Caverns on Pravda

The Caverns on Pravda

Tiny silicon beads swirled in the wind. Friction tore away the heat shielding that covered the hover pod's hull. Ave waited hoping that there would be a lull in the wind, but he knew it was unlikely. Already the present storm was more than three and a half local months old.

"Ready to go?" Chess asked and then looked to the others, receiving nods before he deployed the Puma. Once the deployment light illuminated he pointed to the door. "Okay, you know the drill."

"Ready, Chief," Ave said.

"We will have a minute to egress. Once we're outside even less time to board the Puma. We're in the suits all the time."

"Understood," Ave responded.

"Apparently this mission is critical."

"Apparently," Chess agreed.

"These suits aren't made to stand up to this kind of abuse," Timmel attempted to say but receiving no immediate feedback, he looked to Ave, pointing to the side of his helmet that was directly over his right ear.

"Can you hear me?" Ave asked.

Timmel shrugged.

Ave reached over and flicked back the reset switch cover on Timmel's pressure suit and pressed the button. "Can you hear me, now?"

"Loud and clear," Timmel responded.

"Damned Enviro's," Ave muttered.

"Hey," Timmel complained. "So, I suck at electronics."

"Cut it," Chess ordered. He forced the hatch release down and armed it. "Ave and I have done the drill a hundred times. Just follow our lead."

"Understood," Timmel said as both he and Ave gripped the wall handles.

"Give me a countdown."

"On the mark: ready and that's five, four, three, two, one."

"Blow!" Chess shouted. Once the hatch had opened both he and Ave threw their shoulders into it to keep it open as Timmel stepped through.

Outside there was only the violence of the storm. He struggled to even attach his safety tether to the outer hull of the pod. He was forced back a few steps as he attached another tether to the hatch door and the hull of the pod, effectively forcing it to stay open so that the others could egress. Then turning he aimed a high-pressure discharge gun in the direction of the Puma, shooting another tether with a magnetic latch on its end.

"Okay, Chess. We have a temp line."

Chess remotely commanded the Puma to acquire and secure the tether while Timmel assisted Ave in keeping the door open while Chess was the last to make it out.

 "Okay!" Timmel said as he cut the taut tether that was more than ready to break under the stress that the hydraulic hatch was applying. "Go, go, go!"

As Chess and Ave scrambled past the hatch, each of them grasped the line that Timmel had deployed from the hover pod's anchor point to the Puma.

"Good job, Timmel," Chess said as he helped the Chief up into the cabin of the Puma.

"Not bad for an Eviro engineer," Timmel directed to Ave as he extended his hand.

"I guess I deserved that," Ave said.

"Apology accepted."

"Button this bitch up and purge all the silicon," Chess directed to Timmel.

"Already on it, Chief."

"Stiff breeze today," Ave said.

Chess chuckled, "Well from my morning briefing this is one of the calmer days they've observed in the past month. They believe the initial seeding of the upper atmosphere has begun to calm the winds."

"Couldn't prove it by me," Timmel said. "That was the strongest wind I have ever felt on 1G planet."

"217 knots sustained," Chess read from the Puma's indicators, "Gusts to 325... excuse me 340. It's getting worse again!"

"We have to find cover for the Puma, rock outcroppings or a cave that is out of the wind," Timmel said.

 "Understood," Chess said as the Puma released the tether. "The real question is whether there will be a hover pod to return to."

Ave growled in the background, "Don't you get it? It's a suicide mission."

"They need to know whether the caverns that the droids discovered can be made into temporary shelters for colonists," Chess said.

"So they can start charging for the tickets to come here."

"The first colonists are already on their way," Timmel revealed.

"What?" Ave protested. "Are they nuts?"

"Do they have a choice?" Chess asked. "Finding another Earth has proved practically impossible. Terraforming a world like Pravda is the only hope."

"Even that is problematic," Timmel said. "We can do this, though. Despite today's weather this environment is a workable puzzle."

"On Earth storms didn't linger for months or have this kind of punch."

"Earth's mature. This planet is about two and a half billion years younger."

