Deeper Into the Void

by Mitchell A Duncan

  Mendez and Long quickly grab the adjustable straps on their restraining harnesses. Only Lawrence and Cardiff have been through any sort of entry before. The anxiety that they are all feeling is quite apparent by the expression on their faces.

  Mendez reaches into her shoulder pocket blindly, and retrieves a single smooth glass marble. She presses the marbles through the openings between her fingers and rolls it around in her palm.

  Ghent can’t seem to shut his eyes, afraid that he will miss the rare experience that he is about to have. The sound from the outside of the ship intensifies as the ship enters the thin atmosphere.

  The growing sound of chuckling slowly begins to overtake the deafening sound of the metal hull as it rushes through the upper atmosphere. Doctor Zachary Long has broken down into pure hysteria as he laughs uncontrollably.

  Fortunately for everyone else, the rushing sound from outside the ship is almost enough to drown out his maniacal laughter. His laughter is interrupted completely by the other crew as they raise their voices to overwhelm the sound from outside.

  Lawrence: You know people pay extra at theme parks for this sort of thing. Then again, most rides in theme parks don’t spontaneously combust under the intense friction that we will have here in a minute.

  Cardiff: That’s comforting. Here’s a thought: why don’t you keep our angle of approach in line so we don’t need to worry about that, eh?

  Long: Honestly, I somehow don’t see him getting us through this…

  Cardiff: Don’t be so dramatic Dr. Long.

  Mendez: This might be a bad time, but none of you are helping the situation at all.

  Lawrence: Oh, well if it makes anyone feel better the chances are fairly remote that I will screw this up. So don’t worry. If I do, then the anti-matter detonation upon impact will add a new feature to the face of Mars, it will be over quick, sort of a win-win scenario. Plus, as an added bonus, we will have left our mark on Mars, just like we came here to do.

  Cardiff: You are a sick man, you know that. Ready the forward retro thrusters.

  Lawrence: Aye Captain, go for retro.

  Cardiff: On my mark… three… two… one… mark!

  Mendez holds on to her harness tightly, her thumbs under the shoulder straps with her fingers clenching along the top of them. Her long dark hair flings abruptly in front of her face in the rapid deceleration, which feels more like whiplash than any kind of planned procedure. Droplets of fluid run along each hair toward the tips, which are projected straight forward now. The fluid seems to launch off of the ends of her hair in droplets toward the front of the cabin.

  The loud roar of the thrusters overwhelms the shriek that Mendez permits to leave her parted lips under the intense G-force. Long has resumed his laughing, although no one can tell in the tumult. Ghent is simply trying to hold his breath, hoping to outlast the intense force. This, of course, is fool-hardy as entry takes longer than one could possibly hold their breath for and live.

  The captain has her blonde hair tied back, her green eyes wide open and her fingers on the control panel. The expression on her face is indicative of the fact that this is not her first “rodeo”. Lawrence has no hair to get in his way as he quickly moves his fingers along the glass controls. He has even got a smile on his face; the noise from behind him is amusing to him, given his experience in these high-g situations.

  Cardiff: Fifteen thousand knots… Fourteen… Thirteen… Nose up.

  Lawrence: Fix on landing grid… three minutes out. Boards out.

  Cardiff: Verify ETA.

  Lawrence: Verified. Angle of approach is optimal, speed of approach at one zero thousand knots.

  As the freighter booms through the thin atmosphere, the superheated gases around the nose, wings and underside of the craft begin to light up under the intense heat. Trails of plasma, lighting up the air behind the ship dissipates as it disappears into the distance. The ship jolts left and right, up and down, the motion is easy to see as each crew member moves with the sudden jerks.

  Lawrence: Two minutes out.

  The horizon outside the ship cannot be easily seen from inside the cabin as the ship is pointed slightly skyward. The largest known mountain anywhere in the solar system, Olympus Mons, begins to crest and rises up off of the horizon. In a cloudless, clear, yellow sky the ship appears as a fired bullet as it speeds past the mountain in the distance.

  As the flat plain just at the base of the mountain begins to appear on the horizon, the rocket engines thrust is intensified and the ship continues to fall toward the designated landing spot. A hundred long seconds of intense apprehension pass as Dr. Mendez clenches her eyes shut. The intense force of the slowing ship is felt in the tight straps holding everyone in their seat.

  Cardiff: Firing vertical thrusters.

  Thousands of tons of metal slow to a stop as it hovers over a barren field of sand and rock. Sand and dust are propelled hundreds of meters into the air and away from the ship as it gently settles onto the flat landing spot. The landing gear makes firm contact with the rock below, and the ship groans under the force of the quick stop. Long’s head is leaning back against his headrest; a malicious smile crests on his face. He breathes heavily after his incessant laughter, and the thrill of the landing.

  Mendez appears somewhat less enthusiastic, her head is dropped forward, her hair dangling around her face, and her hands have gripped the nylon strapping tightly enough to round it up in her hands. Ghent is breathing calmly and lets out a sigh of relief, followed shortly by a chuckle.

