A few interesting discoveries by the colonists during their research experiments had made the news several times, but so far, aside from some promising new minerals, the search for liquid water had so far brought no results. The Mars First company wished the group had found some by now. It would make things easier for the future expansion of the colony. Although a bit concerned, they were now too busy preparing for the departure of MF2, less than a year away, to dwell on it. It would happen eventually, everyone was fairly certain of it. Dedrick and his companions would just have to keep digging further and deeper.
In the meantime, the day at hand was all about celebrating the group’s first year on the red planet. Vera and Sabrina had managed to decorate greenhouse II with colorful bed sheets and clothes borrowed from everyone’s living quarters. They had also garnished several plates with packaged sweets and dried fruits, and a homemade drink they had jokingly named “Olympus Mons” after the large Martian volcano, a punch of sorts containing “secret ingredients” the two women would not divulge. This centerpiece was by far the most talked about delicacy of the evening by the two men. François had brought out his ukulele and promised he would sing a song he had just written for the occasion later. Dedrick had hurried to turn on the computer’s playlist he had put together at the insistence of Vera.
The Police’s, “Walking on the Moon,” came on through the speakers.
“Oooohoooo! Turn it up! shouted Vera in excitement. Her and Sabrina were making their way to the center of the room, dancing. François joined in. Dedrick walked to the table and poured himself a glass of Olympus Mons. He then turned around to face his three friends, leaned his butt against the edge of the table, and watched them dance away with a big smile on his face. Here they were, millions of kilometers from Earth with nothing but rocks and dust all around them, alone on a desolate world, and life was wonderful.
Back on the blue world, flat screen TVs and computers were re-transmitting the small celebration. That night, as countless candles were lit across the globe to commemorate the anniversary of MF1’s historical landing on Mars, the people of Earth felt more as one than they had in a long time.
The following morning, the “Fantastic Four” woke up with a mild headache, but not all in their own bed. François had spent the night in one of the passing tubes leading to his pod, still wearing the top half of his spacesuit.
The day started off for most of them, dragging their feet when their 5:30 AM alarm got them up. No one was saying much. Dedrick, being first in pod one, was checking several containers of scientific equipment for today’s mission when Sabrina entered the room.
“Morning!”
“Morning!” he replied.
“Have you seen François?”
“No. Why?”
“He wasn’t in bed when I woke up. I don’t think he came in last night.”
“He’s probably lying somewhere. We all had a bit too much to drink, I’m afraid. What was in that drink anyway? Did you check the greenhouse?”
“Yes. He wasn’t there either”
“Weird…”
She was about to turn back when the Frenchman made his entrance.
“Hey! What’s up, guys?”
“There you are. Where were you? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Me? Well…eh…I…” he attempted to say, pointing at the passage.
“Yeah, OK, whatever. I’m going to help Vera clean up the greenhouse. We’ll talk later, mister.”
“Wha…What did I say?” He turned to Dedrick with a puzzled look on his face.
Grabbing one of the container’s handle, Dedrick simply replied, “Wanna help me load these in?”
After shrugging his shoulders, he walked to the Russian and grabbed the other handle. One convenient feature in the design of the rovers was that their back could connect to the outside hatch of the pod, allowing access to the vehicle without the need to go outside or wear a suit. The two men finished loading up and climbed on board. After closing the hatch behind them, they slid into their suits and François turned on the dashboard computer. A line at the top left of the screen read: Captain’s log, star date 21342.7 - 09:28
One of François’ program improvements. He had always been a fan of the American TV show Star Trek. Luckily for him, his teammates were as well. The Russian commander called Vera from his headset.
“Vera, ARC 2 here, ready to move out. Can you confirm status on your end?”
“Guess where I woke up this morning?” asked François to Dedrick.
“I don’t know… On Mars?”
“Ha ha, very funny. No, in tube three. Man, that Montagne Olympique drink was strong!”
“Olympus Mons,” corrected Dedrick.
“Right. What did the girls put in that thing, anyway?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. Come on, we have a job to do. Give me a complete status check.”
“Yes, commander!” replied the Frenchman sarcastically.
“Ok, hatch sealed. Oxygen levels – Check! Cabin pressure – Check! I’m undocking us.”
After a sharp “clunk” and a slight jerking of the vehicle being released, François continued, “Batteries fully charged and solar panels out. We have at least three and a half hours of playtime. I think we’re good to go, captain!” he finished with a smile.
“Ok Vera. We’re ready here.”
“Everything looks good in here too. I have a strong signal from both of you. Life systems are green. Weather is nice and calm out there. I don’t expect any problems today. ARC2, you’re cleared for takeoff.”
“Ha ha, yeah, taking off in this thing would be funny to watch. Maybe if we had wings…” François looked at the Russian commander.
“Make it so, number one!” said Dedrick with a fair imitation of actor Patrick Stewart’s voice. François looked at him with an approving nod and began to roll out the rover, adding: “Engaging impulse engines, Captain!” with an equally surprising imitation of Brent Spinner, including his laugh. The two men cracked up at their own silliness, and a new work day on the desolated red planet had begun.
