The Io Encounter: Hard Science Fiction (Ice Moon Book 3)

by Brandon Q Morris

“Then let me analyze the video. Perhaps it contains steganographic data, details hidden in still images.”

  Martin smiled. Of course I know what steganography means. Let him run his calculations. I am pretty sure Marchenko won’t find anything.

  “I... uh...” Martin had never experienced a stammering AI. “Shit, the analysis crashed the image-editing algorithms of ILSE. I hope Watson did not notice it.”

  “A crash?”

  “It could be coincidence, or intentional. It is hard to say for sure. The fact is the analysis software is not protected against malware. You have got to consider it was made for the crew to use on board, to recognize patterns in things you observed. Basically, for a benign environment.”

  Martin had little experience with AI research so far. “But the problem is known?”

  “Yes, for a long time. AIs used by the military are hardened against malware. But Watson comes from the civilian side.”

  “And what was the purpose of this?”

  “It prevents the video stream from being analyzed by a machine. Another clue that your father has hidden something,” he continued.

  “Play the video again, Marchenko.”

  “Hello, Martin,” his father said, slightly time-shifted compared to the image.

  “Please correct the synchronization.”

  The video stopped briefly, and then Robert Millikan’s lips started moving exactly in synch with the sound.

  “Now, please… at half the speed.”

  Marchenko slowed down the video. The pitch was lower, but his father still could be understood. The video slowly played back. Martin looked attentively at the screen. When they reached the word ‘Jiaying,’ he noticed a flickering.

  “Did you also see that, Dimitri?”

  “What?”

  “A flickering in the image when my father mentioned Jiaying.”

  “No. But wait.”

  His father froze on the display, his mouth open, while Marchenko seemed to analyze the stream. “You are right. I did not notice as it was only a single frame that was sorted out during analysis by my error-correcting routine. I had to take each still image separately from the video.”

  “And what could you see?”

  A woman and a man appeared on the screen, and Martin immediately recognized the woman. It was his mother, looking young and beautiful. The man next to her must be Robert Millikan.

  “My parents,” Martin said.

  “He obviously wanted to indicate the concept of parents. In the synchronized version this image appears when he mentions Jiaying.”

  “Please play back the video at normal speed again. I am starting to think there must be more to it.”

  “Hello, Martin,” his father said again, now back to his normal voice. Martin did not concentrate on his father, but rather tried to watch the background carefully. A globe was rotating on the old monitor behind Robert Millikan. Unfortunately, his father’s arm obscured almost two-thirds of the image.

  “Stop it again when he mentions Jiaying.”

  A moment later, the video stopped. The globe seemed frozen at a particular position. On the right and the top edges of the monitor a horizontal and a vertical line were visible.

  “The two lines could form a cross.”

  “I understand what you are aiming at,” Marchenko’s voice said. Suddenly, his father’s right arm disappeared from the image. Marchenko extrapolated a complete map of the world from the partial image of the globe. The two lines crossed in the Caribbean. Marchenko enlarged this sector to better show the point of intersection.

  “It’s Cuba,” Martin said.

  “To be more precise, it’s Guantanamo Bay. You know what is located there.”

  “Incredible. He really put in a lot of effort so no one would see through his game.”

  “Yes, because a machine extraction of information would have been useless.”

  “But what is my father trying to tell us? Jiaying’s parents are at the Guantanamo Bay base, but everything will be okay? Or rather, should we interpret it as a warning?”

  “From a human perspective I would say he is telling us not to worry,” Marchenko replied.

  “I have no idea how far I still can or should trust your human perspective.”

  “Hey, I am human, like everyone else.”

  “Once I hear you telling bad jokes, I will be convinced of that, Dimitri.”

  Martin wanted to agree with the Marchenko AI. The idea of a happy ending, whatever form it might take, filled him with calm and relief. Yet there was also a queasy feeling in his stomach he could not get rid of. Maybe, he thought, it will all look different tomorrow, after the landing.

