Twin Paradox_Book Two

by Purple Hazel

  * * * *

  Landing on the surface had been thoroughly planned by the time the Santa Maria made orbit. A landing craft called the Kapteyn B Lander, or B-Lander for short, had already been constructed years before and fastened to the side of the Santa Maria for the voyage. It merely needed to be provisioned with supplies and manned for the journey down to the planet surface, then jettisoned from the mother ship.

  Released from the main craft, it was capable of firing rearward jets for maneuvering and had room for fifty passengers to live on board after landing. What’s more, it had a complement of seventy-five officers and men from the Away and Return Teams sent along with them to assist in setting up shop on the planet surface.

  That was the initial phase of the landing mission, of course. The rest was far more complicated. Indeed, they’d spend the next eleven and a half months exploring their newly conquered world. First task was to select a decent landing site with clear vision in every direction but within proximity of the ocean shore, where everyone expected to be harvesting food someday. Plus, the staging area had to be large enough for the Santa Maria to land safely once it followed them down to the surface days later.

  Meanwhile, during this initial phase, the Santa Maria would continue to orbit the planet, manned by a skeleton crew of trustworthy men and women from Return Team. These people were hand-selected and tested to make sure they could still function properly after fourteen-plus Earth years frozen in stasis and only thirty days of rehabilitation. Captain Berwick stayed with them, too, and commanded the vessel until word came from the B-lander that they’d chosen an acceptable landing site.

  It stayed up there the whole time B-lander was searching the surface, in almost constant communication with them until it passed around the dark side of the planet which never faced Kapteyn System’s red dwarf sun. During those periods of time, no communication was possible until the Santa Maria came ’round again. Because of “B’s” massive size, a single orbit took nearly seven and a half hours. Only when a safe landing site had been identified, large enough to accommodate the mother ship, was it then to maneuver down to the planet and land.

  The “B-lander” had a rough go of it at first, entering “B’s” atmosphere and viewing for the first time a brand-new world, so very far from Earth and yet so full of both opportunities as well as new potential dangers. Targeting what seemed to be a dry, open sea bed from an inland ocean which had probably vanished many millions of years ago, Captain Stehter set down the B-lander and scrambled his exploration teams into action.

  High winds delayed this, unfortunately. Also, prevailing weather patterns seemed to indicate a storm of great magnitude was brewing! He had to plant the B-lander some distance from the center of the dry seabed and hope the Santa Maria would have an easier time of it later, once a staging area had been established and the storm had passed.

  Naturally, most of the one hundred and twenty-five men and women on that initial landing mission were itching to be the first to set foot on the alien planet, so Steinhart decided to make it as fair as possible for them to get a shot at it—by drawing lots among his officers assigned to the exploration teams. Kelvin was one of those officers, of course; and for his team he selected men from his own section, including his bright young protégé, Ensign Guerrero, now technically twenty-four in Earth years and standing well over 1.9 meters tall—literally towering over half the crew. Captain Stehter programmed the computer to determine a random winner; so one lucky team of explorers would be the first to step off the craft and be the first humans to stand on the surface.

  The B-lander was about the size of a five-story office building laying on its side. It had sleeping quarters for fifty people including of course the commander of the colony, Luigi Cadorna, plus it had provisions for twice that many people—for the next twenty-four months at least. This depended naturally on how fast they could build up a colony and develop hydroponic gardens to feed themselves; but B-lander also had five fully constructed surface rovers, which had been packed in components on board the vessel itself and could easily be reassembled inside the cargo bay. These were what Kelvin and others planned on using for their exploration and foraging missions.

  Each rover was fitted out with supplies for its crew, which would operate the vehicle from inside a protective pod located above the chassis, and manned by a complement of up to four men and women seated safely inside. In their supply bin, located right behind the cab, they also had a pop-up tent which could seal out potentially toxic air and provide a breathable interior atmosphere which would keep the astronauts comfortable for up to twelve hours before it would have to be recharged. These break tents were ideal for setting up on the planet surface for taking a break from the cold outside. They were heated to give folks a little respite from the frigid cold.

