Chapter 2

Nash ran at full pelt. His body was lathered in sweat, his head ached, his heart raced, the pulse monitors on his treadmill beeped loudly. Beside him, Raj was sprinting so hard that Nash had to push himself to stay in front.

Beside the boys, KC bounded along on her treadmill. She wore her headphones as she listened to music, humming to a song. Unlike the boys, KC wasn’t sweating at all. Nash put on another burst of speed. He had to win!

Dr Emma Wilson, Misty’s resident medic, peered over her clipboard at the three friends slogging it out. ‘Okay. You can stop now.’ She motioned for the nurse to unhook the monitors as she pressed the STOP buttons on the treadmills. ‘You sure gave these machines a workout today,’ she muttered. ‘What’s up with you kids?’

Nash and Raj shrugged in unison.

‘I was just getting warmed up,’ KC said, sounding disappointed.

‘Don’t worry,’ Dr Wilson said. ‘You can come back next week and do the same thing again. You three are in top shape, anyway. Living in space certainly hasn’t affected your fitness or your competitiveness.’

The door flung open and in rushed Captain Malik. ‘Sorry to interrupt. We’ve received a distress signal from the Alpha Colony on Mars. We’re about to meet with them.’ He turned to the Space Kids. ‘Would you three like to sit in on the meeting?’

Excitement rippled through the room.

‘Would we ever!’ Nash said. ‘Let’s go.’

As Nash, Raj, and KC jogged along to keep up with Captain Malik’s long strides, they peppered him with questions.

‘What’s the problem with Alpha, Dad?’ Raj asked.

Raj and his parents had lived on Misty Space Station for over ten years. Raj was close to his dad and Captain Malik often included him in meetings and missions, which meant the Space Kids were privy to inside information about Misty and the goings-on with other space stations.

When Captain Malik arrived at the bridge, Orson and several other crew members were waiting for him. Delta Onyx, the Communications Officer, was setting up a video conference with the Alpha Colony on Mars. A handful of other space stations were also patching in. Nash noticed that Worldlink and Starlink, two of the biggest space stations in the galaxy, were online. Their captains were seated at their respective bridges, both of which were far larger than Misty’s.

’My apologies,’ Captain Malik said as he strode into the room. ‘I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.’ He took his seat and the Space Kids sat behind him.

Captain Blunt from Worldlink grunted, but George Vernon of the Alpha Colony smiled. ‘Good to see you,’ he said. ‘I knew you’d be doing all you could to get here, Captain Malik.’

’So, what’s going on?’ Captain Blunt said. ‘We received a distress signal. We’re very busy, I’ll have you know.’

‘I understand that,’ George Vernon replied. ‘And I do hate to bother you, but we desperately need help. Our crops are failing and so is our power system.’

Alpha Colony had been established on Mars seven years ago. It had been a risky business for everyone involved. At this point, only scientists and researchers lived there because the conditions were still deemed too harsh for civilians or tourists. The main issues were the lack of stable food, power, and oxygen supplies. The outpost required a weather-controlled, covered dome which created its own atmosphere. Plants and water had been transferred to Mars, but only within the dome. While travel times from Earth to Mars had been cut over the years, the planet’s isolation and freezing temperatures still caused problems for human habitation.

‘What do you want us to do about it?’ Captain Blunt asked.

‘We need a supply drop and an engineering team,’ George Vernon said. ‘Immediately, if not sooner.’

‘How long can you last?’ Captain Malik asked.

‘Three days at most,’ George replied. ‘Our oxygen supplies are already compromised due to our power supply issue.’

Captain Blunt exploded. ‘Three days! Why, that’s preposterous. No one can get there that quickly. And we certainly can’t spare any food. We have a ship full of paying passengers who demand only the best.’

‘What about your crew back on Earth?’ Orson jumped in.

George cleared his throat. ‘Ah, well, they’re struggling with financial and staffing issues. They can’t help us, I’m afraid. Not in this timeframe. And the governments aren’t prepared to interfere with private ventures of this kind.’

‘Well, we’re not a charity,’ Captain Blunt muttered. ‘Besides, you’re asking the impossible. No one can get to Mars at such short notice.’

‘I know someone who can,’ Malik said. ‘Cooper Borgstein has been working on a new blaster. It’s still in development, but it should be able to get us there in a few days.’

KC whistled. ‘That’s fast!’

‘It sounds like you’ve got it all sorted,’ Captain Blunt said. ‘Good luck with your mission, Malik. I have important matters to attend to. Over and out.’

Worldlink’s screen went black. Other space station captains followed Blunt’s lead and left the video call so that only Misty and Alpha remained online.

Everything was silent for a moment before Captain Malik said, ‘It looks like we’re it, then.’

‘We really appreciate your help,’ George said. ‘You have eight lives and the future of the Mars Colony resting on your shoulders.’

‘We won’t fail you,’ Malik replied. ‘I’ll get in touch with Mr Borgstein right away to see what we can do.’

A chill ran down Nash’s spine. What if Captain Malik was wrong? What if they did fail the Alpha colony? That would be a disaster.