Year 50 since Landfall

  Councilor Maya Lin stood at the window of the Council Chamber, watching the crowds gathering in Democracy Pza below. From forty stories up, the protesters looked small, their handmade signs barely legible, but their numbers had swelled each day this week as news of the impending vote spread through the city.

  A tap on her shoulder made her turn. Councilor Adebayo, the st original Settlement Council member still serving, offered a weak smile.

  "It's time, Maya," he said, his once-commanding voice now thin with age. "They're calling the session to order."

  Maya nodded, taking one st look at the citizens below. "Do they even understand what they're about to lose?" she murmured.

  "Some do," Adebayo replied, guiding her toward the chamber doors. "But most are too concerned with immediate needs to worry about abstract concepts like democratic representation."

  The Council Chamber—once a simple meeting room with practical furniture—had evolved over the decades into an imposing space with high ceilings, ornate wooden panels, and the test technological amenities. The circur table at its center, symbol of the equality among council members, was now bisected by an elevated ptform where the "observing corporate representatives" sat in plush chairs that conspicuously resembled thrones.

  The seven remaining democratically elected councilors took their pces at the lower section of the table. Opposite them, the corporate representatives watched with poorly disguised impatience.

  Marcus Voss, now in his forties and head of VitaCore Industries after his father Richard's retirement, sat at the center of the corporate section. Thanks to the advanced longevity treatments avaible exclusively to the corporate elite, he appeared barely out of his twenties—his skin fwless, his blond hair thick and vibrant, his blue eyes clear and sharp. The contrast between his youthful appearance and the calcuted coldness in his gaze was all the more unsettling. His tailored suit in VitaCore's navy blue and silver made the councilors' simple robes look shabby by comparison. Beside him, Victoria Aqua-Nova adjusted her water-production reports, her fingers adorned with rings containing enough precious metal to feed a Worker district for a month.

  Council Chair Tomas Rodriguez called the session to order, his voice carrying less authority than his title suggested.

  "Citizens and representatives, we convene today to discuss Proposal 743-B, regarding the reorganization of Terminus governance structures."

  The antiseptic nguage couldn't disguise the reality: this was the final surrender of democratic governance to corporate control.

  In the security monitoring room beneath the Council Tower, Security Director General Darius Ward watched multiple screens dispying different angles of the protest. At thirty-five, Ward had risen quickly through the ranks of ProtectoCorp, impressing his superiors with his unwavering discipline and calcuted ruthlessness.

  "How many?" he asked the officer beside him.

  "Approximately eight thousand, sir. Growing by about five hundred per hour."

  Ward nodded. "And our assets?"

  "Three thousand officers in standard gear, five hundred in riot suppression equipment, plus the new sound cannons ready for deployment."

  "Casualty projections?"

  The officer hesitated only briefly. "Between fifty and two hundred, depending on resistance levels."

  "Acceptable," Ward said ftly. "Maintain position until my order."

  On his private screen, he watched the council proceedings, waiting for the vote that would trigger his carefully prepared response.

  "The resource crisis cannot be overlooked," Marcus Voss was saying, his voice smooth and reasonable. "Our popution has reached 8.5 billion, and traditional governance models simply cannot manage distribution with the necessary efficiency."

  Maya Lin fought to keep her expression neutral. The "resource crisis" had been manufactured through systematic corporate hoarding over the past two decades. VitaCore's grain reserves alone could feed the entire popution for six months.

  "The corporate council model has proven successful in our rgest metropolitan areas," Victoria Aqua-Nova added. "Water distribution efficiency increased by twenty-eight percent under direct AquaNova management in Nova City."

  What she failed to mention was that this "efficiency" came from cutting off entire neighborhoods deemed "economically non-viable."

  Councilor Adebayo raised a gnarled hand. "I request permission to address the chamber."

  Rodriguez nodded reluctantly. "The Council recognizes Councilor Adebayo."

  The old man rose slowly, leaning on his cane. His voice, when it came, carried a strength that belied his frail appearance.

  "I am the st person in this room who stood on the nding ptform when the Endurance arrived. I heard Chair Kim's promise of democratic governance and equitable resource management. I watched as we built this colony from dust and rock into a world that could sustain billions."

  He looked directly at the corporate representatives.

  "The system you propose today is not evolution—it is regression. You speak of efficiency, but what you mean is control. You speak of stability, but what you mean is suppression. This proposal would repce the voice of the people with the voice of profit."

  Marcus Voss's expression remained politely attentive, but his eyes had hardened.

