Prince Crimson Arc
17th April
After arriving on Ceres, I immediately got to work. There is no time to waste. I must fulfill my duty to the Freehold, to my father, with speed. That is my intention.
The office of the Governor, of Kyle Matthews, are located near the top of the original settlement. The original settlement is a block that extends about three hundred metres down into the ground from the surface, where it is connected to the hangars that we've just left. Below the surface floor, there's about a fifty-metre gap down to the next floor. The top two floors are used by the security force on Ceres, which is made up of soldiers of the Freehold Space Fleet. Below those floors, is the floor we're on now. The floor where the administration of the colony is undertaken. Here, the governor, the deputy governor, and treasurer, all have offices. These three offices, plus a waiting room and a meeting room, make up the entirety of the floor. Further below, residential blocks begin, and even further down, is where the hydroponic farms are located. Partway through the residential section, there's a single floor where there's a small market of some sort. The floor the market is on is also where the tunnel system that a number of the colony's Palestinian residents live in connects to the main settlement. A previous resident of Ceres mapped it all out for me before I left Luna.
The Governor's office seems cramped and small, gloomy even. There isn't anything in it, other than the minimum you might expect. A desk, chair, shelfing, and not much else. A few mementos, along with a Huesong brand computer sit on the desk.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
The Governor's words bring me back to the present, reminding me that I'm here for a reason.
"As I'm sure your aware, my father asked me to come to Ceres. I'm here because he has given me work for me to do here."
"Yes, I assumed as much," he responds, nodding, "I didn't think you would have much reason to come here on your own, otherwise. Tell me what I can do to assist you in your work."
"Well for starters, I need your office."
"This is the office of the Governor," Mr Matthews says with a strained look on his face, "I can't give you this office, but I could give you the treasurer's office while you're here."
"I don't think you understand, Mr Matthews," I reply, "I'm not here simply to do any work. I'm here to serve on behalf of the Consulship as the Governor."
I see Mr Matthews' brain working, as he finally begins to understand why I have been sent all the way to Ceres. And in fact, for a moment I think I see a look of dread on his face.
"You're going to be the Governor of Ceres?"
"Effective immediately," I reply, "if you let me onto your computer, I could show you the document. You can confirm the digital signatures of Consuls Scuderi and Chee."
The former governor looks downcast, and doesn't say anything for a while. For a brief moment, it makes me scared. I don't know what he's doing, or how he's going to react to this. I need to relax, I tell myself, there's nothing he can really do to stop this. What am I even afraid of?
"So, where does that leave me?" he asks, "did Frank- did Consul Scuderi ask for me to return to Luna?"
"No, you'll be staying on as Deputy Governor for the time being," I tell him, "the Consul hasn't asked for you to return to Luna."
"I see," Mr Matthews relaxes upon hearing that, "then I guess I will serve faithfully as your deputy from now on."
"Thank you, I appreciate it. You don't really have to move out of your office, I'll use the current Deputy Governor's. Can you inform the Legislative Council of the changes? And also, organise a council meeting tomorrow morning."
"Of course," Mr Matthews stands up, and shakes my hand before I leave.
As I walk out of the offices, and toward the elevators, I think about Mr Matthews' reaction to hearing that he was no longer the governor. At first, I thought he was upset, but that doesn't seem to be the case. No, thinking back he was only upset when he thought that meant he would be returning to Luna. When I told him that wasn't the case, he relaxed. It made him feel more at ease. Why does he not want to go back to Luna? Whatever happened between him and my father, must've been something rather serious.
I slept better than I have since I left Luna. I found sleeping onboard the Proserpina uncomfortable to say the least. The lack of gravity made me feel sick. There isn't much gravity on Ceres either, in fact I've barely noticed a difference, at least not consciously. My body does seem to have noticed the difference, however, because I feel better than I have in months. I feel so much more awake, so much more alive.
Groggily, I get out of bed, and walk through the partition to the kitchen and living area. I haven't gotten anything out yet, so there's a small pile of boxes in the corner of the living area. In fact, their piled less than a metre away from the front door. Mr Matthews organised for them to be taken down here for me, and whoever delivered them placed them just inside the front door. When I made my way here last night following my meeting with Mr Matthews, the only thing I did before I collapsed into the bed was kick the boxes out of the doorway.
The kitchen has nothing in it, but in my tired state that takes me a while to realise. Eventually I realise that I've been standing, leaning on the bench for who knows how long. I check the time. I'm meeting the council in forty minutes. I need to go get something to eat before then, to wake up. I can't meet them like this.
Down here on the central floor, where the main settlement meets up with the tunnel system, there's something of a mini-market here. It isn't really the central floor, closer to the bottom of the settlement than the top, but that's what it's referred to as. And whilst I say that there's a market here, on seeing it with my own eyes for the first time, I was quite disappointed. It was certainly smaller than I had been expecting, or rather, emptier. The 'market' had maybe half a dozen offices and shops. Two restaurants, a bar, a laundromat, and offices for Medano, and the now boarded up former offices of Ingprad. Ingprad left Ceres, citing unprofitability, which has forced the government to since run the hydroponic farms and entire agriculture sector of Ceres, in order to keep the settlement alive.
At one of the restaurants, I order breakfast. The menu isn't great, there aren't enough choices, and the operator who took my order kept staring at me the whole time. I suppose I might have to get used to that. No Lunar-born humans have ever been to Ceres before. I must look like an alien to those that only passed by Luna on their way here. My skeletal limbs, snow white skin, and crimson eyes, must make me look like a monster in their eyes. The potato stew I ordered is uninspiring to say the least, but it does at least wake me up. As I sit outside the restaurant, slowly eating my stew, I see a couple of familiar faces. People that I met onboard the Proserpina, who travelled with me from Luna. Most of those I see are people who will have been given apartments here in the settlement, rather than those living out in the tunnels. Personnel who live in the settlement proper are mostly government officials, or Medano's office staff. The majority of the population, and almost all the Palestinians, live out in the tunnels. The settlement isn't large enough for all of them, apparently, yet it would seem that everyone who arrived to work for the Freehold or Medano has an apartment in the settlement. Why then, are there not more Palestinians living in the settlement? It doesn't make sense to me.
"Morning, Akira."
I sit up and turn around upon hearing my name. Of course, it's Zayd standing there. He's dressed in uniform. The uniform of the Cererian Agricultural Department. It suits him.
"You look good in that."
He smiles, "is that because you're my boss now, or because you really mean that?"
"You don't think it looks good?"
"I don't think green's really my colour," Zayd replied, looking down and pulling at his overalls, "and it's a little bit clingy and tight."
"Is that so? Come over here so I can see."
"No, I… remember?"
"Oh… right."
Zayd had talked to me about this yesterday, before the Proserpina landed. He had asked that we pretend we're not in a relationship, at least when we're in public. Of course, that had been how it was originally, even on the Proserpina, but the two of us eventually agreed that it was fine in front of people we knew and trusted. We were both worried about how it would reflect on us. The people of Ceres are socially conservative, even by Earth standards (Lunarian standards are much more socially liberal), so considering the potential negative implications of me being in a homosexual relationship, we decided it would probably be for the best if we kept it a secret. Zayd was actually more concerned about it than I was, but yesterday he had insisted that this was for the best. So, eventually I agreed with him. And he probably is correct, that this is the best course of action for me, but it just doesn't feel right. I wish that it didn't have to be like this.
"Can you tell me where your apartment is? I'll come over later," is what I say to Zayd. For a moment, I think that he's going to say no, but then he agrees and tells me his apartment number.
"My shift ends at five… give me at least an hour after that before you come over."
"Okay, see you then."