The Mars Frontier Box Set, page 56
part #1 of Mars Frontier Series
The pole slid through with ease. "Like a knife through butter," he said with some disbelief. He almost stumbled forward and lost his balance as the pole carried on until two thirds of it was in the ground.
"Jackson!" gasped Georgia in horror. "I told you to be careful."
"It's hit something solid," he replied, obliviously to Georgia's panic. "Perhaps it's not as deep as I thought. There must still be a huge volume of water here though. It would make a fantastic swimming pool if it was warmer and had an atmosphere. You should ask the engineers to build a dome over the top of it."
"I doubt that's a priority," replied Georgia. "Have you seen enough now? We have a long journey ahead of us."
"I'm intrigued by the composition. I'm going to take a small sample that I can analysis back at the base." Jackson took a container from his pouch and bent over to scoop a sample of water ice. Without warning, the pole he'd been using to take his weight slipped further into the ground, causing Jackson to tumble forward. Instinctively, he stuck his hand out to cushion the fall, but his arm sank into the ground as far his elbow. His other hand, holding the cannister, met a similar fate and he found himself laying on his front with both of his arms sinking slowly beneath him. The more he tried to use his arms to push himself up, the quicker they sank. It was if the ground offered no resistance.
"Are you okay?" shouted Georgia, reaching forward to take his right leg.
"Yes," replied Jackson, calmly despite being surprised by the sudden turn of events. "I think I'm stuck though. You're going to have to pull me out."
Georgia grunted as she grabbed Jackson's knee and began to pull him away from the danger.
As both of his arms became free, Jackson reached out to retrieve the tripod leg which still had several inches above the ground. Once he was able to, he rolled over and sat up and laughed. "That was a less scientific approach! A very interesting experience though."
"That wasn't funny," Georgia scolded him. "What would have happened if I'd not been with you?"
"I wouldn't have been so close," he replied.
Before she could chastise him further, she noticed the arms of his space suit were spotless and dust free, unlike the rest of his suit. There was a clear demarcation just above each of his elbows below which the space suit looked brand new. "That's peculiar," she remarked. "Whatever is I that soil mix must have some amazing anti-static qualities. You're going to have your work cut out researching everything out here. Do you want me to assign Molloy or Professor Kozlovsky to provide some assistance?"
"I think you may have to," said Jackson, giving a puzzled look to his suit's arms. He checked that the sample cannister had collected some of the gray matter before standing up. He was about to follow Georgia back to the MEV when he spotted another unusual phenomenon. The area of water ice was draining away, as if someone had pulled out a plug. It had sunk at least two inches in the past minute, which was impossible for such a large area. "Georgia, wait. Something peculiar is happening," he called out excitedly, taking a few steps away from the area.
"What now?" she replied, turning around in frustration. She was astounded when she saw the reason for Jackson's excitement. "What the fuck is going on? Have you caused that?"
"It’s nothing to do with me. There must be a sink hole. It's the only explanation for so much material to be sinking so quickly."
"What set it off? It seems too much of a coincidence that it's occurring now. Did we do something?"
"Possibly," replied Jackson, fascinated by the sight of the ground continuing to sink. It was now almost twelve inches lower than the surrounding terrain. "The vibrations from the MEV may have freed loose rocks. If there's a sub-surface cavity, the rocks could have acted as a stopper. It may mean this whole area is unstable."
"Don't you think we should leave? It sounds unsafe to remain."
"Five minutes, sis. Let's see what happens. We can't leave now. Can you grab a camera from the trailer?"
Georgia retrieved the camera and slowly made her way back to where Jackson was standing. By now, the depression appeared to be three feet deep. She offered the camera to him and he immediately began taking photos of the strange phenomenon.
"This is truly awesome," he said, panning the camera around. "What's that?" he asked, looking through the viewfinder.
Georgia stared at where he was pointing, about one hundred yards to their right, she saw an object sticking out of the ground in the depression. It appeared to be regular shaped and glinted as if it was metallic. "You tell me. You're the one with the camera."
Jackson was silent as he adjusted the zoom controls, hoping to get a clearer image. "It must have been below the surface and only just revealed itself. It doesn't look natural though. Its sides are too smooth. We should take a closer look."
Without waiting for Georgia to reply, he began walking around the edge of the depression to get a closer look at the mysterious object. Georgia ran after him and caught up as he stopped at the closest point to the object.
Now that they were closer, Georgia could see that the object was a green cylindrical tube about four feet wide, with ridges running along its length. It was laying at a thirty degree angle with five feet of it visible above the ever sinking base of the depression. No sand or dust clung to the object, giving it a clean and new appearance. It looked exceedingly ordinary, yet Georgia could feel her heart racing as she noticed strange symbols on the end of the cylinder.
"This has to be alien," she said, unable to hide her excitement. "There's no way this object came from Earth. I'm not aware of any metals that share the properties we're seeing now. If it was a failed satellite or probe, there would be scorch marks and signs of impact damage at least. But this cylinder is pristine. There's not mark on it other than those symbols."
