Soft Planet

by Mitchell Christian

  "I know, mother. I wish the scheduling had worked out better, but we've got a narrow time window for the launch. He knows my heart will be with him," Caroline responded, her voice growing softer as she spoke.

  The elder lady was a hand-width taller than her daughter. At just over fifty remained as thin and golden-haired as she had been in her youth. The two were surrounded by the bustle of early morning travelers in the concourse of the transportation hub, at its peak for the day when most travelers were arriving to begin their journeys aboard high speed copters for overland travel, or by air ship for more distant locations around the globe.

  "If only he could be here to see you off. He is such a busy man," Tanielle said, just before she glanced past Caroline towards the station's entrance. "But I do see someone else who cares for you."

  Caroline twisted, spotting a familiar broad shape hurrying towards them. She pulled away from her mother and stepped quickly to greet the approaching man.

  "Uncle Harbon! I'm so glad you could make it!" She threw her arms around the tall man’s torso, pressing her cheek against his barrel-caged chest as he pulled her tightly against him. Neither of her “uncles” was related by blood to her or her adoptive parents, but Caroline thought of them as part of the family. Harbon Regalik was a statesman of great repute among the council members of Chiyan, while Jarrod Muller was known for his abilities as ambassador to the two other continent-states.

  "Wouldn't have missed it for the world, my dear," the elderly councilman replied quietly as he peered down at her. Nearly a decade past the century mark, his face showed only the beginnings of advanced age. His hair was still as light brown as it had been a half century before. "I'm going to miss you terribly, you know," he continued. She looked up into his eyes and smiled serenely. He warmly returned the look.

  Tanielle walked over to the pair. "So glad you came, Harbon. We were just talking about Jarrod. It's unfortunate that his duties took him so far away. Apokania is a continent I've never visited, but would like to someday. I hear it's a land of contrasts."

  "It truly is," Regalik responded. "A grand place of vast plains, as well as the most magnificent waterfalls in the world. I've been there a number of times." He released Caroline, who backed up slightly, letting her hands slide down into the comforting clasp of his. "Where's your father?" he asked her.

  "Yes, where has he gone?" Tanielle spoke before Caroline could reply, and peered around the expansive hub.

  "He said he was heading to the departure terminal to check on something," Caroline said. "Maybe we should go there and see if we can meet up with him?"

  The two others agreed and together they all proceeded to the hallway that led to the docking bay, from which Caroline would soon be shuttled to the nearby spaceport. Their footsteps echoed softly as they continued along one of the wide arms of this center for world-wide transportation. The corridor was brightly lit by the daylight streaming in through large, clear ceiling and wall panels. After a few minutes of conversation they finally approached their goal.

  "Mark, what have you been doing?" Tanielle’s voice held a slight tone of chastisement for her husband as they reached the boarding area.

  “Just making sure Caroline’s flight was still on time, Nell.” He seemed to be anxiously eyeing the holographic display that floated above the exit ramp, which descended towards the small shuttlecraft hovering outside.

  “Oh, Mark, you know we could have done that for you back in the lobby,” Tanielle chided.

  “I suppose. I guess after all these years I still need the reassurance of seeing the projections myself. Maybe I should have had the implants done when yours were put in, sweetheart.” He glanced sheepishly at Caroline, who returned an understanding look.

  “Always the nervous father,” Regalik stated as he grasped Mark’s right hand in his own, firmly gripping the much shorter man’s shoulder with the other.

  Mark clasped the councilman’s hand. “It’s always good to see you, Harbon. Thank you for coming. I know it means a lot to Caroline.” He briefly glanced around. “Jarrod isn’t here?” he asked, directing the inquiry at his daughter.

  “He said he would try to reach us through the grid as soon as he could,” she answered.

  “My esteemed colleague is off to distant lands, righting wrongs and strengthening the ties that bind us all together, as usual,” Regalik explained, with just a touch of humor.

  “Well, he’d better check in soon or he’ll never hear the end of it from me,” Mark spouted. He released Harbon’s hand and stepped over to slip his arm around his daughter’s waist. “How much longer can you wait until the flight crew will demand that you be on your way to the launch pad?”

  She returned his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. “Should be any minute, now, I think.”

  Just then a loud buzzer resounded through the confined space, followed by a male voice. “Now boarding for Mars. Please check in with the shuttlecraft crew at the nearest departure terminal. All passengers must board immediately. This is the final call. Repeat. Now boarding for Mars…”

  As the message replayed Caroline began saying her final good-byes to those who were closest to her. Her mother’s tears were no longer held back and they darkened Caroline’s shoulders while the two hugged each other closely. The young woman embraced her father and uncle in quick succession and then moved towards the exit ramp while her loved ones waved and looked on. Before she was gone from their sight she seemed distracted for a moment, as in front of her the holographic image of a man in the robes of a Chiyan Representative appeared. Caroline grinned happily, engaged in conversation with the figure as she waved once more to her family, finally disappearing behind the closing door of the ramp.

  Mark looked at Tanielle, who nodded reassuringly.

  “About damned time,” he muttered to himself.