  Lawrence: Ladies and gentlemen, we have landed safely on the rusty rock that I call Mars. That was straight out of the textbook. Anyone else want to go again?

  Ghent: We are finally here, thanks for that… Oh, by the way, you are mental.

  Long: I’ll second that.

  Cardiff: Well, with the landing out of the way, we should start preparing to embark for the dome in the morning.

  Lawrence, get the rover unpacked and ready to go, see that all of our supplies are unsecured and ready to load up. Long and Ghent, you two help him.

  Mendez you and I will get the sleeping quarters ready back in the cargo hold.

  Lawrence: Aye Captain.

  The wind outside carries sands from the distance with a fury, which seems to be less intense after the descent. Ghent’s grey eyes squint as he looks back down the dark corridor; his wrinkles become exaggerated in the effort of his tired eyes. A fleeting glimmer of quick movement fixates his attention thirty meters down the darkened hull. The object moves out of sight as it comes to rest behind the last bulkhead in the cargo area.

  Mendez: Dr. Ghent, what are you looking at back there?

  Ghent: That was something, wasn’t it?… the landing, I mean. Anyway, I just woke up from the best sleep of my life, and I am ready to go back to sleep. Don’t get old Dr. Mendez.

  Mendez: Uh, I like getting old better than the alternative.

  Ghent: There’s a difference between getting old and passing time, remember that.

  Long: Uh, okay. Whatever. Anyway, I was promised a continental breakfast when I woke up, so who’s working on that?

  Lawrence: Shut up Long. You’re just lucky you were sitting behind me on the way in. It required all of the restraint that I could muster to remain in my seat and not to knock you out cold.

  Mendez: Whoa, alright. Let’s just get some sleep and get back to this in the morning, shall we?

  Lawrence: Don’t get me started with you either, Doctor of irritating me.

  Cardiff: Lawrence! Get the rover ready already. I don’t plan on spending the next few months listening to you throw your hundred kilos of ornery around.

  Lawrence: Ninety-five.

  Cardiff: Sorry, what?

  Lawrence: Ninety-five kilos of ornery Ma’am.

  Ghent fights the smile that presses to the surface of his expression. He glances over at Mendez; her puzzled expression remains fixed on her face as the rest of the crew make their way down the walkway into the c
argo area.

  Ghent: So, how is it that Captain Ornery has come to be so irritated with you?

  Ghent’s attempt at lightening her mood clearly does not have the intended effect. She quietly sits for a thoughtful moment, “I don’t know”.

  Dust raises high into the Martian sky under. The amber sky turns a blood red as the swirling sand and dust courses over the setting sun on the horizon. The plain around the newly settled vessel shifts in the rolling sands, driven by the evening wind. Pyroclastic rock litters the terrain in every direction. The growing shadows of the volcanic rocks reach ever closer to the vessel lying in their midst.

  Chapter 2

  Year 15, Day 35

  Warming rays from the sun rush over the horizon and flash all around the dormant craft laying prostrate in the soft dusty sand. The black of night fades as the sun crests over the distant slopes of Olympus. The pervading silence that blanketed the rusted iron landscape flees before the coming winds. The sound of a hydraulic motor humming breaks the gentle sound of sand driven in the wind.

  A large plate, once flush with the rest of the undercarriage of the vessel slowly drops out of the belly of the metal beast. The long, thin hull of the spacecraft is sleek; shiny metal plating reflects the dawns light. Mechanical feet protrude from the bottom of the hull, and rest on the sandy plain with large metal plates to distribute the weight in the sand.

  As the platform continues to drop its load to the deck, the reflective black glass plates covering the solar powered rover come into view. Six large metal wheels support the light craft. A single cable tethers the craft to the ship above. A tall figure, clad in a blue pressure suit and a reflective helmet, stands adjacent to the solar rover as it touches down. He reaches over the heavy tether and touches the glass control panel at the front of the seating area. White light illuminates the plain glass console in patterns and in the form of words. His gloved hand moves along the smooth surface as he presses on it again to reveal the power status. “100%” appears alongside the battery symbol on the console. Over the helmet radio set, a voice awakens the dormant earpiece.

  Cardiff: Mr. Lawrence, what’s the status on the solar rover?

  Lawrence: Captain, it’s charged. I am just pulling the plug right now. The gear is already loaded onto the back. We should have enough juice until the sun is high enough to provide some power.

  Cardiff: Very good. I am going to try and raise the dome one last time. You did remember the replacement communication equipment when you loaded the gear, right?

  Lawrence: Packed it with the prune juice in Ghent’s gear.

  Ghent: I didn’t pack any prune juice!

  Lawrence: Don’t get worked up; it was just a joke.

  Cardiff: Cute. Doctor Mendez is going to log our required entry before we leave for the dome, just in case we can’t do it there. Get everything ready so we can leave as soon as she does.