"So it's a kid throwing an extended tantrum," Ave said.

"Not a bad analogy. Pravda needs some maturing. There's volcanic activity that releases poisonous gasses into the atmosphere, primarily dihydrogen sulfide. And that is the worst one. The combination of the other toxins would kill us over time. The initial colonists will have to live in caverns," Timmel said indicating a direction that seemed the same light brown as every other direction. "There, we are fixed on the last coordinates of the droids."

"So this is paradise?" Ave searched the horizon for any indication of daylight.

"It will be someday," Timmel chuckled.

"Well someone exaggerated in the travel brochure," Ave complained.

"When the terraforming is completed Pravda will resemble the more arid regions of Earth. Longer-range we plan to irrigate from aquifers and introduce vegetation that has worked on other colonial worlds. We're here to determine whether there is ample subsurface water. We assume that there is because there are oceans but we need confirmation of an ample source of fresh water."

"How in the hell are we supposed to work in this soup?"

"If we were outside I couldn't even see you," Timmel said.

"My point exactly. And we're here to conduct a survey?"

"Break, 7 Xray Bravo 1, 7 Xray Bravo 2 team leader here."

"Roger 2, team one, on ground and moving. How ya doin' Lyle?"

"Where are you, Chess?"

"The positioning satellite tells me I'm a klick to your east."

"Okay. Where'd you say my east was again?"

"There are locally strong magnetic fields down here. You need to recalibrate your handhelds. Then lock in on our beacon."

"Okay, there you are. Uh, Chess how are we supposed accomplish anything? This is pretty damned bad."

"We establish shelter and a camp and wait for instructions."

"And hope this is as bad as it gets."

"It's worse when there are rain clouds that mingle with the sandstorms. It's like being pelted with wet concrete at a couple of hundred knots," Jove, the team two enviro said.

"Exactly," Chess confirmed.

"Well I feel all better now," Ave said.

"Lose the sarcasm," Chess warned. "This is what we do."

"Mars was a pussy planet compared to this!" Lyle said. "Shit! I just lost a thruster."

"Cycle power and purge it," Chess suggested.

"Hey, hey. It worked. Back online. Nice trick."

"Been down here in it a few times."

"Well I served my penance on Titan. You want to know anything at all about surviving in cold, talk to me."

"Sorry I conjured up any of those memories," Chess said.

"I've never thawed out since."

"There are mountains three klicks to the east of me. You're closer, Lyle."

"Got 'em on the range finder."

"Droids found the caverns. We fabricate an airlock and we're golden."

"Whatever you say, Chess."

"Turn East North East."

"Gladly."

"Without the Puma your suit would last about twenty minutes," Timmel said.

"So don't leave the Puma. Good safety tip," Ave groused.

"Even if the local atmosphere is about 10 percent oxygen the cocktail of poisons would kill you in much less time," Jove added.

"Timmel told us," Ave said.

Chess used the Puma's filtered Doppler radar to isolate the effect of the fast moving sand from the stationary formations of the mountains ahead. "Okay, there's the alcove, kind of narrow but I think the Puma will make it in."

"There's good news," Lyle said.

"We're there," Chess said. "Where are you, Lyle. You dawdling, Lyle?"

"I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other."

"Detected caverns just ahead," Timmel said.

"Tracking, show me the way," Jove responded.

"Ave and Dar can set up lighting for our camp, while Jove and I explore the caverns," Timmel said.

"Who died and made you boss?" Ave asked.

"Once we stop, Timmel's in charge. All orders come from him or up top."

"Great," Ave muttered.

"If there is any wind sheer near those mountains it may be swirling and worse than what we are experiencing out here in the open."

"Now you tell me," Ave commented.

"Hey, it's worth a shot," Lyle said.

"I think so," Chess agreed.

The alcove proved a relatively calmer haven. The greatly diminished winds were very welcome. Chess parked the Puma as close to the entrance of the caverns as possible.

"Do we wait for Lyle and the others?" Timmel asked.

