Rise of the Carnelians (Europa)

by Jason Gehlert

  Brody’s Journal

  “So, what exactly are we trying to find in here?” Kray asked Gillian. He searched around the grim office trying to locate some sort of key evidence.

  “Shaw said that Captain Brody had a handwritten journal somewhere in his office.” Gillian walked over to the desk, where the captain was slumped in his chair.

  Kray took notice of the scattered papers on the desk. “What does the journal look like?” He rummaged through the sticky stack of papers.

  “I don’t know. I’ll know it when I see it. Perhaps there’s a clue somewhere in the book.”

  “This is some scary shit, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Adrian sure didn’t include this neat surprise in his plan,” Kray responded with some bitterness lingering in his voice.

  Gillian had a quick passing thought about Adrian. She had wondered where he was and if he was still alive. She didn’t like him, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to see him dead either. She kept scanning the desk for any clues of a journal. Her hands spread out the bloody papers. One letter was scrawled in pencil and written to a female. Gillian surmised it was probably the captain’s wife, or perhaps his daughter.

  “Find anything?” Kray asked as he started to go through the captain’s books on the packed bookshelf. “Looks like this guy was a big horror fan. He has ‘Jaws’, ‘Carrie’, ‘Salem’s Lot’, and ‘The Sparrow’. Man, I thought I was the only one who has Gehlert’s Quiver Omnibus trilogy. He even has it autographed by the author himself. This guy has some classic reading here.” Kray went through the books, finding more unique tastes in reading. “He has a lot of astronomy books, as well.”

  “Can we move on?” Gillian asked. “We are not here to study his literary tastes.” Gillian lowered her head and peeked underneath the desk. She found the journal resting beneath one of the alien organisms. “Let’s see him write a novel about this.” Gillian paused. “Randy, come here.”

  “What’s up?” He bent down and looked underneath the desk.

  “You think it’s dead?” Gillian was afraid to move.

  Kray reached underneath and tapped the blue organism.

  Gillian let out a girlish shriek in anticipation.

  “Don’t worry,” Kray said, rolling the the alien over . “It won’t hurt you.”

  “How do you know?” Gillian asked fearfully .

  “Because, the captain here put a hole through this little guy’s head.” Kray showed Gillian the gaping wound in the back of the alien’s head.

  “Oh, Christ. That does make me feel better.” Gillian rose and placed the sticky journal on the desk. The black cover was stained in blood and the greenish fluid that had oozed from the alien’s wound.

  “Shall we find out what the good captain has written?” Kray asked eagerly. He always felt revived when he prepared a new dish, or tackled a new challenge.

  Gillian brought the journal over to the far corner of the office, where the captain’s laptop was resting on top of the table. She gathered up another chair for Kray, placed the battered journal on the table in front of them, and began to read quietly.

  Tuesday, May 18, 2049

  We departed Earth on May 22, 2045, with another team on board, and arrived here exactly four years and three days later. Our mission was to pick up where the previous team left off. By orders from NASA, the previous team has disembarked to the next leg of their journey. Another planet outside our solar system that could harbor life. The Amity’s breakthrough travel capability has cut our trip in half.

  Our maiden voyage was a bit on the rough side. The Amity experienced some damage to her engines and other aspects of the ship during the landing. The hull was torn in the process. I over-reacted to the aggressive turbulence and sent the Amity crashing into the docking bays, stranding my team and myself aboard the space station with no immediate return back to Earth. That was the plan set forth by President Forsythe. On the heels of Yellowstone’s apparent eruption, there would be no Earth left to go to. The other team that was traveling with us was killed in the crash. Their captain and Lieutenant were killed when a freak electric current from the crash electrocuted their trapped bodies underneath some of the cockpit’s debris. The other two members experienced fatal ramifications from damaged stasis units and died minutes after we left the Amity and entered the space station, despite our efforts to save them.

  The previous team left after the completion of the space station, and their attempts at colonizing the moon. We are the new tenants inside the station.

  Otherwise, a positive day. President Jackson Forsythe was right on target. The Abraham Lincoln Space Station is by far the eighth wonder of the world, if not the universe. The sheer beauty of the station is a true sight to behold. My team and I will be spending the next two years preparing Jupiter’s moon Europa for colonization. Another team will follow us here at another unspecified date. I am tired from the long trip from Earth. It has taken us just over four years to reach the moon. We’ve spent the years in a frozen stasis. We are experiencing no imminent damage from the stasis program.

  I am Captain Nigel Brody, the leader of his expeditionary team. I bring with me over forty-years of experience to this mission. I was in the United States Army and have a secondary love for astronomy, I have brought a sensible team along with me. My second-in-command, Lieutenant Matthew Shaw, is an experienced hunter, weapons, and technological expert. We have brought enough explosives to blow the moon apart tenfold. He will be in charge when we commence our drilling on the moon’s surface. Our communications expert, Reggie Hooper, will monitor all of our communication, and related intelligence. Finally, our resident geologist, Dr. Ellen Michaels, will assist in the discovery of any life forms down on the moon’s alluring surface.

