by Carl Conrad
“I’m going up, Scott,” Marty reported as he placed a foot on the eight foot ladder that led into the craft.
“Roger that,” Scott acknowledged. “I’m going to grab the sample case and secure it in the utility cabinet.” But it was six or seven feet away from him, where Marty had been standing, and just as he turned to retrieve it, the ground split and began to splinter underneath it, leaving the case barely teetering on the edges of the crack. As the hole widened and liquid rose to fill the open space, the case floated on top of it.
Scott reacted instantly, grabbing the extractor rod from the clamps on the leg of his suit and hooked it through the handle of the sample case then pulled it from off the liquid as the pool began to expand.
Not even saying a word, because things were happening so quickly, Scott dragged the case and the tools to the utility cabinet, opened it, and lifted each case inside as quickly as he could. He closed the cabinet door, secured the hatch, then moved to the ladder of the ship. He looked up to see that Marty was just entering the hatch.
Good, he thought because now he knew that Marty was safe. Then up the ladder he proceeded. When Scott got to the top step, he turned for just a moment to look at the terrain around them. He couldn’t see too far because of the thick atmosphere all around them, but some of the moments they had experienced flashed through his thoughts. Then he stepped inside and closed the hatch door behind him.
“We’re inside the ship, Earth Control,” Scott reported. “Marty’s hooked up to the ship’s oxygen and we’re pressurizing the interior.
“Great job, you guys!” Stimson congratulated them. “And, do you have the samples?”
“Affirmative, John. Locked in the utility cabinet,” Scott reported.
There was a loud “Wahoo!” which came from some of the scientists at Earth Control One as they were ecstatic about what the astronauts had been able to collect.
“You can probably hear how excited some of the team is about that,” Stimson confirmed. “Now, we’ve just got to get you guys back here.”
“Roger, that,” Scott said as he sat in the chair at his console. When the green light came on that indicated the oxygen and pressure levels inside the cabin of the module had reached the correct settings, both Scott and Marty were able to take off the helmets that they had been wearing for more than ten hours.
“That was a tough mission,” Scott remarked to Marty with a sense of relief.
“But, it’s not over yet,” Stimson reminded them. “We’ve still got to hook you up with Grayson and, according to our calculations, that would be in about 22 minutes.”
“Twenty-two minutes!” Marty responded. “Stimson, I’m dead tired. Have him go around the planet a couple more times and we’ll hook up with him then.”
“I wish we could wait, Marty, but the oxygen in your ship will only hold out for another hour or so. You seem to forget that we’ve gotten two missions out of this mission instead of the one that we planned for.”
“No, I’m aware of it, Stimson,” Marty moaned. “Maybe you don’t remember, but Scott and I were the guys out there on the planet – for both missions! And, we’re tired!”
“Tired, yes. But we’ve got to get you to a place where you can rest. And, right now, Grayson’s the guy that can do that.” Stimson went on: “See if you can warm up the engines, Scott. It will take a few minutes to check everything out.”
“Roger,” Scott replied. He reached a tired hand over to the ignition warm up switch and flipped it. The red caution light went on, and the warm up system began to function. “Let’s go through the system checks, Marty,” Scott said to his equally tired partner. “Twenty-two minutes isn’t much time.”
“It’s twenty-one minutes now, gentlemen,” Stimson alerted them.
Scott opened the radio channel with Grayson’s ship which was circling the planet overhead. “Grayson? Grayson? Venus Orbiter?” he said, trying to open communications. “Do you read me?”
Stimson intervened. “He’s on the other side of the planet right now, Scott. He should be in communication range in another eight or ten minutes.”
“Roger, Earth Control,” Scott acknowledged then he and Marty continued their procedures for blast off.
After about six minutes of checks and confirmations, Scott noticed that the interior of the ship’s cabin got darker. The interior lights were still on, but something was covering the outside windows.
“Marty?” he called out. “Are they back?”
Marty looked at the small, porthole style windows on both sides of the ship, but they were dark. Something was obviously covering them.
“It’s either them, or we’ve got something new to worry about,” Marty remarked.
“You mean those creatures are back?” Stimson asked. “How can you tell?”
“Well, there’s something cov... ‘ring both win... dows, Stim....son.” There were some slight skips in the transmission.
“Can you... con...firm it, Scott?” But the signal was breaking up.
“Ear...th Con...trol One,” Scott repeated as the static grew and the transmission was garbled. Scott turned to Marty. “I think those creatures are blocking our signal, Marty. Maybe that or their bodies are insulators for radio waves.”
Scott tried again to reach Earth Control One, he even tried to reach Grayson: “Commander Grayson, can you read me?” But all was silent.
“Marty, we’ve got to do something,” he said urgently. As he looked at the digital countdown for blast off, it read eight minutes, thirty-two seconds. “Can we scare them off again?” Scott wondered out loud.
“How can we make a loud sound out there?” Marty asked, as much to himself as to Scott.
“Maybe we could pound on the inside. It might transmit to the outside.”
“I’m not sure about that, Marty,” Scott cautioned. “What if we broke a seal or split something? Let’s not take a chance like that.”
There was static over the radio, but nothing the astronauts could understand. Scott tried again: “Earth Control One... Earth Control One... Commander Grayson? Can you hear me?” But, there was no answer.
The dial on the countdown indicator turned to five minutes nineteen seconds and kept going.
