Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1)

by Gregory Gates

  “That said, I do have a singularly important message to relay from Mars. I’ll read it to you exactly as we received it and then I’ll be happy to take your questions. I only ask that you allow me to read this in its entirety before you leap out of your seats and began pummeling me with questions.” She grinned at Heidi, standing beside her.

  Gabe let out a tiny gasp. “Oh god, here it comes.”

  Jeff kissed her cheek. “The world will never be the same.”

  Chrissie picked up the message and began reading.

  “Capt. Jeffrey Matthew Grey, USNR-Retired

  and

  Dr. Gabriel Anneliese Frederick, Ph.D.

  joyfully announce

  the birth of their daughter

  Margherita Concordia Grey

  MSD 51046.195

  3:41 a.m. LMST

  eight pounds, seven ounces

  twenty-one inches

  Grey Station

  Margaritifer Basin

  Mars”

  Gabe grasped Jeff’s hand and arm tightly.

  The entire room erupted. Chrissie and Heidi glanced at one another in amusement.

  Jeff chuckled. “That woke ‘em up.”

  Chrissie held her hands out in a calming motion. “Alright, alright. Calm down, I’ll try and get to all of your questions. How about one at a time.” She began pointing to one reporter after another and taking questions, “Yeah.”

  “Did you just say there was a child born on Mars?”

  “Yes, that’s what I said. Over here.”

  “MSD? LMST?”

  “Yeah, that’s how they keep time there. Mars Sol Date and Local Mean Solar Time.”

  “Okay, right. Um, when did this take place our time?”

  “Day before yesterday. Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 8:30 PM Eastern time. You.”

  “Was this planned or was it an, uh, accident?”

  Jeff shook his head. “Ah, jeez.”

  “There are a lot of logistics required in caring for a newborn. I think you can safely assume this was planned. Over here.”

  “If it was planned, did you know about it?”

  “Yes. In back there.”

  “How long ago was it planned?”

  “Oh, about five years. Over here.”

  “This has been planned throughout all of the preparation? Since the beginning?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. Up here.”

  “And they have diapers and baby food and all that with them?”

  “Yes, about a year and half supply. More than enough to get Margherita here for her first visit to our lovely planet. Over here.”

  “Her first visit? Oh my god. Is she, well… a Martian?”

  All four laughed.

  “What else would she be, you moron?” Abby snorted.

  “Hush,” said Gabe, “I can’t hear.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s an interesting question of semantics. But since she was born on Mars and has never been to Earth, uh, yeah, what else would she be? Over there in back.”

  “Her parents are U.S. citizens. Is she an American?”

  “Oh boy, I don’t know. She’s never been here. Right now she’s not even an Earthling. Over here.”

  They all laughed again.

  “Do you know if she was conceived on Mars or in space?”

  “That’s kind of a personal question,” said Jeff. “What do they want? Film?”

  “Would you hush?” Gabe barked.

  “Sorry.”

  “Given that she was born on Sol 296, it would pretty much have to be on Mars. Yeah, you.”

  “How are mother and child doing?”

  “Just fine. Both are in perfect health. Father I’m not so sure about.” She grinned. “Yeah.”

  Gabe elbowed Jeff in the ribs and grinned.

  “Did the pregnancy go normally? Were there any complications?”

  “We don’t have all the details yet, but so far as I know the pregnancy went full-term and progressed quite normally, no problems. Labor may have been just a bit on the long side; I think our information was around eight Earth hours and twenty minutes, Mars’ hours are about a minute and a half longer than ours. As you probably know, for the most part it’s gravity that gets the infant into position during labor to be born and Mars gravity is only 38% that of Earth, so Gabriel had to do a lot of walking around during labor to get Margherita lined up. But, otherwise labor and delivery went very smoothly, no complications. Up front here.”

  “Thank God,” Susan sighed.

  “Was it necessary to induce labor?”

  “No. Over here.”

  “Is she breast-feeding?”

  “Yes. Back here.”

  “Why did they decide to have a child on Mars?”

  “Uh oh,” said Jeff nervously.

  “Oh boy, I could talk for hours on that subject. The short answer is, ‘Why not?’ Look, eventually the rest of the world will catch up with us and go explore other planets and children will be born in space and on other worlds. So, a long time ago the decision was made that since we’re going to be the first ones to Mars, what the heck, why not be the first to have a child born off-world? Yeah, in the middle here.”

  Jeff nodded. “Good answer, Chrissie.”

  “How is Dr. Frederick holding up?”

  “She’s tired. Otherwise, holding up very well. She’s a new mother and, well, thrilled. Over here.”

  “I’m sorry but what was the name again? And, is there some significance to it?”

  Abby shook her head. “The first person born on Mars? Significance? Are you kidding me?”

