Martian Expedition

My very first GIMP image!

Pictures and story by: TheLegend27


-Prologue-

The twin rockets began to spew excitement down below, making an ear-piercing sound. The Earth shook at the immense power, flames were seen rising to the clouds. Finally, the countdown was heard at its final seconds from lofty the control tower “3…2…1…We have lift off!” Immediately, the Intergalaxian Star Eagle thrusted up, sending billows of smoke behind. The crowd far away, saw the spacecraft, heading into the unknown. Every mini-figure there stood up, gazing, some had tears of hope. It was humanities last chance…

Characters:

Rick
Rick (Chef): Always wanted to be a chef, but in space?!?
This guy is lovable, and always there to help his fellow
crew! Did I mention he makes a killer pizza?
Aaron
Aaron (Miner): Hes always thirsty for some good old radioactive
crystals! by wanting to take huge risk, Aaron often finds
himself as the daredevil of the entire crew! But not always
in pretty situations...
Carlos
Carlos (Chemical engineer): He's nervous, he's stressed out,
always cautious about his surroundings! Complaining A LOT...
It's a miracle this guy hasn't been diagnosed with anxiety yet!
Darrell
Darrell (Mechanical engineer): Well, there's not much to say about
Darrell... He makes sure the job is done right, the first time! However,
anything else other than fixing and building he's a wreck at!
Bahal
Bahal (Biologist): Originally sent to study any bacteria or living organisms
on the red planet, Bahal's journey just became so much more than that.
The real mystery though, what is behind that mask of his? And why
doesn't he talk much??
Han
Han (Co pilot): He's quite the good looking one, I'll give you that. This guy takes
stuff VERY seriously, and his crew knows it. Its a good question if he's really human
or not. I mean, after all, he doesn't even like Rick's special pizza! now that,
is messed up.
Jang
Jang (Head pilot): Big time Star Wars fanboy. Like, BIG TIME. This pilot is far more
nice than his co. Captain Ezra claims that's what his name stands for, Just A Nice Guy!
Jang is always ready for action, and taking life on Mars one rocket blast
at a time!
Ryan
Ryan (Radiologist): Let's face it, Mars is full of radiation, and someone need to
keep someone alive from all that right? Well, meet Ryan, one brainy guy who
achieved his doctrine degree of the study of radiology at the age of 26. Talk
about impressive. He's also the one who found a cure to cancer caused by radiation.
Whoa, okay, is there anything this guy cant do?!? Oh yeah... fly a ship...
Ezra
Ezra (Captain): No crew is complete without their captain. Ezra isconfident in almost
every little thing he does. He makes sure his crew keeps in line, and may appear strict
sometimes. The true Ezra however, just wants the best for his friends, and will do anything
to keep them from harms way.
Dave
Dave (Mission specialist): The man who started it all! This Guy is always wanting a
solution for everything, no matter the cost. Well, except the cost of his trusted crew.
Dale
Dale (Pilot): Part of a power plant business, Dale wishes to stop Ezra's crew once and
for all, ending humanities chance for survival. What a jerk!
Sparky
Sparky (Mechanic): He may be on the wrong side, but that doesn'tmean he has no heart. Sparky is
an innocent, sensitiveguy, who wants the crystal war to end. Even if it means joining Ezra's crew...
Johnathan
Johnathan (Commander): He's hot-tempered, but Johnathan has a good heart. With a lot of
pain in his past, he hopes to make things right, and settle differences with an old friend,
or should I say-
The aliens
Crystaliens: A Si-Fi story is never complete without the aliens! This unknown
race comes from the deep cosmos, their homeland was destroyed when
their sun had a supernova. Because of this, the settled down on mars in hopes
of a new start. Poor guys.

