by Don Viecelli
Utor turned to the others. “The nanomachines will take effect soon after the humans leave our starship.”
“How long before they become contagious?” Second Leader Seeto’s voice lacked any emotion as she injected another human.
“In a few human hours, the nanomachine infection will overcome their immune systems and all will become contagious. Then the nanomachines will spread rapidly by contact. The whole planet will be infected within days.”
They injected each of the eight humans and left the room. Within minutes the humans sitting around the table opened their eyes and resumed talking to each other as if nothing had happened at all.
“I’m looking forward to our tour,” Haruto said to the others absentmindedly rubbing an itch on his neck when Utor walked back into the room.
“I am ready to go. Follow me.” The humans suspect nothing, Utor thought. This planet will be ours before they know what happened. The Yoyka masters will be pleased.
Chapter 21
Search For Intruder
The dust storm on Mars intensified all day. Doug Martin spent most of his time in the office poring over reports from his security officers searching for any sign of the Intruder.
Doug looked up at Gwen Rollins sitting at her desk outside his door. “Any news from the Polar Cities?”
“Nothing yet. So far no one saw or detected any type of spacecraft landing on Mars that was unidentified.”
Doug gave up on his computer search and walked out of his office into the center of the room. “What about you, Chuck? Any reports from the satellite stations?”
Chuck Williams picked up his tablet and walked over to Doug and handed it to him. “I may have something.”
Doug took the tablet. “What am I looking for, Chuck?”
“The Infrared Telescope on Phobos may have caught something around the time the aliens said the unknown Intruder escaped on a spacecraft.” Doug pointed to a paragraph in the middle of text.
Doug read the words out loud. “Unknown object entering Mars atmosphere at 0614.3 hours; speed 4516 kilometers per hour; altitude 200 kilometers; direction east to west. Signal lost 0614.31 hours.”
Chuck said, “The object emitted electromagnetic radiation that was not visible on optical telescopes. It was using some type of stealth system.”
Doug read the final text and said, “This says the object was headed along the equator. It could have landed anywhere.”
“It would need a good place to hide. My guess it headed for the canyon or maybe one of the big volcanoes or craters west of here,” Chuck theorized.
Doug walked over to one of the windows in the office and looked outside through the glass dome. “The storm is getting worse. No way we can look for the Intruder in this weather.”
“If the wind is not too bad, we could send some drones with infrared cameras down into the canyon to check things out,” Gwen offered.
“Good idea, Gwen. See what the UN Peace Keepers have available and request a thorough surveillance of the canyon with drones. Have them also search the area around the Tharsis Montes volcanoes. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find this bastard.
*****
The Intruder was sitting in his spacecraft deep inside of the lava tube watching and listening to his monitoring devices. He had been listening to the communications between the humans in the nearby city and the Qumru aliens on the starship orbiting above. He was getting restless. He knew time was not on his side. Even worse, there was little he could do to prevent what he knew for certain was going to happen.
The Intruder stood up. He could hide in this cave until his help arrived or he could do something to change the situation at hand. He worked through all the available options and decided there was one thing he could do that might give him the edge in dealing with the Qumru.
The Intruder picked up a signal device and went outside the spacecraft. He walked in the dark to the mouth of the cave and looked outside. The dust storm on this planet was getting stronger. It made visibility low outside the cave and much worse above the rim of this canyon. He understood how this dust storm was affecting the planet’s surface. It would cover most of the planet within days and last for a long time. However, atmospheric pressure here was low so wind gusts from the storm would not prevent most spacecraft from flying or keep surface vehicles from continuing to operate on the ground.
The Intruder knew the humans were looking for him from listening in on their communication channels. The best thing he could do now was to make it easier for the humans to find him. It was time to meet these humans in person and find out if they could be an ally or foe.
Chapter 22
Return to Planet Surface
The return to Mars’ surface was uneventful for Haruto Nakamura and his assemblage. All in all, Haruto thought his first meeting with the aliens on the starship went rather well. He received a cordial welcome from First Leader Utor and his crew, received a tour of the FTL hyperdrive engine, visited the alien cryostasis sleep champers and was given a brief tour of the quantum computer room where all the Qumru passenger minds were stored on quantum drive bays. The scientific knowledge the Qumru possessed was truly astounding and some of it would soon be passed on to human scientists in return for helping the Qumru repair their starship.
Haruto turned to Colonel Jackson who was sitting beside him on the shuttlecraft as it prepared to land at the Haffen City Spaceport. “Well, Colonel, what do you think of our recent visit with the aliens?”
“The meeting went well enough, Mister Secretary, but I would have liked to find out more on what type of weapons they have on that starship.”
Haruto thought that irrelevant. “Whatever they have is undoubtedly much more powerful than anything our military possesses Colonel. Besides, Utor said the starship was built for transporting passengers to distant star systems than for military purposes.”
The colonel ignored the remark and changed the subject. “How long do you think it will take the Qumru to repair their ship?”
