The minutes turned to hours. Eventually, unable to do anything else, they sent messages to family and friends anyway, hoping some of them might get through. The colonists were using a special private channel in case of emergency. But no reply had come back through that one either, even days later.
While most of the group had given up hope after a few weeks, Tendai had kept checking the log several times a day. “Even if they can’t respond, someone might be listening,” he had argued. But over time, he too had resigned himself, forced to accept the gruesome reality that they were probably not going to hear from anyone for a long time. And as the weeks turned into months, they eventually returned to their regular schedule. They had to. The station did not allow much slack in the maintenance schedule. Especially now more than ever, they had to keep the outpost in absolutely perfect running condition. If any of the systems were left unattended or worse, failed, they had no other supplies than the ones already with them on Mars. They had to be vigilant. Spare parts were scarce. A certain amount of deterioration due to usage had been expected and included in the planning of the mission, but had been deemed manageable as long as supplies would be sent along with a new crew every two years or so. Now, they had to suspect MF3 and its precious cargo, due to reach Mars in just a few weeks, would be the last ship to come from Earth, at least for quite a while.
Just a weird dream
With the arrival of the third ship and its crew approaching, the Martian colonists had begun to refocus their attention to their demanding tasks, which included preparing for Chasma’s imminent birth. It had not taken long for the new MF3 team to catch up to the situation back home. As shocked and saddened by the horrible news as Dedrick’s colleagues, they also felt very lucky to have left Earth before the breakout. They had lost all communication with headquarters several days earlier as well, but at least they were now in constant communication with the Martian outpost, and all were looking forward to the upcoming landing.
“Can’t wait to see you guys!”
“Thanks, Ladli, we’re really excited to see you too. I think we’re all ready to stretch our legs and take a stroll out on the Martian ground. We’ve been cooped up in here for over five months now. But you know how that feels, you guys had to go through the same thing. How’s Vera, by the way?” asked Ebba.
“She’s doing great. Looks like she’s gonna have the baby right when you get here. We’ll have two reasons to celebrate!” said Ladli with a smile.
“That’s great! I bet Dedrick is excited too.”
“Oh yeah, he sure is. You should see him. He’s constantly trying to find new chores to do. I think he’s trying to keep his mind occupied. He just went out with François to grid 50-21. Did I tell you they found another pocket of water yesterday? They should be there now. Ladli is monitoring their progress from pod 1.”
“Wow! How exciting! That’s marvelous.”
“By the way, everything still green on the ship’s self-diagnostic?”
“Yes, don’t worry Ladli. I’m telling you, the computers onboard have run multiple checks. Everything is in order. I don’t know what Lars was trying to tell you guys, but we’re fine and on schedule. Thanks for all your concerns guys, we do appreciate, it but we’re good and sound. I promise. Can’t wait to get there and join you guys on all the fun. Well, I better go and start my shift. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, unless something important needs to be addressed before then. Be safe, love,” finished Ebba.
“Mouah!” replied Ladli, blowing a kiss back at her through the computer screen. But she couldn’t help it, she was still concerned.
Valles Marineris was a big place. It was called the largest canyon in the solar system for a good reason, with its several kilometer-deep trenches, covering over 4000 kilometers in length and 650 kilometers wide, the geological feature was a real wonder. For the colonists, it had become their backyard, their place of work and research, and the familiar site never ceased to amaze them. Ladli and Tendai had taken ARC 2 for their excursion up the high plateau a few miles south of the station, a time alone that the couple cherished any time their turn came to break away from the base. Even Liu, who had stopped going outside after Najib’s death unless necessary, was now enjoying her days off in the immense canyon whenever she had the chance, even if she was usually joined by one of the other members for safety reasons. Today’s outing spot had been picked at Ladli’s request. Tendai had parked the rover close to the edge of the abyss and the view was breathtaking. He remembered the first time he had awakened on the red planet and seen the gargantuan cliffs in the distance through one of the outpost’s small windows. He had seen countless pictures and videos while training back on Earth, but nothing could have prepared him for the majestic grandeur of the site. A few hours silently passed as he and Ladli watched the sun slowly set behind the tall ranges around them from the comfort and safety of the rover. Above, the night quietly turned the orange sky darker and darker, until the starry canopy engulfed everything.