  During this, back on the Santa Maria, the small crew left behind had been doing a little atmospheric research of their own. Surface temperatures were estimated to be similar to that of Antarctica back on Earth, with the mean annual temperature of the interior estimated to be about -57 ̊C, but the coast was thought to be warmer. There, estimates were more like -26 ̊C or even -3 ̊C. But when “B” reached its closest point to Kapteyn’s Star, approximately every forty-eight days, temperatures could soar to as high as 15 ̊C. The only remaining question was whether the atmosphere was even breathable. Most on board felt this was unrealistic. The planet’s air was still believed to be toxic.

  “Not a problem,” remarked Ozzie to his now full-time girlfriend, Shamiso, “I expected this; so did pretty much all of us on Kelvin’s team. We never figured it would be a tropical paradise.” He’d been sitting with her on a padded bench inside the B-Lander awaiting the Captain’s decision on which squad would be able to launch their rover onto the planet’s surface next. To Ozzie’s disappointment, another team had been chosen to go first, a squad of scientists and engineers made up of a few members from the new colony, as well as Commander Cadorna who was to be in charge of the colony until the supply ship arrived from Earth in a couple years.

  “I wish you didn’t have to go,” argued Shamiso. She had a sinking feeling they’d be in danger one way or another—either stuck out there on the planet with no means of finding their way back or attacked by something meaner and bigger than them.

  Ozzie brushed off her concerns confidently. “It’s not that bad, Meeso,” he replied with a chuckle. “Captain Stehter insists that pairs of rovers go out together to watch over each other and make sure we get back to B-lander in one piece. All of us, that is. And even if we both get stuck, there’s a fifth rover equipped for rescue which’ll go out ’n look for us.” He was right, the Captain had absolutely no intention of losing a crewman to some unforeseen surface monster which may at that very moment be hunting the desert landscape of Kapteyn B looking for an easy meal.

  However, “B” wasn’t likely to offer up such a deadly threat anyway. It was believed to be a planet now stuck in the rough equivalent of Earth’s Palaeozic Era, much like the period scientists refer to as the Cambrian Explosion during which most modern phyla first appeared. Chances were good they’d find nothing but fish, arthropods—insects, crustaceans, and arachnids—perhaps some hearty amphibians, and maybe— just maybe—viviparous lizards, tiny reptiles about twenty cm long which give birth to live young and can survive low temperatures. Nothing big enough to eat them, in other words.

  At best, it was assumed they’d find large forests growing along river banks or near fresh water lakes fed by melting snows they could easily see from the dry sea bed where B-lander was located. But, for that matter, amphibians—creatures that start out as larva with gills then develop air-breathing lungs in adulthood—were highly unlikely, Ozzie believed. “Not much of a chance o’ that,” commented Ensign Guerrero to Shamiso, “It’s too damn cold here for that sort o’ thing, Darlin’.”

  At that point, Young-Min Jo joined in with their conversation. He had been listening in nearby and felt compelled to add something import
ant to the discussion. His input however only served to unnerve poor Shamiso.

  “Well, there is of course the Siberian Salamander,” he said with his trademark sober-as-a-judge look on his face. “They can survive being frozen for long periods of time—at temperatures below minus forty-five degrees...pretty much like B.J. and all those folks in the cryogenic chambers. They evolved on Earth by replacing water in their bodies with their own form of natural anti-freeze.”

  To this Shamiso retorted, “Oh, that’s just great...thanks a lot…so are they big enough to eat us then, Bones?” That was Young-Min’s latest nickname onboard and he dearly loved being called this.

  “Highly improbable...even if they got ‘em here,” he replied calmly. “Might be kinda cute, though, if we find something like that. I’m just saying that it is possible in natural science for a lower order amphibian to survive extreme temperatures.” To this, nearby crewmen awaiting their turn to join their respective exploration teams gave a few nods and nervous murmurings.

