by WADE, T I
“News from the doctors,” Saturn said as Jonesy noticed that Mars Noble was again rather withdrawn. Jonesy thought the worst.
“Ryan is alive, but has been induced into a coma for now. He has lost his left arm halfway between the elbow and shoulder. It seems his suit was completely torn down his left arm. He will recover, and Kathy and the girls are with him.”
“And my partner?” Jonesy asked, his face pale.
“Alive, and much the same. He has also lost his left arm, same place. It seems that they were at the same angle to the red blast,” replied Mars quietly. “Elder Roo has lost both his left leg and left arm, and we think he was standing closer to the blast, his small body shielding Ryan and my dad. Commander Joot was a blackened mess, and Dr. Rogers believes his death was instantaneous and he felt no pain, the same as the others. The Rogers have been told, and are in their apartment. Dr. Walls is still monitoring the three injuries.”
“Your father is one tough SOB, Mars,” Jonesy said, seeing the pain in the young man’s eyes. “He is half metal anyway. Give him a few months and he will be three-quarters metal, and exactly the same person he always was.”
“Dad!” scolded Saturn. Maggie looked at her daughter.
“Your father knows VIN better than anybody here. If he isn’t worried about his partner, then none of us need to be. Mars, how is Suzi?”
“She is a little messed up, but by Dad’s bed. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. Igor and Vitaliy are already in the robotics lab. They are with three of the older-generation technicians who worked on Dad and Mom’s legs in Nevada. They reckon that they could have three new arms and a leg for Roo within a year.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Maggie replied. “Suzi and your father were the luckiest two when they got their new legs in Nevada. I remember them clowning about and running rings around us like a couple of kids on the running mornings. Your father and Suzi were the two that made up my mind to stay.”
“Me too,” added Jonesy quietly.
For the next two days the base did its best to get through the grieving, and get itself back into shape. The crewmembers were buried next to Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and 48 hours after the attack, and using as little fuel as they could, SB-II and SB-III headed over to where the massive explosion had taken place.
A new crater over 300 feet deep and ten miles across covered the location. The radiation levels were extremely high, higher than the outside shuttle meters had ever recorded. Even hovering a few feet above the ground, nothing of interest could be seen bigger than sharp metal strips inches thick.
The area around the new crater for 20 miles was littered with rocks and metal debris, and no movement or life could be seen. Igor reckoned that nothing within a fifty mile area would have survived, even underground, unless it was a metal robot, and even then its circuits should have been fried.
There was no more visits from aliens and over the following weeks the base returned to its previous calm.
Two of the three shields were up, and thanks to Suzi and her crew, new sprouts came through the soil in the first shield after four weeks. The produce seemed to be fine, but had a slight extra radiation count to it. Something Igor said was harmless to the growing plants, and much like the first shields, would decrease to nothing over a few months.
The injured were looked after and stayed in the hospital ward. They were visited daily by everybody and became the center attraction. Everyone missed friends or relatives, and during this time of need Elder Roo’s wife, Joanne Dithers Roo, looked after many, doing her best to keep a smile on many faces. She was pregnant, and her rosy face seemed a picture of health. That alone kept Elder Roo alive.
Everybody changed in different ways, and it was only a month later, once Ryan was out of his coma and could walk, that the first briefing was held by the entire crew.
The whole crew could see that the news of the loss of so many friends and his beloved ship, America One, had hurt Ryan badly. He took the deaths hard, and for the first few days after regaining consciousness refused any visitors.
Ryan was a mess, and the doctors kept him sedated. Many good friends, and a lifetime of work by hundreds of clever people, had been destroyed in a three hour battle. He blamed himself entirely for letting it all happen. He wanted to go home; he thought that his dream was over, and that they wouldn’t easily survive on Mars for very much longer.
“Igor, Boris, where do we stand as far as returning to Earth with our emergency craft?” was Ryan’s first question of the briefing. Everybody was in the large chamber on the upper level.