  Chapter 3

  The call finally came through late in the afternoon, as Caroline stood in front of the video phone in her office. The man’s face on the screen was long and narrow, his eyes a mix of green and gray. There was a solemn air about him, and his manner gave the impression of intellectual weightiness combined with profound sincerity.

  Caroline stood motionless, unwilling to accept the implied meaning of his presence. She had expected to see her father, but was instead greeted by the image of this much older man whom she had not spoken to since her departure from Earth.

  It was all she could do to keep herself from speaking, knowing that it would take several minutes for her words to reach the caller back on Earth. After some seconds of silence Jarrod finally spoke. “My dear niece. I hope you are safe and in good health. I know it’s a surprise to see me, but please don’t let it concern you. Your parents were merely detained from making another attempt at reaching you due to their own schedules. I promised Mark I would contact you by day’s end so you would not worry unduly. Tanielle is in no immediate danger from her condition. I’ve engaged several of the best minds from medical facilities around the globe in helping her to pursue a solution, and her outlook is an optimistic one.”

  Jarrod paused. As much as her relationship with Harbon Regalik was one of mutual fondness, Caroline viewed Jarrod Muller as a teacher and mentor. Both men had been there for her in times of crisis throughout her life, but it had always been Jarrod who gave her invaluable advice.

  He continued. “I’ll keep the rest of my comments brief, and wait for your reply as long as possible. The signal between our worlds seem strong at the moment, and I’m sure you’ll want to take advantage of that. Your mother has kept me up-to-date on your team’s progress. Your parents and I are so proud of you and know that your efforts will prove to be a success. A new world! What a grand thing that is to be a part of. I remember when you became fascinated by Mars as a little girl. You couldn’t wait to hear the latest findings from the early colonists. You…well, there I go, breaking my own promise. I’ll finish up now, and just end by saying that your mother will do her best to contact you as soon as s
chedules permit.”

  With that the video transmission ended abruptly. Caroline rushed to put together a reply. After sending a quick message back she left her office, feeling that she would be unable to concentrate on work anymore that day.

  ***

  Maysie Renner walked out onto the Martian plateau and was greeted by a luscious sunrise of blood-red and tarnished orange. She stood still for a while, letting the warmth of the sun’s rays seep through her protective suit. Around her the rock-strewn landscape was desolate, but it was only a matter of time before the area would be covered with the same hardy vegetation that grew near the town, just a few kilometers away. Even now her faceplate was wet with condensation. Perhaps on her next exploratory trip she would only wear a breathing apparatus, without the need for a suit at all.

  While she enjoyed the dawn spectacle aesthetically, she was here to take readings of the air’s composition. Her thoughts shortly returned to her duties. As a climatologist her mind's eye displayed the layered structure of the atmosphere. She understood that it was the high-reaching convection currents keeping dust particles aloft which was the cause of the colors displayed before her. In a way the scene was unnatural, since the Martian weather needed an extra push to keep it running while the few seas around the globe gradually deepened and widened over the coming years, until they finally grew into shallow oceans. Only then would deep-running currents be able to provide the needed warmth to the air above the water's surface, in order to drive a self-sustaining weather system. Some scientists predicted that it might never happen, due in part to the reduced intensity of light at this distance from the sun, which on Earth added significant heat to the planet’s air mass. For now, massive plates of metal, which had been placed on the bottoms of the water reservoirs nearly a decade ago, were heated to temperatures that would melt solid rock. This created boiling columns of sea water which rose to the surface and evaporated rapidly, adding enough energy to the overlying air to drive climactic patterns not unlike those of Earth.

  After observing the sunrise for a few more moments, Maysie was about to take another step forward, when she suddenly felt off-balance and had to throw her arms out to steady herself. Strangely, it seemed like the ground beneath her had risen, but when she glanced down there didn’t appear to be anything unusual underfoot. Cautiously, she stepped to the side and peered around the area where she had been standing. Nothing looked out of place. With some consternation she pulled a data scanner from the suit’s pouch and held it facing forwards in the air in front of her. After a few seconds she turned it back towards her and skimmed through the readings. Only a slightly elevated level of oxygen was out of the ordinary, but she guessed that the scanner might have picked up the reading from the greenery surrounding the town behind her, which was at the edge of the scanner's range.

  Just as she was replacing the scanner there was another push upwards of the dirt where she was standing, this time quite a bit larger. It caught her off-guard and sent her pin-wheeling backwards to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she scurried away from the spot. A few meters off to one side a huge hump of soil rose suddenly, only to slowly deflate. It left behind a small mound of disturbed dirt and rock less than a meter wide. Possible explanations raced through Maysie’s mind. A chemical reaction of some sort? Nothing she knew of could account for this. Surely it couldn't be something living beneath the surface! The scans would have detected any creature of that size long ago. No, there must be another explanation.

  Cautiously, the young scientist approached the pile of rubble and scanned the area. Again nothing significantly unusual registered. Baffled, she paused briefly before turning to head towards home. Another mound rose to one side of her path, causing her to quicken her pace.

  ***

  “An elevated presence of oxygen, you say? And that far out into the desert. Well, that is a conundrum.” Larkin Rand stroked his chin as his brow furrowed.