Ladli, sitting next to him, suddenly burst out crying.
“We’re not gonna make it, are we?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’re alone now. Earth can’t help us, and no one else is coming, so what chance do we have?”
“I know, baby, but we’re still here, aren’t we?”
“For how long?”
She was looking at him, eyes filled with tears, and Tendai didn’t know what to say. She was right, their chances of survival, without Earth re-supplying their small base every couple of years, was slim. He passed his hand on her cheek, drying a few tears, and kissed her lips softly. She abandoned herself in his arms. Looking back at her, he slowly unfastened her harness and lifted her to him, carried her willing body to the back of the rover, and laid her down. Without a word, he unbuttoned her black shirt and freeing one of her breasts, began licking the hard nipple with the tip of his tongue. She moaned as he slowly reached for her secret place with his searching fingers. He then arched up his back, allowing her to release the belt around his pants. Running her hand along his large erected member through the fabric of his briefs, she lifted his shirt and kissed his chest. Tendai gently removed her underwear, pulling it slowly down her legs, revealing her wet treasure. As she bit her own lips in anticipation, he brought his to the sensitive place and worked magic with his tongue, soon causing her body to convulse uncontrollably. When he knew she was ready for him, he opened her legs and penetrated her with one strong thrust of his hard-burning penis. The large member glided effortlessly inside her wet opening, and the two became one. After making love several times throughout the next few hours, they both finally fell asleep.
When Tendai woke up, the thickness of the night was still wrapping its dark scarf around them. Lying on his back on the floor of ARC 2, he stared at the view above in silence. Captivated by the serene darkness, he began to fall into the peaceful realm of wonder as thousands of stars, sparkling against the dark background above, drew him slowly, irresistibly into the unlimited world of his own imagination. Envisioning suns with worlds of their own orbiting in countless arrangements and sizes, some with gigantic gaseous planets, others with smaller, rocky worlds and water worlds, lava spewing infernos and biologically thriving ones, full of life, maybe orbiting a double, even triple star system. He was now on such a world. Three suns, make it four, of various sizes and magnitude, casting strange shadows across an alien world with giant trees and a lush vegetation, bordering a majestic purple ocean. Sharp jagged, ice covered mountain peaks in the distance, partially covering the lower portion of a large Saturn-like gas world slowly rising from the horizon, shot high in the surreal sky. His eyes drawn to movement in the distance, he could see the calm purple ocean beginning to foam. A fantastic being, slowly emerging from the surface, rose far above the water. Almost round in shape, the large creature glided silently towards him, its glossy skin reflecting the light from the suns above. Reaching the shore, the large alien rose its single massive leg and stopped right above him, its four eyes staring at Tendai with intrigue. The creature then suddenly morphed into a… Black Hole. In the dark background of deep space, gradually overtaken by the growing display of countless stars trapped in a death dance with their host, the lonely traveler was now approaching a disc of swirling gases, a gigantic beast the mass of several billion suns, swallowing ferociously countless stars and planets that had wandered too close. The circular plane of spinning light, coagulated in giant bands of spiraling matter stretched beyond recognition, speeding ever faster to their absolute death, was hard to watch due not only to its overwhelming destruction, but also for its unbelievable brightness. Looking at its very center, Tendai was trying to make out the dark sphere of infinite gravity, an absolute emptiness residing beyond the “event horizon,” a hollow space that even light could not escape from. Right above and below the immense disc, perpendicular to the thousands of light years wide secretion plane, the escaping gamma rays and radiation excess were shooting out two columns of plasma, thousands of light years long, rushing in opposite directions at near the speed of light. A distinctive looking object grabbed his attention when it rushed straight past him and dove straight for the giant black monster; an alien spaceship, unlike any he had ever seen. The bulky vessel seemed to invite him irresistibly to follow. All his efforts to resist seemed futile. He could see himself approaching the black hole, in slow motion. He was powerless. His body began to stretch, gradually morphing into a soft rubber-like matter, as it rushed faster and faster toward the infinite gravity of the black abyss. And, as he felt the force sucking him in getting stronger and stronger, his heart began racing faster and faster until-