"Right behind you," Lyle said over the radio as his Puma loped into the alcove and parked beside Chess. "Had to stop to recycle power to that thruster again."

"Maybe we should have a look at it," Ave offered.

"It works okay after a reset but just for a while."

"Probably a bad relay," Dar said.

"That's what I'm thinkin'," Ave agreed.

"There a spare in the emergency repair kit," Chess said.

"We'll fix it as soon as we get everything unpacked and deployed," Timmel said.

Jointly they both teams offload the sealed cases containing sensors and other delicate instruments as well as the airlock kit that would be necessary for them to accomplish their mission.

Ave and Dar established artificial lighting in the threshold of the cavern and then began assembly of the airlock. Chess and Lyle began assembling an air purification system.
Timmel and Jove took a portable sampler, a data recorder and flashlights as they descended into the network of caverns, immediately confirming previous reports from the droids that lower into the caverns the air quality improved.

When everything had been unpacked Chess and Lyle deployed a communication mast, anchoring it to the rocks outside the cavern. Lyle searched for a satellite link to relay a particle beam signal up to the orbital research platform.

"There you are," Chess said as Timmel and Jove reappeared from the lower chambers of the cavern. "How's the air?"

"Better, not breathable yet but it is much better the lower you go into the caverns."

"Is that normal?"

"It's unusual," Timmel said. "But it confirms the telemetry the droids relayed."

"How far have you explored?"

"400 meters. It's odd. The caverns seem very dry and not all that cold," Jove responded.

"A dry heat source," Chess suggested.

"No water, yet," Timmel said.

"Any indication of life?"

"None at all," Timmel said. "At a similar point in Earth's development the same would be true."

"Earth has more water," Ave suggested as he joined the others.

"Yes," Timmel concurred. "Pravda has some water locked up in polar ice caps and there are certain other small bodies of surface fresh water here and there. There are significant cloud formations close to the equator and two deep oceans. The tidal effects of the two moons help create weather patterns like what we've experienced. But we are all still learning at this point."

"I doubt we'll ever figure it out," Ave said.

"Well, we must," Timmel responded.

"What?" Ave asked in response to Chess' silent, visual chastisement.

"We've also discovered peroxide," Jove said.

"Where would that come from?" Chess asked.

"We don't know yet. But it could explain why there is more oxygen in the air as you descend into the caverns," Jove said.

"It's a significant discovery, then?" Dar asked.

"Our assumptions about this planet have been in error," Jove said.

"Data transfer complete," Timmel said.

"Mine too," Jove added.

"Time to seal and pressurize," Chess said.

"I'll break open the mess packs," Ave said.

"Dar, you unpack the sleepers."

"I'm so tired that it could be continued on the next two men."

"Getting this suit off is my priority," Ave responded.

After eating a very brief meal, Timmel and Jove descended into the caverns again deeper than before. Chess continued to uplink the remote telemetry real time as the two Enviro's continued into the caverns. Lyle sat back in a butterfly sling chair. "Hell of a life we got, hey?"

"Better than being just another number in the other colonies."

"Good point," Lyle chuckled. "This is the frontier."

"We're just the drivers the enviro's need to take them to the rocks."

"They have some grand plans for this one," Chess said.

"And we'll be here to see it."

"Not me. I'm going back home. A research group needs a pilot."

"For what planet?"

"Earth."

"No kiddin'!"

"Apparently some crazy bastard with lots of wealth has a crazy idea about terraforming Earth to fix all the environmental issues that caused us to leave it in the first place."

"How ironic is that?"

"Well the pay's better. Besides I haven't been to Earth since I was a little kid. Before the travel embargos my dad took me on one of that natural wonders packaged tours. Places so beautiful they hurt my eyes."

"Jove was telling me when we were up top that they expect to begin construction of domed cities here within a decade."

"You're kidding me," Chess said.

"Now he even thinks the discovery of a natural source of oxygen is very promising so that the atmosphere may be breathable much sooner than expected."

"I hope they know what they are doing," Chess said.

"Hold that thought," Lyle said as he responded to a signal from the platform. "Lyle here."

