Daria refocused on the meeting just as Mia was calling the group to order. Fabrication reported that the shuttle capsules, oxygen tank, and fuel transfer pod were completed. Those would be ready for launch to the MTV as soon as loading was done. Operations reported that the oxygen tank was pressurized and the fuel was being pumped into the fuel transfer pod. Agriculture reported that the food had been gathered and processed for transport. They had already packed one of the shuttle capsules with food and would complete the other in a couple of hours. Launch control was ready to launch. That left only getting the 6 prisoners ready for transfer.
"What about restraints for the prisoners?" Mia asked.
Erwin reported, "I have to thank fabrication for their excellent work. They designed, cast, and finished the restraints in very little time. Their workmanship is excellent as well. What we have is a pair of handcuffs that mount between the spacesuit sleeve and glove. A similar leg shackle fits between the legs and boots. They mount and lock on the normal mountings, so there is no squeezing of the suit material. The locking mechanism is such that it requires two hands to remove the gloves and boots, and then the restraints. They cannot remove them themselves and there is insufficient space for removal inside the shuttle capsule. This took some ingenuity, since the Chinese space suits are different in design from the ones we use. I think that they are as secure as we can make them in this environment."
Mia responded simply, "Thank you Erwin. Now I want to start launching units as soon as possible. If we have the oxygen and one of the food capsules filled, then I want Launch Control to set the timing up with the MTV. We have at most 30 hours left before they must depart. I would like to see this total operation completed in 24 hours. Are we all clear?"
The group around the table answered in unison, "Yes Commander."
Mia stood up, thanked the group, and then left the room. The others stood and filed out. Daria checked her recording and then left the room herself.
20.3
Daria was getting very tired. In the 12 hours since the meeting in the conference room Mars had launched its first payload into space using the launch rail – essentially a mass driver. The air was so thin that friction was not a problem and any heat generated dissipated quickly as each craft rose into orbit. It was exciting watching the rapid acceleration down the rail and then the craft taking flight at the upraised end that seemingly pointed at the sky. Daria thought to herself that maybe she should write at least a poem about that and maybe even a book of poetry about her time on Mars.
Now they were down to the humans. Despite all that was going on, they finally had a welcome party for the 6 new Martians who would be staying. In many ways it was too bad that they had to send the 6 Chinese back. It would have been nice to have the extra hands to do work. Still, it was better to send back 6 of Earth's most wanted war criminals than to have them here causing trouble. One of the women, Cuifen He, or He Cuifen if you place the surname first, was specifically trained in agitation. That was the last thing this colony needed. Of course their mission to take over the colony and turn it into what amounted to a slave labor camp was beyond unacceptable. Daria was glad none of her fellow Martians was rotating back to Earth this time, otherwise they would have had to travel with this bunch.
One by one the six taikonauts were led from their cells to the shuttle capsule. It had taken two hours to get each one dressed and properly fitted into their spacesuits and restrained. They had the handcuffs and shackles in place. Further there was a chain around their waists with additional chains linking it to the handcuffs and leg shackles. There was no way for these people to threaten Martians or crew members of the MTV.
Finally, the shuttle capsule was secured, and transported to the launch rail, where it was mounted with the assistance of a crane.
Daria watched as Mia called the MTV.
"Captain Goodman, this is Commander Ramirez. We are ready to launch the personnel shuttle. Are you ready to receive?"
"We are ready to receive. Launch your shuttle in 60 seconds."
A minute later Daria watched on the large screen as the shuttle capsule started down the launch rail, rapidly gained speed, and flew off of the end into the sky. In about 70 minutes it would dock with the MTV. She truly hoped that this was the end of this long ordeal. Somehow, though, she had a hunch there would be more to it than just this.
"Captain, now I need to discuss something with you on the private channel."
"Certainly. I am turning operational communication over to my first officer."
"Roger. I am turning over operational communication to my operations officer."
Mia got up from the primary communications console and walked over to her desk. Guessing that this was going to be a key conversation, Daria followed with her recorder.
"Captain are you there?" Mia asked over her communications unit.
"Yes Commander. What did you want to discuss."
"We need to discuss the six people I am sending to you today."
"What about them?" the Captain asked.
"You will find that we are sending them to you in restraints. It turns out that the attack on the colony was by the Chinese and they then sent six wanted war criminals to take over the colony. We arrested them upon arrival here, interrogated them, and are now deporting them back to Earth. When you arrive back at Earth, no matter what Houston says, you need to set their landing shuttle to arrive in Europe. There they will be arrested and taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for prosecution."
"You are asking quite a bit Commander." The MTV Captain replied. "First, I was not expecting to take anyone back this trip – though thank you for the provisions and the fuel. Secondly, the scheduled landing is supposed to be in the Mexican desert. Europe is a big change. Third, if these people are as dangerous as you say, then how am I supposed to confine them? You remember your transit on the MTV. There is not much space and I do not have a proper brig. Not to mention that if I confine them then the work will all fall on my crew."
"I'm sorry to spring this on you now, but this is what is necessary. I didn't ask to receive these people either. If you do not keep them confined, then by the time you return to Earth I will bet that they will be running your ship. You will likely be the one clapped in irons in the brig. For your convenience we have included handcuffs and leg irons for use without a spacesuit in the second supply shuttle pod. "
"OK."
"My suggestion is that you keep them in their spacesuits when they arrive for at least the following couple of hours. Once you have achieved trans-Earth injection, then have your crew weld panels with barred doors on each end of one hall of transit bedrooms. You can keep the doors barred and even have a slot for passing meals to them and trash out."
"I will consider it. MTV out."
20.4
It was 8 hours later when the MTV finally left Martian orbit and headed back to Earth. By now Daria was so tired she could hardly see. Everyone in the command center and herself had been awake for nearly 48 hours straight. The MTV would not return for at least a year to 18 months. Maybe things could get back to something approaching normal. Maybe.
"Well Daria," Mia said. "Now it will be time to get some sleep and recuperate a bit. No one on Earth can do anything for a year or more, so we can get some rest. What do you say?"
Daria gave Mia a half smile and replied, "I'm with you. I will have plenty of time to go over all of this recorded material. Right now I just want to get some sleep."
"Good. Take tomorrow off. In fact, I think I will declare a holiday and we can all get some sorely needed rest. I will see you later!"
"Bye," Daria said. She turned around and walked out of the Command Center. After stopping by the Library to drop off her recordings she headed for her quarters. Seeing that Tom was not there she just dropped onto the bed. Sleep came immediately.
A note to my readers: For whatever reason during the course of posting this story Fanfiction has stopped accepting multi-character lines of special characters as breaks within the stories. Now the only way that I seem to be able to indicate a break is by using sub-chapter numbers. My apologies. If someone has a solution to this problem so that I can go back to just using a series of dashes, '-', then please PM me with your solution. Thank you again for reading my story. - dmsfanman