A DEPARTURE - um texto de ficção de minha autoria

A Departure

  “Do you promise that you are going to return?” asked Rachel with little hope of receiving an affirmative answer. “You know it’s too dangerous. Many died and others have been reported missing. People say the Martians torture who they catch alive and turn them into slaves. I think you should forget Mars and let them mind their own business. Make an agreement, or something of the sort. War is not the end of everything!” said her hoping for the best. “Who knows!? Maybe they will be appeased if their cause is recognized. Maybe they will want a partnership. Think about it - Mars cannot survive without the Earth!”

   The war has been going on for more than 4 terrestrial years, and Mars has hitherto defeated Earth in every attempt to regain control over the colony. The uprise had begun in the Martian High Security Penitentiary, where the most dangerous criminals of Earth are deposited; among whom professional hitman, gang members, drug traffickers, and terrorists were represented. The MHSP, funded by the UN, was conceived as a rehabilitation facility with the purpose of resocializing convicts and offer them a second opportunity, not on Earth as many dreamed, but on Mars. Nevertheless, due to the growing state of insecurity caused by the persistent opposition to the single government or its policies, the rise of extremist movements of either political and religious inclinations, and the subsequent indiscriminate framing of discontents as terrorists; hackers, writers, anarchists, artists, journalists, teachers, and any sort of activists who sustained opinions that entered in conflict to parts or the entirety of the ideal of a single government, were being sent to Mars as criminals, and it was from these people that the ideology of an independent Mars gained structure and maturity. Convicts without hope of returning to the Earth already adopted Mars as their home, and all these men of action needed was the ideological support the intellectuals provided. Albeit regarded as a terrorist group by the terrestrial government, the Martian Independence Movement considers itself the truthful representative of the population of Mars, and its main goal is total independence.

  The first manmade object to ever reach Mars is believed to be the American spacecraft Mariner 4, which, supposedly, entered orbit in 1965, with the aim of conducting closeup scientific observations and relaying them back to Earth. However a deeper knowledge of the Martian surface could only be obtained with the Mars Rovers, Opportunity, which landed in 2004, and Curiosity, landed in 2012. These car-size rovers were movable laboratories which carried out chemical analysis of rocks, soil, and the lower atmosphere, as well as taking high definition photographies of the territory. The data collected by these machines were crucial in deciding where to establish the location of the colony.  

  Although the crew of Apollo 11 had stepped on the Moon in 1969, which, in Neil Armstrong's own words, was “a small step for a man, but one leap for mankind”, the technology to carry people to Mars came into existence only 60 years later. The trip to the Moon took, on average, 2 days, in the beginning of the twenty first century, which permitted fast commutes, specially in the case of emergencies. The colonization of the Moon occurred much earlier, during the time countries were still independent; however, Lunar settlement was considered a mere rehearsal to the larger leap of reaching Mars, and, therefore, viewed as possessing lower importance, and since the Martian uprise, the bases and laboratories on Earth’s natural satellite were completely emptied. Nevertheless when referring to the red planet, distances and travel duration grow immensely, compared to the Moon, and crewed missions were still considered suicide missions, what panicked astronauts’ wives like Rachel.  

  “Yes, my darling, I promise that I’m going to return. I can’t imagine life without you and our children. However, we may not allow those bloody bandits take control of the red planet we sacrificed so much to populate. If they gather enough momentum, they’re going to try to invade the Earth and this is unacceptable. I’m aware they are stronger now and they’ve defeated us in many opportunities, but now we’re better equipped, we possess newer spaceships, and it’s well known that Martian technology is not comparable to ours.” said the man trying to reassure his wife. “We will quench the rebellion, wreck their obsolete crafts, and begin a new colony.” continued he.  

  “I don’t care about who is superior, who has the most advanced technology, or who rules the Earth and that goddamn planet we should never have messed with. All I care about is the father of my children. How am I going to bring them up without a father? How am I going to live without my husband, the person I chose to live together? Oh John, don’t make me miserable! I’d rather lose all the money the Air Force pays us, than losing you.” cried Rachel in a feminine tone. “Our life is perfect. Can’t you see? Quit the Air Force John; I beg you! Don’t ruin our lives. If you die we all die. You’re a pilot, for Christ sake! I’m sure you’re going to find a job in an airline.” finished her in clear desperation.

