Centauri, p.1
CENTAURI, page 1
CENTAURI
A Sci Fi novel by
Ken Bush
Copyright ©2014
CHAPTER ONE
The Mission to Mars
The year was 2050. The United States starship titled Mayflower flew through space towards Mars. The Mayflower was the D-75 model; a sleek new ship designed by the top engineers at N.A.S.A. It was an impressive display of titanium and well designed for space travel. The dual fiery thrusters on the rear rumbled loudly. It targeted its destination which sat straight ahead.
Mayflower was crewed by the latest team of astronauts selected by N.A.S.A. to check the soil of Mars again for gold. It was a major topic on Capitol Hill especially with the economic problems that had pulverized the nation for several years prior to the mission. Captain Daniel Hills and his crew; Lt. Robert Sears, Lt. Dana Stevens and Lt. Jason Peters manned the cockpit of the starship as they began their descent to the surface of Mars. It had been a long flight of three weeks that Hills and his crew had been together on the starship. They been cooped up long enough and were ready for some action as well as looking forward to discover new things on Mars.
Sears floated inside an anti-gravity bay in his N.A.S.A. jumpsuit. He drifted to a large window and looked out into the deep, endless darkness of space. Here he was an astronaut and finally on his first mission to Mars. He didn’t care much about the mission though. It wouldn’t matter if they were going to the Moon, Mars or even Jupiter. All that mattered was that he beat out the horrendous competition to become an astronaut and landed a seat to into space. The mission to Mars was simply a small trophy. Sears’ ambitions would take him beyond the very boundaries of the galaxy. Why was this? Wasn’t going to Mars enough? Thousands of men and women were beat out in the competition process at N.A.S.A. each year just to become an astronaut. Sears’ dilemma was in his family, mainly his older brother, Kevin Sears; the greatest astronaut that ever lived. Kevin was responsible for saving the lives of his entire crew on Apollo 93. Kevin was the one that found the golden artifact on Mars and inspired congress to triple N.A.S.A’s budget. Why wouldn’t they? Mars possibly had enough gold beneath the surface to bring the nation right out of the deficit. Sears burned with envy because Kevin was responsible for the government’s new interest in N.A.S.A.
For Sears, going to Mars didn’t matter that much. It was about obtaining a landmark to outshine Kevin and for his parents to look at him with complete and total admiration for once. Sears would never forget when he told his family that he was accepted at N.A.S.A.
“That’s great, Robbie. Looks like you’re following in Kevin’s footsteps” they told him.
Sears remembered when he brought one of his high school report cards home to boast about his 3.95 out of 4.0 grade point average. He was excited to tell his parents he was top of his class. His father would look at it and say, “Not bad. Kevin’s was always 4.0 though”. Kevin’s father would then narrowly look up at Sears as if something was wrong with him. He also remembered finishing graduate school with a master’s degree in chemical engineering and working for a prominent company as a specialist. Did this impress his parents? Nope. Kevin’s background included being a pilot in the Marine Corps. He flew F-21 fighter jets and carried out several successful missions. On top of this, he had a master’s degree in astro-physics, while Robert worked in a lab experimenting with different colored liquids and reviewing boring schematic plans for new chemicals. Did it matter that he was a specialist? Nope. Not in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona or anywhere else.
How this burned a fire of intolerable rage inside Sears. What can I do on Mars to get my landmark? Am I just going to dig up gold for the US government? Gold that Kevin found? So, once again am I nothing more than a bucket-puller for my older brother” Sears thought to himself. Despite these incredible aspirations of Sears, he eased his burning feelings and settled on the fact that Kevin simply loved being an astronaut more than him. It simply wasn’t enough. This was his moment. His alone. This mission to Mars would have to be the time and the place Sears made his landmark!
***
In the cockpit of the starship, Captain Hills carefully watched his monitor screens and gauges at his control panel which was well decorated with buttons, switches and levers. Sears, Dana and Peters sat at their terminals and wore headsets as the starship approached Mars.
