“Any word from Manikar control on your request for confirmation, Shou?” asked Devon.
“No, sir. They haven’t responded with confirmation that it will impact home.” It wasn’t often Shou let down her guard to show any emotion, but she was clearly shaken, as she knew her calculations were correct and didn’t need Larsen to confirm them. She had twice the scientific expertise that he did, and Devon knew in his heart that bad news of confirmation was inevitable. He tried to keep the crew focused on their jobs, as it was all they really had to take their minds off the horror of what could happen in just a short period of time.
“Mr. Knarr, have you finished your analysis?” asked Devon.
“Well, sir, Dr. Trace and I have theorized that this is likely part of a planet that met with a disaster of some type.”
Devon knew Trace was extremely competent in her credentials, but also knew she had a past romantic relationship with Will O’Neil and hoped this wouldn’t cause any friction.
“So this is not a comet?” asked Devon.
“Well, sir,” Dr. Trace interjected, “it seems to be a chunk of planetary matter with what’s left of what once was the molten core of the planet. This would have had to be a fairly sudden and violent end to whatever planet this was at one time. I also believe—”
Knarr cleared his throat to gain Trace’s attention.
“Sorry. We also believe that the object that impacted Laurion three years ago was part of this planet as well.” Laurion was the largest of Mars’s moons and had been devastated by this impact.
“Whatever caused the event, it sent pieces of the planet out in this direction at different velocities. It isn’t just strange coincidence that two objects have the same basic trajectory; they were both ejected out in the same direction by the same force. My guess would be some type of supernova that happened fairly far from the planet, which is why it wasn’t vaporized. I was part of the team that went to Laurion to analyze the impact, and we found the same red material present. It’s a one hundred percent match to the chemical composition of this object—its big brother, if you will.”
Just as Dr. Trace delivered her report to Commander Devon, the communication console rang out.
“Sir, it’s Commander Larsen.” said Knarr nervously.
The entire command crew stood silent, waiting for the confirmation they had all hoped would never come. They waited for what seemed like an eternity for Devon to review the communication.
Devon knew the mood of the crew and had no desire to make them wait painfully for what Manikar Control had to say. He stood at the console and reviewed the information that came directly from Commander Larsen.
“Shou, please come with me to the strategy room to look this over.” Shou was just as anxious as the rest of the crew to know what was said, but tried to keep her cool demeanor for the sake her crewmates.
As the door slammed shut, Devon sat silently for a moment across the table from Shou, collecting his thoughts. “I hope you know that I respect your abilities and I am only going to ask this for the sake of being one hundred percent sure. Is there any way you could have miscalculated the trajectory of this object?”
“Sir, I have run my numbers through the navigation computer, which has pinpoint accuracy of every catalogued object in our solar system. Unless there has been a major spatial displacement that I’m unaware of, they are one hundred percent accurate.”
Devon paused for a moment because he knew she was correct, and it made what had just come in from Manikar Control that much more difficult to tell the crew.
“What is it, sir?”
Devon looked into Shou’s eyes, and for a moment he was in his dream again staring longingly at her, hoping to find that peace he’d felt before. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation quickly came flooding back in.
“Larsen says our calculations are incorrect and the object will miss the planet by over two hundred miles.”
Shou stood up as if she was going to argue her point with Devon.
“Shou, relax. I trust that your calculations are accurate. What I don’t know is why Larsen would just quickly dismiss our findings and send misleading information. Surely he must know we’re going to verify this.”
Shou felt relieved that Commander Devon had that much faith in her abilities. “Sir, we need to take this to someone else in Manikar Control, someone who—”
Devon became even more somber in his response. “We aren’t authorized to communicate with anyone else in Manikar Control. We’ve been restricted to direct communication with Larsen and have no channels to anyone else as of our last communication.”
Shou once again jumped up from her chair. “He can’t do that. Someone has to warn them!”
“Agreed, but for right now here’s what I want you to do. Send your findings to the Shadow and ask for confirmation. I don’t trust Windsor, but we have to see where they stand.”
Devon saw a strange look come across Shou’s face at the mention of Commander Windsor, but didn’t pursue it any further.
“In the meantime, I’m going to send a personal communication to Larsen to see what the deal is. For now let the crew know Mars Control is still analyzing data and it’s too soon to make any determinations.”
Larsen stared at his console looking at the calculations sent by the Victory. He ran them through analysis over ten times and got the same result each time. It was true. Mars was going to be impacted by an object over one hundred miles wide in forty-seven days, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. He knew, as the crew of the Victory knew, that this was a planet killer. Sharing this information wouldn’t be an option for him at this point; he now had to formulate a way to escape this disastrous event and could focus on nothing but thoughts of self-preservation. He’d seen the personal communication from Commander Devon and as of yet not presented a response.