DISCLAIMER:
Story contains a minimal use of cursing, stereotypes, and offensive jokes.
Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 1.0
Power Crisis

The year was 2046… the entire world was fading of power. Everywhere you looked there was desolation. The Global Care Institution knew it was time…

BEEP! BEEP! WARNING, ENERGY LEVELS CRITICALLY LOW! PROCEEDING TO BACKUP POWER! BEEP! BEEP!
An irritated voice was heard “Sparky! The heck is going on?!”
“Sir, it appears that systems went offline, due to uh, a power outage…” Sparky replied, a bit fearful.
“Oh. What else is new though? Everywhere you head there’s landfills, waste, and uninhibited cities! Sometimes I even wonder if the apocalypse already happened!”
Picture 1
Picture 1
The man rose, revealing himself in his young 30 to late 20s. He wore dark blue khakis, with a grease stained purple construction vest. On the vest was a badge, stating: Energy Services Dept. Manager, Johnathan Carson.
“Any news about the world meeting?” Johnathan curiously asked.
“From what I’ve heard, the meeting will take place Sunday. They claim that they’ve finally found an alternative to our current energy!”
“Really? What else do you know?”
“Not much, but people have been saying that it may involve space travel!”
“Space travel huh? Maybe it’s the moon. Yeah, you know I’ve worked at the Biosphere Space Station before, right?”
“Yes sir” Sparky replied.
“It was a great job, I miss it sometimes... Any idea what the new energy source is?”
“I don’t, all the info I’ve received is through the internet.”
“That old browsing thing that’s filled with memes and junk like that?”
“Yes sir… The memes are quite good, you should look them up sometime!” Sparky let a slight weak smile appear on his fuzzy face.
“What? Heck no, the things are a waste of time! Well, whatever floats your car I suppose. Alright, you may get back to work now, good luck getting the systems back on.”

Johnathan walked back to his office and watched sparky dash to other personnel, helping them resolve the power issue. He sighed and opened the black tarnished wooden door to his office. There in the office was a framed picture of his mother and father, way back in 2023. He held it up with his hand and gazed upon it.
“If only I listened, you’d still be here…”

Days passed, weeks went by, till finally, the Global Care Institution hosted a meeting, that would change the world forever. Every leader of every country joined. They all settled down in the supreme courthouse, with everyone observing. Suddenly, a man with a fine suit came out of the great doorway, holding pages of paper, making his way to the broad wood table where all the leaders gathered. He waved and greeted reporters, writers, and media individuals. He then eventually made his way to the assembly table, and seated himself.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for attending this conference. My name is Dave Live, director and mission specialist at NASA. As you may know, the earth is in a very serious situation.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with a stern expression. Live continued with his speech
“In the beginning of the year 2034, the world was at the brink of the end of fossil fuels and oils. Towards fall of 2041, the earth was finally depleted of these precious energy sources. What did we do? We went to solar power. Quite efficient, but with the world teeming with pollution, we didn’t have enough sunlight throughout the day. We tried electric, but with everybody using it, power outages became an everyday thing, making it significantly unreliable.”

Dave took a quick glance at his calligraphy and back at the people. “The world was dying. Yes, indeed it was. Without any source of power, we would all cease to exist. But recently, at our hard working crew back at NASA, we discovered what may be, history making. Behold, the MM-07!”
Dave reached into his pockets, and grabbed a remote. He pressed onto one of the buttons which then presented images on a glass screen. These various images displayed luminosity translucent crystals with a neon green yellow color. Everyone at the conference table leaned over and inspected the gemstone in all its brilliance.
“This, my friends, is the world’s next step to unlimited power. The crystal is highly radioactive, and combustible. However, if handled carefully, one of these jewels can last up to 40 years’ worth of energy for an entire minor city.”
The world leaders all stood in silence, looking back and forth at each other.

