Anthea's Hope--chapter three

 3

     Anthea’s Hope hummed through the void. Its hull gleaming under the faint light of distant stars. Newton sat in the co-pilot’s seat. His frail, alien frame dwarfed by the sleek controls. Beside him, Musk tapped at a tablet. Muttering equations under his breath. Barely beginning their audacious mission of transporting water from Earth to Newton’s drought-stricken planet, Anthea. The ship’s cargo hold groaned with tons of frozen water. Harvested from Greenland and propelled by a fusion of SpaceX ingenuity and Anthean technology.

     “We’re ahead of schedule,” Musk said, glancing at Newton. “Fuel’s good. Trajectory’s solid. How about a pit stop? Mars is right on the way. Let’s take a breather. Check out the colony site.”

     Newton’s pale eyes flickered behind his sunglasses. 

     “Mars holds no water for Anthea,” he said, “but if it’s what you wish, I won’t object.”

     Musk grinned. 

     “Always thinking about the mission, huh? Relax, Newton. We’ll be back on course in no time.”

     Anthea’s Hope descended toward the red planet. Its engines kicking up rust-colored dust as it touched down near the nascent SpaceX outpost. A cluster of domes and solar arrays etched into the Martian plains. The outpost’s robots continued working. Oblivious to the out of the ordinary.

     Musk and Newton disembarked and surveyed the site. The air was thin. The silence oppressive. But Musk’s enthusiasm filled the void. 

     “This is it,” he said, gesturing at the barren expanse. “Humanity’s foothold. Today, an outpost. Tomorrow, cities. You’ll see.”

     Newton nodded absently. His gaze drifted toward a jagged outcrop in the distance. Something tugged at him. An instinct. A whisper from his alien senses. 

     “There’s something here,” he murmured.

     Musk frowned. 

     “What, like a glitch in the sensors? We’ve scanned this place a dozen times.”

     “Not technology,” Newton said, stepping forward. “Life.”

     They trekked toward the outcrop. Musk’s curiosity overriding his skepticism. As they neared, a figure emerged from the shadows. A man. Tall and lean. With an otherworldly grace that mirrored Newton’s own. His hair was long and wild. His eyes deep with an uncanny serenity. He wore a simple tunic. Patched together from salvaged fabric. He carried no gear, yet he seemed unbothered by Mars’ harsh conditions.

     “Who the hell are you?” Musk demanded. His hand hovered near the emergency comms on his suit.

     The stranger smiled faintly. 

     “I am Valentine Michael Smith. I grok you are not of this place. Neither of you.”

     Newton froze. The name meant nothing to him. But the word. Grok. A Martian concept. Alien yet familiar. It resonated deep within his Anthean soul. 

     “You’re not human,” he said.

     “Half,” Smith replied. “Born of Earth. Raised on Mars. The Old Ones taught me their ways before they faded. I’ve been waiting.”

     Musk’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut. 

     “So it’s true, all the stories I’ve heard? How are you even alive out here?”

     Smith tilted his head. 

     “I grok the water of life. Mars provides, if you understand her. I’ve been alone. Until now.”

     Newton stepped closer, his voice urgent. 

     “You speak of water. My planet, Anthea, is dying without it. We’re taking Earth’s excess to save my people. Do you know of other sources? Here, perhaps?”

     Smith’s eyes softened. 

     “Mars holds water beneath her skin, locked in ice and stone. I can show you, but it is not mine to give. It belongs to this world.”

     Musk clapped his hands, the sound muffled by his suit. 

     “Hold up. If there’s water here, we could tap it. Double the haul. Anthea gets its lifeline, and Mars gets a head start on terraforming. Win-win.”

     Newton hesitated. 

     “Stealing from one world to save another. It’s a grim choice.”

     Smith raised a hand. 

     “No theft. A sharing. I grok your need, Thomas Jerome Newton. Mars can spare what Anthea craves, if you honor her in return.”

     The three stood in silence. A triangle of minds spanning planets and species. Musk broke it with a laugh. 

     “Alright, Smith, you’re hired. Show us this underground stash, and we’ll figure out the logistics. Newton, you good with this?”

     Newton nodded slowly. 

     “If it hastens Anthea’s revival, yes.”

     Valentine led them to a hidden cave system. Its walls glistening with veins of ice. Musk’s robots swarmed in. Adapting drills with Anthean tech to extract the frozen bounty. Anthea’s Hope’s hold grew heavier. Its mission expanding beyond what either Newton or Musk had imagined. One by one the other starships in the fleet descended to the red planet.

     As they prepared to depart, Valentine Michael Smith stood at the cave’s entrance. Watching. 

     “Come with us,” Musk called out, extending an invitation. “Meet the in-laws. You’ve been alone too long.”

     Smith smiled. 

     “I grok Mars. It is my home. But I will wait for your return. Perhaps then, I’ll see what lies beyond.”

     Anthea’s Hope  lifted off. Its engines roaring against the Martian sky. Newton gazed out the viewport. Anthea’s salvation closer than ever.

     Musk plotted their next move. 

     “Ice from Earth. Water from Mars. Tech from Anthea. Who’d’ve thunk it, Newton?”

     Newton’s lips twitched. 

     A rare, human smile. 

 *************************

     With Mars’ quiet guardian watching them fade into the cosmic night they soared toward Anthea. Carrying water and hope. Musk turned to Newton with a curious expression. 

     "I know I named my AI on Earth after it, but do you understand this grokking thing, Thomas?" he asked. “Because I sure don’t.”

     Newton's smile grew wider. His eyes sparkled with amusement. 

     "Ah, Mr. Musk," he said, his voice low and smooth. "Grokking is a Martian concept, not an Anthean one. It defies easy explanation. Let's just say it involves a deep, intuitive understanding of the universe and our place within it."

     Musk's eyes lit up mischievously. 

     "Think I can learn?" he said, his voice playful but serious.

     Newton chuckled. His eyes glinted with amusement. 

     "Nevozmozhno veroyatno, veroyatno vozmozhno," he said. If the impossible is probable, the probable is possible.

     As they journeyed on, the stars twinkling like diamonds against the blackness of space, Newton and Musk pondered the mysteries of the universe. Their minds expanded by the encounter with the enigmatic Valentine Michael Smith.