“What does that mean, Trace?” asked Devon.
“It means that we have what we had hoped for, and we should have enough time to do what we need to do.”
“Great. Well done. So what’s next?”
“I have to send my communication request just as if I was a rover trying to send a data feed. It’s in constant communication with all of the functioning rovers, so I am going to trick it into thinking I’m a new arrival. This would be the procedure for any new mission, to establish communications with the Guardian as its first order of business upon landing. It will ask me to verify my codes, and if all goes well, we have a direct link to the project team, assuming they’re still there.”
Trace typed away furiously on the keyboard as more of the strange code filled the screens in front of her. She worked as if this was her one goal in life and nothing else mattered. Shou wondered if her motivation was more to see Dr. O’Neil and have one last opportunity to speak with him before the end. The screen blinked, and five blank entry fields appeared before them.
“What are they?” asked Devon.
“Those are the five keys I need to enter to gain access to the Guardian.”
She carefully filled in the first field and moved onto the second, keying in the proper command codes. As she reached the third, she once again began to feel the anxiety and pressure weigh upon her. She struggled to remember it, and a few seconds later her hands were once again typing furiously. The fourth was also no problem, and she once again struggled to recall the fifth and final code. This was the toughest, as it was a random string of characters with no logical pattern. She and Will agreed it would be the only secure way as not to allow others to tap into the Guardian’s communications. It had been many years, and it truly had faded. She tried the first thing that came into her head and hit the accept button. The screen blinked, and an “access denied” message appeared in front of her. The sweat began to bead around her forehead as she once again struggled to remember the final sequence.
Devon and Shou exchanged a worried glance. Shou now understood why Trace had seemed so preoccupied these past few days. She didn’t remember the code and hadn’t said anything to anyone else.
“Trace, what’s the problem?” asked Devon.
“Sir, I’m having trouble remembering the final sequence.”
“Well, take your time and relax. Try a few different options.”
“It’s not that simple!” snapped Trace. “Sorry, sir, It’s just that if I enter the incorrect code three times, the system locks me out permanently. This is our only chance, and I’m blowing it. The sequence is a string of forty random characters meaning nothing whatsoever. It is strictly a memory-based code, and after I left Telos, I haven’t really thought about having to do this. The first four codes are all based on some logical connection that I could refer back to. When we thought of this plan I was sure I’d remember given enough time, but I just can’t.”
“Commander,” Shou interjected, “can I have a few minutes with Anna, please?”
“Sure.” Devon nodded skeptically as he left them alone and walked over to Knarr’s station.
“Anna, listen to me. You have to think. Just calm down.”
“What if I can’t remember? Everyone counted on me. Gallantine died for this, and I can’t remember.”
“Listen to me. He’s there on the other end of that screen. This may be your last chance to see him and let him know how you feel. You have to remember!”
Trace gathered herself up with the thought of speaking to Will again. She sat up in her chair and laid her fingers on the keypad. All at once, a flurry of keystrokes filled the screen as she nervously bit her lip. She tapped the accept key, and once again the “access denied” message blinked on the screen.
Shou lowered her head, looking disappointed that her effort to jar Trace’s memory had failed. Before She could say anything else, Trace was already typing in the final attempt at an unbelievably fast speed. Trace paused for a moment, looked up at Shou, and then hit the accept key one last time. The screen once again filled with the strange code and began to flicker. To Shou’s relief, the word “accepted” blinked brightly in front of her.
“You did it!” said Shou.
“Good work,” said Devon in a much more subdued tone as he briefly put his hand on her shoulder. Trace closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
“So now what?” asked Devon.
“Now I’ll upload the code that I’ve prepared to allow the Guardian to create an uplink to Mars, and transmit our signal as if we were a new rover. It should take about a half hour to complete.”
“Trace. What are our odds of getting through at this point?” asked Devon.
“We’re past the hard part on our side; it’s just going to be problematic as to who is on the other end. We also have to consider that it will be pretty late Manikar time when this goes through; there may be nobody working to receive the message. We also have a small window before Guardian’s orbit takes it around the far side of Earth and out of our line of sight, so in reality we have maybe an hour once we make contact to get through.”
“Understood. Keep at it and let me know when you get something. Shou, please assemble the command staff in the strategy room. Let’s give Trace some peace.”
“Yes, sir,” said Shou, exchanging a smile with Devon.
Several minutes later Devon entered the room where Shou stood at attention next to the long table where the others were seated. Bugois and Knarr were too busy arguing over navigation theory to notice Devon enter the room.
“Ahem,” said Shou loudly, trying to get Bugois and Knarr to attention. They both quickly stood in the presence of their commander.
“Please sit,” said Devon in a softer voice than he usually displayed in front of the crew. He had as of late reserved this voice for his private conversations with Shou.