“You know that’s the android, right?”
“Yeah, I know. I can’t do the other guy. Did I ever tell you I ran into Patrick Stewart, once?”
“Really?!” replied a shocked Dedrick.
“Yeah, in L.A. when I was a messenger. He was walkin-”
“A messenger?” asked Dedrick intrigued.
“Yeah, it’s a type of service companies use to get packages from place to place faster; Big industry in the movie business. Anyway, as I was saying…”
As ARC 2 slowly disappeared beyond the slope, Sabrina turned to Vera in the monitoring room of the Martian outpost. She had just switch off the audio.
“What was that all about?”
“What, those voices? Never seen Star Trek? Never mind. You’re too young,” answered Vera to the clueless brunette.
Never going back
“Do you ever miss it?”
“What?”
“Earth.”
He looked up at a bright dot in the dark reddish sky. It was so familiar by now, yet, it was still so strange…
“Not really. You?”
“Sometimes...” replied Sabrina thoughtful.
François was seated next to her on the back of the rover, looking at the small white spot out in the distance. The sky was not that different from Earth's on clear nights, and one could easily see the blue planet, even if it only appeared as big as a bright star. But it took a trained eye to spot it on a night like this. Of course, all four of them were pretty good at it by now.
“It's strange but I don't think I do. I mean, it would be nice to have water, walk on the beach, feel the wind on my face, but I don't miss the traffic, or the noise. I feel at home here, more than I ever did on Earth, I think.”
She turned to face him.
“Don't you miss your family? Your friends?”
“Not really. I've never related
well to my folks anyway, you know that. I love them, but I don't think they ever got me. We are too different. My dad has always done things by the book. He's honest and loving, but too set in his ways for me. There wasn’t much room for socializing when I was young. Having friends at home was never easy, and he was capable of losing his temper at any time, for just about any reason. Screams and verbal abuse were common. I know he loved me but growing up in that house was really not comfortable. I guess I was scared of him when I was young. He could get quite obsessed about things. I left home as soon as I got the chance. My mom is kind and very pampering, but over the top. She worries way too much about anything. It can get suffocating. I mean, I love them both, but I never felt I belonged there anyway, you know? I just wish I could've helped my brother experience life more. I wish he had left too, moved to another town, at least, or traveled the world. He still lives with my folks. Never left my parent’s house, never got married... He spends his time between his work and home. I don't even think he has many friends; at least not friends he hangs out with. It’s the life he chose. Of course, he’ll tell you he had no choice. He won’t admit it, but it’s fear of the unknown that keeps him from making a change. Like so many others out there. They are scared they’ll fail. We talked about that many times. I try to make him see that there is always a choice. It’s just not always an easy one, and most times, it’s quite nerve racking. But it can be very rewarding… It’s too bad. I'm afraid we don’t understand each other either...”
He paused for a moment, looking out at the giant features of Valles Marineris. The bare ridges reminded him of the rocky formations on his occasional drives to Nevada, when he still lived in L.A. Back then, it didn’t take much persuasion to get him and his friends to jump in the car and go. Life was fun, and the world was big. His mind wandered around the fond memories for a while. The vague memory of an old flame crossed his mind. “What was the name of that girl?” He could almost see her. She had reminded him of Elaine Benes, one of the characters in Seinfeld, an old American TV sitcom. “That’s right. Celina. And what was that place we used to go to all the time? Ah, yes, the ‘Fame Café’. That’s it. Strange, it seems so long ago…” He turned his attention back on her.
“What about you?”
“I miss Sofia. Today would have been her 28th birthday...”
She turned back her attention to the amazing view of the distant cliffs.
“I'm sure she would have been very proud of her older sister.”
“I hope so... It was hard leaving her. I was always there, you know? I know mom was doing the best she could for her, but she was so busy with work… And she had Paulo to worry about. He's a real jerk. Sometimes I hate him. He can be violent with my mom, and I wish she would leave him. I don't know why she stays... But I love my mom. She's always believed in me. Although, I'm not sure she understands why I'm here. Yesterday, in her transmission, she said she was sorry I felt the need to leave, and if I ever wanted to come back, there would always be a bed waiting for me at home. I don't know how to take that. It makes me feel lonely. It's so strange sometimes when I think of all this... All this space, this entire planet, and just the four of us. We are more alone than any human has ever been in a way, and yet, I feel at home here, you know what I mean? And I don't think she gets that.”
“I don't know that too many people do. We've chosen to do something that most people consider weird, if not crazy. You've got to admit, we're a bit nuts,” he giggled.
“Yes, I know... I guess there are some things I don't miss, though. Politicians, lawyers, murderers... Wars, religious fanatics, rapists, you name it. It’s a long list. Nope, I'm not missing them... This is my home now, with you guys. And I like it like that. Some days, it's almost hard to believe we used to live back on Earth, doesn't it? It seems like ages ago when I think of the day I applied for Mars First. Do you remember when we landed? That's when it really hit me. We were finally on Mars. We were really here and there was no going back...”
