The Mons Connection Read online

  Contents

  Title Page-1

  Dedication

  Copyright

  The Arrival

  Preparation

  Road Trip

  Olympus Mons

  Talk To Me

  In The Mountain

  The Discovery

  THE

  MONS CONNECTION

  Janine R. Pestel

  This book is dedicated to my husband Joe. Without his encouragement, this book would never have been written.

  Copyright (C) 2016, 2017 Janine R. Pestel

  Layout design and Copyright (C) 2017 Janine R. Pestel

  Published 2017 Janine R. Pestel

  ISBN:

  Cover art by Lisabooks

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the

  product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance

  to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

  any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

  recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the

  author's written permission.

  The Arrival

  The spacecraft glides in silence through the blackness of the interplanetary expanse. Her skin bears the evidence of the long voyage she is about to complete - the weathering due to radiation from the sun, and the little pock marks from a myriad of impacts from micro meteors. On the side are decals of flags from several different nations, but the most prominent one is the United States flag in the center. Under the insignia is her name Earth United 1.

  Inside the vessel, the lights are dim, and there is little sound coming from the ship's computers as they go about their various programmed tasks. One would think it is an unmanned probe, if not for the one area which is a galley.

  The control center begins to brighten. An audible hissing signals warm; breathable air is filtering into the cabin. Computers that, moments ago seemed powerless, initiate the process of booting up. A computerized voice starts to repeat "Sleep cycle complete... sleep cycle complete..." Against the wall opposite from the data processors and the controls, are four upright pods. A light blinks on in one of them, and after a short while, the front of the compartment swings open. The man occupying the pod opens his eyes.

  "Crap. Is it morning already," he thinks to himself. This is Jon Carson, the captain of the ship. He is a rather tall man, about 6' 4". His build is muscular, and his steely blue eyes match well with his thick, mostly black hair. The gray on his temples belies the fact he is only in his mid 40's

  He leaves the comfort of his sleeping quarters. During the trip, he became used to moving about in micro-gravity and now seems to do it with relative ease. He makes his way to a console, presses a button and the announcement ceases. He puts on a headset and keys a mic.

  "Good Morning, Houston. There is a beautiful Mars outside our window today." It is several minutes before he gets a reply.

  "Roger, Earth United. Have a good breakfast," comes the response from Bill Harrington, the flight controller at Mission Control.

  "I'll have one of those when I return home. Until then, I guess I'm stuck with what's here. I think I've been away from home too long. I'm starting to like the food here." While he talks, Jon flicks switches and presses buttons to check all the systems and ready the craft for landing. He opens the remaining three sleep pods while continuing his conversation with Houston.

  "I'm glad the people at the propulsion lab perfected that EM Drive. It was bad enough having to deal with zero gravity for a month. I think I'd lose my mind if I had to put up with it for eight or nine months. I can't imagine how those guys on the ISS do it," he hits another switch, "Can you throw me a weather report?"

  "Satellites indicate it should be clear for touchdown. Something is stirring up west of where you'll be landing. We'll keep you advised on this."

  "I'd appreciate it. United out."

  Jon makes his way back to the sleeping pods where the other crew members are now out of their chambers- two more men and a woman. Still a little sleepy as they float in the area for a few moments trying to wake up, they stretch and give one another the obligatory morning greeting.

  "I don't know about you three," Jon says, "But I'm starved." He heads for the galley with the other three in tow.

  Minutes later, the crew is buckled into their seats and sitting around the table in the center of the room. Each is eating the breakfast of their choosing. The delicious aromas of the foods fill the air. The eggs with bacon Jon chose, the buttery sweetness of the pancakes with maple syrup in front of Doug. The bacon and pork sausage of Doctor Doolan's Rasher and Bangers and the multi-grain Kasha Mikhail is eating. Even though all the food is stored on board and prepared in the on-board microwave, the sensations make everyone almost warm and fuzzy; as though they are at home. Almost overriding all the fragrances is the powerful perfume of freshly brewed coffee. The four astronauts savor the moment as they realize that once they disembark the ship, they will not ingest food tasting this good again for several Martian days. The silence breaks when one of the men speaks up.

  "So Today's the day, huh," says Doug Johnson, the archaeologist.

  "Yeah, Digger... today's the day," Jon says.

  "Did ya hear that, Katy? Today's the day," says Mikhail. He is the navigator and the young woman sitting across from him, to whom he is speaking, is the ship's physician, Doctor Katherine Doolan. The gleam in his eye tells her what the Russian is thinking. Disgusted, she glares at him

  "Katherine. My name is Katherine," she says with her Irish Brogue "And I would thank you to keep your comments and thoughts professional, please," she scorns.

  "If I don't, what ya gonna do... give me a needle in my ass," laughs Mikhail.

  "Miko," says Jon, interrupting, "I wouldn't upset the good Doctor if I were you."

  "Aw...I'm only kiddin' with her," he says as he turns to Katherine. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I meant no harm."

  She considers him for a moment, her facial expression softening. "Apology accepted," she says.

