“My guess is that it repairs the shell whenever something makes a hole in it. But maybe the whole barrier is made from these things.”
“But where did they come from? There must be billions of tons of these tiny machines.”
“Not necessarily. I also analyzed my acoustic measurements. The sound penetrated only a few nanometers into the shell. That might be due to the shell’s material.”
“Or?”
“Or it might be because the shell is only a few atoms thick. Then its material could’ve been brought into our solar system in a comet, for example, without even anyone noticing. I’m thinking of 2I, in particular.”
“2I?”
“Yeah, the interstellar visitor that I discovered at the beginning of January.”
That was true. That had definitely been something. It had seemed to be a sensation at the time, but it had been forgotten in all the subsequent drama. Yet it did appear to be one explanation.
“I still can’t believe any of this,” Judith said.
“But you’ve seen it with your own eyes!”
“Do you really believe that we landed in a spaceship on a layer that’s only a few atoms thick? That’d be like, I don’t know, driving a tractor over a whole bunch of raw eggs.”
“That could work as long as the tractor’s tires were wide enough. You want me to calculate an answer for you?”
“No, Giordi, you don’t need to do that. But I think you know what I mean.”
March 29, 2035 – Mars Ship ARES
The second part of their mission was going to be more time-consuming. But Judith enjoyed the days. Michael was not here, continually putting pressure on her. Had the psychologists missed that character trait in him? Or was that the precise factor that drove the whole team to its peak performance? With Yue, Jonathan, and Giordano, in any case, life was much more pleasant. If Michael got his way and if he still wanted to take the ARES to Mars, she would let him have it, and she’d stay at the moon base.
She heard a rattling noise coming from someplace else. That would be Yue, who had taken it upon herself to optimize the storage system. NASA, she said, hadn’t put into practice the latest best procedures. She was probably right. It was typical in the space agency to continue doing something after it had proven itself to work once, even if better methods became available over the years.
Giordano was spending all his time at the telescope. He seemed eager to be the first one to spot the LISA satellite at Lagrange point L1. They had long ago picked up its signal and were using this signal to home in on the satellite itself. They knew that it was supposed to be positioned where the ESA had placed it, at the L1 point approximately 1.5 million kilometers in the direction of the sun. On the other hand, one of the reflectors had been placed at the Lagrangian point L4, on the Earth’s orbit, but 60 degrees—or two months—in front of the Earth.
The long flight, during which they circled the Earth multiple times following larger and larger orbits, gave Judith lots of time to think. Perhaps it was finally time to say goodbye to the past. From week to week, the chance that Lisa and their sons were still alive decreased more and more. Without sunlight, civilization would eventually fall apart. Light was sustenance, and sustenance was life. She was sure most provisions had already been used up. In the cities, most of the people were probably already dead. Those who lived in the country and had their own provisions might be better off for a bit longer.
But the most essential resource might be energy. Why hadn’t they moved close to one of the country’s only remaining nuclear power plants? Wind would’ve ceased. Coal, gas, and oil had to be transported. Only nuclear energy was a stable energy source under those conditions. In areas around these nuclear power plants, the fields might still be able to be illuminated in order to produce food—which would definitely be enough for only a tiny fraction of the world’s population.
It was depressing. Was NASA taking care of her family? Almost certainly not. Without communications, she was sure public infrastructure and government operations would collapse. People would have to organize locally, like had been done 2,000 years ago. The farther someone was from civilization, the easier it would be for them to cope with changes. Maybe a fisherman on an isolated island would be the last surviving human.
More than a few times she’d wished that the shell had spared humankind a long demise and had wiped them out quickly. Or was that selfish? Did she only feel that way to make it easier to say goodbye? The uncertainty was the worst. It always came along with hope like a negative/positive companionship. Which was harder to bear? She didn’t know. Sometimes she was happy not to know her family’s fate, but then later she would fall into pits of despair.
“Judith?” Giordano had walked into the command center. He looked worried.
“What is it? Has something happened?”
“I found the LISA satellite.”
“Is there some problem?”
“It’s drifted out of position.”
“How could that happen? I thought the forces of attraction from the sun and Earth were equal at the L1 point?”
“L1 is unstable, like L2 and L3. A satellite in that position has to regularly perform small adjustment maneuvers to keep it in place for long periods of time. But the LISA probe has already drifted about 10,000 kilometers away. That’s why I couldn’t find it in the telescope before.”
“Then we go get it and put it back at L1.”
“That won’t work. It’ll just drift off again.”
“Then we repair it.”
“I don’t know of any spare propulsion systems on board that we could use to replace it.”
“A long time ago, people didn’t immediately put in something new and throw the old away. How about we try to repair what’s there, first?”
April 4, 2035 – Mars Ship ARES
“I’ve got it,” Jonathan said as he clipped the end of the cable onto the framework of the satellite’s extended arm. When they had exited the ARES, the LISA probe had looked tiny. But now, as he saw Yue floating above it, the probe suddenly looked huge.
“I’m reeling in the cable now,” Giordano said by radio.
