Exodus (The Exodus Trilogy)

by Christensen, Andreas

  “All right then, I think that’s enough bullshit. Let’s get down to business, shall we?” The first to take a step forward was Dr. Svensson, who gave the camera a brief nod as it zoomed in on her.

  “As you should know by now, the 55 Cancri system consists of two separate stars; a yellow dwarf star and a smaller red dwarf star. If you’ve paid any attention to what was known at the time of our departure, you would know that the yellow dwarf, 55 Cancri A, is quite similar to the sun. It is smaller and slightly less massive than our sun, and so is cooler and less luminous. However, since Aurora is closer to its star than Earth was to our sun, the temperature on the ground will be about the same, possibly a just a little colder. Now, the star has little or no variability and only low emission from its chromosphere. This is important, as it gives us a stable environment so to speak, with a very low chance of flares. We still know little about 55 Cancri B, as we have focused primarily on the star that will have the main impact on our destination planet. But what we know is that 55 Cancri B is a red dwarf star, located at an estimated mean distance of 1,065 AUs from its primary. One astronomical unit, for those who didn’t pay attention, is equal to the mean distance between the sun and Earth. This star is both small and dark, compared to both the sun and the primary, but we will be able to see it at times, when its alignment and the atmospheric conditions on Aurora are just right.” Kenneth hadn’t seen the Swedish astronomer before, but he recognized her brisk and stern mannerism for what it was: insecurity and nervousness. She had stopped for a moment, and coughed lightly before she continued. Yes, she seemed nervous all right.

  “Let’s move on to the planetary system of 55 Cancri A then. So far, we have found seven planets, but we can’t rule out the existence of more, even though they would likely be located at a very great distance from the star. Aurora is the fifth planet from the primary, and has a mean distance from the star of 0.92 AUs. It is a little smaller than Earth, with about 90 percent of Earth’s gravity, which means you will feel lighter and stronger, at least initially, until your body adapts to the conditions. Its year has 325 days, and it rotates around its own axis in twenty-eight hours. That means we’ll have longer days, while the years will be shorter. Aurora has an axial tilt that is somewhat less than that of Earth, but close enough that there will be seasonal variations.

  “As to the other planets, the three closest to the star are gas giants, and too close to support life. The fourth, also a gas giant, lies within the habitable zone, and although it is covered in water clouds, it is not especially hospitable to humans, as it has no solid surface. It does have at least three moons though, and at least one of them has liquid water, and there might be life there. This is our closest neighborhood, so I guess we’ll look into that once we’re fully established on Aurora. Okay … The sixth planet is located at 5.74 AUs out, and has a mass of almost five times that of Jupiter. This is very good, because this planet’s gravity will suck in a lot of the dangerous objects that would otherwise be drawn toward the star. Who knows what they might hit on their way.” Kenneth thought of what had happened to Mars, and later to Earth itself. Yes, he thought, that sounds good.

  “And at last, close to 10 AUs out, we have a rocky planet of about five Earth masses. This is an extremely cold, dead world, and we have not focused as much on it so far.” She paused again, and looked at the admiral, who smiled and nodded for her to continue.

  “So let’s move on to atmospheric conditions. I guess you are all eager to know more about that. The science teams have just finished analyzing the data from the probes that were sent down when we first arrived. I'll go through the main results, and bear with me that we do not have all the data ready yet, but we do know a few things for certain at this point.” She lifted her head from her notes, and looked straight into the camera for the first time, and then, surprisingly, a smile lit up her face.

  “The atmosphere is not very different from Earth, and as we have always suspected, but didn’t dare to believe until we came here, it is breathable.” That brought cheers and applause from all the rooms where people were watching the presentation. Kenneth thought that breathing fresh air was something profoundly human, and the thought of wearing space suits for the rest of their lives had always been a little depressing, at least subconsciously.

  “All right, all right, this is great news, I agree. Just … Let’s not get all carried away yet.” The noise subsided as the Swedish astronomer carried on.

  “So far, the probes have found no dangerous microorganisms or trace elements that would constitute a hazard to humans, but nevertheless, we have to be careful. So what will happen is this. The first landing party will be wearing airtight suits, just in case we have overlooked something. We are taking no chances here; there is too much at stake. So Hammer and her team will take a lot of samples that will need to be analyzed before we can be certain of anything. You should expect to be wearing facemasks for some time. These masks will filter out any organic material, which is what we fear the most. It seems the air itself won’t harm us.

  “And lastly, I want to mention that back in 2078, while most of you were in Selection, we found that there is photosynthesis at work here. That led us to believe that there is vegetation, and this has now been confirmed. There are other signs of life too, such as heat signatures recorded by the probes, but that is as much as we can possibly detect at the moment. There seem to be no structures that are in any way built or created, so the likelihood of intelligent life is low. But again, I will not rule it out, as it may just be different from what we associate with intelligence.” She took a step back and the camera shifted to Professor Lowell.