“Current population, 213 crewmembers,” said Igor. “We can leave for Earth with supplies aboard the six ships during the next opposition with a maximum of 190 personnel in 22 months’ time. We have just missed the most recent orbital opposition, and with the next one comes our old friend DX2017 as a backup vehicle five weeks before we must need leave Mars for Earth.”
“Are you saying what I’m thinking?” asked Ryan.
“Cryogenic chambers for 12, and I’m praying for more, aboard the Matt base on DX2017, yes, Ryan,” added Boris. “There is no other choice. We have five current pregnancies. I gave orders two weeks ago that we cannot handle more babies. Even with our current numbers, we are over our possible limits, now with the loss of America One.”
“With a few repairs to the door on DX2017, and full nitrogen tanks from the cryogenic chambers here,” said VIN, “we could take two crewmembers out of the cramped quarters in each of the six craft on the way home. 24 would be better.”
Ryan looked at VIN questioningly.
“Ryan, Roo said that he thinks there could be another 12 cabinets on the little planet. He thinks he remembers two sets, one below the other, and their latest Ruler and his craft is supposed be up there somewhere.” Roo, tied down and sitting in a wheelchair, nodded.
“And hopefully another blue shield or two,” added Igor.
“Food supplies and fuel until we leave?” Ryan asked, turning to Suzi.
“We can survive just, if everybody eats meat again. Vegetarians or vegans will die. There isn’t enough,” said Suzi sitting next to her husband.
“No more vegetarians, huh?” smiled Ryan for the first time since he had left the hospital ward.
“Nein, not until we get enough atmosphere for three shields, and that could take more years than we are here. I believe we as a crew can survive with the production from inside the chamber and from one shield for now, but it is going to be extremely difficult,” Suzi replied.
“What are we going to run out of?” was Ryan’s next question to Suzi.
“All luxuries, and about half of our green produce and fruits. As you know, most of the vines and older fruit trees as well as the coffee and cocoa trees were aboard the mother ship. We luckily had one young plant of each down here in our greenhouses. We will have no more wine, coffee, or chocolate once our supplies end in about three months, and until the new plants and trees are ready to produce in about a year. We have our beer equipment down here, so at least we can all survive on a liquid diet. We have eggs and salads, chicken and rabbits, onions and garlic, carrots and beets. We have the very basics, but the truth is, we will not be happy here once we lose all the little luxuries we cherish so much. Herr Richmond, we need to return to Earth and build a new America One.”
“Not in my lifetime,” Ryan replied sadly, facing the truth.
“Maybe in mine,” said Mars Noble, and Ryan gave him a slight smile and a nod of approval for his comment.
“Mine too,” added his daughter Lunar, and the crew gave them applause.
“Fuel reserves, Vitaliy,” Ryan asked, once the crew had quietened down.
“Six tons of liquid hydrogen, and 106 gallons of alcohol,” said Vitaliy. “Since both Matt craft were destroyed with America One, Elder Roo doesn’t need the 106 gallons, and many of us will be happy to share it with Jonesy.”
There was not as much laughter as usual, but Jonesy managed a smile, winking at his par
tner. VIN was in much the same shape as Ryan. He looked pale and thin, and was still recuperating.
Vitaliy continued. “We need close to four of the six tons for our journey home, one ton of fuel reserved to reach DX2017 and back, and one ton of fuel to fetch water. That gives us nothing spare, except what we can produce down here. We have a very limited laboratory set up to manufacture liquid hydrogen on the upper level, and can produce the fuel at the rate of 40 to 50 gallons a month. It will take us more than two years to fill up one of our shuttles. And we will have to collect water at least twice a year. We can manufacture oxygen from the water so we will never run out of air, and thanks to the Cold Fusion plants down here we have enough power to keep us alive for generations. Luckily we retrieved the plant from the mother ship as backup, thank God. Liquid nitrogen: we have ample supplies; the same with liquid helium, as we stored them down here for the cryonic chambers. Any more information I cannot give you right at this moment.”
“How can that second Cold Fusion plant help us here on Mars?” Ryan asked.
“It can’t, but I believe it will become very useful back on Earth one day,” replied Vitaliy.
