He floated over to the back wall and examined the photos Terran had taped up there. He saw a young, black family with two sweet children; an older couple standing stiffly, hand in hand, next to an ugly fountain; a dog that looked like a dachshund-spitz mix; and a really fancy vintage car, probably a Tesla roadster. The older couple might be Terran’s parents, while the family belonged to his sister or brother, and the dog had probably once been Terran’s.
Rick tried to imagine the man himself. He was likely in his mid-20s and a graduate from an elite college. He might have purchased the roadster as a reward for finishing his degree. He must have had the dog since childhood, and it was now living with his parents. His siblings were five to eight years older than he was.
Case closed. He now knew everything about Terran and no longer needed to chat with him. But that wasn’t enough. If Rick didn’t want to be the low man on the totem pole, he would need information. He had learned that throughout his career. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that glinted. It was about the size of a coin, though a little thicker. He had managed to bring twenty of these useful devices on board. They would record what was said in their vicinity. Each of them contained a transmitter that he could activate from a distance of two or three meters, enabling the transfer of the data to his own tablet. A more extended range would have been noticeable. And the battery wouldn’t have lasted as long either.
Rick scanned the room. Where could he hide this? He should have prepared himself more ahead of time. Terran was bound to return to his cabin soon. He feverishly considered his options. He would make a lousy spy. But then he discovered the chest under Terran’s bed. When he pulled it out, he realized that it was filled with clothing. Rick tore off a piece of tape from the roll he had brought along and pressed it onto the device. He knelt beside the bed and reached as far back under it as possible. He then fastened the listening chip to the underside of the bed frame.
Done. He pushed the chest back under the bed and stood up. Had he left any traces behind? He didn’t see anything. He floated back to the door and pushed it open. Damn it. A woman was coming down the hallway. He had to act like normal. He hadn’t done anything, was just dropping by his neighbor’s cabin for a chat. The woman, who looked like she was of Asian descent, nodded cheerfully at him. It was true that they were all friends here on board.
He smiled at her and even squeezed out, “How are you doing?”
She either realized that he didn’t really expect an answer or she hadn’t heard him. Either way, she swam on through the weightlessness.
“The meeting is about to start,” a female voice announced through the loudspeakers.
Rick had almost nodded off. He had imagined the first day on the ship would be more stressful. Apparently, he wasn’t really needed anywhere at this point, but that was probably to be expected as long as the company still had eyes on them. Since a large engineering team was responsible for the ship, the two men on board wouldn’t be needed for a while. But that would change once they left orbit.
Rick got up from his bed and left his cabin. They were meeting in the common room. Apparently all forty crew members had shown up. Which of them might be Terran Carter? He counted five black men, a surprisingly small number. The selection of the crew had obviously not been driven by diversity quotas. One of those five men had to be Terran. He studied one after the other and finally settled on the man on the right edge of the group. He looked like a nice young man from here, just the kind of person who would drive a vintage roadster and hang up photos of his parents, siblings, and dog. He couldn’t make out the name tag on the guy’s suit from this distance, so he would need to take care to say hello to him after the meeting.
A man in a business suit was speaking into a microphone. “I’m pleased you are all here.” He had floated above the others.
If that isn’t a symbolic gesture, I’m not sure what is, Rick thought. Although the suit was clearly custom made, it looked odd. That must have had something to do with the weightlessness. As the CEO, it would have been better to opt for an athletic suit up here in space. His advisors should have told him that.
“I’m sorry to disappoint all of you, but I’m not coming with you to Mars,” the man continued.
“Booooo,” the crowd replied.
“But I can promise you one thing, I will come and visit you.”
“Ahhhhh,” shouted the crowd.
“In about four years,” the man explained, “when the first human city on another planet is ready.”
“Ahhhhh.”
“In the meantime, I will do everything humanly possible to provide you pioneers with the best support imaginable. Every six months, a ship just like this one will be launched. By the time I get there, our small city will already have over two hundred residents—and that doesn’t even include all of those that will be conceived and born on the Red Planet.”
“Ahhhhh.”
“Speaking of new citizens and babies, I have the special honor of announcing a new program today, an initiative that is the brainchild of my own wife. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be with us today because the doctors advised her against a trip into space. She is pregnant, which is why I will be staying with her, of course.”
“Ohhhhh.”
This was news. The head man himself was going to be a father!
“We would like to guarantee that the first new citizen, the first person to be born away from Earth, has a remarkable life. When either he or she reaches majority age, that person will receive ten million dollars from our personal wealth.”
“Yeeeaaaa!” the crowd shouted.
“And in the years leading up to that, we will support the parents with a monthly subsidy of $15,000 for the care of their child. Naturally this offer is open to parents of any gender. I simply ask that you read the fine print for the full details on this program. Each of you will receive a brochure outlining the particulars.”
“When can we start?” called a man with an Irish accent.
“Well, the ship will be in transit for about six and a half months. As far as I’m concerned, you can start right away. But you should probably wait until you get back to your cabins.”