  “Right, first of all, I’d like to say to y’all that geology is a crucial element as to the long-term viability of inhabiting this planet. What we wished for when we came here was an active world. Earth is active, which means that the core is alive, which is an important element in giving the planet its magnetic field, a feature that has many uses, but most importantly, protects Earth from solar flares, which would otherwise cause radiation that could kill all life on the planet. We have found this on Aurora as well, which is a good thing. It means that when 55 Cancri A flares, which isn’t as frequently as the sun, but still, we have something like a force field that will protect us. And we have plate tectonics. There seem to be both active volcanoes and tectonic activity down there. Less than Earth, but enough to enrich the surface with resources and nutrients that support life.

  “There are four major continents, which seem to have some major differences. We’ll need to decide on where to land, as that will be our home for a long time, until we are able to explore more of the planet.” He brought up a roughly sketched map, and held it up for the camera.

  “As you can see, there is a large amount of water here. In fact, about half the planet is covered by water. The rest is mainly split up between the four continents, although there are other landmasses as well, a couple of mini continents and several large islands. Now, the eastern continent, which we’ve decided to call Cerula, consists mainly of rocky deserts, highlands, and mountains, with one large inland sea. It doesn’t seem to have as much vegetation as the others, but there are numerous indications that there may be large deposits of important resources in the ground. The northwestern continent, named Rossi, has an area in the south with dense forests and rivers, while the greater part is covered in ice. Just south of this continent is a smaller landmass, Verdi. We chose to call it a continent because it appears to have a different topography altogether, that seems more temperate, with varied topography. Here we found grasslands, rivers, mountains, forests ... The last continent, Viola, is the smallest, and it is separated from the others by the planet’s largest ocean. It is located west of Verdi, on the same latitude, and seems to have a similar topography.”

  The camera shifted again. This time it was the executive officer, Major Tina Hammer, who greeted the camera. She went on to tell them how they were planning to enter the atmosphere of Aurora and make t
he first landing, and the importance of choosing a good spot that could support the population, as they all would gradually be transported down to the surface. By then, Kenneth was lost in thought, and when Tina finally finished, he discovered that he couldn’t remember anything she had said.

  Chapter 14

  2245 ~ Aurora orbit

  There were four shuttles on board, and they were outfitted with chemical rockets, very similar to those that had been used for carrying people and materials up into Earth orbit. The design was nothing groundbreaking; it was simple, sturdy, and built to last. The shuttles were capable of carrying thirty adults, including the pilots, and had an automatic glider system that adapted its flight to the characteristics of the atmosphere and gravity of Aurora, and by itself, it was capable of identifying—and avoiding— risky terrain, such as oceans, rocky areas, and mountains, taking them safely to ground. The automatic system ensured a safe landing and freed the shuttle pilot for other tasks, such as scouting for terrain that would be suitable for long-term habitability, which was a different challenge altogether. The pilot could take manual control at any given time, and she could also alter the designated landing spots the automatic system proposed. This was crucial on this first flight, as the spot they chose would likely be where they would set up their initial camp, which would soon grow into a colony. They didn’t have enough fuel to search all over the planet to find the perfect spot, so when they found something that looked good enough, for both landing and long-term habitability, that would be where they would land.

  As Tina buckled up, she glanced over at her copilot, Lieutenant Henry Carroll. She had chosen him personally, knowing that he was capable and steady, and quick to react in an emergency. He was also her friend. Now he was doing the final checks and everything looked fine. As the hatch was closed, he smiled at her and nodded affirmatively. They were ready. In a minute, the shuttle would be released from the Exodus, and the attitude thrusters would separate them from the mother ship. They silently counted down the seconds.

  “All right, folks. Hang on. Three, two, one.” There was a rattling sound, and a bang followed by another and another and another. That was the attitude thrusters, separating the shuttle from the mother ship. Tina felt a pull as the shuttle glided out, away from the Exodus and into its own orbit.

  “That’s it. We’re clear. Initiating auto pilot.” She toggled a switch and the attitude thrusters kept working to adjust the shuttle to its projected course.

  The new world came closer into view as the shuttle gained speed. They were flying over the night side of the planet now, and it was utterly black. So different from Earth, where the night would be lit up all over the planet. The marks of human civilization. Tina enjoyed the sensation, but kept a close watch on the displays. It was an old habit of hers, never trusting the automatic system completely.

  There were six passengers, scientists all. They would assess the landing site, from potential for agriculture to meteorological conditions to running tests on the local vegetation, sampling the air, and a whole set of other tasks. She didn’t know each of the scientists personally, but she trusted they were the best at what they did.

  “Okay, ready for retro burn. Three, two, one.” There was a kick in the back, and they were pressed into their couches. They could feel the shuttle changing directions. The retro system was designed to shed their velocity, in order to take it out of orbit and let it fall toward the atmosphere of Aurora. After more than a century, it still functioned, just as the technicians who’d inspected it said it would. The retro burn ended abruptly, and they were thrown forward into their straps.

  “All good, Major,” Henry said. They were no longer in orbit. Now the shuttle was falling toward the planet, small bursts from the attitude thrusters adjusting its alignment and course so that the nose pointed in the direction of descent. A few minutes later, the shuttle tipped up, so that it flew belly first, where the large heat shield would protect them when they entered the atmosphere.