“Igor, other supplies?” asked Ryan, nodding at Vitaliy’s answer.
“A bad list, I’m afraid. We lost three quarters of our 3-D printers, scanners, production equipment and machine tools aboard America One. We are not 100 percent self-sufficient anymore in engine part manufacture, and we need to resupply ourselves from Earth as soon as possible. We have limited amounts of cobalt and nickel to make thruster replacement parts, but we cannot manufacture everything. As far as I’m concerned, we should leave Mars at our first opportunity.”
“But we can’t all leave,” questioned Ryan.
“We can if we wait for DX2017 to swing by again,” said Igor. “Boss, I’m sure we can squeeze in a few more children into the shuttles if we need to. Ryan, we have two years to plan this. I’m over 60, you have had your 60th birthday, and Jonesy is even older than we are. VIN, Fritz, Vitaliy and several others will be 60 before we reach Earth again. Chances are many of us could be closer to 70 or even 80 before we see the blue planet again if something drastic goes wrong down here. Six of the oldest scientists might not even make the time span to see Earth again. Our oldest person here is 82, and I’m sure might outlive all of us, but what I’m saying is we need a plan, and much of my plan will naturally fall into place before we leave.”
“Or we could be found by a new race of Earthlings lying here in 24 frozen coffins 10,000 years from now, like we found the Matts. History, I was taught at school, has a habit of repeating itself,” added Jonesy.
“Thank you, Jonesy; you are correct,” continued Igor. “On the other hand we only need something very small to go wrong, and then it could be decades before we find that island the Australians promised us.”
“Okay, then who goes into the cryogenic chambers on DX2017?” Ryan asked. Nobody said a word.
“Who wants to go fishing?” Jonesy asked a minute later, and several of the older crew put their hands up. “Next question. Old people only. Who wants to go fishing while they are in their 60s?” Again most of the older astronauts and crew put their hands up. “Now, the big question of the day. Those oldies like me, does 60s or late 70s or even late 80s sound better to go fishing?”
“60s!” said many.
“I think we have just answered the question who gets frozen,” Jonesy said smiling. “The fishermen and their women.”
“But we can’t freeze our astronauts. Who will fly us home?” questioned Ryan.
“You will have enough astronauts once we have completed our training,” piped up a young female voice from the front row. Ryan was shocked to see that his second daughter Pluto Katherine, now 13, was the voice.
“I don’t get it,” replied Ryan. He felt dizzy and was helped to sit down. He was certainly not yet a fit man.
“Dad, the Second Astronaut Group are in our second year of simulator astronaut training. Shelly Saunders, Hillary Pitt, me, Jane and Jenny Burgos, and now Joanne Dithers Roo, who joined us a year ago, will be competent astronauts in 24 months’ time. With Saturn, Mars, Penelope and Pluto Jane Saunders as our instructors from next year, you will have the best astronauts ever.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” replied Ryan, holding a hand to his head. The entire crew could see that he was not well. “Igor is still in command until I am fully recovered. So I’ll sit down and let Igor and Mars Noble lead us back home. Sorry, all,” said the owner of Astermine, and he was helped by Kathy and Maggie to sit down in the front row with his family.
Chapter 22
Cryogenics on DX2017
It took a year for Ryan Richmond to become himself again. It seemed that the planet Mars didn’t have the same healing powers as Earth. Everyone worried about the enemy returning. Nobody knew, or had enough fuel to head out and make sure the enemy Matts were gone.
Discussions and prayers headed up every night from many asking for protection. It was stressful times, at least until the next storm arrived. The storms would protect them from attack.
The luxury supplies were rationed from a three month supply to nearly a year’s. Only the alcohol produced for the Matt craft lasted more than a full year from that meeting, and for months Jonesy, Elder Roo, VIN and Ryan, enjoyed the nectar supplied at one gallon per month only. Often, Jonesy mentioned that Elder Roo should return to his old habits and not partake, which would leave more for the rest of them Homo sapiens.
