There was a skylight above him, rimmed with ice crystals and filled with diamond-bright stars. Deimos crept into view and the reop smiled.
"ALIEN MOON-SHIP FOUND OFF MARS!" "MARS REVOLT FAILS!" "ALIEN TECHNOLOGY TO JUMP-START PROGRAM EXODUS!"
Headlines like those had dominated the Earth-nets for days now, but only he and a few others knew how easily things could have gone the other way.
The challenge had been to incapacitate Sharma before he could leave the mess hall and disappear into the 99% of Mars Prime that Corvan couldn't see. McKeen believed that the transporter beam could be moved to focus on any part of the habitat, but the methodology was far from clear, so they couldn't be sure that it would work.
That meant time was critical. Corvan knew Sharma would be gone by the time he and Redfern built a second scaffolding. And that's where the robo cam came into play.
The reop had reestablished his link to the camera, caused it to hover in front of the correct control panel, and used its manipulator arms to operate the controls.
Dr. B provided instructions and watched the ceiling video to judge the effect of her words. The arrangement had worked rather well, as evidenced by the condition of Sharma's head.
The fact that Corvan had recorded the whole episode and sent it to Earth hadn't hurt either. The furor, plus the confirmation of extra-terrestrial life, plus the infusion of technology, had given the Mars program a huge boost.
In the meantime Corvan had been given a seat on the executive council, Dr. B was hobbling around on crutches and making a nuisance of herself, Sharma was locked up, and everyone was awaiting an independent investigator from Earth.
An investigator who would arrive accompanied by a small army of specially equipped scientists.
It would be their job to dissect the alien ships, find out what was inside the sealed casings, and answer some critical questions: Could the transporter system be repaired and duplicated? Did the berries have medical applications? And perhaps most fascinating of all, did the aliens have a taster-than-light drive? The questions were endless.
And that, Corvan thought to himself, is every reop's dream. Endless questions with fascinating answers.
Kim did something with her hand and got the predictable response. Flesh encountered flesh, words were exchanged, and the stars winked above.
Author's Note
It seems to me that every science fiction author worth his or her salt must eventually write a Mars novel.
This stems from the fact that Mars is relatively close to Earth, is well studied, and would be a relatively nice place to live (compared to Venus, for example).
Never mind the fact that a zillion such books have already been written, or that most (including this one) incorporate common plot elements—that's what makes them fun!
Mars novels are a genre in and of themselves in which colonies struggle against all odds and aliens lurk around every corner. Or, in the case of alternate universe novels, where entire tribes of barbarians roam the plains.
Mars Prime was written in that spirit, and if it has any value beyond that of entertainment, is intended to point out some of the problems that real journalists may encounter someday.
I was a journalist once. I wish them luck.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1992 by William C. Dietz
Cover design by Open Road Integrated Media
ISBN 978-1-4976-0685-2
This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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Mars Prime Page 22