The idea that Big Sister was watching brought a smile to James’ face. He put on his EVA suit, walked outside, looked up at the dusty, pinkish afternoon sky, and waved.
CHAPTER 12
Martian Geography: Valles Marineris—Valles Marineris (the “Scar of Mars”) is a vast system of canyons located just south of the Martian equator and roughly parallel to it. It is often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of Mars,” yet that is doing it an injustice. It is the largest network of canyons in the solar system. At more than 3,000 km in length (almost four times that of Earth’s Grand Canyon), it would nearly span the continental North American Federation. The system consists of several troughs, each roughly 50 to 100 km wide. These troughs merge into a large central depression, which is as much as 600 km wide.
— Excerpt from Encyclopedia Solaris, 2176
* * * *
Unfortunately for James McKie, the days that followed were nowhere near as enjoyable. They started out deceptively well, however.
First, he convinced Dr. Chow that based on his own painstaking analysis of the orbital scans, a particular outcropping on Tandoori Ridge showed real promise as a source of bauxite. Then he succeeded in getting her permission to be the one to do the initial survey of the area. Of course, he was aided by the fact that the other three areologists were already in the field at the time, but he didn’t let that minor detail dampen his enthusiasm.
The next morning, James packed his gear in record time and climbed into the last available Cat. Buoyed by thoughts of fame and fortune, he practically floated to the ridge on a cloud of optimism.
Man, if this pans out the way I hope, everyone will stand up and take notice of me. I won’t be the newbie anymore. All I need is one strike that leads to the creation of a new mine.
He whistled happy tunes to himself for the entire nine-hour drive, hardly noticing the passage of time or the fact that the terrain grew progressively steeper and more rugged the closer he got to the ridge.
As soon as he arrived and looked out over the ridge all thoughts of adulation and the sizable bonus that came with a major find came to a screeching halt.
Damn! That escarpment is a lot bigger than it looked on the topos! This might take a bit longer than I hoped. The thought was initially daunting, but soon his enthusiasm kicked in again.
I guess I’d better get started. The sooner I begin, the sooner I can strike it rich.
First, he had to call base camp and let them know he’d arrived safe and sound. That task was completed quickly enough and soon he was scraping and digging and chipping away at various surfaces, prying into cracks and taking samples of everything for later study.
He shook his head silently as he collected vials full of the stuff and carefully marked the locations where he acquired the samples.
If it’s not bad enough that this rock face is enormous, I’m not sure I could even spot any bauxite visually if my life depended on it. The ore is about the same color as everything else in this part of Mars. Why couldn’t bauxite be baby blue or lime green? It would make my life a lot simpler. He smiled at the mental image of baby blue rocks littering the landscape.
Despite James’ eagerness to finish, he took a few moments to admire the view through his helmet. Other than the ridge at his back and some low hills in the distance, there really wasn’t much to look at. No grass, no flowers, no trees, no animals, no birds, not even some desiccated tumbleweed stumbling across the barren plain. It almost could have been a rocky wasteland anywhere on Earth. Mars possessed a stark beauty all its own. The sky was indigo above, with a little lingering dust in the atmosphere to refract the sun’s rays and tint it rose. Everywhere he looked, the hills, rocks, and plains were rust red, gray or brown.
James breathed deeply. This is why I’m out here. Not the quest for riches or glory. It’s the unspoiled beauty, the open spaces. No press of humanity, no pollution, no noise, no conflict. Just me and Old Man Mars. He stared off into the distance, wistfully, then roused himself.
Back to work, junior. Aesthetics aside, you have to earn your keep. You can commune with nature later.
He’d left base camp before dawn to get an early start, but with the lengthy drive he hadn’t arrived at the ridge until mid-afternoon. He worked straight through until dark in order to get a good start on his first day at the site. Despite his helmet lights, eventually he could no longer see what he was doing well enough to do it effectively or—more importantly—safely.
If we can’t have a big ol’ bright moon in the sky, the least they could do is put a huge spotlight on Deimos to give us some light at night. He snorted to himself at the thought. I don’t imagine the astronomers on Phobos would appreciate that bright light, though.
He decided to call it a day and take the samples back to the Cat for analysis.
I’m not going to do myself any more good out here tonight.
James packed up the case containing all the vials and his tools and hoisted it onto one shoulder, leaving a hand free to work the external controls on the Cat. He entered the cramped airlock behind the driver’s seat and waited for twenty seconds while a series of highly compressed CO2 blasts blew the fine Mars dust off his suit and the ventilator sucked it back outside. When the status light turned green, he entered the cab and tossed the case in. He passed through to the passenger compartment, removing his helmet and gloves.
Unlike the larger Cats that were designed to haul ore to the refinery, this one was customized for use in the field as a portable lab. It consisted of three parts: the front section contained the cab for the driver and a passenger or two, the middle was a passenger compartment, and the rear held cargo. A flexible passageway connected the first two pressurized sections. This tripartite design was what gave the Cat its great flexibility in rough terrain, and Mars was nothing if not rough.
