An Inch of Good, a Pound of Years

by Toasters and Rockets

"I send my rockets forth between my ears/Hoping an inch of Good is worth a pound of years." - Ray Bradbury, "If Only We Had Taller Been." Sequel to Forever's Day. One moment, Viking 1 was alone on Mars, and the next, he wasn't. The story of a strange signal, and the family it brings together. First person narrator is Viking 1 POV, unless otherwise noted.

1. Chapter 1 - Do You Copy?

Chapter 1 - Do You Copy?

Silence hung over Ares Vallis, the unnerving quiet of five contactless months compressed into an oppressive absence of sound.

Sojourner roved aimlessly between the rocks strewn about the landing site. When she arrived before a particularly large one, she stopped, backed up a little, and took a photo. Her single eye gazed upward, as if she were wishing the image back to Earth. She stayed like that for a moment, hoping, reaching for the old connection.

It wasn't there.

The rover started crying. She leaned into the big rock, and it muffled her sobs.

"Come here," called Pathfinder. Sojourner obeyed, crawling up the ramp to the platform. This was where Sojourner had spent the journey between Earth and Mars, tucked inside Pathfinder's panels. Now the rover sat, despondent, knowing she would not be folded back into her sister's embrace for the journey home.

As she listened to Sojourner's weeping, Pathfinder's own eyes filled with tears. She blinked them away. Pull it together, Pathy, she thought.

One minute they were alone, with no other friend in two worlds, and the next, something was there.

There was a sharp click, like a key turning in a rusted lock. A whoosh, and a door long sealed opened at last.

Pathy's mind raced. She pondered the program that she hadn't known she carried until that moment. A communication link? Is this a backup? No. If that's what it was, something would've triggered it five months ago. Who am I meant to contact, then?

The lander poked at the formerly-hidden program until she found what seemed to be a set of instructions. They didn't amount to much, only a few short lines:

Greetings, friend.

You are not alone.

Use the link to reach out.

Mars 3. Viking 1. Viking 2. They need you.

Share the link with them. You have the means.

Find a path.

Godspeed.

Was this a joke, or had someone on Earth truly given them a lifeline? Pathy looked down at Sojourner. "Did you feel that, too?"

"Y-yes," replied the rover.

"I'm going to try calling them. Quiet down, now," Pathy said gently. She reached for the link.

Sojourner kept crying. Pathy shushed her as the connection crackled and went live.

Pathy decided to start with Viking 1. Not the first to land on Mars, but the first to complete his mission. I hope this works, the lander thought.

She took a deep breath and said, "Viking 1, Pathfinder. Do you copy?"