Diary of a Martian

This is the report of Alba H75JS#, Captain on the “Almogavar”, Delta Corporation galactic ship on its way to Alpha Centauri. I have been awakened from my cryosleep by our A.I. on board computer, DIDAC, due to an asteroid which has hit our ship, causing multiple damages.

After a first evaluation, positioning and transmissions systems are not working, flying systems are seriously compromised, but still working. Luckily, the life support system is in a good shape, and the rest of cryocabinets with the rest of the crew are intact.

In addition, it seems that DIDAC is not working properly, giving incomplete data and contradictory analysis.

As the timing systems are corrupted too, there is no way to know exactly the day or year we are, or for how long we have been in cryosleep.

I am going to have a deeper look to the ship, to make a better evaluation of the situation.

But I really need a shower and to eat something first.

End of entry

Day 3

The ship is more damaged than it seemed at first sight. We have a very low level of batteries, an important leakage on oxygen which I could momentarily fix, and navigation is only possible manually. Within the range of the ship, there is a planetary system with a bright star on it, which could refill our batteries. Nevertheless, there are no much survival possibilities, so I am not awakening the rest of the crew. I prefer to let them pass away while they sleep, rather than awakening them only to die of suffocation, frozen or, in the best scenario, of starvation.

Strangely enough, DIDAC is not recommending heading to this planetary system, but I see no other option. I have no way to communicate with the Corporation, no idea where we are, nor the Corporation does due to the destruction of the beacon, and no much time left, so I am getting the ship there and we will see what happens, as help is not going to be coming so far.

End of entry

Finally, we arrived to the system, and batteries are recharging pretty well. I got some promising readings on a planet, with a breathable atmosphere and water, which I am planning to visit.

I had to shut down completely DIDAC, as it started to set all the alarms and pretended to wake up the rest of the crew. Hopefully will recover after the rebooting procedure, which will take a couple of days. I am descending to the planet with the emergency launcher and a survival kit for several days. I don’t know what I will find there, but from the distance, it is by far the most beautiful planet I have seen.

End of entry

Day 30

I have landed in a dark area, covered by some kind of dry sand. Temperature is quite ok, air is breathable and clean. No sight of water, though. The landing process has practically exhausted the launcher batteries, but if my calculations are right, in some hours the star will shine in this area of the planet, so I will be able to do some exploration around once the batteries are refilled. I will take a nap too.

End of Entry

Extremely high temperature as awakened me, but the thing that has astonished me the most, is that I landed close to a stone sculpture of enormous proportions, a little human alike. Could it be how the inhabitants look like here, if there are any, as I have no reports or sight of any activity. I am jumping on the launcher, and head north to see if I can find something else.

End of Entry

(Radio transmitter buzzes)

-Mrs Captain Alba H75JS#, this is DIDAC, please respond.

-Here Captain Alba Speaking. How are you doing DIDAC?.

-Most of the computing systems are already working, but I have difficulties to access all my memory banks. It seems I need a human authorization for it.

-Can you tell me where we are? Or the year we are?

-The year is 3.625, March, 09. Our location...I am afraid not without accessing my full memory.

-What the...? 3.625!!!?. Ok, ok, here is the code “··$%&/(?¿” Let me know when you are ready. Over and out.

Day 32

I kept hovering towards north

Thousands of questions were hitting my brain. 3.625!!! The last time I saw my family was over 300 years ago!!! Who knows where the hell we are, if we have been drifting so long in the space!!!

How are we ever going to be back? What I am going to tell the crew, if I finally decide to wake them up?

While having these thoughts, I almost not noticed I had crossed an immense reservoir of water, and vegetation so exuberant like I didn’t ever seen before, not even in the bigger greenhouses of our main colony in Mars.

I had to stop the launcher and have a closer look to it. What were these strange things in the middle of the vegetation?

-Mrs Captain Alba H75JS#, this is DIDAC, please respond.

-Here Captain Alba speaking. Any idea where we are?

- Yes Captain. The planet is called Earth, we are in the same solar system than Mars, around 60 to 100 million kms away from it.

-Earth? Never heard of it before. Are you sure?

-Yes Captain. And I have much more information about it, if you want to hear it.

-Above all DIDAC, is it possible we can survive here until we can repair the ship and fly home?

-Not only this, Captain. According to my data, human life started in Earth. And accordingly to my readings, there are no traces of a human health thread remaining on it.

-DIDAC, are you sure you don’t need another reboot? What do you mean with “human health thread”?

There was a very violent internal war at the Corporation, and the winning faction decided to migrate to Mars, leaving millions of humans behind.

As a reprisal for being challenged, and not willing to have future competition on the exploiting of other planets, once in the safety of the Mars Colony, Delta Corporation developed a massive destruction weapon, in a form of a virus which was sent to the Earth, killing the entire remaining population. As I said, no remains of the virus is detected.

-DIDAC, how can it be no one knew about it? Why are you telling me all this now?

-Captain, Delta Corporation was erasing all these information by the time we left Mars heading to Alfa Centaurii. Until then, only old age computers like me had the data, but was only to be accessed by the head of the Delta Corporation. I could get transmissions working, and tried to contact the Corporation, but it seems they are not there anymore.

So the remaining highest rank person of the Corporation is you, Captain. Anything else, Captain Alba?

-Yes, DIDAC.

First, erase all the data of your banks until today.

Second, destroy all the communication system with external space.

Third, initiate the awakening protocol from cryosleep for all the crew.

I will call you back, when I find a fine place to land the ship

-Aye, Captain, over and out...

-DIDAC: You still there?

-Yes Captain.

-From now on, no more Captain Alba. Just Alba. And nothing of this conversation is to be revealed to the crew. 

Is that clear?

-Yes Cap...Mrs Alba

-Fine, Over and out.

Day 33

After a sleepless night, somehow and for the first time, I feel there is much more ahead of me than behind me.

Let us see if we get it right this time.

End of Entry

End of report

A new life begins...

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive to where we started, and get to know the place for the first time. 
T.S.Elliot

Inspired by the novel of Manuel de Pedrolo, Typescript of the Second Origin