Expedition to Terra Largus: Terra Largus Chronicles, #1

1. Roots

Though the sun had set hours ago the oppressive summer heat still lingered as sweat poured from Marshall’s brow. The sparse trees provided virtually no cover as Marshall made his way up the steep incline of the dirt trail. Dry brush along the edges and poking through cracks in the dusty earth of the trail reached out to scratch Marshall’s legs with every step, antagonizing him and making them itch furiously. Marshall looked up to see the outline of a small wooden shack against the purple starlit backdrop; telling him he was nearing the end his journey to the top of a hill a few miles outside the city limits of La Semilla

As Marshall crested the hill and approached his destination, a small outlook alongside the hut, he dropped his backpack full of snacks and supplies, closed his forest green eyes, and took a deep breath; taking in the moment. As Marshall opened his eyes again, he could sense how isolated and alone he was; just as he had hoped. Below Marshall were the bright lights of La Semilla: frenetic, busy, rife with people rushing to meet deadlines and working hard to impress those around them. La Semilla glowed with a vibrancy and life all its own. The lights of the city spread out like shimmering roots from the edges of the massive trunk of the city tree; eventually fading into darkness themselves well before the hillside Marshall found himself on this night. The result was a view of the night sky rare to find on Earth these days and the reason Marshall had made the journey out here tonight.

In contrast to the city, the life here out in the hills was calm and contemplative. Marshall pulled a blanket out of his backpack and set it down, laying down on it with his hands behind his head acting as a pillow; offering him comfort and some protection against the brush and bugs scurrying along the ground. As he lay, Marshall savored the sounds of the night life around him: crickets buzzing and birds chirping, the occasional sound of a gentle breeze passing through the brush and trees above. Far above the leaves of the trees lay before Marshall a sky filled with countless stars, active and alive in their own way.

While life in the city was certainly exciting and entertaining in its own right; it was the atmosphere out here, away from the constructs and spectacles of society, that Marshall frequently longed for. There was something beautiful and eternal about space and nature that filled Marshall’s soul with harmony. Marshall believed gazing up at the stars was akin to viewing a photo of your ancestors; always watching you from afar and providing for you in a profoundly holistic way. The stars were the primeval blueprints and the great architects of the universe. It was exciting to Marshall to consider the course humanity had taken to get from being globules of formless energy, floating aimlessly in the vastness of space, to now being the masters and engineers of their little corner of the universe. Studying the evolution of life gave Marshall a unique satisfaction: solving a cosmic puzzle where all the pieces had been scattered haphazardly across the universe; it was why he had become an astrobiologist. Marshall had no doubt that other life existed in the universe and that it was only a matter of time before the stars introduced humanity to their brothers and sisters among them.

Marshall continued to stargaze for several hours; the only gauge of time being the moon’s slow dance through the sky. For Marshall the time passed in a heartbeat as he reached for more snacks and to his dismay found them to have run their course.  The stars must have found the time passing as imperceptible, a mere twinkle in the grand opera of the universe, if that. Yet the moon had clearly made significant headway in its arduous journey across the stars in the sky. The perspectives offered by these pilgrimages were at once both awe inspiring and humbling for Marshall. To see the glory and vastness of the Milky Way galaxy, much less the universe, made Marshall feel small. Clarifying how insignificant Marshall’s role, his worries and his triumphs, could ever be. This feeling of obscurity yet interconnection is what Marshall sought out tonight on this remote hilltop; why he had made this journey so many times and would continue to as long as his fragile mortal form would allow him. Marshall got up from the blanket, dusted himself off from the bugs and roaming pollens that had evaded his makeshift defenses, packed up his belongings, and started back down the hill to go home.

***

By the time Marshall got back to his apartment, the sun was already beginning to rise to the vexation of the moon and the stars, eager to steal the limelight from the millions of its more distant kin once again. A task, Marshall mused, that had been made more straightforward since humanity had first introduced the lightbulb. Marshall casually slung his backpack onto the black fiber chair on his desk and turned his phone back on to check it for messages. There were two: The first was from the ISB, the Interplanetary Space Bureau, who requested that Marshall contact them about a research opportunity they would like to recruit Marshall for. Marshall skipped it without listening to the details, almost reflex at this point.

The ISB had contacted Marshall countless times before about various projects over the years. When Marshall had been younger, he had been eager to accept such offers; but they had often turned into bureaucratic nonsense with the ISB cutting funding before the projects could take off or PR campaigns with Marshall acting as a spokesman for the ISB. A real face that people could vent their frustration and ignorance at. Now that Marshall was an established Professor at a somewhat acclaimed University and well on his way to tenure, he could be more selective about what research projects he took on, with neither the need nor the inclination to take on whatever fool’s errand the ISB had conceived for him.