  "Your attention, please," starts Jon, "So as you all are aware, we'll be landing in a little while on Mars. Specifically, in the Olympus Mons region. Our mission is to explore the volcano and report back to earth our findings. Our duty here is purely scientific and nothing more," he shoots a slight grimace at the navigator.

  "Why you looking at me," Mikhail asks, "I may be Russian military, but I know this is scientific mission, captain," then almost to himself, "I am well aware why we are here. Believe me."

  Mikhail thinks about why his government chose him to be on this assignment. He is certain that it is not because of his experience as a soldier, but rather because of the deductive training he received as a biologist. His thoughts turn to his wife Natalya and their two children, Leonid and Maxim and he hopes he will be returning home to them once again.

  Jon holds his gaze on Mikhail for a moment.

  "Now, you all know we're not expecting to find any life here. But, in the... unexpected... instance that we do, we are not authorized to fire upon it." He glances at Katherine, and his voice softens a touch. "After all, we wouldn't want to make Doctor Doolan go into uncharted territory, would we," he tries to suppress a smile.

  "Yes, please," Katherine says. "I'm a physician, but my training is in Human anatomy only. Don't make me patch up a poor little green man," she lets out a slight chuckle. Jon turns his attention to the crew archaeologist.

  "Digger."

  "Thanks, Captain," Doug says. "You are all aware I'm part of the ATP, which is...uh...an archaeologi
cal project run by Penn State University. We have reason to believe Mars may have bee... .uh, let's just call it," he pauses, looking for the right word, "inhabited, a long, long time ago. So, what we're trying to do is either prove or disprove this theory. Our group at the dig is grateful to the cooperative governments for helping us out by providing this mission. I imagine you guys might think we're a little... um... crazy-"

  "That is understatement," Mikhail says, interrupting. Doug stops talking for a brief moment and shoots him a look.

  "But," he continues, "you'll understand better when I give the briefing at Mons just how much sense it does make."

  "As soon as we land," Jon starts, "we'll disembark and unpack the rover from its bay. Once we leave the ship, we won't be coming back until the exploration of the mountain is complete, so we need to make sure we bring everything with us." He studies everyone for a moment. "Rover can be pressurized, so we'll use it for sleeping and eating, since keeping our helmets on at all times with the visor closed when we're not inside it will be required." He eats the last of his meal.

  "I suggest we also bring our EVA food with us," Doctor Doolan interjects "In case we become separated from the vehicle for any length of time. This way we can still ingest nourishment to keep up our strength."

  "Yeah. Good idea," Jon says, agreeing with the Doctor's suggestion. Being a military man from a military family, the captain is aware of the importance of being prepared for any situation. He also realizes it is this strong heritage of his which landed him the opportunity to be on this mission. A legacy he is very proud to have.

  The conversation is interrupted when a tone rings out from one of the computers. Jon surveys the crew.

  "Time to get ready to land this thing. Houston said our weather should remain clear for the landing, so this should be a snap."

  The other three rush to finish as much of their breakfasts as possible. Then, all four head out to the control center of the craft. This would be comparable to the "Bridge" of a ship here on earth, but there are only four seats. Mikhail and Doug strap themselves into the front two and Jon and Katherine settle in behind them.

  "Entering orbit around Mars, Captain," says Mikhail.

  "Roger," says Jon, who relays the information to Mission Control. "Houston. Earth United One here. Orbit acquired."

  "We read you, Earth United One. You are go for entry and landing."

  "Copy," he turns to Mikhail, "Ok, Miko. Let's land this thing." Mikhail nods.

  The red orb of the planet looms large outside the windows of the spacecraft. The crew, looking out the window, observe mountains and valleys. On the Martian horizon is an almost indiscernible thin atmosphere.

  As they orbit the alien world and the landscape below them go by, a massive volcano comes into view.

  "There it is," whispers Doug.

  "Aye. And the next time by, we'll be parking next to it," answers Mikhail. Then, talking to everyone, "Time for final descent."

  Mikhail begins to fire little bursts from the steering rockets to aim the lander. Doug is watching a computer screen in front of him, which shows the craft's angle and projected trajectory data.

  "Almost there. Give it four degrees pitch, two degrees yaw," he says to Mikhail, who, looking at figures on his monitor, holds up his hand.

  "Everyone get ready," he says as he begins a countdown from five using his fingers. Five fingers... four fingers... three fingers... two fingers... one finger.

  He fires the main rockets for a moment to begin the descent, and the crew is thrown back into their seats, but not hard. The scenery out the window starts to go by faster while the planet gets bigger as they rush downward. They enter the thin atmosphere, and the ship buffets a little.

  "Readings are good, Earth United," says a voice on the radio. The man is referring to the crew's physical data - their heart and respiratory rates. "G's are minimal, about one and a half."

  "Roger," Jon says.

  Katherine looks up at her captain, who glances down at her. He can see a little fright and worry in her eyes. As a doctor, her sense of self-preservation is adamant. He smiles to try to reassure her. She makes a facial gesture back at him

  "I always hate this part," she says, almost shouting, so as to be heard above the all the noise the craft is now making as it enters the atmosphere of the red planet.

