Curious Sols (The Sol Principle Book 1)

by Myron Smith III

  Turning back to his vidcomm, Dominic scrutinized the orbital patterns of two objects circling Mars. Each one had its own countdown timer on screen. One object was named Deimos and the other Phobos.

  “There is plenty of time my child,” Dominic spoke to the unraveling coils through his vidcomm.

  The vidcomm pulsed as it had minutes before. Once again the Argo's captain spoke by audio only. “Dr. Andreou, please pardon the interruption, but I have an update on the MARC Station.”

  Restraining his impulse to disconnect the comm, Dominic impatiently replied, “Captain, I trust this is important, what is it?”

  “The MARC Station has restored communications,” the captain related to the scientist. “And…” he hesitated, “reports indicate the MARC fleet continues on course for Mars.”

  As Dominic felt the blood rushing to his head, his fingers gripped the corner of the workstation tightly. Having recently taken his ments, the impulses firing his anger remained in check. He made his mind think of his creation, how it would empower him, how it was the key to his plan. As he focused on his passion, Dominic's anger subsided. The technique had worked yet again.

  "How can the man responsible for your madness teach you to be sane?" he posed rhetorically. "Why does fate twist people together and then twist them apart?" He shook his head from the rambling thoughts. He had been speaking with the captain.

  “Understand, Captain,” he finally continued, “I will contact you when I am finished, do not interrupt me again.”

  “Understood,” replied Captain Dranius, thankful he had used the audio feed.

  Dominic's gaze drifted back to the panoramic view of Mars. In its majesty, his focus drifted to the MARC fleet.

  “It must have been her,” he said in muted tones. “No one else could have found the presents I left for them.”

  Dominic turned in his chair and watched the cables continue to plunge toward Mars. Using Martian elements in construction gave them ten times the strength of their predecessor. Even the atmospheric transfer modules doubled the speed of the MARC design.

  Once the Order had established a functional elevator of its own, there would no longer be a need for the MARC station. It was an important step down a road with many more meters to travel.

  An idea struck Dominic as he continued to watch his elevator take form.

  “There may yet be a use for that blight circling the horizon,” he told himself. “Once the remnants of the fleet dock, two annoyances can be removed by the same solution.”

  #

  Ashley sat up in bed.

  “I have it,” she said rubbing John's shoulder to wake him.

  John groaned and managed a few guttural sounds that sounded like a response.

  “John, wake up!” Ashley continued to try to wake her husband, escalating her prods.

  “Okay, Okay,” John replied in more coherent form. “What's going on? What time is it?”

  “Oh it's three a.m.,” she responded hurriedly. “But I think I know a way to slow us all down.”

  Rubbing his eyes, Jonathon tried to focus on what his wife was trying to tell him.

  “Slow down the fleet?” he asked sluggishly.

  “Yes, of course, the fleet,” Ashley confirmed.

  “I'll bite, whatcha thinking?” John inquired.

  Ashley dimly illuminated the bedroom. She then grabbed an I-Know sitting by the bedside. Leaning over to show John, she began to draw eleven sticks in an oval pattern, circling four of the outside ones. On the other side of the screen she drew a large circle and labeled it Mars.

  “We're eleven ships now, four of them have sails intact,” she started to explain. “Plasma beams are sent out from the orbital station to slow our approach when we are in optimal range.” She drew little dotted lines from the Mars circle to the four circled ships. “The ships with sails will catch the beams and begin to slow. The ships without sails will continue on at their same rate.” Ashley drug seven of the sticks across the screen, closer to Mars, while four remained. Then pointing to the seven sticks she highlighted them and said, “...unless they can attach themselves to the four that still do.” She then drug the seven sticks back to their original position. This time, she drew lines connecting the ships together like a web.

  John scratched his head a bit before saying, “So I'm guessing you have that part figured out too, or I'd still be asleep.”

  Ashley gave him a loving punch in the arm.