“We’ve all been so busy I haven’t really had the opportunity to thank all of you for your performance during harsher conditions and realities than any crew has ever faced. I suspect things are going to get harder yet as we get to Mars and eventually to Earth. That’s actually why I asked you all here. With all that’s been going on, we haven’t really focused on our Earth planning for some time now. The inevitable fact is that Earth will be our home, and we have to be ready. I need you three and Trace to help me keep the crew focused on Earth, especially after we see Mars one last time. It’s going to be hard for all of us, so we need to focus on what we have, not what we’ll be losing. I know that’s easier said than done, but it has to happen if we have any chance whatsoever. I’ve overheard some members of the crew express the thought that maybe it would be better to die with their loved ones. This is exactly the kind of emotion we can’t have, especially now.”
“Commander,” said Bugois, “how can ve expect zhese people to focus when zer families vil be gone? I don’t blame some of zem for wanting to die with zer children or spouses. I sink you ask too much of zhem…and of us in zis case.”
Devon was surprised at Bugois’s candor, and under normal circumstances, it would be perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, it was exactly what he couldn’t have at a time like this. Devon walked over to where Bugois was sitting and with his right hand flattened him with a punch to the jaw.
“All of you listen up! I will not allow a suicidal mentality to propagate aboard this ship. Even the slightest sign of empathy for this sentiment is dangerous and puts us all at risk. We don’t know what desperate people might do if pushed to the breaking point emotionally.”
Bugois sat on the floor, rubbing his jaw and looking up at Devon in shock at what had just happened. Shou and Knarr stood up, both looking at each other with uncertainty on whether to help Bugois up or not.
“It just takes one distraught crewman to open an airlock, and it’s over for all of us. I personally see us as possibly the last survivors of our race, and I for one would like to see us survive as a species.”
; Devon reached down and offered Bugois a hand, which he reluctantly took after a few seconds. He pulled him up and turned his grip into a handshake, which Bugois returned, now understanding his point and his less than subtle way of making it.
“We have to be strong for each other, and that means we can’t wallow in self-pity. I expect each of you to see to it that this crew has not and will not give in to the emotion that will make them want to give up. Is that understood?”
Each of them nodded silently, making no effort to speak. They realized Devon was right, but also had to wrestle with their own emotions and come to grips themselves. The door to the strategy room slammed open hard against the wall.
“Sir! This is it. We’re getting through!” shouted Trace.
They all rushed to the console where Trace had been working. As she sat back down, she threw a series of switches that seemed to clear up the grainy picture. Lines of code flashed on the screen as it flickered brightly. All at once, the picture cleared up, and there was Jonas Crouse on the screen, looking down while typing on his console.
“Trace, say something to him!” said Devon impatiently, wondering why Trace was waiting.
“Sir, he has to open the channel to us. All we are is a picture on a view screen. Until he notices us, we can’t do anything.”
Jonas sat in front of the Telos console, trying to erase the evidence of the ship, and didn’t look up to see that the screen reserved usually for rover one now had an image of Anna Trace with Devon and Shou standing beside her. His com was ringing very quietly, and he was so deep in thought he failed to hear it. He leaned back in his chair as if taking a short break from his concentration and stretched his arms. He put the pinky of his right hand in his ear, trying to scratch some itch that looked to be halfway inside his head. After a few minutes of that, he leaned forward and went back to what he was doing.
“Trace, we’re not getting anywhere here. How much time until Guardian goes around the far side of Earth?”
“Looks like about forty-five minutes left, sir.”
“We can’t just hope he sees us. Is there anything you can do to get his attention?”
Trace closed her eyes and thought deeply for a few seconds. She snapped back to reality and immediately began typing on her console.
“There just might be, sir.”
Lines of code flowed across the screen of the monitor next to the image of Jonas as Trace typed furiously.
“What’s all of this?” asked Devon.
“I’m signaling as if I’m the new rover and have a malfunction. It will trigger a small red light to blink on the screen below our image. It should also create a beeping noise that he should hear.”
As Trace sent the last command, she watched the screen intently. She knew there was a slight delay in the signal reaching Jonas’s console. Just then Jonas stood up from his chair and proceeded to walk to the hyperflush on the far side of the office.
“I don’t believe this,” said Trace. “Right now the screen is lighting up, and the beeping will continue for three minutes. He picked a horrible time for a whiz.”
Trace looked back at Devon. “Sorry, sir.”
“It’s OK. Couldn’t have said it better.”
Trace’s screen flashed with a “diagnostic complete” message. Just then, Jonas emerged from the hyperflush, sitting back at the Telos console.
“Damn! I have to send the sequence again. Let’s hope he’s all done.”
Trace once again typed in the code to trigger the diagnostic message on the Telos console. She completed the sequence and once again, waited for Jonas to look up. The minutes passed slowly as the anxiety began to build on the command deck of the Victory. One man had died for this, and it was coming down to a matter of minutes for their mission to succeed. Jonas continued working on his console and began looking around the room to identify the sound he was hearing.