  Major John Silva has been a UN Integrated Air Force and Astronautics pilot for over 10 years, and he has travelled to Mars 3 times to carry out missions which aimed at supplying the colony with scientists, engineers, physicians, military personnel, and thousands of handyman and husbandman to the many laboratories, hospital units, military bases, mines, agricultural greenhouses, animal housings, and to the penitentiary to guarantee inmate orderly conduct, which, as numbers increased, became the main reason for a colony on Mars. The coming of his ship has been long awaited by the workers whose missions were overdue and longed to return to their beloved families on Earth. Their 2-year mission offered a high salary which, as many soon after arriving conclude, isn't worth the risks; cancer and bone loss were common illnesses related to the exposure to radiation and absence of gravity, besides, their health decreased continuously due to poor nutrition. It looks as though the human body is connected to the Earth somehow, and the longer people stayed away from the blue planet poorer their health becomes.  

  Although the distance being huge, advancements in propulsion shortened the trip from 9 months, in the early twenty first century, to only 3 in 2050, what improved mission success rates greatly. However, radiation, space debris, and micrometeorites still posed a major threat to astronauts’ lives; many developed a number of diseases related to radiation exposure, and in one occasion, a spaceship was partially destroyed due to a collision with a meteorite, but, luckily, no casualties were reported. In the early trips Rachel had supported him and showed truthful excitement in having a pilot as a husband, however, those were times of peace, which no longer exists between the two planets, and owing to the previous humiliating defeats, Rachel had a real feeling that this time, she would never see her John again.

  “Dear, help me pack. Will you? Oh, make sure you put my favorite suit in the suitcase. I want to look great in the press conference. Did I tell you that all the major networks will cover the event? said John in a hurry. “The entire world is going to be watching and they are entrusting on us their most dear hopes” continued he.

  “Yes, my dear. I’m going to iron it first. Ah! I already folded your shirt and pants, Those shoes I adore are shining!” said Rachel sounding calmer. “Do you prefer the black tie or the wood brown tie?” asked her tenderly.

  “Sweetheart, I think the black tie is more sober. I want them to take me seriously, for there is an immense amount of money involved and the Security Council won’t accept another defeat. My head is on the noose. Mars has to be controlled; otherwise, they’re going to strangle me.” responded John in a tone that betrayed a slight concern that bordered hesitation.

  The Security Council amassed, hurriedly, all the money and resources it could from every single one of the 195 UN member states. The countries that couldn’t afford to bequeath money did so with raw materials such as iron ore, aluminum, copper, and uranium; eatables such as rice, beans, corn, and meat, which were going to be processed and dried for the voyage; qualified personnel such as physicians, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and labourers all of functions. The pressure to conduct a prompt response that would revenge the humiliating defeats was enormous, and the fear of Earth being invaded by Martian forces grew, exponentially, with each failure in demonstrating to the eager public that the Earth was well armed and could protect itself.    

  Shortly after the last massacre teams gathered in the United States, Germany, China, Russia, and India to develop the modules that would journey to the red planet. Five modules were constructed with the last generation of propulsion technology. Harbored in every one, 10 smaller crafts, similar to jet planes, and each carrying machine guns, missiles, and nuclear weapons, composed the attack force that pledged to warrant the victory of the blue over the red planet. The module that John was going to embark was constructed by the European Space Agency. Its innumerable parts were produced in laboratories all over Europe, which, in spite of having relative autonomy, responded to the Mission Command in Germany, which had the responsibility of managing and testing these parts; confirm standardization in gauges, wires, water tanks, electronic-controlled fuel injection systems, computer algorithms, air-conditioning, electrical power generation, oxygen production, pressure levelling, and other countless parameters and requirements such as safety and emergency evasion protocols, and only then pack them up and ship to the tropical shores of French Guiana, where ESA carries most of its current launches.          