Finally, the president of the United states, Cory Booker, slightly raised his hand. Dave noticed and bowed his head somewhat to let Booker speak.
“Live, you are an amazing gentleman, no doubt. But just how will we obtain these, uh, crystals? We haven’t made a mission to Mars in 16 years!”
“Well Mr. President, we at NASA are very meticulous on who we pick. This mission is going to be a nine-man starship. Only the best of the best will be heading to the red planet, to save humanity.”
Russia’s leader, Abram Putin, also spoke up in his Russian accent.
“Just how are you going to fund this mission? Energy isn’t exactly inexpensive.”
“Very good question, that’s where you come in, all of you really! Without your help, the world will continue to be in jeopardy. I ask every one of you to provide the materials, and cost of this mission. Even a small portion would help!”
Booker spoke up once again.
“If it’s my country we’re talking about, I’m in on this. We can’t afford to move on the way we are going. Anything for the people.”
All the world leaders began nodding and talking with each other, pleased. Some were even smiling! It was all set, nine astronauts would have the opportunity of a lifetime, to journey into the unknown, in search of Earths new power!


Chapter 2.0
Meet the Crew

Somewhere in a power plant…

A man was heard video calling someone. Ring! Ring! Suddenly someone picked up.
“What is it now?!?” The voice appeared in a grouchy mood.
“Boss, I know you may not be pleased with this, but it’s a new start!”
“A new start? I’ll go bankrupt!! My power plant business will be in shambles! All because of one meeting! I should’ve known better than to show Dave those images…”
“What exactly are you thinking?”
“We need to postpone the mission, or stop it. Even if it means-”
“We can’t postpone it, the Intergalaxian Star Eagle construction has been finished, all they need now is the crystals themselves!”
“Then WE stop the astronauts.”
“What do you mean exactly?”
“People do it all the time; private spaceships have been sent up without anyone’s consent. WE, could go to Mars ourselves… Let’s just say, some, small, accident… happened to them…”
“What?! Do you even know what a giant risk that is? The last Mars spacecraft exploded during midflight! How would we get the money too? And I don’t think I’m comfortable with this.”
“You fool, I’ve become a billionaire because of this business! I can afford one irrelevant starship! And if you’re not willing to comply, you can kiss your fat paycheck goodbye, along with your soul...”
“Yes sir. I-I understand.”
“Gooooood. Now gather the others. We’ve got a mission to stop.”
Picture 4
The line immediately went dead and the man hung up. He wasn’t too sure about this. Then again, he had no other choice! After his parents passed away, no one would really care, right? He hurried down and exited his office carrying some rolled up blueprints with him.
“Sparky! Get over here! We have a huge project ahead of us!”

Nasa headquarters:

