“Sedna has stopped responding.”
The man leaned forward beneath the glow of the massive screen before him, its light pouring murky shadows into the otherwise dark and empty conference room. Folding his hands together, he felt his expression contort into a frown. The woman on the other side of the screen, Admiral Janice L. Withers of TerraGov, let his words sink in. She stared down at him, her thin lips pulled taut, her hawkish eyes inspecting him as if to search for some grain of untruth.
Eventually, she spoke: “Could it be planetside communications equipment issues?”
The man shrugged in the artificial twilight. “That’s unclear. Our last communication with Sedna indicated that the planetoid’s telescope had detected ‘an object of Neptunian size’. When we radioed back for further clarification and information, we received silence. Sedna had gone dark.”
Admiral Withers’ glare sharpened. “This is deeply concerning.”
“It is.”
“Well, what do you think, Commander?”
He paused. “I think we need to send a reconnaissance mission to the planetoid as soon as possible. But even for rapid transport, it would take a while. We’ll need to wait until it swings a little closer.”
“Sedna’s orbital period is eleven thousand years. What difference will a few make?”
“That’s the other thing,” Xiao said, letting his gaze fall. He wasn’t sure how to say this; it sounded insane, even to him. His teeth ground against each other. Hesitating, he finally said, “Sedna’s orbital speed has increased. What used to take eleven thousand years is now calculated to take two thousand. And it’s on the backswing currently, so it’ll be within rapid transport range within six years. We can send an RPT out that way then. Supposing it maintains its new velocity, I mean.”
Admiral Withers’ eyes grew wide as she let in this new information. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. There was shock in her eyes, some kind of anger. “Do we know what could’ve caused this?”
“Our scientists on the observatory on Arrokoth theorize that, supposing Sedna came within gravitational range of this ‘object of Neptunian size’, it could’ve sling-shot its way into a faster orbital track. But it’s just a theory, and it’s not a very good one at that.” Xiao sat back and crossed his legs, the hues of his blue and white leadership jumpsuit glinting under the screen light as he did so. “Either way, we calculate that within six years, we’ll have an RPT on the way.”
“Is that the best we can do on timing?” Admiral Withers asked, frowning.
Xiao shook his head. “Unfortunately, yes. We were able to establish the laboratory and observatory on Sedna by using RPT engines, refueling stations, and time. A lot of time. It took thirty years to haul everything there, and it was a one-way trip. It’s best to just wait until we can send an RPT out there in a reasonable amount of time.”
When he finished speaking, there was a silence in the room that was so thick he felt like he was drowning in a cold ocean. Admiral Withers watched him for a moment, and he noticed something in her eyes, some sharp flicker of fear. But it was momentary, and then, her eyes returned to their cold, stern, unreadable state. “Well Commander Xiao, do you think we should begin implementation of the Kuiper Protocol?”
Xiao’s teeth continued to grind. “I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s necessary currently, until we know more. But the Manet Vivus is almost ready to go, so if push comes to shove, we theoretically could with as much safety as is possible in such an event.”
Sighing, Admiral Withers took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Okay. Xiao, I’m giving you permission to send an RPT to Sedna as soon as possible. Keep in touch, and I’ll inform the Council. This isn’t good.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Very well, Commander,” she said with a nod, stiffening up and saluting. “I will be in touch.”
Xiao stood tall and saluted back, saying, “Yes ma’am. I’ll keep the Belt running in the meantime.”
“Very good.”
With that, the screen blinked out, and Xiao was left in the darkness of the conference room, alone. He sat back in his chair for some time, his thoughts drifting from the Belt to Sedna to the Protocol to… her. He thought about her for a moment, of where she’d been, where she was going. Where she would one day be. Supposing, of course.
Eventually, he reached over and grabbed a small remote on the long center table, pressing a button on it. Iridescent light flooded the room, illuminating the sleek steel conference table and the plush blue chairs around it, the hanging flags of the TerraGov with the blue and green globe in the center and the white wings on either side of the screen. It was luxurious; though, of course it was, it was his personal conference room. Accolades sat in glass display cases, trophies and medals and degrees, and by the door, there was a picture of Xiao with his daughter, Yu, between trees at Grand Park on Earth. They both smiled, Yu having just graduated pre-college, him dressed in his finery and ready to embark to the Belt, and he remembered that day fondly. He stared up at the picture.
He hadn’t seen Earth in years and years, but administration was his forte, and now, he’d landed the premier trans asteroid belt administration position. He studied the details of the picture, the trees in the background, the flowers surrounding them. Blue skies. Clouds. Greenery. And his daughter.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
At least he’d have one of them back soon.
He stood and headed to the door, and, before exiting, ran his fingers down the glass of the picture frame, lost in his memories. He plucked it off the wall, resolving to put it somewhere he’d see it more often.
Then, he pressed a button and the door hissed open, revealing his office on the other side. He stepped through and took a deep breath. His office was roomy, with a giant reinforced polymer glass that overlooked the Administration Zone on Dysnomia, Eris’s moon. Below the Administration Tower, great rivers of lights sliced the apartment structures and the office blocks into eight uniform sections, each with a different domain of administrative duties. He walked to his large, extravagantly forged desk, sat in his chair, and looked down. The angular, reinforced metal of gunships and non-rapid transport carriers flittered by, along with the small headlights of personal vehicles, and the bulkier blocks of the public transit system. He could make out the monorails that slid in and out of great airlocks like snakes creeping out of their dens. Towers were few here, and the Administration Tower was by far the tallest building of the Admin Zone, sitting right in the center of it, but from his vantage point Xiao could see the ivory water tower, the Farm Admin Tower, and the Military Headquarters in the distance.
