//------------------------------// // Three // Story: Aim for the Stars // by Cirrus Sky //------------------------------// Nerio's engines slowed, as had been planned the “evening” before. The crew wanted to be well rested for their arrival and the descent. So attuned to her spacecraft, the captain woke well before ship “morning”. She had gotten up early to run a few checks and grab a coffee, sharing the flight deck with the night shift crew. When it came time for morning, the chosen 'alarm' for landing day played out. It had been decided almost before the mission date honestly. Voted for by the global public. But Rainbow couldn't argue with the result, the chorus of a Bowie masterpiece was fitting and pretty cool to listen to as the rest of the crew woke up. “Harmony, how close are we?” “We're an hour from reaching orbit. I have cycled the engines down for inertia to carry us to the chosen position.” The AI of the ship spoke out. “Crew are starting their waking routines, but I think Mom might need a reminder.” Harmony's voice had a hint of laughter in it, her creator was their science lead and the rest of the eight strong crew had teased the scientist that the AI was her baby, calling her Mom until it stuck. Not that the Doctor minded, the captain knew, but Rainbow had a pretty unique insight into the woman. “I'll go get her up.” Rainbow smirked and put her litter in the recycling hatch. Everything on the ship was designed to be reused in some form. Vital for their trip. Padding along the hallway, glad of the artificial gravity in the living sections, Rainbow passed some of the sleepy crew on their way to breakfast. She smiled, everyone was used to this part of the morning routine and everyone preferred quiet until after their first coffee. Reaching the door, Rainbow just opened it, not needing permission or to give a warning. “Rise and shine Sparkle, Mars says hello.” Sprawled out on the bed, at least tethered by her safety belt in case of gravity failure, Twilight Sparkle did not look like the lead scientist on the most ambitious human endeavour since sending man to the moon. “Immawake.” Twilight groaned, a book fell from the bed. They shared the bed, it was testament to just how long she and Twilight had been together that Rainbow hadn't noticed the paperback that had joined them as they slept. “I still can't believe that after all the weight considerations and the rest, that you got to bring actual paper books with you.” Rainbow sat down on the edge of the bed and unlatched the safety belt, Twilight always forgot it, even after six months of sleeping in it. “They were chosen by people as the books we should bring.” Twilight defended, sitting up and seeking her glasses. “It was to raise interest in literacy.” Putting on the glasses she focused on Rainbow and smiled. “You like them too I seem to recall.” “Yeah, I do.” Rainbow leaned in and kissed Twilight, forever glad that they were both on this mission. It had caused something of a stir at first, the two being partners and being selected on the mission. But Doctor Twilight Sparkle had essentially created everything that allowed them to reach and remain on Mars. Air Force Captain Rainbow Dash was the best pilot in the astronaut programme, held a Masters in Physics and had been selected on merit. Their relationship had been established long before the mission had even been more than a pipe-dream. There had been a media frenzy, but it was overwhelmingly positive and excited. Even if things were more gossip focused than science and achievement based. Besides which, the four man, four woman team had been selected for their abilities and what was required for this important mission. The first people to Mars. “Mom. Coffee is ready.” Harmony sounded on the room speaker. Twilight shook her head with a smile. “Why did Sunset have to convince Harmony to refer to me like that?” Twilight was used to it, it was making her thoughtful even. Future plans taking shape for time after the mission. “She's a tease, and she had to entertain herself during the night shift somehow.” Rainbow laughed. “Come on, I've already had one coffee and you need something before we get into orbit.” Getting off the bed, they both went to the kitchen for some breakfast. Today was an important day. -*- “Wayfinder has sent the all clear.” Sunset said from her position on the flight deck. “We're OK for joining planetary orbit on the projected path.” “Make it so Number One.” Rainbow winked, Loshad, the co-pilot shook his head at the joke and started the adjustments to thrusters that would take them in. The crew for the Ares Mission had been taken from across the main space agencies. It had just so happened that three of the