April 5, 2125: The A1immediately established radio communications with
the Earth orbiter and the moon base. Various other manned satellites had been
checking in with the Earth Orbiter and were told to send everyone there. The
orbiter had no Shuttle on station when the bombs started going off so they could
not pick up the survivors and have them all waiting in one place. One by one
shuttle started showing up at the orbiter. Of the forty seven shuttle on Earth all
but nine had managed to grab the nearest sixty people and head out to space.
One by one the shuttles were able to discharge their passengers at the orbiter.
The first shuttle to arrive at the orbiter went to gather the people working at the
other satellites. By the time the A1contacted the orbiter there were 2,454
survivors waiting for rescue. The A1loaded the passengers from the orbiter and
20 shuttles that they had room for in their cargo hold. They were preparing to
enter moon orbit when they were contacted by radio, It was the Arton Four that
had just made Earth orbit.
“What is the situation here?” “Better put Captain Sorenson on, please
get him and as many of the ships officers as are available, I only want to go
through this once.” “Captain Sorenson, this is Captain Davis, I have here with
me Captain Allen from the Earth Orbiter I think Captain Allen should begin.”
Captain Allen talked for better than an hour describing everything that had
happened in the last thirty six hours, then he turned the mike back to Captain
Davis. “Here is where we stand now, we have taken 2,454 survivors on board
from the shuttles that escaped Earth when the shooting started, from all of the
satellite stations and from the Earth Orbiter. We are now going to set an orbit
around the Moon and launch enough shuttles to bring their one thousand one
hundred sixty people on board. Once they are safe we will return to Mars. Our
cargo hold is full with twenty shuttles. There are twenty more moored to the
Earth Orbiter. I suggest that you continue to search Earth for survivors that
have not been contaminated yet. I don't know how long you should do that but
you will know when your job is done. You have a heartbreaking task because
there are still at least five billion people alive on Earth that have received a
lethal dose of radiation and there is nothing you can do for them. If you try to
rescue them some of your people could become contaminated and the ones
you were trying to rescue would be dead in a few days at the most. I suggest
that for the first week to ten days that you not respond to calls for help. After
that any calls you get could very well be from people that are in sealed
environment s that have not been contaminated. In the meantime you could
gather what radiation suits you have and load them onto one of your shuttles. I
am sending you the radiation suits that we have by shuttle, that should give you
forty suits that could be lowered or dropped to any survivors that have not been
exposed. If they are in a sealed environment I don't know how they would be
able to reach the suits but maybe they will be able to work it out. Even a ten
second exposure would probably be fatal so they might have to even sacrifice
one of their own to get the suits. I just don't know. Once your job is done then
pick up the remaining twenty shuttles at the Earth Orbiter before returning to
Mars.” I don't see how we could improve on that plan, we will do what ever we
can and just play it by ear. See you back on Mars, Arton Four out.”
The Moon Base was another story, They had their own Shuttle but
preferred to wait it out on the Moon because they were fully stocked with
supplies and could hold out longer there than they could at the orbiter. There
was also the logistical problem of transporting 1160 people in one shuttle. The
A1received a radio message from Moon Base. “This is Admiral Johnson at
Moon Base, what is your status?” “We are presently in Earth Orbit with 2,454
survivors on board from the Earth Orbiter. We are preparing to move to Moon
Orbit to pick up the people on Moon Base. We should be there in about four
hours.” “That is negative Arton One” We have just been hearing traffic from
Barrow, Alaska. Contamination has not yet crossed the Arctic Circle. We know
that everything south of there is contaminated. There are approximately
eighteen thousand people North of the Arctic Circle who have not been
contaminated. We are fine here on Moon Base. Suggest you return your 2454
survivors to Earth Orbiter with enough supplies to hold them over until you see
how many you can find in the Arctic Circle. We can accommodate five
thousand people total on Moon Base. Where is Arton Two, Arton Three and
Arton Four?” “Arton Four is presently in Earth Orbit, A1and Arton Two are in
Mars orbit unloading Cargo.” “We will contact Mars and have them dispatch A
and Arton Two immediately to Earth whether they have been unloaded or not.”
“Ten Four that, we will get Arton Four on the Horn and dispatch them to Barrow
immediately. “This is Captain Barstow of The Earth Orbiter, Admiral. If The
A1sets off the 2,454 refugees from on board back on Earth Orbiter we could
sustain for approximately ten days without additional supplies.” “This is Captain
Davis again Admiral. We broke a cardinal rule when we just made the trip from
Mars to Earth. We used warp speed and got here from Mars within two hours.
