Curious Sols (The Sol Principle Book 1) Page 3

  "The categories today are: ‘On your MARC, get set, go!’, ‘That's a lot of MARCs!’, and ‘MARC to the Future!’" explained the teacher in an old corny game show style.

  Jessica put her hand over her face.

  “Bad jokes right out of the gate Dad,” pondered Jessica as she mildly shook her head.

  When she heard her father talking about these categories the other night with her mother, even she thought it was a bit out there. MARC stood for Mars Astronautical Research and Colonization. Since they've been studying the program as their entire history class for the trip, just hearing the acronym had started to bring on mutterings from the class. Her father of course resorted to games like this to try to have fun. He said something about this one being a favorite of his grandfather’s that he saw on re-runs, whatever they were.

  "You know the rules, but in case you've forgotten since our last exciting game, I'll review them," related Mr. Quinn. "We'll start the game with a random screen flash, then the lucky winner will pick our first category. When the AID asks a question, everyone will have a chance to answer. All answers are recorded of course for your grade, so please do your best. The first person to answer correctly, however, will take the points for that question. At the end of our quiz, the person with the most points will get to play for a super-secret fantastic prize!"

  "Oh boy," thought Jessica to herself, she was going to have to find a way to tell her father that he was a bit heavy on the hamming it up side, and a bit light on the funny. Luckily the AID (Artificial Instructional Dynamic) talked in a bland computer voice, suitable for a straight man in a pinch.

  The lights in the classroom dimmed a bit and the student's desktops began to glow randomly to the beat of a musical song. Jessica recognized it within the first five beats as one of the songs her father would often listen to back in the pod. The song started out with a neat kind of bass beat, then with the kick of some drums, it came alive. Somebody by the name of Wonder, or something like that, wrote it.

  Suddenly, seconds into the song, both the flashing and music stopped. Ben's desk was lit up like a festival decoration.

  The voice of the AID directed, "Benjiro, choose the category of your question."

  Ben looked around the room quickly then replied, " 'On your MARC, get set, go’ for 100 points, please."

  "The MARC 1 program constructed a space station in orbit around Mars thirty years ago. Explain the primary objective of the MARC 1 program," quizzed the computer. A flurry of small voices spoke without a sound at their desks. Each student's vocal response would be transmitted back to the computer only, and not sent through the NEUBI network, so that others couldn’t hear. This ensured test integrity.

  Jessica looked around the room, wondering who would be the first person to answer the question correctly. She knew the answer. The MARC 1 program had to restart the core of Mars. It had something to do with the magnetic field around the planet.

  "Drat," she thought, as Viktor's desk turned green.

  "One hundred points awarded to Viktor," stated the AID. It continued, "The MARC 1 program was designed to cold fuse layers of Mars' core, thus creating an energy transfer sufficient to re-enable the planet's magnetic fields." Viktor's desk returned to its regular color and the musical light show began again.

  The flashes of light danced around the room, this time stopping on Mary's desk.

  "I want ‘MARC to the Future!’" blurted Mary before the AID could ask her to choose a category.

  "Woah, Tex," Mr. Quinn jumped in, "a bit fast on the quick draw there. You have to give ole AID a chance to ask his questions or he gets cranky."

  If such a thing was possible, the AID let out a cough, then asked, "Mary, choose your category."

  Mary repeated, "I would like ‘MARC to the Future’ for five hundred points please."

  The AID began, "The MARC 4 program is currently en route to Mars with an estimated arrival time of 22.27 days. The seven founding dome cities will become launch points for the colonies. Name the seven founding cities."

  Again students' mouths formed an orchestra of silent speech. Within a few seconds, the AID announced the question winner.

  "New Japan, New Britain, New China, New Australia, New India, New Russia, and New America are the correct locations," stated the AID. "The first student to answer correctly was Jessica. Jessica is awarded five hundred points," added the computer as Jessica's desk turned green.

