Captain Merl Draper stared down at his console and the thought of sleeping peacefully in
his anti-grav bed flashed in his mind.
For a moment all the figures and diagrams on the ships oppressively large dashboard meant nothing to him.
This second passed and all his years of cruel discliplne came back into his head like a ride
that stops suddenly.
“Ok it all looks good from here. The site looks flat enough. Two by five, five seven looks
the best spot.”
“Positioning sir”. Second Pilot Earl Garrets rich voice came through Merls headset.
The true gravity of what they were doing here came to Merl for a moment as he realised
this was the beginning of something both historic and tragic for human beings everywhere.
In the last 10 years Mars had shifted in the public and governmental awareness from a
deep fascination and curiosity to a place that offered a fresh start.
His own family had already moved from central Ohio into the new farms and sealed domes
in Pennsylvania. And they were the ones that could afford it.
Back home people had been arguing for decades about the viability of colonising Mars.
Now it was it seemed we had no choice.
He reached down and turned off two warning lights. They indicated that one of the landing
mounts had been weakened somehow. There were plenty more. The ship would hold.
There was no time for perfection.
In fact Cap Draper had been hired he knew, for that very reason.
He got results and didnʼt agnonize over the trivial.
“Landing in 10 seconds.” Pilot Garrets voice had a tinge of nervous excitement to it.
He felt a gentle lurch as the ship landed. After a 2 year journey its 356 passengers were
now the first humans to ever land on Mars safely.
The team of engineers and scientists that had been milling round in the background as all
this had been going on suddenly came out of silence and a hand come down on his
shoulder.
Draper looked at the hand. It was attached to Dr Gene “Red” Blackman. His smile was
broad and he ignored (just this once) Drapers ʻremove your handʼ stare and said, “We
made it Captain, this is the beginning. Can we go out now?”
“Yes Dr Blackman. You know the drill. We have 4 hours until the surveying team arrive so
keep it quick.”
“Of course Captain.”
Captain Draper nodded and returned to his readouts and reports.
Gene spun around and declared, “Lets see the red planet up close my friends!”
Blackman and his team were now suiting up in the transport bay. Gene was reminding
himself to stay calm and made a point of double checking his suit for safety before he even
started putting it on.
Jasmin Daley the main atmospheric scientist was still slipping into her suit and Gene allowed himself a quick side glance at the nape of her neck as she removed her coat.
He imagined her drinking wine and laughing at his jokes but then he realised he never made
jokes. Hmm, he thought something to remedy.
Brian Jackson chief geophysicist and friend of 15 years glanced over with a smirk, “Wow, what a view huh?
Cant wait to feel the sand between my boots.” He turned and presented his left shoulder to him.
“Check my oxygen feed would you?”
This went on for half an hour until Drapers men were happy that everyone was ready.
The two remaining members were James McCanly a particle physicist and Roger McGann
a Cosmologist, Astrophysicist and Mathematics genuis.
All seven of them now shuffled into the main atmospheric seal in their bulky suits and
waited for the main doors to close between them and the outer hull.
Gene stared through one of the small portals as the huge door closed and the compression process started.
He felt calm again and could vaguely make out the red colour of the rocks and sand of the Mars surface.
James and Roger were testing their communications and he could hear their muffled voices discussing the biodiversity possibilities on Mars.
Gene had only recently managed to get them both to stop arguing and since then they had struck up quite a productive debate over the task at hand.
Threatening to expell them from the team had done the job.
Gene had a knack for negotiation. Except when it came to women.
He glanced again at Jasmin and imagined dinner again. This time she was in bed next to him staring dreamily
into his eyes as if he had done something worthy of praise.
Something else he needed to look at down the track.
Mars first he mused.
Corporal John Gratzman tapped Gene on the helmet. “60 seconds to equalization and then the doors Dr Blackman. Do you want to do the honors?”
“Yes thank you Coporal” Gene smiled appreciatively at him.
He looked over at Brian who was still chatting to the tall private Donnehy.
He waved them both over and shook his friends hand. “To the beginning my friend. We made it.”
“Yes and now the fun begins. No pressure mind you.”
His wry smile and sarcasm never failed to make Gene feel lighter.
The whole group became quiet as they all turned to stare at the outer doors.
They were hissing now as the pressure equalized on their side.
He slipped his hand into the slot and pulled the mechanism out.
The door lifted from the bottom up and Gene could feel himself gasp as the red planet
came into view for the first time.
What is illusion and what is reality?
That which is unseen today may be possible tomorrow.
That which is patterned and adopted today may be jettisoned tomorrow.
Whether it is for survival or exploration is yet to be known.
But that is the beauty of uncertainty is it not?