best were also close friends since college days. Rainbow was Captain, Loshad, a Russian, was second in command on the piloting side. Two other pilot trained crew joined them, off shift for now having been the night crew. Twilight was scientific lead, with a team made up of fellow scientists. “We're all redundancies really.” Sunset had joked once. “Twilight knows everything.” But the team had roles directly related to the needs of the mission. Sunset was the electrical and mechanical engineer, she had directly worked with Twilight on the robotics and artificial gravity system. The patent for the device was in their name. A biologist and geologist filled out the mission needs, the pair were in the lab with Twilight preparing everything for landing or to be left in orbit attended to by servos and Harmony. No one wanted to hurt six months worth of space bound research or break anything before it landed. “We are in the correct orbital path.” Harmony said. “Wayfinder has linked up, hailing Melody.” Melody was the AI already on Mars. The Ares Mission was effectively a wagon train. The Wayfinder probe had been sent out first, to check the journey and flag potential problems. Then Enyo, an entirely AI controlled ship had made it to Mars and landed. Melody directed turning the ship and its cargo into the Mars One base. “She” had been controlling the drones and servos to construct and prepare the Mars One for human habitation. Now they were going to link up and make the landing in Pyroeis, the craft that would take them from The Nerio to Mars and then back to the orbiting ship once their mission was over. “Hello Nerio.” Melody and Harmony had made a link. “Optimal Landing Window is in two hours and counting.” “Thank you Melody, we will be ready.” Rainbow saluted a camera, knowing Harmony would relay it. She knew they were both AI, but Twilight had programmed them from their very first line of code and she respected that. The adaptive AIs were almost like people and she would treat them as such. “OK crew, you heard the timings. We'll relay that to Earth.” With a timescale in place, Rainbow took her seat to await the link to home. Currently there was an eight minute delay between them, and today their families would be watching at the mission control too. There was going to be a live video link before commencing landing. Just a brief snatch of time to wave at their loved ones before going to Mars. Going on this mission had been her goal for nearly all her life. But Rainbow wasn't sure what she might have done had Twilight not been selected to go also. Sunset had to leave Wallflower behind for more than two years. All the others had also left all their loved ones behind. But that just meant Rainbow was going to get this right every step of the way. She had to keep Twilight safe and she was going to get her crew back to their families. Hands slipped to her shoulders. “You look tense.” Twilight said. She smoothed her thumb across the nape of Rainbow's neck. “It will be a textbook landing. You and Loshad are the best of the best.” She carried on smoothing and soothing. “Harmony told us the action plan. I thought you would like a little support before we have to smile for the press.” “Thanks Twi'.” Rainbow leaned back into the touch a moment. “I know we got this.” -*- Helmeted up, strapped in their seats and ready to leave The Nerio, eight astronauts were prepared for the last stage of their journey. Everyone was quiet, listening to and carrying out instructions to the letter for a safe landing. It had been sobering to move on having seen their families on Earth. Even if it had just been a brief chance to smile and wave, blow a few kisses and then say farewell. It had brought everything back to them, the risk involved in the mission. After six months of travel without any true problems, the crew were now reaching the most complex and dangerous part of the mission so far. “Lander is free from main ship. Cargo module is secure.” Loshad relayed to Rainbow. “Engines?” Rainbow was inspecting everything within her remit. She trusted her second to fulfil his role. “Thruster power is at optimum, engines respond as green to go.” The co-pilot said, his accented English gruff but sure. “Okay hotshots and eggheads. We're going to land this bird on the Red Planet.” Rainbow spoke mostly for herself, but she felt better for it. “See you later Harmony.” “Safe travels Pyroeis. I'll keep everything tidy up here Mom.” The AI said. One last tsk from Twilight came over the radios. It made Rainbow smile, here they were, the whole crew's lives in her hands and Twilight was mumbling about a prank their friend had played. “You are cleared for landing Pyroeis.” Melody sent Rainbow