/ Duel Universe
/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma
/ Ch 10.1: Bowie Base One
/ word count: 1260
*Suggestive Material*
The Mars Lander landed on the surface of the red planet some months ago. Six of the three dozen crew were the only ones currently awake for the first stage of procedure. The crew had slept about 3 months in a early prototype of a deep sleep chamber, and it allowed them to make the trip without using any of their precious few resources.
The flight crew began the process of waking up some of the crew to begin building the first of the buildings complex. The sleep quarters and meal hall was the first building completed. Then the rest of the crew were awakened and all the food and personal items were unloaded then everyone set about claiming their bunks and setting up their home for the next year and a half. It took them all of the next week to build up nearly all the rest of the buildings with the latest lightweight, yet durable materials. Science, ecological, security, water purification, archeology, communication and walkways between each building. All seals are double checked and then the whole complex is pressurized with pure oxygen. Once the greenhouse is set to grow plants and food, there are canisters of carbon dioxide to be set for a slow leak to feed the plants their desired air. Then in turn, as the plants grow and produce food for the colonists to eat with, they will also be providing oxygen for them to breathe. As the canisters would run dry of their load of carbon dioxide, the bad air from the rest of the colony would be vented straight into the ecological wing, feeding it directly to the plants, and as long as everything works correctly, it could potentially extend the stay of the colony and even set up where future colonists may come to the red planet.
Mars Heads of Department:
"Okay people, calm it down." Doctor Sharon Reinhart, Lead Scientists and Director of Operations of the entire colony, called to order.
"This is the first meeting of the six head of departments for Bowie Base One." She said.
"Hey Doc, let's take a break for a week and then get to work huh?" Head Ecologist Harold Jacobsons said jokingly. "I know something everyone can do to get really rela…"
"Keep it in your pants Harold!" Head Archeologist Crystal Anderson said. "We aren't here for your personal sex fest you kept talking about back on Earth. This is a serious expedition on the first colony of Mars!"
Harold eyed her with a bit of mischievousness. Someone reached over and smacked Harold across the back of his head and made him do a double take.
Chief Security Officer Michelle Anderson, elder sister to Crystal, gave him a look that if it could kill… "Touch my sister and you'll regret it asshole!!" She threatened.
"Heh." Crystal laughed a little at her big sisters over protective nature.
"Humph!!" Harold crossed his arms and sat back.
"Okay, okay, can we get back on point here people!?" Reinhart asked.
When no one brought up anymore subjects or idiotic ideas, she continued. "We have just started the first colony of Mars, and it is up to all of us to make sure it does succeed. Harold, we don't have the luxury of playing around and getting someone pregnant! So all personnel are being issued a warning, mainly against you, to remain clean for the duration of this mission. If you have a problem with this directive, I'm sure Michelle won't mind some daily company in her small holding cell." Reinhart threatened.
Michelle grins devilishly while staring daggers at Harold.
"Fine, I'll behave myself. Geez." He relented.
"Alright then, with the topic of sex out of the way, we need to decide where our first dig site will be and building the satellite dish for communication to Earth, via the relay hub in synchronise orbit over our base camp." Reinhart said.
"I'll supervise the satellite dish build, since I'm the only one who knows how the damn thing works." Head Communication Expert Avery Wilson said.
"Fine Avery, use whoever you need to complete it. Now Crystal, how many people would you like to put on the first expedition?" Reinhart asked.
"Ten, little less than 1/3 our numbers, but I want to set up the base ground work before the end of the day, after that, besides myself and my 4 crew, it will be a volunteer based affair. Basically a change of pace or scenery for whoever wants it." Crystal said.
"And I'm thinking sector grid alpha 2 for the first location." She said looking at the holo map in front of them. "The terrain is a bit rougher in this area on the surface than anywhere else, so doing the rough patch first and hopefully it'll be easy sailing from here, and it's also the closest at half a kilometer, so nobody will complain about the jaunt out for the first dig." She joked.
"If there's nothing else?" Reinhart waited.
"I'll help wherever I can, my department and myself that is, our overall workload won't come in until about a month in is complete and then we'll be having a time to be cleaning the water we'll need to survive." Head of Water Conservation Aqua Maria said.
"Alright everyone, go to your departments, take care of your work stations, and then whoever Crystal and Avery calls upon, go help with those two assignments. We've got four years ahead of us so let's get to work." She said, the whole room standing and filing out.
Avery and Reinhart were last out but Avery grabbed Reinharts' hand and pulled her back into the conference room, shutting the door. He pushed her against an outer wall so no one would see them kissing as his hands grabbed at every inch of her body. She pulled him just as close and wasn't letting go for when she did, it will be the last time they'll have this chance for a long time. They couldn't go all the way, but they went as far as they dared. For several minutes their lips barely parted letting in small gasps of breath. Their uniforms were partially undone and Reinharts hair was in shambles from the tight pun she's known for. Finally they separated from each other's embrace and began putting themselves back together.
"Man I wish you didn't have to enact that rule because of Harold." Avery said. "Why'd he even have to come anyways!?"
"Because he's the best damn ecologist we had at the space department on Earth and he was highly recommended by no less than two dozen other experts. He wasn't my first choice, I assure you, but the three prior people were either engaged in other affairs or contracted a disease we couldn't bring with us when we went into isolation to prepare for the trip." Sharon explained.
"That's means we haven't had sex for over a year and a half." Avery pointed out.
"Don't remind me. But we have to remain strong for everyone else's sake. If I or any other heads are seen breaking the rules, then we're bound to fail this mission." Sharon groaned. "And I'd prefer that to not be our legacy."
Unfortunately, the colonists barely got to get their boots dirty, so to speak, from all this. Twelve months after they had arrived and put everything together, the Earth Survival Space Fleet showed up and plucked them, their research, and their compound, right off the surface of Mars, leaving their home solar system behind forever.