by Paul Rix
"I don't care about sharing the information with the public. But you should trust your crew. It's obvious to me that the only rational explanation is alien interference. How much more proof do you need? We're wasting time here when we could be working out what the aliens want and how we can contact them. I don't need to be afraid. If they saved Georgia's life, then they are obviously benign."
"We don't know that for sure." Winter was finding it harder to control his frustration.
"Tom's right," added Commander Anders. "You should have shared this sooner. We could have started this debate this morning and been ready for that message."
"And do what?" asked Georgia. "We know nothing about the aliens or where they may be hiding. They could have an underground complex or their own craft. They may be long gone or even a figment of my imagination."
Jim sprang up from his chair excitedly. "Georgia, remember on day six, we were on speeders returning from the supply ships. You thought you spotted something metallic glinting from the rim of the crater. Maybe that was them. What do you think?"
Georgia had forgotten about that moment. "I don't know," she pondered. "It was the briefest glimpse and could have been anything reflecting in the sun."
Winter had had enough by now. "We can spend all day debating who should have been told and when. It makes no difference now. The facts are, we have a mystery around Georgia's recovery that we won't solve by sitting here. Aliens may be the answer, but no one knows for sure. The guys in charge on Earth, our superiors, have put in place some procedures to avoid public panic based purely on conjecture. And they have ordered us to not piss off any aliens that are here. I don't have a problem with that. And neither should any of you. So, Redmayne, wind your neck in and get back what you're supposed to be doing. I will share the information with the rest of the crew, but we proceed as normal. Does anyone have any issues with that?"
Everyone else in the room sat in stunned silence. They'd never seen Captain Winter so riled. But they could not argue with his concise rationale.
***
Redmayne stormed out of the command room, marching his way to his science lab. "The entire world is controlled by idiots," he muttered to himself. He slammed the door and locked it before pacing up and down. He'd not been this fired up for a very long time. Why wasn't it obvious to everyone that mankind was on the verge of a momentous event? They would miss out on a unique and epic opportunity. Landing humans on Mars was insignificant compared to establishing contact with an intelligent species from another planet. It was a subject that had been debated by the best scientists and theologians for hundreds of years. And finally, when the answer was within touching distance, the world's leaders were found wanting, unable to hold their nerve and be brave enough to take the next step.
He banged his fist on the wall in frustration, denting the thin aluminum structure. He didn't enjoy being prevented from what he knew was the right thing to do. At least the Russians had more of an imagination. He was confident they would take a different view if they were in charge of the mission.
He needed to contact the Andropov to get clear instructions on how they wanted to handle the matter, which meant going to Eden and using his personal communicator. It was too late in the day to make that journey, so he'd have to wait until the morning.
His anger softened when he noticed that his computer screen was flashing to show a message waiting. It was from the mysterious Alex and requested that Tom use all haste to locate the aliens. Once found, Tom was to transmit the co-ordinates and await further instructions.
These orders, while Tom wasn't sure how he would complete them, justified his decision to align his work with the Russians. He may not agree with their ideologies but they, along with the Chinese, had the imagination and bravery to make the hard choices when needed. The Russian and Chinese leaders weren't soft like those in the West, and that would be decisive for the future of Earth. They wouldn't have allowed the multiple errors and corruption that led to Expedition One failing, thereby killing his beloved Laura, the pilot on that ill-fated mission.
What he had in common with the Russians was that he also knew how to be patient before exacting his revenge. For six years, the anger and resentment had been building, and he was now closer than ever to completing what he'd set out to do. Snatching the aliens away from the Americans would be the icing on the cake.
And the Russians knew how to reward citizens for their loyalty.
His calmness restored, he set to work, researching any possible clues from Georgia's report and medical tests. He hoped there would be something that he could discover that no one else would. That would make all the difference he needed.
Chapter 48
At the end of an emotionally draining day, Georgia lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. As with Tom Redmayne, she was frustrated at the orders to not search for the aliens. She wanted closure and certainty to allow her to move on. She needed to know if she had actually encountered aliens. Instead, there remained a big question mark over what had happened to her and she was nowhere near close to finding an answer.
She was convinced that, as her dreams had been so intense, they had to be genuine memories. Yet there were still enough gaps and inconsistencies to cause confusion over what was real and what was in her imagination.
Georgia considered what her father would have thought about her current situation. She could still remember the Bible classes he had taken her and Jackson to from an early age. Her father had been a devout Christian and could recite whole passages from the Bible. As a young girl, Georgia couldn't understand why he took the word of the Bible so literally. To her, the events described were just stories. She didn't consider them to be true. He had tried so hard to convince her that the scriptures explained God's will and that religion was an essential part of making the world a better place. Her simple questions often made him angry, but he never gave up on preaching to her.
