Paradise Blight

Chapter 20

The signals ceased, and the Legion stood down. While they laid dormant, the network activated, but the input became much too strong to endure and the circuits overloaded. The Legion perished. They did not question why — it could only be the will of the architect.

[Mora]

I cringed as Gan dove for the ball, missed it, and then grimaced as he slid along the pavement. Bandages would be needed. Again. Why did he do this to himself? The game was not going so well either, and likely he would not advance past the second round of the Space Pong Governor's Cup tournament. But then, as he said, 'unlucky in space pong, lucky in love'.

The young woman who sat in the bleachers next to me remarked, "Your husband is not doing so well this match."

My husband! The concept still held a newness, and I allowed the thought to reverberate through my mind, savoring it. Only a week ago did we marry. Liz, as Governor, officiated the brief ceremony while Bob filled in as ring bearer and photographer. All our friends cheered as we kissed.

This week was a time of celebration for everyone, starting with a proclamation from Liz officially opening the Hope Days. The space pong tournament was but a small part of the festivities. We celebrated the end of the Paradise Blight and renewed hopes for the future, and also, it was a sendoff for the Ark Hope. In thirty-seven years, it would return again with a new set of colonists.

I did not look forward to saying goodbye to Kate, but I was happy for her. Captain Greer brought her along to be part of the crew, and also to share his quarters.

After losing the match and any chance for the championship, Gan found me among the crowd. He pressed his body against mine for a deep kiss, transferring some of his sweat and blood to my clothes, but it was so worth it. We had just enough time for bath and bandages before the meeting.

Liz hugged us both as we entered her office, then ushered us to chairs along the front of her desk and sat down beside us.

She asked, "What is the present status of the blight?"

Gan replied. "There are no outbreaks anywhere. Samir confirmed in the lab that it was indeed the high energy neutrinos from the Ark Hope that triggered it. We have begun the sterilization process."

"Remind me again what that is?"

"We found that sufficiently intense microwaves within their communication bandwidth destroyed those blight generating micro-machines, essentially by overheating them. A satellite is now transmitting this frequency across the surface, powerful enough to destroy the blight permanently, but not so powerful that anything else is harmed. It should take just over two months to completely sweep the planet. So far, so good."

"Excellent." Liz turned toward me. "Mora, where do we stand on food supply?"

"Reestablishment of food crops is first priority and already underway. Food supplies will be tight, but I think sufficient with a minimal amount of rationing."

"Keep on top of that." Liz put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Mora, I would like to name you Terraform Project Director. It would be a cabinet position." She turned toward my husband. "And Gan, I would like you to be the Public Utilities Director."

Eyes wide, I stammered, "I don't know what to say..."

"This is where you nod your head and say yes."

Gan smiled at me and I replied, "Okay, yes, then."

"Good. Oh, and something else that would interest you, Amos was removed as Elder of the Watchers. Now, he sits in the Ark Hope brig and will return to Earth. It seems some un-Godly like behavior became public."

Gan grinned. "Liz, did you have something to do with that?"

The governor grinned back at him. "Oh, the behavior was real enough. I just helped it become known, and from there, the problem took care of itself."

"Liz, please promise to never turn evil."

Liz's face became solemn as she took up our hands. "You two, more than anyone, saved this world. I thank you as governor and as myself."

Gan answered for both of us. "Paradise is worth saving."

A warm glow spread inside me. Paradise indeed. But a troubling thought reemerged.

"What is it?" Liz asked, noticing my pensive expression.

"Something that still bothers me, perhaps nothing."

"Mora, I have come to trust your intuition."

"We discovered the nature of this Paradise Blight and countered it. But where did it come from and why was it here? The technology that built it is far beyond our own. I would theorize that this is evidence of an advanced alien civilization, likely a spacefaring one."

I paused as Liz and Gan kept their gaze on me. "There is no sign of a war or conflict, so the blight was probably not a weapon. Maybe it was a terraforming tool? One strategy is to completely wipe out existing life on a planet and start over. What if that was the case here? What if we interrupted some alien race's terraforming project?"

Gan continued with the thought. "If so, they may be surprised when they come back to check and find us here."

Liz tightened her lips. "There are vague protocols in case of alien encounters, if they ever occur. But in reality, there is no way we can prepare for something like that."

The thought continued to trouble me as we left Liz's office. I shouldn't be this way — there was so much to be thankful for. I looped my hand in Gan's arm as we walked and leaned into him, reveling in his closeness.

Gan furrowed his brow. "You okay?"

I smiled. "Yes. Better than okay. Take me back home and remind me again why this world is called Paradise."