The passenger compartment included two cots and a small, yet complete, assay setup. The self-contained Spectralyser 804G offered the capabilities of a mass spectrometer, spectrum analyzer, wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence scanner, gas chromatograph, laser-aperture diffractor, centrifuge, as well as various chemical reagents and all the other tools and materials of the trade.
James inserted the vial containing the first sample in the designated cradle and closed the cover. Okay, baby, do your stuff.
Because each sample took several minutes to analyze, and there were dozens to go, James had plenty of time to work on his field notes between vials. He yawned. It looks like it’s going to be a long night.
* * * *
He awoke with a start. Wha—? The 804G was beeping monotonously to indicate the completion of the previous sample’s analysis.
How long have I been out? He glanced at the wall chrono. Four hours? No wonder my neck is so stiff. James found that he’d nodded off in his seat, with his head lolling to one side.
I guess I was more tired from the drive than I thought. He stretched and yawned, then massaged his neck for a moment.
“Well it’s almost dawn. I might as well stay up, now.”
The sound of his voice startled him with how loud it sounded in the enclosed space. In the auditory vacuum that followed, James realized how truly dead Mars was. Although he had grown up in an urban setting, he had gone camping with his father many times as a boy. Outside the Cat, there were none of the nighttime sounds he equated with the outdoors back on Earth. No crickets chirping, no frogs croaking, no rainbow trout splashing in a nearby stream, no sighing of a gentle breeze through the pine trees. Only silence. The ultimate realization that this was indeed an alien world sent a shiver down his spine.
Enough of that! Concentrate on the job at hand.
James checked to see if he was in range of a communication satellite. He was in luck.
I’ll be glad when those two birds are repaired. It’s a real pain having a gap in communications like that. And it could be dangerous if someone has a problem and there are no satellites in range.
In fact, it had happened more than onc
e; both before the satellite network was completed and from time to time since, when a satellite went offline. Because the satellites also provided the same type of global positioning system (GPS) capability available to trucks and ships on Earth, they were doubly important to those traversing the open plains of Mars. After all, there were no highways or rivers to follow. Being out of range of a satellite multiplied the danger.
He toggled the radio. “Base Camp 9, this is James, over.”
The response took only a few seconds. “How’s it hangin’, James m’ man?”
“Okay, I guess, Joe. What are you doing up at this godforsaken hour?”
“I might ask you the same thing. My excuse is that I haven’t gone to bed yet. I’m working third shift.”
“Oh. I wish I had that excuse. I was up most of the night going over the sample analyses from yesterday and I fell asleep in my seat. Forget trying to get any rest that way; so I decided to check in and let you know I’m still alive.”
“Duly noted. James says he’s alive. Got it. Okay, so how’s the search for immortality going? Have you struck it rich yet, or discovered a long-lost Martian civilization?”
James chuckled. “What, on my first day out? I wish! No, amazingly enough all I’ve discovered so far is that there’s iron oxide in the soil.”
“Wow! Iron oxide in the soil? Are you serious? That’s amazing! It’s the find of the century! I’ll alert the media immediately!” Joe Daniels burst out laughing on the other end of the radio.
James, for his part, grinned back at the radio. “Smartass. I guess I’d better get back to work. At the rate I’m going, it’s going to take me a few more days to finish the survey of the area. I’ll keep in touch. Go get some sleep for me, Joe.”
“Will do James. I hope you enjoy it. I know I will.”
“Don’t rub it, Joe. I’m cranky enough as it is. McKie out.” He massaged his neck again for a few seconds.
A nice hot shower would be welcome right about now. I’ll have to talk to Dr. Chow about having one installed in the Cat. He snorted at the impracticality of the thought and grinned to himself.
Ah well, a quick bite to eat will have to do. Then it’s back to work. There’s still an awful lot of rock out there waiting for me.
He began softly humming mining songs to himself, some of them as old as the hills themselves.
* * * *
Three days later James was speeding back from Tandoori Ridge, hoping to make it home before midnight.
Well, that was a bloody waste of time. Nothing but dust, sand, and rock. Heck, there’s enough of that anywhere on Mars. I didn’t have to go all the way to the Ridge for it! Yeah, Jamie McKie, super sleuth, tracks down a treasure trove of junk rock. Boy am I glad I fought so hard to be allowed to do the survey! That’s probably the last time Dr. Chow will believe me when I say I’m sure about anything.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Oh well, at least I was outside for a few days. It’s better than being cooped up back at base.
He keyed the radio. “Base Camp 9, this is James, over.”
“How’s it going, James? Find the mother lode yet?” It was always good to hear Joe’s welcoming voice. It seemed as if no matter what time of day or night James called, Joe was there on the other end of the radio.
“I should be so lucky. All I’ve found so far is dirt and rocks. How are things at home?”
“Keep the dirt. We’ve got plenty of that here already. You can bring some rocks with you, though. We seem to have a shortage at the moment.”
James laughed, perhaps louder than the joke warranted. If there was anything Base Camp 9 lacked it wasn’t rocks. But James had needed the release of tension the joke provided.
Joe continued. “Everything’s quiet. The Dragon Lady hasn’t eaten any of her young lately, so I guess that makes it a good day.” James could hear the smile in Joe’s voice.
