‘Frequent’ was a relative term in this case. A radio signal would take at least half an hour for a trip from Jupiter to Earth or the Moon, depending on the exact positions of the bodies. After being received on Earth, a large group of people worked together and would come up with a response, then send their message back. The time delay in sending a message to Earth, the time to download, process, listen, respond, and send a reply message back to the Seeker was the first half of the process. The travel time for the reply was, of course, the same half an hour or more. Then, the crew had to download, process and listen to the reply message on the Seeker. All this took about two hours in the best of circumstances.
It was a true test of one’s patience to send a message and wait two hours for a reply. Even after being on the mission for well over half a decade, none of the crew had truly gotten used to the delay. In this case, the crew on the Seeker were all concerned that something was amiss on Europa so the delay seemed even longer than normal.
The file finished downloading and processing and they played the message as soon as it was ready. An image appeared of a man with a long black beard and glasses on the screen.
“Hello, Bailey. Dimitri. Li.” The man on the screen was the director of the Europa Mission and the person the crew usually spoke with when sending and receiving audio files. He was a man who always started his messages by greeting each of the crew individually.
“We know you’ve been waiting for us to give you the green light on making a burn sooner than the original plan, but we’re denying that request.
“I know you want to get back to Europa as soon as possible, especially after not hearing anything from the others for this long. We actually might have agreed with your request. However, a few weeks ago we received a transmission from Europa.”
The crew was both surprised and relieved. How did Earth receive a message but not them? Either way, perhaps everything was fine on Europa after all.
“You might think that’s a good thing, but the message itself was completely garbled. It took quite a while to clean up the transmission to see what it was. It came through as a series of random clicks and other noises. When we figured out the message was coming from Europa, we compared it to the report you sent us of the message you also seemed to receive. It turns out they were the same message.
“We’ve had people from all over the planet and the Moon working to see if there was anything to the message or if it was just a random anomaly. As you all suggested, it might have been a test message from Europa that didn’t work. It turns out, it was not a random test message. It was more than that. A group of number theorists eventually managed to decipher the message.
“Included in the files is the fully decoded message, but to put it simply we think it’s a call for help directly from Europa.
“Our first instinct was to give you the green light to do the early burn and go back to Europa, but there was quite a bit of a debate as to whether that was the right decision. As you’re well aware, when you left the Moon to go to Europa your ship only had enough fuel to get there with a safety margin. The plan was to refuel the Seeker once it arrived. Refueling involves some hazards so we like to limit the number of such operations. Based on the original plan, once we confirmed the refueling station already on Europa was operational, there was no need to refuel for the trip to Ganymede and back to Europa so we opted not to refuel before you three went to Ganymede. With all that in mind, we have three options.
“Number One: Let you do the early burn. This would get you to Europa sooner, but it would use up all of your fuel and unless the burn was done perfectly you might not make it at all. We ran this simulation quite a few times and in slightly different conditions to see if we could make it work safely. Simply put, that was too dangerous to consider.
“Number Two: Have you wait and do the burn as originally planned. You already had a plan to get back to Europa safely and you could simply execute it. You’d get to Europa later, of course, but wouldn’t be in danger of running out of fuel like option Number One. You’d need to use the lander to get to the surface and begin the normal refueling operations to return home to the Earth’s Moon.
“Number Three: We’ve come up with a modified Hohmann-Purnell transfer maneuver you can use to return to Europa that is slower than the original plan but costs almost no additional fuel. It means waiting one more week than the original plan, but it’s, by far, the most efficient path we’ve found and, believe it or not, gives you a chance to get all the way back home without refueling on Europa at all.
“You might think option Number Two would be the best plan because it’s faster than option Number Three and safer than option Number One, but if something serious is wrong on Europa, you may not be able to refuel as the original plan contemplated. In that case, option Number Two means you won’t have enough fuel to return home. Option Number Three is slow but it will leave you with enough fuel to get into orbit around Mars even if you are unable to refuel at Europa.
While you’ve been away, we’ve been working hard to develop some infrastructure on Mars for a permanent base there. If you delay your departure from Europa by a few months, Mars and Jupiter will be approaching their closest point to each other during your journey. Because of the low gravity on Mars, we calculate you’ll be able to enter an orbit around Mars with the remaining fuel. By then, we should have an automated refueling station operational on Mars. You can use your lander to descend to the station on Mars and obtain enough fuel as well as some additional supplies, if needed, to make it back home. Your lander is too fragile to withstand a launch from the surface of Mars but we already have a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) on Mars which you can use to get back to the Seeker, with fuel.
Also, we may be able to complete the RDS by the time you arrive at Mars. It’s already under construction. In that case, we can send you back to Earth’s Moon in an RDS Pod without the hazard of a refueling operation on Mars. Option Number Three gives us options, people.
“I want to be very clear here. This is if, and I do mean if, something is wrong on Europa. We don’t know that, but we’ve been considering the worst-case scenarios. I know you’re worried. We’re all worried right now. But, we were already looking at changing your return profile. At this point, we’re going with the safest option: Number Three.