  Jessica blushed, she always felt a bit embarrassed for achieving in the class. It was though she had to prove her smarts were her own, not from having the teacher as a father. From the corner of her eye though, she caught a wink from her friend Mary and relaxed a bit. It was good to have friends.

  Again the desk color reset, and the light show started. This time the flash stopped on Santino's desk. He was a boy from one of the other spaceships. Santino was usually a bit quiet, so it was good that he had a chance to say something.

  "Santino, choose your category," repeated the AID.

  Santino rubbed his desk with his hand several times in a nervous pattern while slinking down in his chair an inch.

  Santino managed to voice his choice, "I'll take, ‘That's a lot of MARCs’ for 1000 points please."

  "Timeline question," stated the AID.

  Jessica smiled and thought to herself, "Ok Jess, you love these questions. Just remember, when the question pops up, roll the dial to the right date on the timeline as fast as you can."

  The AID began, "This visual timeline will span the period of time from the start of the MARC program to our current day. Four important events will flash above the timeline. Move your timeline dial to the correct date in the shortest amount of time possible. The student answering all four questions correctly in the shortest cumulative time will be awarded one thousand points."

  The lights in the room dimmed while a spherical screen materialized above the center of the room. A large rectangular timeline box spun in a 360 degree circle on an imaginary axis above the sphere. The timeline box quickly slowed its spin before coming to a complete stop. Inside the box, a line appeared. It was marked off in increments of five years beginning at 2035 and ending at 2075. At the same time a mirror image of the timeline popped up on all of the students’ desks. One addition to the desktop version, was a dial at the end of the timeline and an arrow pointer that moved across the timeline as the dial was turned. All of these sights and sounds were created seamlessly by the NEUBI.

  The sphere flashed and was followed by a crystal clear recording from a past MARC mission. The landscape was easily identified as that of Mars. Several machines surrounded what looked like a giant hole in the ground. Although they seemed to be silent, the vibrations from their operation caused Jessica's chair to vibrate. (This of course wasn't really happening. The NEUBI's signal to Jessica's brain, however, made it seem very real.) Protruding from the hole was a rough, spherical shaped gigantic rock. Its texture was clearly marred with holes, cracks, and other abrasions. The color of the rock was dark, in vast contrast to the red Martian dust surrounding it.

  The viewing angle then pitched and zoomed in on the crater's edge. The machines now appeared huge in stature, though still dwarfed by the gigantic meteorite. The vibrations of her chair increased significantly. Each machine seemed to have a different operation, some were drilling into the meteorite, some moving the resulting boulders to a cart, and others pounded the great rock. It was clear after a few seconds of observation, that this was a mining operation.

  Jessica quickly spun her virtual dial until it stopped on 2041. “That’s the meteorite that helped build the domes,” she thought to herself.

  A few seconds later, the sphere dimmed until it was dark. The vibrations which had become a bit annoying had slowed and then stopped.

  With a second flash a new image appeared. This time, an extremely tall building stood upon the Martian landscape. The camera spun around the outside of the needle like building, winding its way up to the top. A brisk wind whipped through J
essica's hair. The view from the top was spectacular, looking across hundreds of kilometers of land. A vaguely familiar smell filled Jessica's nose, it was a very earthy smell. (Was this supposed to smell like this or were there now two odors to talk to her mother about?) The camera then pulled back revealing dark clouds in the distance. A time lapse video began showing the clouds rolling across the sky, filled with streaks of lightning. Jessica's skin felt increasingly sticky as if she had just entered a tropical biome. Within moments the storm reached the tower, pelting the landscape with giant drops of water. Without warning, the students were then blasted by a wall of water. Everyone screeched, covering their heads as if they would be drenched.

  Jessica fought off the urge to wipe the water from her face, quickly spinning the dial on her virtual desktop. This time she stopped the dial on the year 2047.

  “The year of the Great Storms,” recalled Jessica. “And that’s one of the atmospheric generator towers.”