It can be done and now we know just how to do it, maybe not with utmost safety
but using warp we could pick up five thousand of those eighteen thousand
people in the Arctic, move half of them to Moon Base. Then reload the people
from Earth Orbiter and take five thousand people to Mars then return and get
the three thousand six hundred that you will have on Moon Base.
Captain Davis sent an officer to the com room immediately to notify the
Arton Four to try the north polar region with shuttle as soon as possible. The
Arton Four responded that they had already retrieved the shuttles from the
Earth Orbiter because they did not have any on board. They would move to a
North Polar orbit and launch shuttles within the next two hours. He then put an
urgent message in to Mars. “There are apparently eighteen thousand people
within the Arctic Circle that have not been contaminated. We need the Arton
Two and Arton Three here immediately to take on Refugees.” “Moon Base
contacted us a over an hour Arton Two and Arton Three are already en route to
the Arctic Circle using Warp speed. They could arrive any time.”
April 6, 2125: “ The A1returned the 2,454 people on board, to the Earth
Orbiter Including Captain Barstow. A1then topped off their supplies and headed
for Barrow, Alaska.
The Arton Four launched all 20 shuttles to search all enclaves of
mankind north of 50 degrees North latitude. Captain Sorenson told the pilots.
“If you see anyone on the ground that needs help then fly south until you find
the first clear area, land and take a reading, if the atmosphere is clean still then
go back and pick them up, otherwise just leave them be. I know that sounds
cold but if they are already walking dead men we can't help them.” “Shuttle one
to Arton Four I am taking a reading at 49 degrees North Latitude, the air is, I
repeat, is contaminated.” “Shuttle two to Arton Four, I am taking a reading
atfifty fivedegrees North Latitude, the air is, I repeat, is contaminated.” “Shuttle
three to Arton Four, I am taking a reading at 62 degrees North Latitude, the
air is, I repeat, is contaminated.” “Well that lets out Anchorage and Fairbanks”
Captain Sorenson said to no one in particular. “Shuttle four to Arton Four I am
taking a reading from 66 degrees North Latitude, just inside the Arctic Circle,
the air is not, I repeat, is not contaminated.” “Shuttle five to Arton Four, I am
taking a reading from Barrow, Alaska, 340 miles North of the Arctic Circle, the
air is clean, I repeat, the air is clean. I see people on the ground, there must be
three thousand of them, send more shuttles.” “Captain Sorenson sent all
nineteen remaining shuttles to Barrow and they began to evacuate refugees.
Within four hours they had received five thousand people on board the Arton
Four. The Arton One, Arton Two and Arton Three all responded. The Arton Two
and Arton Three still had cargo on board but they could take on refugees. The
Captains threw the safety book out the window and accelerated to Warp speed.
The A1made Earth Polar orbit in just under three hours. The Arton Two and
Arton Three weren't far behind. The A1immediately launched their 15 shuttles.
Within six hours they had completed the evacuation of Barrow and some thirty
seven Alaska villages. The radio room of the Arton Two picked up an SOS on
a Navy frequency. Between the four ships they had rescued eighteen thousand
people from the Arctic. They were all safely on board the ships within eight
hours of when the rescue of Barrow had began and the air still tested clean.
There were traces of radiation showing up but the atmosphere was still in the
safe zone.
“SOS This is USS Patrick Hudson, does anybody copy. SOS” “Patrick
Hudson this is USSS Arton Two, we are in Arctic orbit around Earth. What is
your location?” “We are just below the ice cap near the North Pole, at 69
degrees North Latitude, the air is not, I repeat, not contaminated.” over.”
“Patrick Hudson, please proceed south until you find ice thin enough to break
through. Then surface but keep the vessel sealed. We will spot you and pick
you up once you have surfaced. How many of you are there?” “There are 92 in
our crew, we were under the pole on maneuvers when things went bad.” “Arton
Four launched the three Shuttle which headed for the North Pole and made
radio contact. We have three Shuttle looking now they will be near your
location an prox one hour. They should be able to spot you but they are on this
radio connection now. Shuttle one to Patrick Hudson do you know the
approximate coordinates where you will be able to surface?” “The skipper of the
sub gave them a coordinates then said we will surface in prox one hour, just
about the time you arrive.” “This is Shuttle One, we will get readings before you
surface.” “This is Patrick Hudson, we are in place to surface, our exact
coordinates is, and he gave the coordinates.” “Copy that, Patrick Hudson, our
three Shuttle are approaching now, We are only getting a trace of radiation, You
couldn't live in it for years but it wont hurt you to be exposed for a few minutes.”
