NASA and the Seven Spheres

NASA’s Rover missions to Mars nearly fifty years ago had proved to be more valuable than hoped. The rovers had operated long past their intended use, sending back reams of climate and geological data. In 2022, Opportunity, discovered several non-organic materials on the martian surface. A complete lockdown inside the control room of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory followed. Opportunity radioed back an image of three spherical objects protruding out of the soil. All images from the rover from that day forward were confidential. Media were informed that contact with the rover had broken down, and a staged conference took place at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For three weeks, Opportunity exposed seven spheres in an area of sand the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Each sphere was a representation of all the planets in the Milky Way galaxy. The rover mapped and recorded each sphere’s location to prevent them from being lost in dust storms. During the excavation, another object was found nearby beneath the sand; something much larger. No one thought it was possible to become more electrified to what had already been found. It had a name even before it was uncovered.

The structure was four metres long and was shaped like a two-ribbon coil of DNA. A collective gasp had went through the room as Opportunity removed the final clumps of rock and sand. The helical strands blazed a fiery orange, reflecting the rays of the sun and the soil of the Martian surface. The Strand looked like chrome on fire.

The spheres that lay near it looked like stones in comparison. Ashen and grey, the spheres were like forgotten articles whose use had long since been spent.

This element of, OurGlass, sets up the theme of the whole story; the search for the Earth sphere. I tried to introduce elements of truth into this section by including the fact that one of the rovers had malfunctioned. In real life this event has actually happened and it is my hope to create a bit more mystery around it.

The Hunt for Khai

The wind ripped across Halliday’s face as the boat carved through the water. Silas sat beside him in the passenger seat of the speedboat. Halliday had handed over his credit card to the boat rental attendant, ‘I may need this longer than you’re used to seeing,’ he told the man. He was happy for the business. The TerraCode card had a forty-thousand dollar limit.

The exchange had been a nightmare. Radio communications with the other agents looking for Munro’s captors had all but disappeared. No trace of them had been found. Silas had never seen his father look so worried. They had driven to three marinas before his father decided to change plans. No one so far had seen anything strange in the past few days, especially an exotic-looking boat. Silas watched his father clutch his chest after one of his returns. Each time he came back to the car, he was breathless. Silas knew this was not a good sign, but his father dismissed his concern. Now they searched every dock in the harbour. Silas was not only looking out for a strange boat, but anxiously looking at his father to make sure he was okay. Silas knew there was something his father wasn’t telling him. He was afraid to find out what it might be, but he needed to know what was going on.

“Why would we give them a fake, dad?” Silas yelled over the sound of the rushing water. It was a question that had dogged his mind since he had heard his father say it. Silas had kept his thoughts to himself as long as he could because none of it made sense.

He saw his father’s shoulders slump out of the corner of his eye. The thrum of the motor slowed, and the boat began to slow down. Halliday turned the boat toward shore, the wake of the boat catching up to them as they bounced over the waves.

Halliday didn’t know where to start, but he knew he was finished with lying.

 

Currently I’m feeling unwell as the onset of flu season has decided to invade my body. So, I apologize for not having any interesting “tid-bit” topics to add to the latest online installment of OurGlass.

I anticipate being in better health before next week arrives. By then I will have the energy and focus to provide something interesting to share.

Regards,

Greg Berg

The Betrayer

Khai sat on the deck of The Eye, his legs up, sipping a cup of tea. The Eye sat at the outer limits the Dolphin could travel underwater. He felt fortunate and furious in the same breath. As a rule, he hated surprises. In his business, it almost always meant delay, hardship, or gross expense. Oil had built him and broke him without warning, the sweet crude leaving a bitter taste in his life. If Jens spoke truthfully of the sphere’s value, it would handily return him to power and influence. The Judas self-interest of Richard Kent had demonstrated this with his visit.

‘The sphere is a fake,’ Kent had told him, ‘take nothing with you. Transmitters have been placed inside the box and within the fabric.’

‘What a coward,’ Khai thought. He despised disloyalty. It’s impossible to accomplish anything worthwhile if you can’t trust those around you. Kent had not even told him why. ‘It’s in my best interest,’ was all he could say. Khai couldn’t deny it had worked in his favour, this time.

‘If there is anything else you feel I should know, feel free to contact me,’ Khai had told Kent, handing him his card. The heat of Khai’s hand activated the imagery on the thin-film. Pictures of oil refineries, drilling platforms, and construction sites faded from one to the next. Khai’s contact information appeared after the last scene of him standing proudly in front of the doors to Aidel Oil, the face of the building stretching high into the searing desert sky. Kent had hesitated in taking the card, wanting to avoid any physical link to Khai. In the end he gave in, not knowing where this relationship would end. He had come this far already.

This is just a very quick post with an update to the story-line. I’m in the midst of a valiant effort to get as many words written tonight as possible before the rigors of the week begin again. Chai tea and Ghirardelli 86% Cocoa squares will help to get things done every time. Mmmmm…

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

 

Ocean Crisis

Jens was exhausted. The underwater trip in the Dolphin had stretched his nerves to the limit. Severin had pushed the submersible forward at full speed even though they could only see a few metres in front of them. The entire time, Jens imagined they were seconds away from being pulverized; a sunken barge would appear in front of them or a rip in the ocean floor would appear and his life would be over. Then, his efforts would be for nothing. Once they had made the surface, he could feel himself breathe again. Jens promised himself to avoid any future rides in the Dolphin as much as possible.

With despair and regret, Jens replayed the scene of Munro’s hair being dyed and hacked away. All he could do was stand and watch in fear as the girl had been terrorized. It had been completely unnecessary. Nothing could be gained from such a thing, unless you thought like Khai. His actions were becoming increasingly erratic and heartless.

In this scene, Jens is reacting to what he knows can sometimes lie on the ocean floor. In OurGlass, by 2052, many port cities like Halifax have seen their harbours become underwater junkyards. So much so that certain areas are nearly unnavigable.

Sinking boats and other man-made materials to create an artificial reef has been done in a number of places in our oceans, but the long-term effects are not entirely known. In one instance in the 1970’s, tires were placed underwater off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to create Osborne Reef. The plan ultimately was declared an environmental disaster and the United States military was brought in to clean up the ocean floor. After the cleanup, the reef was recreated using concrete blocks called dolos instead.

Tires people? Really…