Alien Horizon

“Are you nervous, sir?” Fydkulmun asked. 

“Apprehensive, but not nervous,” Grekxandub (Grek for short) replied. The grizzled mission commander leaned back in his acceleration couch. He would have put his hands behind his head as they waited for launch, but his bulky space suit wouldn’t allow it.

Fydkulmun (Fyd for short) gazed out the viewport. The launch platform was atop a high plateau near Jezero City. From their lofty vantage point, he caught glimpses of the shimmering Neretva River flowing out of its vallis, through the thick forests, all the way to the ocean at Isidris. Jezero City perched on a bluff beside the river. The light gravity allowed the white towers to soar impossibly high into the sky. Jezero City was one of Mars’ crown jewels.

And it was dying.

The river’s flow had already decreased substantially. The dense forests had been dark green in years past, but now they were a patchwork of sickly greenish yellows. The ocean at Isidris had receded, leaving a wide, exposed seabed. Winds picked up vast amounts of seabed dust that frequently choked Jezero City. In nearby Terra Sabaea, the huge glaciers that had carved the picturesque, steep valles in the surrounding mountains were gone. Once, icy cold rivers of glacial melt flowed down onto the plains and nurtured abundant wetlands full of life. But the rivers dried up, the life died and Terra Sabaea became a lifeless, red desert.

So much was riding on this mission. The enormity of the task – sending a colonizing mission to another planet – was almost more than an average Martian could comprehend. Fyd was above average, and even he was having difficulty. He was about to leave Mars forever. The monitor before him showed the trajectory that the five hundred colonists and crew would take. Their colony ship would leave the Jezero launch platform and enter Martian orbit, then at the optimum moment the primary thrusters would kick in and launch their colony ship at the second planet in the solar system. Venus and Mars were currently in conjunction. Their flyby of Venus would give them enough thrust to take them to the third planet in the solar system. Unfortunately, Earth and Mars were in opposition, but time was of the essence and decisions had to be made.

The average Martian had no idea what was coming. Fyd knew about the massive asteroid. Jupiter’s gravity had snagged it out of the void and flung the giant rock at Mars. The colonists were launching as soon as they could, but they were still cutting it close.

Fyd was excited about the trip, although he was sad about leaving family and friends behind. He thought about the young female Martian he had met at a pub a few days ago. She was bubbly and vivacious and a long way from her home on the slopes of Olympus Mons. Fyd would never see any of them again. Most likely, she and everyone else not aboard the colony ship would be dead very soon. That made him sad, but the voyage ahead was exciting.

Emotions were running high among the colonists and crew. Unfortunately, they were mostly negative emotions.

There were so many unknowns, so many variables. There was a slim chance that the asteroid would miss Mars. It was a very slim chance, Fyd admitted, but still a chance. But even if it did miss Mars entirely, the planet’s magnetic field had collapsed. Desertification was already underway.  Glaciers were vanishing. Seas were drying up. Rivers were disappearing. The air was getting thinner and there were fewer and fewer clouds.

Probes had been to most of the other planets in the solar system, but Martians had never stepped off their planet. Martians had never even been to Phobos or Deimos. They had the technology to leave, but there was a pathological fear of leaving the home world hard-wired into every Martian. Fyd couldn’t imagine how the space agency had recruited the other 499 colonists and crew members and convinced them to leave. He knew he was unusual in that regard. Every precaution had been taken in the hasty design of the colony ship to make it as safe and as much like home as possible, but there was no possible way to plan for every unknown. Their voyage was expected to take about 300 days, less than half of a Martian year. That didn’t sound like a long time but being cooped up in a very small can with 499 others could potentially affect a sane Martian’s mind.

And even when (if?) they arrived at Earth, there was no real way of knowing what they would find.  Probes indicated that Earth’s atmosphere was rich in oxygen and temperatures were in the optimum range for Martians to go outside comfortably. But those probes also detected gases created by life in the atmosphere. It was probably microbial life, but that could be just as deadly as a large predator to an unsuspecting Martian.

The big problem was going to be gravity. The engineers said they have that figured out. Something about their space suits?