  April 14, 2047, Io

  Resembling a gigantic rotten apple, Io floated ahead of them in space. Martin really could not get used to the way this moon looked. Its pockmarks and its unhealthy complexion seemed to warn others against ever coming near. Yet instead of keeping a safe distance, they were actually going to land on it. And they were using the most unusual lander design ever seen in the solar system.

  Seated in the cockpit, Martin tried to imagine what their expedition dinghy would look like from a distance. It must resemble a strange burger, he thought, or maybe one could better compare it to a hot dog or a sausage? The actual lander module was at the bottom, flat in shape, looking like the lower part of a bun. Above it was the CELSS—the garden—with the shape of a flattened, thick, short sausage—basically an empty, enclosed space. The most important thing now was not its ability to produce food, but the protective field generated by the superconducting coils in its outer walls, supplied with energy by the DFD. As long as the landing crew stayed inside the CELSS they would be largely protected against radiation. On the top, the cylinder of the garden module carried its mustard decoration, so to speak, in the form of the Direct Fusion Drive, a device that did not really belong there. It was not needed for launch and landing—it would be completely unsuitable for that—it served as the generator providing electricity to sustain the protective field.

  The question of whether or not they could get this structure safely to the surface of Io depended mostly on the pilot, Francesca, and on Watson’s calculations concerning the required amount of fuel. Martin trusted both of them completely. He was sitting in his chair, waiting for the launch, and nervously tapping his right foot. Why did astronomers give this ugly moon a female name? Io was a daughter of the river god Inachus, and Zeus—named Jupiter in Roman mythology—fell in love with her. So how did this repulsive face fit?

  Could we just get started, please? he thought. Martin was more impatient than before any of his previous excursions. He wanted this entire journey to be finally over with, but why? Earth did not beckon to him that much, he had to admit, but there was this feeling of something about to happen, something terrible that could affect all of them. Martin was not accustomed to having such premonitions, and they certainly did not fit the image he had of himself. He did not mention his uneasy feelings to anyone else, but they weighed heavily on his mind.

  Francesca still made no attempt to get ready for launch, and instead she was talking quietly to the commander. Martin could not understand what they were saying, but he thought he heard Francesca say ‘Amy’ several times. He still had not heard a word from Jiaying, and he harbored the slight hope she would say goodbye to him. She would stay on board ILSE, together with the commander and little Dimitri Sol. That arrangement had worked fine when they landed on Titan, but it always seemed to break Hayato’s heart to say goodbye to his son. Martin had suggested bringing him along. ‘The First Baby on a Moon,’ what a great headline for the media. The planned excursion caused quite a stir on Earth, even after interest in the International Expedition had waned.

  “Guys, put your seatbelts on,” Francesca announced. “We are almost ready. Launch in 60 seconds.”

  The countdown began. At zero Martin did not feel anything unusual, but he heard a clanking sound reverberating through the hull. The retaining clamps betwee
n the CELSS and the other modules must be opening, he thought. The lander module floated very slowly downward and away from ILSE, driven only by a few pressurized air jets. Francesca sat in the pilot seat, looking relaxed. She smiled, obviously enjoying herself.

  “Rotation in ten, guys!” she said.

  Once the lander module was far enough from ILSE, Francesca had to employ the same pressurized air jets to initiate a rotation. The engines had to point in the direction of travel so that the lander could reduce its velocity and sink toward the surface. The parabola on which they approached Io would gradually get steeper. Watson would provide corrections when needed so they would finally arrive at their destination with the engines facing downward. Io might be the fourth largest moon in the solar system, but its gravitation was not so strong as to make a landing on it much of a problem. The extremely thin atmosphere also helped, since it would not generate frictional heat.

  The only real problem was the landing site. The message from the being on Enceladus allowed for many interpretations, so the crew had to stay flexible in their investigation. Furthermore, the intense radiation prevented excursions lasting more than a day. No matter which geological—and maybe biological—features they wanted to research, one thing was clear. These could not be more than approximately 100 kilometers away. They had chosen an area near the equator, on the side facing Jupiter. It contained two volcanic craters, Pillan Patera and Reiden Patera, as well as Kami-Nari Patera, a small active volcano.