  “That's the hope,” she said. “If the fleet's energizers can yank a ship back on course, then they should be strong enough to hold the fleet together during deceleration. It will likely depend on the configuration of ships, but it should be possible. It has to be possible.”

  “So, I'll find you in the lab running simulations when I wake up this morning?” John half-heartily joked.

  “Not if I wake you up before then with the results,” she replied heading for the bathroom.

  “Love you too,” he managed to get out as he rolled back over in bed.

  *

  Chapter 21 All for One and One for All

  Ashley had left for the lab several minutes ago. Still in bed, John wrestled with his thoughts in an attempt to fall back asleep. After an hour of fighting a losing battle, he threw in the towel and decided to get up. The paranoia from what Dominic may have saved for them, coupled with the uncertainty of how the fleet would stop at Mars, was chipping away at the crew's sanity. John was no exception.

  “I have to get working on something or I'm going to go stir crazy,” he thought to himself as the bathroom's cleansing unit meticulously washed him.

  Once he was dressed, John picked up his Ksync and paged his longtime friend and fellow sentinel, Lieutenant Jennings.

  “Kyle, it's wakey wakey time,” he recorded for the page. “I'm set on an idea I know you'll be crazy about. Meet me at the fit room in thirty minutes.”

  John finished getting ready and then found his way to the kitchen. Grabbing a light breakfast, he didn't want to fill up before a work-out. Also, he needed to kill a few minutes before his friend would likely drag his sleepy-self to the fit room. Kyle loved his bright ideas. Taking a last swig of orange juice, he grabbed his pack and headed to the fit room.

  #

  “That's crazy!” Kyle emphatically replied. “You should know by now I'm the last person in the fleet you should be recruiting.”

  “Exactly my point,” John countered as he set his pack down in the fit room. “I can't think of anyone who would kick and scream more before having it abused. You're like a spare walking conscious. You're my ghostly Ben Kenobi, except you’re still alive.”

  Kyle's face contorted at that last remark. “What do you mean I'm still alive?” Kyle added. “And who's this Ben guy?”

  “Long story on the Kenobi reference,” John replied. “We'll have to schedule a time to catch you up.” John started off on a tangent. “Maybe we can get Ashley to join us, and how about that Glennay, she's a cutie. We could make it a double date, just like we’re in high school.”

  “John!” Kyle uttered to break John's ramblings. “Focus... back to your crazy idea. I'm not about to start poking into people's minds with your mental voodoo bands. It's bad enough I've agreed to be a practice dummy, but there's no way I'm going down that path. If the captain finds out how far you two have taken this project, she's going to flip her lid.”

  “If we can get through this mess we're in now,” John countered, “then she's not only going to find out, but I'm going to try to talk her into this as well.”

  Kyle's face indicated the humor of the situation was taking a more serious turn.

  “I can't do it John, I won't,” Kyle finished.

  Pausing, John tried condense his reasoning before he lost his opportunity to recruit Kyle.

  “Kyle, look,” John started. “I really do want you to consider this because of your beliefs.”

  John slowly walked across the room's floor as he spoke. “When we signed on for this trip we knew
it would be hard... dangerous even at times. The dangers then were ordinary ones. Would we really be able to colonize a terraformed planet? Should we throw away our children's future on Earth for the promise of Mars? Ashley and I would have been fine on Earth. We made the cut, Kyle. My father made sure of that. Even though the democratic principles my grandfather stood for were crumbling around us, we would have been taken care of. As for Jessica and Steph who knows? I had to think about their future. What were their opportunities going to be?”

  Kyle nodded in understanding as John talked.

  “Now,” John continued, “I don't know what I've signed my family up for. I felt comfortable bringing them along until now. Everything has sped up Kyle. It's becoming harder to see things coming and react... harder to plan ahead.”