Were there trees on Earth? Fyd wondered. And rivers? And animals? And people… Wait, no people. No Earthlings. Just us. Not the bubbly young woman or my next-door neighbors or my parents. The engineers were being very selective in what Earth information they released to the colonists and crew.

The primary monitor in the control room suddenly came to life, showing the Mission Operations Director. Sweat was beading on his forehead. Fyd and Commander Grek sat up in their acceleration couches. The director cleared his throat.

““There has been a development,” the director said gravely. “The asteroid encountered a dwarf planet in the asteroid field, which we predicted. We were hoping the two would collide, or at least that the dwarf planet’s gravity would nudge the asteroid enough to send it away from Mars. Unfortunately, the encounter caused the asteroid to accelerate and shifted its trajectory. It is now heading directly for us.” He swallowed hard. “This is going to end life as we know it on Mars.”

Commander Grek nodded sagely. Fear gripped Fyd. He knew it was coming, but hearing the director say it made it suddenly real.

Outside the viewport, Phobos was rising in the west for the second time that day. The little moon moved so quickly that you could see it sliding across the sky. Phobos, the god of fear. How appropriate, Fyd thought.

The launch happened smoothly and on time. The colony ship completed three orbits of the planet before the computer was satisfied that they were in the correct position. Then the main drives kicked in and they accelerated away from the planet, the first Martians ever to do so. 

The control room’s primary monitor showed Mars receding behind them. Their beautiful greenish-tan and blue planet already had angry reddish scars in places like Terra Sabaea. Fyd could see a faint haze behind the planet as the solar wind blasted Mars’ atmosphere into space.

It was only a day into the voyage before the engineers began dropping bombshells on the colonists and crew. Fyd rated each revelation:

·        They had several domes to be erected on Earth that they could live in – positive

·        They had several years’ worth of food stowed in the hold – positive

·        Earth’s atmosphere had a much higher amount of oxygen in it. It wasn’t poisonous, but Martian colonists would hyperventilate if they tried to breathe it –negative

·        Air pressure was much higher on Earth’s surface than it was on Mars’ surface. A Martian would suffocate if he tried to breath it – negative

·        Temperatures over most of the planet were optimum for Martian comfort – positive

·        Water was extremely plentiful – positive

·        Gravity was a whopping 263% higher than Martian standard gravity. It would crush a Martian easily – MAJOR negative

·        Their space suits had a powered exoskeleton built into them to compensate for the excessive gravity – positive?

·        The exoskeleton could be removed from the space suit – positive?

As Fyd thought about these things he realized something that the engineers hadn’t said. He and his fellow Martian colonists would have to remain inside the dome, with its lower air pressure and moderated gravity 100% of the time. If they walked outside without the space suit, the atmosphere’s density would suffocate them and gravity would crush them. Could they live like that?

For the first time, Fyd doubted his decision to join the mission. But he was going to be one of the first Martians ever to set foot on another planet. That was exciting!

Even though they had been screened to have strong emotional control, depression set in for most of the colonists and crew long before they reached Venus. Their medics’ primary job became administering antidepressants. Fyd was one of the few who did not need them.

By the time they reached Venus, the colony ship had not suffered a single mishap. The computer executed the slingshot around Venus perfectly and they gained the additional acceleration needed for the longer leg of their journey to Earth.

However, as they were leaving Venus, Mission Control called with bad news. The asteroid struck Mars at Jezero City with annihilating force. There was now a massive crater where the jewel city had been. Huge quantities of dust were lofted into the already thinning atmosphere. Their home was wrapped in a planet-hugging darkness. Satellite views now showed an angry reddish-brown planet. Millions had been killed when the asteroid struck. Millions more were dying every day as Martian society collapsed. 

Mission Control’s underground bunker had been damaged as powerful Marsquakes rocked the planet after the impact. Their primary generator was destroyed and the backup generator was faltering. Even though the bunker was well stocked, the supplies wouldn’t last forever and couldn’t be replenished. The Mission Control Director said he might not be able to contact them again and wished them Godspeed to Earth. “Carry on the Martian legacy. You’re all that remains of us now.”

Fyd’s enthusiasm for the mission faltered briefly.

