AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 345
ARES III SOL 340
“Mark, tell me: do you think we’ll have any cherries for the trip?”
Cherry Berry knew the answer, but she had to ask anyway. She’d coddled and cared for the saplings, urging them to grow taller faster than anything on Equestria. But, despite it all, they were still only months old, not the two or three years it took an Equestrian cherry tree to begin bearing fruit. And that was in Equestria, a land lousy with magic, and not a cave on an otherwise totally unmagical barren wasteland of a planet.
But age was only one of the problems, as Mark pointed out. “Not unless Starlight gets her transmutation spell going without punching a hole in the rover,” he said. “I know you’ve put your heart into them, Cherry, but facts are facts. The plants are too young. If they’re all the same kind of cherry, the odds are good they won’t be fertile with one another. We haven’t got any bees, so we’d have to hand-pollinate every last flower. And it would have to happen in the next fifty sols.”
“Fifty sols?” Cherry asked. “We have a hundred and ten before we leave, right?”
“We need time to test the finished rover and fix any problems that pop up,” Mark said. “In order to test the rover-trailer combo, we need to pull the life support out of the cave, at least for a sol or two at a time. Once we start doing that, the cave will cool down in a hurry. That will hurt the plants. So whatever we’re going to grow, we have to be done before we get serious about testing the rover. The next harvest will be the last one.”
Cherry looked through the airlock window into the cave interior. The cherry trees now brushed the ceiling, limbs mostly running up the ceiling towards the solar relay crystals. In the long term- if there was going to be a long term- that would mean trouble for the sun-loving alfalfa. Once a week Cherry carefully plucked enough fresh, healthy leaves from the trees for a couple pots of cherry leaf tea, which she prepared with all due care and caution to give everyone a change from drinking plain water. She’d have to figure out a way to dry the leaves properly for long-term storage for the trip…
She absent-mindedly wiped away tears with a hoof. “Could we move your machines from the Hab here to the cave?” she asked. “Just leave it running?”
Mark shook his head. “Part of the atmospheric regulator has to be outside for it to work properly,” he said. “And it and the oxygenator both work to remove carbon dioxide from the air. The plants need CO2 added every so often. The water reclaimer won’t automatically water the plants, even if we figure out some way to pump water from downstream to replace what it puts out. And I don’t think all the heaters in the Hab put together would be enough to keep the cave warm enough for plants to grow.”
Cherry blinked. “You didn’t even have to think about that.”
“Because I’ve been thinking about it for months,” Mark replied. “I’d love to have this farm go on forever as a lasting fuck-you to this goddamn planet. But I don’t see any way of doing it that doesn’t risk our own chances of getting out alive.”
“I understand,” Cherry said. And she did. She just didn’t like it. “Could you ask Dragonfly and Spitfire to step in here, please?”
As Mark opened the inner airlock door and left, Cherry looked through the open doorway at Starlight Glimmer, who stood by the life support box holding a broken piece of antenna in her magic and writing things in the dirt as she watched the indicator lights flash. It looked like a second all-day session on the water telegraph getting the details straight for the new Sparkle Drive main crystal, which Starlight had decided to enchant two days from now rather than make more batteries that they probably wouldn’t be able to haul with them.
Cherry hated to interrupt her now, but between the Sparkle Drive and the new booster system, Starlight would probably be tied up with that for days. Anyway, Cherry had another bit of business to take care of.
When Spitfire and Dragonfly walked up, Cherry motioned them to shut the airlock door behind them. “What’s up, boss mare?” Dragonfly asked. “I hope this isn’t an order to walk the plank or something.”
“Dragonfly,” Cherry began, “I don’t think you’ve ever asked me to get Spitfire to stop hitting you on the head.”
The changeling froze, which Cherry had half-expected. So did Spitfire, and Cherry hadn’t expected that. “Er… I figured you’d stop it yourself,” she said, almost convincingly.
Cherry looked at Spitfire. “And I’m pretty sure I’ve told you to cut it out once or twice.”
Spitfire lapsed into Equestrian. “Just look at her! Isn’t that just the most hittable face?”
Dragonfly grinned. “It’s true. Five hundred royal guards can’t be wrong!”
Cherry cleared her throat. “I’m not laughing, you two,” she said in English. She looked at Spitfire. “This is an order: no more hitting Dragonfly.” She looked at Dragonfly even harder. “This is an order: quit goading Spitfire into hitting you.”
Dragonfly cocked her head, doing a very good job of pretending to be confused. “You think I want to be hit in the head?” she asked.
“I think you’re deliberately being annoying,” Cherry said. Looking Spitfire right in the eyes, she continued, “And I think you’re playing along.”
Spitfire shrugged. “Makes me feel better.”
Dragonfly nodded. “It makes everybody feel better, too.”