  After breakfasting with Rachel, Julia, and Arthur, his wife and children, John headed towards the Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. The facility was founded by the European Space Agency in the twentieth century, in the time when countries were still independent from the UN. Nowadays it’s administered by ESA in partnership with the United Nations’ department of Aviation, Space Defense and Astronautics. The space center stays at the equator to optimize launches, which receive an extra impulse due to the eastward rotation of the Earth, and most importantly, in a region hidden from the critical eyes of the european public. The French Guiana is a part of France, not in Europe, but in the northernmost part of South America, bordered by Brazil at the east and south, and by Suriname at the west. This French department is almost entirely covered by the Amazon Rainforest, and more than half of its population lives in the metropolitan area of Cayenne, the capital, situated on the northeastern shore. The launching pad stays at 20 kilometers northwest of Kourou, its second largest city, also in the metropolitan area of the capital. Although Brazilian himself, he does not board rockets in his country, since Brazilian astronauts, as astronauts of the majority of nations, had to refer to the United States, Russia, Europe, China, or India to be lifted off the ground, for they were the only powers with launching capabilities; an issue that ceased to exist after centralization: skilled professionals, including UN pilots, university and technical students, and members of the security forces were endowed with the international passport, which granted free access to any country.

  The centralization of powers into a single government, the United Nations, made countries be, to the UN, what states and provinces were to their former versions, and it followed that space centres previously run by single governments and multi-state agencies, like ESA, are now operated by the Security Council, an organization comprised of the 20 richest countries plus other 20 that are elected for a 10-year term with the possibility of unlimited re-elections.

  Initially, sovereignty gave way to continental governments such as the European Union, in Europe, which was the first to be established and served as a model to the others; the North American Union, which replaced the governments of the United States and Canada; the South Cone Union, encompassing all the former South American countries; the East Soviet Union, which was a capitalist union comprised of the Asian members of the former communist Soviet Union; and the South African Union, comprised of the southernmost countries of Africa. Subsequently China merged with India and most of Asia into the Dragon Union, with the exception of Japan and South Korea; they remained independent from the local group and preferred partnerships with western countries. These Unions became the superpowers of the twenty first century, from which an unprecedented arms and aerospace race sprung, rivalled only by that existent, in the twentieth century, between the Soviet Union and the United States. As the fear of a total nuclear annihilation between the 2 major Unions grew, the North American and the Dragon, a treatease was proposed in the UN parliament in which the government of the Unions should be subordinated to a decentralized world wide government whose headquarters were situated in New York, United States; Geneva, Switzerland; Pretoria, South Africa; Beijing, China; and Sydney, Australia.

  In the beginning the ideal of unification faced harsh oppositions, mainly from the most developed countries, which feared losing their status of leaders and the quality of life of their citizens. Unification had been called modern communism by opponents, which sought to preserve capitalism and the free market. Nevertheless as technology evolved, allowing the movement of people in unprecedented speeds and quantities, in supersonic bullet trains and jumbo jets, and the development of the Internet, the decentralized world wide multiple purpose network, nationalism became an old-fashioned ideal which represented values that were outdated, such as race superiority, machism, patriarchalism, and the exploration of resources abundant in poor countries by the richer ones. However, as the poorest understood that their quality of life was predicted to improve after unification, and that the possibility of immigration to anywhere was promised to be granted, at least to skilled workers, pro-unification parties won elections and assumed power in nearly all corners of the “Third World”, and their votes outnumbered, by far, those against unification, whose guidelines ranged from completely eliminating famish and misery to space exploration - and setting a base on Mars was the foremost.

  “Luckily they conduct these launches in this empty part of the world; otherwise we wouldn’t be able to drive to the base.” said John attempting a small talk.

  “Yes, my love! Everything is going to happen according to plan.” said the woman

  “Among the 5 groups the UN chose our crew to be interviewed, and each member will be required to respond questions, which, pray, will be made by journalists carefully chosen beforehand.” said John. “Ah! Of course some anarchist will attempt to pass by a genuine journalist to infiltrate and dare dirty our minds with his travesty of reality.” continued he betraying dislike to dissidents.

  “Oh no, you’re being pessimistic. I foresee that everything is going to be perfect. You’re going to be regarded as a hero. My hero.” said the woman attempting to mask her true feelings.  

  Arriving at the base the family noticed that the place was rather empty.

  “Where is everybody dad?” asked their son Arthur clearly frustrated to the apparent lack of glamour.  

