Secret of The Red Planet

FOREWORD

One evening in mid-2007 I was invited out to dinner at Pepper’s Restaurant in Nairobi by my daughter and her family and friends.

I cannot remember how the conversation led to the topic but during the meal I was talking to my granddaughters, Sofia and Annamaria about the planet Mars. Their school friend Michelle said jokingly that she herself was from Mars and I said that one day I would go there to see her. That is how the story was born.

The storyteller is an ordinary English teenager, living in an unnamed but typical small town, with a dream to fly to Mars. I am not Bill and I should not be identified with him. The story takes place during July and August 2007. Events occurring in the World during this time have been brought into the story to add reality to it.

The story is of course fictional. However, the scientific and astronomical data is as accurate as I am able to make it. Information given about Mars, Earth and the Moon and their relationship and positions in the Solar System are factual. Mars has been near to opposition during the period the action takes place. I have presented the phases of the Moon and Earth as accurately as possible.

The geographical features of Mars are as faithfully described as possible. I am sure the Monuments of Cydonia actually exist. There is still heated debate about whether they are natural or they were constructed by living beings, maybe even beings from outer space. Perhaps the pyramids of Egypt and America were also built by the same beings or by humans with incredible spiritual powers.

I have drawn attention to the environmental degradation taking place on our beautiful planet and we have been painfully slow in waking up to the damage we are doing and even slower in trying to deal with it as a World community. Perhaps there are extraterrestrials on Earth giving us a helping hand.

I am sure you often wonder if other inhabited worlds exist out there in the depths of space. It would not be strange if creatures similar, or perhaps entirely different from human beings, exist among the countless solar systems in our Universe. You may also wonder how it was that the ancestors of the Similarians and other human Martians living on Mars in the story came to be exiled from Earth in 11,994 BC and what kind of world they left behind. And who are these Zoggs, who threaten to invade our solar system? These questions may be answered in a sequel to Secret of the Red Planet.

As for the ‘unbelievable’ elements of the story, notably the Uninet, telepathic communication over immense distances, time travel and huge, Earth-crossing asteroids, I would say that anything is possible. Telepathy was practiced by so called ‘uncivilised’ peoples and I believe there are particles as yet undiscovered by humanity that exceed the speed of light. In reality there is no such thing as time, (it is a creation of the mind) and therefore in theory travelling through time is possible and may one day become a reality. And the bubbles? As Bill says in the story, there are some things in life you just do not understand and have to accept.

CHRIS HAWLEY

LAMU, KENYA

December 2010

To my four grandchildren, Ben, Sofia, Tim and Annamaria.

PART ONE

Mars Here I Come

CHAPTER ONE

THE DREAM

I have always wanted to build a space ship and fly off into space. What a thrill to experience the ‘G’ force that presses you back in your seat as you hurtle up into the sky! What a thrill to see the Earth from up there, getting smaller and smaller as you penetrate deeper and deeper into the blackness! What a thrill to float around inside the spaceship, free from the effects of gravity!

Our Science teacher at school told us that it costs millions of dollars to build a space ship and millions more to sent it out into space and bring it safely back again. I was afraid what he said was true, but…….

‘Only rich countries can afford to do it,’ he explained to us. ‘You need very strong materials to withstand the pressure and heat, and astronauts have to be trained for years to be able to man spacecraft.’

‘But Sir,’ I said. ‘I don’t have millions of dollars and I don’t have the time to spend years training. I want to go to Mars now!’ I had this very strange feeling that it was my destiny to go to Mars, and why wait for Destiny to make up its mind. I didn’t want to go when I was a pensioner!

‘Mars, is it? Well, boy,’ he said, laughing. ‘If you think you can build a spacecraft and go off to Mars and be back before the beginning of next term, you are welcome to try and we all wish you the best of luck, don’t we boys and girls?’ He looked around at the class. There was some tittering and some whispering from the rest of the class. Although I was popular at school, I had a reputation for being clever. I excelled in my exams and was always at the top of the class. For that reason I was often ragged.

