Expedition to a Dead Planet

Chapter Two

Mars

On Earth some near eight billions would pay scant attention to mans first major expedition to that reddish planet. On Earth they had other problems, disease, war, poverty, depleted resources, religious terrorism. All the scourges now multiplied by global warming. A fact laughed at by politicians until it was much too late to do anything but get out of natures way. Costal shores were slowly being inundated as both Antarctic and Greenland ice melted, freeing land that hadn't been touched by the suns rays in millions of years while submerging other long sun baked soil. All weather conditions had worsened, shortening even further those mad tempers into deepest madness. Somehow a terrorist group had laid their hands on a first generation air-borne version of the Ebola virus, releasing it into several major cities. Hunted down and destroyed their legacy remained. Hundreds of thousands had died, more would follow as the virus slowly spread in backwards countries. Eighty percent fatal, it had been stopped in the advanced nations by extreme measures. Elsewhere, in India, the Far East, China and parts of Europe it was spreading like wildfire. Eventually billions would die.

The expedition crew was aware that Earth Orbit held a handful of manned stations while Luna had only Wells Station. One small permanently manned company colony, these people were keeping a close eye on the Mars expedition. It would frighten Etsuko for example to know that every detail of her life was known by this small group of humans. That photos of her were tacked to walls everywhere, along with those of the other Expedition members. Earth was a morass of filth to those in the space program. Outside Earths atmosphere everyone understood it was only a matter of time before their planet, overburdened with her human infection, inoculated herself. Mars was the only real hope of survival, to be studied by an expedition funded not only with Earth's gold but hard earned sweat of those already in space. Even now a clandestine effort was underway to build another ship, this one to ferry everyone outside Earths atmosphere to Mars. Built of excess supplies, smuggled parts and the lunar colonies own tiny industrial capability it would be years in the making and it would be finished only if Etsuko, along with the rest of her companions not only survived, but proved that humans could flourish. Nuclear missiles could barely reach the moon, they couldn't possibly reach Mars. At least not yet.