Galactic Startup

by Brian Whiting

  Jack had managed to bring some ‘enhanced beverages’, as he called them. They made Alex nervous, but he deflated when Amanda accepted a glass. The three of them were hanging out in Alex’s cabin. Four large plush chairs and a loveseat arranged around an oval coffee table.

  They were an hour into their little get-together and the beverages were already taking a toll.

  “…so you see, even though our destination is so much farther away, our insanely increased velocity will get us there super quick,” Jack was saying.

  “Yeah, but we are about to spend the next day in constant deceleration.”

  “That’s why we are drinking tonight. Your turn Amanda.” Jack looked at her with bloodshot eyes. “You faced down black ops goons and didn’t flinch.”

  “SEAL Team Six, bah! That was SEAL Team Eighteen or something,” Alex blurted confidently.

  “They go that high?” Jack asked, genuinely curious.

  “Doesn’t matter. The point is…” Alex froze for a moment. “The point is, they were good.”

  “Obviously, yes, and you didn’t flinch. My question is, how did you… become such of a person… that you are.”

  Amanda tilted her head in an attempt to discern his meaning. She had been careful, managing to drink half as much as the men but was not entirely unaffected herself.

  “I was abused at an early age. I told my mother about it when I got a little older, but she went straight into denial. Eventually I had to stand up for myself or continue being a victim.”

  The mood in the room drastically changed.

  “What happened?” Alex mumbled, sitting up straighter.

  “At the age of fifteen I… took a bite out of my assailant.” She made a gesture with her hands and mouth.

  Alex and Jack cringed in their seats.

  “Anyway, it’s made me the person I am today. I’ve learned that it’s the hardships that people face in life that shape and develop their character. Take away all the hardship, and you’re left with a person that probably isn’t very useful to anyone.”

  “Deep,” Jack said, with wide eyes.

  “My mother left my father shortly after. He was a workaholic and never paid her any attention. The day she left, I remember her cupping my face in her hands, and she told me. That she was sorry, that one day I would grow up and understand. She said it wasn’t my fault and that she will always love me. She kissed me on the forehead and left the house. My father was away on a business trip. He treated me like dirt for years after that, always telling me I would never amount to anything and that she left because of me. I think he was just jealous that I was the last one to see her.”

  Alex felt his eyes swell up, but he didn’t let a tear fall.

  “If we are going to compare tragedies, I suppose it’s my turn.” Jack looked at each of them. “You had parents to hate, I never knew my parents. I jumped from home to home until I joined the military.”

  A silence crept into their conversation.

  “That’s it?” Alex almost spilled a bit of his drink.

  “Bad delivery. Let me start over –“

  “Actually, it’s getting late, I am going to sleep this off. See you both tomorrow.” Amanda stood and left abruptly.

  “I get the feeling she doesn’t want to hear about my story.”

  “Your story sucks.” They both cracked a smile.

  ***

  A few days later, the crew was summoned back to the bridge. They had spent two whole days in steady deceleration, reducing the strain on their bodies, instead of one day at higher intensities.

  “Orbiting Titan,” Cindy said. “Current surface temperature is negative two hundred and forty degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t forget your scarfs.”

  “Our EVA suits can withstand the background temperature of space itself. Minus two hundred and forty is a cakewalk.” Mason was messing with his buckle straps.

  “Zeek, what’s our power status?” Alex asked.

  “Seventy percent. Keep in mind that the solar panels are useless at this distance. We have the gravity plating off since we will be using Titan’s gravity.” He stared at the view-screen, transfixed by the approaching moon.

  “Cindy, plot a course back to the hangar. Estimate the energy consumption on the maneuver and give it a five percent margin of error. How much time can we spend on Titan?”

  Cindy spent some time tapping her console.

  “Best estimate, we are safe here for eighteen hours. Plus, if we get into trouble, we can turn off gravity on the way back. That will free up more power.”

  “We will stay no longer than seventeen… I want everyone prepping to leave in sixteen.”

