First... Ch1.1

Chapter One

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            She stared at the placard on her desk.

 

“BRIG. GEN. ANNA SALDANA”

 

Her eyes drifted from the placard to the five neat stacks of folders. Each stack represented a highly qualified team of over achievers. Each folder represented the credentials of a consummate professional and expert in their field. Each team had their pluses and their minuses. She reflected, even the minuses where still well above the standards required. Her eyes drifted back up to the placard.

 

“BRIG. GEN. ANNA SALDANA”

 

I still can’t decide, she thought as she looked at each stack on her desk. She had been at this most of the day. She had read and reread each file several times. She knew these people extremely well. She could nearly quote their service jackets by now. But she could not decide. I am a General. I am supposed to be able to make these decisions. Her mind wandered back to her desktop. She picked up the communiqué she received yesterday.

 

LT. GEN. SANDERSON

5^TH REGIONAL COMMAND

EARTH SPACE AGENCY

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

EARTH

 

BRIG. GEN. SALDANA

COMMANDER

MARS ORBITAL OBSERVATON STATION ONE

MARS

 

 

ANNA, IT’S EASY. IT’S A LOTTERY. PUT THEIR NAMES IN A HAT AND PICK ONE.

 

MATT.

 

“Easy for you to say, Matt.” She said to her empty office. “Your decision doesn’t decide the outcome of history.”

 

She laid the communiqué down beside the five stacks and sighed. “No one will believe this.” She opened the drawer on the right-hand side and pulled out five pieces of her personal stationary. She wrote a name on one sheet and crumpled it up. Four others followed. She spun her chair around and picked up her hat from the credenza. She placed each crumpled ball of paper into the hat. Shaking her head, she shook the balls of paper around until she was satisfied she did not know which was which. Facing her desk, she reached behind herself and placed her hat back on the credenza. Reaching around with her left hand, she found her hat and reached in. She pulled out one crumpled ball of paper. She set it on her desk in front of her and stared at it. I’m a General, she thought. She opened the crumpled paper slowly and smoothed it out. She read the name and therefore the team.

 

“And, that is how you decide history, Anna. No one will ever believe this.”

 

*                     *                     *

 

“Send in the Major.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

The door opened and in stepped a crisp, professional in duty military garb. The officer marched forward in precise, measured steps. Came to a halt in front of the General’s desk. Snapped a crisp salute and held it.

 

“Major Tomlinson. Reporting as ordered, ma’am.”

 

The General returned the salute.

 

“At ease, Major.”

 

The Major relaxed from attention to parade rest, a stance with feet wide and hands resting behind the back.

 

“Major, I have reviewed your file and those of your team. You are all well above board. Your fitreps indicate highly skilled, highly developed, highly motivated professionals well able to handle the tasks for which you are assigned.”

 

“Thank you, ma’am.”

 

The General relaxed her demeanor a bit. She looked at this fine example of an officer. She pushed her chair back and stood up. She walked around her desk and stood next to the younger officer. “Congratulations, Janey. Your team was selected. You get to go.” The General extended her hand. The young officer snapped to attention and accepted the proffered hand.

 

“Thank you, ma’am. We will do the job right for you.”

 

“I know you will.” Releasing the handshake, the General walked back around her desk and sat down. Looking up to the Major, “You may tell your team. Remember OpSec until your selection has been officially broadcast. That is all and God speed.”

 

“Yes, ma’am. Understood.”

 

The Major snapped a crisp salute and held it until the General returned it. Taking one step backward and executing a perfect about-face, the Major exited the General’s office. She carried on past the Aide’s desk and into the hall outside. She looked to her left and right, noting no one in sight. Bringing her right hand into a fist below her chin, she dropped her elbow quickly, slightly lifting her knee. “Yes! We’re going to Mars!” she exclaimed in a forced whisper. Squaring her cover, she proceeded down the corridor as if nothing had happened.

 

*                     *                     *

 

“Moose 1 Argos,” the radio clipped.

 

“Argos Moose 1, copy,” was the reply.

 

“Moose 1 Argos, you are cleared for liftoff. Begin sequence.”

 

“Argos Moose 1, confirm. Cleared for liftoff. Beginning sequence.”

 

The intercom squawked and a voice sounded. “Secure all loose gear. We are cleared for liftoff. Take your places and batten down.”

 

“Alright, you heard the skipper. Stow it. Park it. Anchor it. No time to waste.”

 

The Major looked up from her seat as the Captain went through the compartment final checking all clamps, locks, and belts. He took his seat in the cockpit and strapped himself in. Putting on his helmet and plugging in, “Hermes 1 Argos all green.” He looked back into the cabin and grinned. She knew what was coming next.

It started as a vibration and turned into a low rumble. The low rumble built into a deafening roar. The passengers within the cabin bounced and shook as the Argos began lift off from MOOS 1. The deafening roar built into a crescendo then there was nothing. No sound, no roar, no mad bouncing, only a slight vibration.

 

The intercom squawked, “We are clear of Moose 1. We are beginning our approach vectors over the designated insertion point. ETA in 2. Begin checklists for departure and insertion.”

