Glory on Mars (10 page)

Emma watched the Tharsis volcanoes pass under them as
the jumpship made a complete orbit before slowing over Peacock
Mons. Nothing could be more desolate than the drifted, pock-marked
surface. She tried to imagine the entire plain enveloped in a
massive haboob sand storm with even the mountain tops lost.

The ship shivered with the effort of descent and she
lost sight of the ground from her window. Emma was alternately
pushed down and released as the engines fired on and off, adjusting
their descent. She gripped the armrests tightly and exhaled slowly.
Dust blew up around the windows as Ruby set the module on its
waiting pad against the long Spine of the nederzetting, disengaged,
and rose up again.

"We're docking at the south modules," she said over
the vibration of the engines. The jumpship settled on a large pad
and docked.

"Bingo!" Ruby said. "You can take your helmet off
now. We're home."

Chapter Thirteen: Jumpship
Down

Emma pulled off her helmet and the cat's yowls
assaulted her ears. She started to push her legs down to stand, but
fell back.

"I feel dizzy."

"Gravity," Ruby said. "But then, you'd know that,
wouldn't you?"

She unbuckled the cat carrier and passed it to
Emma.

Emma wasn't looking forward to carrying the cat's few
extra pounds. Mars gravity was only two fifths that of Earth, but
it was crushing her now. She was not, however, about to let Ruby
hear her complain. What was that woman's problem? She slipped out
of the harness and levered herself slowly from the seat.

Dust still hung thickly around the ship, but Emma
could see a module's hull through the cabin windows. The jumpship
rested against a retaining wall, docked to an airlock on the
module's upper level.

Anyone coming in from the surface through the lower
level airlock would have to vacuum off dust and doff their suit
before entering the module. Surface dust was irritating to people
and damaging to seals and filters. But Emma and Ruby were clean and
continued straight through.

A cheer sounded as Emma stepped out of the airlock
and the cat went suddenly silent. Settlers greeted them,
alternately giving Emma hugs and propping her up as she toppled
under their enthusiasm.

"Here, sit down." Someone pushed a chair towards her.
Emma looked up thankfully and saw it was Daan.

"You remember Melina and Sanni," he said, gesturing
to the two women from Settler Two. "But I bet you want to meet our
stars."

"That's rubbish, mate."

Daan was right. The two Pioneer Brits were easily the
most famous of the settlers, so well known by their nick-names of
Yin and Yang that no one used their real names anymore. They were
both from the same city in England, and if Emma closed her eyes she
could barely tell their voices apart. Both were tall and thin, but
there was no trouble knowing Yin from Yang.

Yin was the darkest black man she'd ever met, while
Yang had pale milky skin and washed out blond hair. Despite their
common city, they didn't know each other before joining Colony Mars
but quickly became inseparable. Upbeat and chatty, responsible for
fabricating and constructing the Kamp settlement bays, they
remained public favorites.

Emma pushed against the chair arms and stood to shake
hands

"Do sit down, love, before you fall over," Yin said,
turning the handshake into a hug that lowered her back into the
chair. Yang produced a second chair to set the cat carrier on and
unzipped the flap.

"Here's our new star."

The cat pushed his head out cautiously.

"There, there, baby." Sanni scooped him up. "I've
messaged with Lunar Base on how to adapt him back to gravity." She
cooed to the cat in baby talk.

"Where's his personal bag?" Melina asked.

"It's the yellow one."

"The Loonies promised to pack a special cushion with
his things..."

"I'll find it," Melina said, hopping into the
airlock.

"What's his name?"

"We didn't name him," Emma said. "Thought we'd wait
until we got here."

"He's the only cat in the world," Daan said. "He
doesn't need a name." He reached out a hand to pet the cat, but
hesitated. "Can I hurt him?"

"Stroke him along the side, like this, while he's
recovering. Poor little guy," Sanni said, carefully adjusting how
she supported him. "He's been in zero-g almost since he left his
momma. I've read all the Lunar Base reports. He's got a medical
chip implant that the Loonies developed especially for cats, did
you know that?"

