Thus, humanity’s first steps onto Mars are by a Russian soldier and an American civilian, neither of whom has ever been involved with any conventional space program. The irony does not go unnoticed by John, who watches the pair with a mixture of pride and envy.
George and Olaf spend the next hour dragging equipment from the shuttle, taking air and soil samples, and then returning the equipment to the rear bay of the shuttle.
The next seven hours become a mind-numbing repetition of taking off, landing, sampling, then taking off again. At one point, the men stare off into the distance at an unexpected discovery. George cannot help but smile at the Mars Rover, its solar panels a dull texture and obviously covered in dust.
Finally, John provides some much-needed respite. “I want to take the shuttle back to the Terran, and recharge its energy cell.”
Both George and Olaf heartily agree. They are tired, hungry, and thirsty.
Once back on board the Terran, the three of them head to the mess hall. None of them thought to take food to Mars. The mess area is full of people all wanting to know what it Mars is like. The questions are never ending, and turn a quick bite, into a lengthy stay.
George ventures a thought to Olaf. “It’s a pity we can’t somehow get that ground vehicle to Mars. It could start mining.”
Olaf nods in agreement, but is too tired to put his mind to the task of figuring out how they could do this.
While George and Olaf enjoy a rest, the three planetologists who are on board get to work on the samples they brought back. It does not take them long to come to an assessment. Mars is not habitable, though it is in their esteemed opinion, a candidate for terraforming.
Cindy smiles at the report, these three have no idea why they are really onboard. If this ship does as it’s supposed to, then terraforming Mars will be last on their list of things to do. The first part of the mission has been completed, which pleases Cindy immensely. Looking at John’s empty seat, an idea springs to mind.
“Captain John, report to the bridge.” She is pretty sure he will like what she has in store for him.
John arrives at the bridge and automatically walks to his piloting station.
Cindy stops him cold. “Hang on mister, where do you think you’re going?”
John is perplexed as he looks back and forth from Cindy to his console. “Uh, I thought you wanted to get away from this rock.”
She cannot keep the massive grin off her face any longer. “I have a special job for you, and our impetuous Captain Edwards.”
John is extremely confused about Cindy wanting them to work together, as Edwards cannot stand the sight of him. As he listens to Cindy’s instructions he bursts out laughing. Controlling himself for a moment, he responds with exaggerated flair.
Standing and saluting Cindy, Captain John intones formally. “Yes ma’am.”
Cindy taps the internal communications symbol. “Captain Edwards, report to the main hangar deck with your spacesuit. I have a special mission for you.”
Edwards arrives at the hangar deck, and with a scowl, follows John into the Gamin shuttle. Knowing they all have to work together, John shows a reluctant Edwards some of the controls as they fly down to the planet. Thirty minutes later they land on the Martian landscape.
Once the pair steps down the ramp, John stands by, and watches as Edwards carefully cleans the solar panels on the Mars rover. Once he is done, they both wordlessly reenter the shuttle. Edwards hurls the dirty cloth and window cleaning solution in into a small box. He frowns in annoyance as the low gravity prevents the items from slamming down.
During the return trip, John hands the controls over to Edwards for a short time. He smiles inwardly as his thinks, what a way to be put in your place, a window washer. Edwards is still resistant to taking instructions from John but, as he wants to learn how to fly these craft, has little choice. The return trip takes a little longer, however the extra time is well spent.
With Cindy’s ‘special mission’ now complete, the Terran is ready to depart Mars. John whistles a little tune as he gazes at the controls before him. The symbols are becoming more familiar to him with each passing day.
With the terrorist threat being eliminated, literally, and the Mars mission complete, Cindy is feeling much more relaxed. “John, I take it the ‘mission’ was a success!”
“Yes ma’am.” John turns, making eye contact with her and adds, “I am actually surprised that Edwards kept his pride in check.”
“Good to hear, he may yet be an asset to us.” Cindy smiles at John.
John swings back around to his console, and then ventures on. “We should probably bring him up to speed on the Terran’s flight controls.”
Cindy leans forward and puts a hand to her chin as she ponders the suggestion. A few moments pass before she responds, “Let’s wait a little while longer, then we shall bring all of the flight teams up here for training.” She wants John to look his best when Edwards sits at a bridge station.
John considers this for a moment and then looks all the notes he has attached to his console, and realizes why she wants to wait. She wants me to be proficient when I show the others, and not look incompetent.
Onward and Outward
Cindy touches the communications symbol on her chair’s armrest. “All hands, prepare for immediate departure. Remain on gravity plating until notified otherwise.”
Cindy nods to Joe who then taps on his laptop’s keyboard. Throughout the ship, hastily installed warning lights start to flash wherever there is no gravity plating. The maintenance teams have been very busy installing the necessary lights and controls.
Cindy waits a full ten minutes before issuing her next command. “It is time to take a peek at Jupiter. John, engage engines at your discretion.”