  The sphere dimmed once again. After the third flash, it came alive with a vista of a living planet. A great jungle of plants, vines, trees, flora, in every variety and color filled the sphere. As the view wound its way through the jungle, it passed a river, cliffs, waterfalls, and even a shimmering rainbow. There was something that did not seem to fit, a distinct alien look perhaps to the plant life? Maybe it was the rugged shapes of rock, or perhaps the seemingly untamed aura filling the jungle? The sounds too were a bit off. She noticed one in particular sticking out from the background noise. It sounded like crickets, but not quite.

  Jessica pinched her nose. The smells were almost overwhelming. They were like fruity smells, but so strong. It was like there was a fruit skunk that had just covered her old basset hound in an unshakable fruit skunk spray, and he came home and ran through the house.

  Jessica realized she was wasting too much time soaking in the jungle. “Oh, come on Jess, get that dial to 2050.” She repeatedly tapped it, trying to make up time.

  The sphere dimmed again, followed by the last flash. This time a field of stars filled the sphere. Slowly the view turned and a planet came into view. Beautiful wisps of clouds danced across a large blue sea covering a majority of the northern hemisphere. A massive continent was also visible stretching from the mid-section of the planet to the southern pole. An assortment of physical features filled their reddish brown interiors. What looked to be mountain ranges wound their way across the continent. One mountain in particular stood out like a man among boys, stretching up toward space.

  All of these features were typical of the unique wonderland called planet Earth. This planet though, was not Earth. The shapes did not fit. It was like nothing seen before, at least nothing in recent times. The view slowly turned, rotating one hundred eighty degrees before finally settling upon twelve glistening metallic ships. Each one glided through space as though soaring on a great current of air. Elegant silver sails wrapped around the center of each ship in three hundred sixty degree arc. In the distance behind them rotated Earth and its moon. A piercing beam of plasma extended from an orbital satellite around the moon. Through the darkness of space it travelled before pushing upon the great silver sails of each ship.

  “Mars… and our journey, to our new home,” thought Jessica as a smile broadened across her face. She proudly spun the dial to 2075.

  They had launched just a week ago from the space dock above Earth. Like a kid on a swing set, the MARC ships had been given a big push from the plasma beams of the space station. Their glistening light stuck the great sails of each ship and transferred the energy into motion. Each sail was able to adjust its angles ever so slightly so initial course corrections could be made during launch. After the initial burst, the beams stopped, and the ships continued to glide through space at a remarkable pace.

  Waiting for them at Mars, was another space station that had been launched during the terraforming years. The station’s satellites were also equipped with rotational plasma beams of their own. These beams would slow incoming ships, allowing them to be captured by gravity and establish orbit. Several ore carriers had been successful in travelling between the planets using this method. It had proven superior to conventional rocket use in these unmanned transports, shortening the journey by several months. This was the first time, however, that passenger ships had used this technology. It was just one more example of the experimental nature of the mission.

  When the sphere dimmed this time, it faded out of sight along with the timeline box.

  “One thousand points are awarded to Benjiro,” announced the AID.

  “Great job, Benjiro!” remarked Mr. Quinn. “That’s what I call being quick on the dial.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes and looked over at the scoreboard. Ben was easily in the lead now. That would soon change though. Four questions later, Viktor had made a comeback and was right behind Ben in second place. Jessica was almost happy to be in third on the scoreboard. The placement was far enough out first place to avoid any snappy looks. Before the game could continue, a soft beeping light appeared on the glass wall beside Mr. Quinn’s desk.

  “One moment class while I get this,” interjected Mr. Quinn as he walked over to his imaginary desk.

  He touched the beeping light and it stopped. In its place an image of Jessica’s mother appeared. She was talking to her father, but the audio was not being transmitted through the NEWBI to her. The conversation only lasted a minute or two before it was over. Mr. Quinn returned to the center of the room.