“Not me,” Cherry said. “I mean it: cut it out. If you two want a running joke, come up with something else.”
Dragonfly slumped. “The queen would let me get hit over the head.”
“Only if she held the stick,” Cherry said. “Anyway, she’s not here, thank Faust. Now let’s go make the plants happy…” She couldn’t suppress a sad sigh at the thought. “… for a little longer.”
I'm kinda hoping that random enchantment somehow becomes aware enough to keep the source of magic (the plants) alive so that it can keep changing. I really wanna see the crew give Mars some kind of midle finger before they leave.
Well, one typo, but you were in a hurry. In the holder title, you wrote "Sol 240", not 340.
Otherwise, short and sweet. And I agree, I wish they could leave the cave as a fuck you to Mars.
Sol 240? Is that a typo?
Oh crap... uh Kris, was there a ton of rish in Ringworld? Because I might have been thinking Ringworld Engineers and not realized it. It’s been so long since I read them, and I don’t have access to a copy to check. I hope I didn’t inspire you to make a minor error. :/
God, the poor changeling was like the... She was apparently popular at the wedding.
9040453
I'm willing to say that they won't be able to take all the batteries with them. Rig up a trickle feed system maybe?
One might almost think Dragonfly and Spitfire might be developing feelings for each other, given their recent "games"
If the cherry trees were smaller, they could be potted.
Maybe they could create closed ecosystem. More sun crystals to create fake sun.
Time to breed that chaos-replication enchantment for particular effects.
9040474 Well, they need someplace to put the Death Box.
Maybe they can make the cave think it's winter? They could make a skating rink with all that water.
9040469 They could take cuttings from the trees, if nothing else.
9040453
Do you want Magic!Ultron? That's how you get Magic!Ultron.
9040468
I hear hair pulling is the height of passion amung toddlers.
The math suggests at any reasonable water flow rate that's still sub-boiling the solar crystals should be providing the bulk of energy if they're putting out close to Earth level sunlight. They should just add a few more of those solar crystals and it would be able to cover the heating needs.
Dump a ton of carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide collection system the Ares equipment had (I forget what it was for) into the cave and it will provide enough for a long while and then you can hope that decay starts releasing carbon dioxide before it runs out. That would then stabilize the cycle.
A successful survival and escape will be middle finger enough.
9040485
They're going to need the Death Box for the Whinneybago. They'll need its heat and every milliamp they can eke out of it and the solar panels to keep that thing moving. But they might wind up needing to bring along a sapling or two to keep the mana batteries charged during the trip to Schiaparelli Crater.
9040518
except Mark hasnt been burning through that system, not with fresh air always available and cycled by the Pony Life Support System...
Aww, you don't mean that, Cherry. It'd be awesome if Chryssie was here... Provided that she wouldn't go into hunger rage even faster than Dragonfly, since with her size and strength, they'd all be bucked.
9040518
The main carbon dioxide collector was on the Ares III MAV descent stage as part of its fueling system (it took hydrogen brought from Earth, power from the RTG, and carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere to create oxygen and methane to fuel the MAV). Then there's a smaller system to scrub carbon dioxide out of the air in the Hab. The former hasn't run since the Ares III crew disconnected and buried the RTG after landing, and the latter is part of the Hab oxygenator system that will go into the Whinneybago. Or is it? I've lost track of whether it's coming along for the ride or if they're going to rely on the Amicitas life support system.
9040538
9040558
Yes I meant the collector connected to the MAV descent stage. Hooking that up to the Hab electrical systems to produce extra CO2 was something Watney considered doing earlier in the story, and they still have plenty of time to implement that to gather the extra CO2 needed.
Well dragon fly at least it isn’t a boot to the head.
9040655
I know the skit (or two?) of which you speak, but I thought of this instead:
I feel sorry for Cherry Berry and those tree's she's been nursing for so long now. It'll be a shame when they die.
9040663
It would definitely perturb Concordia’s orbit; how much would depend on the mass of the payload. But since Concordia could start the skyhook before passing over the launch site (I’m guessing the pylons are working line-of-sight?), it could accelerate itself towards the launch site for at least part of the lift. If the payload were kept clamped down until Concordia was directly overhead, Concordia could pick up a significant amount of momentum before the lift proper started, quite possibly more than it would lose during the acceleration of the payload.
9040453
There is a possibility to put another enchantment on top of the self-replicating one.
For example, one that produces purple light, that is a mix of red and blue photons, that absorbed together by the chloroplast are the energy equivalent of an ultraviolet photon able to split the water molecule.
9040469
Well, potting them might be an option, but I am thinking: cocoon one.