  "With respect, Councilor," he interrupted smoothly, "sentiment cannot feed our popution. VitaCore's agricultural techniques have increased food production by three hundred percent in the past decade. AquaNova's purification systems provide ninety-four percent of our clean water. FusionTech's energy grid powers our cities. TerraMin extracts the resources needed for expansion. Helix Pharmaceuticals keeps our popution healthy. ProtectoCorp maintains order. InfoSys connects us all."

  He spread his hands in a gesture of apparent reasonableness. "We are not seizing power—we are accepting responsibility. The corporations have become the foundation of Terminus society. This proposal merely aligns governance with reality."

  Rond Zhang of FusionTech nodded. "The Settlement Council structure was designed for a colony of millions, not a civilization of billions."

  Maya Lin could remain silent no longer. "And what of those who cannot afford your 'efficient' services? What of the growing Unaligned territories where millions live without corporate protection because they cannot pay your prices?"

  Victoria Aqua-Nova smiled thinly. "A transitional problem that our new model will address more effectively."

  "By what method?" Maya pressed.

  "That will be determined by the new council," Marcus said, effectively ending the discussion. "Now, I believe we should proceed to the vote."

  In Democracy Pza, the crowd had grown restless, their chants becoming louder as rumors of the proceedings leaked from the tower.

  "People over profit! People over profit!"

  A young woman named Carmen stood on an improvised ptform, her voice amplified by a crude speaker system.

  "They pn to repce our elected officials today! Decades of democratic governance erased with a single vote! Will we stand by and watch our voices silenced?"

  The crowd roared in response, the sound echoing between the towering buildings.

  From side streets, ProtectoCorp officers began to move into position.

  Inside the chamber, Council Chair Rodriguez called for the vote.

  "On Proposal 743-B, to reorganize governance under the Corporate Council model, those in favor?"

  The seven corporate representatives raised their hands immediately. Three councilors—those from districts heavily dependent on corporate employment—raised theirs after only slight hesitation.

  "Those opposed?"

  Maya Lin, Adebayo, and two others raised their hands.

  "By a vote of ten to four, Proposal 743-B is approved," Rodriguez announced, his voice ft.

  Adebayo shook his head sadly. "Then democracy dies, not with resistance, but with procedure."

  "The transition will begin immediately," Marcus said, standing. "As outlined in the proposal, the current councilors will serve as advisors during a six-month transition period, after which the Corporate Council will assume full governance responsibilities."

  Maya Lin gathered her dignity. "I wish to make a statement for the record."

  Rodriguez gnced at Voss, who nodded magnanimously.

  "Security feeds are experiencing technical difficulties," a staff member announced suddenly. "Public broadcasting has been temporarily suspended."

  Maya's expression hardened. "How convenient."

  "A routine glitch, I'm sure," Marcus said smoothly. "Please, make your statement, Councilor. It will be preserved in the official record."

  "Will it?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes. "I wonder what will remain of today's record after InfoSys processes it."

  She turned to address the entire chamber.

  "Today marks the end of the dream that began when humanity first arrived on Terminus. We came here to build a better society, not to replicate the failures of Earth. This corporate takeover—let's call it what it is—represents the triumph of wealth over welfare, of power over people."

  She paused, seeing Eliza Chen of InfoSys making a subtle gesture. The recording lights on the chamber cameras dimmed.

  "The citizens of Terminus will remember this day, even if you erase it from your records. They will—"

  A sharp tone interrupted her as the building's security system activated.

  "Attention. For your safety, the Council Tower is now in security lockdown due to civil unrest. Please remain in your current locations until the situation is resolved."

  From the window, they could hear the sudden escation of noise from the pza.

  The sound cannons deployed first, sending waves of debilitating noise across the packed pza. As protesters clutched their ears and fell to their knees, ProtectoCorp officers moved in with methodical precision.

  Carmen saw them coming and tried to warn the crowd, but her voice was lost in the chaos. A canister nded near her ptform, releasing pale blue gas that sent her and those nearby into uncontrolble coughing fits.

  "Disperse immediately," boomed an amplified voice. "This gathering has been designated a public safety hazard. Disperse immediately or face arrest."

  Those who could still move began to flee. Those who couldn't—or who tried to resist—were quickly surrounded, subdued, and loaded into waiting transport vehicles.

  From her vantage point at the window, Maya Lin watched with horror as the pza was systematically cleared. Within twenty minutes, only ProtectoCorp officers remained, standing in precise formations amid discarded signs and the occasional motionless form.

  "Regrettable but necessary," Marcus Voss said, appearing beside her. "Mob rule is no alternative to ordered governance."

  "This wasn't mob rule," Maya replied quietly. "This was citizens exercising their right to protest."

  "Rights must be banced against responsibilities," he countered. "Our responsibility is to maintain order while we address the resource challenges facing our popution."