‘Thank you, Sir,’ I said. ‘If I don’t make it back in time, I’ll send you a message.’

He laughed again. ‘From Mars? Don’t forget your mobile phone. Anyway, you do that.’ He was mocking me: that was obvious.

I will show him!

Now that I had the doubtful blessing of our Science teacher, my next problem was to find a place to build my space ship. In the end I decided on the wooden shed at the bottom of the garden. Dad had recently bought another shed and had erected it nearer the house. It was here that he stored his tools and other gardening equipment. Dad is a bit of a do-it-yourself fiend, which is useful because I was going to need some tools with which to make my spaceship.

What materials was I to use? Titanium was light and strong but much too expensive for a sixteen year old boy, (almost seventeen actually) on a two pounds a week pocket money. Aluminium foil was a good substitute, I decided. Mum uses a lot of the stuff and she would not miss a few rolls here and there. Dad’s extra-strong glue would hold it together. Yes and those old window frames he threw out in the Spring would make an excellent frame, a bit on the heavy side though. I was beginning to get really excited. I wonder what the people on Mars will say when they see me coming!

The rocket motor was the trickiest part. To escape from the Earth’s atmosphere needs a powerful thrust, and reliability was important. I couldn’t afford to break downhalfway to Mars, could I? What could I use? In the end it was to be the old lawnmower motor that was going to propel me on my journey of a lifetime.

Mum was marvellous. Every time I said to her, ‘Don’t forget the tinfoil!’ she would add it to her shopping list. I asked Dad if I could borrow his extra-strong glue and use some of the old window frames and the old lawnmower motor and he didn’t even ask me what I wanted them for. But of course he had a pretty good idea.

I had a fair amount of clearing out to do in the old shed. Dad was so pleased with me for doing a job that he had been putting off for months, he even helped me with the Ford van to dispose of some unwanted things. At last I had collected all my materials together and was ready to start building my spaceship.

CHAPTER TWO

THE GOOD SHIP ‘SILVER STREAK’

The long holidays had arrived. Mum and Dad were never very keen on beach holidays. Both of them always found something to do. Most of my friends were going away and it would give me time and privacy to concentrate on my dream project.

I worked like a lunatic, putting in all the hours I could. I had to help my parents sometimes but I knew that was my duty and I didn’t mind. The days were long and the weather warm.

The spaceship took shape. Sometimes Dad would put his head round the door of the shed and enquire what I was doing, as if he didn’t know. I would say that I was building something, which was quite obvious to anyone with eyes in their head. He was happy that I had found something interesting to do during the holidays.

After two weeks of hard work, the spaceship itself was ready. It hardly looked as good as those American ones I had seen on the television but I had made it all by myself. The inside was fitted out for maximum comfort, with a padded bucket seat that could be adjusted. Even the floor was carpeted from a piece of old carpet I found in the loft. Nor had I neglected fuel for my body. I had carefully selected all the food with maximum nutritional value. All these were stored carefully so that they would not float about once we were outside the Earth’s atmosphere. I was satisfied that I would not lack any material comfort on my long journey. Our science teacher had told us that Mars was many millions of miles away from the Earth so I calculated the journey would take weeks and I doubted I would be in time for the beginning of term. Well, my experiences in space would be worth more than dry old school lessons.

The control panel was made out of several old computer keyboards, connected to the controls by metres of copper wire, which had been left behind by the electricians when they rewired the house.

All that remained was to fit the motor. I must admit that this was the hardest part of all. The motor had to be really well fixed to avoid it coming loose during the stress of blast off and re-entry into the atmosphere. I thought my steering invention was very neat. The engine was mounted on a swivel, operated from the control panel in front of me. I decided that the petrol tank was not sufficiently big to hold enough fuel for the journey to Mars, so I modified an old water container, hoping it would not be too heavy during liftoff.

