But it wasn’t another disaster. Instead Director Colpeys called us all into the common room to show us a video.
“What’s going on?” I asked Tony as we hurried in.
He pointed to Colpeys, who was adjusting the settings on the big monitor. “Something just came in from Earth.”
Before I could ask anything else, the face of Dr. Ilse Aukes filled the screen.
“Hello to you all,” she said, her face grave and her tone very formal. “You are a long way from home but your journey will be over soon. I am gratified to hear that the crew of the Muninn is doing well and everyone is expected to make a full recovery. We were all very concerned, as was everyone here on Earth. Our thoughts are always with you.”
We waited, knowing that this assembly could not have been called just for that.
Dr. Aukes took a breath. “One hour ago we received a message sent in confidence from the Chinese government. That message has also been shared with a select few space programs, including SpaceX and NASA. I will read to you a translation of that message.” She glanced at the camera as if she could see us in real time. Maybe she was trying to decide how we would react to what she was about to say.
Nirti took my hand and squeezed it, and her fingers were like ice. “Oh God,” she breathed, “they’re dead. That’s what this is going to be. They’re all dead.”
I held on to her hand.
Dr. Aukes read the message. “ ‘Late last night our satellites were able to get their first good angle on the Golden Dragon. We have been able to confirm that the capsule is still attached and that no one has left the ship to descend to the surface of Mars.
“ ‘However we have made a discovery,’ ” continued Dr. Aukes, still reading the note. “ ‘While we do not yet know what happened to cause the Dragon to fail, or what prevented our astronauts from reaching the Martian surface, we know that at some point one or more of the crew accomplished a successful EVA.’ ”
We all waited, frozen where we clung or hovered.
The image on the screen changed as Dr. Aukes’s face vanished to be replaced with a grainy, dark, badly lit satellite image. It showed the side of the Golden Dragon. Someone had gone outside the ship and attached a long piece of cloth to the outside, fastening it to handholds. Two words were written on it. In Chinese. In French. In Italian. And in a dozen other languages.
Including English.
“We don’t know how long ago this was done,” said Dr. Aukes, “and we don’t know if it’s still true. But it is a glimmer of hope. The Chinese expressed concern that the crew has not performed any additional EVAs, as far as they know, which suggests that there was additional damage, either to their suits or to the airlock. Or both. The real point, though, is what they accomplished with the spacewalk they were able to make.”
Those two words changed the shape of the world.
They said, ALIVE INSIDE.