“What the hell is that?” remarked Jonas. It had been years since he’d heard the unique tone that signaled malfunction. Most of the rovers had been in stable conditions for years, and he didn’t immediately recognize the sound he was hearing. He looked around the main control console and saw nothing. He then began to scan the monitors, and saw the light that signified rover malfunction was blinking. As he glanced at the light, he failed to notice the image on the screen above it and immediately looked to the control console to decipher the issue with the rover.
“What the hell is it going to take to get him to look up?” said Devon in frustration.
“Maybe a punch to zee face vould do zee trick,” mumbled Bugois under his breath but loud enough for Devon to hear. He was still feeling the effects of Devon’s earlier attitude readjustment.
“I have a feeling it won’t be long now, sir,” said Trace, looking more confident.
“How can you be sure? He isn’t exactly the most attentive person I’ve observed,” replied Shou.
“Right now he’s checking the diagnostics and soon will notice the message that references rover number eight. Being that there is no rover number eight and never was, he should become curious and look at the monitor.”
As Trace had surmised, Jonas had a more confused look on his face than normal as he analyzed the data. He reviewed the information for a few more minutes and then looked up, as Trace had hoped.
“Oh my God! Dr. Trace?”
Trace began motioning to Jonas to open the communications channel so he’d be able to hear them. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of Trace’s voice.
“Dr. Trace, how can this be possible? You’re supposed to be stranded aboard the Victory.”
“Hello Jonas, there’s not much time for explanations. You have to listen to us.”
She then realized that the message should rightly come from Commander Devon. She stood up and stepped behind Devon, allowing him to sit down at the console.
“I know we don’t know each other personally, but do you know who I am?”
Jonas was well acquainted with the tense relationship between Devon and Will, but hadn’t really had any personal involvement with him.
“Ah, yes, Commander Devon. Sure.”
“Then you know my reputation that I’m a man of honor and what I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth. It’s important that you believe me because we aren’t going to have any time to prove it.”
“I can’t make any promises until I hear what you have to say,” said Jonas. “but I’ll take you at your word for now.”
“Thanks. Please listen carefully. In just over four hours, an object of immense size is going to impact Mars. This comet or asteroid, whatever its classification, is without a doubt, going to devastate the planet. We don’t anticipate that anyone could survive the impact, as it will lay waste to the surface and cause irreparable damage to the atmosphere.”
Jonas sat expressionless for a moment, trying to find some possibility that this was somehow a joke that Will was playing on him.
“How—how can that be possible?” Jonas whimpered. “We have the most advanced observatory monitoring for such things. It seems unlikely that a man like Lars Stanzic would miss something this big.”
“We can’t explain that, but you have to believe me. This thing is coming, and you have to warn people. You have to give the world a chance to make peace before the end.”
Jonas tried to stand up but quickly felt himself become dizzy and nauseous.
“Why are you communicating with me? Why not tell the quorum?”
Devon once again maintained his calm demeanor in his explanations to Jonas. He knew this was a hard thing to hear, and he needed Jonas to understand.
“It would appear that Larsen has been blocking our communications ever since we reported the object to him forty-five days ago. This was the only way we could possibly get a message home in time.”
“It all makes sense now,” said Jonas, shaking his head in disgust. “Larsen is preparing to launch his rescue mission—I guess I mean escape mission—in a few hours. I saw a news
report that said he was adamant that the ship launch no later than three hours from now. That son of a bitch knew about this for forty-five days and didn’t tell anyone?”
“It would appear so, but there isn’t time for any of that now. We’re sending the coordinates to you via the Telos console so you can pass them to the quorum.”
Devon nodded to Trace, who leaned over the console and keyed in the proper coordinates of the object. Shortly after, Jonas saw them appear on his monitor.
“Are you sure of this? Maybe this thing will miss us. Isn’t there a chance this could miss us?”
Devon could hear the wishful thinking in Jonas’s tone. The hope that maybe they were wrong about all of this was something they had long given up on, having had forty-five days to project, with precision, the impact on the planet.
“Jonas, you have to trust me. There’s no mistake, and there isn’t anything that’s going to prevent this. You have to relay this information to a trustworthy source in the quorum, and you have to do it now.”
Jonas was startled as Will crashed through the door, out of breath after his long sprint from the command deck.
“Jonas, we’ve got big trouble.”
Will struggled to catch his breath as he crouched over with his hands on his knees. Aboard the Victory, Trace’s heart raced as she saw Will appear on the screen.
“Boss, I think we have bigger trouble than you think.”
“Jonas, what are you talking about? Listen to me. They’ve got Daniels. I don’t know what they’re going to do next. We have to get Ileana down here and confront her with—”
“It’s all over. It’s all over,” whimpered Jonas.
“It isn’t over. We’re in real trouble here!” shouted Will.
“Will.” Anna Trace’s voice rang out from the Telos console. Will turned having immediately recognized the sound of her voice. Jonas pointed to the monitor where her image was starting to become fuzzy. The signal began to weaken as Guardian started to round the far side of Earth.
“Anna?” said Will as he turned to Jonas, who was now crying. “What is this?”
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