  Then they felt it. Gravity. They were entering the atmosphere. At the same time, they saw the first light of day, as dawn quickly came closer. The view was suddenly obscured, as the colors of the burning plasma filled the air around the shuttle. Tina and Henry looked at each other, and Tina could see the concern on her copilot’s face. They both knew this was a critical phase. The shuttles were designed from years of experience with Earth’s atmospheric entry, but no one really knew how that would work here. In theory, it should be fine, with everything adjusted to the conditions of Aurora’s atmosphere, but you never knew. As the shuttle shook more violently, Tina felt sweat trickle down her back. There were no guarantees, no certainty, and this was something quite different from flying scramjets across North Africa.

  Then, just like that, the plasma dissipated to reveal blue sky with scattered clouds around them. Somewhere, while covered in the burning plasma, they had crossed the terminator into daytime. The shuttle shook a little as it adjusted to its new surroundings. They were flying. No longer falling, but actually flying. They were still high up, so the horizon still showed a curve, but they were able to see contours of the landscape beneath them. They were flying toward Verdi, where they assumed they would be able to find a spot where both landing requirements and possibility of long-term habitation would match. Things were moving very quickly now. They flew across a mountainous landscape that had to be somewhere in the western regions of Cerula. As their descent continued, they passed the coastline and beneath them were the vast expanses of ocean. Tina recognized the features from the map that Professor Lowell had shown them. It shouldn’t be long now.

  After a few minutes, they could see land in the distance. The shoreline approached quickly, and once they lowered the landing gear, the shuttle started shaking again.

  “That’s it,” Henry said. Tina could see it now too; the grasslands were right in front of them. The landing site was an expanse of grasslands with a forest to the south, and a river running just north of it, while north of the grasslands there was a region of low mountains. The coast would be to the east of their landing site.

  They were flying low now, just a hundred meters, eighty, seventy …

  “This is it,” Tina said into the comms, so that everyone could hear. “We’re going in for landing.” She gently pushed at a handle, and the landing gear touched ground. Carefully she let the weight of the shuttle come down. The shuttle skipped a few times before finally settling down, speeding across the landscape. Then there was a loud bang as the chutes deployed. The shuttle slowed, and as it came to a halt, Tina realized she had been holding her breath, and she let it out. Henry had a wide grin on his face as he released his secondary handle, and looked at the readings on the displays. All good, it seemed. The shuttle would be operational again in just sixteen hours, the time it took to reload the batteries and refill the rockets, an automated process that converted atmospheric components into rocket fuel. Tina peeked out as she reported back into the comms.

  “Exodus, this is shuttle. We are safely down.”

  2245 ~ Aurora

  Setting up camp was hard labor, and Thomas Dunn breathed heavily under the weight of a crate filled with some kind of lab equipment. The first landing had been a success yesterday, and now they had the first results from the soil and air samples taken. They were told that they would be able to plant edible crops here from the seeds brought from Earth, as soon as they had the camp ready and everybody settled in. That would be even harder work, as most of it would have to be done before winter set in. The scientists had given them some idea of what Aurora winter would be like, and although it would be comparable to certain parts of Earth, it wouldn’t be comfortable. Thomas wasn’t sure how to interpret that, but one thing was for sure; you didn’t want to be caught out in the open on a cold winter night in these parts. But it was still late spring, and the air felt nice and warm against his exposed neck. He resisted the temptation to remove his facemask. He knew he would be able to breathe the air, and it would hav
e felt so good, but the scientists had told them all to make sure they kept them on at all times until they had the air-tight shelters ready, so he did. He wasn’t much for respecting authorities, but this mandate he would stick with. Who knew what kind of bugs he would catch if he didn’t.

  He caught a glimpse of the shrink, Taylor, and chuckled to himself, as the older man was obviously having a harder time of it than he. Sweating hard, while carrying a piece of one of the containers that would be used as living quarters, Taylor had to stop to catch his breath every ten steps. They had been told the lower gravity would make them all feel super fit, at least initially, but at the moment, he didn’t think Taylor would agree. As Dunn carried a crate over to the biology team, who of course had to be at the other end of the campsite, he thought about the shrink. An interesting fellow actually; so careful with his words, Thomas thought. He didn’t know where the man stood, but obviously he wasn’t one of Havelar’s cronies; he would have known if he was in the inner circle, but of course that didn’t mean he was to be trusted. The plan had been designed so that no one knew who had been picked by the senator and his people, and who were thought of as loyal to the Andrews regime. Even so, Taylor didn’t seem to fit the bill in either direction. And considering it, perhaps he didn’t belong to either camp. Perhaps the psychologist would turn out to be something else entirely.

  The campsite was located in the far east of the continent they had named Verdi, on a large expanse of grasslands, not far from the coastline. Just to the north there was a wide river, and Thomas thought that once the immediate tasks on site were covered, they should try to see if Aurora had any fishing opportunities. From what he knew of fishing back on Earth, it looked promising. Of course, no one knew whether fish or anything that resembled fish even existed on Aurora, although the biologists believed the waters surely held some kind of life. But he would certainly go check it out as soon as possible.