Space Stations

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, television and radio broadcasters were announcing that the transmission from Mars had been disrupted by unexplained technical difficulties.

After a while, in place of the direct report from Ares, there came a transmission from Orbital Base Phobos. They had had to wait a few hours for it, as the Martian moon had gone behind its mother planet in its approximately 0.31 day orbit.

As soon as Phobos was over the horizon for the line-of-sight contact with Ares, Captain Eriksen reported to Earth with a sense of foreboding. “We have no radio contact with Ares—no visual sighting either. The area surrounding the landing site is near the center of an immense dust cloud. We'll try making radio contact and keep looking for a break in the sandstorm.”

Aboard Trailblazer, the crew huddled for a conference.

“What's your diagnosis now, Linde? Will the storm clear up anytime soon?” Eriksen asked.

“The storm appears to be local and relatively minor. We lack sufficient data about such events on Mars and it's hard to tell. There's an indication, though, that it may be clearing up. We need to keep watching.”

“It's troubling there's no radio contact with Ares. The storm may have damaged the communications antennae,” Boutillier interjected his thoughts.

Eriksen looked grave. “What worries me most is whether the ship itself is still intact. I don't think it was designed to cope with a sandstorm like that. I'm concerned about the safety of her crew.”

Another orbit later, there still was no communication from Ares despite repeated attempts at contact from both Trailblazer and the Consortium's control antennae on Earth. All receiving stations around the globe were intently listening in for any signal from Ares. In the meanwhile, the Trailblazer crew worked around the clock to complete the refitting of the supply ships as a habitat so that they could house refugees from Ares if any were rescued.

At another all-hands meeting, Eriksen recapped the situation succinctly. “There are still no signals from Ares. Linde, bring us up to date on the conditions below, will you please?”

“At the landing site of Ares there may be a break in the dust storm soon, lasting maybe about an hour or so.”

“How about the conditions at the spot picked for our own landing?” Eriksen wanted to have a more complete weather report.

“Unless it's for an emergency, I would not advise you to land Valkyrie there for at least a few days.”

Anyway, it was clear in the minds of everybody present that ascertaining the safety of Ares and rescuing any surviving members came first before the completion of their own mission objectives. The crew selection board for Trailblazer would not have passed anyone whose first concern would not be for the well-being of their comrades, even when those colleagues were on the competing team.

Before Eriksen had the chance to address the issue, Boutillier spoke up eagerly.

“Unless we hear from Ares very soon, I volunteer to take Valkyrie down for a look. If there are survivors, I'll rescue them. The shuttle is a two-seater, but if I don't take any cargo, we can jury-rig another seat in it. If all four are alive, I guess I'll have to go back again.”

“How are you going to get inside Ares to find out if there are survivors? If you force your way through the hatch, you may be sealing the fate of any survivor by exposing them to the near-vacuum of Mars,” Okita objected.

“I'll knock on the door or something and find out if there's anyone inside who'll respond.

If no one responds, it probably won't matter if I force my way in. Besides, if they have any sense, they'll all be wearing their space suits by now. I'll take four portable oxygen masks with me, though, just in case. Maybe, I can put the masks on their faces before they suffocate in near vacuum.”

Eriksen cut in before the discussion progressed any further. “Piloting Valkyrie for a mission of mercy should be my job. It's still chancy there. As the captain, I can't expose Jack to such a risk.”

If Eriksen sounded firm about his counterproposal, Boutillier was even more adamant about his idea. “Poul, as captain, your foremost responsibility is to the entire crew. The rescue mission for Ares has to come second. There're two experienced pilots on this mission for a good reason. Even if something should happen to one of us, the other will be able to take Trailblazer back to Earth. Obviously, you are more qualified than me in completing this mission and taking Trailblazer home. You are indispensable and I am expendable.”

Boutillier declared with finality. “No, Captain, I must be the one to go.”

Eriksen considered the Cajun's impassioned plea for several moments and reached a decision. It was evident that he did not like what he was about to say.