“Yeah, right.” She pawed through the bags, selected one containing an unusually large nugget, and dropped it on the lab scale that was calibrated in Earth weight. It read four ounces. “That’ll do. Should make a nice paperweight.”
Jeff nodded. “Uh huh. Gabe and I figured you’d take the big one.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a plastic bag with another nugget in it, and set it on the scale.
Abby gasped. “Nine ounces! Holy shit!”
He snatched the bag off the scale before Abby could grab it, and returned it to his pocket. “Gabriel?”
Gabe pulled a bag from her pocket and set it on the scale.
Abby’s jaw dropped. “Twenty-one ounces! Mother…! Trade you.”
Gabe snatched the nugget off the scale. “No.”
Jeff put his hand on Susan’s shoulder. “What about you?”
“Oh, I think I’ll just melt down the rest, cast it in a bar, and stick it in my carryon luggage.”
He laughed. “That’d work. But why don’t you leave a little for JPL. Of course, what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
“No, I suppose not. Good grief, when I said this place was a mineralogical gold mine, I wasn’t thinking of it literally. Did you find any other interesting things?”
“Oh yeah, lots. The usual assortment of basaltic and sedimentary rocks, and plenty of signs of hydration; clay minerals and the like. Analysis of the sediment samples starting above the chaos and descending down into it may be revealing. What we didn’t find was a whole lot of layering, which was something of a disappointment. It’s probably there, but underground down in the valles, and we couldn’t get to it.”
Susan nodded. “Do you think it might be worthwhile to take Jake down there?”
Jeff cringed. “Ugh. That would be one very long drive. I’m sure it would be informative, but I think maybe we need to look for something a little closer for him to get his teeth into. There’s a layered outcropping that Gabe and I ran across when we relocated Pathfinder. It’s a lot closer and may provide just as much information if we dig down alongside it. Anyway, we took a good hard look at the base of the slope south of Frying Pan, where it meets the Loire Valles. You know those two big mounds that split?”
“Uh huh.”
“The more we looked at those the more they looked like the remnants of a chaos, the remainder of which may have been eroded by water flow from the Loire or Samara, or both. That plain down at the bottom is awfully flat and somewhat reminiscent of a delta, or something like that. Could be there was a lot of ponding there before it broke out through that west ridge at the confluence. We took a lot of samples that may ultimately tell us something. The interesting part is, we may be looking at multiple events. That is the chaos formation may have preceded a later inundation from the Loire, or more to the point, the Samara. If we’re looking for a game-changer, that could be it. Again, sample analysis back on Earth may tell us more.”
“That would be interesting.”
“Uh huh.”
“Sounds like you had a good trip.”
“Yeah, we did. Getting around towing the Genesis can be a little challenging, but it’s not really that bad. It’s interesting. What looks like a steeply descending narrow canyon on a THEMIS or HiRISE image, is four kilometers wide and not nearly as steep as it appears on the Viking topo maps. Everything here is so much bigger than it appears in satellite imagery, and I think the reason for that is our perspective is skewed somewhat by what we accept as the norm on Earth. Formation of the Grand Canyon began around 17 million years ago, but we’re driving around a landscape that evolved three to four billion years ago. In spite of the absence of water, atmospheric density, tectonic, and volcanic activity, there has still been an awful lot of erosion since then. And when you’re maneuvering around it, you kind of have to think in an entirely different paradigm. But it’s neat. There are some spectacular vistas out there. Gabe, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh yes. It’s remarkable. The view from above the Loire Chaos is breathtaking. And once you get down into it, it’s like nothing on Earth. As I’d look at one formation after another, I kept asking myself the same questions. How did this happen? What took place here? We may never completely answer those questions, but it’s certainly something to behold.”
Susan was fidgeting.
“What’s the matter with you?” said Abby. “You’re acting like you need to use the bathroom.”
“No.” She glanced at Jeff. “I want to see the ice.”
Abby shook her head. “There’s a fortune in gold sitting here and you want to see ice cubes?”
“Yes!”
Gabe dug into the sample box and produced three sealed Baggies of ice and set them on the counter.
Susan’s eyes grew wide and she gasped. “Oh my god. Where did you find this?”
Jeff smiled. “We came across a narrow deep crevice in a rock formation on the south side of the Loire Valles, about due south of Frying Pan, that probably never sees direct sunlight. At least, not now. So we stopped to take a look. Did a little digging with a shovel and a couple feet down ran into solid ice.”
Susan took one of the bags and stared at it. “How much was there?”
He shrugged. “Impossible to say. Could be a few cubic feet or a few cubic miles. No way to tell. I think a little of it has melted and refrozen.”
“How could it melt?” said Abby. “It hasn’t been above freezing here in over a month.”
“Sunlight on the sample box. We didn’t think to insulate it and it probably got into the upper 30s or lower 40s for a few hours a day, but then it would freeze again at night. But bagged as it is, it’s still all original and didn’t sublimate.”
“Is this all you brought?” asked Susan.