Using the thrusters on his back, Jonathan maneuvered a bit upward and let himself slowly tilt forward by 90 degrees. Now the probe was above him. It is fun, he thought, to play with the peculiarities of space.
Slowly the satellite moved toward the ARES, floating in the vacuum with its propulsion systems switched off. In reality, they were moving faster than any supersonic jet, but there was no reference frame for them to notice that. It was as if they were the center of the universe. If he were to measure the galaxies’ redshift from their current position, all of them would be moving away from him. But that was true of any point in space—everyone could enjoy the same special feeling.
The satellite had almost reached the ARES.
“I’m going to need some help here,” Giordano said.
Yue was faster. She braced herself against the outer shell of the ship and extended her arms. Jonathan watched. Now was the moment. Together, Giordano and Yue would have to neutralize the impulse that Giordano had given to the satellite through the cable. The LISA probe contacted Yue’s outstretched arms. They bowed a little to absorb the impact. For a moment, she looked like Atlas, supporting the world. Then she simply let go. The satellite was now floating directly next to the exit.
It was too large to move inside through the cargo lock. They would have to repair it here, outside. They had brought the satellite as close as they could to their doorstep so Giordano could have access to his tools and spare parts. Jonathan floated on the other side. His gaze fell onto the white Earth. It had come to look very normal and familiar to him.
“You’ll tell me when you need something, Giordi?”
“Of course.”
Giordano climbed onto the satellite. It was made of two equal-length arms that formed a right angle, and a central module situated at the point of intersection. A framework connected this mod
ule to a platform, under which the propulsion unit could be seen. Giordano was apparently trying to get to the propulsion unit.
“How do you know what to do?” Jonathan asked.
“I don’t. The LISA repair manual is on Earth. But I know this kind of propulsion unit, made by a large European manufacturer.”
“So, you’ve repaired them before?”
“No, but I’ve seen them in brochures.”
“And that’s how you know how to repair it?”
“I’ve worked on them before, of course,” Giordano said. “That was my job for two years. We jetted around in Earth’s orbit and ripped apart faulty satellites. You wouldn’t believe how much valuable hardware could be recovered from those things, and at the same time, we were helping to clean up the problem of space junk.”
“Ripping something apart isn’t quite the same thing as repairing it, I’d think.”
“Almost, Jon. At least the initial steps. I always had to test whether something was still usable or not.”
“Ah, like we evaluate the organs of people who’ve just died.”
“Exactly. And then I remove the still usable organs.”
“Well, let’s hope we don’t have to perform any transplants today.”
“Yes, that’d be a good sign. That’d mean that the propulsion unit is still salvageable.”
Two very tedious hours later, Jonathan was sitting next to Yue in the cargo airlock. Their legs were hanging down. Then Giordano came toward them. His shoulders were drooping.
“Doesn’t look good,” he said. “The drive must’ve been struck by something, probably a small meteorite. The fuel line’s been destroyed. There’s also no more fuel. Are you copying this, Judith?”
“Yes, I copy. Refueling should be no problem.”
“I won’t be able to seal the line anymore, though.”
“Not even with duct tape?”
Giordano spun a roll of adhesive tape. “No, it’s too cold. At below negative 180 degrees, it’ll turn brittle and crack.”
“What if we just brought it back to the L1 point?” Jonathan suggested.
“With no fuel, it can’t maintain its position, and a day later it’ll already be far away again. The reflector on the shell could keep tracking it, but not the one at the L4 point.”
“We could stay here and hold the satellite in place,” Yue said.
“The ARES is an interference source,” Giordano said. “Plus, then we’d have to stay here at the L1-point for months. We can’t know when a signal might come in.”
“And you don’t have any spare propulsion units on board? Weren’t all of the systems designed to be redundant?” Jonathan asked.
“The redundancy was achieved slightly differently,” Judith explained. “There are two equal propulsion units, one on the landing capsule and one on the orbiter module. We could replace one with the other, if necessary. So, even if one of them were to fail, we could keep going with the other.”
“So, both are functional? Then we could perform a living donor operation,” Jonathan said. “Like for a kidney.”
“That’d be sure to send Mike into a rage. The remaining engine might fail on our way to Mars.”
“But one should be enough,” Yue said, “or did I misunderstand something about the redundancy?”
“No, you’re right,” Giordano said. “But if the ARES flies on to Mars and we lose the engine at some point, then we’d be stranded. Depending on when it failed, we might fly right past Mars, or we might crash, or we might be trapped on the ground. I could understand Mike not being particularly happy about those prospects.”
“We’ll do it, nevertheless. We’ll transplant the orbiter module’s engine to LISA,” Judith said. “I’m in charge, and I’ll make the decisions. Mike didn’t even come along.”
“And our flight to Mars?” Giordano asked. “Not that I’m in any particular hurry, but wasn’t that supposed to be our primary goal?”
“It will have to wait. If we haven’t heard anything after a year, then we’ll retrieve the engine. And then all options will be back on the table.”
