Gabe leaned her head on Jeff’s shoulder. “Chrissie did a good job.”
“Yeah, she did. She always does. You look kind of tired, why don’t you go to bed? Get some rest.”
“Yeah, I should. Ghita will probably wakeup hungry pretty soon.” She kissed Jeff on the cheek and headed for her room. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Gabe.” Jeff sat up and stretched. “Well, I’m thinking about bed too. You two should also get some sleep. We’ve got work tomorrow.”
“What?” Abby asked.
“I’d kind of like to get the interior fixtures installed on MAV-2 before you and I take off for your favorite big hole in the ground. Then we can continue fueling it when we get back and get that out of the way with plenty of time to spare. One less thing to worry about.”
“Oh god, that’s a job,” Abby groaned.
“Yeah, it is. But let’s get it done sooner rather than later and be done with it. I also noticed the amps are dropping a little on the solar arrays; they probably need cleaning again. With the days getting shorter, we’re probably gonna have to do that more often. The rovers are also about due for a Q-1 maintenance. Not quite, but let’s do it before we go rather than just after we get back – just to be on the safe side. It’s a long walk back from that crater.”
“Yeah. Okay, that’s a nice list. We’ll get started on it first thing in the morning.”
“Alright, I’m off to bed. Sue, I’ll look in on Gabe, you can just go to bed.”
“Okay,” Susan said. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight. ‘Night Abby.”
“Goodnight.”
Jeff got up and looked in on Gabe.
“I’m awake,” she whispered.
Jeff quietly walked in and knelt beside the bed. Gabe was lying on her side, nursing Ghita. “How are you doing?”
“Fine, this one woke up hungry as soon as my head hit the pillow.”
Jeff smiled. “Occupational hazard.”
“Yeah. You off to bed?”
“Uh huh.”
“I wish we had a big bed. Big enough for the three of us.”
“Eh, this one’s big enough. Scoot over a little.”
“Huh?”
“Scoot over just a bit.”
Gabe slid over to the edge of the bed, gently pulling Ghita with her.
Jeff undressed and crawled in beside them, wrapping his arms around Gabe’s neck and cradling Ghita between them. “There, how’s that?”
Gabe draped her leg over Jeff’s, and cooed, “Heaven.”
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
MSD 51048.462 (Sol 298)
Jeff awoke to find Ghita still snuggled between he and Gabe, and both of them sound asleep. He glanced at his watch; a few minutes past ten. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept that late. He gently eased out of bed, trying not to wake them, dressed, and headed for the kitchen. At the hatch he was met with the aroma of fresh brewed coffee. Abby and Susan were seated at the table. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” they both replied.
“Have you two been up long?”
“No,” said Abby, “just long enough to make coffee.”
Jeff poured a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table.
“Are they still asleep?” asked Susan.
“Yeah.”
“How did you sleep?”
“Fitfully. I kept worrying about rolling over onto Ghita.”
Susan nodded. “If you and Gabe are going to sleep together, you need to put her in the crib.”
“Yeah, I know. I didn’t mean to sleep with them; I just wanted to cuddle for a while. Every time I woke up I thought about getting up, but lying there with my daughter and her mother was, um, too pleasant.”
Abby and Susan grinned.
“Any news yet on Earth’s reaction to this?”
Abby shook her head. “No, just a short note from Heidi saying a large file of news clips would be coming shortly. Seems Ghita is pretty much dominating the news cycle and there’s a lot to sift through.”
“I can imagine.” He chuckled. “Think of it, a two-day-old baby 250 million miles away is the news on Earth.”
Susan nodded. “You are going to have a lot of interesting stories to tell her when she gets a bit older.”
“Yeah, and a lot to explain. I can see her in kindergarten asking all her classmates which planet they were born on.”
Abby and Susan laughed.
He shook his head. “It’s gonna be interesting.”
“Well,” said Abby, “just remember – it was your idea.”
“Yeah.”
Gabe came in carrying Ghita. “Good morning.”
Jeff stood as they all replied, “Good morning.” He peeked at Ghita, wrapped in a soft little blanket, kissed her on the forehead, then kissed Gabe on the cheek. “Hi. How are you doing?”
Her smile was radiant. “I’m fine.”
“How’d you sleep?”
“Oh, okay. She wanted to nurse about every two hours. I guess I’ll get used to it.”
“Uh huh.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Have a seat. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”
“Thanks.”
“Go easy on the coffee,” said Susan. “No more than two or three cups a day until we see how Ghita reacts to the caffeine. There’s not much that gets into your breast milk, but newborns react differently to it. Some are fine with it, others get really wired.”
Gabe nodded. “I got it.”
The comm console in the commons beeped with an incoming message. “I’ll get it,” said Jeff. He set a cup of coffee on the table in front of Gabe and strolled into the commons. Looking at the screen he smiled, then grabbed a laptop and returned to the kitchen. Still smiling, he sat and opened the laptop.
“What is it?” said Abby.
