“We have a situation in pod one… A gas leak in the air recycling system.”
All gasped at once.
“How bad is it?”
The Frenchman, shifting position to try to make himself more comfortable, rolled his eyes at the ceiling, obviously searching for words. Finally, after inhaling somewhat loudly, he answered, “Well... It's not good.” He clinched his teeth together.
They all knew François too well by now. After almost fifteen years spent together in the confinement of the small station, he had never looked this concerned in any situation. And much less at a loss for words. He had always found a way to make fun of almost anything. Aside from the war on Earth, Najib’s death, and the crash of MF3, nothing had ever fazed him much. But this time was different. He looked like he had just been told he had a fatal illness and had only a few days left to live. They were all staring at François, and panic was starting to build up in some of them. Taking another big breath, François slowly began again.
“Well, about half an hour ago, a sensor went off on the central console. It woke me up. I checked the readings immediately. It was registering a leak in our room. I moved Sabrina to the greenhouse and closed off the pod. It took me a few minutes, but I eventually found the problem. There is a leak in the west wall. What looks like a cracked pipe. Now, we don't have much in terms of replacements parts on the station, as you all know, but I figured we would be able to patch it, and hopefully, find a way to bypass the defective section later. Anyway, I showed the problem to Dedrick, and we both agreed you all needed to know.”
Next to him, Dedrick nodded, and François continued, “After he left, I decided to run an analysis report through the main computer...” François paused.
Everyone was listening quietly, but he could tell, occasionally glancing at their faces, that some of them were starting to really worry. Even Dedrick, looking at his friend, was sensing something much worse than the leak the two men had discussed earlier was troubling him.
“The thing is...” he continued, “It's not CO2 that is leaking, as I had first presumed. It's carbon monoxide.”
“Carbon monoxide? Is that bad?” interjected Sabrina.
“I’m afraid so. You see, if it was CO2, we'd be OK, as long as we can patch the leak. It's not a flammable gas. But carbon monoxide, on the other hand...”
“What?” asked Vera
“Well, one small spark and… Any flame, any electrical short, or high heat source can spell disaster for us.” Again, François paused, looking for the right words. “But that’s not the worst part…”
The room was now dead silent, and a thick feeling of dread was growing in all of them.
“Here's the thing…when Dedrick and I were looking at this problem about a half hour ago, we didn't know what caused the pipe to crack, but my first guess was a defective part had finally gone bad, obviously sooner than was expected… But at least, it was localized to one area. With a little luck, we would be able to bring the problem under control, even if it required some MacGyver work.” His feeble attempt at humor, a nervous reaction on his part, was completely missed by the group.
He went on, “Here's the real problem. The analysis report says the pipe cracked because it’s not up to specs.”
Dedrick frowned. Sabrina was about to say something, but François continued, “In other words, it broke because it's not the one that's supposed to be in there to begin with. It's almost an eighth of a centimeter thinner than it should be, and it's not even made of the right material.
“What do you mean? Not up to specs?” asked Dedrick.
“I’m saying someone decided to cut corners and installed an inadequate pipe in that section. Probably to save a few bucks. I'm just amazed it made it through quality control.”
“If it's just that section, can't we find a way to bypass it?” asked Tendai.
“Well, that's the thing… It's not just in that section. This pipe goes through every pod, and it's only a matter of time before leaks start to spring everywhere.”
“What are you saying?” Liu suddenly blurted, shaking, as she realized the seriousness of what François was telling them.
“I'm saying we don't have sixty years, as was predicted, before this whole place starts to fall apart. If the air system starts to leak now, the station will soon become inhabitable.”
“Oh, my God... How long do we have?” asked Vera, eyes wide open in absolute shock.
“Hard to tell... A few months? Weeks? I honestly don't know,” replied François.
Looking at the floor, Dedrick let a quiet “Crap!” under his breath.
“Shit!” said Tendai out loud. “What do we do?” He looked completely lost. They all did.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much we can do, guys. We don't have anything to replace these pipes with. There's too many of them.”