Mr. Dave Live was walking down a narrow hallway casually. The stretched hallway lead to a steel chamber door with a required security access. He flashed the camera his ID, which then caused the loud click to be heard. Dave pressed onto the door to find it unlocked. Inside of it revealed a giant space exercise gym. All sorts of tech and supplies were there, spacesuits, enormous deep tanks for drill practice, and even a small cafeteria with tolerable nourishment! Right there before him were 9 men grouped together, being yelled at by a commander.
“You lazy bums! I bet my great, great, great, great, great, grandmother could do better than that! Heck, even I would tackle all of you in a sing- Oh, Mr. Live, how are you?”
Dave frowned at him with annoyance.
“Quite fine, thank you. I think that’s enough training for one day. You may go and yell at other people now.”
“Yes sir!”
The general happily skipped and unlocked the chamber entrance. He exited swiftly then closed the door behind him, leaving a loud bang, followed by clicking noises.
Dave paused for a moment examining the soon to be astronauts before him. The group of men just stood there awkwardly, staring and waiting for Dave to speak.
Picture 2
“Hello, future astronauts. As you may know, I am Mr. Live. Director of this mission. Now I won’t go on telling you what this mission is about, because I’m certain you’ve heard it a billion times already. Just tell me your names one at a time. Starting with you over there.”
Dave pointed at the guy at the end, who seemed rather tall. He had spiked up brunet hair, and a bit of facial hair all over his chin and upper lip.
“Me? Oh ok, makes sense since I am the tallest out of everyone. No offense guys, no offense! Anyways, I, uh, am Ryan. I’m a radiologist, uh, if you don’t know what that means, you can look it up yourself. Just kidding, I’ll tell you! Basically, in a nutshell, a radiologist is someone in, the, the, uh, MEDICAL! Yes! Medical field, who treats cancer patients. Look, I don’t know if any of you folks know this, but uh, I kind of found the cure by accident! Yes, well, since Mars is filled to the brim of radiation, someone is going to keep someone alive, and that’s me! Your old man, Ryan… Did I mention a have a doctoral degree? Funny story actually! It all starte-”
“That’s enough Ryan. I think you’ve said plenty. Thank you.” Dave snapped, bothered. “Alright, what’s your name, sir?” He said, gesturing toward the man next to Ryan, a bit short and slightly plump. The man appeared to be bald, and had chrome green goggles over his head.
“Hello, my names Rick. I’ll keep this short and sweet, I’m the chef of this crew.”
“That was short and sweet, very good, glad to have you here. Next!” Dave motioned for the next person to speak. This man had a brown, faded fedora on his head, his face was rather rough looking, with sunken cheekbones. He began speaking in a deep rich southern accent.
“Howdy, the names Darrell. I’ve been a mechanical engineer for over 15 years. Anything that’s broken, I can fix it. Busted engine? Piece of grandma’s sahweet apple pie. Disjointed frame? I can fix it in a jiff!”
“It’s good to have you, Darrell.” Dave went down onto a man wearing a gray knitted balaclava. “Sir? How about you?”
“Bahal” Whispered the man. a bit of his Arabic accent was heard.
Dave seemed a bit uneasy seeing those tough, narrow eyes meet his.
“Uh, nice to meet you Bahal, what’s your duty on the spacecraft?”
“Biologist. I study small life there.”
“I see… W-well, good to have you. N-next?”
Picture 3
