Avernus: Book One Page 3

  “You’ll be out of the stratosphere and in orbit in three…two…one…”

  The engine roar was gone, silenced by space. Zea no longer felt attached to her chair. She watched Carl unbuckle himself and float into the air. Guess I should follow suit, she thought releasing her restraints.

  “NASA, we’ve cleared the atmosphere successfully,” Joseph said. “Despite engine situation ship appears to be alright. We’re in orbit.”

  Addison turned and faced the crew. “At 17,000 miles per hour, we should be able to dock with the CAPS within six hours.” After the ISS had been deemed nonfunctional, the CAPS, or Cosmic Analysis Planetary Station, had been created to continue space research. It functioned much like the original but with a few variations. The space station rotated to create artificial gravity. This made longer trips more feasible. The size had also increased to include separate sections for each space faring nation which now sat at thirteen. It now also hosted a garden for experiments on plant life.

  Zea enjoyed playing in the zero gravity; Spinning around, pushing off of walls and drifting uncontrollably. The experience was indescribably beautiful. It felt like she was flying like superman. Her hair danced around with no real purpose. She looked towards Nova who managed to tie her hair back in a braid. Zea pushed herself towards Nova. A slight miscalculation threw her directly towards a chair. There was nothing around to grab ahold of. In an act of self defense she stretched out her arms hoping to grab ahold of the chair. She managed to latch onto the arm and pulled herself over to where Nova floated. “Can I borrow a hair tie?” Nova pulled one from her wrist and handed it off. It took a few tries to wrangle all the loose hairs in, but every time she thought the hair band was in successfully a loose bunch would float past her face.

  “Here let me help you out.” Nova’s hands wrangled Zea’s hair up. “Do you want your hair up in a bun?”

  “Actually, I really like the way you did yours.”

  “I think I can handle that.” There was something relaxing about the way she worked the braid. As she got lost in the moment the ship came around and the sun began to rise through the window. Zea Nova both stopped to stare out at this spectacular view. The earth below them rotated slowly. She could see storms rolling across the sky and lights shining from cities in the night. CAPS lied just ahead. Attached to it was the MOS station and Phoenix VII ship hybrid. The gateway to the stars now stood before her. “There all done. You know It actually suits you more than me.”

  The only response Zea could muster was to blush. She quickly diverted her attention away from nova and back out the window. The space station was now overtaking the view.

  The docking process was relatively quick. The capsule pulled alongside the station, matching both speed and spin. As it did a small amount of gravity returned to Zea’s body. Her stomach dropped. It reminded her of hitting the bottom of a roller coaster. The familiar adrenaline rush consumed her. In all of her wildest dreams nothing could compare to this. Riding on a giant, standing atop the world.

  When the airlock opened an unfamiliar woman awaited them. “Welcome aboard the CAPS. My name is Andrea. Over the next few days I’ll be helping you familiarize yourselves with your new home. Let’s start with a tour.”

  As they wandered endless corridors, Zea found herself lost in the wonder of the ship. To think a ship like this exists. The halls were well lit, with strings of blue light running along the floor. The ceilings provided plenty of overhead clearance for even the tallest member of the crew. That was unexpected based on the outside of the ship. There were people wandering the walls acting as if they were any regular building back on Earth. Their chatter brought the place to life. Massive steel doors with the room names on them lined the halls. She placed her hand against one of the cold steel ribs used to give structure to the hall. In all her excitement the realization that outside the ship was an empty cold void hadn’t hit her. She stood in awe, trying to take in everything.

  “Zea, please keep up.” Andrea’s voice broke out, attempting to steal away the beauty of the moment Zea was having. She stood a bit longer before catching back up to the group.

  Andrea handed each of them a plate. “Here is the dining hall.” She walked over to a large machine against the wall pushed a button and in a few minutes out popped a rectangular chunk of what could only be described as a mud cake. “Everyone please take some time and eat. We have a long day ahead of us yet.”