  I will be keeping a daily log of our progress, as I hope to one day publish this experience as part of my memoirs.

  Monday, May 24

  Memorial Day

  We are just settling into our quarters, embracing the next several years of solitude out here on the space station. I know President Forsythe will send another team behind us. Logically, he would have too; I mean three guys and one girl? We can’t repopulate a colony with a 3:1 ratio.

  After today’s feast of freeze-dried entrees, we will descend to the moon’s surface and then we can begin Phase 1 of our mission. We will start by drilling holes through the icy surface. Then we plan on sending down cylinders packed with submersible balls that will float in the ocean beneath gathering data and sending it back to NASA’s super computers for analysis, as well as the computers aboard the space station.

  Phase 2 will include the use of submersible “bots” to gather further intelligence from underneath the icy surface. After all is said and done, we will start inserting thermal fission bombs into the designated areas to expedite the warming process. As we understand it, there are several underwater volcanoes that we can jump start into warming the ocean’s water to adequate living temperatures and start melting the ice above. Our main goal is to harness the water and oxygen and build a colony for Earth to retreat to once Yellowstone erupts.

  We will remain in constant contact with Earth and NASA as we prepare for the greatest consummation of mankind [fulfillment of perfecting absolute colonization, in my honest opinion]. NASA and President Forsythe have plans to build a starship fleet and use them for interstellar travel. The wealthy billionaire, Adrian Blakely, is funding the program with his sights on getting his own ship and mission. But, for right now, only the Amity is in commission, and I, Captain Nigel Brody, want my team to capture such a monumental landmark achievement.

  NASA had confirmed that The Abagail will embark within the year to aid us in our efforts. I am holding my breath for that scenario.

  Wednesday, June 9

  Our first week was filled with much drama. Reggie established radio contact with NASA and transferred our rough data to their top scientists. Reggie has also found out that NASA has been making great strides in s
ecuring their own fleet of ships, and another one, the Abagail, seems to be in the latter stages of production. I can only hope she will be the one that comes our way.

  According to reports, Yellowstone National Park is on the verge of eruption and this has caused NASA to crank up their efforts for space travel. They have found many suitable planets just outside our own solar system that could sustain life. Europa is their pride and joy right now because of her proximity. These other planets are at least 10-40 light years away and would require advanced ships to make such a voyage successful.

  Our own mission has been going very well.

  Lieutenant Shaw and Ellen Michaels have been drilling all week and inserting the fission bombs down into Europa’s crust to assist with the underwater volcanic activity. Early results show that our plan is working and the oceans’ temperatures are starting to warm up. The icy surface has started to crack and separate, leaving us to believe, in a matter of time, the once icy surface of Europa will become a free flowing body of water once again.

  I have even done some star-gazing and been keenly interested in this new planet that NASA has been chatting about. It has been dubbed “New Earth” by their scientists and the close resemblance is outstanding. According to NASA’s reports, this new planet is only 20.5 light-years away and recent discoveries have shown the planet is covered in water. It orbits around a red dwarf and therefore could offer very comfortable temperatures, similar to Earth’s.

  I have seen the planet through the telescope in the observatory. It truly is a magnificent find. The planet is just outside our own solar system and could offer hope as our own Earth dies out.

  Europa remains first on NASA’s list because of the close travel distance to Earth. However, I understand NASA will be beginning to send exploratory teams to this new solar system within a short time.

  Wednesday June 30

  I have been experiencing some feelings of isolation. I can’t really go out for a walk, or to a movie, or even call home. I’ve grown somewhat disenchanted with this new planet [New Earth] I have been talking about.

  I understand the importance of this mission and its success is very important to preserving the future of our Earth.

  After another discussion with NASA, I’ve found out that the leading volcano expert, Dr. Nolan Drake, has predicted an autumn eruption inside Yellowstone. I would have to figure President Forsythe has already assembled another wave of teams to send here.

  Over the next few weeks we will be using our robotic technology to gather new information from the underground ocean. Then we will be able to study all the data.

  Sunday July 4

  A cause for celebration!

  Today is Independence Day and we have found several forms of underwater life. Several schools of fish, a small collection of alien sharks, and one small blue organism, about six to eight inches in length.

  We have tranquilized these species and transported them back to our science lab, placing them inside the tanks for further study.

  Ellen and I have grown quite close over the last month. Shaw and Hooper are becoming close friends, although Hooper’s hyper mood can drive Shaw crazy at times.

  We have also sent solid data back to NASA that further solidifies Europa as their main choice for colonization.

  Gillian skipped to the part where Brody went into detail about the attacks and the description of the aliens themselves. She skimmed through the months of July, August, and September, focusing finally on October’s entries where the captain clearly is under the pressure of the invasion.

  Sun October 3

  Everything has gone horribly wrong. Over the last few months we’ve made some excellent strides in warming Europa’s icy core. However, in the process we’ve encountered some sort of vicious alien species.

  We’ve found several different forms of this blue organism that we found earlier.