In addition to his lectures, currently Marshall was working with a small team to investigate the evolutionary development of a certain irritant produced by a rare cave fungus in New Zealand. The client being interested into developing it as a form of non-lethal deterrent for law enforcement and civilian use. Not incredibly illustrious research; but the work sated Marshall’s passions for mystery and problem solving. Not every project could be Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or Sagitario’s landing on Mars. The reality was that most projects that were funded through universities were fairly mundane; but even the greatest minds had bills that needed to be paid. Thus far the team had not come up with much other than rashes and lost sleep; but Marshall was confident they were making progress.

The second message was from Marshall’s girlfriend of nearly two years, Priantha, or as she preferred to be called, Pria. Pria was short, barely reaching Marshall’s chest, with almond eyes and elbow-length brown hair with blonde stripes that was most often tied into a mermaid tail. Pria worked as a counselor for the abused at one of the largest clinics in the city; claiming that the best part of her work was helping people reconnect and trust after they had closed themselves off from others. The two had met when some of Marshall’s research associates had dragged him off to a local bar after they had finalized their research on a drug for joint pain. Realistically the results were similar to other drugs already on the market; but the source was easier to manufacture. Pria had approached Marshall while he watched his associates drunkenly monopolize the retro jukebox that was the bar’s gimmick. The two hit it off immediately and Marshall had left the bar with Pria’s number. The rest, as they say, was history.

Marshall debated skipping past this message too, he wanted to sleep, and it was unlikely that Pria would be awake at this early hour for him to call her back without waking her up and pissing her off. Still, it could be important, and he could just leave her a message of his own. Marshall tapped the ‘play’ button on his phone’s info screen.

Where the fuck are you?, Pria’s recorded voice yelled into Marshall’s ear, obviously irritated, We were supposed to go out and have a romantic dinner tonight at Sapore’s! I’ve been here waiting for you for over an hour! I had to make these reservations a month in advance!, there was a long pause before Pria continued speaking, You know what? We’re through. I used to find your carefree attitude charming, but this is just too much. What’s more, we’ve been together for almost two years and yet I still barely know anything about you! I could tell when I first met you that you hid your real feelings behind a mask; but I figured I could get you to take off the mask for me, or at least make some cracks in it. Two years and you’re still as guarded as when I first met you!, a shorter pause with an audible sigh, I need someone who is reliable and consistent. Someone who is emotionally available. I now realize that’s just not who you are, and it would be wrong to push my desires on you. I’m sorry.

Marshall was frozen with the phone in his hand, unsure of how to react to the message. How could he have forgotten his date with Pria? Sure, Marshall had been busy between his lectures at the university and the fungus research project; but Pria had gone on and on about how much she had wanted to take him to Sapore’s for months. How could something so important have simply slipped his mind? Because it hadn’t. Marshall hadn’t just gone to the hill to escape the suffocation of the city, he had been avoiding his date with Pria, intentionally or subconsciously. Marshall quietly sighed himself, it was probably for the best. Pria deserved someone who could give her the care and attention she deserved after she poured so much energy into others day after day. Though Pria had called it being carefree; the truth Marshall knew was that he was flakey: a leaf in the wind going wherever the breeze of life took him.

Moving on was easier than trying to build and maintain. Marshall had learned that it was the nature of relationships for people to come and go from one’s life. Sometimes suddenly and spectacularly like a supernova. Sometimes it was a slower fade away, like a fire left to burn slowly with no fuel until only embers remained. The latter was almost worse because there was no closure to the relationship. You just realized after some months that you had not talked with the person for a while, and worse, you didn’t care. Once, Marshall had fought to maintain his relationships; but such substantive efforts had always only delayed the inevitable. Better to enjoy the company of others, even if the relationships were shallow, then to devote energy to investing in others and end up empty anyway.

Marshall removed his clothing and hopped into the shower; eager to wash away the dirt that clung to both his mind and body. In the shower, Marshall’s mind drifted to an endless expanse, a level of calm and serenity that not even stargazing gave him. A place where time was meaningless. When Marshall emerged from the shower he could not tell if five minutes had passed or five hours; but he felt refreshed and alive. The soreness and fatigue from the hike and a lack of sleep hit Marshall like an asteroid crashing to Earth; he fell onto his bed and went to sleep nearly immediately.