"Lyle, are you with Chess?"

"He's sitting right here with me monitoring the data stream."

"Is anyone else there?"

"Dar and Ave are down in the caverns fixing something Lyle and I allegedly screwed up on the water purifier," Chess said. "There's out of earshot. What's up?"

"The storm is getting worse and its headed your way."

"Do we need to scrub the mission?"

"If you try staying much longer you'll be stranded until we can send a rescue team. But it will be a while."

"What's a long while?" Lyle asked.

"This storm is already into its fourth month. So how the hell would I know?"

Chess looked at Lyle, receiving a shrug. "Okay then, we button this up and go back home."

"It's a shame. We are getting some really good data."

"Look, I just carry the explorers to and from the rock," Chess said. "And when someone tells me to bug out, I listen."

"We're signaling Timmel and Jove," Lyle said.
"The remote telemetry relays were working so well. You did a nice job setting things up. We're even receiving pictures, stills but quite detailed."

"We aim to please," Lyle said.

"The wind is getting worse by the second."

"Looks like its beers in the bar tonight," Chess said.

"I needed one after the ride down. I swear if I wasn't the best pilot in the service, we'd have bought it."

"Hey, I made it here before you," Chess countered.

"Well I'll allow that you're the second best pilot in the service but the storm got worse by the time I was coming through."

"I see how it is," Chess said and then laughed. "Going up through this isn't going to be any better."

"I hear that," Lyle agreed.

Timmel and Jove had just reached a vast chamber and detected not only the sounds of water but also the evidence of escalating humidity. They had just set up their instruments to detect a winder range of possible organic compounds when they received the mission abort signal. They signaled their individual acknowledgements of the recall order, quickly left their deployed sensors and then began the ascent.

"We found water," Timmel called up the telemetry pipeline, knowing the voice over data would be received at the command center on the platform."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Heard the echoes of dripping and sensors confirmed."

"Okay, yes we see that. Very good Timmel and Jove. At least the mission wasn't a complete failure. Sensors are showing a substantial amount of subsurface water, actually a lot of water, maybe a lake. Establishing temporary colonies in the caverns may be a viable option after all."

Timmel smiled as he and Jove exchanged a gloved handshake.

"Wait!" Jove said as he consulted his right cuff that contained fifteen different sensors.

"What?"

"An echo, maybe. A sensor indicated movement."

"I got that a couple of times, too."

"It's probably nothing," Jove decided. "Do you see the oxygen levels?"

"Yeah," Timmel said. "Nearly breathable if it weren't for the presence of lethal amounts of dihydrogen sulfide."

"Store the data and let's get to the surface."

"Yeah, why let the remote observers get all the credit."

"Exactly."

"We're the ones who came down and went out into it," Timmel said.

They ascended while Chess, Lyle, Ave and Dar were finishing making everything as stable and self-functioning as possible for any future research missions to the caverns.

"We found water and elevated levels of oxygen," Jove told Chess and Lyle as he arrived.

"Weren't you lookin' for that?" Chess asked in response.

Lyle forced the issue nudging Jove off to the side. Chess took Timmel by his gloved hand, "I don't think you understand the urgency."

"The storm must have intensified and it's coming this way."

"Okay, maybe you do understand," Chess said. "We're bugging out!"

"I'm ready."

"We suit up and go!" Chess commanded.

"Understood. You're in charge again."

When everyone was ready, Chess and Lyle remotely commanded each Puma's hatch to open and then sealed back immediately once everyone was safely inside their respective vehicles and strapped in.

"Purge!" both Chess and Lyle said simultaneously over the intercom.

"It's urgent then," Ave said while watched as the interior air was blown out of the vehicle and suddenly replaced with fresh air from reserve tanks.

"The storm has grown. At its center it's 500 knots gusting to 600."

"The pod can't handle that," Ave said.

"It was all I could do to land it in 250 knot winds."

"So we're screwed," Ave said.