  Cindy inputted more commands into her console, and a mission clock appeared on the main view-screen. A seventeen-hour countdown.

  ***

  It was Mac who made the first breakthrough on Titan. While the rest of the team marveled at the surreal, brownish landscape, with its lakes of freezing methane and the vast, ghostly shape of Saturn hanging behind the thick, brownish-grey atmosphere, Mac was scraping excitedly at rocks on the lakeshore. There was a mold resistant to the ultra-freezing temperatures. It grew along the edges of the methane pools, in a thin band beginning exactly sixteen inches away from the surface of the liquid and extending just an inch or two beyond. He hypothesized it was something to do with the moon’s tides under the gravity of the gas giant, the liquid never reached the mold. But there was still a lot to explain.

  Meanwhile, Amanda and Alex went fishing. The biologist cast large nets with a fine, polymer mesh over the surface of the misty methane, and watched as they gently settled in the low gravity.

  The visibility on Titan shifted dramatically. It could be clear for miles, but in the time it took to pick something up, the visibility had become just a few yards, a brownish mist harmlessly swirling around you like a fast-moving fog.

  “What kind of creature could live in this environment,” mused Amanda, as they waited for the net to sink.

  “Not sure, but I bet there’s a better way to find out then flinging a net into it.” They both smiled at each other.

  “I’m wondering whether my suit could handle me diving in. First intergalactic swimmer,” grinned Amanda.

  “Do you think they can see us?”

  Alex twisted towards the Destiny, a good distance away.

  “I hope so.”

  “No, I meant them, on Earth.” Amanda looked up through the haze of Titan’s atmosphere. Most of the light on the moon came from the reflection of Saturn, while the sun seemed very small in the distance.

  “No one has ever seen the surface of Titan before us – aside from a few images taken by the Huygens probe. The atmosphere is too thick. And half the time, it’s behind Saturn. So no, I’m afraid we’re all alone. Although, I suppose Huygens is around here somewhere.”

  “Oh,” said Amanda. They looked at each other through their helmets. Long moments passed. Finally, she turned back to the lake and pulled the net in. Like the previous attempts, it came up empty… or was it? Something slick was left at the bottom of the mesh. A layer of slime.

  Seconds later, the slime uncoiled itself from the wire and began convulsing. It stopped as soon as it started. Large bubbles formed on the skin of the creature, freezing in place, covering its entire surface. By the time they got it back to their containment box, the creature was no longer slick and flexible, but solid and ridged.

  “Dammit,” said Amanda. “First thing we find here, and I kill it. What good am I If I can’t keep the creatures we find alive?” Her voice was uncharacteristically raised. She looked at Alex and smiled, then shook her head.

  “Listen, Amanda,” Alex said, carefully, as she closed the containment box. He put a hand on her shoulder and knelt down beside her. “I’m really sorry you couldn’t get it alive. But I need to ask you, don’t tell anyone about what we found here, not yet.”

  She looked at him and nodded. “I’m not even sure what it is. Could be a slug, or some kind of mold.
”

  As on Mars, they took core samples, filled buckets with the icy Titan soil, and containers with the methane. An hour before they were scheduled to depart, Mac was working on another ground core sample. With a sudden whoosh, the hole erupted with a spray of liquid water from beneath. The droplets froze as soon as they touched the air, falling gently as tiny ice crystals. The astrophysicist reached out a gloved hand in wonder.

  “Snow on Titan,” he said. Several others came over and stood with outstretched arms, soaking in the experience.

  When it was time to leave, Alex gratefully shrugged off his suit and went to his cabin. He was nursing a massive headache, and asked Gloria to visit him before they sped away back towards earth. Groaning, he opened up the exterior camera feed on the terminal in his cabin screen. As they started to rise into the brownish atmosphere, Alex saw it.

  It was on the screen for only a second, but it immediately caught his eye. He scrambled to figure out how to review video from the logs. After about fifteen minutes of fighting g-forces and navigating the screens, he managed to queue up the correct frame.