Emma had to creep down the ladder to the docking
module's lower level, and rest again in a chair. Daan pointed out
the lower airlock to her, where three bright blue surface suits
hung, ready for a ground-level exit. After a few minutes rest,
everyone walked through the interior airlock to the adjacent
habitat module from Settler One. There was a table in the center,
just like in S-3's habitat, and six door flaps to tiny private
rooms reconfigured for use in gravity.

"I'll help Emma with her suit," Melina said. "Daan,
why don't you get her some water?"

Taking the suit off was easier than putting it on.
They slipped off the thermal layer, peeled down the compression
layer, and tied the sleeves around Emma's waist so the shoulder
ring balanced on the knot.

"It's best to keep some pressure on your lower body
until you're ready to lie down," Melina said. "So the blood doesn't
pool in your legs."

Someone produced Emma's personal bag and she pulled
on her striped shirt. Daan gallantly offered a cup.

"Ah," she said. "Water that stays in a cup.
Thanks."

"I can't take credit for the gravity," Daan said. "Or
blame, for that matter."

Emma looked up at him. His wavy blond hair bounced
around his head as he smiled back. She quickly took another
sip.

The settlers unloaded the jumpship, interrupting
themselves to talk with Emma or get snacks at the habitat's food
printer. The gathering felt like a party. Ruby checked on Luis'
progress from time to time. He dropped the S-3 habitat on Phobos
and picked up the knarr cargo module from orbit. He'd arrive
shortly.

"Jumpship Two is descending." Governor spoke over the
habitat audio channel.

"Luis will drop the knarr at the end of the north
string of modules," Ruby said. "Governor, north imager on screen,
and put his channel on audio."

"...my approach," Luis said. "Looking good."

The screen showed a cloud of beige dust obscuring the
dark shape of the module as Luis lowered it towards the ground.

"What the... Shit."

The jumpship channel went silent.

"Jumpship Two has experienced an engine shutdown. I
am receiving no signal," Governor said in its usual mild tone.

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

Then Ruby, still in her surface suit, grabbed her
helmet and dashed towards Jumper One. Everyone else ran the other
way, out the Plaza airlock, and a cold draft flooded the module
through the open door.

"Governor, what's happening?" Emma stood up slowly,
gripping the chair.

"The S-3 knarr is lying on its side. Jumpship Two was
at a thirty-degree attitude when I lost telemetry. Jumpship One was
at a ninety degree attitude when I lost telemetry."

"Wait. What? Jumper One?"

"That's right." Ruby hopped in from the docking
module. "My ship's buggered, too. Totally off-line." She crossed
the habitat with a kangaroo-hop and disappeared through the
opposite airlock.

Emma followed Ruby with a slow, shuffling walk. She
pulled the first airlock door closed behind her and opened the
second to the Plaza.

Cold air caught in her throat and Emma coughed and
shivered. The bay was dark with a few puddles of light along its
length. She bumped into something waist-high - the fish pond,
filled with a mount of ice. With one hand on the pond wall as a
guide, Emma walked the length of the bay.

Above eye level were tiny green lights, some solid,
some blinking slowly. In the darkness they glowed brightly.

White light tumbled in at the Plaza's far end through
an archway to the Spine. Emma continued through the Spine, only
vaguely aware of the throbbing equipment around her.

To her right another airlock stood open. Emma was
shivering violently now and pulled the door closed behind her to
shut out the cold. This was in the north habitat module where Daan
and Melina were pulling on survival suits.

"Yin and Yang are suiting up in the airlock while it
pumps down, and they've called the construction bots." Ruby stepped
into the habitat.

She caught sight of Emma.

"Did you bring the surgical kit?"

"No. Aye..." Her words slurred. Her lips and tongue
felt sluggish and heavy.

"Idiot." Ruby pushed past her.

Emma staggered to the table where Daan and Melina
were halfway into their suits. She suddenly felt sick. If she
titled her head, it was like she was falling end over end.

Her friends were in trouble and the best she could do
was clench her jaw and not puke on the table.

"Hey, just sit still," Daan paused to help her into a
chair.

"You can't fight gravity."

