Rebecca felt her pulse quicken and her stomach knot up. "Stage one complete," Captain Coffner announced. "All stations, report status." Rebecca listened as each member of the eight-person crew responded with, "All clear."
The shuttle and the newly attached CPD module slowly moved away from the Independence and headed off toward the moon. Since she was a child, Rebecca had always dreamed of traveling into space and seeing the magnificent natural satellite up close. All those years of waiting had been worth it, she now decided. The majesty of it, the sheer immensity, left her feeling small and insignificant. And to think without this giant ball floating high in space, there would be no tides to mix the oxygen in the ocean. There would be no life.
As she pondered its beauty, her excitement grew once more. According to the probe, 2021 PK had a moon as well. Would they really succeed in their mission? Would they really find other life-forms? NASA certainly believed it was worth the risk. And the expense.
"There she is," Ricky said, pointing to something that was just becoming visible as they came around the dark side of the moon and into the shining radiance of the sun.
The viewport immediately darkened to compensate for the brilliance. After a moment's adjustment, Rebecca could begin to make out five shapes in the distance.
Although dwarfed by the moon, the objects were still immense, particularly the one closest to the sun. Stretching nearly seven thousand miles across but only a fraction of that in thickness, the hexagonal sunlight collector glowed with a bright orange-yellow light, impatient to release its pent-up energy.
Beyond that, three more objects floated motionless in space in close proximity to each other. The cylindrical laser was positioned to receive the focused sunlight, ready to convert it into the high-powered laser beam that, once reflected off of the giant mirror stationed next to it, was channeled through the particle accelerator, which then increased the speed of their laser light to almost fifty times normal, propelling their ship into deep space in record time.
The last of the five objects was their laser sail. The circular diamond film disc was a full six hundred miles in diameter. Its clear crystalline surface refracted the light from the sun, causing rainbows to dance about in all directions. The effect was stunning, causing all within the shuttle to simply stare in wonder.
Several minutes of silence passed uninterrupted until at last Captain Coffner spoke. "We're coming up on the Harness. Take us in nice and easy, Ricky."
The Harness was a small eighty-foot wide circle that was attached to the laser sail by several nearly invisible cables. Ricky piloted the Cortex Propulsion Drive through the center of the Harness with ease, slowing as they neared the connection point.
"Easy does it," the captain said softly as the ship crawled forward, now moving at a snail's pace. Finally, a loud click echoed through the ship, followed immediately by a slight shudder as the connectors locked into place.
The mission specialist, Adam, looked up from his console and gave them a thumbs-up. "All lights are green. Nice job, Ricky."
"Independence, this is Vanguard. Stage two is complete," Captain Coffner said into the comm. "You may inform NASA that we're ready for Stage three."
"Acknowledged, Vanguard," came the reply.
"It's too bad we can't take the laser with us," Lisa said as they waited for NASA's signal. "Traveling by laser light is so much more efficient than the anti-hydrogen engines used by the CPD."
Rebecca's pulse quickened in anticipation of the coming trip so that she had to swallow hard to even get her voice to work properly. "And quicker too. If this planet turns out to be all we hope for, maybe NASA will use the laser to send components to build another laser at the other end so we can travel both directions instead of having to use fueled rockets. Who knows? Maybe 2021 PK will become a second Earth. The new New World."
The voice from the Independence returned, breaking into their conversation. "Hold on, Vanguard. We're about to turn up the juice. Have a safe trip."
The viewport darkened until it became completely opaque, or so it seemed. Then the entire world around them turned bright yellow as the laser light was captured by the massive sail. Rebecca was thrown back against her chair as the shuttle and her escort shot forward toward its destination and its destiny.
The next six weeks passed uneventfully. The laser continually pumped light into the sail, sending their craft hurtling through space faster and faster until they reached their maximum speed of nearly fifty times the speed of light. As the hours turned into days, the crew fell into a routine. They passed their time either conducting scientific experiments, sleeping, or performing various shuttle duties. After nearly a month and a half of travel, the sail reversed, beginning to slow the ship down. Finally, eighty-seven days after launch, they reached their destination.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, there she is, 2021 PK," Captain Coffner said.