the path calculated to be the best. But it was only calculated, no one was absolutely sure it would be fine. The ship Melody had guided to Mars was designed to be able to plummet and still survive, the AI brain well protected to crash land. Eight humans was a new variable. That was why Rainbow Dash was the pilot. To get them landed safely. “You've got this Rainbow.” Twilight said, using the radio in their helmet, set to her channel and her channel alone. “I know that you're the one who can do this.” With those words Rainbow was set. Still smiling, she started to follow the path planned for her, feeling Pyroeis react to her commands. Data was returned to her, anything a pilot could want to know as they entered the Martian atmosphere. Vital information to react to or move with to safely reach the surface. But the ship was flying like a dream. The lander had been designed something like a mixture of the old space shuttles and a fighter jet. A delta winged shape that had finally reached the skies of its mythological namesake. The cargo pod was bulky and would be left behind on the return trip, but for now, Pyroeis was soaring through the Martian sky. “Hey folks, this is your captain speaking. We're a good elevation in the skies of Mars heading for Vallis Marineris and Mars One Base, our home for two years.” Rainbow said to the crew. “Sorry, no in-flight snacks, but landing isn't too far off.” She ripped off a jaunty salute. The chorus of groans over the radio were worth it. -*- Melody had even prepared a runway on the Martian ground. The flattest part of a plateau marked out by bright spots, old storage boxes painted neon blue to stand out on the red-orange soil. “You really did think of everything.” Rainbow muttered to herself. Twilight had been involved with the mission planning from the very early stages, and a practical thing like this just had to have been her idea. “Okay, we are going in for a landing. It looks pretty flat, but things might get a little bumpy.” Rainbow told her crew. It was different, flying in the Martian sky, but she was a pilot through and through. Rainbow knew how to fly. It only took one approach for Rainbow to be happy to make a landing. With the slightest of impacts, the Pyroeis was touched down on Mars. “We did it!” Twilight was the first to shout. Rainbow was concentrating on slowing the craft to a halt and “parking” by Mars Base One, but the scientists were celebrating. The pilots were looking out for problems. Carefully, so carefully, the ship came to a halt. The clearing by the base was near enough to reach the structure safely and easily. Once the cargo pod was removed, the ship could be stowed for the two years that the crew were on Mars. But now, they would be setting foot on the surface. The First Humans on Mars. Even with the adrenaline rush from a successful landing, Rainbow was excited. “We're here.” She didn't jump from her seat. In fact everyone was orderly as they ran their checks and set data recorders going. The radio link was strong, Sunset had already gone through the technical jargon with mission control and now it was time for the public to have the “live” feed. Already suited up, everyone was identifiable only by their moral patch blazed across one shoulder. Rainbow proudly wore a lightning bolt striped for her namesake. She had added a smaller copy of Twilight's purple star to one glove, just as Twilight wore a lightning bolt on her opposite glove. A little romantic nod to each other, each marking the hands that held each other. With everything checked and the link ready. It was time to disembark. The exit was an airlock at the side of the ship. Leaving the flight deck of the Pyroeis into the main hub, the door closed and sealed behind them. Entering the airlock to leave the ship, Rainbow was trying not to bounce on her heels too much. She had to give some dignity to this moment. After all, the whole world was watching. The light lit, stairs had deployed to the surface. The door to Mars was ready to open. Everyone was silent as the door slid open, revealing the red-orange soil to them all. Long before, the crew had all agreed that Rainbow was the one to leave first. Twilight beside her. They gripped gloved hands as they left the craft. The pilot took a step onto the stair, another and one more to the surface. Twilight held back a moment, just to be a step behind Rainbow for this important moment. To give the woman she loved her dream. “To all those who brought us to this point; We've taken that second step.” Rainbow said as her boot pressed into the dusty Martian soil. Twilight was just a step behind her, but Rainbow Dash had done it. She was the first woman on Mars. The first person on Mars.