It was honestly a beautiful sight. Eris loomed over the Zone in the background, half shrouded in shadow, half bathed in distant, pale sunlight. Xiao had to admit that, despite missing the trees and greenery of Earth, this made for quite the sight. He spun his chair around to face his desk, making a quick sweep of his office. There was a couch and two chairs sitting around a coffee table, a few ancient rifles hung on the wall, and, thankfully, a plant by the door. Some greenery, to liven the place up a bit.
At his desk, he pressed a button and leaned into a small speaker-intercom.
“Cindy,” he said.
Over the intercom, he got back, “Yes, Mr. Solarum?”
“How are those reports on Makemake and Haumea looking?”
There was a pause, but he could hear the clacking of a keyboard. “Looks like they’re ready for your review, sir. The courier is on his way as we speak.”
“Thank you, Cindy.”
“You’re welcome sir. Oh, and also, you have a contact request from one Allister McCullinay.”
Xiao blinked. “What did she want?”
“She’s asking for more funding for her research.”
“Tell her I will contact her shortly,” he said, nodding to himself.
“Oh, sir, she’s actually here now.”
Xiao blinked, and sat back in his chair. A sense of unease washed over him - or perhaps it was weariness - and he took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright, send her in.”
“Yes sir.”
The intercom line went silent, and Xiao watched the double doors that lead into and out of his office intently. For a moment, nothing happened and everything was still, even the air conditioner fell silent in this moment. Allister was researching tholins on Arrokoth, at Xiao’s behest, which was, in turn, at the Council’s behest. It was almost a guarantee that she would get the funding she needed, and this could’ve been handled over a secure message. So why had she come here in person, all this way?
The doors hissed open. There, stepping into the office, was Allister McCullinay, the lead scientist for her team, dressed in her white lab jumpsuit, her long red hair pulled up into a ponytail. Her sharp features and dazzling green eyes shone in the bright overhead lights. She stepped in, and the doors closed behind her. She seemed slightly nervous, wringing her hands and avoiding Xiao’s gaze for a moment, before finally mustering the ability to look at him.
“Commander Xiao,” she said.
“Dr. McCullinay,” he replied, smiling. “A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.”
She nodded bashfully. “Yes, and I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice.”
He hummed and leaned forward on his elbows. “What is the purpose of such a short notice, in person visit, if I may ask,” he said, waving to the chair on the other side of his desk. Allister came up to the chair, and sat down in it delicately.
“I’ve made a breakthrough discovery about the tholins, and I need more funding to pursue this new research path.”
He paused. The Sedna problem weighed heavily on his mind, but his professionalism overrode his worries, and his glare remained unreadable. “And that path is?”
She swallowed, but finally, a smile appeared on her lips. “Abiogenesis. We think that life can come from the tholins, but we aren’t sure, and we’d like to do more testing on them. But everything we’ve discovered so far indicates that tholins may very well be the source of all life in the Solar System.” She squirmed a bit, clearly excited. “These are extraordinary findings, Commander.”
Xiao eyed her carefully. “And your evidence of this is?”
“Well, you see,” she said, gripping the legs of her jumpsuit, “under the right conditions, when the tholins mix with water and are in supplemental sediments, they potentially could produce the building blocks of RNA! This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the reason there is life on Earth and elsewhere - but, but, it does mean that tholins have the potential for abiogenesis. Which is a fantastic discovery!”
There was a pause. The massive implications of such a hypothesis sat in his mind for a second. No reason to drag this on, he thought.
“Very well. I’ll approve more funding for your projects. I want specifics, numbers, data, all of it, sent to me via encrypted messaging, as soon as possible. I’ll need it to get the Council to approve the funds.”
Allister nodded eagerly. “Thank you, Commander, this is a very exciting time to be a scientist and the whole team is going to be thrilled to hear this!”
“Doctor McCullinay,” Xiao said. “You did the right thing by coming to me in person about this. While I’d have appreciated some forewarning, I understand you were moved by this discovery. Be sure that your research stays localized within your team for the time being. Do not forget the level of clearance and access required for it in the first place.”
She nodded, and pretended to zip her lips together. “My lips are sealed, as are the team’s.”
“Good.” Xiao nodded to her and offered a smile as she stood up. “Be safe on your return to Arrokoth. I look forward to seeing your reports. And tell Itomi and Sergei that I said hello.”
A smile beamed on her face. “I will. Thank you so much, Commander. This research could tell us so much about the origins of life.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, kindly.
Then, she left, and he was alone again. He sat back and sighed, swiveling around in his chair to face the window once more. Out there was the Admin Zone. Zoomed out, there was the Kuiper Belt. And zoomed out from that loomed the fate of humanity itself. He closed his eyes and thought back to his daughter. To the time they shared at the Great Park. To their memories of Earth, of her mother and his wife, of things that had come and gone, and things yet to be.
He shuddered.