  “As I was speaking to your mother Art, they chose this place to conduct launches because nobody lives here, and rioters think twice before coming all the way down from Europe or America. Here they are outnumbered.” lectured John. “The conference will be covered by the major networks of every country and broadcast in all languages. Your father will be watched by the whole world.” he continued trying to impress his family. “You two are going to be the only ones in school with a famous father. Isn’t that cool?”

  “Are we going to sit next to you daddy?” said the little girl.

  “Oh no sweetie.” responded the father. “You shall stay with your mother. There will be a hall with a big screen where the families will be accommodated. There will be plenty of food, soda, and candy for you there.”   

  John parked the car in an exclusive area and headed to what seemed to be an alternative entrance. He was instructed to not give unauthorized interviews; thence he snaked through a maze of corridors, furnished not by marble and chandeliers but by electrical cables and sewage tubes, to meet up with the personnel that were going to conduct his family to the hall where they would be received. Observing that Rachel, Arthur, and Julia were safe he aimed at an anteroom; he and the other crew members should be readied before entering the press room. It was paramount that they were perfectly rehearsed, and most importantly, not fall prey to controversy, which would belittle the event and cause the public to question the managing capability of the authorities, and, consequently, the UN.    

   “John, I trust you fully.” appealed Colonel Brown striding back and forth. “The Security Council won’t accept flaws of any kind; insecure responses, misplaced words, or even a stutter. No falter or weakness should be noticed.” continued he betraying worry. “The journalists were careful selected, and the questions previously reviewed so nothing unexpected should happen.”

  “Colonel, I’m absolutely sure the conference will be a success.” said John reassuring his superior. “Not this time Sir. Now we’re prepared”

  In the press conference John and the crew answered questions made by well-known journalists - famous figures from the most watched television networks in the world. They behaved properly and asked the very questions submitted previously for inspection. Colonel Brown, the military authority in charge of warranting success, was radiant. He was receiving congratulation calls from all over the world. No falter or stutter in the speeches had occurred, and the conference was nearing the end, when, suddenly, an unknown journalist got hold of the microphone, freezing Colonel Brown, and posed a sudden question.

  “Major Silva, do you firmly believe that this time Earth will prevail?” asked the daring journalist.

  “Yes, there’s no doubt about that.” responded John proudly.

  There could be seen a movement of security guards to remove this journalist from the room, but before they reached him he spoke again.

  “But Sir, people have paid tributes and worked as slaves to fabricate the ships in other occasions, and we were massacred by the Martians in all of them. How can we believe that you are going to be successful since, apparently, the same mistakes that led to the previous failures are being made again and again.” shouted the young in a concerned voice.

  “Mister!” commenced John attempting to show superiority. “I don’t know which terrorist group you represent, but I’m certain of what I’m doing. Now, why don’t you go play soccer and let the adults do their jobs.” responded John with arrogance.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen. No more questions. The conference is over.” announced Colonel Brown as the microphones and the cameras were cut. “Now, I want that punk in my office at once.” said he passing orders to his underlings.

  As soon as he spoke five brutes, the size of wardrobes, rushed after the journalist that had asked that petulant question. After one hour of search they headed to Colonel Brown’s office. Major John was lounging on a sofa opposite to Colonel Brown’s desk.

  “Where is he?” enquired the Colonel.

  “We simply don’t know. He vanished. I can’t explain.” said one of them.

  “Get out of my sight, bunch of incompetent beasts” protested the Colonel.

  The five huge and muscular man exited the office. Colonel Brown addressed John lighting a cigar.

  “Oh, nevermind John! You responded twenty questions. You gave every single possible detail about the mission. We’re not going to be ruined by one single question made by an anonymous punk. People pay attention to the celebrities, and they asked you the right questions.” said the Colonel in a fatherly tone.

  “I hope so. I hope so” repeated John, more for himself to hear than to respond  to the Colonel.

  The week that followed the conference was thrilling to John and the kids, but laden with worries to Rachel. She sensed these were her final moments with the love of her life and she made it clear she preferred that he quit the mission.

  “Dad, when I grow up I will be an astronaut just like you!” shouted the young boy with excitement. “I want to go to Titan. My science teacher said there might be life there.”

  “Yes, son. Many people believe life might’ve evolved naturally outside of our home planet. But don’t get too excited. The kind of life there may be only boring bacteria.” responded the father.