  The machine whirred around producing all sorts of strange shapes. When Zea approached captain Somers stood next to her and pointed at one of the buttons. “I suggest you try this one.”

  Zea had grown to trust the Captain so she figured why not go along with it. The machine left a murky grey sphere on her plate along with three small disks. She headed to the bench, and grabbed a fork from the table. Beginning with the ball of goo, she began poking around. The substance held up well. She placed a sample in her mouth. The taste was phenomenal. Somehow everything told her she was consuming honey roasted pork. Everything that is except the texture, which was creamy like frosting, not that it bothered her. Lunch was followed by a trip to the main deck of the phoenix ship. And then dismissal to get familiar with their personal quarters.

  The quarters were small but cozy. Zea placed her lucky penny inside the top drawer and buried it beneath clothes. It seemed silly but if there was a chance that the luck would rub off onto her clothes it was a risk worth taking. After getting her things arranged it was time to wander the ship on her own.

  Days passed learning the ins and out of the Phoenix VII. Zea had learned every nook and cranny, making sure to have emergency supplies stored around the ship. You never knew when you would run into trouble, and getting back to the med station could become a life or death situation. With all preparations complete they were ready to ship out.

  Zea stood amongst the crew as the bay door closed on the MOS. the people beside her were now her only means of interaction. They headed towards the bridge to begin mankind’s most epic voyage. The first trip to another planet, a possibility for life, and the farthest space flight to date would all change the course of humanity regardless of the mission’s outcome. The ship roared to life, and from the bridge Zea watched the Earth begin to slowly shrink into the distance, followed by the sight of the moon filling their window into space. Once the ship was safely out of Earth’s orbit, Zea followed Captain Somers into the Stasis pod room. When she awoke the god of war would be there to greet her. His face smiling at her like a parent watching, waiting for them to open their eyes, prepared to teach them all that they know. Opening them up to a whirlwind of new information and knowledge.

  SOPHIE

  The destination hung in the emptiness of space before the ship. Sophie had been awake for the past week, at least that’s what the onboard clock indicated. It was the only means of tracking time without the regular cycling of the Sun, making time all blur into one long day. Her focus for the week was on observing geological features of the red planet’s surface visible from space. From atop this perch one could view the entirety of of Olympus Mons, the highest peak on Mars at two and a half times the height of Everest, unaided. Seeing a volcano this large with the naked eye was unlike anything she had been witness to in her life. Not only was the height impressive but the expanse over which the Volcano stretched was remarkably large. She wanted nothing more than to reach the surface and dig her fingers into the red soil. The area around what was being called the Gorgon Crater seemed to have different geological features from the surrounding surface.

  Sophie had been working closely with Taylor in an attempt to designate the best locations for sampling. Tomorrow the lander would be taken down for the first time and a research base would be established within a short distance of the desired area. She stood next to Taylor staring at the map of Gorgon Crater.

  Taylor pointed at the center of the map. “If anything the floor of the impact crater should be our biggest goal. That seems like the best place for life to survive. Air co
uld potentially get trapped down there.”

  She ran her finger over a swath of darkened land just outside the crater. “That is true, but look here. his is what we call microbially-induced sedimentary structures. The only way these could be produced in this quantity would be through some form of ancient bacterial life. Here, it looks just like ancient fossilized microbial life sites in an ancient flood plane.” A picture popped up on the display alongside the map. “From what I can tell the meteor probably crashed into the ground, but the life was most likely already there. And here along the craters edge, those are unmistakable signs of recurring slope lineae. Water must be coming from somewhere to produce these, my guess is an underwater source right around here.” She pointed to one of the seven different red circles she had drawn earlier. “You know as well as I do the odds of bacteria being able to survive on the surface is astronomical at best.”

  “So our best bet seems to be setting the base camp up here,” Taylor placed a miniature model of the habitat along a midpoint in the north sector.

  Knowing her theory held the most weight she moved the model over towards the clusters she circled in red. “If we want the best chance the base needs to be here.”