  Alex stared at the frozen screen. Of all the accomplishments, of all the discoveries, of everything humanity held dear. This was the big one. Alex wrestled himself for long minutes, trying to conceive of any alternative explanation. When Gloria arrived, he hadn’t moved a muscle. Alex looked at Gloria as she entered the room. He slowly reached out to hit the power switch on the monitor.

  Alex was in shock, but he forced himself to regain some composure. It took a couple of minutes to come fully out of the stupor. This did not go unnoticed by Gloria. She was concerned that he had contracted something, and took several blood samples. In fact, all pain had vanished, and his mind was racing. He was beginning to comprehend the awesome power, and devastating potential, of the information he alone possessed.

  All of his plans, dreams and purposes changed in an instant.

  ***

  Gloria let go of Jack’s arm and typed out his blood pressure on her pad. When Alex began complaining of headaches following the EVA, she decided that post-EVA check-ups were going to be routine for visits to extra-terrestrial worlds.

  “How am I looking, doc?” Jack rubbed his arm where the cuff had just been.

  “Slightly elevated BP, despite the low gravity. If you weren’t so physically fit I would be concerned.”

  Jack rolled his sleeve down. He looked up as Cindy walked in, and they smiled at each other.

  “Thanks doc,” he said, still looking at Cindy as she walked in. He tried to think of something meaningful to say. In the end, he the left to room silently.

  “And here was me thinking you and Mason were clearly an item,” Gloria commented drily when he’d left the room.

  Cindy’s eyebrows shot up, and she pursed her lips to keep from smiling. Gloria was already getting to work, by measuring the circumference of Cindy’s ankle.

  “It’s a nice to have a doctor on board,” Cindy said, carefully. “We used to have to do these tests ourselves. NASA was always worried about poor circulation and swelling in zero G, personally I didn’t mind the low blood pressure at all. What happens if we catch an alien flu or something?”

  “I have a field containment lab I can set up in a hurry If someone comes down with something like that.” Gloria was listening to Cindy’s airways using the stethoscope.

  “Can I ask you a personal question?” Cindy looked up from her data pad.

  “Sure.”

  “Why did you agree to come on this ship?”

  “Are you kidding me? Probably the same reason you did. These guys are on the front edge of discovery. Everything we do here will make headlines. Every bit of research we do, all the cases and reports we write are going to be scrutinized and taught in classes for centuries. Who doesn’t want a piece of that action?”

  Cindy looked down at her data pad. “Why didn’t you ever get married?”

  “I almost was, once,” said Gloria. Her eyes rested on Cindy’s curly, sand-colored hair, which she still kept short and off the collar per NASA regulations. “We graduated together out of med school, but his focus turned towards the money, and he specialized in… appearance enhancement.” Gloria held out two hands in front of her chest. “We’s agreed to do our first year overseas in a nonprofit clinic, but he was no longer interested. That’s what began to drive us apart. I’ve been pretty busy ever since. Any issues or anything out of the ordinary?” she finished, applying the blood pressure cuffs.

  “No.”

  The rest of the exam was completed in silence. It was eerie, the ship could be deathly silent at times. They could hear others laughing several rooms away.

  “Well, you’re good to go,” said Gloria after a few more tests. “If you see Mac, tell him it’s his turn.”

  Gloria looked expectantly at Cindy, who returned an incredulous gaze, with a facial expression to match.

  “This is the future, remember? Mimi… message Mac to come to the medical bay,” Cindy smiled.

  “Crewman Mac to the medical room,” said the disembodied computer, throughout the ship.

  “There we are. Thanks, Gloria,” Cindy happily exited the medical bay into the hallway.

  Gloria eyed the room’s speaker, a suspicious glint in her eye.

  ***

  Alex entered the bridge and stood in front of the view-screen. Earth could be seen slowly spinning. He’d asked Timmy to hold the ship in orbit to discuss their plans before landing. Everyone was in their seats, waiting for Alex to speak.