The person behind Bahal rose his hand. He seemed to be in his 20s, wearing a solid blue baseball cap backwards.
“Dude, can you move?” He said rather crudely.
Bahal moved only an inch to the side, almost in a provoking way.
“MORE YOU IDIOT! I NEED TO SEE THE DANG PERSON!” The guy yelled this time becoming irritated.
Bahal finally moved completely out of the way. If anyone could see what was behind that mask, he’d be grinning.
“My gosh, finally. Yo, my name is Carlos, and I’m a chemical engineer. If you got a problem with that, then you’re just straight up, RAC-”
“Nope!” Dave replied, interrupting Carlos, who was rather red from the shouting. “No problem with that at all! Alright, moving on… You, there, in the, whatever you’re wearing.”
A man stepped up slightly. He wore some sort of multi-colored helmet on his head with transparent yellow visor shielding his eyes.
“Oh hello! This is a Star Wars rebel helmet! I’m a big fanboy over them, yes indeed! My names Jang, and I’m the pilot for the 76-90 Intergalaxian Star Eagle. I am deeply honored to be a part of this journey sir!”
“Well, it’s good to have you on board Jang.” Dave replied, having a faint smile on his face. “Alright, we don’t have much time left, I’ll just call out the rest of your names. Han, our copilot?”
“Present sir.”
“Good, Aaron our crystal miner?”
“I’m here, I’m here…”
“Awesome, and of last but least, we welcome you, Captain Ezra!”
Ezra instantly stood up, showing himself to everyone, Smiling. He was an average sized mini-figure, with a great fine yellow face, accompanied by thick eyebrows and black slick hair, combed back. He wore gold laced epaulettes, with a thin orange fabric space suit. On the spacesuit, were some medals and pins based on Ezra’s air force achievements.
“Thank you, for allowing me to be part of this. I will do my best, leading the crew.” Ezra answered, having a confident grin on his face.
“It really is an honor Ezra, not just for you, but us too. Your leadership skills and background are what made us hand-pick you. I am sure you will lead your crew into success.”
Dave took a peep at his phone and saw the time. His face quickly turned red.
“Oh, I must be going, got a meeting right at the dot! I am sorry about this. Nice to meet all of you, really.” After saying that Dave quickly fast walked to the exit, and closed it behind him, leaving a wave goodbye.
Carlos immediately turned his head at everyone, “Dang! Did you see that? He had an iPhone 38! You know how much those things go for? Not cheap man, not cheap!”
Everyone ogled Carlos, making him upset once again! “GOOD GRIEF GUYS! What is it with everyone giving me the silent treatment today? Have I done anything wrong? NO! Wait, wait! I know, I’m just not good enough, HUH? Oh no, I just need to take my Xanax again… That’s it! I’ll be right back…”
Everyone still stood there, watching Carlos dragging his feet to the cafeteria, mumbling to himself.
“I don’t know about that boy sometimes” Rick chuckled. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, we can finally relax now that that commander has gone.” Aaron replied, winking.
“Sounds good. All that training this morning has really made me sore. Besides, I need to train on being a good chef for you guys”
“Thinking of making pie again?” Aaron asked curiously.
“Maybe, although I think that my blubber is well fed with sweets for now…” Rick roared laughed with everyone else smiling and chatting. They were all joyful for one another. Going to Mars is no easy feat, but with everyone getting along, it was going to be just fine.
Well, everyone, except Han…