  This was a bold decision. Not only would they have to aim well—and, even so, run the risk of being hit during landing by material ejected through an eruption—but the surface of the areas adjacent to the volcanoes might not be stable. It would be very bad news for them if the lander touched down on a lava chamber. During earlier discussions, Martin had posed a sarcastic question of whether they would like to land on Iceland when they returned to Earth. It was an apt comparison. The density of volcanoes on Io was so high that they would hardly find any geologically-safe areas.

  “I am about to activate the engines,” Francesca said, which brought Martin out of his daydreams. He had not even noticed her successful rotation of the ship because it had been so smooth. He also did not feel the zero gravity, since he was basically now hanging head-down above the volcano moon. The image, as displayed on his monitor, did not unnerve Martin, but he was grateful there were no portholes to make him feel even worse.

  Then the abrupt force of the lander’s chemical engines pressed him against his seat. They gradually reduced the speed of the ship below the escape velocity of Io, giving the moon an opportunity to capture its unexpected guest. Io had never had any human visitors before, so once again they would be setting foot on virgin ground. Martin imagined how his name would appear in all of the internet encyclopedias. He knew the Chinese publicity people would be annoyed, since Jiaying only landed on Enceladus.

  “Watch out. I am going to brake a bit harder.”

  Francesca’s warning came even as she did so. Martin felt as if hundreds of pounds were pressing down on him so that he could not breathe. Last time, when Watson landed us on Titan, it was much smoother, wasn’t it? He managed to glance at Francesca, who sat in her pilot seat, grinning. She must be a glutton for punishment.

  “Volcanic plume near the direction of flight,” the Watson AI warned.

  “Sorry, folks, but I have to fly the parabola a bit steeper, as otherwise a rock might hit us on the forehead,” Francesca said, immediately implementing her threat. Martin had not endured this much acceleration since their takeoff from Earth in an old Chinese rocket.

  “Dss itt ha...” he could not even open his mouth properly anymore.

  “I don’t understand you, Martin. Is there something you want?” Francesca turned toward him with an impudent grin. Her eyes were gleaming so much he could not even be mad at her. Maybe he really should not whine so much, and he definitely would not want to have to listen to himself when he was like this. Maybe Jiaying broke off their relationship because of this trait. In the future, he decided, he would... well, what would he do exactly? Gradually the deceleration pressure was getting on his nerves. If it went on much longer he would have to use the diaper he wore as part of his ‘uniform,’ just to be on the safe side. How embarrassing!

  Martin stared at the monitor screen through half-open lids. The surface of Io was racing past him, and he saw volcanic vents rising from yellow-green plains. There were lakes in garish colors, like those depicted in a documentary about environmental pollution on Earth, alongside desert areas with gray and red sand, covered with huge boulders. Fat lava ‘pimples’ spewed streams of semi-liquid materials in all directions. Io is a special kind of paradise, he thought, as if designed by Hieronymus Bosch. Why were they here, and for what purpose? Could this moon, which for billions of years had been squeezed by the invisible fist of its planet, represent a real danger to them?

  The ‘heavy sandbag’ lying on his lungs seemed to get lighter.

  “We’ve almost made it,” Francesca said, sounding a bit sad about it. “About ten minutes more.”

  The destination was already marked on Martin’s monitor. He felt they were approaching the surface too fast for his liking—much too fast.

  Francesca must have noticed Martin’s skeptical look. “Everything is fine. I’ve talked it over with Watson. This lowers the risk of us getting hit by ejected material. Unfortunately, this involves another strong...”

  She did not finish her sentence. The pressure must be bothering her, too. Luckily, it ended twenty seconds later. “Phew! ‘Strong deceleration,’ I wanted to say. Don’t worry, guys, the rest is child’s play.”

  “All systems go. Landing site secure,” Watson said, confirming her words. Martin looked at the screen. They were moving at 52 kilometers per hour, slower than his moped.