  “Zeek, Timmy, as soon as we land, I want the ship plugged in for recharge, and then I need to see you in my office.”

  Cindy and Mason exchanged weary glances.

  “Jack, I need you to do some shopping. Torches, cutting tools, extra batteries, fuel and food. When I say cutting tools, I am talking about the machines they use to get people out of car crashes. Think big. Chains and ropes as well. We are going back to Titan and we will be there longer this time.” Alex thought for a moment. “And it would be great to get our hands on a few portable generators. I want some of those construction lights they use for highways at night, and a bunch of handheld ones as well. Sound good?”

  “I guess,” said Jack who looked befuddled by the request.

  “Cindy, take whatever Jack brings back and coordinate with Jorge. See how much additional battery power you can rig up in the next two days.

  “Mason, I want you to find a designer. Someone who knows about ship designs. The best designer you can convince to join us on the next mission. Give them my number, have them call me.”

  “Okay… but Alex, you need to tell us-”

  “I’ll explain everything soon. For now, get us back to the compound.”

  Alex made sure he was strapped into his chair and opened his screen to contact Amanda via direct messaging. Their conversation lasted the rest of the journey.

  Chapter 10

  Granny Smith or Gala

  Alex jumped off the ramp before the Destiny even touched down. He jogged to the security station.

  “Listen up,” he said to the duty guards. “The feds are coming back. We don’t know when but we need to be better prepared. The goal this time is to delay their entry just long enough to get the crew back aboard the ship. Park one of the security vehicles on the rear door of the hangar where they entered last time, and remove the tires. I want it firmly lodged in that location.” He didn’t wait for a response, but walked quickly through the hangar, observing Amanda performing the task he had requested.

  He reached his office, and took a paper from his jacket, placing it face-down on the desk. He was waiting for Zeek and Timmy, but it was Jorge who entered.

  “You’re back! How are are you, buddy?”

  “I’m good. How was space?” Jorge asked sarcastically.

  Alex looked at him for a few moments. “This is actually perfect timing. I’ve got something to tell you guys. Jorge, things are going to get wild. I’m glad you’re back.”
<
br />   “And I’m glad to see you haven’t changed while I was away.”

  “What’s this all about?” Timmy asked, entering with Zeek and Renee, who was already recording. Alex froze for a moment, and then decided she could stay. “This captaining business is turning you into a drama queen.” Timmy folded his arms.

  Alex looked at him, calmly. He felt the power of having such important knowledge at his finger tips, and it gave him immense pleasure to be able to control its release.

  “Flip the paper over.” At first no one on the other side of the table moved.

  With an exaggerated sigh, Timmy turned the paper over, leaving it on the desk so they all could see it. It took a few seconds, but eventually they realized what they were looking at. Their expressions began to shift.

  “I captured that image as we left Titan. We flew right over it. Pure luck I saw it.”

  “Oh snap!” Zeek broke the silence. “We’re going back, we have to go back!”

  “Hell no!” Timmy said. “We do not want to mess with this. This is a whole new level of crazy.”

  “This is going to change everything,” Jorge said, almost inaudibly. He slumped down into a chair and put his hand to his forehead, staring into the distance.

  “This isn’t what I signed up for. I just want make stuff,” Timmy muttered, turning towards a wall.

  “You don’t have to come, Timmy. We could use someone here. You might prefer a planet-side assignment. We’d really need you when we come back.”

  Timmy fumed for a few more moments, but he couldn’t stay angry.

  “I was actually going to ask for something like that,” he admitted. “I’m not a spaceman.”

  “That’s settled then,” Alex smiled. “Jorge, Cindy is probably looking for you. We need to find a way to drastically increase battery capacity in the next day or two. Use the shuttle pod if you need to transport material more quickly.” He looked around. “I trust it goes without saying that none of you can tell anyone a word about this.”

  Timmy looked to Jorge. “Your turn.”

  Jorge looked at Timmy and then back at Alex. Then back towards Timmy.