  “We're all frayed around the edges right now, John,” Kyle assured him. “I had a similar conversation with Kevin earlier. This is going to work out. It's a little more bumpy than planned, but the captain will see us through. ”

  “Just wait till you’re a parent Kyle,” John commented. “I know you mean well, but when you have a couple of kids who are your direct responsibility to protect, things are a little less cut and dry.”

  John walked back to Kyle and put his hand on his shoulder.

  “Kyle, I need you in this,” John appealed to him. “We're about to get to Mars and who knows what kind of crazy situations are in store for us. The one thing I do know is I'm going after Dominic. I doubt he is just going to turn himself over. I'm going to need a few people to help make this happen and you're one of them. The captain doesn't want us going in guns ablaze.”

  Pointing to the neuroband on his head John made his point. “That doesn't leave much except for this.”

  A smile came back across John's face as he patted Kyle's shoulder and said. “After all even the Lone Ranger needed Tonto to get out of trouble once in a while.”

  “I thought you were going easy on the analogies,” Kyle joked, as a smile crept back out.

  Caught up in their conversation, the men were unaware a third person had just entered the room.

  "You two should exchange friendship bracelets next,” joked Lieutenant Glennay Mercedes as she approached them. “You have more than one Kimosabe around here John,” Glennay added as she gave him a small hug in greeting.

  “Not to mention a kindred spirit in obscure references,” Kyle said in jest.

  John gave out a slight chuckle. He could count on Glennay deciphering his sayings nine out of ten times.

  “So what is this about going in guns ablaze or not ablaze?” Glennay inquired.

  “And just how much of our chat have you accidentally overheard?” answered John with his own question.

  “Enough to know you two are over your heads in trouble as usual,” she replied tossing a smirk in Kyle's direction.

  John leaned over to his pack and retrieved two black rectangular cases from within. He handed one to each of his comrades.

  “As it would happen, Ashley was planning on giving you the sales pitch later,” John told Glennay. “I drew the short straw on talking to "Mr. Straight Shooter" here.”

  “So you're finally bringing us up to full speed?” Glennay asked. “When do we begin?” she added removing the neuroband from its case and slipping it on.

  “You're pretty easy,” Kyle said. Seeing the look on Glennay's face he quickly added, “to talk into using a neuroband, I mean.”

  Glennay walked up to Kyle with a slow purposeful stride.

  Stopping within arm's reach she said, “I think that tight jumpsuit you're wearing is turning you into Mr. Cranky Pants. Don't you want to help out your best friend? Don't you want to protect the fleet like the sentinel you're supposed to be?” Just as Kyle was about to protest, Glennay gave him one last verbal swing. Grabbing a flap of his jumpsuit, she slowly brought her face to his and whispered, “Sounds like an 'easy' choice to me.” Letting go of his uniform, she slowly backed away and turned to John.

  “Okay kids play nice,” John said diffusing any more comments.

  Moving over to the workstation in the fit room, John began to input settings using the holo-controls.

  “In fact,” John added as he continued to program the simulation, “I know how you two can resolve all that pent-up frustration.”

  “What frustration?” Kyle questioned. John continued rambling as if he hadn't heard anything.

  “In my new and improved Octagon of Doom, I can show you the secrets of brainfu known only by the masters!” he said enticingly.

  Glennay's eyebrows arched a bit as she gave John a look of sympathy.

  “That poor woman you're married to. Now I understand why she puts in all that lab time,” she joked.

  “My student mistakenly taunts the master with impunity!” John replied in a shocked tone. “For your insolence I will save a special lesson in humility for you. Do not expect mercy even if you hold the ear of my other half.”

  “Your better half, you mean,” Glennay couldn't help but add one last quip.

  “Oooo you make a big mistake, young apprentice, you'll see,” John warned. “Into the Octagon you two, I will punish you with my poetry.”

  John shooed the two newly acquired students into his simulation.

  *

  Chapter 22 You’ve Got Mail

  “MARC Station, this is the U.S.S. Columbus calling. Please reply with a status report,” repeated an automated message from Ensign William's vidcomm. So many days had passed since the fleet lost contact with Mars he almost ignored the green light indicating a message had been received.