I turned my attention to my space suit. I went to the library and read about what it was like on Mars. No water, the book said, and cold too. So a warm space suit was important. There was a picture in the book of an astronaut, wearing a globe on his head that looked like a fish bowl. I thought of the one standing on the shelf in the shed. I felt guilty every time I saw it and remembered killing the goldfish by overfeeding them. Why don’t I wear it on my way to Mars: their old home would have a purpose in life again and they would not have died in vain? I chuckled to myself at the idea of wearing a fish bowl on my head. I might even frighten some Martians!

What to do about water? I was already taking a lot of petrol, which weighed a lot. But, I thought, all those Martians who lived there must have learned a long time ago how to make water. I would ask someone as soon as I arrived. They are very kind people, I was sure of that. Just take water for the journey and hope for the best, said the optimist in me. The pessimist in me was defeated and so that was what I decided.

Finally, the great day was upon me. The spaceship was complete and ready for testing. I used all the money I had saved from my pocket money over the past six months to buy petrol, new sparkplugs and a secondhand safety belt.

One final thing: what to call the spaceship? I pondered for an hour before coming up with a name I liked. ‘Silver Streak,’ that’s what she’ll be called! So ‘Silver Streak’ she became. I painted the name carefully, but not very neatly, on her side and held an emotional naming ceremony, in which I broke a bottle of sparkling mineral water against the side, as I had seen done when ships are launched. And she is a ship of sorts, I thought. ‘May God protect her and all who sail in her!’

CHAPTER THREE

LAST MINUTE PREPARATIONS

‘Er Dad!’ I said the next morning. ‘I’m off to Mars tomorrow.’

‘Are you, son? Well, have a good trip!’ He winked at me and gave a chuckle.

‘You don’t believe me, do you Dad?’

‘Of course I do, son.’ He smiled a knowing smile. ‘Have you told your mum?’

‘Not yet. Dad, do you think the people on Mars are friendly?’

‘Sure to be. I bet they are more friendly than the people in this street.’ My father was always critical of the neighbours. He said they were stuck-up, about what he couldn’t say, because they didn’t have anything to be stuck-up about. He was never afraid to express his opinion and it was not always greeted with enthusiasm by the hearer.

Anyway, his opinion of Martians really pleased me. I couldn’t wait to be off.

‘Don’t forget to bring me a stick of rock from Mars,’ was his final comment as he went out of the door. Dad was a large man in his early forties, with thinning brown hair. He often suffered with his back, and as he disappeared down the hall I could see he was having one of his bad days.

He still doesn’t believe that I’m going to Mars tomorrow. But when my spaceship lifts off at 5 o’clock in the morning, he will know I was not joking. I smiled as I saw the vision of my parents at the bedroom window, open-mouthed with surprise as a spaceship disappears into the sky, trailing a stream of vapour.

I hardly slept that night; I was so excited. Well, wouldn’t you be? It’s not every day you set off on a journey into space.

At 4 o’clock in the morning it was getting light. I got up and, as quietly as I could, I washed and dressed. I had to laugh when I looked in the mirror at the bundle of sweaters standing there. The comedy would be complete with a fishbowl on the top!

I tiptoed down the stairs, being careful to avoid the creaky floorboards. I wrote a note and left it on the kitchen table.

HAVE GONE TO MARS. BACK IN ABOUT SIX WEEKS.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME. I’LL BE FINE. LOVE, BILL

As I entered the shed, I looked back at the house. There was no sign of life. I must admit I had a few misgivings about going at that moment. Would I ever return? Would I die a lonely death in the far reaches of the Universe? Would I find a beautiful Martian girl and settle down on Mars, have a dozen half-half children and live happily ever after? In that case, I would send a message to my parents and invite them to Mars for the wedding. I wonder if they would let me roam with my mobile phone as far as Mars. With that interesting thought, I set about preparing for takeoff. But wait! I forgot one thing, my digital camera. Nobody is going to believe my story unless I produce some photos. I crept back into the house and returned with the camera, which I stowed in a pocket next to the control panel.

I opened the roof of the shed and climbed into Silver Streak, buckling myself tightly into the seat. I turned on the ignition and saw the red light appear. So far, so good! I held my breath and pressed the starter button. A whirring noise and then………….the engine burst into life. The spacecraft started to vibrate and I was afraid the engine was going to come off. But the next moment there was a loud whoosh and………..Silver Streak was airborne. I gave a shout of joy. I am on my way at last! Mars, here I come!