John powers up the ship’s thrusters, breaks orbit, and then awaits telemetry information. Both Andrew and Joe are still bothered by some glaring discrepancies between the view screen and the Gamin data before them. They have discussed this in depth and are, as of yet, without any theories. However, Jupiter is not a difficult planetary body to locate, thus the projected course is quickly relayed to John.
Adjusting their heading, John decides to make a small change of his own to the flight path. He angles the Terran upward, then engages the sub-light engines. As they engage, he slides the acceleration bar that appears, to the half way marker. Watching the view ahead he slides the bar up further.
Andrew can see where he is taking them. “I will let you know when we’re over the asteroid belt.” Glancing down at his console, then his laptop, he confers with Joe. “Ten minutes at this speed.”
John makes very small adjustments to their trajectory using the thrusters, and is pleased to find that the ship starts to make a gentle curve up and over the expansive asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Two hours after leaving Mars, John is banking the Terran into a high orbit over Jupiter. Once again, the planetary symbol appears. Referring to his notes, he finds a single word, ‘status.’ Out of curiosity he touches the symbol. Immediately his console changes, bringing up landing controls, and more. A full spectrum of data starts to feed to his display. His jaw drops in amazement at the data stream. He had not thought to touch the symbol when they were over Mars, and regrets not testing it.
John turns and says, “George, I am getting information about Jupiter; gravity, density, atmosphere, and, oh wow, the symbol just changed again. I don’t know what this new one means.”
George, who is wearing his Gamin bodysuit, as he usually does, walks to John’s console. It takes him a moment to find the Gamin name for the symbol, and then another for the translator in his ear to relay the information to him.
Finally, George speaks. “It means deadly, or non-hospitable. It seems that control does a planetary scan.”
With the entire bridge crew running on adrenaline, they continue exploring the solar system. Saturn’s rings keep them in awe for quite some time before they head further out into spa
ce.
Finally, the long hours start to take their toll, and wear on the crew.
Cindy stretches, then stands and says, “I think that’s enough for now. John, bring us to a stop. Joe, transmit everything we have to Earth. I want everyone to rest up.”
The bridge crew heads to their rooms, it has been a very long day. Radclyf and Hayato station guards at the bridge, and then retire themselves. Meanwhile Joe’s transmission travels to Earth for all to hear.
Location:
Ground Control
Outback
Western Australia
General Hayes reads the report before him. He is astounded by the swiftness with which the mission to explore the major planets in Earth’s solar system has been conducted. But then, that was just phase one of the mission.
Hayes ponders the numerous meetings he has attended these last few days. He shakes his head as he contemplates recent events. Tensions are increasing globally as the politics of the situation is beginning to spiral out of control. The uproar from some of the countries over the discovery of the lunar base, the Gamin shuttle, and more bodysuits, is not helping. However, with us securing two Gamin bodysuits and the alien shuttle, we’re in good shape to begin working on a new space station.
The General rubs his aching head and silently rattles off the countries that are working with them, on their own, or forming yet other groups. Right now the race is on to see who can replicate the alien technology, and construct a new space station.
With his thoughts preoccupied, the General is not really sure how to respond to the Terran’s message. Heading over to the communications tower, he sends a simple reply. “Good luck Terran.”
Chapter Three - Punch It
Location:
Starship Terran
Edge of Sol Solar System
Cindy crosses her legs and slowly gazes around the bridge. Everyone appears to be well rested and ready for the day’s test. During the last few days, they have traveled farther and farther away from Earth, heading for interstellar space. Seeing the usual complement on the bridge brings a smile to her face.
Captain John Thompson, their intrepid pilot, is seated in front of her in the left most chair. His skills at piloting the Terran are obviously improving daily. On his right sits Andrew, who takes care of telemetry and navigation, with Joe’s assistance. Joe also monitors the ship’s twenty nuclear reactors, and balances the computer system’s draw on them. Peter sits on the far right, at the last of the four main consoles, and quietly observes everyone, and everything. Today he has an unlit pipe in his mouth. Cindy shakes her head at this oddity.
To the left, and against the walls of the bridge, are Radclyf and Hayato, decked out in full combat regalia. Though their seats normally face the Gamin consoles that are built into the walls, they have turned their chairs to watch the bridge and its main doorway. Even though the terrorist cell has been eliminated, neither man is willing to leave the bridge unguarded. They have also posted a guard in the reactor control, and one more with the computer technicians that monitor GUS. The remaining four soldiers are presumably resting, allowing for around-the-clock protection. She angles her head back a little to see George, encased in his Gamin bodysuit, monitoring the ship’s systems via a direct link. Finishing her perusal of the bridge crew, she uncrosses her legs and leans forward in her command chair. The anticipation of the upcoming test weighs heavily on her mind.
Touching a panel on her chair, Cindy sets in motion the day’s events, forever etching the day into the annals of history. “All hands prepare for main engine test. I repeat, all hands prepare for main engine test. Secure all decks, remain on gravity plating until otherwise notified.”
Joe activates the ship’s internal warning system. Once more, lights strobe in areas that are missing gravity plating, a warning of the danger.