  “Margherita Concordia Grey. And yes, there is significance to it. Obviously, Margherita relates to where they are, the Margaritifer Basin. The name Margherita is derived from margaron, the Greek word for pearl. In Roman mythology, Concordia was the goddess of agreement, understanding and marital harmony, and she was the daughter of the Roman gods of love and war, Venus and Mars. Thus, Margherita Concordia: pearl, daughter of Mars. And her nickname is Ghita. Yeah.”

  “Captain Grey and Dr. Frederick are not married, is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Follow up?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are they going to get married?”

  “Well, Capt. Grey and Dr. Frederick are engaged to be married, nuptials to take place sometime after their return to Earth. They’re a little short on chapels up there.” Chrissie grinned. “Yeah, over here.”

  “How is Ghita adjusting to the low gravity on Mars?”

  Chrissie laughed. “Uh, Ghita is two days old. I think it’s a little early to tell. Back here.”

  “Do they anticipate any undue difficulties with an infant during the trip back. They’ll be weightless for months.”

  “That’s a good question, and one that’s hard to answer. Nobody’s done this before. We’re just gonna have to wait and see. One thing is for certain – meal time could be a bit messy. Yeah, here. No, hold on, I’ll come back to you in a second. I’m sorry, my response to that last question was not meant to be frivolous. The trip back is indeed a big question mark. The impact of seven months in space on an infant? We just don’t know. Ghita will have a little over six months on Mars to develop before they take off, but she certainly won’t have started walking yet, probably not even crawling. Our best guess is that the weightlessness will probably have a minimal impact on her during the trip. However, it may take her a while to get used to Earth’s gravity, as she’ll probably have some difficulty with balance. But we’re a pretty rugged and adaptable species and we expect that she’ll get the hang of it fairly quickly. Okay, back over here. Sorry.”

  “Are you at all concerned about the possibility of permanent disabilities?”

  Chrissie sighed. “Um, oh gosh. Yes and no. I mean, one is always concerned about the possibility of disabilities in a newborn. But, no, we have no undue concerns at this time. As I said, we’re a very adaptable species. Just as Jeff, Gabe, Abby and Susan have adapted to living o
n Mars, Ghita will adapt to living on Earth. It just may take her a bit longer because of her age. But we’re confident that six months or a year after she arrives here on Earth she’ll be just fine and indistinguishable from her peers – developmentally speaking. She will of course still be a Martian. Na-Nu Na-Nu.” Chrissie grinned. “Yeah, way in back.”

  “Following up on that, humorous though it may be, at present activity on Mars is regulated by international treaty here on Earth. What impact is the birth of a child there going to have on that?”

  “I have absolutely no idea. But I would imagine it will be a topic of many dinner conversations for a long time to come. Over here.”

  “It’s been reported that Dr. Frederick possesses an extremely high IQ. Is there a possibility that her daughter’s birth on Mars may, I don’t know, somehow amplify that and that Margherita could turn out to be some kind of super-genius?”

  Gabe groaned. “Well, my IQ is clearly higher than yours, moron. God, what a stupid question.”

  Jeff smiled. “That's why you're a physicist and he’s a reporter.”

  Chrissie sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t think of a reason why birth on Mars would have anything to do with it. Inside their habitat, except for the reduced gravity and the absence of some gaseous trace elements in their atmosphere, it’s pretty much like it is here. Yes, Dr. Frederick is very intelligent, so is Captain Grey. So the odds of Ghita being reasonably bright are probably pretty good. But it’s still likely to just be a combination of genetics and education, just as with any other child. Yes, she is a Martian because she was born there but, genetically, she’s as human as the rest of us. I’ve seen a photo of her and, no, she’s not green and doesn’t have antennae. She looks pretty much like any other baby. No, that’s not right, she’s a lot cuter. I have to say that or Gabe will pummel me when she gets back. Yeah, over here.”

  Gabe frowned. “You better say she’s the cutest baby in the universe or I’ll crush you like a bug.”

  Jeff chuckled. “You're such a softie.”

  “I presume Dr. Lú was present. Were Captain Grey and Commander Nolan present at the birth? And, was Dr. Lú prepared for potential complications? For example, could she have performed a cesarean section if necessary?”

  Abby shook her head. “No, we were all out collecting rocks.”

  “Yes, yes, yes, yes and, uh… yes.” Chrissie smiled. “Susan Lú is an extremely capable physician and, as I said earlier, this has been five years in planning and I’m pretty sure she had all the bases covered. And, yes, both Jeff and Abby were right there at Gabe’s side. Yeah, down here.”

  “How sophisticated are their medical facilities?”

  “Pretty sophisticated. Not large, but more than ample. They have x-ray, ultrasound, complete surgical setup, a full locker of pharmaceuticals, most everything they might need. You may remember some months back when Abby had her accident and fell in the crater. Susan was able to deal quite adequately with some pretty severe injuries. She did contact Earth for consultation with an orthopedic surgeon because of the severity of the break in Abby’s leg, but then proceeded to put Humpty Dumpty back together rather well. Over here.”