 

The Captain spoke into his helmet mic, “Hermes 1 Argos, copy and confirm. Beginning checklists for departure and insertion.” Pulling the mic out of the way and turning his head to look at the Major, “You are green for make-ready.” The Major nodded.

 

Unstrapping herself from the seat, the Major stood up. Using the handholds above her to steady herself in the near 0G atmosphere, she looked into the cabin at the faces staring back at her. “Alright, you wannabee starjockeys! Look lively! It’s time to earn your paychecks. Officers to your stations. Prepare for insertion. Run final checks on all equipment and back to your seats for the bounce in 1 45. Now, let’s move!”

 

A flurry of motion occurred next as officers and enlisted moved back and forth throughout the cabin. Equipment diagnostics were run and gear was confirmed securely stowed. Officers went over checklists and confirmed results with Tech Sergeants. Each officer in turn reported their findings to the Major. The Major and her second in command walked the cabin inspecting everything. Satisfied that everything was spec, they moved to the front of the cabin and began reviewing their Op Orders. The Major looked down at her chrono. “Time!” People made it quick time for their seats and began strapping on gear and pressure helmets. “O2 checks now!” One by one each crewman gave a thumbs-up. “Strap it!” As she donned her own pressure helmet and checked the 02 she could hear her team strapping themselves in for final approach. She gave a thumbs-up to the Captain in the pilot’s seat. He returned the gesture. Even though she could not see his face behind the helmet, she knew he was smiling. “Comm check. Round Robin.”

 

“Copy, Major. Listen up, starjockeys, pipe up when you name is called.”

 

The Captain went through the crew. Everyone’s comms were operational. He did his final check on their straps and locks. After checking the Major, he made a horizontal circle with his index finger while pointing down followed by an okay sign with his hand. The Major acknowledged with a thumbs-up. Everyone was secure and okay. The Captain sat back in his seat and strapped himself in. He gave a thumbs-up to his co-pilot who returned the gesture. He plugged into the console and flipped a switch.

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. We are all green and ready to drop.”

 

“Argos Hermes 1. Copy. Green and ready to drop. We are on final vector. Stand by for release.”

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Standing by for final release.”

 

Metal clanging against metal sounded around the Hermes 1 as docking clamps released their hold on the launch.

 

“Argos Hermes 1. You may ignite your engines.”

“Hermes 1 Argos. Copy. Igniting engines.”

 

A whooping sound traveled through the cabin. It slowly built in tempo until it was a constant thrumming sound.

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Engines are green.”

 

“Argos Hermes 1. Copy. Engines are green. Stand by for release in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”

 

Clang, shwoosh. Floating. Falling. Tilt. Dip forward.

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. We are clear and 0.”

 

“Argos Hermes 1. Copy. Clear and 0. Have a safe trip.”

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Roger. Now for the fun part.”

 

Simulations and near orbit bounces were nothing compared to actual atmo penetration. They all started out the same though. A sick free floating sensation followed by a heavy jar then the earthquake, the noise, the incessant vibrating of everything. Just keep gritting your teeth, the Major thought to herself. Just keep gritting your teeth. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Starjockey landers are taught how to semi-sleep. With eyes shut and breathing easy, the body goes into a hyper-relaxed state similar to sleep. The difference is the mind is acutely aware of all surroundings and can perform limited functions. She had become comfortable with staying in this state during all of her teams near orbit bounces. This was different though. This time they were going all the way through. She had to keep her focus on the mission and what it took to get there.

The hard bounce had begun. It was as if every bone in her body was trying to work itself loose. She watched the cloth of her pressure suit bounce and flop around with every hit and rebuff the Martian atmosphere gave them.

 

“Woohoo! Ride’em, cowboy!” He was laughing as he fought with the controls.

 

She wanted to tell him to can the chatter, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t sure she could speak cogently now, anyway. Captain William “Wild Bill” Rogers was from Texas. He fancied himself a Texas cowboy. Although the closest he ever came to beef was on his dinner plate. She allowed him a certain amount of leeway. He was an ace starjockey and coxswain. She knew it was his way of handling the stress of the situation. The launch continued to bounce and buck. Then as abruptly as it started, it stopped.

 

“Adjusting thrusters. This air is thinner than we thought for this weight. Fuel burn will be faster than anticipated, Major.”

 

“Copy that. Hold station long enough to lock GPS then roll into some currents to buoy us.” She replied.

 

“Roger. Holding station. Commo, do your magic. Get us a lock, Barker.”

 

“Working it, Captain. Will have it in just a few secs.”

 

“Copy.”

 

The Captain flicked a switch.

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Do you copy?”

 

Static.

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Do you copy?”

 

Static.

 

“Major, we gotta move if we want to talk to Argos.”

 

“Roger that. Take us lateral and hold at 10,000.”

 

“Copy. Lateral and 10,000.”

 

The Hermes 1 swayed and pitched as the Captain maneuvered the launch into wide arcs looking for air currents.

 

“Skipper, I have GPS lock.”

 

“Copy. GPS lock. Major, do we have your go?”