Commander Larsen,
We’ve reviewed our findings and checked them for any possible miscalculations. The object will impact our planet, and measures have to be taken to determine the implications of this event. Our people need to make preparations if they have any hope of survival. Please respond and confirm that you have received this transmission and are taking appropriate steps.
Sincerely,
Commander James Devon.
Larsen desperately searched his mind for options, but there were none that would involve letting anyone on his project team know what was going to happen. His ship was still two months from being ready to launch. If word of this cataclysm got out, he would never be allowed to escape the impending doom that the planet would face. He knew what he had to do and where his only hope of survival would be. The blue planet and the man he loathed had now become his only hope.
A day and a half had passed since Commander Devon had sent his personal communication to Larsen and only now was a response been received. Devon sat in his quarters, quietly contemplating his next move. Tough decisions weren’t new to him, but this was different. The fate of Mars was unknown, and he wasn’t sure what course of action, if any, could change the inevitable.
The intercom lit up, and Shou’s voice rang out, “Commander, we’ve received a response from Manikar Control. I haven’t told the crew, as per your orders.”
Devon didn’t want to cause any more stress for his crew; the last communication would have served to confuse and set false hopes had he shared it with them. He knew he had to be sure before he informed them that their planet was going to be destroyed.
“Bring it down to my quarters, and keep it quiet.”
As Shou entered, she handed the data disk to Devon and uncomfortably stood at attention near the door.
“Shou, please sit and relax.”
Shou reluctantly sat in the chair across from a small desk Devon had been sitting at.
Devon leaned forward touching her shoulder. “I appreciate your discipline throughout this crisis. You’re a good officer, and I need you to remain focused no matter what happens. We can’t a
fford to fall apart out here.”
She took a deep breath and nodded in appreciation as Devon sat back. He had never really told Shou her service to him was appreciated. It felt good to know that beyond his trust in her scientific knowledge, he respected her as an officer in the quorum. When she was old enough, she’d immediately signed up for military service, mostly to honor her loved ones who had passed on. As the treaty of Sian was finalized, the military forces of all provinces became the United Mars Armed Services. She was chosen for the Space Quorum based on her excellent service and scientific background and wondered if Devon had any clue that she had once been a military officer in Cholan. Not that it mattered out in deep space. There were no wars to fight, only this devastating reality that there may not be a home to go back to.
Devon placed the disk in his communication console and began to read Larsen’s response.
Commander Devon,
We’ve received your distress call and understand you are losing power to your ion drive. We have also analyzed your communication failures, and realize you will not be able to communicate any further with Manikar Control. It’s our understanding that your oxygen generators are still functional and you and the crew can survive until a rescue can be mounted. It is my intention to ready the Sirocco for a launch as soon as possible and head to your location. I have the utmost faith in your abilities to keep your crew healthy until we can mount a rescue. We’ll attempt to continue sending messages in the event you can receive them.
Yours Sincerely,
Commander Larsen.
“Commander, what is it?” asked Shou, seeing the look of frustration on Devon’s face.
He turned the viewer toward Shou. “Read it for yourself.”
Shou sprang to her feet after she silently read the message from Larsen, and her voice quivered with anger. “What does that mean? We haven’t sent any distress call! He isn’t even acknowledging the data that confirms the danger to the planet. Sir, we have to—”
“Shou, please sit down.”
Shou reluctantly took her position across from Devon’s desk
“We have our confirmation, don’t we?” said Devon, snapping off the viewer.
“Sir, what confirmation? This makes no sense.”
“Do you know Commander Larsen?”
“Not on a personal basis, but I met him during training for this mission.”
“Let’s just say that he’s a man of very questionable character. Understanding what makes people react the way they do is an important part of leadership. I know Larsen; he’s a coward and a person who has no faith in anything outside of his personal interests. What this means is that we pose a threat to him, and he has to eliminate this threat by effectively turning us off. This message is not for us but for the Space Quorum so that he can have an explanation as to why we are effectively dead in space and can’t communicate. He’s probably in the process of encoding all communication channels to reject our signal and changing telemetry to fit his story.”
“Sir, why would he do this? The people need to know so they can prepare for this, even if there isn’t any chance of survival.”
“He answered that too,” said Devon. “He plans on using his ship, which he apparently named the Sirocco, to escape Mars before the impact.” Sirocco was a historical figure who became famous for his explorations of the planet in early history. He was the first explorer to map the deep caverns of the Folands five hundred years ago, and Larsen, in his arrogance, saw himself as a great explorer.
“Escape? Where can he go?” asked Shou, becoming more and more agitated.
“That’s an interesting question. Where can he go?” As Devon asked the question, there were only a few possibilities that came to mind. “He could attempt to dock with Collosum, but that would seem a very short-term solution. It’s likely the shockwave of impact will destroy any orbiting bodies, including Collosum.”
“Sir, even if Collosum survives, it can provide life support, food, and water for fourteen months max with its current crew and no support from the quorum. Add a twenty-five-man crew to that, and it decreases even further.”