  “So, what do they eat then...Salamanders I mean?” asked one crewmember. “Yeah, like are they herbivores or carnivores?” asked another, a young female scientist from California. Young-Min replied coolly, “Omnivores mainly...shrimps, worms, other salamanders still in larval stages...things like that. But on the surface, they mainly hunt mosquito larvae.”

  “Well, there you have it, then,” interjected Oswaldo. He then laughed and said, “As long as they don’t mistake me for a mosquito, I’ll be fine. And if they come after me, I’ll just tell ’em Bones here promised me they don’t eat humans.”

  Shamiso promptly slapped him on his thigh giving off a big SMACK. “You stop that,” she exclaimed with her East London accent, “That’s not funny.” The rest of the group began to chuckle.

  “Not just mosquito larvae, mes amis,” clarified a French scientist sitting farther down from them. “Maggots, fruit flies, crickets, basically any insect their tongues can reach,” she added. “They’ll eat anything really. Extremely carnivorous.”

  “Oh, now you’ve done it,” Ozzie said as Shamiso muttered something in Cockney no one really understood but didn’t really need to. The aggravation on her face was quite enough. She could now imagine some giant salamander, the size of a commuter train car, shooting his tongue out and trying to swallow her lover whole.

  Subsequently, this left only one question left to answer: were there insects living on the surface of Kapteyn B? The solution to this quandary became apparent within about an hour—after the first rover got just a few kilometers out toward the coast.

  Yes, there were insects. Swarms of them! And all it took was for the first rover to pull to a stop on a ridge overlooking the vast ocean of Kapteyn B spread out before them as far as the eye could see. That’s when their windshield became saturated with hungry bugs trying to land on them and figure out what their big craft really was. Many were teeny, but not all of them. One in particular, which resembled a dragonfly, was something like 65 cm wide counting the wingspan. A fascinated crewman inside the cab measured it with his hands and later verified this.

  But that actually occurred after the infamous great race to the coast. This amazing contest captivated the crew’s attention before any of that had happened. It also served to expose the first serious problem with the mission.

  Kelvin’s squad went second; right after the first squad of explorers was launched, and once he’d put the machine into gear they literally raced after them in headlong pursuit. Battery fully charged, and with all three crewmen packed inside, Lieutenant Kelvin warned them to strap themselves in tight.

  “Hold onto your nut sacks, boys!” he yelled through his helmet lens. He’d wisely turned off his transmitter before saying it, so that Captain Stehter wouldn’t hear him. “Ain’t no fuckin’ way they’re beatin’ us down there to that beach. Y’all with me?” he asked, and his team nodded excitedly. “Yes sir,” they replied loudly—practically in unison.

  To be fair, neither of the two teams of explorers had any intention of obeying the Captain’s orders to the letter. Practically never crossed their minds. No, that little part about, “Proceed with caution,” was ignored almost entirely. All they’d heard was, “Rover One, you will reconnoiter and identify a proper route to the ocean shore. Rover Two, provide backup and escort.” After that, it essentially became “game on.”

  Thus, what soon followed was both vehicles in a desperate, headlong race to be the first to reach the beach. They bounded over berms and dunes, dodged occasional rock outcroppings, and kicked up such an enormous cloud of dust that the remaining crew back at B-lander could easily see it in the distance.

  Even Steinhart had to chuckle for a moment, watching them and wondering just who’d get there first. I hope they don’t kill themselves, he thought to himself, and then he muttered in German, “Gott bei ihnen sein,” praying to God in Heaven that they’d all somehow make it back alive.

  Yes, Kelvin drove like a madman, goaded on by his team of young officers who whooped and hollered with every big bump and swerve of the craft as it sped through the dry seabed to the nearby hills. For a while, he even tried driving in the dusty wake of Rover One in an effort to disguise his presence. This tactic was intended to fool his competitor and confuse him as to how big of a lead they had, which was diminishing rapidly.

