A moment later, they fired, spraying shot from their modified weapons.
The hub took hits, and amidst a chorus of cracks and bangs as it was peppered by fire, bits of plastic broke off, as well as shattered solar panels and bits of twisted metal. The comms array also fell free.
On the comms channel, the people in the airship cheered as Chang laughed.
The hub unit swayed to the side and then began to spin as it headed for the surface.
A moment later, it crashed down into some rocks and sent up great sprays of gravel and dust.
Ghost sighed with relief.
Wei was thrilled.
Wind came on the comms channel. “Good job! Now, if we’re quick, we can use the daylight left to hook the rovers together and still make it home tonight!”
Chapter 38
Houxing MingLing Yi (Mars Command One), Mars
Commander Tung had just come from his office, from where he could see the first of six landers coming down. The sight was amazing, and would most likely spell the end of the secrecy protocols, but for now that was not his concern.
He headed back into his Command Room to check on progress, knowing at the same time similar activity was occurring at Mars Command Two. Once he had given the order to start the mass landing, and told Liu Yang, she had duplicated the command to her own people and ordered down the ships allocated to her in orbit.
Their armor was only minutes away.
He watched over the crew in the Command Room as they worked their duties and made sure the landings not only were completed safety, but in good time. In the space of an hour, the population of Mars Command One went from two hundred and fifty people, all military and male, to one thousand two hundred and fifty, and with a gender split that was close to fifty-fifty.
Satisfied, he said to Yong, “Send my report and the video of the landings to Beijing.”
Yong nodded. “The link still seems down.”
“They’ll see it, just send it. They’ll already be getting reports from other bases concerning the landers.”
Yong nodded. “Anything beside the message and videos?”
“No, that should be enough.” He then smiled at his comms officer. “We’ll also organize some time for you to meet your wife later.”
Yong’s eyes went wide.
Tung nodded, as he did to all the command crew that had turned around at his words, questions plain on their faces. “Yes, all of you. Your wives are here, landing at this very minute.”
Spontaneously, they cheered him.
Chapter 39
The road to Xanadu, Mars
With relieved smiles, Wei and Ghost crowded into the rover along with Chan and Wind. They made their way on the trail home as Phobos rose in the sky and the land around them fell deeper into night’s shadow. The stars above were beautiful.
Ghost and Wei both couldn’t believe they had escaped, and now with their drained rover in tow, they were heading to Xanadu.
Above, an airship sailed on the light Martian breeze, while dust devils swirled in the gullies they passed through.
The trip from Base Five Two had been long, the days full of tension and fatigue, but now, finally, they were over.
Chapter 40
Houxing MingLing Yi (Mars Command One), Mars
Commander Tung and the command crew looked at the display. The scene showed a smashed hub drone in the gully, the wrecked frame black and stark against the orange rocks and tan sand.
And yet another breach of the secrecy protocols.
Tung asked Yong, “Any sign of other parties?”
Yong had already checked. “None.” The comms officer was tired. He’d met his fiancée last night, and they had gotten on very well. He’d been up all hours. Right now, he was not only delirious because he was tired, but because he hadn’t gotten any sleep.
Tung smiled and clapped his hands together, trying to hide his relief. “So, everything has worked out well. We’ll keep an eye on the site and hope the winds bury the wreck in dust, but I suppose Beijing will be announcing our presence soon in any case now that the colonists have landed.”
There were nods around the room.
He continued, “I just want everyone to focus on their newly arrived fiancées and the colonists generally. Some of their living spaces and facilities are ready, while others aren’t, but I’m sure we’re all glad to finally have them here.”
Yong wasn’t the only one who looked tired, but they all seemed happy.
Chapter 41
Xanadu, Mars
Wei followed Ghost as they headed into a canyon under the night sky. They had left the rovers behind, hidden under tenting.
He asked, “Is it much further?”
“No, not far at all.”
“Good.”
“Are you okay? You have been through a lot.”
“I’ll be fine. I just want to get there.”
“It’s not much, but it’s home.”
“Xanadu is a wonderful name.”
“We’re doing what we can to establish a robust set of ecosystems. We’re hoping to create something so balanced that eventually it doesn’t need any real adjustment.”
“Yes. We have to be self-sufficient.”
“It’s true. Who knows what Beijing Command will eventually do, or whether another meteor will come crashing down, or when the next great dust storm will blow up and cut down our ability to travel.”
“A global dust storm would also create havoc with power.” He paused for a moment, noting she did not answer, and then he asked, “Assuming you’re using solar panels—or do you have a reactor? No, you couldn’t. You wouldn’t be able to move it.”
“We have a solar array for backup, but we leave it in place with camouflage set.”
“So you do have a reactor?”
“Yes, but only as a backup, too.”
“Then what do you use for power?”
“You’ll find out very soon.” She slowed and then waved him up to stand beside her. She’d led them to the mouth of a cave in the canyon side. The opening yawned dark, lost to the shadows.
He asked, “Are we here?”
She waited a moment, not answering. Instead, another voice came over the comms. “Welcome to Xanadu!”
The light of an airlock module flickered on ahead, the glow lighting the way for them.
They exited the airlock into a tunnel that was a similar size to Sanctuary, but better lit and lined with more supplies. One sight there sent a shiver down Wei’s spine, and that was of an inflated survival tent.
The last time he had seen such a shelter, he had awoken inside it, bloody and dazed. He couldn’t help but look at the tent in front of him and imagine it painted blue by the flash of a strobing blue emergency light. At the same time, his mind filled with the drumming ring of klaxons.
Ghost was beside him, putting a gloved hand to his arm. She already had her helmet off, but he had stalled, frozen by a nightmarish memory of something he shouldn’t have survived. “It’s okay,” she said.
He offered an embarrassed smile and then went to take off his helmet. He used the moment as a chance to try and clear his mind of the memory. At the same time, he knew he had to accept it. The experience hadn’t just reshaped him, but would define his future.
He was here at Xanadu, and none of that would have happened without the meteor strike.
The seal hissed as he pulled his helmet free.
“Come, Wei, we should continue on. There’s people to meet and much to see.”
He smiled, and let her lead him on. “Before, you said there wasn’t much here?”
“There’s our young biosphere and other green spaces, too. I will also need to explain how we do things in detail, so that you understand yourself how to prime our life support systems and how to fix and maintain them.”