Terran glanced up at the ceiling. He didn’t see any surveillance cameras. It looked like the administrator didn’t have his eyes on absolutely everything, as they all had assumed he did. Terran grabbed Isaac’s shoulders and gestured toward a specific vehicle, a backhoe, that was standing against the space’s right-hand wall. Back on Earth, Terran had once driven something like this for the army. It was obviously a model that the company had purchased from military inventory.
They were trying to be quiet. Despite the absence of cameras, Summers might have mounted a bug somewhere that they hadn’t found. Terran climbed up the ladder that led to the driver’s cab and opened the door. He slid across the wide front seat so that Isaac had enough room. Terran then pointed at the door. The biologist understood the gesture and shut it carefully.
Terran leaned over the control panel. He had to activate the main breaker so that the radio could pull power from the battery. It worked. The control console indicated to them that the battery was almost empty. This usually wouldn’t have been a problem. They only needed to let the engine run for a while. However, backhoe motors weren’t quiet.
For Terran, nothing indicated that this vehicle was furnished with a methane fuel cell, as were most of the others in here. “We need to be quick,” he said quietly, pointing at the battery gauge.
Isaac nodded as he placed the prepared message on the console. He lined out particular words and entire nonessential sentences throughout. “Ready,” he said.
“The frequency?”
Terran entered the number Isaac gave him, before saying, “You may begin.”
Isaac nodded. “Isaac McQuillen here from Spaceliner 1,” he said.
Terran noticed that he was trying to articulate clearly.
“Here on board, there are still a few decent people, the majority of whom are former NASA members who are seriously concerned. In our opinion, the ship’s administrator is pursuing an agenda that doesn’t correspond with the values of a democratic system. This is why we want to send you, as former colleagues, this frank warning. Once this ship lands, the administrator will attempt to embroil you in his plans. He is very clever and isn’t above trying to recruit spies from your ranks. Please be careful and resist him. And perhaps we will eventually reach the point when we will need your help.”
The battery gauge was hovering just above zero. Terran moved his right hand back and forth across his throat.
“Please don’t try to contact us. That would—”
Isaac saw that the battery was empty, so he didn’t finish his sentence. Terran was satisfied. The final words would have to remain unspoken, but he hoped the essential part of the message would reach the NASA base.
Sol 159, NASA base
“Mike? Someone left us a message,” Sharon said.
“What do you mean?”
“Mars Express 2 received a message that was obviously meant for us.”
“From whom?”
“The sender seems to still be far away according to the transmission capacity.”
“The Chinese?”
“It’s possible, but how would they have the relay frequency of the Mars satellite?”
“Then it must be from Spaceliner 1. It should be landing in eleven days. Why wouldn’t they be contacting us like usual, and why would they use such a low capacity?”
“I suggest that we listen to it,” Sharon said.
“We need to tell the others about this,” Mike declared as Isaac’s voice died away.
“I didn’t like that administrator from the get-go,” Sharon said. “But do you think that he’s managed to bribe one of us to be his spy?”
Mike shook his head. “I can’t imagine that. But, perhaps someone on the MfE crew...”
I hope Mike’s not wrong, Sharon thought. How well did she know her colleagues whom she had long viewed as friends? Nonetheless, she wasn’t going to waste any time on suspicions.
The four were gathered on the bridge. Ewa had just awakened, Lance was sweaty from his workout, and Sarah had needed the longest to get there because she had been working in the garden.
Mike played the message for them.
“That’s not good at all,” Sarah said afterward. “I have the feeling that we’re being pulled into something that isn’t really our business.”
“Spaceliner 1 is carrying one hundred people who will soon be establishing a colony on Mars. They have at their disposal many more resources than we do,” Lance reminded her. “One way or the other, we’re going to have to live with them, so this absolutely means that their problems will have an impact on us.”
“Yes, but since we’re so few compared to them, we need to stay out of things as much as possible. Just imagine what would happen if that administrator decided that there shouldn’t be any small settlements except his own. He would come here with twenty-five loyal crew members and annihilate us. We wouldn’t stand a chance,” Sarah said.
“Which is precisely why we can’t stick our heads in the sand,” Lance countered. “We need to make allies, which the MfE people are, but so are those who would stand up to the administrator.”
Sharon watched the disagreement between Sarah and Lance. They often had varying opinions, but they never let their differences grow personal. She appreciated that. “I think Lance is right,” Sharon said. “Rick Summers isn’t to be trusted, so we need something up our collective sleeve. But we should stall for time. We now have water, which gives us a huge leg up. We should definitely avoid any form of open confrontation.”
Mike nodded. He appeared about to speak, but hesitated. Then he said, “They will want their drill and loader back. What are our thoughts on that?”
“We will agree to that,” Sarah advised. “Our water needs are now met, and the machinery clearly belongs to them. If we kept them, it would give Summers a reason to act against us.”
“I agree with my better half on this,” Lance said, smiling at Sarah.