  “No,” Taylor said, pulled the model back to its original location without even a second glance at Sophie. “This spot is ideal. It has a nice open flat patch for the lander, and sits between a large grouping of possible testing sites. Plus it’s closer to the easiest entrance to the crater.”

  Sophie was getting fed up. “I’m telling you, that’s plain wrong. Why not set down here and we can test out my theory on the way to the crater.” If I were a man he would listen to me, guaranteed. At that very moment Joseph walked in the door. He would help her for sure. She made her way over to him and stood there looking forlorn, attempting to receive his pity. If this was the game she had to play she could manage it. Being the top geologist she had become an expert at dealing with men not believing her.

  “Joseph, come settle an argument me and Taylor are having.”

  The perplexed look on his face meant she had to try harder. Sophie walked over to the table keeping Joseph in tow.

  “I think the station should go here but Taylor wants to put it here.” she gestured to the two opposing locations. She knew her spot was right but her opinion wasn’t getting through. She had to make Joseph side with her to prove Taylor wrong. It was now a matter of principle. “Tell him Joseph. Tell him I’m right.”

  “I have no idea,” he said attempting to walk away.

  “Come on. I mean, look at these beautiful sediments here. And don’t tell me these pictures don’t look alike.” Sophie said, trying to urge him into agreeing with her. His demeanor still hadn’t changed. She had to try harder. “Come on, who you gonna trust, someone who was able to prove life started over three billions ago, or a guy who plays with rats for fun.”

  Taylor stood back and rolled his eyes. “Listen, I don’t know why we’re arguing this. You know as well as I do this is the best spot.”

  Joseph pulled back. “I guess I’m going to have to agree with Taylor. Can I leave now?”

  Are you shitting me? She had to keep her cool. This was a pivotal moment everything hinged on it. “What could it hurt to put the base here. I mean, just think how much extra time we would have to waste driving all the way back here and then back to the base when we could make it all one trip.”

  “Whatever,” Taylor sighed. “We’ll just go with your option.”

  “Good.” Sophie grinned. She knew she had won. “So it’s settled. Tomorrow we’ll land here and set up base camp.”

  “Can I go now,” Joseph asked hesitantly.

  “Yeah, sure.” Sophie waved him off. She was too focused on the fact that she had succeeded. “Taylor, let the Captain know I figured out where to go.” she left the room, walking with confidence. The ship was her domain.

  Now it was time to meet up with Nova for a girls movie night. But first she wanted to stop by her room to change. The specially designed jumpsuit was fine for regular use but could she never really relax in it, for that she instead opted for her special robe. A sensual piece whose short length exposed her long slender legs, driving boys crazy. The robe graced her body in a silken cloth that fluttered when she moved. The left shoulder often slipped down her arm. It’s low cut made her feel irresistible, though she’d had some trouble getting any attention from the men aboard the ship. Despite that she enjoyed wandering the long halls wrapped in it’s soft if not revealing presence. After being treated like an idiot, now more than ever she needed to feel confident in herself. Fully prepared for the movie, she exited her quarters.

  From down the hall, Diego was headed towards her. This is my chance, Sophie thought, throwing a seductive smile his way. she made sure to grace his arm as their paths crossed, letting him feel the smooth edge of the robe. His visage stopped and turned in her periphery. I’ve still got it. With an heir of confidence she began swaying her hips as if they were waves on the ocean, attempting to pull Diego out to sea. Slow, deliberate steps, walked on the balls of her feet accentuated her features. A short turn left her facing her onlooker. “Oh hey Diego, I didn’t realize you were there.”

  He stared at her completely flummoxed. His unwavering gaze locked on Sophie. “Where…where you off to?”

  Sophie began twirling with her long black hair. “Just a movie with Nova. Some chick flick.”

  “Sounds kind of boring.”

  “Yeah it’ll probably be really sappy, but Nova likes em so I don’t mind.” She locked eyes with him, and pushed out her exposed chest. “You could join us. Might make it more fun.” a bright red color over took Diego’s generally pale face.