Growing ever larger in front of them loomed a reddish-colored planet with dense cloud cover. The images received by the probe were nothing compared to actually viewing the real thing. Rebecca felt butterflies in her stomach as the excitement of the mission was renewed.
"Now where are the fuel storage units for the CPD?" the captain asked, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the empty space around them.
"There they are! One o'clock!" Ricky called out as he pointed.
There was an audible sigh of relief as the entire crew relaxed. "NASA, we have arrived, and the package is right where you said it would be." Captain Coffner spoke into his comm. "We're preparing for CPD separation and will be entering the atmosphere momentarily. Stand by." Without waiting for a reply, which he knew could take several minutes to reach them, he switched off the transmitter and nodded to Ricky to continue.
"Velocity approaching zero," Ricky reported as he grabbed the control stick. "CPD separation on my mark. Three...two... one...mark." As before, a loud metallic bang sounded, and the shuttle shook.
"CPD separation complete. Prepare for planetary entry," Captain Coffner said. "Ricky, do you have a solid lock on our probe?"
"It's a bit fuzzy, as expected, but still strong enough to follow."
"Good. Take us down."
The pilot expertly guided the shuttle through the thick atmosphere. Rebecca had never experienced anything so terrifying in her life. The shuttle shook so violently that she felt it would surely shake apart. Then abruptly, it was over, and they caught their first view of the surface of 2021 PK.
"Doesn't look like much, does it?" Scott Boland, the shuttle's payload commander, said, clearly disappointed.
Rebecca couldn't help but agree. The surface appeared barren and dry and utterly devoid of any signs of life.
"There doesn't seem to be any vegetation, just those gray rolling hills and large boulders," Lisa commented. She turned and looked over at Rebecca. "Do you think the whole planet is like this, or is this just some sort of desert-like area?" Rebecca just shrugged and continued to stare out the viewport.
"There it is!" Ricky said triumphantly. "Do you see it? Right there in front of those mountains. And there's the lake we saw in the reports."
As promised, the probe sat near the edge of a small lake, which looked to be about four miles in diameter. Behind it stood a tall range of mountains.
"Put her down over there," Captain Coffner said, indicating a flat area near the probe about a half of a mile from the edge of the lake. Ricky nodded in acknowledgment and set the shuttle down gently onto the alien soil, the vertical thrusters kicking up clouds of chalky gray dust.
"Well, everyone, welcome to 2021 PK," Ricky said, impersonating the voice of an airline pilot. "And thank you for flying on the Vanguard. Enjoy your stay."
Captain Coffner looked at him wryly. "Thank you, flight attendant." Clicking his radio, he said, "NASA, we've touched down. Preparing to disembark." As he began unstrapping himself, he addressed the others who were already in the process of extricating themselves from their chairs. "Okay, everyone. Remember, although 2021 P
K's atmosphere is breathable, there's still a lot of carbon dioxide in the air, so wear your protective breathing gear. Let's get the perimeter secure with our motion detection units, and then we'll unload the laser drill. Joel and I will head to the north by the lake, Jen and Scott will go west, Adam and Dave head to the east, and Lisa and Rebecca go south near the mountains. Ricky will stay with the shuttle and finish post-flight. So far, our readings show nothing moving out there, but keep your blasters ready. Report in once you have your MDUs up and functional. Let's go, people."
Rebecca checked her jumpsuit to make sure that it was properly sealed. NASA's new astronaut suits were not nearly as bulky as the older ones and looked much more like slightly oversized coveralls. Despite their appearance, they were much more reliable. However, Rebecca was not accustomed to taking chances. After double-checking all of her connections and latches, she slipped on her helmet and locked it into place. Once satisfied that all was set properly, she moved over to where Lisa and the others were waiting near the shuttle's hatch.
"Are you ready for your first step onto alien soil?" Lisa asked, her voice full of excitement.