“What if we started the engines, Scott?” Marty asked. “Maybe all the noise and flames and things would scare them.”
“That isn’t a bad idea, Marty,” Scott agreed. “And if it doesn’t work, maybe we should just blast off. I’m sure they can’t hang on with all that force.”
“But we can’t miss Grayson,” Marty reminded him. “If we miss this hook up, we may not be around for another chance.”
“Well, let’s see what happens,” Scott said as he waited for the engine ignition light to turn green. “Three minutes twenty-one seconds to launch. I’m just going to turn the preliminary boosters on, Marty. Let’s see if that scares them.”
Scott pulled a lever back that brought the engines into a roar and rattle stage; the engines roared while the ship began to vibrate. Giving it a little more throttle, the spray of flame from under the ship reflected off the surface of Venus and looked like a spray of sparks. Almost instantly the creatures flew from the outside of the craft.
“I think they’re gone!” Marty yelled as he noticed the porthole windows become clear again. “Ease it back, Scott! We don’t want to launch it yet!”
“Venus Twelve! Venus Twelve, do you read me?” came Stimson’s voice over the radio as clear as a bell.
“Yes, John,” Scott answered. “We hear you. But we’re in takeoff mode. The rockets are running at ten percent power.”
“No! No! Not yet... you’re too early. You’ll miss Grayson,” came the immediate replay from John Stimson at Earth Control One. Scott glanced at the countdown indicator: two minutes twelve seconds.
“Scott,” Marty called out as he looked outside the window. “Scott, I don’t think the ground can take all this heat. It’s bound to start cracking.”
“Stimson, we’ve got
to go!” Scott decided quickly. He revved the engines a little more and they responded by blasting chunks of crust from beneath them. The craft wasn’t really launched yet but it was hovering above the Venusian ground and building up a tremendous thrust. Another movement backward on the throttle and the craft started to rise. Scott pulled the throttle all the way back and they were launched upward with a powerful thrust that pinned the astronauts in their chairs.
They didn’t even attempt to say anything for at least twenty-five seconds while the engines pushed them powerfully into space above the clouds of Venus. Then the engines reached the limit of the fuel in their main thrusters and shut off completely.
“Now, we’re just going to drift, Marty, unless Grayson can catch up to us,” Scott said with only a hope of a miracle to sustain him. Ten, twelve, fifteen seconds passed before that miracle happened.
“Venus Twelve... I’ve got you on radar,” came Grayson’s voice as he spotted them where they were. “Are you guys alright?” he asked.
Marty and Scott looked at each other with relief written all over their faces. “We are now, Grayson. Can you reach us on this pass?”
“Roger, Scott. If you guys can turn the ship to starboard about eighteen degrees and slow your drift, I’ll pick you up like a stork catching a baby.”
“We’ve still got thruster mobility, Venus Orbiter. You tell us when, and we can make whatever adjustments you require. Just don’t miss us. We haven’t got enough power or oxygen left to wait around for you to make another orbit.”
“Roger that,” Grayson acknowledged. “I won’t miss you guys. After all, Marty owes me money for that Superbowl game.”
“You mean my team lost?” Marty moaned.
“Not only did they lose,” Grayson continued, “they signed a deal to move to another city!”
“That’s just great,” Marty responded. “And to think I got season tickets for next year!”
The End.
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About the book and the author:
Mr. Conrad considers this one of his most imaginative books. In it he creates a world that is totally fiction but is built upon the known science about Venus. With the possibility of a planet literally teeming with life – but under the sun-baked crust of Venus – he conjectures how two American astronauts might react to the totally alien world they have suddenly uncovered when they realize their very limited ability to respond to it.
It was at first the idea of not being able to communicate with the alien creatures that was the core of the story; that is, not being able to communicate with them when their very lives were at stake! But the potential for a completely unique and foreboding world soon ignited other possibilities for Mr. Conrad which would continue to perplex and challenge our human approach to dealing with it. The astonishment experienced by the astronauts, restrained by the cautions and even the fear they knew they must respect, infuse this story with the same kind of joyful apprehension one might feel as they rise to the crest of a roller coaster ride while asking themselves if they really want to go the rest of the way? In this case they do, so you’d better hang on because it’s one fast-paced ride!
An avid reader who says he enjoys rewriting more than actually writing, Mr. Conrad has published three other books and has written academic articles, opinion pieces, and many social commentaries about subjects of a diverse nature. He is especially fond of children’s literature and has always sought to mix a little humor with a lot of substance to make some strong and persuasive points in his writing.
Books by Carl Conrad:
1) Subtuberania – a children’s fantasy novel, 167 pgs/illustrated; publisher: Xlibris.
Five young children have an adventure in a fantasy world as they meet some amazing characters and find their way home; fun and imaginative with 23 full-page illustrations.
2) Ted Conrad: Through It All; a biography, 148 pgs/photos; publisher: WestBow Press.
A professional singer, coach, businessman, and a man of faith who never lets adversity keep him from contributing; an inspiring story spanning eight decades.
3) Trapped On Venus; science fiction novel; 145 pgs.; publisher: Schlimmer Publishing.
Two American astronauts encounter creatures on Venus who perplex, astound, and endanger them; a spectacular space adventure!
4) Cave Of The Jade Monkey; action/adventure novel; 132 pgs.; publisher:
An American bush pilot finds treasure, supernatural power, and alien creatures
after crashing in the Indonesian jungle; a continuously-intriguing adventure.