“Just a minute.” He logged onto the server email system and opened the first file in the message, spun the computer around so they could all see, then got up, walked around the table, knelt on the floor between Gabe and Abby, then reached over to the mouse pad and clicked on PLAY. An image of the news ticker in New York’s Time Square appeared. As it scrolled, it said, “E.T. EXISTS! LIFE ON MARS!”
Gabe frowned. “A bit over the top, don’t you think?”
Abby rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Oh my god.”
On the Sony LED screen just above the ticker, a picture of Ghita appeared, as the ticker continued with the birth announcement.
Gabe looked down at a sleeping Ghita. “Too bad you’re not awake to see this.”
Jeff wrapped his arm around Gabe’s shoulders. “She’ll see it one day.”
Abby nodded. “Yeah, and probably wonder why all babies don’t get their picture up there.”
“Uh huh.”
“Like you said, when she’s a little older, you’re gonna have a lot of explaining to do.”
He laughed. “Yeah.”
Abby chuckled. “I’m looking forward to hearing how Gabe explains the birds and bees to her, and the part about there not being any birds or bees here.”
Gabe groaned. “Oh god.”
Jeff stopped the video and opened the next file. A banner headline on the New York Times front page appeared, “CHILD BORN ON MARS! EARTHLING OR MARTIAN?”
Gabe shook her head. “Stupid question.”
“Yeah,” said Jeff, “but probably the one that everyone’s asking.” He opened another file. “What’s this? Izvestia?” The headline read, “Российско Американский космонавт медведи ребенка на Марс с помощником российских ученых и инженеров” Jeff shook his head. Okay Gabe, what’s that say?”
She looked at the screen and chuckled. “Russian-American Cosmonaut Bears Child on Mars with Aide of Russian Scientists and Engineers.”
Jeff frowned. “Huh? You have some Ruskies stowed away in a closet that I don’t know about.”
“No!”
“Well, I think the
y also claim to have invented baseball, the electric light bulb, and pizza.” He opened the next file.
At the top was a note from Chrissie. “This is nuts! I wasn’t going to send it but Heidi convinced me that you should see it.”
A Washington Post headline read, “LUTHERAN CHURCH PROTESTS MARTIAN CHILD’S NAME.”
Jeff frowned. “Uh oh, seems we’ve pissed off the Lutherans.”
Gabe shook her head. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I told you this could possibly have religious implications.”
“Yeah, but her name? That’s silly. What’s their beef?”
“I dunno, read on.”
“The Church of the Lutheran Confession, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (operators of the Concordia University System), and the Concordia Lutheran Conference have issued a joint statement objecting to the naming of the first-born extraterrestrial, claiming the child’s middle name, Concordia, is entirely inappropriate for a being that is not an earthling and is possibly not even a child of God. The announcement states a Lutheran Convention will be called to determine the child’s status and decide whether or not the child should be marked and avoided in accordance with Biblical scripture.”
They all sat silent, staring at the message.
After a moment Abby said, “That’s bullshit. Who the hell do they think they are?”
Gabe shook her head again, frowning. “Instead of objecting, you’d think they’d be appreciative.”
“Perhaps we should inform them that we have found the one true God,” said Susan, “and excommunicate the lot of them.”
Jeff chuckled. “Forget about it. Starting an intergalactic religious war isn’t in the flight plan. Ignore them and they’ll go away.”
Gabe reached over and closed the laptop. “I’ve heard enough. I don’t think I really care what Earth thinks. It’s none of their business anyway.”
Jeff smiled and hugged her. “That’s the spirit. Alright then, what say we cook up some brunch then, Abby, you and I can suit up and get some work done?”
Thursday, August 17, 2017
MSD 51057.708 (Sol 307)
At right about 1600 Jeff instructed Amos to park about 200 meters below the rim of Abby’s crater. “Well, we’re baaack.”
Abby, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, said, “Yeah.”
“You don’t sound very excited.”
She shrugged. “I’m not.”
“Why?”
“In case you forgot, I once had a bad experience here.”
He chuckled. “A bad experience? Is that what you call it?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll take it a bit slower and more cautiously this time.”
“Good idea.”
“We made good time, since Amos now knows the way.”
“Uh huh. And it was a lot more comfortable riding in here than in Amos.”
“That’s a fact. What do you think? It’s a little late to do much today. What say we have an early supper, turn in, get a good night’s sleep, and start up first thing in the morning?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“How’s the leg?”
“It’s good. Sometimes a little stiff and sore in the morning, but a few minutes on the bike or treadmill and it’s fine.”
“Good.”
“How long do you think it will take to fill JPL’s laundry list of samples?”
Jeff shook his head. “I dunno, a couple days.”
“I’m glad you declined their request for samples from the bottom.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I told ‘em we’re not going down there. If they want samples from the bottom of that thing they can come get ‘em themselves.”
“Have you told them about the gold?”
“I didn’t, but Sue did. She sent off the usual description, analysis, and pictures.”
“Were they excited?”
“I dunno. There’s way too much stuff in the mail to read, and I’ve got other things to do.”
