by Nolan Oreno
Autumn carefully placed the seed-filled bag into a metal container and strapped it to her side. “I’ll take it slow."
“Radio me once you get to the valley, and I’ll guide you through the process of planting.”
“I will," she said.
Hollis came up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you," he said. “I know you didn’t have to do this. I know you didn’t have to believe in me."
Autumn smiled softly at him. “I did," she said, and then she left for the valley with the seeds.
Hollis remained nervously by the radio for the entire duration of the two hours and thirty-three minute voyage. He often considered to radio Autumn to check-up on her progress across the desert but feared that it might only be a distraction. It was crucial that she kept her eyes on the ground ahead of her and was fully aware of her environment. To compensate for the lack of communication, Hollis followed her path on the GPS tracker that was linked to the Crawler, occasionally rubbing his sore eyes as the blinking green dot travelled across the computer monitor that was overtaken by dust.
The last time Autumn had seen this view, Hollis was standing at the valleys
edge, outlined by the orange sky. Even now, she could feel the pit grow in her stomach and the fear course through bones as if he were there again, about to jump. A picture of an imagined scenario flashed across her eyes and forced out a gasp from her lungs: Hollis leaping over the valley’s side and tumbling to the bottom. She shook her head clean and focused on the seeds that she held close to her in the protected case. She had a job to do, perhaps one that would change everything on this barren world, but all she could think about was what would have happened if she had arrived minutes later to the scene on that day. Where would she be now? Where would they all be?
“Hollis, I’ve made it to the valley," Autumn radioed.
The response was nearly instant. “That’s great to hear, no problems on the transit?"
“No problems. Everything went as expected."
“Give me a status update. Crawler and suit."
Autumn read the Crawlers dashboard. “Gas tank, nine-hundred and forty-six liters, reserves are nineteen. More than enough to make the return."
“Great, oxygen?"
“Crawlers at seven-six percent, nineteen hours, twenty minutes."
“Suit?"
“Eighty-nine percent oxygen, sixteen hours, forty-two minutes. I can also divert some
from the Crawlers reserves if there's an issue."
“And- the child?" Hollis stumbled.
“Oxygen, one-hundred percent," Autumn joked. “No, everything's fine. I’m not expecting for three weeks, don’t worry."
“Okay, great," Hollis awkwardly returned. “So, I’ll need you to scout a few areas first,
and then you can begin planting the seeds on the valleys basin. There won’t be too much walking but take a break if you feel like you need to. The descent into the valley can get a bit tricky; I just need you to do what I tell you and stay on the designated path. The whole process should take about one hour, but plan for two to be safe. That should bring you back to the Hub well before they return from the construction site in seven hours, calculating a three-hour drive. It’ll be like you never left."
“Perfect."
“First, I need you to go to Station Seven and get my equipment."
“Decompressing now."
The air inside the Crawler shifted suddenly, and Autumn’s heads-up display came alive on her helmet. She watched as the oxygen count rapidly fell as breathable air vented from the vehicle's cabin and Martian air overtook her surroundings.
“Cabin decompressed," she informed to an anticipating Hollis. “Exiting vehicle.”
Hollis was aware that every little action Autumn was about take was filled with immense danger and threat, and one little error, one misplaced foot or misread reading, could be the death of both her and his child. He had spent almost a full two days planning her exact foot-path, energy and oxygen consumption, and possible mechanical or environmental obstacles that might arise. The weather was expected to be calm and clear for the next week, so at the very least sandstorms or solar flares weren’t a concern for this mission, but that did not assure any anomaly could arise. Problems always seemed to find them, especially out in the desert. He found himself more worried for Autumn’s safety than the prospect of the trees growth, which might be the result of his countless failed attempts in the past. But even in his jadedness, Hollis could not shake the feeling that the compass was soon to shift and something new was dawning on the horizon.
“Okay, I’m out on Martian ground. Everything looks nice out here- suits calibrated and pressures equalized. I’m sending you my helmet feed now."
Hollis turned to the computer screen to his right as grainy black-and-white footage of a small patch of desert materialized. Although the picture was fuzzy and broken, he could make out Autumn’s exact location relative to the station.
“Alright, take the trail to your right and it’ll lead you right to the station," Hollis said after studying the screen. “Yes, that one."
“This isn’t my first time here, remember?" Autumn responded, drawing Hollis into a memory of their two warm bodies on a cold night.
“I know," he said, and he waited in silence until she reached the doorway.
Welcome to Outlook Station Seven, Colonist Florentine. It has been 92 days since
your last visit, the station’s security said.
“Don’t take your helmet off, even if the station has decompressed," Hollis ordered,
recalling what happened the last time he was there. “Go into the main room and to the lockers across from the workstation," he said, following her progress through the station on the video. “There you’ll find my pack. Yep, right there. Now, transfer the seedlings into the pack, carefully, and attach it to the locks on the back of your exo-suit. It’ll reduce the strain on your body."
After a minute of adjustments Autumn updated back through the radio. "Okay the seedlings are stored and the pack is secured."