Chapter 3.0
We Have Lift Off!


Launch Day…

Many days had passed. Training continued, drills became more challenging, until finally they were ready. Captain Ezra and his crew of 8 were at last, at the brunt of the glorious 76-90 Intergalaxian Star Eagle in all its brilliance. The orange and white colors of the ship lustered down radiantly. This was a day of redemption. The world knew it was time to redeem themselves, by dropping their past actions, events, and start anew. The sun shone down intensely at the astronauts in their thick padded spacesuits.
Picture 5
“I don’t know about you capp’n, but the pressure is really starting to get to this here cowboy” Darrell frightfully said, wiping the sweat off his brow.
“Don’t worry Darrell, I think that’s just the sun.” Ezra replied, still gazing at the starship. “Isn’t she a beauty?”
“You uh, got that right!” Ryan shouted, also stunned by the ships sleek design. “This is the closest I’ve ever been to it. The aerodynamics on this thing must be amazing!”
“Just you wait till you see the inside” Rick winked “I’ve made sure to pack all my ingredients for the trip! A chef never goes unprepared!”
Carlos instantly started quivering. “I don’t know… I-I-I think I’m going to faint! Too. Much. STRESS!” Carlos began breathing heavily, with his eyes wide “Paper bag! PAPER BAG! No wait, I-I-I-I th-think I’m good…”
“Now are you sure you brought plenty of your medicine Carlos?” Aaron said snickering
Carlos became infuriated! “YES! And they’re not medicine! Its, its, OH NEVERMIND! Wait, uh oh-” Carlos couldn’t finish his sentence for some odd reason. He quickly rushed down a flight of stairs holding his mouth shut and cheeks puffed out. It seemed like he was going to puke!
Aaron couldn’t help but fall on the floor laughing his head off, not paying attention at all. Suddenly, Mr. Dave Live himself came up right next to him!
“Ahem.” Dave cleared his throat. Aaron gasped and opened his eyes to see Dave glaring down at him with a stern look. He quickly regained his composure and took a couple of deep breaths.
“Oh uh, good afternoon Mr. Live, Rick here just told me a hilarious joke and I couldn’t help but laugh! Ha, Isn’t that right Rick?”
Rick just lightly shook his head, wide eyed, while Dave was unamused.
“So, funny that Carlos had to puke huh? I hired the best of the best I suppose…” Dave remarked, in a rather sarcastic tone.
“Uh, yes sir…” Aaron replied, now feeling ashamed of himself.
“Now, I hope you don’t mess around during the trip Aaron. We simply can’t afford any mistakes!”
“Uh, yes sir, I am sorry, and I can promise you no more mistakes… but I will still joke…”
“What was that last part?”
“Huh? Oh nothing, I was just thinking on how long the journey will be.”
“Ah ok, carry on then”
Dave then walked down the stairway, meeting up with Carlos, who seemed to be feeling better after a quick restroom break.
“Oh, my God guys, I swear this trip will be the last of me!” Carlos cried, gasping for air.
Ezra strolled over to Carlos and pat his shoulder “Don’t worry Carl, you’re in good hands.”
“Carlos.”
Ezra let out a wide grin.
“Right, right, of course, Carlitos!”

