Spaceship Excalibur

Destination: Mars

Mars, a planet that for centuries has been the subject of humanity's dreams… and they were almost there. It felt surreal to be the first people to stand on its surface.

As soon as Max informed him about finding the location of the stasis chamber module, preparation for the Mars mission immediately started. Unfortunately, despite his desire, Michael could not just hop into the Excalibur and proceed to the red planet. Almost thirteen millennia of wind carrying dust had deposited substantial layers over the place where the chamber was located, so the construction drones, similar to the ones used in the Mariana Trench, needed to clear the area and dig through the ground so they could reach the facility’s entrance.

Apparently, the MI constructed a similar kind of structure as the one on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. No wonder, as both were made at the same time and had very similar programming and orders.

Not to mention that he could not take the trip alone, which was a fleeting thought brought by the excitement; Elizabeth and the team accompanied him. Ben simply showed up and explained that there was no chance in hell they would go to Mars without him. Even Ision was present, by using small repeater satellites, that the Excalibur released every once in a while, to enable him to be there in spirit since he lacked a corporeal body.

Michael looked through the canopy and saw the red-planet in its eternal glory. As its name implied, it was strikingly red, with the distinctive craters of countless meteorite impacts on its surface. Far less in number than those on the Earth’s moon, which had no atmosphere; still, a disturbing amount. Judging by their size, more than one could be considered E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), if it had hit Earth instead of Mars.

Everyone was in their battle-suits, with attached rebreather units made specifically for a prolonged stay in space. Well, all except for Ben, who was wearing a bit bulkier standard spacesuit; a one-size-fits-all adjustable model that was made in large numbers for the regular citizens.

Complete silence ruled inside the Excalibur, all stood entranced, and in awe at the majestic sight in front of them. The facility was built inside Olympus Mons, the highest mountain on the entire planet. As a matter of fact, it was the highest in the entire Solar System. Sixteen miles (25 km) from the surface to the summit, three times the size of Mount Everest, and it stood there like a lone giant announcing its might to the entire universe.

The surface was getting closer as the Excalibur started traveling through the thin Martian atmosphere. The spaceship gently landed some twenty miles away from the mountain; it was Max’s idea so they could all see it and get a sense of perspective, while making the few first steps on the surface of the planet. Michael thought that twenty miles were not far enough; even here, the mountain dominated the entire landscape, making everything else look minuscule.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Excalibur has landed,” Max pompously announced through the spaceship speakers as the craft touched down. “The temperature is balmy -82 °F, (-63 °C), the air is rather thin with 0.6% of Earth's sea level pressure. And be advised that this planet’s gravity is only 38% relative to Earth, so watch your steps,”

Michael was the first one in the line to exit.

“Come on boss, you can do the honors and be the first man to step on Mars,” Al said with a smirk. “Who knows, maybe they will name a few high schools after you.”

Michael looked at the joker beside him. “I can easily throw you out first, so you can take the honor of being the first man on Mars that made that historical step with his ass,” he replied, smirking himself.

He went alone through the airlock and stood there when the outer door opened. This was it, he could see the outside with his own eyes, his heartbeat started racing, and the crazy grin was plastered on his face. He made that first step, and then another, then stepped back to look at it. It was the first footprint a human has ever made on a new planet; a fact that caused him to be blown away by a torrent of exhilarating emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. Michael wondered if Neil Armstrong felt the same emotions when he walked on the Moon. He lived in space for some time now, but this was Mars, the setting of some of his favorite books. A small part of him expected to see Dejah Thoris or Mark Watney, strolling down the hill.

“Michael, I know you want to stare at the ground for a while and admire the beauty of your work. All the same, would you stop holding the line, and get a move on… if it’s not too much trouble.” Max transmitted through his implant.

Behind him, others were glued to the transparent ship’s canopy, smiling and looking at him like a bunch of chipmunks. Elizabeth, Alice, and Ben were clapping while Al was pointing at his wrist and mimicking for him to move it along.