When Marshall awoke from his slumber, he was still sore; but the exhaustion from the day before was gone. Marshall walked over to the kitchen and ordered some eggs, cereal, and orange juice from the fabricator. While waiting for the fabricator to finish his meal Marshall walked over to the window in his cozy apartment, the best even the modest salary of a university professor could afford, to get a view of where that narcissistic ball of gas that people called the sun was in the sky. The sun was on its way down, but still closer to its apex than the horizon. Great, Marshall thought, now my sleep schedule is ruined too. Marshall heard the piercing ding from the fabricator, picked up his food, and sat down at the square table small enough to fit in his apartment.

Marshall remembered the message from the ISB he had skipped when he had first gotten back home and considered for a moment; deciding to indulge whomever had left the message now that he was rested and grabbed his phone to playback the message.

A harsh feminine voice began speaking, Professor Marshall, I am Doctor Margaret Jansky from the Interplanetary Space Bureau. I know you have worked with us in the past and I wish to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity-

Marshall paused the recording. Was this just simply another attempt to curry his favor and get his name on a project with little going for it? Marshall considered stopping the recording entirely but elected against it for the time being.

Doctor Jansky’s voice continued, I am trying to gather volunteers for a long-term research project like no other humanity has attempted. Colonization of a planet outside of our solar system.

Marshall paused the recording again. Did Doctor Jansky just say outside of the solar system? Marshall played it back again to make sure. Yes, that is what the doctor had said; Marshall became instantly intrigued. Observing life on a planet outside the solar system was an astrobiologists’ wet dream. What new and strange types of life could have evolved elsewhere in the universe?

After the colonization of Mars and subsequently Venus, astrobiologists had had high hopes for new areas of research; but little progress had been made in the decades since. Most of the venturing into the outer planets had been by corporations for mining and resource projects; looking for long-term energy solutions. Outside the solar system however was an even greater opportunity for research.

I would like to invite you to join our team here at the ISB and am recording this message personally because I believe you would make a great addition. One additional note, though we are still in the planning phases I must emphasize that the journey will take years before research even begins. A commitment to this project is for all intents and purposes, a lifetime commitment. I look forward to hearing from you Professor Marshall., with that the message ended.

Marshall was shocked. Was this some sort of elaborate prank? Marshall played the message back in its entirety. The offer seemed legitimate. Marshall finished his meal and thought it over. Normally there would be a lot to consider. Being the first humans to journey out of the solar system meant that there would be many new dangers; but wasn’t that also what made it so alluring? To break new ground, it was required that risks and dangers be taken on. Such risks were the very reason explorers and innovators were wound into the mythos if history.

The time commitment was also a concern. Committing to this project would mean that he would be risking his legacy on the success or failure of this project. Marshall considered his work with the fungus. Such work was typical for a man of his status and while he enjoyed the work; he knew that the likelihood of historic discoveries was unlikely. As Doctor Jansky had said, opportunities like this one were truly once in a lifetime, perhaps even rarer.

Because of the time commitment, going on the journey would disrupt whatever ideas or plans for the future potential candidates had in order to participate. Doctor Jansky had mentioned that it was a colonization mission, likely that those going would have the option, or even the encouragement to bring their family and loved ones with them on the journey. Marshall knew that convincing scientists to give up so much was much less of a task than to ask their families to give up their lives on Earth as well. As luck would have it, Marshall recalled somberly, that task had now been made elementary for him. If she hadn’t already, Marshall supposed Pria would have broken up with him then to continue her life on Earth if she had been forced to make the choice. Pria had many more roots here and leaving them would be all the more painful. For what? A risky science project? Pria would have told him to go and chase his desires without worrying about her.

Marshall had only one sibling, a younger sister who he had little in common with and whom he had not talked to much since he had moved out of his parents’ home. Isabel was an aspiring actress, with no interest in science or scholarly learning. Last Marshall had heard Isabel was dating some famous actor. Or was it a businessman now? Marshall couldn’t recall clearly and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t really care. Both of Marshall’s parents had died in a tragic accident years ago. Marshall’s personal connections to this planet were tenuous at best. Most people would have felt a reluctance to leave the only place they had known in their entire lives; Marshall strangely felt little such compunction.

Marshall had made up his mind; he cleaned up his meal and made four phone calls. The first two to his university Dean and the client who had been funding the fungus research team to explain the situation and inform them of the decision he had made. The third, to Pria, who did not pick up, to apologize to her and say his goodbyes. The last, to the ISB, to contact Doctor Jansky and inform her of his acceptance of the invitation and request more information about the project and his role in it.