Hills had been on Mars several times and had captained other crews. He established himself well as captain in his late forties with his taller height at six- feet-four and well-fitted physique. Despite the salt and pepper hairs coming in on the sides of his head, Hills was the boss, the man in charge and no one second guessed or undermined him. He was fair and like an older brother with the people that worked for him. His PhD in electrical engineering paid off. Whenever there was a problem on his ship, Hills was right there to fix it. One time, on one of his previous missions, the wiring underneath his control panel was faulty so he created an all-new wiring system in order for the lighting to function properly throughout the starship. The missions were tough on him though. He couldn’t wait to get back to his wife, Alicia in Los Angeles. He missed going on long, leisure sail boating voyages with her. His favorite marina was Newport Beach.
“Sears! Lower this bad boy for the descent!” Hills commanded.
“Right away sir!” Sears answered.
Everyone’s faces were focused on their screens. They were anxious yet excited. Their stomachs had butterflies but they didn’t care. The anticipation of setting foot on Mars overwhelmed them.
“Okay guys, we’re dropping into Marsville,” said Sears.
The starship came into the planet’s atmosphere. Hills looked at one of his screes. Tom Wilcox, the head officer in charge at N.A.S.A. space command appeared.
“Talk to us, Hillsey. How ya lookin?” Wilcox asked.
“Just coming into the atmosphere, Houston”
A violent gush of wind hit against the windshield of the starship. This caused everyone to fill with terror. Cold chills ran down their spines. They began to perspire. Their breathing sped up.
“Whoa! I wasn’t expecting that!” Peters hollered, his voice rattled with panic.
“That scared the hell outta me!” said Sears.
“Me too!” said Dana.
“Damn it! It’s some kind of storm!” Hills blared.
“I can’t see anything!” said Dana, her voice sounding scared.
“Peters! Activate the landing thrusters!” hollered Hills.
“Yes sir!”
Peters pressed button his control panel and moved some levers.
“We need to land before this storm gets any worse!” Dana blurted.
***
As the Mayflower descended, it fought with the storm. The ship was blown a little off target and crashed on the edge of a cliff. The ship teetered over a deep, dark gulf that went down hundreds of yards. The ship rose up again and contended with the violent windstorm.
“Captain! We’re not going to be able to land in this storm!” Dana hollered.
“Yes we are! Reset the landing target and try it again, Dana!”
Dana turned back around to her monitor screen and sternly initiated the landing target again. The Mayflower struggled again and drifted over a clearing on the red soil. The landing legs slowly locked in the down position. It came to a landing. A soft rumble sounded as the bottom thrusters shut down. Hills grinned.
“And that’s how it’s done, guys,” Hills said in loud voice.
Everyone took off their headsets and placed them onto their respective control panels, with a sigh of relief.
“Houston, we are at touchdown. I repeat we’re at touchdown.” said Hills.
“How’s that storm lookin’ out there, Hillsey?” asked Wilcox.
“Like your wife at my barbeque last summer; mean as hell,” replied Hills.
Wilcox chuckled.
“Stay inside til the storm dies down. Keep us posted if there are any changes.”
“Will do, Houston,” answered Hills.
Hills turned off the monitor screen and turned to the crew. Sears and the others rushed out of their seats to the windshield. They eagerly looked around like children. Hills stayed put in his seat. He had been to Mars several times. He cracked a smile as his crew anxiously checked out the red surface just beyond the windshield.
Sears and the others marveled at their Martian surroundings. They listened to the sounds of wind, dirt and small rocks hit up against the exterior of the ship.
“Mmm, I can smell that carbon dioxide already,” said Sears inhaling as if he’s going to take a deep breath.
Dana and the others anxiously looking out the windows.
“How long are we trapped in here, captain?” asked Dana.
Hills scratched his head and adjusted his N.A.S.A. ball cap.
