Bloodlines

"How long do we have to wait?"

"Well, sir, the spaceport near Arepolis is awfully crowded."

"I know, Rick. But it is of the utmost importance that I get on the surface."

"Commander Ford, we need to be careful. The situation on Mars is getting worse and worse, as you're well aware."

"That's precisely why I need to get down there."

Hours later, the signal finally came. Commander Ford left the rotational ring and boarded the landing vehicle.

"Take us down, pilot," he ordered

"Yes, sir."

The lander door, and its counterpart on the ship, closed shut. The vehicle used its thrusters gently, as per protocol, and made its way, slowly, to a safe distance. It manuevered to lower its orbit, and then re-circularized closer to the planet. Within a half dozen hours, they had landed at the spaceport. Now they only had to get through security.

"I'm Commander Ford, of the Falcon," Ford said to the security officer.

The officer responded with, "I know."

"I have urgent business to attend to!" exclaimed the commander.

"Sure you do," was the officer's reply.

Ford had to wait another half dozen hours before he could leave to Arepolis.

Not that he was staying long, though. He didn't enter the stepped habitat ring, where millions lived, instead opting to board a Mag-Lev train. His destination was a relatively small Martian town. Unlike Arepolis, this settlement had no acceleration rings. The inhabitants here had to undergo gene therapy to live in anything approaching comfort on Mars, otherwise they would've had major problems after three or four generations. Ford was glad his ancestors left after the second one. He knew that either way, it was pretty painful.

The town's name was Bunker, a holdover from a more sarcastic era. The original habitats were very much like bunkers, of course, but they looked like Earth at the moment, at least visually. Ford was aware that genetic manipulation was at play here as well, at least somewhat, so that the wildlife could survive well. The town was a series of lush caverns connected by tunnels, with the center cavern being the largest and, thusly, serving as housing for the residents.

The Mag-Lev stopped, slowly, at the above ground station. Ford exited the train and searched for a way down. Settling on an elevator, he made his way towards the shaft. Once again he was required to wait, but this time it was mercifully short. The ride down was mercifully quick as well.

He found himself in the main cavern, and he had to find his bearings. It was pretty confusing not seeing more land above his head. Ford, like all Belters, preferred rotating habitats. To him, they just made more sense. Here, he couldn't get a feel for the spinward and anti-spinward direction. It messed with his senses, but only slightly.

He moved cautiously, and checked the buildings for what he was looking for. After another few hours, he found it. The sign said, "Martian Books, Inc."

A bell ringed as he entered. He and the cashier exchanged the usual greetings.

"Hello," the cashier said with what Ford thought was a fake smile. He couldn't tell.

"Hello. Is there a man named Ford here?" he questioned.

The cashier thought for a moment. "Depends on who's asking."

"Tell him it's his cousin."

"He doesn't have a cousin."

"A few times removed. I'm not quite sure the exact number."

"I'll see if he can make time."

"I have to speak with him now."

"I'm afraid I'll have to see if he can make time."

Once again, Ford had to wait. He decided to doze off for a short while, hoping that he wouldn't be kicked out. Luckily for him, he wasn't.

"I'm Ford. What do you want?" were the words that startled him awake.

"I'm from the Belt. Commander Ford's the name," replied the commander, in a less than fully concious state.

"You don't mean...?" asked the Old Martian.

"Yes. I mean exactly that," replied the Belter.

"What took you guys so long?" the Old Martian demanded.

"We had to ensure our own survival first. It turns out that it was more difficult than our ancestors believed," the commander replied.

"Well, now that you're here, we could use your help to kick the Newbies off the planet!" exclaimed the other Ford.

"That's... not why I'm here. I'm afraid you'll have to postpone that endeavor... indefinitely," the Belter explained.

"Are you kidding? These guys came here expecting a failed colony. They thought that we died out when the Earth abandoned us! They're cocky, and they want complete dominance. Not to mention that we were here first!" roared the Old Martian.

"I understand. That's why we left Mars. To get resources. But ... things got in the way. Once we stopped receiving transmissions, we thought you had perished. The only thing we could do was carry on. A few decades later we heard that the New Martians had found a rude surprise! But that was the past. The Cradle needs our help. The Aether Empire intends to do what the Newbies have done and then some. We need your help. Stop this war against the New Martians. Unite under one banner, if only for a short moment. Take the High Ground," dictated the commander.

"Our dishes were destroyed by isolationist extremists! Some of us think that it was Earth conspirators. Wait, what do you mean by the Cradle? Earth? We would never help them! Not even after the Heat Death of the Universe!" the Old Martian declared.

"The Aetherians won't stop with Earth-space. They'll attack Venus, Mercury, and Mars, too. Eventually, they'll attack us in Belt as well," replied Commander Ford.

"As far as I care, if they're supporting our efforts, we don't mind in the slightest," the Old Martian argued.

"The Ares Tribe has ties to Mars, you know this very well. Please do this. If not for your own sake, do it for ours. We may not be Martians anymore, but we were betrayed by Earth the same as you,"said the commander.

"I'll... consider it," replied the Old Martian.

The commander stumbled in the low gravity as he returned to the Mag-Lev station. He booked passage to Arepolis, where the landing vehicle he took to the surface was waiting.

Once there, after seeing some of the sights, Ford found the pilot.

"It's time to go. We've done what we can," said the commander.

"Understood," replied the pilot.

The rocket entered orbit quickly, and while it was rendezvousing with the ship, Ford contemplated the situation.

The Aether Empire was the greatest threat to humanity in centuries. Earth had already been consumed by it's reach. But the rest of the Solar System remains free from its grasp. Their only hope is to join together, and strike at the Empire before it can attack them...

"We're going to need as much help as we can get... I just hope that our brothers in the Ring Republic have had more luck with Jupiter..."