Yves Giraud - Kahnu

Dedrick started a new recording session. At the top left corner of the monitor, the number 42.204 appeared, the first two digits indicating the Martian year, a dating system put in place by NASA back in 1955. This was the forty-second Martian year since, and 204 was what scientists call the Ls number, a degree system adopted to represent the time of year. Dedrick and his colleagues gathered closely in front of the camera.

He turned around to look at his team.

“Ready, guys?”

And, after a quick countdown, they all shouted in unison, “WE HAVE FOUND WATER!”

“We made the discovery late this afternoon, in grid 6-55-B, at a depth of eight and a half meters. We don’t know yet how much there is, but we’ve analyzed it. Ninety eight percent H 2O!” added Dedrick.

“Hoo hoo! Yeah man!” added François in a cowboy style scream.

“So, we are pretty excited here, as you can imagine. We intend to go back tomorrow and survey the rest of the pocket. We’re also hoping to find more sources in the surrounding areas. We’ve mapped out the terrain. Fairly common levels of materials and minerals found almost everywhere else in this part of Valles Marineris. We’re fairly confident this is just the beginning. François and Tendai have also begun introducing some of our plants to the new water. It will take several days before we know if they are any incompatibilities or reactions, but if that comes back negative, it will be very promising. We’re crossing our fingers.”

“Hey Lars, how about sending us some bathing suits?” asked François with a silly smirk on his face.

“Stop it, François! Don’t listen to him. But we’re still waiting on that bottle of tequila you promised us last year, remember?”

“I’m with Sabrina on that one. Some booze would be nice,” echoed Tendai with a smile.

“Hey Lars, what about some coconut rum? And we could really use some Pina coladas as well!” said Vera, laughing.

“Yes, that sounds really good. And some salt for the margaritas!” added Sabrina giggling.

“Don’t listen to them. They’re already drunk… No, I’m just kidding. Anyway, we’re gonna celebrate our own way, tonight. We can use a break. Don’t worry about us, we’ll make it a fun party regardless. Ok, looking forward to your reply.”

Dedrick leaned forward and clicked “Send.”

A few minutes later, back on Earth, Lars was getting ready to listen to the Martians’ new message. He was joined by two of his heads of operations, Sylvia, and Dr. Kovachev.

“Do you think someone else is pregnant?”

“I don’t know, Sylvia. That or they’ve found something at the digging site, today. They sounded pretty excited. That’s why I wanted you both here. I have a feeling this is going to be good.”

The past thirty-two minutes had seemed particularly long to the Mars First CEO. Dedrick wasn’t one for theatrical approaches, but the small group had convinced him to make Lars suffer a bit for his money.

A huge smile exploded on Lars’ face the moment he heard the team’s unified announcement. After listening to the whole message, he began composing his video reply in front of his own camera.

“That’s fantastic! Wow! Guys! This is going to change everything. Now, we have liquid water on Mars. This is huge! I’m so proud of you. We’re ecstatic. Great job!”

Sylvia leaned over Lars and kissed him on the cheek, hugging him from behind. Staring at the screen, she also congratulated the Martian team.

“Thank you, guys! That’s such great news. We are so very happy for you and wish we could celebrate with you. Vera, I’m so excited for you too, love. A baby girl; that’s wonderful. My love to all.”

Fifteen minutes later, the Martian group was listening to Lars’ reply.

“…margaritas and Pina coladas? Ha ha, sounds like a fair request. I’ll see if we can give team three some ‘treats’ to bring along with them. But I can’t promise anything. Either way, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait another seven months before they get there, but I’m sure you’ll gladly wait. And it looks like MF3’s landing will coincide with the baby’s birth, so you’ll have two reasons to celebrate. I can’t tell you how thrilled we are here, guys, and very proud of all of you for your teamwork and your progress. You’ve done such a good job at adapting to the planet’s demanding challenges. Thank you! You have surpassed our expectations, and I can’t wait to make the announcement about today’s discovery to the media. As soon as I talk to the board, I’ll arrange a conference. NASA is going to be so pissed we got there before they did! Ha ha. Anyway, go ahead and celebrate, you deserve it! I speak for all of us, here at Mars First headquarters, when I say we wish you all a wonderful night! Earth signing out.”

“You think I should’ve asked for ice cream?” asked Ladli to Vera.

“Darn! I bet they would have sent us some,” she replied laughing. “We’ll have to mention it tomorrow.”

Everyone on both sides of the communication screens was gleaming. This was a day to be remembered, and they intended to. April 14th, 2034, the day they had found liquid water on Mars. The first important discovery made by the team since their arrival on the lonely planet. François had promised he would do something special for the occasion.

That night they gathered in greenhouse II, and the Frenchman broke out a bottle of special brew he had concocted the year before by fermenting a strange mix of ingredients he was determined to keep secret.

“The girls have their ‘Mount Olympus’ and now we have this,” he had said proudly, still miscalling the Olympus Mons drink. He was holding the bottle and its blue content up high in front of them.

“Oh yeah? What do you call it? ‘Sacre blue?’” asked Vera sarcastically, with a forced French accent.

“Ha ha, you’re cute. ‘Non.’ I call it Eau d’Amour,” he replied, in perfect French.

“Ouch! Wow! That’s strong. What’s in it? Whatever it is, I love it!” said Tendai with a big grin on his face, before pouring himself a full glass.

“So, we know we need confirmation from headquarters, but I’m assuming we can start working on setting up the extraction equipment. The weather has been very favorable to us lately, so we should be able to do some good work tomorrow. What do you all think?”

“Dedrick, baby… don’t worry about tomorrow. Come and dance with me,” said Vera, extending her hand for him to grab, while François was selecting the Stereophonics’ song, “Maybe Tomorrow,” from the music library.

That night, back on Earth, a Mars First employee was alone in his office. He picked up the phone and dialed. In his native language: “Yes sir. We have confirmation. The Mars First team has found water. Lars wants to make the announcement tomorrow… Yes, sir. I agree. It will be the perfect opportunity. I will take care of it… No need. I have someone… Thank you, sir. I’ll be in touch.” And he hung up.

Less than two hours later, Lars was reviewing the speech he was about to deliver to a room filled with cameras and reporters. Accompanied by Sylvia, Dr. Kovachev and several high ranked officials from the Mars First board of directors, he was about to report on the latest news from Mars, water and baby included. Key engineers and project managers were present as well. TV stations and internet social media were getting ready to broadcast the event live all around the world from within the Mars First Headquarters in the Netherlands. They had all been invited with the promise of exciting news from the red planet.

Not too far from there…

“Good evening and welcome to Mars First,” said the man in uniform to a young female journalist who had just passed through a life-size x-ray machine. Following the signs along multiple corridors, she eventually came to the door of the amphitheater and pushed her way in gently. A woman seated behind a low table greeted her with a smile and gave her the sign to approach.