9040754
Concordia is a lot more massive, just its mana batteries alone are more mass then fully feuled Friendship(if memory is correct). It can take all the antiradial forces it needs to to get that ship a jumpstart, and considering it is purpose build for low-magic rescue operations, it could fire it's chemical engines to compensate for the rest. That said, if there is a spaceship in low mars orbit, the stock mav can reach it. Rendering this point moot. Unless you want to lift say.. the HAB or a Rover, or a cocoon.
9040474
The heat and light problems they could ultimately deal with, given some time and judicious use of enchanting; dealing with the water distribution problem would be considerably harder.
but the real killer for trying to make the farm self sufficient enough to survive till the next mission can arrive; is that the plants will eventually strip all of the carbon dioxide from the air in the cave.
Without something replenishing the CO2 at a stable rate that keeps pace with the plants ability to remove it, the plants wont have the carbon they need for photosynthesis, and they will starve to death in short order. You need CO2 producing critters, and O2 producing plants in balanced quantities to create a self sustaining ecosystem; without one half or the other, the system would eventually collapse.
9040847
Mars atmosphere consists of almost pure carbon dioxide.
So you need to install an air pump able to compress martian air into your habitat as needed.
As needed means that the pump should be controlled by a microcontroller equipped with CO2 and air pressure sensor.
If the pressure in the habitat is too high, the overpressure valve releases the excess air.
It is still not ideal, because of the slow loss of nitrogen, being replaced by oxygen, But it would take many years before it becomes a problem (no nitrogen in the air for the alfalfa to absorb).
You can compensate the increasing percentage of oxygen in the air by decreasing the air pressure in the habitat.
Which airlock is in the Cave Farm given the Whinneybago has been constructed? The internal one to the ruptured section that was removed and blanked off?
9040873
The removed cargo/machine room section's airlock.
9040809
Icky.
9040468
Dragonfly tries her best to be lovable no matter how. Her food depends on it.
Anyone else thinking Starlight was only playing Mad Libs with Twilight?
9040704
...Fine I'll grab my Ranger Sequoia.
Amazing!
If Starlight hasn't put out a/the last big spell to help locate "their" local dimension, could it be used to set up most or all of the necessities to make the cave farm self-sustaining? I realize it would take an insane amount of planning and magic. But still, screwing Mars over like that... now that's getting even! Plus, losing Cherry's trees hurts a bit.
Living well is the best revenge. Against Mars, living at all is the best revenge. Plus, I'm pretty sure Cherry's set some kind of record with her trees.
9040453
Or it gets possessed by the will of Mars and tries to destroy all of them more directly than the cheating sandstorms.
9040465 "Did you really get hit by five hundred guards?" "Well, they tried. But remember, this is the pony royal guard. Their job is to look pretty and direct traffic."
I just got caught up. Mostly because I had other stuff to do, but also because I needed a break.
Also, this story inspired me to read The Martian in a little more then twenty-four hours. Last night, and this morning.
Great book. Thank you, Andy Weir, and thank you, Kris.
9041058
You're pulling enraged Henderson now :P
Actually someone apparently tried that before, but just an OC named Hendercolt in FOE universe, quite bleakly.
What I thought of, is that he reincarnated and his girlfriend (former Hastur) ran away from that reality, that's canon end of OMH's story. Imagine that they could end in Equestria. Eli Burning doesn't have vast background of his predecessor, and probably would have partial amnesia due to travel trauma and drug abuse.
The plants suddenly grow little sad faces, like on that odd little show "Summer Camp Island"... random show, that was so... "Please don't leave us to die! The evil demon imprisoned within the core of this planet is just waiting to kill us when you leave! It's the only thing he enjoys, being frozen into the ice as he is!"
And so, it was revealed that Mars was the 9th circle of Hell the entire time...
"Ha! Hell DID freeze over!" Alondro declares in triumph, and goes to collect on his wager with some geneticists who now owe him a genetically-engineered, large-bosomed Renamon who will obey his EVERY whim.
9041089
at least that is step up from being slaughtered in chaper three
9040655
Church is best Freelancer next to Maud... and Tex
9041105
every one knows Mars is hell just look at the DOOM franchise
Now if only they had a stable population of versus insects of insectivores, herbivores/pollinators, and decomposers. Then the carbon dioxide levels will be stable. And that would likey give more mana generation.
9041162
odd
do you know what i meant by time “machine” tho?
hint hint magic spell hint hint
9041162
Eh, my parents have 16 years between them. Who really cares?
9041074
That's kinda what I'm thinking.
9040802
This is either analogous to trying to "accidentally" invent gunpowder in a tabletop game--in which case I defer to dungeonmaster Overstreet--or a load of hooey, which I'm considering because you're trying to get ultraviolet photons by...
...adding red photons to blue photons. Light isn't paint. If this works at all, you've chosen the example that makes it sound the least like you know what you're talking about.