“Do you feel uncomfortable? Is it too heavy?"
“No, it’s manageable. What’s the next step?"
“On the workstation is the digitized topographic map of the valley. It should look like an arm-band. That’s it. Attach it to the indentations on your suits left forearm and turn it on. What do you see?" Hollis asked squinting at the screen.
“It’s triangulating my location from our satellite on Phobos. Okay, it’s locked on. It’s got me."
“Perfect. On the map you should see three sections of the valley highlighted in green. These are the ideal zones for planting. Any area outside these zones are incompatible with the seeds. I need you to hit each one of these locations. We’re going to start with zone one."
Autumn took a moment to gaze out of the observation window at the expansive canyon system that extended beneath her, and she tried to imagine it as the forest in her paintings.
“Autumn? Do you read me?”
She pulled her eyes from the view and looked down at the device on her arm.
“I read you, sorry. Making my way to zone one now."
“Take the access ramp, it’ll lead you straight to the valley's edge. That door, there."
Autumn double-checked her bio-readings and then decompressed the station, once
again entering into the rocky incline. She took hold of a handrail and guided herself down a series of steps that brought her along the vertigo-inducing drop at the mouth of the valley. She maintained her breathing at a relaxed pace to conserve her oxygen as to not hint to Hollis the fear she had accumulated in the climb. She was right to worry for her child's health, but she weighed the risks against the gains and came to a conclusion which brought her on the face of the cliff of the Valles Marineris. She had been honest with herself about the lack of alternatives to the planting of EDN and knew that she was the only one left who still trusted Hollis. Still, she found herself co
ntinually convincing a part of her that the forest was not a lie, and not a crazy delusion, and Hollis was not insane.
“I’m at the valley’s edge," radioed Autumn. “I can see the path that leads to the bottom. It looks manageable."
“Okay, great. Now this part is important, Autumn, and I need you to listen to me. During the descent, I need you to stay along the Eastern wall of the valley, as close as you can to it, and I need you to keep your eyes one step in front of your boots. It’s easy to slip and misplace your feet if you become distracted. We have plenty of time so take breaks if needed. Whatever you do, don’t get too close to the edge. Passing sandstorms and a lack of moisture makes the soil brittle and fractured. Rock slides are common, so be on the lookout for any loose debris as well. If you hear the sound of falling rock, push yourself against the wall and shelter your helmet. We can’t afford any breaks in your visor. I’ve made the descent countless times and very rarely had a problem, but it’s better to be careful and measured with your movements.”
“I read you, Hollis. I’ll be alert."
“I’ll be radio silent until you reach the bottom and be your extra set of eyes. Good luck."
Before she could second-guess her actions, Autumn shifted down the jagged dirt path that crested down into the valley and curled around its edge. Penny-sized pebbles chipped along the path in front of her and rolled beneath her sliding boots, tumbling to the blurry basin below. Autumn made certain her body was pressed against the rising rock-wall and ignored the scraping sounds of her suit as the plating glided along the bedrock barrier. Three colonists would have been able to walk comfortably, side-by-side, along the majority of the path, but Autumn was not taking any risks, especially since she knew Hollis was staring through her visor-feed like an avid movie watcher waiting for the climax. But this was not a movie, and there could be no rewinding if she made a mistake, so she made sure she would get it right the first time. After a few minutes of movement, Autumn lifted her eyes from her feet and turned back around to the top of the valley where the sun spread across the dusty plateau. Disappointing. She had barely made any progress. If she had moved at normal walking speed it would have taken less than thirty seconds to make it to her current spot, but she was taking it slow. Up ahead was at least another twenty minutes of cautious trekking, and although she knew she could move faster and still be just as protected, she kept her designated pace along the crumbling rock course.
Eventually, Autumn rounded a bend that pointed her eastward and opened up her view to the main causeway of the valley. The main causeway had hundreds of branching lesser-canals along it, like a natural root system that crept along the planet, and what looked to be an enormous rock ravine to Autumn was the perfect reproductive aqueduct for Hollis. The connectivity of the valley, with all its outlets into the alternative ecosystems of Mars, was the best chance they had for infecting the entire desert with EDN. The seeds would sprout in the three zones, all of which were located within a fertile section of the main causeway, and once the matured trees bloomed, they would spread trees towards the rising Eastern Sun, upwards along the main valley like a river, and theoretically, into the countless branching routes that lead to the surface level. Based on Hollis’ calculations, it would all take about a month before the thirty-by-thirty mile colonial territory was overtaken by EDN, and in the coming years, the remainder of temperate Mars would follow.
“I’ve never seen the valley from this perspective. It’s magnificent," Autumn said to herself, smiling at the tunneling canyon system.
Hollis had to stop himself from answering to keep his focus on the hazards hidden in her surroundings.
“Continuing the descent," Autumn announced in the silence, and she began moving again, closer now to the barren bottom.
Autumn took hold of the protruding rocks at her side to steady herself along the steeper decline and kept her gaze away from the overhang as she strafed forward. She could already feel that the gravel was looser on this particular patch of the pathway and was very careful to settle her boots onto firmer ground. Carefully she walked, catching herself in the few instances where the base of her feet rolled with the rocks. Her patience paid in full, and it was not before long that she found herself off the precarious path and on the flatland of the basin of the valley.