Sarah smiled back. Sharon realized that Lance had never called Sarah that before, at least not when she was around.
“Ewa, what do you think?” Mike asked. “You were the one who brought us the machines after all.”
“I? I don’t have an opinion on this. I brought you the vehicles so that you could do with them what you wanted. Of course, I will bear responsibility for this decision in terms of the administrator. He might let you keep them if you were to hand me over.”
“That’s not up for discussion,” Mike said. Sharon had rarely seen him angry, but now he was. “What kind of people do you think we are? You are now part of our crew, and no one under my leadership is going to be sacrificed for a thing.”
Nicely roared, Mr. Lion, Sharon thought.
“I’m sorry, Mike,” Ewa said. “I... thank you very much. Just please don’t take me into consideration if your fate is ever in question.”
“Come on, Ewa!” Mike grew even louder. “Do you still not get it? There isn’t a you, only an us. We will always take each other into consideration. Nobody is excluded from that.”
“I... thank you,” Ewa replied. To Sharon, she looked somewhat confused. “In that case, I’m for returning the machines, but before we do that, let’s use them to surround the base with a protective ring.”
“That’s a good idea,” Lance replied. “I’d be glad to give some thought to what we could build as quickly as possible.”
“Do that, Lance,” Mike said. “In that case, we’re all for returning the equipment, adopting a wait-and-see attitude, and seeing if we can safely contact the opposition on board Spaceliner 1, without exposing them. Correct?”
“Well put,” Sharon said, the others nodding in agreement.
Sol 165, NASA base
The plans that Lance designed, which resembled an expanded version of the Great Wall of China, had to be reduced down to something actually doable. Doable. That meant no great wall, no barbed wire, but instead a five-meter deep, five-meter wide, ring ditch that would surround the base at a diameter of five
hundred meters. The ditch, essentially a dry moat, would be crossed by a single access road.
To make sure that the ditch functioned as an actual obstacle, they constructed a wall inside the ditch along the inner edge closest to the base, its only gap at the access road. At every other approach point, people would encounter a tall, virtually perpendicular wall. Lance was in the process of finishing the last few meters of this wall. They had used large metal sheets as forms for the construction, against which they were now pouring fine sand along the inside edge. The loader was in its element doing this, while one of the rovers had to hold the planks upright.
Instead of concrete they used pure water, which they poured over the sand. Their supplies for this project were practically limitless, and in this context, they didn’t even have to purify the valuable moisture. The wet sand froze relatively fast in the sub-zero surface temperatures, leaving behind a hard wall when they finally removed the sheets. To protect the wall from the sun, they covered its upper edge with large rocks.
“A little to the side, please,” Lance said. He was impressed at the way Ewa was pushing the heavy wall to the side. He knew, of course, that the muscle amplifiers in her suit were helping her. They had decided the other three suits that Ewa had brought along should be kept for emergencies.
Lance inspected the new wall. He sprayed water from a heated canister across the spots where the sand was crumbling. How long would this structure last? He would have liked to build actual walls, preferably with heat-sintered sand, but that would have taken too long. They would need to regularly patch their rampart. “Next section,” he said.
Ewa moved the metal sheet a little farther, and Sharon positioned the back end of the rover right in front of it as a support.
“Sarah, you’re up,” Lance said.
Inside the ditch, Sarah couldn’t tell when they were ready. She dumped a load of sand beside the sheet, which would eventually be hardened with water.
They were a well-coordinated team by this point. Lance had wanted to fill the ditch with something, but they hadn’t found anything that was either affordable or liquid at this temperature. Sharon, who was also a chemist, had synthesized several kilograms of explosive material. They had used this to create mines, which they would distribute around the ditch. Large signs would warn of the danger they posed. Sarah wasn’t pleased about these. She was afraid that the signs would set some kind of arms race in motion, but the others had outvoted her.
By the end of his shift that evening, Lance was tired but content. He had agreed to meet Sarah in the pavilion. They wanted to watch the sunset together. There was no better way to end the day.
Lance was already waiting in the glass structure. Sarah was late. Finally, someone knocked on the hatch panel. He opened it and helped her climb up. Lance was all smiles. Sarah was gorgeous! Her dress suited her perfectly. She sat down on his lap on the only chair inside the pavilion.
“Put your hand here,” she said. “It’s moving around.”
She placed his hand on her abdomen, and Lance was awestruck. They had built a wall against death today, but this... this was much more powerful. This was life itself.
Sol 170, Mars surface
Mike flashed the rover’s headlights twice. The other vehicle responded with the same signal. That could only be Ellen. They had agreed to meet at Spaceliner 1’s landing site, close to the supply ship that Ewa had plundered several weeks before.
“Hi, Ellen. Did you have a good drive?” Mike asked over the radio.
“A little dull. I hope this wraps up quickly. There’s so much to do!”
“Yes, the same for us,” he replied.