  “I…I.. I,” words seemed incapable of escaping Diego’s mouth. “I have to finish programming for tomorrow.” Despite a sense of urgency in his voice, he remained where he stood.

  Sophie could feel the cold recycled air brushing against her skin. Having all the rooms just within earshot, she knew their conversation could be interrupted at any moment. Not to mention, standing there in the baren metallic hallway beneath the fluorescent lights was less than an ideal location for this conversation. Needing to get things moving, she touched his arm, “Come on, don’t be a party pooper. The movie’s not that long. You’ll have plenty of time after. I went through so much work to make all the snacks. It was hard pushing the button. You wouldn’t want it to go to waste.” she watched him hoping for some response. A hint as to what he was thinking. “You’re working too hard. I know what’ll motivate you.” She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. “Is that more convincing?” In an instant Diego was following her down the hall.

  “Are you sure Nova’s gonna be okay with this?”

  “She won’t mind. We do this several times a week. We’ve had a hard time convincing the others to join us though.”

  The room appeared ready for the “night’s” activity. Trays of gelatinous snacks littered the table, a mystery grab bag of flavors. The movie’s menu displayed across the back wall lit up the room. Nova laid spread across the arms of a large chair with her legs hanging over the edge.

  “Oh there you are Sophie.” Nova said sitting up. Her disheveled hair clinging to the chair. “Hi Diego. Are you joining us?”

  “It would appear that way, yeah.”

  “Well don’t let me stop you guys from sitting down.” Nova reached for one of the mystery blobs. “We’ve made a little game out of the snacks. Five of them are horrible but we have no idea which one.”

  Sophie reached for her own snack and bit in. “Apple pie, you’ve got to try this one.” She passed the treat off to Nova.

  “Mmm that’s delicious.” Nova garbled through her mouth full of food. “Nice seeing you take a break from work Diego. Guess you finally took my advice.”

  “Yep.”

  Going out of turn, Diego grabbed a snack and took a bite, presumably to get out of the awkward conversation.

  “Oh God.” He spit the fo
od from his mouth and began retching. His hands frantically swiping at his tongue.

  Sophie burst out laughing, tears began streaming from her eyes.

  “It tastes like spicy rotten fruit mixed with garlic.”

  Sophie’s guffaw grew ever louder as she struggled to catch her breath. It was nice to finally see someone else other than her get the nastiest flavor. “That was,” she struggled to breath amidst the laughter. “The funniest shit,” she huffed. “I’ve ever seen.”

  A greenish blue sphere flew past Sophie and towards Diego. Nova chortled, “Try that one. It’s mint chocolate chip, I promise. I use it as a palette cleanser of sorts.”

  The night dragged on with Sophie cuddling up against her new found paramore. Only bits and pieces of the movie actually caught her attention. If asked about the plot the only response would have been a jumbled mess of words. On the other hand her attention on Diego grew sharper. His cologne filled her sense, yet to this point it was not something she recalled him ever wearing. Maybe it was just her imagination. As the movie drew to a close, Nova got up and turned on the lights blinding the unsuspecting duo.

  “Really Nova,” Sophie screamed out, slapping her hands over her eyes in a futile attempt to block out the light.

  “Hey I had to let you two know the movie was over somehow. This just seemed like the more humane option. Besides I’m off to bed. We’re launching in ten hours and I need all the sleep I can get.”

  With Nova finally out of the way, Sophie was free to pursue Diego. In one smooth motion her body twisted round, positioning herself atop his lap. His muscular body beneath her legs came as a surprise. The subtle scent of cologne continued to pierce her nose. What started off as an attempt at getting some attention was turning into something more. A feeling of true desire. Longing to feel his presence all through the night. She leaned her body towards his, her head hanging over top of him. Their eyes met. Her dangling soft black hair shutout the rest of the world. Time slowed as she inched her lips towards his. Eyes closed, she felt his warm breath. Endorphins pumped through Sophie’s veins when their lips touched, triggering her innate desires. She placed his hands around her waist and then her hands on either side of Diego’s face. The kiss was passion incarnate.