NationStates Jolt Archive

Part I: Skyward Gaze

Mars City, Colonial Sector of Mars

The ways of God in Nature, as in Providence, are not as our ways; nor are the models that we frame any way commensurate to the vastness, profundity, and unsearchableness of His works, which have a depth in them greater than the well of Democritus. Joseph Glanville

Dr.Tamara Harlan read the opening lines of Edgar Allen Poe's short story entitled The Maelstrom. She always fancied literature, the older works always appealed to her. These novels, stories, and poems transported her to a distant past where life seemed...simpler. Where the gears of technological advance and eventual moral decay turned slower and things made much more sense. Her brown eyes scanned the lines once more. The flight to Mars took but an hour and she always had a book or a magazine to pass the time. Often did she make those trips to Mars City, the only settlement on Mars where colonization and terraforming actually succeeded. It was large, helping to ease the burden of Earth's ever growing population which threatened the natural resources and ecosystem of such a gragile blue gem.

A blue gem...that's what she referred Earth as. So precious in its' value to humans. So small as well. Once there was a time where the planet seemed inmeasureable to early explorers, over a thousand years ago as Christopher Columbus sailed across a seemingly expanding ocean to the New World. As she looked out the port view, all she saw was the blue gem, though with swirls of white and green, but mostly blue. It was beautiful, startling so even to someone who left it so often. I wonder what the first space explorers felt when they looked out and saw the planet? As the transport ship whisked through space towards Mars which grew in size as they drew closer was still a drab red and orange. An ugly, dead planet. Such a stark contrast to her little blue gem which she held close to her heart. Not Mars, she felt no love, only a fridgid detachement towards it. Tamara never felt at home at Mars, even growing up she hated the place, such limits on where to go, lethal outside the protective domes. Even as Earth decayed, she still enjoyed it so. With this in mind as she read the quote from Joseph Glanville, whom she gave credit to him for such a great quote began to read the actual story finally...

The passenger space appeared as a commercial airline, with rows of seats except with special harnesses used for takeoffs and landings which were still rough, depending on climate and wind issues. As she gracefully turned the page with delicate fingers, a slight jolt caused the whole transport to shiver as if being bombarded by a brief chill of wind. It was wind...solar winds, which were unpredictable but mostly subtle. Tamara set down the book and saw that no one else seemed to notice. Searching her memory, the doctor remembered a story about five year ago concerning another commercial transport Spirit was driven off course by a powerful solar wind burst which caused a rip in the hull, scking everything and everyone out. Was the death toll 200 or 330? She couldn't remember the butcher's bill and went back to reading. The story progressed atricually as Poe often did. The story was drab and heartrenching, concerning the follies of three Norwegian fishermen caught up in a terrible Maelstrom, a sea anomaly which sucked in two of the boys, nearly taking the old man who narrates the story to a young hiker. An interesting read. After finishing the book, she set it in her bag and adjusted her collar and flicked a black lock of hair back behind her ear and surveyed the space once more. Someone stood up to stretch their legs and sat back down quickly.

After a few more minutes the pilot dulled in with his regimented warning that they were preparing to land and that all passengers were to strap themselves in as the descended towards the space port located in the center of Mars City. As the ship rocketed downwards, Tamara could see the city from below as the ship entered the locks and into the free space where one could exist in. On one of the strips lay the awaited and thrilling Copernicus, a scientific exploration vessel constructed by the UESA in hopes of reaching a distant star. It was a monumental undertaking, planning, construction, and testing began nearly five years ago and only recently was the crew finally being assembled after a lengthy education and traning program. Tamara was to be a part of theis proud moment in human history as the ship's psychologist and personally cleared and evaluated the current crew of a dozen people.

OOC: Picture of Copernicus http://www.vesmirweb.net/galerie/Sci-fi/spaceship.jpg

As Tamara walked through the space port, past dozens of people awaiting transport and those waiting for people who just departed. They were an assorted lot, people she didn't know and would never know. People, whom once she leaves that corridor, she'll never know what will become of them. This thought fascinated her often on what people do wen you're not around. Does your existence help to forge a path? If you didn't exist would your friends and others alter any? Such questions seldom reaped answers. As she contemplated her own existence, a voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Dr.Harlan?!" a man called out from the crowd. Tamara scanned and saw a man of avergae height, glasses, and of descently handsome features. He was Dr.Landridge from Project Genesis and one of her colleagues. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Tamara, we must hurry to the headquarters" Landridge hurried his speech, weaving in and out of the crowd, failing to look back and see Tamara struggle to keep up with him as he moved like a torpedo.
"Why, what's wrong?" Tamara asked, a pinch of concern in her tone. At last, Landridge slowed his pace just enough for her to come up alongside.
"There's a situation you need to hear about. The project leaders as well as the crew are already in the confrence room...not to mention UESA reps."
"Alright, but what is the situation?!" Tamara demanded.
"It seems the UN's space program as well as members of the Security Council are putting their two cents in as well as The US!" Landridge groaned at the mention of the US. They entered the shuttle which began to speed off. The city passed before them as Tamara looked out as Landridge continued "They feel as though our mission needs...security measures...to ensure our safety"
"What kind of security measures?" Tamara asked, giving her full attention now. The picture came together slightly.
"A detachment of six specially trained security personnel" Landridge finished.
"What?!" Tamara flared, not caring if anyone heard her outburst. "Those barbaric creatons! What are they thinking? I may not be the logistical officer but now we have to recalculate food supplies, oxygen intake, not to mention their mental states as well. I have to clear them before they can come aboard"
"Hopefully you still can" Landridge added. "There seems to be no way of fighting this." he looked out of the windows as the monorail zoomed above the city. Tamara fumed with rage that a scientific mission is being turned into a military mission as well.