“We’ve attached the new burn details you’ll use for option Number Three, the delayed return, as well as other files and updated software you’ll need. Keep in contact with us. Godspeed and good luck. Over and out.”
The message ended.
“Jesus, they think that something that bad happened on Europa?” Bailey asked. “And they want us to wait longer? What if the team on Europa needs help sooner than that?”
“As much as I hate to admit it,” Dimitri said. “I agree with them. If we get to Europa sooner and use up all our fuel only to find out we can’t refuel, then no one is getting home. Number Three is the smart move. It’s hard to believe how long we’ve been gone. They’ve made some serious progress on Mars but, honestly, I don’t know what ‘RDS’ is.”
“What do you think, Li?” Bailey asked.
Li had floated toward the computer and was working on it.
“I’m pulling up the files now,” Li said. “Let’s see what they say... Here it is. RDS stands for Rotating Deimos Skyhook.”
Although the crew knew about the plans for a Skyhook on one of Mars’s moons, they weren’t aware of the progress that had been made and that it was now referred to as the Rotating Deimos Skyhook. The files showed the RDS construction timetable and they were all surprised that the innovative improvement to space travel was so far along. At the time they left for Europa, the Skyhook had only been a theoretical proposal to reduce the cost of payloads to and from orbit. By using two carbon nanotube tethers, 180 degrees from one another attached to a rotating central mass, in this case, Mars’s outer moon, Deimos, the Skyhook could ‘fling’ and accelerate payloads into space or capture and ‘reel in’ inbound
payloads.
“The Seeker wasn’t designed to use the Skyhook. That would be too much stress to handle,” Dimitri said. “We could use our lander to get to the surface of Mars and then we’d need to get to the RDS using the MAV.”
“Yes, it’s a bit messy but it should work,” Bailey said. “And, the RDS is just an alternative. I’m sure they’ll have it all figured out by the time we get to Mars.”
Li accessed the strange message that had been sent to them and to Earth. It was terse and he read through it several times to be certain he understood it.
“This message is weird,” Li said
“What does it say?” Bailey asked.
“It’s calling for everyone to come to Europa,” Li answered.
“Calling for help?”
“No, it literally is calling for everyone to come to Europa.”
“What the hell does that mean? I don’t like this one bit,” Bailey said.
“I don’t either,” Li said. “But I agree with Dimitri. We need to make sure we’ve got enough fuel to get back. Option Three is the way to go. We might even get a free trip to Mars!”
Bailey was disappointed. She wanted to get to Europa as soon as possible but she understood the logic of using option Number Three. She flung herself out of the room leaving Li and Dimitri to confirm all the calculations in the new plan.
SEVENTEEN
Revelation
Kato was by himself thinking about what to do. The conversation with Navya about the behaviors that could be expressed by anyone infected didn’t lead to anything solid, and the UMAC had been sabotaged. Navya hadn’t said that, but it sure seemed strange that at the time they needed it to find the infected, it was conveniently offline.
Since Alice had left in the Nomad, that left himself, Navya, and Felix as the only ones in the Habitat. The only ones alive, anyway. Sonya’s body still sat in the autopsy room in BSL4.
Navya seemed like she was looking into what was wrong with the UMAC. But Kato couldn’t stand idly by. How could anyone rest in a situation like this? He wasn’t even sure if he could trust Navya. He was certain the UMAC had been sabotaged, and Navya was the one who knew its workings better than anyone. Could it be that she too was infected? Anyone could be infected. There was no telling how long it took before the infection actually made itself apparent, but even Alice had completely ignored his advice to stick together. Alice also could not be trusted. No one could be.
As usual, Kato decided to take matters into his own hands. He thought he was prepared for any sort of emergency, and yet, his tireless efforts to understand this alien world and how the Habitat worked seemed to be for nothing. Earthquakes, emergency decompressions, volatile environments, radiation sickness, broken bones, fights, water geysers, loss of power - the list went on and on - he thought he was prepared for it all. How could he have come up with a contingency plan for an alien parasite/fungus/virus on another moon turning his crewmates into zombies? He knew it was almost silly to use that word, but he wasn’t sure what else to think of it. He knew what to do in so many different scenarios, but this one he had never considered until now.
Unfortunately, his last encounter with Sonya had left him in rather weakened condition. Navya had done an incredible job, especially considering they were on Europa and she might be infected, but he was still recovering. If he did happen to get into another scuffle, that could be the end of him.
Despite being infected, Sonya was clever and had used the construction bots to her advantage over Kato. If Sonya could go crazy and attack him, why not anyone else? Considering everyone had been selected for this mission because they were the most qualified, they too could be deadly. Any one of them could come up with something sinister to take him out.
So, he sat down and came up with a plan. He knew he couldn’t account for every possible action the others would take. There had to be something he could do such that, no matter what, his plan would work. He recalled his basic training days. He needed a force multiplier.