She wished he was still alive to see what she had achieved. She missed the arguments they'd had and believed he had enjoyed the verbal sparring but had never accepted her opinions. Would he believe in the existence of aliens? She was sure he wouldn't have.
As she thought fondly of her childhood, Georgia managed to drift off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, her dreams returned yet again.
***
Captain Winter called a team meeting after breakfast. There had been no more overnight updates from Ground Control on how to handle the situation on Mars although he was sure that there was an ongoing debate as to what was the best course of action. That was fine with him. It meant he could focus on the day in hand.
He was pleased to see a room full of eager and energetic faces as he entered the common room again.
"I hope you are well rested. I know that the news yesterday was a lot to take in for many of you. Heck, I'm not sure if I've fully got my head around it all. Does anyone have any further questions that I can answer or address with Ground Control?"
"Yes, I do," said Joe Mancuso from the back of the room. "I've looked at the protocols issued yesterday. They're very restrictive on what we can say and transmit back to Earth to friends and on public channels. And there are clear orders to not actively seek any possible alien life. I didn't see any guidance on what we should do in the event that the aliens, if they exist, make contact with one of us. Do we run away or act friendly?"
Winter noticed a few nods of agreement around the room. Mancuso wasn't the only one to give the matter some thought.
"A great question, Joe. I don't think the rule makers back on Earth thought that far ahead. I read the protocols too last night and you're right; it's a list of controls on what not to say and do. They've been written to prevent widespread panic back home. I doubt anyone on Earth believes aliens exist. I'm far more open-minded and if Georgia believes that she had an alien encounter, I take that very seriously.
As to your question, if there are aliens and they make contact, I'm not sure we should ignore them. W
here can we run to? My preference would be to befriend them. What does everyone else think? I'm open to any other options."
Georgia was the first to speak. "I agree with you, sir. Their intentions are peaceful. And if their technology is more advanced than ours, then they could have killed us long before now if they'd wanted to."
Redmayne had a different view. "Everyone here is talking as if aliens exist and we'll bump into them walking round the next corner. But there's no evidence other than Georgia's recurring dreams and a wild guess that her cancer was cured by alien intervention. Now, I'm the first to hope that aliens really are on this planet but the odds of that being the case are infinitesimally small. So, a debate on what you should do when you meet one is a waste of time."
Commander Anders agreed with Redmayne. "We have more pressing priorities establishing the base and setting up the propellant depot. I don't believe that aliens are here watching what we do. We just need to focus and carry on with establishing this base. It's our primary mission still, as far as I know."
They were the only dissenters among the crew. Winter had the impression that everyone else in the room had a certain level of anxiety on the subject. He wanted to retain calm in the room. "We honestly don't know what we're dealing with. There's no point second guessing ourselves and worrying about something that may not exist. However, until we know for sure, I suggest that everyone here use their discretion. In the unlikely event of alien contact do not show them any hostility. Ask yourself, 'What would that fine Captain Winter do?' And the answer is to be respectful and welcome them with open arms." His disarming comment broke the tension and raised a laugh in the room as he'd intended.
They spent the remainder of the meeting assigning tasks for the day. While Winter thought the commander's view on the aliens was extreme and unnecessary, he did agree that they should establish a normal base routine to complete the long list of urgent open items that had been overtaken by the intervention of the asteroid. As it was his idea, it was impossible for the commander to dodge responsibility for implementing the routine when the captain craftily passed it to him.
***
Georgia was assigned with Jim to collect the power couplers and relays for the Sabatier Reactor which were stored on Challenger. Getting the reactor working and creating methane for the rocket propellant was now one of the priority tasks to show that the ships could refuel and return to Earth.
Within thirty minutes of Captain Winter's meeting finishing, the pair of them were in the MEV, driving out of the base toward the distant supply ships.
The chief took it upon himself to break the silence. "I didn't have time to congratulate you properly on your amazing news yesterday. You're full of surprises but I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you're totally cured."
"That's okay," she replied. "I know you were busy. And the day went in a mad blur. I can't take it all in still. Thanks again for your support, and our conversation the other night."
"I don't know what came over me. I wasn't sure if I'd overstepped the mark and I didn't want you to be awkward around me."
Georgia giggled. "Don't be silly. What you said was sweet. It was wonderful to see a different, softer side to you. Knowing how you feel will make the rest of my mission far more enjoyable. Especially now that I'll be hanging around for a long time."
Jim blushed for the second time that week. "I hope we can have many more of these moments together."
He looked down at the control screen to confirm their route. Georgia could sense he had something else to say.
"Yes, what is it?" she asked.
"I wanted to ask about the alien encounter you've been having dreams about. Do you think they're real memories or are they dreams caused by the medication you were on?"