“What about the aliens? Maybe they can help!” suddenly asked Tendai hopeful.
“That's what I said to Dedrick earlier. We don't know if they can do anything, but it’s worth asking.”
“Yes. That’s also why we wanted to talk to you all,” added Chasma’s father. “I didn't realize the severity of our situation, but François had already suggested talking to them about the leak. Now, I definitely agree. We don’t have any other choice. And if they can’t help us repair the station, we need to ask if we can move to their ship, and the sooner the better.”
“The ship? You mean the alien ship?” asked Sabrina.
“Yes, love. Think about it,” replied François, “If other parts of the station start to leak, we won’t be able to maintain the integrity of the station for very long. Losing one pod for a few days is already a huge problem, but if this gets worse... The only other place I can think of, that can provide us with shelter, is the alien ship. Dedrick and I spent countless days in there without needing to use our suits, and you’ve all been there. It may not be ideal, but it sure beats the alternative.”
“I agree with François,” added Dedrick. “I don't see too many other options. If we lose our habitat, we have nowhere else to go. I suggest we start thinking about packing some of our survival equipment. Just in case. Anything you can think of that we may need. Extra suits, clothes, computers, lab equipment, food! Prioritize. Only gather what is essential. We need to find a way to take as much food as we can, if we end up having to leave the station.”
“Shoot! That means the greenhouses won't survive either,” said Ladli looking at him.
“You’re right, we need to think about that as well. See if you can transfer some of the plants and vegetables to portable containers. And water! Damn it! What do we do about water?”
Everyone in the room started to realize the true magnitude of their predicament. Even Dedrick, who had always seemed calm and in control when faced with difficult situations in the past, was now struggling to not let his emotions take over him. They all felt the weight of the Martian world on them. Unless the aliens could help them, the station was dying, and they would die with it. And unless they were able to transfer the water recycling system to the Kahnus' cave, moving there would not help either. It all seemed pointless. Sabrina started crying. Her head in her hands, she let out a wailing, “I don't wanna die!” and doubled up on her cries, sobbing and hyperventilating.
“No one is going to die,” said Dedrick firmly. Realizing he might have scared Chasma, he turned to look at his daughter. To his surprise, she did not appear the least affected by the situation. Vera, on the other hand, looked like she was about to cry as well. Tears began rolling down her face.
“No one is going to die!” repeated Dedrick. “We didn't fly a hundred million kilometers through space and managed to survive on Mars by ourselves for the past fifteen years, to give up now. We've accomplished too much, been through too many challenges. We've discovered more than anyone had ever hoped we would and proven we can do the impossible; survive on another world. I'm not willing to just give up like that! I'm telling you, we're going to figure this o
ut. We have to! The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced the aliens can help us. After all, they owe us for getting them out of those pods, don't they?”
He wasn’t truly convinced of that himself, but his words had the wanted effect. The colonists seemed to perk up from their sad demeanor. Maybe all was not lost after all. “François, I think you need to stay here and work on fixing that leak as best you can. Tendai, you can help him. Vera, take Ladli and Sabrina with you, and start packing everything you think is essential. The things we just talked about. Use your best judgment.”
Gathering around the table, they began organizing themselves, and were soon off to their individual chores. All except Liu, who seemed completely disconnected from the situation, staring at her feet.
“OK, so one of you should come with me,” continued Dedrick looking at her.
He had noticed how distraught she looked earlier, and thought going to see the aliens with him might distract her. He needed someone anyway. No one was supposed to leave the station alone, for obvious safety reasons. Plus, she had an interesting connection with Jorh. She did not respond, seemingly lost in thoughts. He could see the glaze in her eyes. The memory came back from years earlier, when she had plunged into a deep depression after the death of Najib, the man she loved.
“I wanna go, Daddy!” offered Chasma with excitement.
“You better stay with Mommy, sweetie. She needs you to help her pack. I promise to take you next time.”
