Command Decision (Project Gliese 581g #1) (6 page)

“And Sergi’s answer was…?” Ash asked, glancing back at the other two members of the crew who had disappeared through the doorway.

“A rundown of how far we are going in a prototype spaceship with no backup if something were to go wrong,” Julia answered with a brief glance at Josh. “I have some tests to run before we get too much further away. Please, excuse me.”

Ash and Josh watched as Julia disappeared in the opposite direction. Each person had to deal with the reality of their decision. It didn’t matter that they had been training non-stop for the past eighteen months for this mission.

In the end, all the talk, all the planning, couldn’t quite prepare them mentally for what was ahead. If something happened, there wouldn’t be a damn thing anyone on Earth could do to save them. The knowledge that they would have to depend on each other, and a never-before-tested spaceship on a maiden voyage into the unknown, was unsettling and it would take time for each person to come to terms with it.

Josh understood this. It was one of the things his dad had talked to him about before each mission. For the first time in his life, he could finally appreciate what his father had been trying to tell him. His father’s quiet voice rang through his memory.

“Every mission could be your last, son,” Edward Manson said. “You can’t go into it thinking about that. You focus on what needs to be done. In the back of your mind, there is always the thought of what could go wrong, that is why we train for it, but we don’t let it consume us. If you do, if you quit, then you are doomed to failure and failure in space means death.”

Josh jerked back to the present when he felt Ash touch his arm. He pressed his lips into a firm line and nodded. He turned when he heard the sound of the communications console chime.

“Call the others,” he ordered. “It’s time to go.”

Chapter 5

Gliese 581 – Eighteen months; twenty-three days; four hours: 928,081,020 km/6.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from Earth.

“I won’t even say the words running through my head,” Ash murmured, standing next to Josh and looking at the virtual wall. “I know this is what the mission was about, but damn if I really thought we’d find anything.”

“We’ve been observing it for the last two months, why would you think it is not real?” Sergi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know. It could have something to do with the huge yellow dancing globes that you programmed into the computer last month,” Ash retorted, thankful his dark skin prevented the slight flush he still felt at being caught unaware of Sergi’s latest prank.

Sergi chuckled. “It was Mei’s idea. She saw you playing the game in the recreation room,” he replied with a grin that faded as he grew serious. “This will require numerous space walks, you understand that, don’t you, Josh? I need to be able to get up close to study it.”

“I know,” Josh replied. “Not yet, though. I want to evaluate the situation before we do anything that could compromise any member of this ship or the Gliese.”

“It does not look like a ship,” Mei reflected, her gaze moving over the large circular structure.

“The new photographs indicate there might be more than one,” Julia replied, coming up to stand near the others. “I believe they are lined up in a row.”

“A row? Can you bring up the photographs for us?” Josh asked with a frown.

Julia nodded her head. “This is the last photograph that was taken an hour ago. I didn’t notice there were others at first. They are in perfect alignment,” she responded, touching the tablet and bringing up the image to the upper right of the screen.

Josh studied the grainy image. They should reach the object in another few days. He had been in contact with Earth through the communication beacons that they had deployed as they moved away from the earth. The technology for it had been developed by Mei’s father’s company. The return messages from earth had been clear, do whatever was necessary to document the object, retrieve it if he could, and return to Earth as soon as possible.

“Have you been able to determine if there is any activity?” Josh asked Sergi.

“No,” Sergi replied. “Nothing yet. I need to get closer.”

Josh nodded. “How soon until we are close enough to do a spacewalk, Ash?” He asked, not taking his gaze off the image in front of him.

“Two days,” Ash replied.

Josh turned away from the screen. “I want everything ready for a first contact. Sergi, you and Mei make sure the equipment for a spacewalk is ready. I also want the escape pods checked. Julia, when we are close enough, I want you to send out the ROSV.” He waited for Julia to acknowledge his reference to the Remotely Operated Space Vehicles they had on board before he continued. “We will need all the information we can get. I won’t jeopardize anyone. Until we have a handle on what we are up against, then I’ll make a decision on the next step. Ash, I want you to work with Julia on the ROSV.”

“I’ll double check all the equipment and tethers to make sure everything is working correctly,” Julia replied in a quiet voice, her eyes glimmering with excitement.

“Proceed with caution,” Josh said, turning to look at the image again.

“This is a piece of pie,” Sergi said with a grin.

“Cake, Sergi! How many times do I have to tell you?” Mei retorted with a shake of her head and a rueful grin. “And you were picked because they said you were smart!”

“It is because I like pie better,” Sergi responded, winking at Josh and Ash as he turned to follow Mei.

“I’ll go help those two. You never know what they will get into,” Ash replied with a grin.

Josh and Julia watched as the other three disappeared through the corridor. He turned and looked down at Julia. Her face was glowing and her eyes reflected her excitement.

“Your father would be very proud of you,” Josh commented.

Julia nodded. “This is a spectacular discovery. It’s been almost two years since my dad died, but I feel like he is here with me,” she said with a self-conscious laugh. “When he first discovered this, I wasn’t sure I believed it was real. At first, it was a long battle to get anyone to believe him. Once he had proof and other scientists confirmed that he wasn’t a crazy old man, it still took a while to get support for funding the mission. Mei’s father was instrumental in achieving that. He knew and respected my dad. Our government didn’t want the Chinese or Russian governments to get their hands on any advanced technology if they could help it, but this was too large a mission for just one country to handle.”

Josh nodded. “We still don’t know what it is,” he stated with a serious expression. “We need to make sure it doesn’t pose a danger to the Earth.”

“There’s no telling how long it has been here,” Julia said with a shake of her head. “It is hard to wrap my head around the proof that we aren’t alone. Who left this? What is it? Why is it here? Where did they go?”