Jackson was busy taking photos. "Agreed. But what is it and how long has it been here?" He lowered the camera to look at Georgia. "And what do we do with it?"
"I want to take a closer look. This could be a clue we need to contact alien civilizations." The cylinder was thirty feet from her. Painfully close, yet so far away. But it was an irresistible force, drawing her to it.
"I wouldn't recommend it while the ground continues to sink. We have no idea how deep it goes, and you may not be able to climb out of this hole."
Georgia was defiant. This was what she'd privately been wishing for since she'd said a tearful goodbye to Falmas and Grant. She couldn't simply walk away without taking a closer look. "We need to know what it is. This could be mankind's most significant discovery. Physical and indisputable evidence of intelligent alien civilizations."
"I understand that. But you don't need to risk your life. You can see that the ground is unstable. We can always return with the right equipment. In the meantime, I'll continue to take high definition photos that can be studied. We can also leave some remote sensors behind."
Georgia stood staring at the cylinder, working through the options in her mind. It was incredibly frustrating to be so close to the object without being able to touch it. It seemed like fate was taunting her. Reluctantly, she accepted that Jackson was right, even if it was going to be difficult to leave the object behind. "Okay," she sighed. "Set up what you need and let's set off before I change my mind."
Chapter 18
Jackson drove the MEV as fast as he dared across the Martian surface, kicking up a huge trail of dust. It was now early afternoon and they were well behind schedule if they wanted to reach Alpha Base by the end of the next day.
Georgia had not spoken for the past hour, instead looking absently out of the window at the endless landscape speeding by. Her thoughts were back with the alien cylinder. Its discovery raised so many questions. Where had it come from? How long had it been in that location? What was it designed for? She knew she wouldn't be able to find any answers back at Alpha Base. A return mission was going to be her top priority and her mind was already planning what she may need.
The sound of Mancuso's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Comms check, MEV. What's your status?" he asked.
Georgia clicked on her microphone, whilst continuing to stare outside. "Alpha Base, this is Georgia. Following our previous transmission, we carried out additional reconnaissance of the area. We're currently trying to make up time."
"I can confirm we're still three hundred and eighteen miles away," added Jackson. "We have a long drive ahead of us."
"Did you find anything else worthy of exploration?" asked Mancuso.
"Before I answer that," said Georgia, "has there been any reaction from Ground Control regarding the mineral deposits? I would imagine the vast reserves will have our corporations jumping for joy."
"Nothing yet, other than a simple 'thanks for the update'. I expected more positive feedback as well. No positive compliments from Colonel Byrne at all."
"Pricks!" exclaimed Jackson. "What more do they want from me?"
Georgia turned and smiled at him, reassuringly. "You did a great job. I'm sure the right people will sing your praises once the news reaches them." She gave Jackson's arm a friendly pat as he returned her smile. "Joe? We made a much more significant discovery this morning. An object that appears to be of non-human origin."
"Alien? How can you be sure? Are you bringing it back with you?" Mancuso asked cautiously.
"Because of the local terrain, we weren't able to get close enough to be sure, but Jackson took plenty of photos. I'll transmit some of them through for you to take a look at. Let Professor Kozlovsky and Lieutenant Molloy view the images as well. There are some markings on the object that may be a language of some kind. We'll need help deciphering them."
"Do I inform Ground Control? They should also be made aware and we'll need their guidance on what we should do next."
After the arrogant behavior of Colonel Byrne, Georgia was reluctant to share any information with him. However, Mancuso was probably right in this instance. It wouldn't look good if it was discovered she had intentionally withheld information on this earth-shattering discovery. She could only hope that the colonel wouldn't interfere too much but realized that prospect was unlikely. "Yes, Joe. Send the images through to Earth also, but using the quantum communications system to encrypt the message. This news has to remain highly confidential until we know what to do next."
"This really could be a game-changer," replied Mancuso. "I'd love to see the colonel's face when he receives the images. I'm not sure how he can dismiss you when you've delivered him evidence of alien life."
"I'm not worried about him. I'm going nowhere, whatever tricks he tries to play. He'll simply see it as another unwelcome problem I've created. Is he still giving you and Dunn a hard time?"
"If you're asking whether the colonel is still busting our balls, then the answer is a definite yes. He's finalized the plan for the acquisition of the Russian landing craft and has gone so far as to name it 'Liberty'. The plan is substantially the one I shared with you two days ago. I'm confident it will work. Rashid and I have been reviewing the main flying instructions for Liberty we believe we can operate it well enough to return safely to Alpha Base. Byrne wanted us to perform the mission before you returned, until I advised him we required more methane to be manufactured by the propellant factory. This is actually true and so he's had no option but wait at least three days until our fuel reserves have been replenished."
Georgia laughed, "that won't have gone down well with Byrne. It's about time he had a reality check. We can discuss more at our next comms check. I'll be interested on the team's feedback to the images. Georgia out."