“But that's what you said last time,” replied Chasma frowning.
“I know, baby. Next time. I promise.”
“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms on her chest, and tapping her foot on the floor. She then turned her back to him. Vera grabbed her hand.
“Come Chasma, Daddy has something very important to do. You and I are going to pack our clothes together. You wanna help me?”
Still frowning, Chasma replied loudly, “I don't care!”
“Come on, it'll be fun.” They then walked to the pod three tunnel. Vera lifted Chasma into the corridor and followed in. Dedrick turned his attention back to Liu still looking at the floor. He approached her and held his hand out.
“Liu, you want to come? Come on Liu, I need you for this. Jorh likes talking to you and I know you enjoy it too. Liu...?”
She slowly raised her head and gave him a weak smile. The tears were still rolling down her face…
“Come on. It's gonna be OK. I promise.” He slowly helped her up to her feet, and both headed for the suit room.
A new home
Liu was standing a few steps back behind Dedrick who was in a mental conversation with the tall beings.
“We cannot survive long if we don’t manage to repair this damage. Our air supply depends on it.”
Jorh, seated in his hovering chair, had been listening attentively. He spoke, “We know about your situation. We heard your distress. I wish we could help you repair your home my friend, but your technology is incompatible with ours. I can sense your fear; for yourself and those you love. From what I can tell, it is unlikely that your habitat will survive this malfunction for long. However, it does not have to be the end of your journey. We agree your best bet is to move here. We heard your conversation with your people. We had already planned to offer you to move to our ship before you got here. As you know, it offers enough room for all. Gather what you need, and we will gladly provide your people shelter.”
“That would be most appreciated, Jorh.” Dedrick was slightly surprised, not having expected the alien to offer them refuge so easily, but he was certainly glad.
“Yes. You are the last surviving descendants of your species, just like we are of ours. We ought to help each other.”
The reassuring deep, soft tone of Jorh’s mental voice brought peace and warmth to Dedrick. He felt a genuine sense of safety around the aliens. This was their best option.
Liu slowly approached and lowered her head in reverence toward Jorh.
“Thank you, Jorh-San! You are most generous.” She crossed her hands on her heart and took a bow. Holding one of his large fingers below her chin, he raised her head to look into her eyes.
“You are welcome, Liu-San!”
Then, slowly rising, he walked majestically toward one of the pods, and passing his hand over a panel, stood still as the pod opened, and Mahhzee slowly emerged from the foggy fumes escaping the regenerating pod. She approached the two humans. Standing next to her, they looked more like small children than adults. Blinking at Dedrick and Liu with her large purple eyes, Mahhzee addressed them telepathically, “Bring your friends and family here. They are no longer safe in your habitat. We will adjust our rooms to accommodate your needs. Go now, while you still can.”
Her smooth mental voice was like honey to Dedrick. He was once again mesmerized by the alien. His mind drifted off for an instant.
“Are you ready, Dedrick? We should go.”
“Yes, of course…”
#
Two hours later, the eight Martian colonists were busy packing all they could into the three rovers and their respective trailers, which they had only rarely used since their arrival on Mars. They had wasted no time debating how long the station had before it became unsafe. As soon as Dedrick and Liu had returned, the transferring of supplies had begun. They had estimated it would take at least two trips to get the bare essentials. More importantly, they were going to need to transfer some of the greenhouse’s content to the cave. They knew they could only transport a portion of the plants and vegetables, but François had an idea. He believed he could modify the trailers, originally designed to transport the landing pods, into one big towing platform, that would allow them to relocate at least one greenhouse to the cave.
“We better hurry, then. We have no idea how long we have before the whole habitat gets affected,” said Dedrick.
“Mommy, where is Sylvia?” asked Chasma looking for her doll.
“I don’t know, baby. I’m sure Sylvia is in our luggage, somewhere,” she replied while packing.
“We have to find her, Mommy! I can’t leave her behind!” Chasma was almost in tears.