  "No worse than a carnival ride," says Jon, in a factual sort of way.

  "I've been on carnival rides less frightening," she says, her attention on the action outside the window.

  "Look at that," she exclaims as they pass through the terminator to the far side of the alien world, "A Martian sunset."

  "Going to the far side, Houston. We'll see you in a few," the Captain says.

  All the while, Doug keeps giving data updates to Mikhail.

  "Miko, we're at half planet," he says.

  "Aye... ready to fire retros," replies Mikhail. Doug remains glued to his computer screen.

  "Retros in five... four... three... two...... one... Hit them, Miko." Mikhail gives some short bursts of the retro rockets to slow the ship's speed.

  After what seemed like hours the crew now, at long last, can see the Martian sunrise. As they enjoy the sun coming up over the limb of the planet, they see the huge mountain that is Olympus Mons begin to rise above the horizon in front of them.

  "Houston, Earth United One here. We're back and what a beautiful view of the landing site."

  "We copy Earth United One. "

  "Ten Kilos," says Doug as Mikhail nods. "Nine Kilos," then a moment later, "Eight... seven... six... five... four kilos. Altitude five hundred feet. Three kilos... two kilos. Go for set down."

  "I got it from here Digger," Mikhail says as he works the controls.

  The cliffs below the volcano's caldera fill the window as the ship touches down on Martian soil.

  "Contact," reports Doug. Jon chuckles to himself as Doctor Doolan lets out a very audible relief filled sigh.

  "Think about re-entry when we get back to Earth," he says to her, chuckling.

  "Oh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder," she says, looking at him without turning her head. The captain turns his attention to the front seats.

  "Miko. Let them know we've landed," Jon says.

  "Aye," Mikhail says, as he presses a button on the communication microphone before him "Earth United One arrival at Mons. All safe."

  "It will take a few minutes for the message to get to them, but at least they'll know we all made it alive," Jon states as he unbuckles himself from his seat and starts to move toward the hatch.

  "I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to actually walk again. Come on, people. We gotta suit up."

  The four make their way over to the area where their suits are stored and begin the long process of suiting up.

  Preparation

  A few minutes after touching down on the alien world, the team finds themselves preparing to exit the spacecraft. All four begin rubbing their visors with anti-fog compound, and donning the various parts of the EVA gear they must wear while here on the red planet and away from the protection of their ship.

  Wearing the suits is a necessity. Because Mars lacks the abundance of life giving oxygen and gravity of Earth, without a helmet and a space suit, a person would die a quick and painful death within minutes. This fact is not lost on the four as they contemplate going outside the craft. The crew breathes pure O2 to prevent nitrogen bubbles from building up inside them as they continue the process of putting on their suits. No conversation is going on as everyone is busy getting themselves and their equipment prepared as they had trained for months to do.

  "Everybody ready," Jon asks. The other three double check their gear, close their helmet visors and give the nod and thumbs up. "Let's go. Cameras and mics live," he says, closing his visor and pressing the button to open the lander's hatch.

  "Houston. We're about to disembark," the captain says

  "You are go," comes the reply a few minutes later.

  "Tak
es so long for a response; it's like having a conversation in slow motion," Jon says to the others.

  The heavy door opens, and they walk out on the stainless steel ramp of the ship which leads down a short distance to the deep rust colored soil. The dust kicked up by the craft's landing is still airborne and falling back to the ground. Since Mars' gravity is only about 38% of Earth's, things don't fall as fast as on Earth.

  The sunlight of the Martian day is only a little less than half as bright as the four are used to when compared to a sunny day back home. This is partially because of the small trace of dust in the atmosphere. Other than these small fragments of sand, the sky is fairly clear.

  Jon stands on the ramp and gazes around at the scenery.

  "Houston, are you seeing this?"

  "Yes, we are, Jon. What a sight."

  "Disembarking to the surface."

  "Roger."

  Jon is the first to walk down the walkway. The importance of this moment is not lost on him. He thinks back to when he was a child and his father, whom he is so proud of, would come home and tell him about all the things that were happening at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he was stationed as one of the military personnel. How Jon wanted so much, as a child, to be an astronaut. He never dreamed he would one day be the very first human to walk on Mars. As he reaches the bottom of the ramp, he pauses a moment and closes his eyes. He thinks to himself "This is for you, dad," as he opens his eyes and takes the step off the ramp to stand on the alien world. "Mankind has left the Earth and makes the first human footprint on Mars," Jon announces. Everyone stops as he photographs the imprint for posterity and allows Mission Control back on Earth to have a visual on everything via his helmet cam. On his radio, he can hear all the cheering back at mission control.

  "Thanks for the show Captain Carson," the controller says.

  "My pleasure."

  Looking up at the crew he jokes, pointing at the footprint he made when he stepped off the ramp, "You know the first dust storm is going to erase that." Then, to the command center, "Houston, what's the word on the weather you told me about before? Any change?"