  It made visibility difficult but Kelvin could only assume that the lead vehicle was choosing the safest, most logical path to avoid obstacles. The only remaining thing that might go wrong was if Rover One biffed on a rock or something and broke its axle. If that happens, we’ll both be in deep shit, Kelvin mused to himself.

  Finally, after a harrowing ride that covered several treacherous, danger-filled kilometers, Kelvin could suddenly make out sun glare gleaming off the passenger compartment of his opponent’s craft. What’s more, they turned sharply to the left and slowed down to wind around a large boulder blocking their path.

  That’s when Kelvin got an idea. He swerved in the opposite direction and took an alternate route. One of his crew had pointed it out to him only moments before, but he had already seen it. It was a gamble, but if there was nothing else blocking them, Kelvin believed he could overtake the other vehicle by the time they crested the next hill.

  It didn’t quite work out that way, unfortunately. Instead, they came to a roaring halt on a ridge with Rover One, both of them stopping just in time to keep from crashing into a rocky outcrop overlooking the ocean. When the cloud of billowing dust eventually settled, they took in the view. What they saw before them was—to say the least—breathtaking.

  There it was—the Great Kapteyn Sea—an enormous expanse of ocean they’d been told covered nearly one third of the planet’s sun-facing side. The site of it made their jaws drop. The water was a milky, grayish green; reflecting light from the sun which was not terribly big and powerful, yet it lit up the horizon much like Earth at dusk. Surf lapped up on the beach down below them. The clouds in the sky above had a pinkish, orange glow in a largely magenta/lavender-colored sky. There were no birds though. Nothing to indicate the sea was alive. That said, it was the most wondrous thing they’d seen in their entire lives.

  Not long after that, an argument started up between the two commanders regarding just what to name it.

  “Rover Two, this is Rover One” It was the thickly accented voice of their Italian colleague in command of the other vehicle. “Hailing Rover Two. Over,” he repeated—this time sounding a bit agitated.

  Kelvin looked around him and soon discovered, to his annoyance that the crew of Rover One were now looking at him from the passenger compartment of their vehicle. Some were even waving tauntingly, as if to point out how they’d arrived there first. The commander of Rover One was a superior officer, so Kelvin knew he’d have to respond immediately.

  “Rover two, here. Good day, Commander,” he replied with a frustrated sigh, “Over.” He soon learned that the first team, having already arrived there only a few seconds ahead of them, now wished to
name the vast ocean after their team leader Luigi Cadorna. At least that’s what the commander himself claimed. At first, Kelvin thought they might have been joking.

  “Welcome, Rover Two,” said Cdr. Cadorna with a vague hint of sarcasm detectable in his accented English. “You are no doubt enjoying the beautiful view of my namesake ocean. It is favoloso, you agree? I mean, we, of course, have named it Mare Cadorna...after myself...since I—I mean, we that is—were first to the shore. We hope you like the new name we’ve chosen. Over.”

  Kelvin suddenly found himself sitting in the driver’s seat of Rover Two getting the first real taste of the colony commander’s arrogance—as well as the fiery temper they were soon to experience.

  “Uh...negative, Rover One,” Kelvin patiently replied. “With all due respect, sir, that’s not for us to decide. What we really need now is to figure out a way down to that beach. Then we gotta head on back.” He then paused before adding more bluntly, “Captain’s orders, Commander. Over.”

  No one could really argue with that, not even Luigi Cadorna, and Kelvin knew it. Captains always outrank commanders—in most of the world’s navies.

  However, Kelvin’s bluntness almost immediately seemed to set the man off; like he’d pushed the wrong button. Within a few seconds he got the angry commander’s reply. “You are challenging me, no?” asked the man provocatively, “Cos’é questo? You question my judgment? Questioning my authority here, are you?” Then his voice seemed to rise as he became even more enraged.

  “Are you some kind of fool?” he remarked, and Kelvin had to reach over and mute the craft’s transmitter when one of his younger officers carelessly commented, “What the fuck?” Luigi apparently didn’t hear this, though, and continued his tirade.