Haruto thought for a moment. “My guess with the type of materials they need from us, it will take several weeks to repair the damage to the starship’s hull area and FTL drive system. That should be enough time for the UN Delegation from Earth to reach Mars and meet with the Qumru. I got the feeling from talking with Utor, they were in a hurry to leave us and reach their final destination.”
“I think the Qumru are worried the Yoyka are looking for them because of the Intruder that sabotaged their ship. We should be more worried the Yoyka will find us because of them.”
“That is a real threat to us, I agree. When we land you need to find out if the Intruder really landed somewhere on Mars. You need to find him before he can cause any harm to our citizens.”
Colonel Jackson did not reply to Haruto. He thought it would be much better to kill the Intruder and end the threat quickly. Or more importantly, get a hold of the Intruder’s energy weapons and protective suit with its camouflage capabilities to see how they worked.
Haruto looked out the windows as the shuttlecraft slowly descended to land on the spaceport pad. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and wondered why it was so hot inside the shuttle. He did not feel well and hoped he was not getting sick with so much work ahead of him. He would take some aspirin when he reached his office and maybe whatever he had would go away.
*****
Doctor Janice Martin was working in her science lab, which was located in a separate building not too far from the UN Building. She was curious about the latest scientific research into nanotechnology and was reviewing the latest studies on the subject. She, like most microbiology research scientists, had a basic understanding of nanotechnology. She knew that most nanites were 0.1 to 10 micrometers or microns in size and were made of molecular components. Most bacteria were 2 to 8 micrometers in length. Virus ranged in size from 0.2 to 0.4 micrometers.
Janice also knew that the basic chemical element that made up most nanites was Silicon, a crystalline solid with a
blue-gray color and a member of Group 14 in the Periodic Table. It is the second most common mineral made up mostly of dust or sand in the Earth’s crust after oxygen. Mars was rich in Silicon, which would make a great location for nanobot production facilities.
Nanites were used in all kinds of materials and products on Earth. Lately, there has been increasing use of nanites in the medical fields such as fighting diseases and repairing damaged cells and tissues. The fuel used to power most nanites was nuclear particles, which never required a replacement fuel cell and could function indefinitely.
Janice’s review on nanotechnology was halted with a phone call from her husband showing up on her view screen. She answered her comphone. “Hello, Doug. What’s up?”
“Sorry to interrupt whatever you’re doing, Jan, but I wanted to tell you I have to go out with a search party down into the canyon. We got a hit on one of our drones searching for the Intruder from the alien starship.”
Jan thought of the danger Doug might be in, but knew that was part of his job. “Be careful, Doug. Don’t be a hero.”
“You know me, Jan. I never take chances without knowing the risks. I have to go. Haruto put me in charge of finding this guy. I know how dangerous he is. I’ll be careful. I just wanted you to know where I’m going. I’ll call you when I get back. Love you.”
“I love you too. Call me as soon as you return.”
Jan was about to close her computer to work on something else when another call came through. This time it was Haruto. Jan picked up her comphone. “Hello, Mister Secretary. What can I do for you?”
“Hello, Doctor Martin. I was wondering if you could come over to my office for a moment. I need you to do something for me.”
“Certainly. I’ll be right over. Should I bring anything with me?”
“Yes, bring your medical kit. You may need it.” Haruto hung up without further explanation.
Janice thought the request was a bit odd. She was qualified as a medical doctor as well as a microbiologist researcher, but rarely ever practiced medicine on Mars. She hoped Haruto was well.
Janice found her medical bag and informed her colleagues she was called to a meeting with the UN Deputy Secretary and would return as soon as she could.
The short walk to the UN Building took fifteen minutes. Janice hurried through the lobby to take the elevator to the top floor. She reached Haruto’s office and knocked on the door. She heard Haruto’s voice telling her to enter. She opened the door and walked inside.
Haruto was working at his desk and smiled when Janice arrived. He stood up to greet her. Janice was a beautiful married woman; intelligent and well respected in her field. He knew the Martins were going to have a baby and was happy for them. Haruto was also married, but they had no kids. He smiled at Jan. “Thanks for coming, Doctor Martin. I have a favor to ask of you.” He indicated for Janice to take a seat in front of his desk.
Janice noticed Haruto had watery, itchy eyes and a runny nose. He sneezed a couple of times into a Kleenex. “Are you feeling okay, Mister Nakamura?” She hoped it wasn’t a sign of something infectious that she would catch.
“I’m afraid I am coming down with something, Doctor Martin. I was hoping you could give me some medicine for it; something stronger than aspirin. I don’t have time to be sick.”
“Did you call your doctor? He should check you out first.”
“He’s at the hospital seeing a patient. I just need some prescription medicine.”
Janice looked more closely at Haruto. His skin was looking a little paler than normal. She began to feel concerned. Janice knew Haruto could not be catching a cold since a vaccine for preventing viruses that cause colds had been introduced twenty years ago. “Let me take your temperature to see if you have a fever.”