“Yeah. We figured that would be enough for you to play around with for now. We can always go back and get more. After digging it out we shoveled the sand back in to keep it from sublimating. I doubt we can keep it frozen long enough to get it back to Earth, so you might want to contact JPL and ask them how they want us to handle it.”
“Yes, of course. This is incredible.”
“Once you’ve analyzed it, maybe we can melt some and all have a sip of Martian water.”
Abby’s eyes lit up. “Or Scotch on Martian rocks.”
That evening Jeff found Susan in the lab. “Still playing with your ice?”
“Yes, this is fascinating. Water ice has only been rarely observed here, and never before analyzed.”
“So what have you found?”
“It’s not much different than spring or well water on Earth. A few trace elements – calcium, manganese, phosphates, some salts, and the like – but nothing unusual. The amounts vary from sample to sample. The deeper you went, the more pure it got.”
“That makes sense. Bag one was from the surface. Bag two was a couple inches down, and bag three was from about a foot down.”
“Do you have any idea how deep it is?”
“No. No clue.”
“It would sure be neat if we could get something like a six-foot core sample, if it’s that deep.”
“Well, core tubes are one thing we didn’t bring, but we might be able to salvage a pipe off of something and hammer it down. Or, if the field extends out to the mouth of the crevice we could use Jake’s auger and collect samples as it brought stuff up. The crevice is too narrow to get him more than a couple meters in there.”
“I think we should do that. JPL wants us to try to return frozen samples in as original condition as possible.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet they do. Did they have any suggestions as to how to do it?”
“Not really. They’re looking over our inventory and are trying to come up with something like a double-walled vacuum thermos.”
Jeff laughed. “Good luck with that. I think we’d have to make one, but out of what, I don’t know. Is it safe to consume?”
“So far as I can tell, yes. Obviously there are no biologics present, and the mineral c
ontent as I said is not all that different from potable fresh water on Earth. It just needs to be filtered to remove particulate matter. Or we could simply distill it.”
“That’s cheating. Besides, if we’re going to build a still, I think Abby would have something else in mind for it.”
Susan smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’ll bet she would.”
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
MSD 50872.359 (Sol 122)
The women sat at the breakfast table staring at Jeff as he sipped his coffee.
He frowned. “What?”
“How’s your coffee?” said Susan.
“Fine.” He noticed that none of them were drinking theirs.
“Taste alright?”
“Yeah, fine. Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “Just curious.”
He carefully eyed the coffee cup. “Uh huh. What’s going on?”
Abby glanced at Susan. “How long would it take?”
“Hard to say. All depends.”
Jeff cocked his jaw and furrowed his brow. “How long would what take?”
“Well, we made the coffee this morning with Martian water, and we’re just kind of curious.”
“I see. And I’m the guinea pig?”
Gabe grinned. “Something like that. You know, odd man out? And since you’re the only man here, it wasn’t a difficult choice.”
He smiled and nodded. “Ah, okay. Well, should I fall ill, before I die this place is liable to resemble the final scene in a Shakespearian tragedy.”
They all laughed nervously.
He sipped his coffee. “Drink up.”
The women glanced at one another.
“Now!”
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
MSD 50906.452 (Sol 156)
“Well?” Gabe asked.
“I don’t know,” Susan replied. “Without 3D I just can’t tell for sure. Looks like a girl, but I wouldn’t swear to it.”
“Oh, you’re a lot of help.”
“Hey, you’ll find out soon enough. Don’t sweat it.”
“A girl?” Jeff asked. “What are the odds?”
“Does this look like Las Vegas? Jeez, I’m not an expert at this. I dunno, maybe, 75% probability? Feel free to place your bets, but I want odds.”
Jeff grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Gabe gasped and lurched up.
“What?” said Susan.
“I felt a kick.”
“You did?”
“Uh huh.”
“Is that the first one?”
Gabe grinned. “Yes.”
Susan placed her hand on Gabe’s belly. Jeff and Abby stepped over and did the same.
Gabe frowned. “What are you doing? Get your hands off me.”
“No,” said Abby. “We want to feel it too.”
Gabe growled, then a moment late said, “There. There’s another one. Did you feel it?”
They all smiled and nodded.
“Oh, wow,” said Jeff.
“Well, middle of the 20th week,” said Susan. “So, you’re right about on schedule.”
Gabe grinned.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
MSD 50930.824 (Sol 180)
After dinner Jeff remained seated at the dining table sipping a cup of coffee while the women busied themselves in the kitchen.
Gabe turned around and looked at him. “Close your eyes.”
Jeff raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Which word didn’t you understand?”
“Oh for cryin’ out loud. Alright.” He closed eyes. He heard something being set on the table.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
“Happy birthday to you,” they all sang out. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Jeffrey… Happy birthday to you.”
Sitting on the table before him was an eight-inch round, two-inch high birthday cake with ‘Happy 54th’ scrawled in icing. He smiled at the cake, then each of them in turn. “Thank you. Thank you very much. But I was rather hoping that no one would remember.”