Meanwhile…

Dave Live made his way near the top of the launch pad, talking to someone. Many inspectors were there, double checking everything one last time.
“Dale, I want you to inspect the ship one last time before our astronaut crew settle in. Check for any wiring, oxygen levels, stuff like that” Dave remarked, in a rather serious manner.
“Yes Mr. Live, I will be sure to do so carefully!” Dale responded, then walked over towards the inspectors. “Alright men, be sure to look out for anything out of the ordinary! I will check on gas levels and the fuel tanks.”
Once when Mr. Live made his way down the freight elevator, Dale acted quick on got on board the ship. Around him were many complicated tech related stuff. There were 9 leather seats for the 9 astronauts, all equipped with a personal monitor, remote, and equipment needed for the expedition. He immediately caught something with his eyesight. There, before him, was some sort of bulky engine, with buttons and switches, and a big red titanium lever. Below the engine were some exposed rubber coated copper wiring. “The rocket VC system, that will stop them right in their tracks…” He thought to himself, making a sinister smile. He swiftly drew out a box cutter blade, and slashed at some of the electric copper wiring causing them to give off a quick, bright spark. Dale then clumsily left the exit of the vessel, hiding the blade away in his oil stained overalls. He proceeded toward the freight elevator, patiently waiting for the others to finish. They had no idea what he just did. “Perfect.”
Meanwhile, Dave was now at the control tower with other NASA workers, who were busy preparing systems for the ship.
“All engines and rockets are online Mr. Live.” One of them happily said. “All we need is to bring the crew aboard!”
“Gooood. Can I get a confirmation for the accelerator, rocket VC system, and battery?”
“Checking now… Everything seems in order.”
“Alright men. Let’s make history then!”
Everything was set. There were people who watched from a distance as they saw the bold Intergalaxian Star Eagle start up. The geared-up astronaut squad were making their way to the launch pad, courageously. Mr. Live was anxiously waiting, making no form of movement. He watched as the spacemen went up the unstable screeching freight elevator. Finally, they were at the entry of the spaceship, and hesitated for a minute. The world stood in silence, anticipating their next step. The astronauts then advanced by entering the steel plated ship one by one, with the assistance of some personnel. The substantial Star Eagle door was finally shut, leaving an impermeable seal.
Picture 7
“This is it.” Captain Ezra tensely said, buckled in his seat. He motioned to Jang and Han, who were the two pilots. They were both placed at the front, were the main orange stained glass cockpit was. Jang gave him a quick thumbs up, smiling, while Han just stared seriously and turned his head back to the front console. The entire crew felt a strong rumbling begin. “Guys!” Carlos sobbed “If I die today, PLEASE TELL MY MOM I LOVED HER, AND IT WAS ME WHO STOLE HER EYELINER!”
“Calm yourself soldier!” Rick shouted, trying to overcome the lurid rumbling. “I have a feeling this will be our finest hour!”
The twin rockets began to spew excitement down below, making an ear-piercing sound. The Earth shook at the immense power, flames were seen rising from the exhaust. Finally, the countdown started, and was heard throughout the globe, whether it was on TV, a tablet, or even a radio. “10… 9… 8-” Fire released from the twin space rockets, causing the crowd to lean over, trying to catch the concluding seconds of the countdown “3… 2… 1-” Immediately, the Intergalaxian Star Eagle thrusted up, sending billows of smoke behind. The crowd far away, saw the spacecraft, heading into the heavens. The control tower intercom shouted “We have lift off!” Every mini-figure there stood up, cheering, and applauding! Some even had tears of hope. It was humanities last chance…
The ship uncontrollably shook its way up to space, the entire crew inside all held on for dear life. The atmosphere around them gradually grew dark. Carlos just couldn’t bear it any longer and shrieked at the top of his lungs, “WHEN DOES THIS NIGHTMARE END!?” Aaron shouted back “HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!” Han then yelled “WE ARE ALMOST THERE! HOLD ON!” Gravity was slowly weakening, as the spacecraft grew further from the Earth’s grasp. The stars became visible around the astronauts and the spaceship finally settled down as Jang decreased the velocity charge. Suddenly a bang was heard on the external of the ship!
“What was that pilot?” Captain Ezra asked Jang, a bit startled by the sudden sound.
“Not sure, it could’ve been a space rock floating by.” Jang replied, checking systems and listening to his headphones.
“Oh, okay. Engage the VC system! Crew, we are officially on our way to Mars!”
Some of the astronauts wooed and clapped. Carlos was spotted at the corner, trembling and taking his Xanax with a floating beaker of water. Jang glanced behind him and saw the bright red VC lever right beside Ryan.
“Alright Ryan, can you pull that lever right next to you? That’ll activate the VC. It’s no hyper drive, but it will certainly help us get to our destination fast.”
“Rodger that, uh, starting the VC now!” Ryan responded, gently dragging the lever down. However, instead of the Star Eagle gaining full speed, the same bang from before was heard!
“Uh oh” Jang whispered to himself, removing his headset.
“Uh oh? What’s wrong partner?” Darrel asked in a polite southern accent.
“The VC isn’t starting, and that’s the same bang twice! I’m thinking something must’ve short out or broke on our way up here. That’s also probably the reason for the shaking at lift off too.”
“Let’s see here, I’m sure I can fix it!”
“You sure? It may involve work outside the vessel!” Jang fretfully replied.
“Uh, I may check the VC itself before heading out there.”
“Fair enough.”
Picture 6
Darrell unbuckled his seat-beltand drifted his way over to Ryan. He inspected the lever and messed with it, clanking it up and down. Darrell noticed some small sparks at the base of the motor when pulling the lever. He pushed his way down towards it and noticed some sliced copper wiring. “There’s your problem” Darrell remarked, grabbing the wires.
“Looks like these here copper penny wires were cut off!”
“How’s that even possible? They seem as if they were precisely slashed off.” Jang stated, a bit concerned.
“Not sure, don’t care. I can just simply tie them together and we shall be good to go!” Darrell answered, tying the cables together.
Once Darrell was done with securing the knots, he grabbed unto the VC lever and clanked it down harshly. However, this time, nothing could be heard! Darrell groaned in frustration. “Looks like I am going outside after all!” Jang turned back to his comfortable heated seat and contacted NASA headquarters with the receiver “Houston, we have a problem…”