Within a few minutes, everybody was standing outside, looking at the colossal mountain in front of them. It was humbling, this giant monument to nature’s might, made by the forces raging at the planet’s core. Or as Al described it poetically, “That’s one big ass volcano.”

“Why is it so red?” Al continued while pointing at the soil beneath their feet.

“Iron,” Max answered through their suits. “The red color is a result of iron rusting; rocks and soil are mainly composed of it with a few more elements mixed in, but red comes from iron oxide.”

“Maybe they should have named it that, it would be more fitting, planet Rust.” Al laughed.

“Al… shut up,” Tyron said while purposefully looking at the back of Al’s head.

Michael kneeled on one knee, and took a handful of the red sand in his hand, letting it run through his gloved fingers. The kid in him was on a mental sugar rush, jumping in excitement and yelling “I am on Mars!” He remembered when his grandfather first showed him the red planet. He bought Michael a used, but a very good telescope on one of his gold-selling trips. They had spent countless evenings in front of the cabin’s porch, looking at the heavens. The Mars he saw then was a small reddish circle, but his mind was blown away by the wonders above. A whole universe, stretching into infinity; so vast his mind could barely comprehend. In those times, the first spark of his love for space was ignited. He was here now, on the very planet that child dreamed of visiting.

After spending more than half an hour on this sightseeing tour, and watching Al fall on his ass a few times after he realized he could do cartwheels in lower gravity, they boarded Excalibur again and immediately took off towards their destination. Olympus Mons grew larger with each mile, a never-ending wall of rock in front of them; a stark opposite to the open space behind them.

A few minutes later, they were slowing down toward the site where excavations were being done. There was even a landing site with a distinctively marked letter H, which was additionally brightened by strong floodlights, as the site was in the shadow of the mountain. The site itself was an enormous ledge that could easily accommodate a couple of football fields, made by some geological quirk in the distant past. Close to the wall that rejoined the mountain was a large opening, indicating an ancient cave.

“It is inside?” Michael asked.

“Yes, this whole place was buried under a few feet of dust, and the entrance was completely sealed. There is a cavern inside with a similar configuration as the one we found at Ision’s AI-core site, and it also requires an exchange of security protocols,” Max said.

He walked in front of the others and entered inside, a dozen feet of native rock was suddenly interrupted by a shiny Resistanium wall that blocked the path. The dimensions were much bigger than the one on the bottom of the ocean, with the weight of years and Martian stone adding an almost crushing atmosphere to the place.

Michael repeated the same procedure, approaching the metal wall and laying his hands on the surface. As if inserting a key inside the lock, something clicked and the immense metal doors slid upwards, while the whole cave began to tremble. Once again, there was a smaller chamber inside, with a more intricate door on the far end, blocking the way.

“I’m in contact with the MI inside, he needs final confirmation. Fortunately, there is no countdown to the ultimate doom in this place,” Max stated.

“Thank God for that. It will totally ruin my day if we all get blown up, after making this whole trip,” Michael said and pressed his hands on the second door. That feeling of immense data transfer almost overwhelmed his CEI, while thousands of security protocols were exchanged with the machine intelligence guarding this place. When all the challenges and responses satisfied the MI inside, the door slid to the side and revealed the content of the next cavern.

It was a huge space, illuminated by a glowing ceiling that turned on as Michael made the first step. Far larger than the one on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, this cavern had a more important item to protect. In the center of it was an elliptical stasis chamber module, occupying most of the space. It reflected light from the ceiling on its golden surface, surrounded from all sides by supporting structures that were built in those last weeks before the demons attacked. Large rocket boosters were lying on the ground, and showed the passage of time, with visible signs of corrosion and damage done on reentry.

“Is it in any danger, the stasis chamber itself?” Michael asked after seeing the decay.

“No, that golden surface is an energy stasis field, impervious to time. Everything else was built for a specific task of bringing it here,” Max replied.