Loud laughter from the crowd.
“Besides that, I expect that all of you will be ready at four AM to depart. The ship has already been fueled, and all we’re waiting on is a few final diagnostic checks. And then you—sadly, without me—will fire the engines and leave Earth orbit and head for Mars. I wish you all a good flight—and a perfect new beginning in the first Mars City.”
The crowd applauded. Rick joined them, but his hands didn’t make any sound. The boss had just announced a fantastic PR stunt, but Rick didn’t stand one chance in a million. During their training, two or three couples had formed, and they were going to get started right away.
A woman in a blue uniform now spoke up. “As the boss already said, we’ll be departing at four o’clock. I would like to now welcome our special guests, our first ten passengers.”
The woman gestured at a few people in the front row. The passengers had booked their passage like the immigrants had once done on the great steamers of the past. Rick had heard that a single ticket had cost five million dollars. The official price had never been revealed.
“Please treat them as what they are—our guests. They will also be working around the ship as volunteers, depending on their skill sets, but they will report directly to me as Commander.”
Ah, so this was the commander. She gave the impression of being competent enough, but she didn’t seem all that awe-inspiring. Was this an optimal precondition for such a long journey?
“And with that, I release you for what’s left of the day. Those who have work to do know who you are, and the rest of you can enjoy your time off, even if you haven’t reached your minimum number of hours.”
The crowd clapped, but not as loudly as before. Rick turned around and searched the room for the young black man. He didn’t see him, but caught sight
of a different man heading his way. He was about 1.9 meters tall with broad shoulders. He had the nose of a boxer and the hands of a builder. The tag on his uniform read, ‘Carter, Terran.’
The man was coming straight at him. He stopped right in front of him, gazing at Rick’s tag. Had he picked up on something?
“Hi, Rick,” he said affably. “How are things going?”
“Good, and you?”
“Very well. Maggie told me that you wanted to see me?”
“Yes. We’re neighbors, and I thought we should get to know each other.”
“That’s a great idea,” Terran said. “I had met up with a few colleagues before the meeting, which was why I wasn’t there. What’s your job up here?”
“I’m a propulsion system engineer,” Rick replied.
The man jokingly punched him in the side. That was going to leave a bruise.
“No kidding! Me, too. That makes us coworkers. Here’s to a happy collaboration!” Terran held out his large hand.
Rick felt a flash of concern. The man could undoubtedly crush his hand. But he had to be polite. He took Terran’s hand and shook it. “To happy collaboration!” he said, gritting his teeth against an involuntary reaction.
Sol 66, Mars surface
Great. A steep, several-hundred-meter ravine fell away in front of her. Ewa had reached the edge of a canyon. The northern plains were mostly flat. So why had she run into such a chasm out here? She stood at the edge of the cliff. A few rocks freed themselves and slowly tumbled downward. She waited for the typical noise, but nothing happened. She remembered then that the atmosphere was too thin for that.
Ewa estimated the distance to the bottom, maybe four hundred meters. Compared to the southern rift system, which was several thousand meters deep, this one was child’s play. But she was alone, and her strength was waning. Besides, her spacesuit wasn’t made for climbing expeditions. Should she try to detour around the obstacle? She looked around. The canyon ran in both directions, all the way to the horizon. Best case scenario, a detour would add one day to her journey, a day she didn’t actually have. She would have to cross it.
What was that on the floor of the valley? What looked like fog was spreading across it. She had never seen fog on Mars. It must be some kind of carbon dioxide fog, since it was much too cold for fog formed from water droplets. Would this potentially impact her climb? No. The fog wasn’t thick enough to cause her to lose her orientation down there. She examined the walls of the cliff. The incline was too steep at this point, but she might be able to make it down at the spot to her right, about half a kilometer away. It would only be a few hundred meters, and the gravity on Mars was kinder to her than that on Earth.
She set off. If only Theo were here! Of all the MfE crew members, she missed him the most. If Theo were with her, she wouldn’t lose any time climbing down. He exuded confidence and safety. That was just what she needed right now. She had to admit that even the few hundred meters frightened her. The view from up here into the valley resembled the perspective from the top of one of those mega skyscrapers, looking down to the ground. She had once hiked to the base of the Grand Canyon, but there had been trails there. She was the first—and probably also the last—person who would be here, at least for a long time.
Ewa reached the access point she had seen before. It looked as if this had once been the bed of a stream that had flowed into the valley. The ground beneath her feet was loose and gravelly. The cut had to be ancient. Although erosion on Mars was a much slower process than on Earth, the walls were no longer as steep as they had been at the time of the canyon’s creation, when Mars had been more active.
Ewa turned so that her left side faced the valley. She would attempt the descent in a protracted, serpentine manner. After half an hour, she turned around a hundred and eighty degrees. This was working well. One of her feet occasionally slipped, but she was always able to steady herself again. She kept her eyes pointing upward at the top of the wall to keep from feeling dizzy because of the height. She soon reached the halfway point.