First, Kato decided he would wear his EMU all the time. The spacesuit had basic first aid built into it. If he was ambushed and had to defend himself, it could make a big difference in the outcome.
Second, Kato decided to use the 3D printer. He worked on the computer and created a new 3D model. It took a bit longer than Kato expected. Such was life with one broken arm in a sling and one hand broken. Once he finished, he promptly sent it to the 3D printer. As the printer began to work, he went to the biosafety labs. Without thinking, he grabbed his P3 helmet for BSL4 and a few other pieces of equipment as he entered the decontamination chamber. He waited for the decontamination procedure to complete.
Once inside BSL4, he realized that he didn’t care about protocol and thus didn’t need his helmet, so he set it on a table and made his way to the storage closet. It contained many chemicals and basic instruments that a scientist on a mission like this could have wanted. He grabbed sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate from the closet. He looked around for something else as well. Something smaller that he could use. He ended up grabbing a container that said Glass Clear Stir Rods 12 pcs on a sticker on the side. Instead of using his sling to support his broken arm, he turned it into a makeshift backpack to carry everything he wanted. He left the closet door unlatched when he exited because his hands were full and he didn’t care if the chemicals were protected from humidity. Once again, he waited as the decontamination room completed its procedure before he left the labs.
Returning to the printer, Kato placed the chemicals on a table. The 3D printer was still working and would take a while longer to complete, so he began to put the chemicals together in a very particular ratio and mixed them well.
This didn’t take long, and soon, he sat watching the 3D printer’s arm moving from side to side as it added more material to his design. He had more time to think. The design was solid, but the material wasn’t as strong as he would have liked. He guessed he could get three, maybe four uses out of it before it would likely break. He’d also have to create a few more designs to use the stirring rods he had brought with him.
What he was doing here was a good first step, but it might not be enough. It was possible that both Navya and Felix were infected. If so, would they team up against him? Whatever happened, he needed a plan that would be guaranteed to work.
He left the printer to work and made his way to the bowels of the Habitat.
----------
Navya had become extremely concerned with the state of the mission. Things were destabilizing quickly so she had come up with a plan for herself in case things got ugly. However, she needed to wait for Alice to return with the Nomad to implement it.
Navya was walking around a corner when she ran into Alice. Alice was still wearing her EMU.
“Oh, Alice, I didn’t expect you back so soon!” Navya said.
“Yeah, I pushed the Nomad probably a little faster than I should have. Made it back in record time: fifteen hours.”
“Why didn’t you call us on the radio? What did you find?” Navya asked.
“I’m not even sure if I believe what I found,” Alice responded quickly, ignoring the first question about using the radio.
Navya looked at Alice expectedly. Before Alice could continue Alice’s wristband lit up with an incoming message from Felix.
“Alice, you’re back!” Felix said. “About time. I need you in BSL1. Come quickly, you’ll want to see this.” The incoming call ended without giving Alice any time to respond.
“Felix wants to show you something in BSL1?” Navya said. “Well, I’ve got something I need to do. I’ll catch up with you soon.” Navya left Alice and continued. Although she was curious about Alice’s new findings, it was imperative that she get started on her plan. Now that the Nomad was back, she could get to work.
Alice was making her way to meet Felix in BSL1 when her wristband lit up, flashing red. Alice sat down at the nearest computer, which was also flashing red but this time with a code:
&nb
sp; *Code 14. Hydrogen Alert*
“Code 14? What does that mean?” Alice asked herself and began to look up what the code meant.
Meanwhile, only a few moments after leaving Alice behind, Navya’s wristband also lit up. It was flashing red. Navya clicked the ignore button on her wristband and kept moving. She went to the Nomad and began the refueling process. Then she started grabbing boxes and moving them into the Nomad. She thought about Felix’s message to Alice. Something seemed off about it. In fact, in the last meeting, something seemed off about him, as well. That was when she understood what was different. Felix never said much of anything, maybe one or two-word responses, but he had been answering questions in full sentences and providing more detail than he normally would. Could Felix be infected as well?
Finding both motherboards damaged was too much coincidence for Navya. She didn’t believe in coincidences. Someone had deliberately ruined the machine. That meant things were degrading to a point where people were willing to do dangerous things. Sonya had messed with and destroyed the communication dish and attacked other people. She was infected. If someone else was infected and didn’t want to be caught, destroying the UMAC would be a good way of doing that. In Navya’s mind, Felix was the most likely candidate.
Navya had been gathering supplies and needed to go near the BSL4 entrance. She weaved her way through BSL1 and grabbed a few extra medical supplies. On her way back through BSL1 she stopped for a moment thinking that something seemed out of place. It was the centrifuge that was normally stored away. Yet, it was in the middle of the room and loaded with vials. It looked ready to be used. There was also a device sitting next to it. Navya stepped forward to inspect the device and realized it was a proximity sensor.
“What is this doing here?” Navya said to herself.
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