CHAPTER FOUR

RESCUE

As soon as I had recovered from the initial thrill of liftoff, I looked out of one of the small portholes in the side of the spacecraft. I had time to focus on the little garden shed, the small back garden and the house in which I had been born and brought up. But within seconds these objects were like toys. The streets of our neighbourhood criss-crossed below me. The few vehicles making up the early morning traffic filed along like matchbox toys and I could have picked up ten of them in each hand. Soon the small town that I knew so well was just a patch of brown and gray in a sea of green. Some clouds passed me by, little fluffy summer clouds. The sun was a ball of orange in the early morning sky.

Up and up we went, Silver Streak and I. A bout of fear crept into me, like the onset of a dose of flu, but I shook it off and an undercurrent of intense excitement took its place.

The horizon took on a curved effect and looking down I could make out the coastline of England, the channel and France over to the right. To the left of me, the Atlantic Ocean lay in darkness. Still higher we rose. Above me, the sky became darker. We were leaving the atmosphere behind. The horizon was more rounded now. I could see the whole of Europe, just like the photographs taken from space that our teacher had put up on the walls of the classrooms. Dawn had not reached the coast of Portugal or the extreme West of Ireland, but as I looked North, I could just see the polar ice cap, pure white. I knew that in July at the pole the sun didn’t set and it was light all night.

All of a sudden I realised that I was cold, very cold, in spite of the two sweaters and anorak that I had on. And I was short of breath, dangerously so. But Silver Streak continued on its upward journey, the engine rattling away behind me. It was then that it happened, or should I say, everything happened at once. I began to doubt the ability of my faithful craft to make it to Mars. For the first time since that science lesson, it occurred to me that the teacher may have been right after all. Maybe I was unprepared. I hadn’t even had one lesson on how to fly to the planets, let alone the years of training that our teacher said we needed. Perhaps the materials I had chosen were not ideal for the task. Kitchen foil is thin, I had to admit. Was it possible that I had made a miscalculation in the choice of engine and the amount of fuel needed? Lawnmower motors were designed for cutting grass, not for propelling crazy boys into space. And which way was it to Mars? Was it up, down or sideways? Our Earth is spinning and one moment Mars is on one side of the Earth and the next moment it is on the other. All these thoughts ran through my mind. And in the middle of this jumble of thoughts, the engine spluttered and died. What was to become of me now?

At that same moment a curious thing happened. Through the porthole I saw approaching an enormous bubble, reflecting all the colours of the rainbow, just like a great soap bubble of the kind children like to blow. As Silver Streak began to falter, the bubble wrapped itself around us, so that we were entirely enclosed. And do you know what? From that moment, it was as if we were floating on a cushion of air. I no longer felt cold and I began to breathe normally. Where did this bubble come from? I did not understand it but I was grateful to be rescued in the nick of time.

I looked up at the sky again. It was completely black. The stars were incredibly clear, and there were what seemed millions of them. I could make out the planet Jupiter, larger and more distinct than the stars, the sun shining on one side of it. Mars was nowhere to be seen but I knew it was out there somewhere. The sun was a fiery ball but it did not shine like it does on Earth. I knew that it was because there was no atmosphere to reflect the light rays.

I began to feel light headed and I was surprised to find how easy it was to lift my arms and legs. Weightlessness! I loosened my seat belt and as I did so I floated out of the seat. I was careful to hold onto the belt, but I let myself float around, first up to the roof of Silver Streak and then, with the slightest push with my hand, upside down. This is fun! But don’t overdo it, I told myself. Soon I was back in my seat.

Looking back, I could now see the Earth as a distinct ball, blue and brown and white. The yellowish-brown of the land stood in sharp contrast to the blue of the ocean and patches of white cloud spread out around the globe. It was the most beautiful sight that I had ever seen in my life. That is the home of the human race, I thought and how fortunate we are to have such a