“Surface, surface surface.” Then the pilots saw the Ice mound and saw the
Patrick Hudson. They maneuvered their so as to pull up within 50 feet of the
sub. “Get your people out now and make a run for our shuttle. Send your
people in three groups and have each group go to a different Shuttle .” “Roger
that” The main hatch popped open and the 92 crew members made a beeline
for the Shuttle's. Once inside the ships were sealed and took off. Little over an
hour later they were docked beside the Arton Four and Air locks were secured.
“The crew of the sub were the happiest people the crew of the Arton Four had
ever seen. During debriefing they said they had picked up scattered radio traffic
after the destruction but one by one over the next several days the radio chatter
had stopped as the people had died of radiation poisoning. “The only people on
the planet who could have survived would be people that were in sealed
chambers such as we were in the Patrick Hudson. “There may be other
submarine crews but I doubt it. Once they surfaced anywhere on Earth
anywhere other than where we surfaced they were exposed to a lethal dose of
radiation, and were goners in a few days. We know that from the radio contacts
that we had. Also most of the ocean is also polluted with radiation. It was
working it's way North but hadn't reached us yet. If you hadn't come along
when you did we would have been dead in two weeks, or less. Even the people
in the Ant Arctic would have a lethal dose by now.” “My question is what do we
do now?” “We are returning to Mars, I think our work here is done.” Two hours
later the Arton Four pulled out of orbit and headed for Mars.”
“Boy are we ever glad to see you guys, but now that you have rescued
us where can you take us, Arton?” “Hardly, We, and you, I am afraid are going
to have to live out our lives in those miserable caves on Mars.” With that
remark said the questions began to fly at Captain Sorenson from all the leaders
from Barrow, the villages and the Patrick Hudson that had met in the dining
room for the briefing that Captain Sorenson had requested. “Does the colony
on Mars have room for us?” “Will they share their food with us?” “What will
happen when they run out of food and there are no more supply ships coming
from earth?” “I would hate the thought of living out my life in a cramped little
cave!” “Well I am afraid that is just going to have to be your fate” The answers
to your other questions are “yes they will share their food with us, yes, they
have enough room for us. The two Mars Supply ships were retired five years
ago but Mars Runner still makes regular runs to Mars, they haul more people to
Mars and Mars exports back to Earth. They also have been hauling luxury
items to Mars on their way up. Things Martians have ordered off the internet
and paid for. You will just have to wait and see your new home when you arrive
on Mars.”
It was agreed that the four ships should engage Warp Speed only briefly
on the return to Mars, in the interest of Safety. The Arton One used warp longer
than the other ships because they had to drop their people off on Mars and then
return for the people stranded on the Earth Orbiter and Moon Base.
April 8, 2125: “A1to Mars comm we are entering Mars orbit with five
thousand refugees. We need to transport these people as quickly as possible
because there are another three thousand six hundred people stranded on the
Earth Orbiter and Moon Base.” By the time that The A1settled into Mars orbit
there were seventeen shuttles waiting to off load refugees. Eight hours later
The A1was headed back to Earth once again they used Warp Speed briefly.
April 9, 2125: The A1made Earth orbit and took on the refugees from the
Earth Orbiter. They then established Moon orbit, dispatched their 15 shuttle
and took on the refugees from Moon Base. A team of six people remained
behind to maintain Moon Base knowing full well that it might be a long time
before another ship from Mars would return.
April 15, 2125: The A1made Mars orbit. Mars sent up shuttles to offload
refugees. By the end of that day the population of Mars stood at just over
80,000 people, almost 22,000 of them were housed in the reception center.
The people of Mars that had room in their homes were urged to take refugees
from the reception center into their homes. The reception center just could not
accommodate 22,000 people.
July 24, 2125: Mars Comm sent and received messages frequently to
and from Moon Base, if for no other reason to keep the skeleton crew on Moon
Base from feeling detached from humanity. The Inuit Eskimo people from the
Arctic blended in well with the population of Mars. Almost all of them spoke
English, the few that didn't were mostly elderly and became home makers for
their families, which was pretty much the role that they had played in their Arctic
villages. Despite the authorities desire that everyone speak only English they
were occasionally irritated by occasionally hearing people conversing in the
Inuit language.
It amazed everyone how quickly the vibrant young economy of Mars
absorbed the newcomers. Within less than a year there was full employment
on Mars. Tim had once again decided not to develop Utopia. The equipment
that Mars had recently received for that purpose was put to other uses in the
development of more of the small caverns that had been discovered.
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