"Ready if you are. I still can't believe I'm here."
"Well, believe it. Here we go," she said as Captain Coffner opened the hatch. Immediately, wind blew a fine white dust through the opening as the pressure from the shuttle equalized with the atmosphere of the planet. Weapons in hand, the crew walked cautiously down the shuttle's ramp in pairs. After a few minutes of making sure that the immediate area was secure, they split up and headed off toward in their designated directions. As Lisa and Rebecca walked toward the distant mountains, Rebecca stared in awe at the landscape. There has to be life here. I can feel it. There's something special about this place.
After a few minutes, their headsets crackled to life. Captain Coffner's voice was clear, but the atmospheric distortion was already affecting the equipment. "Be careful out here. Keep your sensors active. This wind and dust are reducing visibility, and the distortion may have an unknown effect on our equipment."
"Copy, Captain," Lisa said.
Rebecca turned to look back toward the shuttle. "No kidding. It's difficult to see the ship already. How far out are we going?"
"One mile. Don't worry. Although there's some distortion, the equipment is working perfectly." Lisa reassured her.
They kept walking for several more minutes, passing numerous mounds of dirty white earth, each reaching no more than fifteen feet tall and about fifty feet in diameter. Finally, Lisa called a halt. Taking the MDU off of her shoulder, she set it gently to the ground. "According to the gauge, this is far enough. If we go any further, we'll run into those large boulders on the skirts of the mountain. Does your motion detector show anything in the vicinity?"
Rebecca studied the screen of the instrument panel for a moment. "It's picking up the others' movement faintly, but nothing else. This atmospheric interference is really wreaking havoc on the readings."
"Well, let's get this thing unpacked. Once all four are online, they should give us a stronger reading than that thing." Lisa removed the motion detection unit from the bag and began the process of setting it up. Rebecca walked around and looked intently at her handheld unit for any sign of movement.
"These hills give me the creeps," she said. The tinny sound of her own voice inside the helmet sent an added chill up her spine. "You never know what might be hiding behind one. And these blue jumpsuits will stand out more than a pink tutu in a St. Patrick's Day parade!"
Lisa's laughter caused her to start as it crackled over the intercom. "Weren't you the one who was laughing because your sister was worried that you'd be attacked by 'monsters' or 'aliens'? Relax. If there was anything in the area, we would've picked it up by now." She flipped up the antennae with practiced ease and threw the power switch. The small dish began rotating accompanied by a flashing light at the tip of the antennae. "All right, that does it. I'm going to check in with the others."
She pressed a button on her wrist commlink. "Vanguard, this is team four checking in. Our unit is up and running. We're waiting for your signal to initiate linkup. Over."
Static spewed from the comm for a few moments, then Ricky's voice came through, broken but understandable. "Roger, Fo—" Then the com spurted out, "—aiting for oth—" silence, "teams." There was a short pause. "Uh, stand by, Four." After a few seconds, Ricky's voice once again fought its way through the static. "Four, Te—" The com again cut off and then spurted out, "One is encount—" silence, "—ome difficulty. Stay—" silence, "—sition"—silence—"until further notice. Over."
"Great," Lisa said. "Well, we might as well get comfortable. We may be here awhile." She clicked off her commlink and sat down next to the MDU, which was whirring quietly as it scanned the area. Rebecca followed suit. Taking her backpack off her shoulder, she set it down and sat next to it, facing Lisa. She reached down with her gloved hand and picked up a handful of the gray powdery dirt. "It definitely feels different than Earth soil. The drill should be able to punch through this in no time." She looked up at Lisa. "Do you really think we will find evidence of life here, Lisa?"
"I sure hope so. I didn't spend almost three months in that cramped tin can for nothing." Just then, Lisa's commlink chirped softly. "Lisa here," she responded reflexively.
"Lisa"—static—"having"—static—"problem with"—static—"one," Captain Coffner's voice said. Even through the distortion, she could read his frustration. "I need"—static—"help over here. Rebecca,"—static—"be able"—static—"handle linkup on that end?"
