Free The Ruins of Mars: Waking Titan (The Ruins of Mars Trilogy) by Dylan James Quarles Page A

said.
    Gathering himself up, Olo seemed to grow a few centimeters until he stood as straight as he could manage.
    “Are we your only children?”
    A hush ran out across the Martian people as Olo’s words reached the waiting ears of everyone in attendance.
    “No,” answered Kaab, the Traveler behind him moving his two lower eyes over the falling faces of the crowd. “You are the children of your world.”
    “But what of our history? Did you not create us from the dust of the land as Eyo said?”
    “No, the history of your creation is far too complex for us to have played a hand in it. We are simply the teachers who wish only to unite and advance your world. We did not create it.”
    Rising from her knees, Teo looked into the face of the Traveler.
    “I am Teo, Chieftess of the Peoples of the Great Lakes. You say that you wish to unite us. Do you mean that there are more? Out there?”
    She gestured past the fleet of black ships, to the east.
    Fixing both of its lower eyes on Teo, the Traveler cocked its head to the side.
    “Of course,” answered Kaab robotically. “There are many more. Across the oceans and throughout the lands. We will bring them to you. We will show you how to build a better world—together.”

Chapter Eight
     
    Dinner— Sol 66
     
    On the night of the 66th sol on Mars, the crew of Ilia Base sat down to a bouquet of freshly cooked vegetables. Sautéed green onions with baked eggplant and a spinach and carrot salad were but a few of the bright colors that decorated the table.
    Though the food was delicious and the general mood upbeat, Liu found that she could not eat. Next to her, Harrison had his head bent low as William described to him, several possible winch arrangements for the upcoming mission to the caves.
    Liu had been notified of her inclusion in the mission that afternoon by way of a transmission from Captain Vodevski. In a moment of reckless abandon, she had almost told the captain of her pregnancy, but as she opened her mouth to speak, the fear of possible repercussions staved the words in her throat. Knowing full well the eagerness her own government had for turning the personal political, she had bitten her tongue and instead simply accepted her role in the mission with a nod.
    Alone in her lab, she had enjoyed the busywork that came with the project: drafting the Rover modifications in a few hours without needing to apply much conscious effort. Using the existing Rover schematics, she had identified the best way to extend the range of movement on a pincer arm and allow for it to operate the laser cutter. For nearly three hours, she had been too engrossed with her job to think about anything else. It had easily been the best three hours of the last two days.
    Now, however, with Harrison beside her at the table, Liu felt as though she might be sick. His face was so animated and boyish as he chatted with the other members of the crew that Liu couldn’t imagine robbing him of that with her terrible news. He truly was unaware that anything might be wrong. Worse yet, she saw that Kubba had been right about him. He was popular. Even now as he rattled off theories about the Martian cave builders, the others hung on every word he said as if the sound of his voice were sweeter and smoother than honey. To Liu’s ears, it really was like honey and she yearned to go on in that moment forever—just listening to Harrison talk so she would never have to.
    Feeling eyes on her, Liu pulled her gaze off Harrison and caught Kubba watching her from across the table. With fiery grit, she stared back at the cinnamon-skinned doctor until Harrison tapped her arm.
    “What?” she said, reluctantly moving her eyes away from Kubba.
    “I was just saying that your Rover mods look great. How long do you think they will take to fabricate?”
    “Oh, not long,” she replied, distractedly. “If I start early enough tomorrow, I can be ready to go the day after that.”
    “Are you sure that’s really a smart