  Startled, Ensign Williams jumped back in his seat, hitting a beverage that would have flown across the room had it not been secured. His thoughts raced in his head. “How long had that light been blinking!” Noting the time stamp on the message, it had been received only a minute or two ago. He gave an inward sigh and turned toward the captain.

  “Captain Sterling,” he announced, “we have a secure message from the MARC Station.”

  "The heck with protocols," the captain thought to herself as she ordered. “Put it on the main vidcomm.”

  The screen came alive, displaying the command center of the MARC station in orbit around Mars. All workstations were manned save the empty hubs of several people hurrying around the area.

  Stepping into view was a high ranking officer judging by the insignia on her MARC uniform. Her blonde hair was neatly tucked under a standard issue hat worn by veteran officers. If the choice of hat had not given away her age, then the lines of experience upon her face would have provided a clue. A living legend in her own time, she was instantaneously recognizable.

  “This is Admiral Conrad of the Mars MARC Station,” related the commanding officer. “To any MARC divisions receiving this message, we have been unable to send or receive communications for several days. It was determined that our station's computer systems were compromised by the H.S. Argo. The Argo arrived at our station without the fleet, prior to its scheduled time, and under its own power. At the same time that our communication systems were shut down, several ore carriers were launched from the station without authorization. Security was able to override one transport's launch, however we have been unable to override all the ship's protocols.”

  The Admiral shifted slightly in her stance and pointed toward the view screen as it changed pictures. Appearing on the screen was a tactical map of Mars superimposed over the command center's image. The map indicated the positions of the seven founding dome cities, the MARC Station elevator, and a ship in stationary orbit around Mars.

  “After the Argo left the MARC Station, our satellites tracked it to a stationary position above Olympus Mons on Mars,” highlighted the Admiral. “The nearest dome city would be New China. We did not receive this telemetry until after our communications were restored. The satellites that gave us this feed have since stopped transmitting, but they gave us one important last bit of video.”

  The picture shifted to a full scree
n image of the H.S. Argo. Its exterior bay doors were open. From the opening, several large cables left the ship and plunged toward the surface of Mars.

  The Admiral continued, “Our command team has concluded, based upon the ship's position in orbit and the structure of the cables, they are deploying a space elevator.” Several members of the Columbus' bridge crew let out a gasp.

  The tactical screen changed focus, highlighting the seven dome cities.

  Admiral Conrad detailed, “Reports confirm that New China and New India have yet to resume communications with our station or any other dome city.” The tactical screen overlay dropped.

  Standing tall the admiral announced. “As authorized by article one hundred twenty-seven of the World Nations and regulation 34.16 of MARC Command, I am declaring a state of emergency for the Colonies of Mars. To determine the intentions of the H.S. Argo and in responding to the computer attack upon MARC Station, I formally request assistance from MARC Control. Finally, transport of goods and resources off-world has been suspended pending a resolution of this situation.”

  The screen flashed the MARC emblem before fading out.

  One by one, the crew regained their sense of the moment. Eyes began to focus on Captain Sterling, who had positioned herself near the center of the bridge.

  “Ensign Williams, open a message to the MARC station,” she directed.

  Giving a wave the ensign confirmed, “Message open, Captain.”

  “MARC station, this is Captain Sterling of the U.S.S. Columbus,” she started in greeting. “The MARC fleet is currently operating under a state of emergency as well. This situation is a direct result of actions taken from an unknown number of crew aboard the H.S. Argo. As a result, seven ships of the remaining fleet do not have the sails required for deceleration. We have since developed and tested an alternate plan to remedy the situation.”

  Looking in Ashley's direction she continued, “Dr. Ashley Quinn and her team will send you the calculations for our plan of action. I'm requesting authorization to implement this plan as unanimously approved by our fleet captains. I have the utmost confidence in the architects of this plan and the crew of this fleet to execute it flawlessly.”