“Are they friendly?” Josh inserted.

Julia laughed. “Oh, ye of doom and gloom. Don’t you understand? This could answer so many questions!" She insisted.

“Or create more,” he said in a hard voice. “It’s my responsibility to keep everyone on this mission alive. We don’t do anything until I’m sure it is safe.”

Julia bit her lip, but nodded. “You’re right,” she finally admitted. “That still doesn’t make me any less excited.”

Josh didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed at the image one last time before turning away. They had a lot to do before they reached the object. He also needed to inform his superiors that it was real. While the question as to whether or not humans were alone might have been answered; the question of who or what left this behind and how long ago still remained a mystery.

*.*.*

Josh leaned over Julia and Ash’s shoulder, studying the massive structure as the ROSV moved closer. Small discharges from the nitrogen thrusters sent out bursts of ice crystals.

“Maneuvering to the left,” Ash murmured, working in sync with Julia. “Three bursts. Sergi, keep the tether loose.”

“Roger that,” Sergi replied.

“Julia, go down ten degrees,“ Josh instructed, leaning closer. “Mei, are you getting the recordings?”

“Yes, commander,” Mei replied.

Each of them had reverted back to their professional status as the intensity of the situation sank in. They had reached their objective several hours ago and had immediately been energized at their first contact with an alien device. Josh’s mind ran through his meeting with a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.

“It’s real?” The President had asked in a calm voice.

Josh remembered the intense intelligence glimmering in the man's gaze. Even though there had been a several hour delay in the conversation, the recorded questions and his responses had been enough to let him know that this was having a major international impact. The mission was still classified top secret/sensitive compartmented information in order to limit it to a handful of people who absolutely had to know. Regardless, the findings shared within the group were causing a ripple effect throughout the different levels as information was sent back.

“Yes, sir,” Josh had answered in a clipped tone.

He had answered what questions he could, but there hadn’t been a lot he could tell them until the crew of the Gliese could begin their analysis. He meant what he told Julia. He would do everything in his power to keep the crew and the Earth safe. The President had instructed him to destroy the object if it looked like it posed a danger to Earth.

“Look at that,” Ash replied with excitement.

Josh jerked back to the present with a frown. He blinked when he saw what Ash was talking about. From the angle that the cameras were positioned, they could see the other circular objects that Julia had mentioned.

“I count six,” Julia replied with a grin. “They look to be evenly spaced.”

“What is holding them together?” Mei asked, glancing over her shoulder from where she was sitting in front of another console, recording the events. “There is no telling how long they have been here, surely they would have separated.”

“Not if they are anchored together,” Sergi replied.

“I don’t see any type of connection between them. I would estimate they are approximately half a kilometer apart,” Julia said.

“I want a map of it, front and back,” Josh ordered.

“You got it,” Ash replied, releasing a long whistle. “This thing is pretty incredible.”

“You can say that again,” Sergi muttered under his breath.

Josh watched as the ROSVs moved over the black metal surface. It would take them several weeks for the ROSVs to complete the mapping. Each section would be carefully recorded. Folding his hands behind him, he noted the complexity of the piece of machinery. If each one was the same, he wondered what their function was, who had put them there, how long they had been there, and most importantly, where in the hell were the aliens that built them?

*.*.*

Five weeks passed as they continued to take readings and send the information back to Earth. Josh ran his hand tiredly through his hair. It was getting long again. He would have to see if Sergi or Julia would cut it.

Leaning back in the chair, he knew it was time to take the mission to the next step. During the mapping, they discovered that one of the devices was damaged. It looked like it might have been hit by something. Unfortunately, they were still no closer to answering any of the questions they had written down on the large board.

“So, what’s the plan?” Ash asked as he stepped into the small galley. “More mapping?”

Josh watched as his friend poured himself a cup of coffee. He stretched and lifted his empty cup when Ash turned to look at him. Smiling his thanks when Ash filled the cup, he sat forward and stared into the steaming brew for several minutes before he answered Ash’s question.

“It’s time to take a closer look at it,” Josh finally admitted. “I’m going to send Sergi out. The damaged part gives us our first chance of looking at the inside of one of these things.”

“Do you want me to go with him?” Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

Josh shook his head. “No, I’ll go,” he said quietly. “I need you and Julia to man the ROSVs. Mei can make sure everything we do is recorded.”

“What time do you want to suit up?” Ash asked, sitting down at the table.

Josh glanced at the time. It was just after eight o’clock. Sergi was already going over the tools he would need. Time didn’t really have a meaning out in space. Without the sun to help keep the body and mind regulated, they had all fallen into the habit of sleeping for short periods of time. It seemed longer than the sixteen months since he had last seen the sun, that he almost forgot what it looked like.

“Twelve hundred hours,” Josh replied, taking a sip of his coffee and rising. “I want to go back over some of the data before we head out.”

“I’ll double check the cameras mounted to the helmets,” Ash said.

“I’ll have everyone meet in an hour to go over the spacewalk,” Josh said with a nod.

“Josh,” Ash called out as Josh started to step out of the room.

Josh turned and looked at his friend’s concerned face. He knew Ash felt his worry. Relaxing his stiff expression, he smiled back at Ash.

“We’ve been in some tight situations before. We’ll kick ass,” Ash stated with a crooked grin.

“I hope you’re right,” Josh replied with a nod. “See you in an hour.”

Chapter 6

The sound of their breathing echoed in the headset as they floated along the outer structure of the Gliese 581. Josh raised his hand to Sergi after he checked to make sure the Russian’s tether was securely attached. He grinned when he heard Sergi’s soft laugh.

“Life is good, my friend. I finally get to do what I came for,” Sergi said.

“What’s that, besides driving Mei crazy and pulling stupid stunts on everyone?” Ash asked.