“Until the Martians turn off the storm, Dana” answered Hills.
Peters and Sears chuckled.
“It wasn’t that funny.” Dana snapped.
Hills and the others sat in a brief silence. The sounds of the windstorm blew heavily against the ship. Sears looked at Hills and remembered when Hills had helped him during his training. He held an admiration for the man. He wished he could be like Hills one day; leader-like, even tempered and have the ability to remain calm, cool, collective and even jocular during the most stressful situations.
“Is there more gold here or what, captain?” Sears asked.
“I doubt it. The soils been checked many times.”
“What about that golden artifact they found?” asked Peters
&
Peters, for a twenty nine year old, showed stellar performances as an astronaut. He was well-trained, disciplined and demonstrated pure dedication to his career with a master’s degree in physics and eight years in the Air Force as a pilot to boot. Peters had short brown hair, boyish brown eyes and stood six feet tall. It made him feel a certain bond with Sears. It was like they were from the same family. Sears reminded him of his older brother growing up. He was in his late thirties, funny, charming and witty. He had an athletic physique and stood slightly over six-feet-tall. It was his handsome brown hair, brown eyes that radiated jocularity which reminded him of his older brother the most.
Dana chuckled in the background. Sears hated the fact the golden artifact had to be brought up. The one that Kevin found, of course.
“What are you saying, captain? That aliens put it there?” Dana asked
Hills, Sears and Peters glanced at Dana with a remote eye of admiration. Dana was a beautiful woman standing at five feet seven coming into her early thirties. Her shoulder length brunette hair, warm brown eyes and shapely figure dressed down in an N.A.S.A. jumpsuit tormented her male counterparts. She made Hills think of his wife. She made Peters think about his girlfriend. Sears simply bore a major heartthrob for her but they all knew that they couldn’t have her. They were too professional. Nothing would interfere with their mission to Mars and their careers at N.A.S.A. Aside from this, Dana had hinted around her boyfriend who still lives in their small town in Alabama may be proposing soon. She knew she was too smart for him though. He was a farm boy that couldn’t spell very well and here she was with her law degree from Harvard and once a helicopter pilot in the army. She knew that her relationship with her farm-boy, high school sweetheart was just young puppy love and was destined to crumble and dissolve.
“Who knows? When I go out in space, I think of Daryl Fairborn.” said Hills.
“Daryl Fairborn, the lost astronaut?” Peters asked.
“Yeah,” Hills answered.
“Fairborn and his ship disappeared twenty five years ago.” Dana commented.
“Does anyone know what happened to him?” Sears asked.
“I watched his last video transmission at N.A.S.A.” said Hills.
“What was on the last transmissions, captain?” asked Peters.
“It was scary,” said Hills.
“What do you mean?” asked Dana.
“The first part, he introduced himself and his crew. It was fine. But then…”
“What?” asked Sears.
“The video blended into Daryl talking into the camera with the lights down. He was alone, scared and panting.” said Hills. “He had blood on his face too.”
“What happened?” asked Dana.
Hills shrugged his shoulders.
“He said, “‘They’ve taken my ship. Jane is dead. It’s only a matter of time before they find me’’”
“He kept saying they? Who was he was talking about?” asked Sears.
Hill shrugged his shoulders again.
“Who’s Jane?” asked Peters.
“Jane Atkinson was his First Lieutenant and fiancé. They were going to get married when they returned.”
“How sad,” said Dana.
“Some think Fairborn went insane, killed his crew and drifted into space.” said Hills.
“You think Fairborn killed them?” Sears asked.
“It’s possible,” said Hills.
“Wasn’t Fairborn some kind of an engineer too?” Dana asked.
“I saw some of his blueprint designs he had for weapons, flying vehicles and explosives.” replied Hills. “I was impressed.”
Hills looked out the windows and noticed the storm had ceased outside the starship.
“How’s it looking out there?” Sears asked.