She smiled. “Like help take care of your newborn daughter?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that would be one of them.”
“Did Sue tell them about my black diamond?”
“No. Eh, we’ll keep that one under our hat. You found it and paid a dear price for it. It’s yours, you keep it.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. But it would be nice if we could find another one for them. So, keep your eyes open, but do me a favor and stay out of that goddamn hole.”
Abby chuckled. “My pleasure. What do you want for dinner?”
“I dunno. You choose.”
“How about sweet and sour pork with rice.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. I like that one.”
“So do I.”
Friday, August 18, 2017
MSD 51058.382 (Sol 308)
“Okay, Abigail, we’re gonna do this like we were in space; tethered to each other and both independently tethered to something solid. Okay?”
“Got it.”
“Alright then, here’s your leash.” He snapped a carabiner with two climbing ropes double knotted to it to her harness. “When we’re anywhere near the rim we’ll drive a piton into a rock and hook us up. If we move, we’ll back away from the rim and start over. Understood?”
“Yes daddy.”
“Hey, if you go over again I’m gonna toss you two aspirin and say call me in the morning.”
“I’ve got it. Thanks for looking after me.”
He leaned his helmet against hers. “I don’t want to lose you. Besides, you remember what Sue said? We can’t do that again, we don’t have enough surgical supplies left.”
“I know.”
“Okay. Then let’s go dig up some dirt and rocks for JPL.”
“You’d think that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory would have better things to do.”
“Hey, it’s a government agency. Who the hell knows what they do.”
Abby laughed. “Well, they’ve got 300 million taxpayers writing them checks every year. I suppose they can afford to do whatever they want.”
“Yeah. When we get home I think we should write our Congressman.”
“Didn’t we already try that?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“And how’d it work out?”
“Well, we’re here.”
“Good point. Okay… rocks. Um, there’s a rock.”
Jeff laughed. “It’s gonna be a long day.”
About six hours later Jeff stood and stretched. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen enough rocks for today. We’ve got about an hour of air left, what say we call it a day and head for the barn.”
“It’s about time.”
“Well, we found another carbonado and some more pallasite, I’d say we did pretty well.”
“What about ejecta?”
“We won’t find much here, we’re on the wrong side of the crater. We need to go over to the west side, but we can do that tomorrow.”
Returning to Amos, Jeff paused. “Hang on, there’s something I want to do before we leave.”
“What?”
“I’ll show you.” He walked around to the back of the rover and pulled out a signboard and marker.
Abby laughed as he wrote.
Abby’s Crater
Keep Out!
He grabbed a stake and a rock hammer. “Come here.” They walked to the crater rim and he drove the stake in the ground and affixed the sign. “Stand there and I’ll take your picture.” He snapped a couple shots. “I can’t get the whole crater in, but it’s enough to give you the idea.” He showed her the LCD monitor.
She chuckled. “Okay, that’ll do.”
“Alright, let’s head back to the trailer, and get out of these suits.”
Monday, August 21, 2017
MSD 51061.727 (Sol 311)
Jeff let Amos dock the Genesis to the station airlock, then opened the hatches whereupon he was met by Susan.
“Hi. Welcome ba
ck.”
“Thanks. Nice to be back.”
“Uneventful trip?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Thankfully. Abby managed to restrain herself and refrain from any cliff diving this time.”
Susan smiled. “That’s good to hear. You get plenty of samples?”
“Oh yeah. There’s about 60 pounds of rocks and dirt in the back of Amos for you.”
She groaned. “Terrific. Anything interesting? Or just another 60 pounds of rocks and dirt?”
He laughed. “Mostly just rocks and dirt. But we did find another carbonado. It’s about half the size of Abby’s, but it should make the rock hounds back on Earth happy. We also found some more pallasite, a couple meteorites, and I think we managed to get some ejecta from the west side. That mound is a bitch. It’s steep, rugged, and about 300 meters high. We busted our butts climbing up there. So hopefully there’s something of interest in there. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if they already have ejecta from that crater on Earth in the form of Martian meteorites. When that thing hit I’ll bet it blew stuff into space. And it’s just a wee little one.”
“Imagine how much stuff was thrown into space when a meteorite the size of Pluto created the Vastitas Borealis?”
“Yeah, probably about a third of the planet. Aren’t you glad you weren’t here for that event?”
“Perish the thought.”
Abby climbed into the Genesis airlock. “Alright, make a hole. I need a shower.”
Susan leaned forward a bit, sniffed, grimaced, and waved her hand in front of her face. “Eeew, you most certainly do.”
Abby frowned. “Just shut up and get out of the way.”
Jeff and Susan stepped into the suit room and got out of Abby’s way. Susan leaned toward Jeff and sniffed again. “She’s not the only one.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. While I get cleaned up, why don’t you make yourself useful and drag our suits in here, clean them up, let ‘em air out…”
“An excellent idea.”
“Yeah. And recharge our PLSSs?”
“I can do that.”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“In the commons, nursing Ghita.”
Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) Page 93