2. Preparations for the Journey

Marshall let loose a loud and exaggerated yawn as he leaned back into his chair in the medium-sized lecture room as he waited for the instructional meeting to begin. At first it had been weird being back on this side of a classroom after being a lecturer at a university for nearly a decade. Still, it hadn’t taken long for Marshall to fall back into his old habits as a student; demonstrated by the way he now slouched in his seat with his feet on the empty seat in front of him. Most of the seats in the room were empty as the room had been designed to hold an audience of nearly one hundred. Yet Marshall knew that even once all those who were supposed to be here had arrived, they would still barely fill a third of the seats in the room.

Military efficiency, Marshall joked to himself. Signing up for this project had been even more of an undertaking than even Doctor Jansky had made it out to be in her message. The sponsors for this expedition had turned out to be a division of what remained of the military. Though, ever since the Treaty of Winslow nearly fifty years ago and with it the end of the Traciatic war, the military had become little more than a shell of its former self; home mostly to career officers or those with no other structure or direction in their life to depend upon. Still, the sponsors had their insufferable military rules and regulations that it demanded everyone working with them must obey, tiresome as they may be.

After his induction into the program and mandatory training, Marshall had been given the title of lieutenant along with all of the other experts and specialists who had volunteered for the expedition. Though Marshall had been assured that this presented no formal relation or obligation to the military it served as a reminder that Marshall and the others would be under the militaries thumb at least until they had officially left Earth. The military had of course offered its own reasoning for the titles to which Marshall had much skepticism. It was important, the military had said, that once they arrived there was a clear command structure for the civilian populace and such designations would facilitate that; especially if some unforeseen accident were to happen and the group needed to establish a hierarchy amongst themselves.

Minutes later, two people, a man and a woman, walked into the room and stood before the desk at the front of the room. The man wore a uniform similar to the grey, navy, and white military uniforms all in attendance had been made to wear; but more elaborate to indicate his rank with an ornate ceremonial saber attached to the belt at his hip.  The woman was much more plainly dressed in a simple white laboratory jacket, a body-length brown dress, and heels; clearly a civilian. Marshall recognized the woman, Doctor Jansky, the person who had recruited him and been his initial contact with the project. Jansky was a taller brown-haired woman who kept her hair in a bun. Though she wore thick white-rimmed glasses Marshall suspected they were for show as she peered up through them at the assembled cast. Studies had shown that wearing glasses made others more likely to consider one’s opinion as an authority on academic and scientific matters; regardless of qualification or content.

A stereotype that was held over from more archaic times certainly. In modern times vision correction procedures had become as cheap and commonplace as having a tooth removed. Marshall himself had worn glasses when he was younger but had undergone the procedure after it was deemed that the contours of his ocular surfaces had stabilized when he was in college. It was shortly after that Marshall garnered the attention of his crush at the time, Emilia Shoppenworth. Marshall and Emilia had dated a few months; but ultimately the relationship had been foremostly physical. Something that upon reflection Marshall mused was probably a fairly standard experience for young adults. Marshall had not linked the two events together before now; but it seemed relatively obvious in hindsight.

Jansky gave a not-so-subtle cough to grab the attention of those in attendance before beginning; though there had been only a few scattered and hushed conversations in progress around the room.

I apologize for keeping you all waiting., said Jansky, This will be our first briefing in a series about our plans and expectations for this project, so if you have any questions or concerns voice them now so we may address them., Jansky paused for objections. None came, Now then, the man beside me will be overseeing the expedition and be your direct superior upon arrival. Commander, if you would please be so kind as to introduce yourself., she finished, moving backward and to the side as she motioned toward the uniformed man.

The man Jansky had referred to as simply ‘Commander’ took a step forward as he began to speak, Greetings. My name is Commander Gerald Weisinger. I know most of you have never heard of me before and my introduction may come as a surprise to those who have; but there were some political complications that led to my appointment as commander in humanity’s first expedition to a world outside our own solar system. Thankfully, we will have plenty of time during the coming weeks before we board the Pegasus and the years of our journey together to get to know each other better.

One man in the audience to Marshall’s right raised his hand. Commander Weisinger turned and gestured for them to speak.  Yes? Mr...

Doctor. Cutlidge,, finished the man, who Marshall could now see was considerably younger than most present. Marshall himself thought he had been one of the youngest, in his mid-thirties, but this... kid, looked to be in his mid-twenties, barely out of college himself. Most of those in attendance, Marshall had observed earlier, were people in their early to mid-forties with a handful, including the Commander himself, past fifty. The project manager must have looked for people who were respected in their fields but with a chip on their shoulder, looking for that big break to make them famous. This Cutlidge kid was certainly an anomaly.

Cutlidge had light brown hair, with a stripe of orange running left-of-center, styled into a pompadour look similar to the greasers of the historical United States of America. The kid was skinny and dressed casually with his uniform open in the front revealing a black shirt with the logo of some band Marshall didn’t recognize on it.