“Let’s suit up!” said Hills.
***
The side ramp door of the Mayflower opened slowly with hydraulics. The ramp lowered to the surface of the red soil. Sears and the others stood at the top of the ramp in awe. They were in full space suits; a round shaped see-through helmet with headsets, full body gear, gloves and boots. A gentle breeze billowed towards them but the wind storms had passed. The surface was open, vast and empty. There were some small hills that peaked far in the distance from their landing zone.
“Just look at this place.” said Dana.
“Incredible.” Peters commented.
“It’s St. George, Utah out in space.” Sears joked.
Hills and the others chuckled as they slowly made their way down the ramp. They each went their own direction and explored the red planet. Sears stepped away from the starship a few yards and then crouched down and took up a handful of the red soil. He examined it for a moment and then poured it back to the ground. He smiled with a stint of reminiscing warmth as he remembered being a little boy running around his home with a toy space ship.
“Look Mom! I’m going to outer space!”
“Well of course you are!” Sears’ Mother exclaimed.
Dana walked out a little ways from the shuttle and activated her auto-binoculars that mechanically formed around her eyes. She looked through the lens and panned left to right. There was nothing in her view except for some dust devils that blew around in the distance. Peters held up a device that had a scanner screen and digital read out as he stretched his arm out.
“What do you got there, Jason?” Hills asked Peters over the radio.
“Just checking for signs of life. It is Mars. You never know” replied Peters.
Hills had no worries for Peters as an astronaut. Peters was lean, tough and could handle a lot of stress. Hills also felt sort of a connection with Peters in that they both enjoyed racquetball. He then remembered the last match he played with him; Peters had wiped the floor with him. He also knew that if he and Peters were to go out on the town, the pretty ladies would much rather look at Peters; his nice hair style and GQ smile that put Hills way out of Peters’ league. Hills stared into the sky. He thought about his wife back home in L.A. “Well, Sherry. I’m back on Mars.” Hills mumbled to himself and smiled.
***
After a couple of hours of basking in the Martian atmosphere, it was time to get to work. Sears was excited to take the Jackman on its first dig on Mars; a motorized ten-wheeled, one-man power drill that was twenty feet in length and ten feet wide. The cockpit was right in front of the vehicle and covered with a dome of thick glass. Behind the cockpit, the tri-drill device was mounted and fastened to the back of the unit. The tri-drill was three round-shaped steel plates with spikes on them and had enough drill feed to dig up to a hundred feet into the soil three feet wide to make a preparation base for the explosives. Sears spent sixteen weeks at N.A.S.A training on the Jackman under the direction of Hills and other specialists and felt confident in his ability to operate it.
Hills and the others were anxious to get on the Crawlers; a motorized, one-man three-wheeled machine that had a five feet wide, silver chest behind the driver seat. The Crawlers were identified as Number One, Two and Three. They were equipped with a launcher for the explosives; which was a silver weapon that resembled an oversized bulky, shotgun that required two hands to handle it properly. It also had first aid kits, fuel and a Glock 9mm pistol secured in a small gun case. It concerned Hills that one of his people would rip their space suit while they were out on their expedition looking for gold. He made sure that each one of their first aid kits were stocked with a space suit patch and space jelly; a blue glue with an incredible adhesive that could quickly repair a rip in a suit up to ten inches long. Hills knew that without it, the risk of carbon dioxide poisoning was extremely high.
***
A large rear door of the Mayflower opened. Sears drove the Jackman to a short distance and waited for them. Hills and the others rode the Crawlers. They huddled on their vehicles.
“Let’s get these explosives installed” said Hills.
Sears and the others set out to the horizon to install the explosives deep in the soil. If there was one way to find out whether there was gold five hundred feet under the red dirt, it was going to be done with C-4 remote detonated explosives. Hills was extra careful handling such dangerous equipment and he always made sure that his crews maintained safe distance at the time of detonation.