A sudden draft blew sand up the slopes below, and a quick cloud of dust flew past them.
“Does that scare you?” she asked.
“What?”
“Never going back.”
“Honestly, no. I never felt like I belonged there. I know it's a bit extreme to say this, but I don’t really liked people, generally speaking. I mostly find them loud and obnoxious. Even back in school, I was never the popular guy. I was a bit weird, actually.”
“You, weird?” she said with a teasing smile.
“Yeah, I know. I was an introvert, though.”
She looked quite surprised. “You? An introvert? Yeah, right!”
“Oh yeah, big time. I was shy and quiet. The kid who doesn't say much in the back of the class room. I think I feared people, in a way. That's probably why I got into music, actually. It was my way of trying to overcome that fear of crowds. I also had to prove to myself I could do something big with my life.”
“Well, I think all of us here have had the same drive. Either way, we're on this planet for good. This is our home now, and I'm glad I have you with me, François.” She looked into his eyes with love.
The dark patches of mineral-filled rocks down in the valley below were slowly shifting from their usual black-gray volcano look to the charcoal-blue texture they had come to love. A spectacle that was like nothing anyone had ever seen on Earth, a true treat when the sun reflected on them in this season. A thin wall of dust flew close by again, pushed along the cliff wall from winds blowing upward along the face of the steep slopes below. A couple of small dust tornadoes appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Far away, the other end of the gigantic canyon was barely discernible against the background, due to its considerable distance, giving the illusion they were covered by a hazy veil of pale orange. Further out to the left, the sun had almost finished its descent behind the plateau. Within the next few minutes, millions of stars would begin to glow in the dark skies. And before the cold reached temperatures unheard of on Earth, the small group of humans would soon close the door latch behind them, settling for the night inside their Martian outpost. Yes, Mars was home.
Mount Shamsi
The following months were fairly uneventful. Most of the team’s daytime activities centered around countless experiments and routine maintenance of the station. That last part was in itself a full-time job. Of course, the station computers were constantly checking all systems, habitat integrity, oxygen levels, and performing countless other diagnostics, but human supervision was still required. By now, the small group of four had grown to eight. MF2 had made it safely to Mars, landing on September 8th, 2027 without a glitch. Back on Earth, Mars First Headquarters couldn’t have been happier, especially after the near mishap of the previous year, when a cargo shipment, sent ahead of the second team’s arrival, had almost been lost on landing due to a sensor failure in one of its main landing gears. The second crew, comprised of Indian commander Najib Shamsi, South-Korean Biochemist Liu Xing, Irish Medical Officer Ladli O’Connor, and Zimbabwean Technical Engineer Tendai Nyandoro, had easily adapted to their new surroundings, thanks to the legwork of Team One, who had by now figured out all the kinks and quirks of their daily routine.
The station now counted five modules and three greenhouses. The latest addition, a garage to house two of the three rovers the colonists now had at their disposition, was designed in a similar way to the greenhouses. About ten meters in length and almost six in width, it was however, substantially larger. Although the huge additional cost had been frowned upon by Mars First investors, several incidents had called for a protective habitat for the vehicles. One of them had almost caused Tendai’s life, his first year on Mars.
Back on that fateful day, two rovers had been deployed to separate locations, leaving only ARC 3 at the station. At the time, it had seemed perfectly acceptable to get two teams to work at the same time. Four members in one vehicle and two in the other, the two could do research in different quadrants of the “grid”, an
d cover a greater area, speeding up the work.
Water was the focus of most outings. They had developed a grid system of several square kilometers and explored a new block daily. Starting in a low section of Candor Chasma, they were gradually moving towards the top of the range. Candor Chasma was a region of Valle Marineris, a giant canyon stretching several hundred kilometers south of the station. The area they were exploring was so large and the canyon so deep, that they knew they would never cover the entire region, no matter how many years they spent at it, but they didn’t need to. They just needed to hit water once.
Back at the Mars First station, Vera and Tendai had stayed behind, monitoring the two rovers outside.
“ARC 2, ARC 2, this is Mars First. Please come back, over.”
“Mars First, this is ARC 2. What is it, Vera?” answered Dedrick.
“Looks like it’s about to blow something serious over here. The numbers are pegging like I’ve never seen before, and outside visibility is already down to zero.”
“Crap! Are you in need of assistance? Should we come back?”
“I don’t know that that would do much good. You probably don’t want to get caught in this. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. It just appeared so quickly... We had absolutely no warning from the computers. It came out of nowhere. I just hope it won’t mess up our instruments outside. I’ll let you know if we start losing signal.”
“How do the internal systems read? Any problems?”
“No, so far, so good. All the life support checks are in the green. Tendai is keeping an eye on the radar and satellite info. At least you shouldn’t be affected where you are.”
“What about ARC 1?”
“We’re here. Nothing to report on our end. Sabrina and I have been monitoring your transmission. The two of us are ready to head back right away if you need our assistance, Vera. We are closer to you than ARC 2. Are you sure you can ride this thing?”
Kahnu (The Guardians of Tomorrow Book 1) Page 8