  “Humpty Dumpty?” Abby glared at the screen. “Girl, you're toast.”

  “How is Commander Nolan?”

  “She’s fine. Has healed up quite nicely. Yeah.”

  “Is there a reason why you didn’t announce Dr. Frederick’s pregnancy months ago?”

  “That announcement was withheld at the request of Dr. Frederick and Capt. Grey. Uh huh, in back.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s the way they wanted it. Yeah.”

  Jeff nodded. “Good job.”

  “Don’t you think the public had a right to know about a monumental event like this as it progressed?”

  Chrissie shrugged and shook her head. “No. Over here.”

  Jeff laughed. “Excellent.”

  “What kind of impact do you anticipate this will have on the rest of their mission?”

  “None. As I said, this was planned and fully anticipated. Barring unforeseen circumstances they’ll go on with the remainder of the mission as planned. Yes, in back.”

  “I recall no mention at all over the past few years of a personal relationship between Dr. Frederick and Capt. Grey. I’m just a little confused here, how long have they had a relationship? Or, have they?”

  “Eh… uh, that’s getting into their personal lives and we’re not gonna go there. Back in the corner.”

  Gabe sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

  “Who’s idea was this?”

  Gabe, Abby and Susan simultaneously pointed at Jeff.

  “Gee, thanks,” he said, “this should be interesting.”

  “Come again.”

  “Who’s idea was this? I mean, in the beginning, who decided to have a child on Mars?”

  “Initially, it was Capt. Grey’s suggestion. Who decided? Well, because of the obvious impact it would have on the mission and everyone involved, ultimately the decision was arrived at jointly. Up front here.”

  “What was the initial reaction to Capt. Grey’s suggestion?”

  Abby grinned. “Gabe wanted him boiled in oil.”

  Chrissie laughed. “That took place before I joined the team, so I wasn’t there. But from how it’s been described to me, reaction was, uh… mixed. Yeah.”

  “What was your reaction when you first heard of it?”

  “Well, my reaction was also mixed: surprise, concern, curiosity, wonder. I have a vague recollection of being speechless. Yeah, you.”

  “Was there a lot of debate about it?”

  Chrissie laughed again. “Uh, yeah, you could say that. Yes.”

  “Outside of your nucleus team, was there anyone else that knew of this?”

  “No. Yeah, you.”

  “Has the President been notified? And if so, what was his reaction?”

  “Yes. I personally spoke with the President on the phone yesterday evening, shortly after we re-established communications and got the word. His reaction was much like yours; a lot of questions.”

  “Follow up?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Will he be sending congratulations?”

  “I believe a personal message from the White House has already been sent; I don’t know what was said, I haven’t seen it. The President has been very supportive of this mission all along and he and the crew are well acquainted. Yes.”

  “Was the President aware of this plan beforehand?”

  “No. Yeah, over here.”

  “Are Capt. Grey and Dr. Frederick happy?”

  Jeff and Gabe both grinned and nodded.

  Chrissie smiled and pointed at the reporter. “Best question of the day. Yes, they are ecstatic! Alright, I’ll take three more questions then Dr. Christianson and I have to go. Up here.”

  “What’s the next major evolution on the mission schedule?”

  “In a few weeks, Capt. Grey and Commander Nolan are going to revisit the crater that Abby fell into, which cut that evolution short, and try and complete at least part of their originally intended survey and sample collection. After that, the only major exploration remaining will be an expedition by Dr. Frederick and Dr. Lú up to the plain about 50 kilometers northwest of Grey Station. That will be about three months from now, the date is flexible. Yes, over here.”

  “Will they be taking Ghita with them?”

  “Yes. As a result of circumstances, both Dr. Frederick and Dr. Lú have been unable to get out and explore the planet for some time, and both are most anxious to do some further sightseeing. So, yeah, all three of them will head up there and have a look around. It should be an interesting trip. There’s a lot of interest in the potential history of water ponding on Mars and that particular area appears from HiRISE imagery to be somewhat accessible and a likely candidate. It was the primary site in the Margaritifer Basin proposed for the MSL. After that, all their remaining efforts will be
directed toward preparations for the journey home. Okay, over here, last question.”

  “No question. Just, please pass along our congratulations and best wishes to Capt. Grey and Dr. Frederick.”

  Gabe smiled. “Ah, that was nice.”

  “Thank you. I will definitely do so. Alright, thank you all. There are copies of the announcement and photos down here. Help yourself. And we’ll be releasing more information as we receive it.”

  Jeff hit the STOP button on the remote control. “Well, there you have it.”

  “What now?” Gabe asked.

  “We wait and see what the editorialists and commentators have to say – not that I much care – and go on about our business. We still have a mission to complete.”

  “They were certainly surprised,” Susan said, “but not incredulous.”

  “No. It’ll probably take most people a little while to mull it over and figure out what to make of it. We’ve had years to deal with it. They just got it dropped in their laps today.”