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    Beyond the Martian Star
    Beyond the Martian Star
    Beyond the Martian Star
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    Beyond the Martian Star

    By Michael Gabriel Becker

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    About this ebook

    Humanity no longer only calls Earth its only home. A successful colony of four has been established on Mars. The amount of knowledge humanity is gaining from this amazing endeavor is incomparable. But before the next batch of colonists is sent, an even greater discovery is made—ruins deep beneath the surface of Mars.

    Upon arriving, they learn a startling fact. The ruins are identical to modern Earth buildings. Furthermore, one of the original group has become insane with Earth-Out-Of-View phenomenon, a psychological condition no one has yet seen or even prepared for.

    On the brink of more scientific discoveries, the colonists have no way home, and no backup for four years, and it is up to them to help a man with an unknown condition become sane again, and solve the riddle of the ruins on Mars. All while their very morality, spirituality, and humanity come into question.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEpsilon Actual
    Release dateDec 27, 2018
    ISBN9781386521686
    Beyond the Martian Star
    Author

    Michael Gabriel Becker

    I am Michael Gabriel Becker. By day I am an Author, Citizen Scientist, and an Educator, but by night... Well, I sleep. Or work. I have been writing over ten years now, and finally got the spaceship off the launchpad to get published in June of 2017. Now to get the rest published! Science Fiction and Fantasy is where I mostly dabble, but I have a few ideas in other genres. Science is my main hobby, toying around with the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) fields. I mostly hang around the Engineering area, as I tinker with Electronics, from turning Cassette Tapes (remember those?) into MP3 Players, or building a device that turns off all televisions within a hundred foot radius. Insert evil laugh here. Teaching has brought much joy to me, as I was a tutor at my college. Nothing brought me greater happiness than seeing my fellow students faces all glow when they finally understood the subject. Wanting to spread that joy, I started The Spaceman Show, a science variety show podcast that demystifies the complexities of the universe. Join me as I create tomorrow, today. One person at a time.

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      Book preview

      Beyond the Martian Star - Michael Gabriel Becker

      Act I

      Chapter 1

      Rose Mocha Latte certainly has a unique flavor to it. It has the distinct taste of coffee, the soothing sensation of caffeine, but with another flavor that tickles the back of your memory... Church wine! Mont La Salle Rose Altar Wine, to be exact. Not a bad combination at all, except with the taste you half expect a preacher to walk into the door and begin a proclamation. You are startled a moment when the next person to enter the establishment is an actual priest. As he is wearing the typical all black attire with a white collar, you wonder which denomination he is. Methodist? Lutheran? Anglican? Catholic?

      You settle with the knowledge that he is some form of a Christian priest and go back to your latte. That rose wine flavor again. Watching him, he happens to order a Rose Mocha Latte. You have half a mind to go warn him that it will be the same flavor as his Sunday Mass, but you decide against it and just look thoughtfully into your mug wondering how a latte could cause so much trouble in your head.

      The Black Cat Coffeehouse is a quaint establishment, with enough brick showing and handmade modern art that satisfy the hipster crowd as well. One of the hand painted pieces of art has a black cat on it, with the words Prochainement la très illustre compaǵnie du chat noir avec ses pièces j’ombres celèbres ses poètes ses compositeurs. Unless Pig Latin officially becomes a language, you are in no way bilingual but you suspect that those words are French. If you cared enough, you would use an online translator to find out, but you care not. Two tables down from you, is a man with dark gray hair, looks that say he is in his 50s, chatting with a gentleman older than he about something that happened in politics that day. The words Republican, HPV, and Gordy come through to you, but an attractive lady with brown hair has just walked in, and your attention focuses on her. Her wedding ring makes the focus disappear and you go back to your latte. Church wine. Where did the priest disappear off to?

      He is sitting at the table to your left. Lovely. He just took a sip from the mug and has a thoughtful look on his face. The flavor seems to have jogged his memory as well.

      The television on the wall in front of you seems like a good place for your attention to be. CNN is the channel of the day, and with good reason. Today, another batch of four colonists is being launched off to Mars as part of the Martis Stella Project. Zoning out the noise around you, the television speaks:

      And we have our reporter, John Newman, on the scene. John?