  “Maybe it’s the result of some kind of natural underground electrolysis,” said one of the chemists. “The deep soil in the desert is somehow becoming charged, and acting as a battery to split water molecules into their component hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Our scanners aren’t set up to detect hydrogen, are they?”

  Maysie shook her head.

  “I’d say the best bet for a source of electrolysis is an unknown crystalline deposit, perhaps reacting to lightning strikes from the storms,” Larkin suggested.

  “No, no, no. You’re all thinking too mechanically, as usual!” Jules Thorkoff broke in impatiently. “It’s organic!”

  “Organic? What’s your idea, Jules?” Larkin asked.

  “Does anyone know what happens back on Earth to all the oxygen created by the great tropical forests of the Bergalian continent?” Jules responded.

  “Well, it’s dispersed around the planet’s atmosphere, obviously,” answered one of the geologists.

  “Wrong! It stays where it is, for the most part, and gets re-used by the flora in the jungle. That’s why the air around the towns here on Mars is higher in oxygen than the desert, of course. On Earth the microscopic detritus from the massive amount of plant life fed by the mighty Bergalian River is washed into the oceans. There those deceased little bugs release the oxygen stored in their bodies, which rises through the water and into the Earth’s air. It’s estimated to account for nearly a quarter of the planet’s breathable oxygen supply.”

  “So, you’re saying it’s the wash-off from the green areas of Mars that soak into the surrounding unclaimed areas, where the oxygen collects underground until it rises in bubbles?”

  “Precisely! And thus the ever-increasing growth of our forests should accelerate the spread of oxygen around the Martian atmosphere much faster than our predictions!”

  Caroline had entered the area and was updated by Maysie on the ideas being discussed. “Then it’s even more urgent that we obtain the information from the collection devices atop the factories as soon as possible,” she interjected. Vast factories that pumped out great quantities of methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other gases were scattered over this new residence for mankind, encouraging the growth of the genetically tailored species of flora.

  “What do you mean?” Jules asked.

  “If the oxygen content of the upper atmosphere increases too rapidly, then the formation of an ozone layer at this early date could drastically change our models for the biome’s evolution.”

  “Ah, yes. I see. Throwing in a new factor will upset the balance, putting our plans at risk.”

  “In the worst case scenario,” Caroline continued, “it could put the whole project in peril. I’ll send this information in to the Council for Martian Affairs and see what they recommend. In the meantime we’ll need to move up the timetable for our excursion to the factory. I’d like everyone to prepare for departure in the next 48 hours. Let me know as soon as you’re ready.”

  A low murmur spread through the crowd of scientists, most of them excited at the chance to see the untamed side of Mars. Others privately feared that too hasty a move would bring on unnecessary risks, but as usual they accepted Caroline’s decision with little dissent. They quickly returned to chatting about the possibilities of the newfound process as they broke into groups and gradually walked away, lost in their own conversations.

  Chapter 4

  The airfield was located some ways west of the town, just outside the rim of the crater. A circular take-off and landing area with a ring of white painted around its border took up most of the flattened ground. Two straight lines of white crossed it, meeting at the center. Dotting its perimeter were a few large hangers housing the copters, along with several smaller structures. These were mainly filled with replacement parts, and served as work spaces for the engineers who maintained the town's vehicles. It was just after midnight. The lights surrounding the landing pad cast overlapping shadows against the metal buildings. The silence was broken only by the occasional breeze that blew in from the dark perimeter of the area, kicking u
p small clouds of dust that slowly dissipated and drifted gently back down in the weak Marian gravity.

  Here, at the edge of the colonized zone of Martian territory, the sandstorms were deflected away from the towns and rarely penetrated even this far in. The air was breathable, but only barely so. Further west the Martian environment could still be deadly without proper protection against the elements, so the excursion team had donned their pressurized suits for the journey. The plan was to retrieve the data collector from the roof of the factory which lay nearly 15 kilometers further to the west, then return as soon as possible. With the heightened flurry of sandstorms lately, they did not want to remain in the desert for an extended period of time.

  Their copter rested in a hanger off to one side. Caroline’s team entered through a pair of tall sliding doors which were fully parted. Constructed of gray-green metal, the large flying machine had a vague resemblance to a giant dragonfly. Four narrow wings jutted from the tubular body, with propellers lying horizontally atop rotating arms at the ends of the wings. The arms could be angled backwards during flight in order to move the airship forward. A square solar panel, which covered much of the craft's rear section, collected the sun's rays in order to charge the battery pack housed just above the rear wheels. A tail nearly as long as the body of the vehicle held a rudder, with another set of propellers on top. The copter had been nicknamed "The Sunflower" due to the petal-like arrangement of the blades.

  The team exited the hanger as the copter was rolled out of its bay and into the glaring brightness that lit the white circle. Roe and Caroline stood side by side, while Jules, Larkin, and Maysie waited nearby.

  Caroline eyed the small satchel Roe held in one arm. “Got your rations packed, just in case?” Her voice was carried over the helmet’s microphone and picked up by the speaker in Roe’s headgear.