Many now felt like they had been in a shipwreck and were lost at sea in a rowboat as the supplies diminished. First it was the chocolate: the last handed out to everybody was Mr. Rose’s stock on base, the stack he had cherished and hidden away. Then the coffee ran out, which led many to consume more alcohol as a replacement, until the wives took over command of The Martian Club Retreat nine months after the attack and banned the substance for six months. Still, the worry of an invading army was on everybody’s mind.
Elder Roo, Ryan and VIN received their new state-of-the-art Martian prosthetics eleven months after the attack. These were as good as VIN’s legs, and once whole again, the three men began to regain their normal states of mind. VIN worked hard with his robots outside, always at the ready for the attack that never came.
Igor, Boris, Mars Noble and the aging Fritz Warner ran the base like an army camp, once the wives had given back control, after allowing alcohol consumption over the second Christmas.
Elder Roo was promoted to Commander Roo. He would have been made Ruler Roo by the pure Matt population, but a Ruler could possibly be alive on DX2017.
Half of the children’s education had been lost by the death of many of the instructors, so added lessons were given in the fields still available.
Fuel for the Second Astronaut Group’s flights tests was their main problem. There wasn’t enough to complete more than an hour or two on their designated craft. All the astronauts, now nearly 20 in number, needed frequent practice, and Jonesy found himself always in the copilot seat, or often in the rear jump seats of SB-III as he trained the youngsters. Water collection missions twice a year were the only times many of the astronauts got flight time. They all went with, cramming the cockpits five at a time to see and learn from the pilots lucky enough to fly the ships.
Suzi and her team worked around the clock to produce enough vegetables and meat for everyone. They weren’t making it, and it was necessary to increase the water collection to produce the atmosphere for the second shield.
It took 18 months after the attack before the second shield was ready to be primed to produce food. By this time, the food stocks were at minimum, and rations of two meals per day the norm for everyone.
Igor made sure that the crafts’ emergency supplies weren’t touched for the flight home one day.
As the time to departure neared, many began to get excited to return to Earth. Three of the oldest members passed away, giving more food to the rest, but in turn these scientists
were as important in the production of the base, as much as the food they saved.
Four of the five babies were born, all girls, and one was stillborn. Even though the population had increased by only one baby, it was an important factor in the food supply.
DX2017 was a month away when Igor readied the 25 crewmembers who would be taken up to spend 13 years in the cryogenic chambers as the small planet wended its way around the solar system to arrive close back to Earth to end their journey. Twelve were certain sleepers, the rest if they found more cabinets below the first level.
“The Parents’ Planet,” as DX2017 was now nicknamed, would be the transportation system for all the older parents to return to Earth, to return to fishing in their 60s, as Jonesy had so eloquently put it. Jonesy called it the “Planet for the Aged” and actually looked forward to his 13 years of sleep. So did Maggie and several of the others. Ryan and Kathy were in the second group, with Igor and Vitaliy, as were Dr. Martin and Nurse Martha Rogers.
For the last year, the NextGen leaders of The Martian Club Retreat were schooled in survival and went through hours of repeated instruction on the courses of Earth, Mars, DX2017 orbits, and timings needed for delivery and collection of their parents. Plus, they had to learn from Commander Roo what he could read from the Inventor chests about the workings on DX2017, and to make sure that everything was packed properly so that the most important Inventor papyrus leaves had a chance to arrive back to Earth safely.
Reentry into Earth’s atmosphere was one of the main lessons. Once the NextGen left Mars, there was no going back. It was “Earth or Bust,” and with only three shields, four if they collected one from the Matt craft still in one of the caverns on DX20217, each one was needed for the mining ships that hadn’t been designed to return to Earth. That meant the three shuttles might need to reenter the old-fashioned way and be totally unprotected if the attack cubes were out and about in Low Earth Orbit again.
Everyone hoped and prayed that the three shields protecting the freighters circling Earth would still be intact. The shuttles could use those, but nobody could know that until they reached the blue planet and were either attacked or not by cubes. It would have been so much easier if they had communications with Earth, but it was not available, and nobody had been contacted on earth once the mother ship had headed through the 1 million mile barrier.