“I’m here. I’ve made it," she proudly proclaimed. “But next time I’m taking the elevator."
A hushed chuckle reverberated into the radio back to her. “I’ll be sure to install one." Hollis cleared his throat and a more relaxed voice followed. “Okay, now onto the fun stuff. If you check your nav-unit you should see that zone one is directly ahead, about seven meters in length and width. Make your way to as close to the center of the highlighted area as you can get."
After an expedited walk through the flattened valley, Autumn radioed back. “I’m centered," she said, and she looked around the designated area sensing her unforeseen disappointment. She did not know what she had expected to see at the bottom; The entirety of Mars was desert, excluding its polar ice caps, but nevertheless, she expected more in the valley. It looked the same as everywhere else. Hollis realized her thoughts as he watched her video slowly pan the valley’s floor.
“I promise you this place is different. It can support life, and it’s the best chance we have for making this work," Hollis assured.
“I know," Autumn said unconvinced.
“Do you know how it was created?” Hollis asked. “The valley?”
“Plate tectonics?” Autumn questioned.
“Yes, this is part of it. But there’s was something else too. Something more powerful.”
“What’s that?”
“Water,” Hollis said. “Ancient Mars had water and lots of it, rushing through the surface, breaking apart the dirt and rock. After eons and eons, the running water formed this massive valley. Isn’t it a beautiful idea how something as simple as water created something as great as this? All it took was time.”
Autumn smiled at the thought. “I trust you, Hollis. I really do."
“Don’t trust me, trust Mars,” he said, and they got to work with a newfound confidence. “Before we start, directly at the point you’re standing on, you’ll need to mark it with the green flag in the pack. Good, make sure it’s in deep in the ground since you’ll need it for orientating yourself later on. Now, I need you to visualize a four-armed web extending outwards from your position at the flag, like a large X imprinted in the soil. There’s a canister of yellow spray paint that’s also in the pack and with it I need you to branch one of the four arm’s outwards into the left-corner of the highlighted perimeter of zone one."
Autumn checked her position on the electronic mapping system and began spraying the line. She completed the task without a mistake. She looked upon the yellow arm she painted, stretching three and a half meters in length."
“Great, now keeping in mind symmetry, do the same for the other three arms, following the same curvature and distance, each ending at the other three corners of the highlighted area. Remember, it should look like an X."
Again, Autumn followed the instructions in their exactness.
“That’s perfect, you should have considered a career as an artist. Now that that part’s done, you’ll need to go back into the work-pack and find the augmented cutter, about the size of a normal gardening trowel. It’s electrified, keep in mind, so make sure you don’t touch the conducting end or it’ll give you a little jolt. Once it's activated, it’ll effortless break apart the dried topsoil without much work on your part, but you need to guide it along the ground in the precise series of lines we mapped out, like tracing a picture. Before you use it, take it out, that’s it, keep hold of the handle, and turn the switch at its end, and remember be careful with its end. Lower the blade into the dirt and sink it in until it alerts you, there stop. Okay, now it will stabilize itself. All you need to do now is guide it along the path you drew with the paint as close as you can by keeping it straight. At the end of an arm follo
w it back the way you came to the center with the flag. Do this until you carved the four arms into the soil."
Autumn found it quite easy to push the cutter through the hardened ground of Mars. The displaced dirt piled on the sides and formed mini-ridges as it traced along the outline of the design. She cut through the dirt up one of the arms, to the boundary of the area, and then back again to the center with the flag to begin the second. She then moved on to the third arm, and then the fourth. In less than ten minutes, the design was completed, and her signature was tattooed onto the rock before her.
“That’s it, Autumn. We’re at the last step. Take out the seedling bag and drain the protective mucus from its main compartment by lifting the latch. Do this away from the site to not contaminate it and be careful not to get the mucus onto your suit. Now, you’ll see inside that each of the hundred seedlings are contained within their own plastic packet filled with a brown liquid. This is essentially their womb, which until they sprout, will be their life support holding all the nutrients they’ll need. This part’s important, so listen closely. Place each baggie into the tracing you made in the dirt starting from the arms end, each at about five feet apart, until you reach the center. Each arm should have seven seedling pouches in it, with twenty-eight in the total area. Do you read?"
“I read you."
“Once you do this, spread the displaced soil back over the seedlings and their baggie."
“Okay, starting now."
In a state of hard concentration, Autumn aligned the seedlings just as the botanist asked of her. As the site slowly filled with seeds, she could not help but feel a sense of significance finishing the job. She was doing something to save the colony instead of merely hiding in it; She was doing something worthy of her long lost promise to her species. Something told her she had made the right choice trusting in Hollis and that there would be good results following the day's actions. The ambiguity of her recent decisions had been difficult for her to bear, but now a strong certainty came over her. She believed in what they were doing. She believed in the magic of the tree. She was no longer ashamed to admit it.