She accessed an image of the symbols on the end of the cylinder and stared at them on her computer screen while Jackson transmitted the ten images of the cylinder back to base.
"You're already planning the next mission," he said after another fifteen minutes of silence. "You want to retrieve the cylinder, don't you?"
"Am I really that predictable?"
"I've grown up with you. I know how you think and I recognize your body language. You're sitting there now, planning the equipment you need and frustrated at how long the return trip will take. You're fidgety and impatient. This journey must be driving you crazy."
"Thanks for stating the obvious. What if the cylinder collapses into the sink hole? I'm worried we made a mistake leaving it as it was."
"The cylinder will still be there, trust me. In the meantime, we'll have the greatest minds working around the clock to decipher those symbols. They could form a message that will aid our understanding of the cylinder."
"The other thing that scares me is that I'm beginning to agree with Colonel Byrne's plan to acquire Liberty. It can carry far more equipment than we can take in this MEV and dramatically reduce the journey time. What's happened to me that I can even consider the ends justify the means?" Georgia was truly appalled at the thought but was unable to deny that the plan was now very attractive. Was she really prepared to do anything to further her vision? The answer appeared to be a resounding yes. And it didn't sit well with her.
***
Mancuso called a small meeting in the control room to share the images uploaded by Jackson. "Georgia wants you to take a look at what she's found and give your opinion. At this stage, there are no stupid or crazy answers."
Anna Kozlovsky, Charlie Molloy and Commander Dunn leaned in to get a closer look at the cylinder. After studying the images in silence, Molloy was the first to speak.
"I don't know what to say. This has to be the find of the millennium. I cannot believe we're looking at an artifact that was created by an alien culture. It's truly incredible. We have to recover and examine it."
"I agree that it is an amazing discovery," said Anna. "But I don't think we should get too close until we know what it is. As it is buried in the ground, we don't know if it is attached to anything else, or if there are any other objects nearby. I would urge more caution until we know more."
"That's a fair point, Anna, " added Dunn. "Until we have a better idea of the origin of that object, it would be unwise to move it. However, I don't think it's our decision to make. We'll require direction from Earth as the implication of this discovery are immense. I'm sure the governments will want to keep this a secret for as long as possible."
"Joe, can you enlarge the section containing the symbols?" asked Molloy. "Maybe they hold the key. If we can decipher even a small part, we will be able to understand the first alien language. There could be a message for us."
Mancuso zoomed onto the end of the cylinder so that the symbols filled the screen. They were a series of gold shapes and figures, seemingly embossed onto the green metal.
"Interesting," exclaimed Molloy. "Although I'm no expert, they appear similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics except that the shapes are nothing I've seen before. I wonder if there is any connection to ancient Egypt."
"It could help explain the pyramids and other ancient marvels," said Mancuso. "I've often thought that it couldn't have been possible to build some of the structures they had with the tools they supposedly had available. And how were pyramids built thousands of miles apart on different continents?"
"I'm not sure we can offer much assistance in that case," added Dunn. "We require some kind of Rosetta Stone to give us the key to those symbols. The experts we want are back on Earth, hidden away in dusty museums and universities. It may take decades to even begin to understand what may be written on that object."
"Let's wait and see what the reaction is back on Earth," said Mancuso. "I'm sure this news will have ruffled a few feathers. I can imagine people panicking as they decide what is the best course of action."
Chapter 19
News of the discovery of an alien artifact on Mars made its way immediately from NASA to the White House. A conference call was hastily arranged between the recently appointed President Ramsay, his national security advisor, the secretary of state, Colonel Byrne and Libby Selznick, the NASA administrator.
"Okay, Colonel Byrne," began the president, staring up at the large screen in the Situation Room located in the basement of the White House. "What are you showing us?"
Byrne coughed nervously as he stared into the camera in his Houston office. "Thank you, Mr President. Approximately ninety minutes ago, we received an encrypted transmission from our base on Mars. Earlier today, while on a field trip surveying for mineral deposits, two of our crew discovered an object submerged in the ground approximately three hundred and fifty miles north of Alpha Base. The object is at least nine feet long, approximately four feet in diameter and appears to be neither naturally occurring nor man-made. The crew were able to take photos of the object but were unable to get closer than thirty feet away because of unstable ground conditions."
The large television screen in the Situation Room changed to reveal six images of the cylinder, each taken from different angles and showing distinct features. The president and the two other men in the room collectively sucked in their breaths at their first look of the object.
"You say that the object is not natural or man-made. Are you telling me it's alien in nature?" asked the president.
"That appears to be the likely conclusion," replied Byrne. "But we are unable to confirm its nature at this time."
"Are you positive this can't be a hoax?" asked Secretary of State Colin Truman, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"We can't be sure of anything at the time," replied Libby Selznick. "Of course, we need to perform further studies but, due to the location and nature of the object, I find it impossible to think his can be anything but genuine. Which is why we brought it to your urgent attention."
"Who else is aware of this object?" asked President Ramsay, his astute political mind already running through the permutations for his presidency.
