Botsch - A Journey to Mars: Into the Hollows of Planum Boreum

THIS IS A GOTTFRIED & FRITZ

ORIGINAL EBOOK.

Copyright 2015 by Gary Botsch and Gottfried & Fritz, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Gottfried & Fritz,
New York & Philadelphia.

www.gottfriedandfritz.com

Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition eBook.

A JOURNEY TO MARS:

Into the Hollows of

Planum Boreum

Gary Botsch

Gottfried & Fritz

Chapter 1

Planum Boreum is a cold and desolate place. The temperature drops to -140 degrees Celsius during the night time and the atmosphere is so thin that it causes the muscles to decay. The stars in the skies shine not much differently than they do here on earth. And, as for the earth itself, its so far away that it just gets lost in the stars.

No living person had gone to Planum Boreum, or even to Mars, before the crew of the Cassandra Mission landed there on Christmas Day, 2038, at 12:48PM UTC +1. The Cassandra Mission was an international mission, comprising of two Americans, one Frenchman, one Russian and an astronaut from China. The mission itself had been years in the making and people from all over the world were eager to watch the shuttles launch. People had tuned in from their homes, from airplanes, from trains, and even from the side of the Ganges River. For the first time in human history, man would go to Mars and, specifically, to Planum Boreumits inhospitable northern pole.

In the rural Swiss town of Ecne stood the International Aeronautics and Space Agency (IASA) headquarters, which the crew sometimes called the White Lady. It was an organically-shaped hangar and was covered in a rich, glossy white sheen that made it look futuristic, even for 2038.

Around the structure, cows were grazing and chewing on cud, peasants were herding goats and people were napping on bales of hay. The architects of the IASA space station had a vision of mixing the technological with the natural, and Tissot in particular had some strange obsession with the idea.

Inside of the building, the crew members of Cassandra were preparing themselves, both mentally and physically, for the space shuttles launch; the scientists and technicians were crunching numbers and ensuring that the computer systems would all be up-to-date and ready for launch.

Somewhere in one of the space stations hallways sat Bill Rogers and Captain Jack Wilson, the only Americans on the Cassandra crew.

So, this is last time were gonna see the White Lady for a little while, then, Rogers, Captain Jack Wilson said to Bill, who was sitting on a long, minimalistic chaise and picking the gum off the bottom of his shoe.

Yup. Its the last time, Rogers said, examining the gum hed plucked off his shoe and then tossing it in a trash can. The receptacle beeped, notifying the janitorial staff at the IASA space station that some unknown organic materialthat is, the gumhad somehow made it into facility and that the building was not completely sterile. The trash can locked up and continued beeping.

God-damned technology, Rogers mumbled, getting up off the couch in annoyance. Cant be like it was in the good old days, can it, Jack? Anyway, I think itd be nice to get away from these tech guys for a while. Theyre boring as hell.

4:00 AM UTC +1. The space shuttle was set to launch in 24 hours; one day still remained till Jack and Bill would be gone and on their way to Mars. As they waited, the two just complained and joked with each other, but, secretly, both of them were eager, and even a bit afraid, to embark on their voyage to Planum Boreum.

The other astronauts were napping, reading or doing some meditation exercises. The trip to Mars would take the crew about four months, and everyone, with the exception of Bill and Jack, did their best to be mentally prepared. Bill and Jack believed that they were hardened men and didnt need to waste their time on such nonsense as meditation. The both of them had had successful careers as pilots in the most recent war between the United States and the former Russian Federation. A trip to Mars was just another job and could not be half as bad as the war.

Im surprised Tissots not calling us yet, Bill said, clearing his throat and putting his hands behind his back.

Jacques Tissot, the chief executive at the IASA, and the man whod be conducting the Cassandra Mission was an eccentric and despotic sort of man. Hed over-worked the astronauts and, according to Rogers, if it hadnt been for Tissots obsessive over-preparation, the Cassandra Mission couldve been done and over with back in 31.

But Tissot was a man of precision; he wanted to ensure that the Mission to Mars wouldnt end up like the last one did. In 2031, all seven members of the IASAs Astarte Mission died when their space shuttle exploded in the stratosphere. Billions of dollars in materials were lost, tons of scientists and technicians, fired; the former chief executive was even forced to resign and Tissot was the man who replaced him. Dr. Tissot therefore wanted to ensure complete perfection: He made sure to re-structure the entire agency and checked over each minute detail and each meaningless calculation ten times over. Tissot was determined to make himself the conductor of mankinds first mission to Mars. He was in the right position; it was his destiny.

Cassandra crew members A46 and B37, report to the gate. Cassandra crew members A46 and B37, report to the gate, announced the soothing computerized voice from above, almost sounding as if it were coming from heaven.

Welp. Thats me, Bill said, scratching his nose.

And, as you already know, Bill, Jack interjected, Im A46.

Chapter 2

At Gate 1, the engineers and technicians were surrounding the space shuttle Cassandra, writing in their mobile devices and sending notes to Tissot. The eccentric man was sitting in the control room, reviewing each calculation and ensuring that everything was ready. The other crew members, who were all well-equipped and mentally prepared for the mission, were stretching their limbs, preparing their belongings and patiently waiting as the technicians finished their tasks. There was still another 24-hours to go.

Bill laughed. I bet Tissots gonna torture us these next 24 hours. He probably wants to keep us on Mars.

Yeah, Jack said distractedly, looking at the space shuttle and starting to think about the Cassandra Mission and what awaited him. Itd hadnt exactly sunk in until then: Captain Jack Wilson would soon be one of the first men to step foot on Mars. Mankind had never even caught a glimpse of Planum Boreum since the Phoenix Mission of 2007; itd been 31 years. What would the place really look like when he went there? Would he survive it? Or would he end up like those poor souls from the Astarte Mission who met their fates in the stratosphere?

Jack? Bill said. Do you hear me Jack?

Snapping out of his distracted state, Jack looked back at Bill and said, Yeah. Yeah, I hear you, Bill.

All around them, they heard the sounds of technicians typing on their mobile phones and the raising of hydraulic lifts. Wrenches were turning and some men were coughing, but, since Tissot had a no-talking policy and demanded that everyone communicate through their mobile devices, the technicians and even the crew were silent. Jack and Bill, however, didnt always obey the orders of Tissot and just thought him a strange and tyrannical man.

Announcement, the computerized voice said from above. This is chief executive Jacques Tissot.

Jacques Tissot never communicated directly with the crew. Instead, he typed all of his announcements into a computer system and allowed the computerized voice to make them for him.