"The Religious Pilgrimage to Tau Ceti" — Leviathan Wakes fan fiction (SyFy TV series adaptation "The Expanse")
By Rob White
PART ONE: "The God Molecule"
Brianna Worthington knew that the protomolecule was holy right away. The stocky but beautiful be-speckled 27 year old blonde always worked with a smile, and always had an assured look on her face. She was polite, kind, and well mannered, like most Mormons.
As she peered into the large glass beaker through the clear plastic vizor of her hazard suit, observing the glowing blue crystalline slime pulse and undulate, she felt God speaking to her, directly. Although her research position on Eros required her to think scientifically and rationally, she could not shake the overwhelming sense that this mysterious entity was God's material presence in the universe. She truly believed she had been chosen by God to scientifically monitor the workings of the universe.
Her upbringing in the Church of Latter-day Saints never left her, even during graduate school. Mormon scientists weren't the most popular people in the Outer Planetary Ring, but the LDS church grew rapidly during colonization of the solar system because Mormon scripture speaks explicitly of space exploration and colonization. Mormons occupied positions of power everywhere on Earth, Mars, and the Outer Planets.
Brianna was privy to the fact that the protomolecule was destined to reach Earth 2 billion years ago before life evolved but was diverted by the gravitational pull of one of Saturn's moon's. Her unsanctioned and covert contact with LDS church leaders in the outer planets meant that they knew as much as she did when it came to the protomolecule. After careful consideration and consultation with LDS scripture they unanimously decided that the protomolecule should reach Earth, as it was God's will interrupted by some unknown evil force in the universe.
With full Hazmat suit on, Brianna cut a piece of the blue protomolecule chunk and discretely placed it in a bio container about the size of a sandwich. She put the container in her satchel, left the lab and booked the first ticket off Eros. She had volunteered earlier to be the one to take the protomolecule to Earth in accordance with God's will, and the gravity of that task shook her as the commercial freighter lurched toward New Utah, the Mormon settlement in the belt.
She looked at a smiling, small child sitting across from her wearing grey raggedy clothing, obviously a belter.
The girl asked her, "Where are you going? My mom and I want to get to Earth one day, so we can breath real air for the first time."
"I'm going home," Brianna replied. "Home," she repeated.
She smiled at the child and a tear welled in her eye. She thought about what would happen to children like the one sitting across from her on Earth when the protomolecule arrived. She imagined that girl suffering, but then remembered that it was God's will, and her task must be completed.
Brianna had been entrusted with the knowledge that the church had built an exact replica of the Nauvoo — the massive two kilometre vessel the Mormons constructed to take them to the Tau Ceti star system 12 years from Earth's solar system — called the Mt. Zion. The Mormons new that there was a possibility that hostile forces from Earth, Mars, and the Outer Planets might eventually take the Nauvoo from them. She was to rendezvous with the secret Ship and deliver the sample of the protomolecule to the church elders. She had volunteered to fly a tiny one person pod to Earth from the Mormon colony to release the protomolecule.
Mormons wanted to escape the laws of the solar system, particularly the UNN's imposed limits on procreation, and built the two identical arks for a 100 year journey to the nearest star system (Tau Ceti) and multiply. But they kept secret, however, that Tau Ceti isn't just simply the closest star system to earth (12 light years away). Mormons believe that Tau Ceti is actually where Kolob is located. Kolob is a planet outside of our solar system referred to in LDS scripture where they believe the "Throne of God" lies. The Mormons didn't want others in the solar system to know that they believed Tau Ceti is where God is. They thought all the spiritual people in the solar system would then want to go on the 100 year journey with them.
But Stan Kazak knew what the Mormons were up to. Dr. Kazak was a stern looking, well groomed spy, who looked more Mormon than Joseph Smith himself. He had been dispatched by the UNN to infiltrate the LDS leadership two years ago. The UNN had been suspicious of the LDS church ever since they learned of their plans to leave the solar system. Religion had been on the wane ever since the end of the 21st century, but Mormonism seemed to prosper as humans colonized the solar system, a religion tailor-made for space exploration.
Stan was raised in the LDS church but lapsed during his sophomore year studying engineering at Brigham Young University. He told no one of his lapse, never severing ties with the church. He knew he wanted to be a spy and he knew he wanted to eventually bring down the church.
Dr Kazak played an integral role in the design of the Nauvoo and the Mt. Zion. He knew more about the Mormon journey to Tau Ceti than most Mormons.
But he didn't know about the protomolecule until Brianna Worthington arrived on the Mt. Zion from Eros. Before he could make sense of what was happening, she entered the tiny escape Pod and launched it toward Earth. Kazak became apoplectic and ran to his quarters to assemble the encrypted communication phone.
"This message is for the UNN security advisors. Mormon agents have stolen an alien molecule of unknown origin from a research facility on Eros of unknown origin and are en route to Earth as I speak. Please respond. This is a first priority message. The future of Earth hangs in the balance. Please respond."
END OF PART ONE
To be continued…