"Not if we can get out ahead of the major part of the storm," Timmel said. "The Hover Pod is designed to compensate for drift and external forces. But, with all due respect for your piloting abilities, Chess, no one can control a Hover Pod in winds in excess of 350 knots."

"Well let's hope I don't have to be the first to disprove your theory," Chess said.

"Talk to me," Lyle said.

"Chess here."

"This shit's real bad."

"I see it."

"Are they nuts?"

"Weren't you just telling me what a great pilot you are?"

"I'm the real deal but I'm not crazy. I mean center of this storm hasn't even arrived yet and my Puma is already walking sideways."

"So, we don't have a lot of time. Tell me something both of us don't already know."

"Why are we doing this again?"

"'Cause no one else can," Chess said.

"More like no one else will."

"We signed on to do this."

"Yeah.  Maybe I was still drunk at the time."

"I feel a oversize load coming for tonight."

"Brews for two on you if you lose."

"Loser buys the night," Chess challenged.

"I'll take that action," Lyle responded. "See you up top, my friend. This is where we leave you."

"I'll be there waiting for you up."

"I can't find them anymore," Ave looked up from the screen.

"Lyle will make it, he always does."

"What about us?" Ave asked.

"I'm the best."

"Machismo aside, we are going to make it off this sandblasted rock, right?" Ave asked.

"Yeah, no problem. Just a bit of a storm we got to punch through."

The Puma creaked and moaned, "At least the pod is still there and chirping. The way home is just ahead."

"The storm front is damned close." Ave said.

"Yeah, no time for the usual safety protocols, guys. This will be the Chess modification for when shit happens. We leave the Puma behind. So, I leave it runnin'. I'll remotely direct it away from our blast zone so there are no unexpected explosions during our ascent."

"Sounds good to me," Ave said.

"We all exit through one hatch tethered together. We blow the pod's outer hatch. We'll have twenty seconds. There are no second chances."

"Has this ever been tried?" Timmel asked.

"Well if it ever has anyone who has failed obviously didn't have a chance for debriefing."

"How do you know it will work?"

"Well, let's see, mostly because it has to," Chess said.

"Okay, I got ya. We have to make sure it works," Ave said.

"It's a good plan," Chess said, as they pulled in close to the Pod. "Hook up."

"Yeppers, it's pucker time," Ave said.

"Watch the blow out from the hatch, approach from the side. On three, out my hatch."
"One, two, three!" each of them in turn exited from the Puma through the pilot's hatch. Chess led them toward the pod's hatch stepping back at the precise moment that he had commanded it to blow outward. Caught by its hydraulics it slowly started its twenty-second closing cycle.

"Get in!" Chess commanded. First Ave then Timmel scrambled through the hatch awaiting Chess' dive through the ever-narrowing opening to join them. The hatch sealed behind him.

"Grab hold of something and hold-on for the purge!"

Each of them reached for anything that they could cling to until the purge ceased. When the pressure equalized, Chess was first to detach the tether that had connected him to the others. He ascended the ladder and upon reaching the flight controls he slid into his seat and strapped in. He knew this would be an extreme ride.

 "Get in your seats and strap in. No countdown," Chess said as he remotely directly the Puma away. "If you two want to live, just do what I say."

"You got it Chess," Ave said.

"We're in your hands." Timmel added.

"Don't remind me! Just shut up and enjoy the ride."

All thrusters fully charged and the reactor online; Chess executed launch. The small pod shuttered as the g-forces combined with the turbulence of the wind tried to divert it from the plotted trajectory. Chess compensated, glancing at radar and the anemometer. "Wow," he said.

Ave looked at the reading, then quickly looked away.

"I hope Lyle's in a better situation."

"What does that mean?" Timmel asked.

"I thought I asked you to be quiet."

"Well, Ave said, 'Wow'."

"Huge difference," Chess said.

"Hull integrity 47.5%," the onboard alarm warned.
"Can you kill that for me, Ave?"

"Sure boss."

"Hull integrity 39..."

"Sorry," Ave apologized.

"We're almost through it," Chess said, checking the coordinates against positioning.