Andrew busily taps away at his laptop then compares the readouts with the Gamin console. Looking at the console, his laptop, and then the view outside, a stark realization dawns on him. Slapping his thighs with excitement, he turns toward Joe and says excitedly, “I get it, I finally get it!”
Joe, who is busy, glances over at his friend curiously. “What is it mate?”
“The stars!” Andrew says, pointing outside. “The main view shows them as if we were standing outside and looking them, but the navigational console shows them as where they are now.”
Joe frowns a little, then taps away on his second laptop. Looking up at the screen, he then glances across at the panel displayed on Andrew’s console. He taps a few symbols on his own Gamin console, and soon enough replicates Andrews. He looks back over at Andrew and states, “According to this, we have real time positions on stars to approximately twenty light years, but no further than that.”
It is Andrew’s turn to frown now. “I wonder why it only goes to twenty light years?”
Cindy has given them plenty of time, and speaks authoritatively. “John, engage the sub-light engines. Take us into deep space.”
John engages the sub-light engines, accelerating the Terran gradually, until they are travelling at close to half the speed of light. His steady voice reporting as they go. “We’re leaving the heliosphere, crossing the termination shock point.”
He accelerates the ship to three quarters the speed of light and adds, “Even at this speed, it will take us a long time to cross into interstellar space.”
Cindy has been pondering this dilemma for some time. Do they test the main drive now or wait? She makes her decision and says, “Well, no time like the present. Joe how are the ship’s power reserves?”
Joe glances from his laptop to the Gamin console before replying. “Thanks to Olaf and George, we’re at just over five percent of capacity. They managed to more than double our reserves.”
Cindy considers this carefully. “The reactors only provide two percent of the ship’s capacity. So, the other three percent is purely additional power?”
“Correct,” Joe states matter-of-factly.
George smiles inwardly as he recalls how they boosted the power. It was actually Olaf’s idea, based on our experiences from the radiation spill.
Cindy chews on her lower lip for a few seconds, then gazes around the bridge one more time, a determined look in her eye. She then orders, “Captain Thompson. Ready main engines. Set course for Alpha Centauri.”
John eyes his console then replies. “Course laid in, main engines available at your command.”
“Punch it!” Cindy orders with enthusiasm.
Excitement threatens to overcome her, but, she also feels a little trepidation. What if the main engines don’t work? The thought is fleeting, but bothersome.
A split second later, John touches the main engines symbol. The stars jump at them as streaks of light. A multitude of colors flicker and pulsate randomly on the forward view. The nearby stars seem to rush towards them as the ship builds speed.
John’s attention is drawn away from the screen, and to his console. As soon as the engines engaged, a whole new set of symbols appeared. One looks to be a graph or slider bar, it has a number of small dashes interspaced with large blocks every so often. Of the eight larger blocks, the lowest is lit. He touches the second block and watches his console as the illuminated area moves upward to where he touched. The intensity of the light patterns which strike the forward view increases dramatically. Very similar to the sub-light controls. He muses.
He glances back at Cindy and shrugs his shoulders. With reservation, he says, “Speed two. I think, whatever that speed is.”
Cindy simply nods while her calculating mind works away. After a few more pensive seconds, she leans forward and says, “Joe, how’s our energy reserve doing?”
Joe reviews both his own laptop, and the Gamin terminal, before responding. “Our ship’s reserves are holding at four percent. Main drive capacitors are at seventy percent and slowly dropping.”
Cindy looks over at George, who is as usual, diligently monitoring events with his suit, and s
ays. “George, can you divert reactor power directly to the main drive?”
George takes a moment to examine an assortment of information before answering. “Yeah, we can do that, shall I?”
“Sure, let’s put GUS to use. Assign main drive power management to GUS.” Cindy replies.
Thus far, their main computer system has been relegated to ‘monitoring’ only.
“Okay.” George responds, and then adds. “John, whenever you demand more speed, GUS will automatically draw from the reactors to compensate for the drain on the capacitors.”
Cindy glances at Joe, who quickly reports, “Capacitors holding now at fifty-five percent, reserves at just a tad under four percent.”
Cindy chews on her lower lip as she feels excitement building inside her. “John, at your discretion, increase speed. Andrew, what’s our current ETA?”
Andrew looks at his laptop and then his terminal, which is just a jumble of meaningless data. “Ah, oh WOW! Well according to this, we will be at Alpha Centauri in just over a year.” His voice is full of bewilderment.
John touches the third block on the Gamin terminal. The bridge crew’s reports start to flow as they learn what information Cindy desires.
Joe speaks up first. “Capacitors at twenty percent, main reserves at three and a half percent. Reactors now at one hundred percent.”
Andrew cannot contain himself. “Jeez-O-Pete! ETA is just a tad over three months now. We’re really moving.”
The kaleidoscope of colors that wash over the ship’s main view are beautiful, and mesmerizing.
John touches the fourth block, and then makes a startling discovery. “I have no lateral or directional controls. I can’t change course.” He looks back to Cindy with a frown. “This ship can only go at these speeds in a straight line.”
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 38