Janice opened her medical bag and took out a digital thermometer. She asked Haruto to come around the desk and sit beside her. She placed the thermometer on his forehead and pressed the button. When she looked at the readout, she was surprised. “You have a temperature of 102 degrees, Mister Secretary. You should be home in bed taking it easy.” Janice thought Haruto must have some sort of bacterial infection or allergic reaction causing his symptoms.
Haruto smiled at Janice and said, “I have a lot of work to do before the day is over. Isn’t there something you can give me to help me get through the day? Then I promise, I will go home and rest.”
“Okay, Mister Secretary. I will give you something to help bring your temperature down. But I would like to take some blood to find out what you have.”
Janice took a blood sample and wrote out a prescription for a drug that contains cetirizine, an antihistamine to reduce sneezing, and the drug pseudoephedrine, a decongestant to decrease congestion. Haruto seemed relieved.
“May I ask how your visit with the aliens went, Mister Secretary?” Janice asked, preparing to leave. She knew he had recently returned from his visit with the aliens.
“It went well, Doctor Martin. We met with Utor whom you already met. He seemed very helpful. We received a tour of his starship, which was very informative. He promised to share technological advancements with us in return for help in repairing his starship. I’m in the process of informing the UN Secretary-General of our visit as we speak. It must be sent out right away.”
“Then I will let you get back to work, Mister Secretary. I’ll let you know the results of your blood test before the end of the day. I’ll send the results to your doctor so he can follow up with you if you need anything else. Please, do try and get some rest to help you feel better.”
As Janice left the office, she felt it was important to process the blood sample quickly to find out what was bothering Haruto. It would rule out anything serious that might have resulted from his recent visit with the aliens. She couldn’t rule out the possibility that coming into contact with aliens might result in some sort of infection, but all the tests they performed after their first visit on the alien starship were negative. Still, she wanted to be sure in case they missed something.
Chapter 23
Intruder Located
It was getting late in the day. The land rover Doug Martin and five other people were traveling in stopped forty kilometers from Haffen City. They were deep in the Valles Marineris Canyon. Visibility was limited to 100 meters. The wind was blowing reddish colored sand in swirls around them. It would be dark soon and Doug was about ready to call off the search for the Intruder when Chuck Williams, Doug’s co-worker, picked up a signal from an orbiting satellite on his tablet.
“I found something!” he yelled over the noise of the rover. “It’s the same type of signal we received from the drone before we lost contact. It’s some sort of beacon signal.”
Doug was sitting in the front passenger seat. He looked back at Chuck. “How far away?”
“Twenty kilometers ahead on the left.”
Doug checked with Marine Captain Shirley Tills who was driving the rover. “What do you think?”
Captain Tills looked out the front window and then at the viewscreen on the dashboard. “I don’t like it. Visibility is dropping fast.”
“We need to check it out. It could just be a location transponder from some mining transport vehicle. Either way, we need to find out what it is. Turn on our radar scanner. Let’s see what’s out there.”
Valles Marineris was four kilometers deep and two hundred kilometers wide in this part of the canyon. The rover was forty kilometers from the north side or left rim of the canyon and the signal they were receiving was ten kilometers closer to the wall. It would take thirty minutes to reach the source of the signal. The rover started moving again.
“Nothing on radar except rock formations on both sides of the road,” Captain Tills said as she drove forward at a forty mile per hour pace. Nothing looked out of the ordinary except the rising wind speeds of the dust storm.
After twenty-nine minutes Captain Tills slowed the rover down when they were within one hundred yards of the source of the signal. She stop
ped the rover and looked at the radar screen. “I don’t see anything unusual ahead of us. Whatever is producing the signal must be pretty small.”
“That doesn’t make sense. If it was part of a transport vehicle, we would see it on radar. It must be a locator beacon someone left behind. I’m going to check it out. The rest of you stay inside the rover.”
Doug put on his helmet and strapped on a breather unit. He checked his oxygen levels and tested his comlink. Everything was working properly. He put on his gloves and moved to the back of the rover where he entered the transit compartment and shut the door to prevent oxygen loss inside the vehicle. He opened the exit door and used the ramp to reach the ground. When he was down he spoke through his comlink. “I’m outside now. Stay here while I check out the source of the signal.”
“Be careful, Director.” Captain Tills’ tone of voice reaffirmed she didn’t think this was a good idea.
Doug could barely see a few yards in front of him due to the swirling dust storm. He followed the directions to the location of the beacon highlighted on his wrist pad. The path was just a hard packed dirt surface cleared by mining crews who worked in the area.
“What do you see?” Captain Tills said after a few moments of silence.
“Nothing yet, Captain. I’m almost there.” Doug saw something on the side of the road just a few yards in front of him. It was a small tubular device staked upright in the ground. A small green light was pulsating at the top.