Mission Control never contacted them again. Commander Grek tried to contact Mission Control numerous times, but all they heard was static.

The computer kept a countdown for arrival at Earth. Fyd watched it daily. The numbers were decreasing but it seemed like they would never get down to Martian-comprehendible numbers. So it came as a surprise when the computer abruptly fired the braking thrusters. Fyd quickly changed the primary monitor to show their forward view. A blue marble with white flecks appeared. Earth! Could it be? After all these days, could they finally be approaching their destination? Fyd’s excitement stirred the lethargic members of the command crew.

Earth continued to grow in their monitor view. So much water! Mars had never had that much water. Continents. Big landmasses. And so many wispy white clouds. As they drew closer, Fyd’s giddiness grew. A new planet! And a huge moon. Wow!

The braking thrusters ceased as the computer guided the colony ship into Earth orbit. Fyd watched the long range scanner as huge, snow-capped mountains flashed by, followed by vast plains and enormous oceans. Oceans and oceans and more oceans. So much water! After being cooped up in the colony ship for 300 days, he was ready to get out. He had already volunteered for outside duties. 

The colony ship orbited Earth for many long days. The engineers were sequestered and busy the whole time, but finally they announced they had located a place for the colony ship to land. It had to be the perfect spot, because once the ship was on the ground, it wouldn’t be able to leave. There wasn’t enough fuel left to overcome Earth’s strong gravity.

The engineers chose a peninsula in the subtropical region of the planet. It was surrounded by water on three sides. They would have consistent warmth. The surrounding land was relatively flat. There was a lot of vegetation. Scans indicated plenty of natural resources nearby. This spot represented their best chance of survival. Entry into Earth’s thick atmosphere was tricky, but the computer guided the ship down successfully. The colony ship landed in a level clearing not far from the ocean. 

Everyone wanted to get out of the ship immediately but Commander Grek wouldn’t allow it. Only the construction team could leave. They began erecting the domes that would be their forever home. Fyd longed to go outside, but Grek ordered him to remain in the control room. He watched the monitors constantly. The sun was huge compared to its size from the Martian surface. The sky was an amazing shade of blue. Plants were everywhere and they were every shade of green. Bugs swarmed around the external lights at night. It was so different from Mars.

The colony ship moderated gravity for them. Even while wearing his spacesuit with its exoskeleton inside the colony ship, Fyd could feel Earth’s gravity reaching for him, pulling him down. It was tiring.

Construction seemed to take forever, but the crew finally announced that the domes were complete. They had tested extensively for leaks and found none. The generator was up and running and the gravity moderators were working. They could move in. Commander Grek allowed groups of 10 at a time to enter the dome until all the colonists and crew were inside. He called a meeting in the largest dome’s central plaza.

“My friends, welcome to our new home. We left Mars behind us. I know no one wanted to leave. Each of us had to overcome an innate fear of leaving our planet, but we did it. We have seen what happened to the planet after we left. If we had remained, we would be dead. Martian civilization as we know it would be extinct. We sailed across the void to come here, to Earth, to this very spot, to rebuild our lives and our civilization. In our hearts, we are Martians, but now we have become Earthlings. I think we all realize that we have some real challenges ahead of us. We have a good supply of food, but it won’t last forever. We have to find local foods that we can eat. We have machines, but machines break down and we have very limited means to repair them. I know many of you want to get outside and explore, and there is plenty of time for that. Have patience. Truthfully, we know very little about Earth. I don’t want anything to happen to any of you, so we will be cautious.”

Fyd smiled. Commander Grek had already told him that he would be one of the first to venture outside.

“Our little village here needs a name. Anyone is welcome to submit a name, and as a people, we will vote to choose our village’s name.”

The colonists began drifting away to find their assigned domiciles within the domes. Fyd’s domicile was on the second level next to the dome itself. It had a large window facing west. As he stood there, looking at an alien horizon, the sun was setting in a blaze of fiery reds and oranges. It was so different from any sunset on Mars. So exciting. And he already had a name that he wanted to submit for their village. He had come up with it himself, and he was proud of it.

Chicx (short for Chicxulub)