“It looks like a gargantuan golden egg,” Al said behind him. “And how the hell did that MI manage to bring it in here? The entrance seems way too small.”

“The cave entrance was quite bigger, but after securing the stasis chamber to this location, the MI created everything around it. Then it sealed off the entrance by using indigenous materials.” Max answered again.

This place had an ethereal feel, reminiscent of the interior of an ancient cathedral. Except, this structure was not built to worship any deity, but with the sole purpose to preserve life, and to ensure that the living heritage of Atlantis would endure. Inside of it were children, frozen in time, waiting for their parents to arrive and wake them up from their multimillennial slumber.

“The atmosphere is breathable and the pressure is at Earth’s sea level. It’s quite safe to take off your helmets,” Max supplied new information.

Michael did that and realized that the temperature was around 80°F (26°C), he took his gloves and put them in the helmet.

“It worked.” Ision’s voice could be heard from the suit speakers. “All this time and I wasn’t entirely sure if it had worked. We made plans and hoped for the best, yet, in my darkest moments… I had doubts.” His voice was quivering, overcome with emotions.

“Leader Freeman, can you do something for me? Can you touch the stasis chamber module?” Ision asked in a humble voice.

“Of course.”

He walked across the artificial cavern’s flat metallic floor until he was standing in front of the stasis chamber module. He reached with his right hand and pressed it flat against the surface. It was a strange sensation because the surface itself was slick and unyielding; completely smooth, offering no friction and he couldn’t even discern the temperature, it was neither hot nor cold.

“Thank you. I’m now unable to do that myself, but I dreamed about it for so long. My son is inside; I placed him there with my own two hands. And now… he’s finally safe,” the ancient AI whispered.

“I’m getting the readings from the MI, and every system is optimal. The stasis chamber module is powered internally and it had enough power to sustain itself for one thousand more years before it was depleted and it would’ve shut down. It’s a good thing we came ‘just’ in time,” Max declared.

They stayed inside for a while, admiring the effort it took to protect the children of two species, but eventually boarded the Excalibur and set its direction toward the Ascension.

***

Spaceship Excalibur

Destination: City-Ship Ascension

The spaceship was leaving Mars, and they could see its size shrinking with distance.

“So, what’s the plan now? How are we going to move the stasis chamber module?” Michael asked.

“More construction drones need to be made on Mars, to expand the opening to its original size. Meanwhile, I need to make a few specialized transporters that will be used to carry it to the space station,” Max replied.

“And we can’t let them out immediately,” Ben said. “A lot of preparation needs to be made first to lessen the cultural impact on so many orphans. As far as they are concerned, a few minutes ago they were leaving their families and homes, so the emotional impact when they realize what happened will be tremendous.”

“What time-frame are you considering?” Michael asked.

“At least three months and even that is rushing things. Our people need to be prepared and educated in Atlantean culture. That goes double for the angel children; they will have not a single adult member of their race. It will take time to find the appropriate caregivers, to train them, and to finish a habitat in the station where they would live.” Ben answered.

Michael nodded, “Max, how soon do you think the Atlantis level can be finished?”

“Six months on the outside, but that is for the completely finished level. If the deadline is three, I will focus on one side of the city so it will be ready for occupation by the time we wake them up.” Max replied.

“Alright then, we need to start the ball rolling. Firstly, by telling our people the entire history of the angels and demons conflict; and then the whole story about Atlantis; I hope they will accept it as truth. Secondly, start the process of finding those suitable to take care of the orphans.” Michael said.

“What about the Earthers? You know that the story is going to eventually leak to them.” Elizabeth asked.

“Let’s hope that we can prolong that for a while. So Max, tighten our information security as much as you can. The moment they find out the truth, all hell is going to break loose.” Michael said, and tried to imagine the amount of crazy such revelation would create.

Taken as a whole, humans were not the most nonviolent race on the planet, and when religion got involved, all bets were off.

He would need to coordinate with Pope John, and hope the old man would have some ideas.