When she came across a stone the perfect height for sitting, she took a break. The remaining distance to the canyon floor no longer bothered her so much. The fog had vanished, much to her disappointment. She would have liked to observe the phenomenon up close. Ewa checked the time and her step counter. The descent into—and the climb out of—the ravine would cost her a half day’s walk. She couldn’t afford that, but what else could she do? If only she had a vehicle! The descent was no longer as steep as it had been. Was there any way she could construct a sled? She needed a metal plate that could hold her.
But thoughts like this were pointless. She didn’t have anything from which she could build a sled. Ewa stood back up. She had to keep going.
She reached the valley floor around six o’clock in the evening. She couldn’t complete the ascent before sunset, but she couldn’t afford to break for the night already. Ewa looked up. The ascent was no steeper than the descent. She hadn’t encountered any difficulties on her way down, and her helmet had an electric lamp attached to it. This meant she could keep going even after the sun went down. If she reached the top yet today and marched an extra two hours tomorrow, she would make up for the time she had lost here.
“Up we go,” she said aloud.
The mountain was waiting for her. Ewa set off. She quickly felt out of breath. Naturally, going uphill was more strenuous than going downhill, but she would manage it. Her heart beat rapidly, but that wasn’t unusual considering the challenge facing her. She hit a stride that she could maintain for the long term. The pain that was always sitting on her shoulder had vanished. It had probably struck off ahead of her and was waiting at the top. The strain would exact its price, she was sure about that, but that fact couldn’t matter right now. Once the sun set, her pace dropped a little. She had to frequently use her helmet lamp to search for the best path. An overhead floodlight would have been more helpful, but that wasn’t all that important either. She had to overcome the wall in front of her.
That was the moment her left foot slipped, the one onto which she had just shifted her weight. She tilted to the side, but managed to twist her body such that her backpack broke her fall. However, she wasn’t able to offset the energy produced by the fall. Her body began to roll, and she barreled back toward the bottom of the canyon. Her helmet lamp illuminated a massive, black boulder downhill from her. She was rolling straight toward it, and there was no way for her to change her trajectory. It was a moment like from a nightmare. She had to keep herself from colliding with the boulder, but it was unavoidable. The gravitational pull was dragging her toward it. Then the crash, and everything around her grew silent.
Ewa opened her eyes. She was still alive. She tested all her limbs—no pain beyond the typical aches. She had been amazingly lucky! Her backpack had been in just the right spot at just the right moment. Something in it might have broken, but it wouldn’t be anything too critical. The oxygen containers were much too solid to break so easily. Some of the crackers might now be crumbs.
But then her wrist vibrated. ‘Leak,’ the universal device announced. Shit. Her suit was losing oxygen. It had taken at least thirty seconds for the system to notice the problem, which meant that the hole wasn’t too large. She had to remain calm. The repair gel was located in her suit’s tool bag. All she needed to do was find the leak and seal it.
Ewa sat up and started patting down her spacesuit. She didn’t feel anything. She needed light, so she pulled her flashlight from her bag. She shined the beam all over her suit and found a scratch on her knee. Was that the spot? The material at this spot was gaping. That had to be the leak. She pulled out the repair kit. The tube of self-hardening sealant was only half-full. Someone must have used her suit’s supplies to repair something. This was the last thing she needed! She pressed the tube over the leak. What she squeezed out was just enough. All she could do now was hope that there were no other holes in her suit. The gel needed to harden, so for the m
oment she couldn’t move her knee.
Ewa sat completely still for three minutes. It should be sealed now. The system should give her an update on the oxygen loss in about thirty seconds. Ewa mentally counted. When she reached thirty, she felt herself start to sweat. Thirty-nine, forty. Her universal device vibrated again. “Suit sealed,” it reported. Whew! She had done it.
She had lost about fifty meters. Ewa stood up. She had to reach the upper edge of the canyon. Only then could she consider herself done for the day. She didn’t pack the flashlight now, using it instead to keep better track of the stability of the ground. Step after step, she ascended the canyon wall.
Ewa never looked back. She had one and only one goal. And she finally reached it, the ravine’s edge. The chasm transformed before her eyes into a harmless plain. She dropped to the ground. She had earned this rest.
5/26/2042, Spaceliner 1
“One minute to go,” the FM said. “All stations, please confirm your readiness or report any questions you might have.”
The decisive seconds. Their spaceship, Spaceliner 1, was about to leave Earth orbit and start its journey to Mars. Rick felt a shiver run down his spine. During the Earth launch, he had been a mere passenger, but now he belonged to the flight team. Along with Terran, he was supervising the propulsion system. As flight manager, Maggie Oh was coordinating all the stations. Although Mission Control had been guiding the flight up to this point, the leadership crew on board was now taking over. The greater the distance between them and Earth, the longer it would take for responses to reach the surface. This was why a Mars spaceship needed to be independent.
“LO?” Maggie asked.
Mars Nation: The Complete Trilogy Page 31