  Behind them, Victoria Aqua-Nova was already directing staff to rearrange the chamber. "Remove the circur table," she instructed. "Repce it with the executive configuration we prepared."

  Maya turned away from the window. "You've been pnning this for years."

  Marcus didn't deny it. "Pnning is what responsible leaders do, Councilor. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have a new council to organize."

  As Maya Lin gathered her belongings, she noticed Adebayo sitting quietly, tears streaming down his weathered face.

  "I told Jana Kim this would happen," he whispered. "On the night the Endurance nded. I told her democracy wouldn't survive here."

  Maya squeezed his shoulder gently. "Perhaps not in this form. But the idea will survive, somewhere."

  "A comforting thought," he replied without conviction.

  Three hours ter, the newly formed Corporate Council held its first official meeting in the remodeled chamber. The circur table had been repced with a long rectangur one, with Marcus Voss seated at its head. The corporate logos of all seven mega-corporations were prominently dispyed on the wall behind them.

  "Our first priority must be stabilizing resource distribution," Marcus began. "Each corporation will submit its distribution efficiency pns within seven days."

  "ProtectoCorp has already increased security presence in potential unrest zones," General Ward reported. "Sixty-seven instigators from today's riot have been detained for processing."

  "Excellent," Victoria nodded. "AquaNova will implement water rationalization in those same zones, effective immediately. Reduced flow by thirty percent should encourage compliance."

  Imani TerraMin frowned slightly. "Is that necessary? My reports show adequate water reserves."

  "Preventative measures," Victoria expined smoothly. "We demonstrate the consequences of disorder while conserving resources."

  Marcus nodded approvingly. "Precisely. Order must be maintained while we implement our new governance model."

  Dominic Helix of Helix Pharmaceuticals cleared his throat. "What of the detained protesters? Some have specialized skills that could be valuable."

  "Evaluation and reassignment," Marcus decided. "Those with useful abilities will be integrated into appropriate corporate structures. The others will receive standard Worker assignments."

  Rond Zhang of FusionTech consulted his tablet. "Speaking of workers, I've prepared an analysis of productivity improvements under variable resource allocations."

  He dispyed a chart showing increased production metrics correted with decreased resource distribution to lower-skill workers.

  "Fascinating," Marcus said, studying the data. "Implement a test program in Manufacturing Zone 12. We'll review results in thirty days."

  As the meeting continued, Eliza Chen of InfoSys made notes on her tablet, occasionally gncing up at the others with an expression that revealed nothing of her thoughts.

  "One final matter," Marcus said as the meeting neared its conclusion. "Public messaging. Eliza, your responsibility."

  Chen nodded. "InfoSys has prepared comprehensive communication packages emphasizing improved efficiency, resource security, and corporate opportunity. All information channels will carry uniform messaging by morning."

  "And the record of today's council session?" Victoria inquired delicately.

  "An unfortunate data corruption occurred during the security incident," Eliza replied without changing expression. "The official record will show a smooth transition of power with unanimous council approval."

  "Excellent," Marcus said, rising from his chair. "Then our work here is done for today. Tomorrow, we begin Terminus's new chapter—under proper management at st."

  In his private office atop the VitaCore tower ter that night, Marcus Voss poured amber liquid from a crystal decanter—real whiskey distilled from real grain, a luxury avaible to perhaps a dozen people on Terminus.

  Victoria Aqua-Nova accepted a gss, admiring how the liquid caught the light.

  "To success," she said, raising her gss. "Richard would have been proud to see what you've accomplished today."

  Marcus inclined his head slightly at the mention of his father. "He id the foundation. I merely completed the structure."

  "Rather more than that," General Ward commented, taking his own gss. "Richard believed in gradual corporate integration. You saw the opportunity for complete transition."

  "Necessity, not opportunity," Marcus corrected. "Our popution has doubled in the past fifteen years. Resource management requires centralized authority."

  "And profit potential hasn't influenced your thinking at all?" Victoria asked with a knowing smile.

  Marcus didn't smile back. "Profit is merely an efficient method of tracking resource allocation. What matters is control. With proper control, we can manage this world indefinitely."

  He walked to the window wall, looking out at the sprawling metropolis below. Lights stretched to the horizon in all directions—millions of people, billions of needs, all now under corporate management.

  "What of the Unaligned territories?" Ward asked. "They're growing faster than we can contain them."

  "A problem for tomorrow," Marcus replied. "Today, we've secured civilization. The ragged edges can be trimmed in due course."

  He raised his gss, and the others joined him.

  "To proper management," he said. "And the future of Terminus under corporate guidance."

  As they drank, the night sky outside was lit briefly by fshes from the Worker districts—small pockets of protest being efficiently suppressed. None of the corporate leaders bothered to look.