  On the distant horizon, the dome gleams in the morning light, appearing from afar as a large soap bubble. The dome is lent its odd appearance by the unconventional construction of the dome itself. The outside is comprised of thousands of smaller spheres of glass combined, one upon another, to create an enormous dome of quartz glass. The green within provides a sharp contrast to the surrounding rust colored landscape.

  While the Martian landscape may appear plain and drab in places, it is wondrous in others. It is wild yet desolate, quiet at times and ravaged by fierce sandstorms at other times; it is truly a place of wonders. What curiosity and fear it inspires among those who venture this far into the reaches of space.

  Journal Entry

  Doctor Julie Mendez

  Year 15, Day 35

  Someone once asked me, “How is it that you can be sure about what is ‘really real’?” At the time I laughed about the question; it was the sort of question that I had heard enough to dismiss it as nonsensical and immaterial. This question resurfaced numerous times during the course of my unconscious journey here.

  Time passed at a nearly immeasurable rate while in hyper-sleep. My dreams came and went in an endless night with no morning. I would wake up from one dream, only to find myself in another. The problem with dreaming is that you can never tell that you are dreaming until you wake up.

  The dreams still feel so vivid in my memory. Every moment since I have awakened has felt like déjà vu. The masked figure that appeared in so many dreams seems to pervade my waking thoughts. In some of the dreams he was dealing cards at a large table, he sat opposite to me. His black mask was so distinctive as to not be able to ignore it; it was a partial-face mask that they used to wear at masquerades. I don’t know what the significance of this figure is, or if there even is one; all I know is that I cannot forget it.

  I remember the feeling of drifting in a sea of dreams; I felt as if I were being pulled to and fro by the waves from one dream to the next. I still feel unanchored to any part of the reality that I once knew.

  On a different note, we have finally landed on Mars. I do not care much for this pressure suit; it is uncomfortable, cumbersome and fairly heavy despite the reduced gravity here. Don’t get me wrong, I have finally reached the one place that I never had imagined that I would be.

  From afar it appears as though there is much more room inside the dome than I had thought. I am excited to finally be here after all, this place is awe-inspiring and terrifying as well. While there hasn’t been any transmission from the dome in years, I am confident that there are a few people in the dome that will be happy to see some new faces after all this time in isolation.

  While it has only been a few years since the first team had arrived here on Mars, the work here began several years before that. I have a hard time with the math, so I will keep it simple and measure the time in Martian time; the years are much longer here.

  Badlands Defense Group CEO, Greg Ferguson, initiated the project to find an alternative to the rising cost of production on Earth. Materials were growing scarce, space on the ground to build larger aircraft, spacecraft and other products, had become difficult to come by. With difficult times ahead, the only major corporation that would survive the next two decades would be the one that could find alternatives to conventional production techniques.

  The idea to build here was not an original of the Badlands Defense Group, but they did think it was a good one. It was a good enough idea to try and sell it to the investors, I guess. If this will not work then this company too would find a place in history as another failed corporation.

  This was an expensive risk, yet the possibility of profit far outweighs the risk, it is an all-in wager nonetheless. Fortunately, this place is far from competition, far from those who want it to fail, and just as importantly, it is far from those who are indifferent.

  The cutting edge of technology has been integrated into each component of the overall mission. Spacecraft capable of traveling this far with a large crew of five members each were produced at high cost to the company. They told us that this construction project is the costliest project undertaken by the company.

  Before any of us made our way out here the autonomous manufacturing entity, Prometheus arrived on Mars. Eight Martian years ago it landed and has been working around the clock day and night ever since. Prometheus had been sent out here, to a very specific location where a larger body of ice lay hidden under the surface, to begin building what was known as the self-contained terrarium at site Alpha. This became a little too long to say continuously; ergo it simply became known as the sphere or the dome, I prefer the dome because it only has four letters.

  They told me that Prometheus works by collecting quartz sand, which is quite plentiful around the build site on the rock, and using fusion power it super-heats the sand into a liquid glass and injects super-hot plasma gas into it, forming a glass sphere once it cools. By melting one sphere onto another, and continuing this process a hundred thousand times, the project was finally completed; well, except for the more technically advanced installations such as electrical et ce
tera.

  The resulting dome now measures 122 meters high at the center, the diameter of the dome measures 276 meters. I would imagine that when you are standing on the inside you would not feel as though you are inside a building at all, simply because of the size of the dome. I suppose that since it is made entirely of glass it might also be easy to believe that you are outside.

  The idea behind the construction technique of the glass dome is to allow the limited sunshine through, like a greenhouse. It is also airtight to hold pressurized gasses until the temperature and pressure become sufficient to support life inside the dome.

  According to the scheduled communications from the automated system within the dome, everything was working properly; the temperature and pressure within the dome had reached acceptable levels. The ice formation inside the dome had melted and formed the pond.