“I’m happy that Mike isn’t here. Otherwise he’d probably have you by the throat right now,” Giordano said.
“No worries, I know how to defend myself. Let’s get this repair over with.”
“I’ll start right away. It’s not that comfortable in these suits, even if our lovebirds here seem to think otherwise. Yue and Jon, come on, now I’m going to need your muscles.”
“On three,” Giordano said. “One, two, three!”
All together, they gave the LISA satellite a push. They had changed its outer appearance significantly. The orbiter module’s propulsion unit was oversized, but it would fulfill its task. The probe now looked as if someone had mounted a small car onto the chassis of a tractor-trailer. Slowly the probe drifted off into the darkness. Giordano had linked its new engine to the probe’s control computer. After it reached a minimum distance of 200 meters from the ship, the probe’s new drive would fire for the first time, and after a while, LISA would reach its proper position again.
“Good luck, LISA,” Yue said.
Jonathan waved in its direction. Then a bluish light appeared underneath it. The computer had activated the engine very slightly and fed it only as much fuel as was necessary. The thin flare looked like the flame of an ancient pocket lighter. He hoped the solar wind wouldn’t blow it out.
“All status indicators on green,” Judith said. “The probe is functional again. It will reach L1 in a few days. Then we can receive the first signals.”
He hoped that Judith was right. A message from inside the shell would change everything. Jonathan reached for Yue’s hand.
“And now you all better get inside. Then we’ll start our return flight.”
“Oh, I’m not looking forward to seeing Mike again,” Giordano said. “Did you tell him what we did with the orbiter’s propulsion system?”
“No,” Judith answered. “I just asked him if he wanted to hear about the repair work, and he said no.”
“Ha, that was smart. I guess we’ll have some peace and quiet, then, at least until we get back to the moon.”
April 14, 2035 – Moon Base Unity
“It makes the process a bit more difficult, I’ll give you that,” Giordano said.
“Hey, you were the one who moved all the engines,” Yue said.
“I was ordered by my commander. That’s what I’ll tell Mike, at least.”
“I didn’t know you were such a scaredy-cat,” Yue said.
Jonathan was proud of her. She had gained confidence during their repair mission. He hoped she was a bit proud of him too. He was breathing fast, because they’d had to climb into their spacesuits before the landing. The landing capsule was now attached to the rear end of the orbiter module, so, after their braking procedure, it was at the front of the spaceship. There was also no longer an airlock where the orbiter module’s engine used to be and that they could have used to climb directly into the landing capsule. So, they had to take a slight detour through space to get into the landing capsule.
“Time for us to get out,” Judith hurried them along. “I can’t wait to take my first bath.”
Maxim had sent them photos of the new bathroom unit. It now contained an actual bathtub, in addition to the three showers. The tub was in its own small room with a door that could be locked, so its user could relax in peace and quiet. Jonathan didn’t usually care to take a bath, but climbing into some warm water with Yue sounded pretty darn good. He pushed off from the outer wall, floated around some shielding, and steered himself toward the landing module with the help of the small nozzles on his back.
Just as Jonathan entered the landing capsule’s door, someone gave him a push from behind. “Hey, watch out!” he said.
“You’re too slow, old man,” Yue answered.
He knew he needed to exercise more. Otherwise, she would eventually replace him with somebody younger and in better shape. The co
mpetition was harsh, three women for seven men, and one of those women didn’t even like men. He couldn’t imagine how he, of all the men, could be so lucky. Or maybe it wasn’t luck. Perhaps Yue had sought him out? It didn’t matter. The complicated procedure before landing had at least one advantage. They didn’t need to put on their suits after landing. They could march right outside immediately. The others would be surprised.
The airlocks appeared to be blocked. “Won’t someone let us in?” Giordano banged on the outer lock door. It finally opened, and Wayne and Kenjiro came out.
“We hadn’t expected to see you quite so soon,” Wayne said. “It’s great that you’re back. You want to see how far we got while you were gone?” He seemed really excited.
“Do you have anything you want me to take inside while Wayne shows you our progress?” Kenjiro asked.
They gave him their bags, and Ken carried them into the airlock.
“Come this way,” Wayne said. He led them to the greenhouses. They had been placed lengthwise, one next to the other, and looked a little bit like covered flower beds. The first four were lit up, even though the sun was shining. Their soil looked to be covered with green plants. Jonathan couldn’t tell what exactly they were because the transparent roof had filmed over with condensation.
“Electricity production is going well, so we’ve been able to give the beds some extra light,” Wayne said. “Here, we’ve got, for example, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes. We already harvested the first spinach. My goodness, even if you never liked spinach before, whatever magic Ken puts into it, you’re going to love it, I swear.”
“Is it hard or stressful to work under the low roofs?” Jonathan asked.
“Both, but you get used to it. After an hour you no longer notice the smell, and after a week, crawling feels like your natural way of getting around. Of course, it is stressful, I’m sure you won’t be surprised, but it’s worth it. How long did we go without fresh food?”
The Wall: Eternal Day Page 17