Someplace resembling...
Arizona State University - Saturday, September 6 - 20:37

“You are telling me that the satellite is receiving what?”

“A parallel command signal. It matches our frequency and wavelength and combats our commands. It appears to be originating from the region itself, as here on earth the signal is weaker than our own.”

“And where do you deduce this ‘parallel’ signal is coming from?”

“Mars, sir.”

“Outrageous. You’re nuts. Give me one reason I shouldn‘t throw you off this project at once.”

“I know it sounds crazy. Other team members hesitated to bring it to your attention until we checked it out a dozen times - each time with the same result. But we have tracks of the signal recorded and have already analyzed them.”

“And what were your team’s findings? Out with it, man!”

“ The competing signal was directing the satellite, and TES, to image areas of Mars we had not programmed or relayed, sir. Specifically, three craters on Promethal Terra.”

I stand in the doorway and watch this exchange. I am fascinated and try and imagine what would occur if this bit of news were related to Space.com or published on any of the other space news sites. I can imagine the ridicule and self-censorship which would be employed in handling such a bizarre news item.

I let Tech14 play bad cop to my good cop. He is surely just as curious as am I about this development but must flush out any indecision or supposition to derive hard data. But it is time for me to interject.

“So, the satellite imaged three craters on Promethel Terra. Do we have the images already developed and analyzed?”

“Yes, we do. That’s why we decided to report this to you.”

“And?”

“Each of the three craters are filled with what appears to be a shiny surface, possibly a liquid or very smooth ice. It’s uncanny - the images almost make the surfaces look artificial - like reflecting mirrors.”

“Wasn’t it just a reflection created by light falling into the crater rim on heated and glassed over surfaces?”

“Here take a look for yourselves!”

With that the Team Leader takes a manilla envelope filled with at least a hundred or more different shots of three craters and hands it to me. I look over the images very carefully, knowing full well the significance of what these craters may represent.

“Fascinating.”

The craters are indeed most unusual. Fifteen images have been separated from the rest and paper clipped together. They reveal changing ripples in the surface - ripples that would appear on a liquid body.

“Have you collected Thermal Emission Spectrometer readings on these yet?”

“What do you think? Of course. The readings point to…get this….liquid magnesium.”

“What the.. That’s impossible! For magnesium to be liquefied would require temperatures of over 1200 degrees on earth. Let’s see for Mars atmosphere and pressure it would require a temperature of…hold on..let me calculate this…what.. about 1080 degrees?”

“Somewhere in that vicinity.”

“How, does your team explain these readings?”

“Well…we thought they may be some sort of unmapped volcanoes, channeling heat and magnesium up to the surface. However all our subsequent measurements with the instruments at our disposal indicate that the temperatures of those craters each is averaging only 50-70 degrees variance from outside the craters- and could simply be due to elevated ridges of the craters which keep the atmospheric pressure lower on the inside. Liquid magnesium should be impossible by our readings.”

“Spectrometer accuracy?”

“We checked, recalibrated on other known metals and still the exact same results.”

I’m thinking of rocket fuel. And I know Tech14 is thinking of rocket fuel as well. First the overriding signal and then liquid magnesium. Some folks would interpret those two events are about the equivalent of a formal invitation to send men to explore the red planet.

“I want this whole region checked out if it has not already been done so and I want these craters checked on regularly - understood?”

“Yes. One other thing before you go…we promised the gifted students of Project Ideal, at nearby elementary schools a chance to point the MOC and write papers to describe what they would like to image and why and -”

“What does this have to do with anything?”

“I was getting to that. One of the students submitted a request to image Promethel Terra to look for rare minerals! It seemed more than just a bizarre coincidence and is really freaking the other team members out.”

“Make a copy of the paper and have it sent to my office in the morning. Anything else?”

“No, just a really surreal feeling that hasn’t gone away.”

“Well pull yourself and your team together, man. We need data and facts and coincidences do happen. We need to know what’s going on down there and the science behind it. Also, I am now officially utilizing your contract clause to classify this information and require a complete handling of all materials regarding these events in accordance with the classified material guidelines laid down in your contract. No news releases, white papers or any dissemination of these events will occur. How many people know of these things already?”

“Let’s see…the team of course and two of the scientists who are listed as consultants in our contract.”

“Well inform them of this gag order. We don’t need a media circus to interfere with the investigation of these signals and the findings.”

And with that, Tech14 and I return to our vehicle after a march through the extensive grounds, and the flurry of twenty some-things which seem to be loitering about, to arrive at our vehicle. I know that the gag order will be ineffective and that someone will inform NASA before the week is out. With our new man at Goddard to intercept and silence the leaks, it should hopefully be contained for at least a few months from the media.

Tech14 turns to me after buckling in, “Who do you suppose really sent those command signals?”

I turn to him with a deadpan expression and reply, “Well Martians, of course.”

SDAI-Tech1

If this post appears a second time forgive me - It seems the post disappeared suddenly....hmmm.