      The scene changes, from a newsroom, to a man with brown hair, in a quiff hairstyle, gray eyes, and a face made for a news reporter. His purple plaid suit makes you wonder how the camera recording him has not broken yet. Behind him is a crowd of people and beyond that lies a launchpad with a space shuttle priming for lift off. His commanding and confident voice come through the speakers.

      "Thank you, Anna. I am here at the historic Launch Complex 39A in the Kennedy Space Center, where the legendary Apollo 13 was launched to the Moon over 75 years ago. But today, we are watching the continuation of an event that made humanity an interplanetary species. This is the USS Exploration II, the second colony ship part of the Martis Stella Project. It carries four people, who not only will be adding to the colony, but looking into a spectacular find. A few months ago, Markus Carew, the man in charge at the Martis Stella Project, revealed that an archeological find was made beneath the surface! I have with me Markus himself!"

      The camera panned out a few feet to reveal a well-built man taller than he, appearing to be about 30, with narrow shoulders, short neck, and a round face with red hair combed over a slightly bald region. Immediately noticeable was that his eyes were of two different colors, his right eye was red, and the left eye brown. His attire is that of a khaki business suit, no tie, with the top two buttons unbuttoned. His arms are relaxed at his sides, and the smile he has is borderline sexy and confident.

      Markus, do you feel the four new colonists being sent to Mars will be successful in research and continuing the colony?

      "Well John, I am 100% confident in my team for this launch. We have the best people down here on Earth and are sending the best team of volunteers we have to offer. We got Will Hartland as Captain of the USS Exploration II and his student Rick Suckas, both Electrical Engineers who will improve the colony’s electrical design, power consumption, and reduce the energy needs. Space archeologist Mary Baker will be the charge of the expeditions to the ruins. She was a part of the archeological team that researched the site of the Kuiper Belt Asteroid that struck the Moon a few years back. Finally, Ted Weirman is a psychologist who will assess the initial group's mental health."

      With these expeditions, there are bound to accidents or injuries that occur. What are the colonists plan to combat any medical emergency that arises?

      Every colonist up there, including the second group, has medical training, and can perform surgery if needed.

      A voice over the loudspeaker in the background interrupted his speech, Launch in T-Minus 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0...

      The camera switched to another closer viewing. The sounds of the engine grew and heightened to a roar as the engines kicked on. Plumes of smoke billowed from the red and gold flames that spewed out. The USS Exploration II began it’s ascent into the atmosphere, into space, beyond Earth’s orbit, to the red planet of Mars. When the shuttle finally disappeared from view, the camera switched back to the reporter.

      Folks, this is truly a monumental day in the history of Mankind. It will be a long 7 months as we wait impatiently to learn what secrets Mars holds. This has been John Newman, coming to you live from the Kennedy Space Center. Back to you Anna.

      I wonder if they needed redemption? A voice next to you brings your attention away from the TV and now on the priest, from whom the voice did originate. Looking at him with a puzzled look takes another sip of his latte.

      Noticing your look, he says with a smile, Rose Mocha Latte. It reminds me of the wine at my church.

      You smile back at him, and look around the coffeehouse again, thinking about what you just witnessed on the news. Apparently, you have been living under a rock for a long while, as this was all news to you. No pun intended. Looking into your mug, you wonder what all this means to you. And you make the decision to get out more.

      Chapter 2

      The Pettit Crater is 92.49 km in diameter, which is 57 miles rounded down. You can find it on Mars at position 12.25° latitude and 186.13° longitude. The Crater itself is located in the Marte Vallis region on Mars, which is 185 km in diameter, which is 115 miles rounded up.

      Along the western rim of the four-story-tall crater, there are a few holes dug into the side. A metallic staircase, not unlike fire escape stairs, scaffolding, and three metallic paths that each lead to a launchpad roughly a quarter mile away from each other and the rim of the Pettit Crater, and the final walkway toward a storage shed filled with supplies for the colony. One of the launchpads already is host to a

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