  During one of her missions, Ellen accidentally brought one back with her, and it has since escaped into the dark recesses of the station.

  Hooper and Shaw have seen many of these things escaping from underneath the icy crust, literally swarming over the surface.

  At first glance, these things seem to thrive in this type of climate and environment. Shaw told me he has seen these organisms crawl, run, climb and kill one another in vicious attacks. There are small ones, medium ones, and the adult sized, which stand at about two feet tall.

  Shaw also said they have some sort of antenna on their heads which seems to be the centerpiece of their existence. He seems to think that these aliens can communicate using the antenna.

  I will maintain a close eye on these creatures.

  Sun October 31

  Reggie was attacked in the control room today by a swarm of these creatures. They found their way through the air ducts and a small crack in one of the doors in the lower level of the station. We are compromised and have started to arm ourselves from the artillery room as a defensive measure.

  Reggie was left for dead, his body a bloody mess from the vicious attack. Shaw and I couldn’t get to him in time. These creatures had the entire room flooded and our firepower wasn’t sufficient enough to eliminate the threat.

  Shaw and I decided to divide and conquer.

  I have been unable to locate Ellen. I fear she might have been attacked somewhere else inside the station.

  We have also lost contact with Earth and our own ship is beyond repair at this point in time. We simply didn’t have enough time to work on her. Our engineer was a part of the other team on the Amity. He died on the voyage out here after his body failed from the frozen stasis.

  We are stranded.

  Sun November 14

  It’s gotten worse here. I haven’t been out of my quarters in over a week. I don’t even know if the rest of my team is alive. I am a prisoner inside my own mind, as well as my quarters.

  I’ve thought about blowing up the whole damn station, but I don’t have enough manpower to pull it off. My explosives are in my locker, but I fear it is too dangerous to attempt. These creatures have swarmed the station.

  I have been studying them, trying to find their weakness.

  They seem to prefer the dark, as they have chewed through many of the electrical lines, blanketing most of the station in darkness. Only the main corridor, and the medical and science labs are still well lit. However, the entire lower level is blacked out.

  The smaller ones seem to prefer to crawl and slink along. The larger ones cause most of the damage. They are quick, violent, and cunning. They can run, walk, crawl, even rolling themselves up and tumbling along the floor.

  I was attacked in the hall the other day by the smaller worm-like organisms on one of my few attempts to gain access to the explosives. I fell and hit my head as I tried to slap them off of my body. I briefly blacked out, and when I awoke, they were nowhere to be found. I searched my body and found several marks down my arms and chest.

  I don’t know what to do.

  Sun November 21

  I’m tired and sick.

  My stomach churns. My throat’s scratched—I’m coughing up decent amounts of blood. They haven’t come for me yet, although I feel some sort of change inside me. I can see the skin on my arms and legs move. I feel I am going crazy. Small bumps move across my arms and legs, indicating something is crawling underneath my skin.

  I’ve come up with a name for our new guests. The Carnelians. It’s what they tell me their name is. I can hear them inside my head. They talk to me and urge me to do these horrible things. I will not break to their will. I must stay strong. They want me to get them off the moon and take them to this new planet I have knowledge of.

  They tell me that they crashed here on their journey through our solar system to find new hosts. They have been frozen in stasis here on the moon ever since a comet interrupted their ship’s course to Earth. They have come from several other planets and use humans as hosts to do most of their evil bidding. I am starting to understand why I never watched all those
sci-fi movies alone in the dark.

  I fear I am the only one left alive.

  Ellen and Shaw have not come back.

  I sit here alone in my quarters, tired and hungry. My stockade of juices, teas, and coffee beans are diminishing as well as my putrid packages of freeze-dried food.

  I was able to raid the kitchen almost without any sign of the aliens before being attacked.

  I am also in need of a shave. My beard is definitely fully grown. I feel dirty and unclean.

  Tue November 23

  I can’t take it any longer. Forgive me, I have to end it now. I’ve made a video journal and have left it by the laptop over on the table for the next team if they make it here alive.

  They are in my body and in my head. Their voices grow louder and louder with every passing day. I can see their movements underneath my skin, and there’s nothing I can do. I have tried cutting them out of my arms, but they are too quick for me.

  This is not how I wanted my life to end. But, there is no other choice.

  My final words of advice?

  Get the hell out. Don’t come here.

  Always keep the lights on, and pray to your God.

  If there is one.

  Gillian’s eyes welled up with tears as she finished reading the last journal entry. Captain Nigel Brody was indeed infected and his mind was powered by their thoughts. Gillian would take this vital information back to Kaspar and hopefully they will be able to get off the moon and search out this new planet.

  A New Man

  Adrian took a deep breath in as the chamber doors began to open.

  Ulysses caught a quick glimpse of the beaten and battered Adrian Blakely standing before him.

  “Shit, are you okay?” Ulysses reached out and pulled Adrian in by the collar of the suit from the cold environment and into the chamber.

  “Yeah, it’s been a rough couple of hours,” Adrian answered as the chamber closed and restored the room back to normalized oxygen levels.