"I can't be one hundred percent. The dreams are as real as a memory with all the senses that go with it. But they stop at a certain point and I can't get past it. It's to do with the aliens. I can see and hear them, but I can't interact with them. The harder I try, the quicker I wake up. My gut feeling is that the dreams are actual memories. I hope I can prove it. Both to myself and everyone else." Georgia went silent again, contemplating everything she had been through as they completed the trip to Challenger.
She was grateful that the chief gave her the space she needed to process everything that was happening to her.
***
Once inside Challenger, Jim turned on the lights and told Georgia that all the parts they needed were on the third level. With the power on, they were both able to take the central elevator to the correct level and find the bins they needed.
As Georgia was dragging a pallet containing the relays to the lift, the lights suddenly cut out, and they were in complete darkness. Jim switched on his helmet lights and said, "I hope that's just a fuse. I'll look in the engineering section and have this fixed in no time. Are you okay with loading the other pallets on to the lift?"
Georgia gave no reply.
Jim swung his head round so he could see where Georgia was standing. It looked as if she was frozen to the spot. "Georgia? Are you okay?"
His words broke the trance that she was in. She turned to face him and whispered, "This is how it happened. I encountered the alien in the dark, on Intrepid. It's all coming back to me. I was there in the darkness, and the huge alien came out of the shadows. Oh my God! I can remember everything."
Georgia started trembling and Jim rushed over to her, putting an arm round her and drawing her into him as much as the cumbersome spacesuits would allow. His eyes darted around in the blackness, but he couldn't make out anyone or anything that shouldn't be there.
"It's okay now." He tried to sound reassuring. "There's nothing here now and I'm with you. You're not alone."
Georgia straightened, quickly gathering her composure. "I know, Jim. I have memories suddenly rushing back into my head. It's like I have broken a dam. I now know what really happened to me. I need to tell the captain."
Chapter 49
Everyone had reconvened in the common room to hear Georgia share her update. There had already been whisperings of what had happened to her, but they all stood in eager silence, waiting to hear the truth.
"As you know, there's been plenty of debate about whether my dreams were real. At first, I thought they were just dreams. But there was an inexplicable overlap with what was happening to me, such as a scar on my leg exactly where I had dreamed I broke it. Then, when I was back on Challenger this morning with Jim, it suddenly all fell into place." Georgia paused, glancing around to see that her audience was rapt. She took a deep breath and continued.
"When I went missing last week, it was because I did encounter an alien creature exploring the cargo hold." The room was in utter silence as she grabbed their complete attention. "I was there to find parts to fix the power issues being experienced at the base and was searching for the parts I needed. When I saw the alien, I panicked and ran to escape but somehow, in that panic, I tripped and fell out of the hold. I remember hitting the ground hard and being in unbearable pain. My suit was compromised, and I knew I was about to die. I must have passed out, either from the pain or through lack of oxygen. The next thing I remember is being on the alien vessel and they were carrying out some procedures on me that healed all of my injuries."
"Did you see what they looked like? What did they do to you?" Redmayne was clearly a convert and keen to get as much information as possible, although his questions echoed the thoughts of nearly everyone else in the room.
"They didn't insert probes or carry out any other unsavory tests if that is what you're referring to." There was a ripple of nervous laughter around the room.
Georgia smiled and recounted the conversations she'd had with Falmas. Everyone looked at her with eyes wide. The story was so unbelievable yet, they knew it must be true. The Sentinels weren't Martians at all, but from another planet in a distant part of the galaxy.
Georgia continued. "They've been observing us since we left Earth. Their role is to watc
h over mankind's development and evolution while remaining unseen, with no interference. They told me their species has done so for five thousand years. Falmas, the leader I think, did not expect to run into me on Intrepid. He said he had an obligation to fix my injuries as he believed it was his fault, although they could have easily just left me there and no one would have been the wiser as to what had happened. However, they were too good at healing me, possibly through lack of knowledge of our physiology, because they not only fixed my injuries, but they also removed all the cancerous cells from my body. Their technology is far superior to anything we could even dream of."
Commander Anders asked, "You say that you were on the Sentinel's craft. Are you able to remember where it was or how many other creatures were on board?"
Georgia shook her head. "Sorry, commander. I was unconscious when I was taken to their craft and when they returned me. It has to be close by though if they're watching over us but far enough away that we can't see it. There was no sensation of movement or weightlessness, so my best guess is that they're on the surface somewhere. Probably looking down at us from the rim. As for crew, there's just the two of them. Apparently, Sentinels travel in pairs and there's a special bond or link between them."
"That's useful to know if Earth allows us to go searching for the Sentinels. Ground Control may take a different view with this latest information," said Captain Winter. "'What more can you tell us about your experience on their vessel? Either about the Sentinels or their technology."
"There is so much to remember. I was too much in shock at the time to take it all in or to ask the right questions. I wasn't prepared for the encounter."