  “Mom never calls during class,” pondered Jessica.

  “Ok, sorry about that class,” apologized Mr. Quinn. “Let’s get back to our game. I think it’s time for our final question! Looking at the board, it looks like Benjiro is our champion today. Are you ready for the final trivia question, Benjiro?”

  Ben shifted in his chair, sitting a bit more upright if possible, and with a smile said, “I’m ready, Mr. Quinn.”

  “Well then,” acknowledged Mr. Quinn, “without further ado, AID can we have the final question?”

  “Final Question,” reiterated the AID. “In the year 2033, the President of the United States addressed the World Nations in a speech that was credited with the creation of the MARC program. In that speech, President Joseph Quinn quoted the preamble of the United States Constitution to garner support for the MARC program in his own country. For the super-secret fantastic prize, Benjiro, your challenge is to recite the preamble of the United States Constitution.”

  Benjiro’s eyebrows raised up while his smile retracted more than a bit. He nervously rubbed his chin with his left hand while thinking. Slowly he attempted to recite the lines, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a…more perfect union, establish justice…” Benjiro paused. He unconsciously tapped his head with his fingertip while a few more seconds passed. Then, he slowly began again, “insure domestic tranquility and…um… provide for the…common defense, promote the general welfare…” Benjiro’s speed began to pick up while his smile returned, “… and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America!” Benjiro ended his recital practically jumping out of his chair.

  “Correct,” stated the AID simplistically. “Benjiro has won the super-secret prize, congratulations.”

  The class cheered. Benjiro waved with both hands, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Way to go Benjiro!” exclaimed Mr. Quinn, “you have won victory for yourself today. On board the INS Maratha you should be an honorary captain today. I’ll make sure everyone on your ship hears of such a great triumph.”

  Mr. Quinn always made a bigger than life deal out of winning his class contests and the students loved it.

  “As for the super-secret prize,” continued Mr. Quinn, “well, I have to send that over to you by way of a top secret carrier. We can’t have a super-secret prize if I go and tell everyone what it is!” Moans of objection began to sound throughout the room, but were suddenly interrupted, as
the entire room, went dark.

  Jessica looked around, the entire classroom had disappeared. It was as if she had been unexpectedly shaken out of a deep dream. Lights that should be on in her room were off. The only source of light was Wispy, hovering in the room and glowing a deep red.

  *

  Chapter 4 Walking in Her Footsteps

  Stephanie walked over to the open coaster chair. She had reserved time to ride it tonight, but the guilt trip at breakfast had bumped up her plans. That meant cutting her MARC Academy training this morning, an acceptable opportunity cost. If everything ran smoothly, she could still show up later to the stargazing with her dad. She wasn't giving up on setting a new record. The visions of victory were racing through her mind. Nothing was going to stop her now.

  There were just a few people scattered at elevated tables around the lounge. This was quietest time you could visit the Chiller. Just as well, the less people gawking at her run the better. She didn't need the cheering and she certainly didn't need someone ratting her out to her father. On a typical night, she wouldn't mind. In fact she loved the attention. In the short time she had been on board, her coaster runs had become a main event of the club.

  Back home outside D.C., Stephanie had been racing since she was nine. She raced anything that was legal, at least as far as her father knew. She had to ditch her off-the-grid racing, however, as she had set her sights on becoming a combat pilot in MARC. The captain and her had a little agreement that way. That was another story. If there was one pilot that she looked up to, it was Captain Sterling.

  Stephanie sat down in the chair and opened a shoulder pack she had brought. Inside the pack were several compartments, holding the sum of all her cherished valuables. As she pulled out a food tube, for her makeshift breakfast, the compartments in the bag adjusted to keep each item secure. Stephanie quickly ate the contents of the tube, a ham and cheese omelet it would seem. The tube cooked the food pretty well after opening, but every once in a while a defective tube would serve an uncooked disgusting concoction.