Chapter 4.0
One Job For Darrell

“Star Eagle, do you copy?”
Dave overheard the staff communicating with the astronaut crew.
“What’s going on commander?” Dave sternly questioned one of the personnel.
“Sir it appears they are unable to move.”
“What?? How? Are they safe?”
“Yes sir, they are all safe and sound. Pilot claims that the VC was sabotaged and mechanic may have to head to the outside for repairs.”
“Any ideas what may have caused this?”
“They have no idea sir. We are having problems communicating right now, but it seems like the motor had a blowout.”
“Can it be fixed?”
“Yes sir. Luckily, there are some spare bricks that can be used.”
“Well get on with it immediately! And hurry with fixing the signal, I don’t have all day!”
“Will do sir.”
“Star command, we are now ready to head to the external of the ship. Can I get a go on that?” Jang was wearing his bulky headset listening carefully to what was going on.
“Jang, can I get one last check on the straps holding me?” Darrell asked, tugging at the rope attached securely to him. The rope was going to be used as a tether so Darrell wouldn’t float away irrepressibly.
“I think they are tight enough” Jang answered, still waiting for a response back at earth.
“Alright, so when are we going out?”
“As soon as you get that helmet over your face and shut up!” Carlos rudely replied, still at the corner this whole time.
“Excuse me? Just how were you brought up? Respect your elders kid.” Darrell remarked back, giving off a frown.
“Fine! Sorry, I am just really hoping we get going soon, this ship is just so crammed with nine people! I NEED OXYGEN!”
Ezra glanced up, “We all are hoping to “get going” soon Carlitos, just please be patient as we wait on a reply from NASA!”
5 minutes went by, soon 10, yet there was nothing incoming from NASA. Bahal unpacked his luggage and was playing with some action figures, Jang was fiddling with his touch stylus, imaging it as a lightsaber, Carlos was still at his corner squeezing a stress ball, and Ryan was reading a story from his tablet.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say the transmission is out. Either that, or, uh, they abandoned us?” Ryan said, while reading his book. “You know, this story is really good, it’s about this crew who abandoned a fellow member on Mars, and he, uh, has to survive with potatoes!”
“Wasn’t that a movie?” Aaron drowsily asked, bored out of his mind.
“Yes, but, um, this is what the movie was based on!”
“I prefer flicks over books.”
“Well, I’d have to, uh disagree, but, um, I suppose everyone has their own sentiments.” Ryan happily replied, smiling.
“Try saying that during elections.”

BLEEP!

Carlos immediately jumped up from the sudden blare. “WHAT WAS THAT?”
Jang stood up and gripped his headset. “NASA, do you copy?”
A static voice was heard, “Yes, I copy, or whatever, is this Jang?”
“Yes, it is! May I ask who am I speaking to?”
“This is Mr. Live. It appears one of our communications satellite dish was smashed, I fear someone may be trying to interfere with the mission. I have already demanded security and a camera check, so we should be good for now.”
“My, do you know who might have done this?”
“No clue, but I’m sure we will find out soon with the security footage.”
“Good to know.”
“What did you need pilot?”
“Well, right now we are just a dead ship, orbiting the earth. One of the engines blew up, and we are ready to send our mechanic for a fix. Do we proceed?”
“Yes. Do whatever is necessary, we can’t afford anymore holdups.”
“Yes sir, this is Pilot Jang, signing off.”
Jang shut off his receiver and turned his head toward Darrell. “Everything all set back there?”
Bahal glanced up and asked Jang “You needed to wait that long for a go?”
“Well, they do have radars. We don’t know if there may be an asteroid, space junk incoming, stuff like that.”
“Oh.”
Darrell was seen in a thick padded and reinforced spacesuit, being accompanied by Captain Ezra and Co-Pilot Han. Han was there sealing Darrell’s space helmet, while Ezra was attaching the ultraviolet visor, so that Darrell could avoid harmful rays. They both gave a hasty thumb ups to Jang as a good to go. Darrell quickly gathered all his tools in his steel toolbox before heading to the airlock. Once Darrell was done collecting his materials, Han and Ezra guided him, by drifting toward the exit of the Spacecraft. They pushed Darrell right thru the inner exit, and sealed the inward air chamber lock behind him. Darrell tested his spacesuit’s built in walkie talkie, “I am now ready to exit the vessel.” Jang then looked at his pilot monitor and proceeded to engage the outer exit, causing a release of pressure to be heard. Without any form of reluctance, Darrell finally made his way to the outside, holding onto his toolbox closely.
“Alright, approaching the VC engine now.” He remarked with confidence.
Darrell deliberately wafted his way to the damaged motor. He dragged up his toolbox right to his chest and unlocked it. There, before him were all these drills, drivers, tacks, bolts, and even a compact welder machine!