Lisa gave Rebecca a look as if to say, Great, just what we needed. "Yes, sir, Captain. I'll be over to give you poor boys a hand in just a few minutes. Over." She stood and shouldered her empty pack.
"Us 'poor boys'"—static—"try not"—static—"break"—static—"thing until you"—static—"here," the captain replied sarcastically. "Over and out."
"Sorry to leave you, but.
"Yeah, I know. Duty calls," Rebecca said. "Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
"That's more like it. A few minutes ago, you didn't sound so sure," Lisa said lightheartedly.
"Well, your confidence is infectious," Rebecca countered. "Besides, this will give me a minute alone to start my audio journal. I promised my sister that I would record all my thoughts and feelings so that I wouldn't forget anything."
"Just keep an eye on your motion detector. We still have no idea what's out there." Lisa turned and started walking north.
Rebecca laughed and called to her as she walked away, "Now you're the one sounding unsure." Lisa waved back at her and continued walking toward the ship.
As Lisa's figure retreated into the distance, Rebecca felt her initial fears began to creep back into her thoughts, this time accompanied by an unexplainable uneasiness. Come on, Becky. It's just your imagination. She took a deep breath and shook away her troublesome thoughts. Maybe my journal will help keep my mind from wandering. Kneeling next to her pack, she rummaged through it until she found her verbal notebook. She removed the handheld device and set it to the same frequency as her helmet radio. "Testing, testing," she said, watching the small readout screen. As expected, her words appeared in tiny letters. Satisfied that it was functioning properly, she began.
Journal Entry #1
I can't believe it! I'm actually standing on an alien planet! It's difficult to put into words the emotions that I'm feeling right now. This moment is one of the greatest of my life.
Before I go any further, let me first say that the purpose of this journal is threefold: 1) for myself—so that I may always have a record of my feelings and thoughts during this most amazing of times in my life; 2) for my sister and other family members—so that I'll be able to tell them everything that happened in detail; and 3) for others—who knows? Maybe I'll write a book someday!
Well, I don't even know where to begin. As I'm entering these notes, I'm sitting alone next to the motion detection unit about one mile fro
m the ship. Although I understand the importance of all of the security precautions, I must admit that I'm quite anxious to begin digging. So far, the probe reports have proved to be a hundred percent accurate. And now that I'm actually here, I believe more than ever that we will indeed find life. The planet...
Sudden movement in her peripheral vision caught Rebecca's eye. She immediately stopped speaking, stood, and turned toward the mound on her left. Pulling her blaster from its holster on her right hip, she thumbed off the safety. Her hand shook from the sudden adrenaline coursing through her veins. Seeing no further movement, Rebecca quickly scanned the area, then looked down at her handheld motion detector in her other hand.
Nothing. No movement anywhere. Did I imagine it? Without putting down either the motion detector or the blaster, Rebecca used her right index finger to touch the commlink on her left wrist. "Vanguard, this is Rebecca. Do you copy? Over." Static. "Team One, Two or Three, this is Rebecca. Do you copy? Over." More static. "Vanguard, this is..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw it again, this time coming from the mound on her right. She whirled around so fast she nearly tripped. Her heart was beating fast and heavy in her ears. "Vanguard, do you copy? If this is some sort of practical joke, I think it's in really poor taste." She looked down at the motion detector. It still showed all of the other members of the crew with the exception of Ricky, who was aboard the ship.
Rebecca felt her knees weaken. Something's not right. Why aren't they responding? Gathering her strength, she began walking back toward the direction of the ship. Fear held her in an iron fist, attempting to suffocate her. She gripped the hilt of her blaster so tightly that her joints began to hurt.
Suddenly, there it was again—a dim but unmistakable moving light. Her will finally giving in to her fear, Rebecca bolted toward where she believed the ship to be. Panic blinded her like a shroud, causing her to stumble and fall, her blaster falling from her grip. Gasping for air, she regained her balance, retrieved her weapon, and began to run once more.
Logic's End Page 3