  “High gate,” Francesca informed them, the standard signal indicating that the landing could no longer be aborted. Below them was a flat plain without larger boulders, a good choice. “Watson, last check.”

  “All systems go. Deceleration vector as planned.”

  Francesca pushed a button giving Watson control for the final approach. In case of surprise events, the AI could react faster. Martin thought back to the landing on Titan, where they had met with a surprise during the last meters.

  “Status?”

  “Nothing unusual.”

  Martin was glad to hear it. He kept his fingers crossed.

  “150 meters. Low gate.”

  They would arrive soon. The engines were blowing up sand that blocked the view downward. Watson automatically switched to radar. An alarm sounded while they were descending the last few meters. The lander had to slow down to 10 kilometers an hour. A speed of 15 km/h, as they had used on Titan, would be too much. The lander was heavier now, but Watson was taking all of this into account.

  “Warning, landing,” Francesca said. Martin held his breath. The lander made a creaking sound. The landing struts were made of hard metal, but he had the impression they yielded a little bit. Was the ship rocking back and forth? Would it topple over? He saw ‘Horizontal velocity zero’ on the screen,

  “Okay, guys, here we are. You can start breathing again,” Francesca finally announced.

  Martin used to hate it when passengers applauded a pilot after landing, but now he clapped his hands, and Hayato did the same.

  April 15, 2047, Washington, D.C

  The Washington Post

  DISASTER IN SPACE

  What Happened to the International Space Expedition?

  NASA Mentions Software Error, While Experts Assume Hijacking

  It appears there have been serious incidents on the International Expedition spaceship that is currently on its way back to Earth. This morning, a spokesperson from the NASA space agency reported a software error is blocking communication with the ILSE spacecraft. This is said to be the result of an unexpected and complicated software update for the onboard computers.

  The agency will
only disclose further details after an internal investigation has been conducted to reveal initial findings. The space agencies of China and Russia have also published similar statements. Inquiries at ESA (Europe) and JAXA (Japan) reveal these agencies are not being included in the troubleshooting. The Japanese government and the European Commission have launched official protests against this measure and demand to be immediately informed about the fate of their citizens onboard the craft.

  Reporters from The Washington Post are currently attempting to obtain further information from independent experts. NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. and the expedition’s Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston have both been quarantined by military troops, supposedly for ‘national security reasons.’ No one is allowed to enter or leave these facilities. A Defense Department employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated the incident occurred while ILSE was preparing an exploratory mission to the Jupiter moon Io. According to this source, the NASA statement concerning a software issue is not completely incorrect, but greatly oversimplified.

  It has been learned that since the take-off of the landing expedition from the Saturn moon Enceladus, an illegal alien intelligence was spread throughout the ship’s on-board computers without authorization from global authorities. This intelligence is believed to have infected the two on-board AI programs, ‘Watson’ and ‘Siri,’ and waited for the opportunity to complete a takeover of the spacecraft.

  The opportunity occurred when the Io expedition, which was approved by NASA, began, which left only two crew members behind on board ILSE. These two crew members, the ship’s commander Amy Michaels (44), from the U.S., and the specialist Li Jiaying (39), from the People’s Republic of China, are confirmed to be locked in ILSE’s habitat ring and have no way to influence the course of the spaceship.

  A reliable but unnamed source states there appears to be no direct threat to Earth. The three astronauts who were part of the Io expedition are considered lost, since a rescue mission from Earth would be unable to arrive there in time to save them. The doomed members, Japanese astronaut Hayato Masukoshi (49), German astronaut Martin Neumaier (40), and Italian astronaut and mission pilot Francesca Rossi (49), are stranded on Io, the active volcanic moon of Jupiter. It is unknown what resources they have available for their limited period of likely survival. Harvard astronomer Harald Gentroni estimates this to be only a few days on this hostile moon. According to officials at NASA, this exploratory mission was supposed to have lasted no more than two days. Independent experts who were contacted are unable to offer significant solutions and expressed mostly pessimism concerning the outlook for the expedition.