STAR TREK: PHASE ONE
More than a Red Planet
Mars...
The two shuttles, both launched from the USS ENTEPRISE, made perfect landings on the two temporary landing pads that had been landed on Mars two years previously by unmanned craft, in preparation of this day.
The Class-1 shuttles, as proof of the international scope of the United Space Agency, were constructed in the recently reunited nation of Korea. North and South Korea, after decades of strife, and mistrust, had united in 2020. By 2050, the country had become a productive entity of the new United Nations Charter.
The people of Korea were very dedicated, and very proud of their contribution to the space program, Kirk concluded after he sat in the passenger area and watched the sister shuttle set down nearly right beside the one he rode in. They were also superior technologists as well.
He looked over to Gary, and flashed back to the scene in the Zero-grav chamber when Mitchell had vomited all over the drill instructor.
"Dude," Kirk said to Gary, "you're not thinking about throwing up are you?"
The sweat on Gary's brow was proof enough to Kirk that his friend Gary didn't enjoy any kind of craft .that dropped as fast as the shuttle had. Kirk often wondered how Gary had made it so far in the Space Program.
"I took some space-sickness pills," Gary told Kirk, "they haven't kicked in yet."
Kirk shook his head. "And you're the XO of an ultra-modern Starship?" Kirk asked in disbelief. "Give me a break."
"What do you mean? I can hang with you?" Gary said. "I'm just a little queasy that's all. I won't throw-up."
"Well, you better not," Kirk said with a chuckle. "Could you imagine what Daystrom would say if he found out the first thing we did on Mars was throw-up on it?"
"Shut-up," Gary said. "We just need to talk about something else and I'll be fine. Hey, just talk about women's breasts or something like that."
"Yeah, right," Kirk said with a smile, "I just got a message from Colonel Pike that the Enterprise is going to be re-fitted with the next generation of engines when we get back. Check this out," Kirk said lowering his voice, "we're going to use them to go to Alpha Centauri. And we're going to get there in just four weeks."
"You're shitting me," Gary said. "Can you imagine the amount of women who will want to bed down with the first men who make it to another star system?"
"I thought you had your eye on Chekov?" Kirk asked.
"Just keeping my options open, you know, keeping it real and all. You should take a look at Chekov and some of the other women on the Enterprise. I mean, shit man, you're the Captain. Can you imagine how much p****y you'll be able to get."
Kirk looked at his friend with a look of contempt.
"Is that all that matters to you? We're about to start exploring the universe; and sex is the only thing on your mind?" Kirk asked. "Someday you're going to find out that women are more than just walking sex toys," Kirk said with.
It was clear that the conversation was starting to cause the green hue in Gary's face to fade. Kirk's strategy of decoying his friend's nausea was working; even if it was sexist in tone. The shuttle was in process of setting down on the pad.
"Someday I'll settle down," Gary said with a smile. "Marry me a nice woman, build the white-picket fence, and have some kids so I can throw footballs with them; but not now!" Gary said. "My Q rating is going to shoot up higher than the moon, and I'm going to cash in with the babes. It's all part of my master plan. So, we're heading to another star system. I can't wait Jimmy, I can't wait." Then Gary became a tad more serious. "But if you're talking about the Star-drive," he said, "that is still experimental. I have read about Lea Brahms work and I'm not convinced."
Kirk shook his head. "Have you ever seen what she looks like?"
"No need to," Mitchell said as the he and Kirk stood up and started to head for the exit as the other passengers did. "Any one with the last name of Brahms is probably the product of two nerds, and probably looks like my eighth grade algebra teacher; crusty and old."
Kirk knew otherwise. "Yeah, you're probably right," Kirk replied, knowing full well that Brahms was quite beautiful; and far too classy for his horny friend.
Kirk and Mitchell walked down the boarding ramp. For being the first humans stepping on Mars, it just seemed like another shuttle landing. Thanks to pre-positioned sites, such as the two landing pads, some of the facilities were already covered by domes and had artificial air pumping inside of them.
