Chapter 12

Orson worked into the night trying to fix the power system and the oxygen converters without success. ‘I can’t figure out what’s going on,’ he told Nash when he arrived at their sleeping quarters close to midnight. ‘I’ve pulled both systems apart and run every diagnostic possible but they’re still not functioning properly.’ He sighed. ‘I’ll have to take another look at it tomorrow.’

‘I’m sure you’ll work it out, Dad,’ Nash said.

Exhausted, the team bedded down for the night. Orson put extra blankets on the beds and told the children to keep their space suits handy. ‘It can get cold with the higher carbon dioxide ratio and the suits still have oxygen supplies in case the levels plummet overnight. It’s not ideal, but it’s all we can do for now.’ He set his alarm to go off every hour so he would be able to wake and check the oxygen levels, assuring the kids that it was merely a precaution.

Nash has never seen his dad so worried. That night, he slept fitfully, tossing and turning, and tormented by nightmares about crash landing on strange planets and running out of oxygen.

At breakfast in the morning, the team planned their trip to V2 to collect the food and medical supplies and the other Misty crew members. It was decided that Yuri and Alex would accompany the Space Kids while Orson remained at Alpha to continue working on the oxygen converters.

‘It’s imperative for all of us that I fix the problem,’ Orson told Nash. ‘I hope you understand and don’t mind if I stay here?’

‘Of course not,’ Nash said. ‘We’ll handle the retrieval mission, don’t worry. We’ll be back before you know it.’

‘I hope so.’ Orson finished his coffee then hugged Nash before standing up. ‘Be careful out there.’ He eyed Raj and KC. ‘That goes for all of you.’

‘We’ll look after each other,’ Raj said.

Orson smiled. ‘I know you will, that’s why I have every faith in you.’ With a final wave, he wandered off, concern etched on his face.

Things must be bad, Nash thought as he watched his dad leave. I sure hope he can fix things or we’ll all be in trouble.

After breakfast, Yuri and Alex showed the Space Kids to the Mars Maxi-Rover, known as ‘Maxine’. The orange vehicle was a cross between a tank and a bus with a trailer attached at the back. It was chunky and sturdy yet lightweight and it had dozer tracks instead of tyres.

‘Saves getting flats,’ Alex explained, kicking the tracks with his boots.

Everyone piled on and took a seat. ‘Seatbelts please,’ Yuri said. ‘We don’t have proper roads on Mars and the rugged terrain makes for bumpy driving.’

The bus was fitted with an oxygen system so while everyone wore their space suits, they didn’t need helmets while onboard. They set off, Yuri picking his way across the Martian landscape and following the directions of Nash and the others as they retraced their journey from the previous day. Alex pointed out historical sites from previous exploratory missions as they drove along.

‘That’s where Tex Overton took his first steps on the Red Planet,’ Alex said, pointing to a site in the distance where a Starcorp flag flapped in the wind.

Nash peered out the window, taking it all in. ‘I can’t believe it took him almost two years to complete the journey. He must have been lonely.’

The story was well-known, the journey part of the space history books. The race to Mars had begun in earnest in 2050, with Tex Overton the first astronaut to make the solo trip to the planet. The trip had been an experiment, but its success had paved the way for further expeditions from billionaires, conglomerates, and government organisations and had led to the establishment of the Alpha Colony.

The group passed several other sites, including the landing place of Red-7, the first Worldlink shuttle to successfully land after six failed attempts. Eventually, Maxine trundled to a stop beside V2. Everyone fixed their helmets on then Nash, Raj, and KC eagerly ran into the spacecraft calling out for Commander Best, Felix, and Olga. The Misty crew members were relieved to see them. Nash was glad to see Commander Best was up and about despite the fact her head and wrist were bandaged.

‘How’s your wrist?’ Nash asked Commander Best.

‘Fine,’ she bristled, before brushing him aside to introduce herself to Yuri. She then organised everyone into groups, ordering them to transfer the food, seeds, and medical supplies to the Maxi-Rovers’ trailer.

‘Great work, people,’ Yuri said once the trailer was full. ‘Now, let’s get these supplies to the dome. Commander, you’ll need medical attention when we get there.’

‘Never mind that,’ Commander Best replied, unconsciously touching her bandaged head. ‘I’m tougher than you think.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t sugg-’ Yuri began, but Commander Best cut him off.

‘I’m fine!’ she snapped. ‘And don’t tell me what to do.’