"Damn I'm good. We're only 34 klicks down range. Ceiling in five, four, three, two and break," the pod erupted from the clouds and emerged into the stratosphere of Pravda.

"Chess, integrity is 22%," Ave announced.

"25% is bare minimum for space," Timmel said.

"Seal integrities?"

"Forward and aft at 37 % and 35% respectively. Starboard and port at..." Ave paused. "Chess, this is pushing it."

"What are the readings?"

"25% and 24% respectively."

"Borderline."

"The hull is below minimum," Timmel complained.

"So, what are you suggesting, Timmel? You want to go back down into that soup? We'd not survive the night with this hull integrity. Even if I could pull a miracle rabbit out of my ass and land this bitch in 500 knot winds."

"I say we go for it," Ave said.

"Chess, Lyle here. I see you on the scope."

"We made it, Lyle."

"Well, we did too but we're beat up really bad."

"Hull integrity is 22% here."

"19.5% here."

"Wow," Ave said.

"We're reinforcing the weak spots but all we have is duct tape and some titanium rods to prop against the walls."

"I hear you," Chess said. "Doing looking at the same things here."

"Well we took a vote to go for it. Not like there's another option."

"Good luck, my friend."

"If we don't make it..."

"I'll be back before you. So don't tell me you're reneging on a bet."

"There are always margins of error, right?"

"Yeah, Lyle, you'll be fine."

"We're old school! We never fly by the book, right?"

"I never even bothered to read the book," Chess said.

"Same here, buddy."

Chess watched on the scope as his friend climbed out of the atmosphere, hoping for the best.

"They can't make it," Timmel said. "Their hull is way too thin now. We'll not make it either."

"Then we all die together," Ave said.

"How about the seals?"

"In tact and holding, no further deterioration."

Suddenly there was a bright flash off to the right, the signature of fusion reactor rupture and implosion.

Chess sat back. "Lyle!" he called but he really did not expect a response.

"They're gone," Ave confirmed with radar.

"Raise the interior pressure. I read something about that artificially making the hull stronger."

"I though you just said you never read the book," Timmel challenged.

"I read it sometimes when I need to bored enough to sleep."

"Well, yes, the hull can be reinforced with internal pressure but only in a very narrow range of values," Timmel said. "If it's too high it will blow out."

"What do you suggest?"

"No more than five or ten percent."

"Platform is in range," Ave said. "We're coming up from under them."

"Hull integrity?"

"Holding at 22%. Interior pressure now at 108%?"

"Raise and hold it a 110%. Today we defy all odds," Chess said.

"We're out of the atmosphere," Ave said.
"Come on, baby. Just this one more time; hold together for me..." Chess muttered. "Just a little farther. Just a few more minutes."

"Platform has a lock on us," Ave said.

"Control, 7 Xray Bravo 1 on own power. Hull weak. Request no tractor."

"Roger, 7 Xray Bravo 1. Tractor off; you call the ball."

"Coming in hot, full power. Seal the airlock behind us."

"Roger, understood. Fire crews alerted."

"Get in the tub," Chess said to the others.

"This is very risky," Timmel said.

"Do you want to fly this bitch?"

"No sir."

"Then get in the tub and shut up!"

"Lights acquired. Platform just ahead."

"Control, this is 7 Xray Bravo 1, I have the ball."

"Roger, 7 Xray Bravo 1, you are clear. All yours."

"Tail hook down!"

"Roger, Emergency Cables locked. Welcome home, Chess."

The pod passed the receiving bay doors; immediately they cycled to close. The tail hook snagged one of four possible cables to slow and halt momentum. The pod 'd integrity maintained.

Fortunately the emergency escape tub was not released. The hull never beached.

"Bay pressure at 65%," Ave said as he returned to his post.

"Chess, I'm really sorry for that back there," Timmel said.

"Forget it," Chess said. "My nerves were frayed. I figure yours were as well."

"Thanks Chess. You got us home."

"To and from the rock. It's what I do."

"Making paradise out of chaos is what I do," Timmel said with a smile.

"Good luck with that. The rock down there is going to be a monumental challenge."