 

“Affirmative. You are go for insertion. Just get us down safely, Captain”

 

“Roger. We are go for insertion.”

 

She knew he resisted the pitch-roll-s-curve dive he often pulled in sim. This was real with real hardware, real people, and really hard dirt that was unforgiving if you landed too fast. Captain Rogers dipped to port and slid the nose forward. The vibration from the upper atmosphere began to buffet the launch. Riding waves of upper air turbulence, the Captain guided the small craft in a long, slow ellipse of descent.  

 

“Major, we are green and 0. Attempting contact with Argos.”

 

”Affirmative. Green and 0. Contacting Argos.”

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Do you copy? We are green and 0 for final insertion.”

 

Static.

 

“Argos Hermes 1. Glad you to hear you, Bill! Copy you are green and 0 for final insertion.”

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. Thanks, Margo. Glad to hear you too. Hermes 1 standing-by.”

 

The Captain turned to the Major. “Major, here comes the fun part.”

 

The reversing thrusters hit and everyone was thrown forward. The bull ride began anew. Decelerating from upper level atmosphere to lower level atmosphere was a bumpy ride. While the Hermes was designed for in-atmosphere navigation, the Martian atmosphere was turbulent. The roving bands of sand storms and super-tornadic events made a constantly shifting air mass which seemed to toss the Hermes around like a leaf in a wind storm. The Major lost track of the comm traffic that the pilots were shouting out. Green zero, minus1. Compensating. Green plus 1, plus 2. Yellow plus 2, minus 1. They were having a difficult time. Instead of focusing on the pilots’ chatter, she focused on sleep, the landers’ at-rest state. She had no control over the pilots, the atmo, or how hard they would land. She had control over how calm she was going to be during the ride. It was a bull ride and longer than the eight seconds required before the horn.

 

“We are going to over shoot ideal,” the Captain said over the comm link. “Major, should we make another pass to hit ideal?”

 

Not trusting her voice in this bouncing, she kept her response short, “Hit… ideal,… Captain.”

 

“Confirm. Hit ideal.”

 

She could feel the Hermes banking to port, shifting and bouncing through the air pockets. She tried not to focus on time, just staying at rest. The Hermes shifted again, this time to starboard, and fell for a moment before hitting hard against another air mass. The long looping turns were to reduce their speed in upper atmo and to shorten the length of their descent. She knew “Wild Bill” would later say this was the best part of the whole mission. She would remember the bouncing. There was more bouncing, more shifting, more dropping, more hard hits against air masses, then finally what she wanted to hear.

 

“We are green and 0-0 for final approach. Topography is unchanged. I have visual on ideal. It won’t be long now. Stand-by for landing sequence. Applying reverse thrusters.” The Hermes threw everyone forward into their harnesses as the thrusters sounded. “We are still too hot for landing gear. Apply 30 percent flaps.”

 

A low whine sounded followed by a greater rushing of air around the Hermes. This really angered the bull and it began to kick and buck hard.

 

“We are still green and 0-0. Air speed is yellow for landing gear but do-able. Going 60 percent flaps and breaking.”

 

The thrusters sounded louder and the bucking kicked up more. Then it eased off.

 

“Air speed is green. Landing gear is green. We are on target for ideal.”

 

The Hermes bucked and bounced a bit more then stalled. The thrusters sounded louder. Forward motion had stopped and they were descending vertically. Time seemed to stand still. All that could be heard was the roar of the engines slowing the effects of gravity. All that could be felt was the vibration of the rockets. The sensation of motion stopped then there was a hard jolt. The engines began to wind down. The noise of thrusters softened. Then quieted to a low rumble. They were down.

 

“Major,… Welcome to Mars. Commander’s privilege?” Captain Rogers turned in his chair to look at the Major.

 

“Give me a link, Captain.”

 

The Captain flipped a switch. “You are go, Major.”

 

“Hermes 1 Argos.”

 

“Argos Hermes 1. Copy.”

 

“Hermes 1 Argos. We are on Mars.”

Reviews

[SM Davis]

I know very little about military lingo, but I am enjoying this read. I love the characters you have developed. The major is intriguing. It's nice to see a strong female heroine. I am in awe of your writing ability. I'm working on my own novel, and reading this, I see that there is much revamping that should be done on mine.

Off to the next chapter...

[Ken Simm.]

It is interesting that this story is told for the most part in conversation. Or actually, (and I do not mean this in a derogatory sense) in lingo. The lingo we have come to understand from Sci Fi. This is a cut well above all the others in that it sounds and is real. It is how it might happen. an excellent job.

[TL Boehm]

Great work again on creating a distinct 'world' in this - it definitely sticks to genre but it isn't so technically written that the reader is going to get lost.
I really like the fact that she drew names...gave it a realistic quality. Nicely done.

[An Ordinary Woman]

This gave me goosebumps. LOL

*We are on Mars* The possibilities are endless now. Every door just opened up and from this reader's POV anything can happen now and I steady myself for the journey.

Exceptional writing.

[Dave "Doc" Rogers]

Okay, First is back. A big 'thank you' to those that gave this a read/review previously. Now to get back on track with the story.

Cheers!
Doc.