Silence fell. Mike scratched his head. What was the best way to say what he had to say? “We have about three hours to kill,” he finally said. “How about we chat a little?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“I mean personally.”
“Ah, okay,” Ellen said. “My place or yours?” She laughed as Mike turned red.
“I’d be glad to come to you so you don’t have to get suited up again,” he said. He had done a little training beforehand so he could immediately leave the rover.
“Good. The coast is clear over here. My parents have gone shopping,” Ellen teased him.
Mike was glad that nobody could hear them. “On my way,” he said cheerfully. All he had to do was shut his visor, and then he left the rover through its hatch. The other rover was driving toward him, stirring up dust in its wake. When it was only a few meters away, the hatch opened, and he caught sight of a person in a spacesuit.
Of course. The rover didn’t have an airlock. Even if he was coming to her, Ellen had to pull on her suit and release the air. He felt embarrassed about being so distracted he’d forgotten that. She waved at him, and he moved a little faster.
A few minutes later, Ellen closed the hatch behind herself. As the life support system blew fresh breathable air into the cabin, the young woman removed her spacesuit. Underneath it, she was naked. No, she was wearing panties. Mike’s voice failed him. He also peeled himself out of his suit. Ellen watched as he did this. Mike gazed at the floor, not wanting to seem brazen to her.
“Is it possible that you feel a little uptight, Mike?” she asked.
Ellen stood up and moved closer to him, before helping him get all the way out of his suit. He couldn’t help staring at her slender, almost skinny body. Mike searched for words, but nothing came to him. Spaceliner 1 was going to land in two hours, and he was supposed to speak with the administrator about their future collaboration. But now he was with this woman, only two years younger than himself, who was also the leader of a Mars settlement—and who obviously had a definite idea of how to spend the next two hours.
“It’s been almost a year since I’ve had sex,” she said, “and in our tight quarters, even masturbation has been out of the question. I realized, though, that this lonely rover drive was like a godsend. Don’t you agree?”
Mike nodded, still at a loss for any alternatives. The beguiling scent of this woman seemed to be influencing his ability to speak.
“It’s completely okay, Mike. You don’t need to say a thing,” Ellen whispered as she took his head in her hands and kissed him.
Wrapped in a blanket, they watched the landing of Spaceliner 1 from the rover’s porthole. A fire-breathing dragon descended from the sky. The elegant ship was riding on the fire of its engines, which were increasingly reducing its speed. Their force stirred up a cloud of dust that practically hid the event from their sight. They couldn’t hear anything, but the closer the ship got to the ground, the stronger the vibrations they could feel inside the rover. Mike held Ellen’s hand. What was landing here would change all of their lives. He was still uncertain which way that influence would go, but he hoped they would be able to shape that change, even if it would require hard work on their part.
“I think it’s time for us to put our clothes back on,” Ellen said mischievously.
“You’re right.” Mike gathered his things together from where they’d been scattered around the cabin. He put them in order and began to pull them on.
The rover’s computer announced an incoming call.
“Ellen Blake, here. I’m the director of the MfE project. And the man here—”
Mike made a grab for the microphone. “—is Mike Benedetti, Commander of the NASA base. We are glad that you’ve now reached your distant destination.”
“My name is Rick Summers, but you already know who I am. I would like to invite you to our first conversation on board our ship. Could you get here in one hour?”
“We will be there, Mr. Summers,” Ellen said before cutting the link.
11/14/2042, Spaceliner 1
“I would like to introduce you to Rick Ballantine,” Rick Summers said to the two visitors.
The Senator looked weary. He had initially refused to participate in this conversation, but Rick had insisted on it. He had to show the NASA and MfE representatives who wa
s the master of the house here. He was.
The Senator shook hands with Ellen and Mike. As soon as they had stepped on board, they had agreed to forego titles for first names. “To help us build trust,” Rick had said as justification.
Ellen and Mike had agreed to sidestep formality. While they chatted with the Senator, Rick observed them. They both seemed quite young despite being the leaders of their respective settlements. He shouldn’t underestimate either one. There was something complicit going on between them. They occasionally glanced at each other and exchanged smiles when they didn’t think anyone was watching. I’d bet that Ellen and Mike are sleeping together. He could always sense if two people had something going on, such as his friend Terran and the Senator.
“I suggest that we first fortify ourselves a little,” Rick said.
Before the others’ arrival, he had arranged for the table against the wall in the conference room to be set with a small, but elegant, buffet. He removed the tablecloth that was covering it. The food smelled delicious. The chef had really outdone himself.
With curiosity, Rick read the small signs on which the chef had noted the contents of the dishes. He hadn’t given him any detailed instructions, except for one—the cuisine should impress the visitors. The chef had hit this mark. That much was instantly clear. Ellen and Mike pointed out to each other the beef, sushi, and grilled shrimp.
The Senator was the only one that seemed bored, but Rick didn’t care about that. “Please serve yourselves,” he said,” before everything grows cold.”
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