“Yeah, I guess it does at that. Well, I should be back in another…call it four and a half hours or so. Keep the home fires burning.”
“Ha! A fireplace would be a nice homey touch. But I’ll keep the thermostat set at a comfortable temp for you. Base Camp out.”
James began thinking about a hot meal and a good long sleep in a soft bed and his attention wandered. “Highway hypnosis” doesn’t require a paved surface to jump up and bite someone on the ass.
Pay attention damn it! Do you want to get yourself killed? It’s only another few hours.
He hit a small depression and the Cat leaped several meters in the low gravity, landing with a jolt. Jesus, Jamie! Slow down and be more careful.
He continued along his route, now paying closer attention to his driving—for all the good it did.
He couldn’t see the large rock tumbling down the slope to his right until he was on top of it. His right front wheel hit hard. The three-part design of the Cat allowed it to flex and pivot to compensate for uneven ground; but not for a rock the size of a cow and not at that speed. The vehicle flipped left and tumbled down the embankment, performing a series of slow pirouettes in the air. It hit near the bottom of the slope.
Once, twice, three times it rolled. It finally came to rest twisted, with the left front wheel atop a boulder and the back end bent up at a thirty-degree angle, still on the slope.
Dust filled the air, slowly settling on the scene. Small rocks dribbling down the slope pelted the side of the Cat.
Nothing else moved.
CHAPTER 13
Martian Geography: Valles Marineris—The canyon floor can be up to 10 km deep in places, six times the depth of Earth’s GRAND CANYON. Due to considerable crumbling of the rock walls, and the collection of dust and sand blown in from the surface, the canyon floors are choked with rubble and sand dunes.
Major features include East and West Candor Chasma, Ophir Chasma, Coprates Chasma, Melas Chasma, and Noctis Labrynthus, among others. A broad basin to the north, Acidalia Planitia, was once the receptacle for river channels running through Valles Marineris.
— Excerpt from Encyclopedia Solaris, 2176
* * * *
Full darkness fell over the scene of the wreck. Without Earth’s gleaming companion to provide nighttime visibility, only the glow from the Cat’s remaining lamps lighted the rocky vista. The rack of directional spotlights formerly mounted to the top of the cab now lay several meters away, crumpled like used aluminum foil. James opened his eyes, looked out the windshield and shook his head to clear it.
Way to go, James. They trust you to treat expensive equipment with care and respect, and you go and wreck it.
He carried on a futile argument with himself. They’ll probably lock me in the compound now and never let me back out.
Oh, don’t be silly. They’re paying you a decent salary to find minerals. You can’t do that from the camp. On the other hand, they can dock your pay for the next century to pay for the damage.
Enough of this! I need to check out the damage and see if I can even get home. It’s a long walk from here, and I doubt anyone would be thrilled at having to come get me in the dark.
First he took personal inventory and found that he was uninjured. That’s something, anyway.
James entered the airlock behind the driver’s seat. At least the cab’s still airtight. If necessary I can hole up in here until rescue arrives.
James exited through the airlock and circumnavigated the eight-meter-long vehicle. He tossed the mangled searchlight rack in a storage compartment for later salvage or recycling.
The wheels look okay, except for the two right ones in the rear. That’ll slow me down, but I can still make it on ten. It might drag a bit over big rocks, though.
The solar panels are wrecked, but they’re unnecessary at night anyway. The good news is the fuel cells and batteries are intact. The motors are offline, but it looks like I should be able to get out of here if they still work and the vehicle frame isn’t too badly damaged. Both radio antennas are who-knows-where. So much for redundancy.
; That means I can’t call for help, and they can’t receive the Cat’s transponder signal—so they won’t know exactly where I am. Damn.
It also means I won’t have any GPS help finding my way back, but that’s the least of my worries. It’s pretty much a straight shot home once I get out of these hills.
Still, if I need to be rescued they should be able to find me. They know my starting point and where I was the last time I radioed in. They can also access the GPS data to figure out my path most of the way back. It shouldn’t be all that hard to extrapolate my course the rest of the way to here.
James gazed back up the long, steep slope where the Cat had taken its spill. Of course, I’m no longer up there where they’d be expecting me to be.
He paused at an unpleasant thought. What if they don’t think to look way down here?
Be positive, damn it! The motors are going to start and you’ll be home soon enough.
He got back in the rig and hit the starter for the rear motor. Nothing.
Damn.
He tried the front motor. C’mon baby, don’t let daddy down.
It hummed for a moment, then quit. He tried again. Silence.
“Crap!”
Now what? I’m no mechanic. I wouldn’t know how to fix a motor if my life depended on it.
Come to think of it….
He chuckled. It looks like Murtagh was right again. Crap.
James glumly got back out of the rig and went around to the back of the Cat to check out the rear motor. Maybe I’ll get lucky and the problem will be something obvious and easy to fix.
He opened the heavily dented cowling. Yep, it’s obvious all right.
The Imperative Chronicles, Books One and Two: The Mars Imperative & The Tesserene Imperative Page 16