‘We don’t have time, baby. I’m sure she’s in your blue bag.”
“No, I checked. I can’t find her anywhere! We can’t go. We have to find Sylvia!” she screamed.
“Ok, baby, calm down. We’re gonna find her. Let me look.”
“You guys ready?” asked François, who had just popped into the pod.
“We can’t find Sylvia!” replied Vera, frantically lifting up bags and clothes.
“There! Is that it?” asked François, pointing at the doll lying under Chasma’s bed.
“Sylvia! There you are,” rejoiced the girl, grabbing the toy to her chest.
“Ok, good. Come on baby, it’s time to go!”
The three exited the pod through the small corridor, and were soon in the garage, adding a few more bags to the already over-packed rover trunk of ARC 1.
“Where is Liu?” asked Dedrick.
“Right here!” replied the Korean. She climbed on board and sat in the front passenger seat next to him. Vera was already setting herself in behind them with Chasma. Near by, François and Sabrina were waiting in ARC 2. Both rovers were packed to capacity, waiting. Dedrick pressed a few keys on the dashboard screen. The garage door opened, and the two vehicles started making their way to ARC 3, already waiting outside with Tendai and Ladli. Chasma turned her head back, looking at the only habitat she had ever known.
“Mommy, are we going to a new home?”
“Yes, Chasma, we’re going to a new home,” replied her mother, stroking her blond hair softly.
“Are we coming back?”
“I don’t know, baby. I don’t think so…”
As Chasma watched through the rear windshield of the vehicle, the station kept shrinking until it finally disappeared in the dust behind them.
#
“We can extend the ship’s primary resources to the immediate surr
oundings of the cave but no further. If you can bring your greenhouse here, we should be able to provide you with air and an acceptable atmosphere. There is a large platform behind the ship, near the back of the cave where you will be able to secure it. We will do the rest.”
Jorh’s words had greatly reassured Dedrick and his teammates. After unloading the supplies and its passengers, Dedrick, François, Tendai, and Ladli were off on one last trip, to get one of the greenhouses. They knew only one could be taken back to the cave. They had already taken most of the living essentials on the last three trips. Now they would try to transfer as many plants and vegetables as possible to greenhouse two.
François’ idea of using the three trailers to transport the greenhouse had proven an excellent one. A few hours later, the small party was returning with a full greenhouse, hauled behind the two rovers. A few tubes and wires hung unplugged to one side of the cargo. Using the crane they had installed a few weeks earlier above the cliff, the team began pulling up the big container from down below to the cave’s level, about fifty meters higher.
“Tendai, can you hear me?”
“Ten-four, François. I receive you loud and clear.”
“Ok. We’re ready. You can start lifting the package.”
“Ok.”
Down below, Dedrick, Sabrina, and François watched as the cables started rising, slowly forming a large pyramid above the greenhouse. Finally, the four corners stretched tight, and the platform was jolted slightly, and began its ascent to the cave’s entrance.
“Looking good, Tendai. It’s coming up nice and straight,” informed him Dedrick.
A few minutes later, the platform and its cargo were slowly swinging fifty meters above the ground. In no time, Vera and Ladli, standing at the cave’s mouth, secured the anchors and slowly pulled the package in. After a bit of manual coordination between the two rovers and the cave’s team, the container was resting on its bottom, in front of the large alien passage. Jorh, Mahhzee, and Gahneo were ready to help as well. They had joined the human team, wearing their gelatinous suits. François wondered why the aliens had not ventured out before in those suits. If the aliens heard his thoughts, they did not offer an explanation. Instead, with hand gestures, Jorh and his companions commanded the large Zarfha they had brought with them. The object began to hover. After going through its spectacular light show, the sphere came to a rest, floating just above the greenhouse. Then, as if pulling it with invisible force, the white Zarfha levitated the dwelling a couple of meters above the ground. The three aliens then proceeded to walk back to their ship, Zarfha and greenhouse in tow.
Kahnu (The Guardians of Tomorrow Book 1) Page 34