I had heard that it was Commander Emani Nazari who was rumored to be the frontrunner to lead the expedition. After all, who better to lead the first colony in another solar system than the grandson of the first human to set foot on Venus?, prodded Cutlidge.

Commander Weisinger gulped before responding, visibly annoyed, As I said before, Mister Cutlidge, landing a barb of his own, Commander Nazari was not selected to lead this expedition due to certain political entanglements. I’m sure we are all well aware of Commander Nazari’s lineage and personal accomplishments; but alas, he is not here. Anything else before I continue?

Cutlidge responded by visibly sinking into his chair a little, realizing he may have overstepped his bounds after Weisinger’s forceful rebuke.

Marshall focused his gaze back on the man he had just been informed would be his boss for the foreseeable future. Commander Weisinger was a broad man with a growing belly that his uniform likely failed to obfuscate as much as he would have wanted. Marshall guessed that when he was in his prime, Commander Weisinger had been quite the physical specimen. Though age had begun to take its toll on the Commander, Marshall was confident that Commander Weisinger could still throw him around like a ragdoll if he so chose. On top of the Commander’s increasingly rotund form was a similarly rounded head with a grey hair and matching grey eyes.  Commander Weisinger kept his hair short and flat on top, with sideburns that faded away almost perfectly. Even Commander Weisinger’s somewhat bushy eyebrows were immaculate. The image of a man of discipline who maintained a certain appearance.

If I may., punctuated Jansky, dimming the lights in the room and lighting up a projection behind him with a few taps of a remote she had palmed in her hand. An image of a faintly glowing starscape filled the screen. Marshall quickly scanned the image to see if he could pick up any familiar constellations, mostly out of habit, to no avail. Jansky pressed the button again and the image focused on one collection of stars. A third press and the screen was dominated by the image of one in particular. If Marshall had not known better, he might assume the image was of Earth’s own fiery keeper.

This is AO-74027, an average size star only about one and a half times the size of our own sun. It is located roughly six lightyears from Earth and is orbited by four confirmed planets and several other suspected planets we have yet to confirm., Jansky clicked again and the projector was filled with the image of a green and blue sphere.

This speck here is what we are interested in: AO-74027D, unofficially designated Terra Largus. AO-74027D is slightly larger than the Earth and our instruments indicate it has an intact atmosphere made up of components similar to our own. The air should be immediately breathable with a climate suitable for human life. No indications of intelligent life, though admittedly data collection is limited in this area. Seemingly an ideal colony world to begin exploration outside of our own solar system.

Another hand raised, this time by a woman Marshall could not clearly make out in the dim light. Commander Weisinger nodded in her direction. The woman began, Doctor Jansky, why are we looking to colonize another world so soon? We just finished the terraforming of Venus less than twenty years ago. Surely, we have room to expand for many more years. And while we have made great advances in space travel; the technology to travel to outside our solar system comfortably isn’t really there yet.

A fair question Professor Cain, Jansky noted, There are several rationales for this mission. First, throughout its history, humanity has shown a propensity for expansion. That is, as we have advanced in technology people both die less and live longer; these two factors compound on each other resulting in exponential population growth. For example, it took humans thousands of years to populate the Earth, yet only a little more than one hundred to populate Mars. We expect Venus, though larger than Mars, to populate in a similar fashion; having populations on both Earth and Mars to feed it. The options to expand within our solar system are very limited. You may have heard rhetoric about colonizing suitable moons like Saturn’s Titan; or a super colony of the asteroid belt once the mining companies are through with them. We at the ISB believe these are foolish notions. Even should they come to fruition such projects would be mere stop gaps. The ISB maintains that the future of humanity is outside of solar system. Given such, it will take decades to implement any plan and so we must start to take steps towards expansion before it becomes a need, as we did with Venus.

I would agree with that assessment Professor Jansky. I believe anybody who has studied Earth’s history would come to a similar conclusion, said the woman now identified as Cain with a not-so-subtle derisive tone, However, to send a ship filled with thousands to establish a colony dozens of light years away seems... ambitious. Are there no other, less drastic, plans we could enact?

The ISB has considered many options in its search for a solution but this has been determined to be the most plausible course of action after long hours of internal debate. For example, colonization of the gas giants in our solar system is both much more cost intensive than this project and likely to yield minimal results as their stable regions are meager to say the least., retorted Jansky.

What about terraforming a planet orbiting another, closer, star?, suggested Cain.

"The majority of nearby star systems have properties that make them poor candidates for human habitations. Stars that are too big, too small, or twin systems. Many planets with orbits that would make maintaining a protective atmosphere near impossible as they