“Not a very good escape plan, is it? Knowing Larsen as I do, he wouldn’t settle for just buying fourteen months. As I said, he’s a coward, but he isn’t stupid.” Devon pondered the possibilities and immediately walked to the library console. “Earth! He’ll make for Earth.”
The look of surprise on Shou’s face was not unexpected.
“Sir, the Telos missions are proof that life on Earth would be almost as dangerous as staying on Mars. Those creatures and the volcanic activity would make life difficult, if not extremely short and—”
Devon raised his hand as if to ask for quiet so he could finish working on a thought he was formulating. Shou had served with him long enough to know when to stop talking.
“I remember reading a summary mission report on the Telos findings last year. Dr. O’Neil had established that there was an area that still held promise for colonization and there had been no signs of any animal life that posed a threat to human beings.”
“Why wasn’t this made public? I hadn’t heard any of this,” asked Shou.
Devon looked up from the library console, where he was frantically trying to recall the report.
“Many people, including myself, were pretty happy when Dr. O’Neil’s project met with failure. As you know, we never really saw eye to eye on the use of funding, so it was easy to ignore any positives that came out of his work. The media had pumped his colonization ideas up so big that when it all came crashing down, they weren’t going to take a chance on giving any more publicity to his findings, especially with public opinion so negative toward him after Telos Seven.”
“Sir, I have found Dr. O’Neil to be a person of good character. Having served with you for some time, I also find you to be a person of exceptional character; therefore, I never understood your feelings toward him.”
Devon spoke in a forceful tone, as he did similarly when engaging Will in debate. “It’s not his character that I took issue with; it was his stubborn insistence that he was right and the rest of the Space Quorum was wrong.”
“Sir, has it occurred to you that Dr. O’Neil always argued from a perspective of deep passion for his life’s work? I never found his arguments disrespectful or personal in any way.”
Devon now started to raise his voice; it was almost as if Will was in the room at this point. Shou had never seen her commander so lost for coherent thought; it was all passion on his part as well.
“It’s not…I mean…colonization wasn’t as important then as the survival of our species, as we are now painfully aware. Deep space mapping should have been the priority after Laurion was hit.”
Shou smiled, as she’d just maneuvered Devon right where she wanted him. “It would appear that you too are passionate about what you believe in, sir. A wise person once said that part of being a good leader is knowing what causes people to react the way they do.”
Devon immediately calmed down, knowing his first officer had just given him a perspective he’d never considered, and she’d used his own words to do it. He’d always found himself at odds with Will on ideas, not on personal grounds. His pride was the only casualty in most cases after losing arguments based on passion, as Shou had just pointed out.
“Looks like leadership is something you have no problem with, Lieutenant.”
The report on Telos came on screen with a loud beep and brought Devon and Shou back to the reality of the situation.
“They refer to this area as Eden. From all accounts, there are food sources, water, and no sign of any monsters. This has to be what Larsen has in mind. He’s been looking at this data for years, trying to discredit O’Neil, so he’s well aware of this information.”
Devon could see the frustrated look that came over Shou.
“What is it?” asked Devon.
“I don’t see where you’re going with this. If Larsen isn’t going to warn the people, then we n
eed to focus on finding a way to do it, not on figuring out his escape plan.”
Devon stood up from the console to face Shou. “Is there a chance anyone could survive this event if it plays out the way you’ve calculated?” Devon asked.
“Sir, this will devastate the entire surface and cause irreparable damage to the planet’s atmosphere, so even if one could survive the impact, they wouldn’t last long.”
Devon now appeared to be focused on something, but Shou still didn’t see where he was going. She couldn’t think of anything but getting this information back home.
“My secondary responsibility will be to attempt to warn the people what they’re facing.”
Shou was taken aback. “Secondary, sir?”
“Yes. My primary concern from this point forward is the safety and survival of this crew. According to your report, warning the people will do nothing to extend their lives or give them a chance at survival. Therefore, if Larsen has an escape plan, it might become our hope for survival as well, and we need to figure it out.”
She hadn’t considered the fate of the Victory and her crew. There would be no port, no space station, and no planet to return to. Commander Devon was thinking strategically, as he always did for the survival of those under his command, and Shou was ashamed that for the first time in her professional career, she was thinking emotionally. Devon saw the hopeless look in her eyes—a look he had become all too familiar with over the years. All she’d ever known would be gone. This was her life now, and she had to come to grips with her feelings for the sake of the other twenty-three people on board who now had to be told.
Devon saw the pain well up in his first officer as he forced her to deal with the reality of their new mission. He wanted to pull her close and hold her in his arms. He no longer fought the thoughts that came into his mind about Grace Shou; he welcomed them. Protocol was such that you could never allow your personal feelings to come through, but it was different now. The world as he’d known it would soon end, and she was the only light he could see through the coming darkness.
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