Gabe frowned at him. “You can’t be serious.”
He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Um, I didn’t know that we brought cake pans.”
Susan shook her head. “We didn’t. We made them out of some bits of junk off one of the MSL descent stages.”
Jeff chuckled. “You’re kidding?”
“No. A little metalworking, a couple rivets… no big deal. A lot easier than that hunk of junk you made for Abby’s leg.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”
Gabe hovered over the table. “Okay, now we didn’t bring any candles, so we’re gonna have to improvise.” She struck a wooden kitchen match and quickly planted it in the middle of the cake. “Make a wish and blow out the match before it ignites the cake.”
Jeff frowned. “Why? Is it flammable.”
Susan shrugged.
Gabe glared at him. “Just make a damn wish and blow out the match!”
Jeff nodded sheepishly. The only wish he could think of was that they should all make it home alive. He blew out the match. “There. Happy?”
She gave a sigh of relief. “Yes. I was about to reach for the fire extinguisher.”
He frowned and chuckled at the same time. “Um, is this a cake or a pyrotechnic device?”
Abby grinned. “We’re just having some fun at your expense.”
“Yeah. So what else is new?”
They set out plates and forks and handed Jeff a knife. He cut the cake and served, and they all enjoyed the first cake baked on Mars.
#
Jeff and Gabe lay beside one another in Jeff’s bed, propped up on pillows.
“That was really very nice,” said Jeff. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But actually Sue and Abby did most of the work. About all I did was engineer the cake pans.”
He laughed. “Did that require consultation with Heidi?”
“No. I was able to manage that one on my own. It’s kind of fun to think about all the things we might be able to make from the remains of those descent stages. From some tubing and exhaust nozzles, we might be able to make a fair selection of brass instruments.”
“Does anyone here play a brass instrument?”
“No.”
“Well, then maybe you could make a blunderbuss.”
“Why? Is there something here we need to shoot?”
He chuckled. “No. But maybe we could toss some rocks and shoot trap.”
“What would we use for gunpowder?”
“Oh, I dunno. There’s perchlorate in the regolith. If we could leach out enough, we could probably make some kind of low-grade explosive from that.”
She grinned. “That’s right, you’re the chemist.”
“I just majored in chemistry in college, I wouldn’t call myself a chemist.”
She gasped softly.
He glanced at her. “What?”
“I’m being kicked.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly. “Feel that?”
Jeff grinned. “Yeah. Oh, that’s neat. Wow, what have you got in there? A soccer player?”
“Or a Rockette.”
He laughed. “Yeah, that’s quite a kick. You still sure it’s a girl?”
“Uh huh. It just feels like a girl.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it. Would you be disappointed if it’s a boy?”
She scooted down in the bed and snuggled against him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. “No, I know you’d like a boy.”
“Gabe, I don’t care. So long as he or she is healthy and has the prescribed number of eyes, fingers and toes, I’m not particular.”
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Well, you’re easy to please.”
“Yep, that I am.”
“Two, ten, eleven.”
“Huh?”
Gabe grinned. “The Addams Family. Eyes, fingers, toes.”
Jeff laughed. “Don’t even think about it.” He gazed at her for a moment an
d grinned. “You know, I’ve noticed something about you lately.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“You’re, uh, getting some serious boobs.”
Gabe giggled. “You think?”
Jeff gently fondled her breast.
She cooed, “Hmmm, that feel’s nice. It’s a good thing we don’t really need bras here, cause I don’t have any that would fit.”
“They’re, um, very nice.”
She closed her eyes, and smiled softly.
They lay quietly for some time, entertained by their unborn young one practicing field goals. After a time of kissing and caressing, Jeff rubbed Gabe’s belly. “Feels quiet in there now.”
Gabe chuckled. “Yeah, I think she wore herself out. Now it’s nap time.”
“Do you like being pregnant?”
“Uh huh. It’s a nice feeling. Well, now that I’m past the morning sickness.”
“Hmmm, hard part’s over, huh?”
“Um, there’s still labor. Can’t say as I’m looking forward to that.”
“Eh, it doesn’t last long.”
She gently slapped his chest. “Fine, then you do it.”
“Sorry. But I’ll gladly be your cheering section.”
She chuckled softly. “Gee, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Do you still like sleeping with me?”
Jeff choked. “Good grief, what a question. I’m in bed with a beautiful naked six-foot-tall blonde with really long hair and big boobs. What’s not to like?”
Gabe giggled. “Yes, but you’ve been here before.”
“True, but I swear those boobs are growing larger as I watch.”
She laughed. “Yeah, they are, aren’t they?”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m going to have to buy all new bras when we get home. I’m pretty sure I’ll never again be able to squeeze into the ones I have.” She cooed while Jeff gently scratched her back. “Um…”
“Hmmm?”
“Do you love me?”
“You know I do, with all my heart.”
“That’s good, because I love you too.” She rested her head on his chest and fell asleep.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) Page 89