There were three large buildings, each large enough to house the landing team. Several food-pods, also sent in advance of the mission, were easily found. Land-rovers, both brought down via the shuttles, and operated on solar batteries, would be used to collect the food-pods.
The mission that the landing crews had, under the command of Lt. Commander Khan, was to apply the add-ons that had been sent up to Mars as part of a five year plan to not only build a colony, but to also prepare the base for Terra-Forming. The Terra-Formers would arrive on Mars in just over a year, under the command of Dr. Frank Marcus. Marcus was the young genius, a brother to Carol Marcus (a flame from Kirk's past), who developed the complex constructs that would be built on the poles of Mars. They would exploit the large body of water that had been discovered beneath the surface of Mars, and use it to create a livable atmosphere with-in two or three years.
Life had indeed been found on Mars, in the large body of water beneath the surface. But it was only single cell organisms that had survived beneath the surface of the world, guarded from the radiation of the sun.
With the Earth reaching population heights never seen, it was decided by the United Nations to colonize Mars to further the human race into space, rather than to treat it off-limits in order to save its indigenous life forms.
The discovery of the Charles/Dennison Asteroid only underlined the importance of creating a colony off of Earth; it would guarantee man's survival even if an Extinction Level Incident were to strike Earth.
Kirk watched as Lt. Commander Khan put his team to work, nearly the moment they arrived. This team didn't have long to get this place up and running. They were all inside the large complex and were preparing for their duties. Kirk walked over to Khan.
"I wanted to say," Kirk told Khan, "that you and your team are doing great. I have no doubts at all that you will have this place ready to go long before the Lexington gets here."
Khan smiled. "Thank you Captain Kirk. I hope you have time to visit us again as well. I want you to come back see what we eventually accomplish here. And," Khan added as he reached down and pulled a putter out of his sack of personal items, "tell Commander Mitchell we will have a make-shift golf course up and running real soon too."
"Well," Kirk said with a smile, "I think you've just cemented our return visit."
The two men shook hands, and shared a common moment of respect. Both were unaware that not too long in the future they would be enemies for life; dare I say; arch-enemies!
Two hours later, both shuttles were piloted back up to the Enterprise. With the Colony-team in place, it was time for the Enterprise to head for the Charles/Dennison. As Kirk came to the bridge, he smiled as he saw Gary showing the photos that Kirk had taken of him hitting golf-balls on Mars.
"That one," Gary said to Chekov, as she held the picture "went seven hundred yards."
She obviously had no idea how impressive that was; in terms of golf.
"Is that a long one?" Chekov asked with a blank look on her face. "Do you the like really long ones?"
Gary did a double take; was that some sort of a sexual question? He decided not to go there; especially with Sulu now looking at him with a broad smile; his mind in the gutter with Gary's.
"You mean; is that far!?" Gary replied. "Honey, Tiger Woods, in his prime, might hit one four-hundred and fifty on Earth. Yes, that's long…I mean far."
"So," Sulu said, as he listened in, "as soon as we get back I'll send these to Sal and see if he can get them in Sports Illustrated." And then he added. "Especially these long ones," he added with a chuckle.
"That would be so cool," Gary said.
Then Chekov came across a photo of Gary throwing up in a trashcan inside the complex on Mars.
"That'll go good with your media file," Sulu said with a laugh. "The first human to throw-up on mars," and then both Sulu and Chekov laughed.
"James," Gary said to Kirk, "I thought you deleted that one."
Kirk gave in an innocent reaction. "Oooops."
Earth…
John Gill sat in his office on board his private airplane jet as it was taking him to a very important meeting in Colorado, USA. The image of Khan was on the screen of his monitor. The signal Khan was transmitting on was scrambled.
"I trust you have all arrived in one piece?" Gill asked Khan.
"We have," Khan said. "Everything is proceeding as you planned sir."
"Very good," Gill said.
Gill cut off the transmission and was quite happy with the progress that had been made.
But little did Gill know that fate would play a very major part in what was to come. He had no idea the monster he had created when he created Khan. And the time was coming when John Gill would find out; but by then it would be too late to stop…Khan Noonien Singh.
continued..