  “I don’t care. All I want is to travel and be famous.” said the boy. “Mom!” cried he. “I’m going to be the commander of the biggest spaceship ever built!”

  “Only over my dead body!” repelled the mother. “I’m already losing a husband, and I’m not going to lose a son.” said her expressing frustration.

  “Oh lord, we’ve discussed this countless times Rachel. Don’t make a scene in front of the children.” begged the man.

  “Arthur, go to play with your sister in the yard. Now!” yelled the mother.

  As soon as the boy passed through the door to play in the yard she began.

  “Do you call this being a man?” said Rachel in a provoking manner. “Going to God-knows-where and abandon you family? They give a damn about you John. For them you’re just a number. A disposable asset. Somebody they will replace, immediately, after dead; and all we get is a goddamn medal.” continued her making a point. “We are your family. We love you. We worship you. Your son’s eyes fill with joy when you play with him. It’s true happiness. Not a political lie they’re trying to push on us. Quit the mission John, please. Say you acquired an illness. They’re going to use somebody else!” now it was her begging.

  “Rachel, I don’t know you anymore. You seem to share the views of the rebels. I don’t want a wife that opposes me in every breath I take. I’ve being thinking about things and in what our marriage became. I’m serious Rachel. If you don’t support me I’m going to file for a divorce. Said the man in an intimidating tone.

  “No, no, no, please. Don’t do it to me. Don’t do it to your children. Don’t you love us anymore? You sound like a machine. All you think about is completing your mission. Think about your family” said Rachel fighting for her family.

  “Ok. I’m going to be considerate. The mission will last one year only. I’m going to come back and when I return I want to see the Rachel I knew and fell in love with.” said the man confidently.

  After saying these words John recluded himself in his office and went over mission protocols, safety guidelines, solar system maps, the route, and velocity they were going to use to optimize their voyage.

  Rachel did not speak to him until his departure. The only voices that could be heard came from the children that played and brought life to the rather dead house. When love suddenly vanishes it’s them, the children, that often hold homes together, and it’s on the children that both John and Rachel were thinking.

  When the day arrived, the family went to the Guiana Space Centre, with the father driving, the mother in the front passenger seat, looking deeply depressed and covering her eyes with sunglasses, and the kids in the back seat. Upon arrival they were conducted to a hall where all the families of the crew and other military personnel were concentrated. Two hours before launch the father was summoned by the crew members. It meant the time had come. He hugged and kissed the kids dearly. Rachel refused at first, but gave in at last. He hugged her and whispered to her left ear. “I promise I will come back!”. The crew headed to the launching pad and exactly 2 hours later the countdown was heard.

 “Ten, nine, eight.” The countdown had begun and John and his crew were at high alert in the european module. All five modules were going to be launched simultaneously at 5 different locations; coordination, synchronism, and efficiency were paramount. The 5 captains trained every maneuver to exit the atmosphere, reach the proper route, attain cruise speeds, and arrive in time. “Three, four, one, and lift off of the European Module of the Mars Recovery Mission.” said the announcer. As spaceships, thrusted by ultra powerful rockets, went up in enormous speeds, people celebrated in every corner of every country of the globe in inebriated excitement and confidence that, this time, their lifestyles were going to be preserved by quashing the martian rebellion. However, as Arthur and Julia discovered upon entering their parents’ bedroom, not everybody was thrilled by this departure. Rachel was lying on the ground next to an empty pill bottle. Julia produced a shrill scream that astounded her brother, but, at last, awakened their mother.

  “Mommy, what happened?” inquired the loving child.

  “Mom, you’re scaring us. May I call 911?” asked the boy already grabbing the phone.

  “No, no, no. No!” said the mother in a rather affected tone. “If people discover I lost it. No, no, no. They won’t.” continued her. “Arthur what are you doing?” At the sight of her son dialing 911 she lunged at him and yanked the phone off of his little hands. “Give it to me! Everything is fine. Look boy. Don’t tell anyone what you just saw. I simply slid on the carpet. You guys fall down playing and get hurt all the time and I don’t tell everybody about it; and when your father call from the module, I want everybody happy and smiling. Did you hear? Now go play outside” finished the mother.

The end