Chapter Fourteen:
Burial

Emma closed her eyes and concentrated on getting her
spinning head under control. Around her there was a scramble of
people, then quiet, then a frigid gust and another scramble. She
heard Ruby's voice calling to use the upper level airlock. After
what seemed forever, there was the sound of a door closing and the
cold draft stopped. Emma opened her eyes to find Sanni rummaging at
the module's galley.

"Everyone else is outside," she said. She sat across
from Emma with the cat in one arm and a cup in her other hand.

"Governor, put the north feed on the main screen."
Emma didn't chance twisting her head towards the screen. "I want to
monitor all the settler channels," Sanni said.

Audio from outside was confusing. Sounds of heavy
breathing, occasional grunts and half-understood commands jumbled
together. Then Yang's voice rose above the rest - or maybe it was
Yin.

"I've got the hatch open."

"What happened?"

"That's Liz's voice," Emma said, relieved.

"They'll need help at the airlock. Here, hold the
cat." Sanni laid the cat along Emma's thigh and slipped the cup
into her hand. "Dip your finger in and feed him drops of water.
You'll have to support his head." She hurried off to the adjacent
module as the audio feed continued.

"Claude, Claude. You okay?"

"I can't feel my hand."

Emma slowly turned in her chair until she could see
the screen. White flakes of snow swirled in the dust cloud,
blurring the image, but she made out the jumpship cabin tilted at a
crazy angle. Limbs from a robot swayed in the cloud and figures in
surface suits fumbled around the open docking door.

"Luis?" Ruby's voice had a frantic edge to it.
"Luis?" There was a pause and then a wail.

"We've got to get him inside, get the helmet
off."

"Ruby, Ruby. Come on. It's too late. Unstrap the
other one."

There were more jumbled voices and Emma watched as
the shadowy figures slid a limp body through the jumpship cabin
door. Then another one.

Tears overflowed Emma's eyes. She gripped the water
cup as tightly as she could.

Jumper Two had come to rest a few dozen paces outside
the habitat. Two figures dropped to the ground and crawled while
others carried limp bodies. Air compressors kicked on in the
adjacent docking module and presently Emma heard voices inside.
Claude staggered through the airlock, supported by Yin and Melina.
Liz followed with Daan and Sanni. Fog rolled off their suits as
they slumped into chairs and a bitter smell, like burnt
electronics, filled the module. They'd left life support packs and
helmets behind, but hadn't stopped to vacuum off surface dust.

"Careful of Claude's hand," Liz said, panting a bit.
"Gently, gently."

Sanni opened the thermal layer and slid it down to
Claude's elbows, slowly easing the left glove off his hand.

"I'll get the compression layer," Liz said. "Get a
bowl of water; tepid, not hot."

She cradled Claude's arm and inspected the hand. The
skin was very white. Sanni came back with a bowl and Liz lowered
Claude's hand into the water.

"A fuel tank ruptured, and the freezing spray got
inside the cabin somehow," she said. "James was in the co-pilot's
seat, next to Luis. They hit hard..."

"James? Luis?" Emma asked.

Liz choked a little and shook her head. She cleared
her throat.

"Is there something warm Claude can drink?"

Ruby stumbled in from the dock, crossed the module,
and wrenched open the Spine airlock. Yin followed her.

"They're dead." Daan looked up at the Earth Scan
sphere spinning at the ceiling.

"Governor, turn the damn Scan off."

"I'm starting to feel something," Claude said after a
few minutes.

"My hand's on fire." He grimaced in pain. His hand
was pink now, with blue finger tips.

Sanni brought a fresh bowl of water.

"Governor, are there any messages from MEX we need to
answer immediately?" Daan asked. "Then tell them to leave us alone
unless they have something useful to add."

"What about Luis and James?" Yang asked, looking
towards the airlock.

"We could carry the bodies into the Plaza and pack
ice from the pond around them." He went off to find the flatbed
trolley they used inside the nederzetting.

"Yin's staying with Ruby for now," Yang said when he
returned.

"We need to discuss what to do," Daan said.

"The three of us won't be much help," Liz said. "We
should be resting, laying flat as much as possible for a few days
until our blood volumes recover from zero-g. We shouldn't do
anything strenuous for twenty days - sols, I mean." She closed her
eyes and cradled her head in one hand.