The Dark Arrow of Time by Massimo Villata

Author:Massimo Villata
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017

Massimo VillataThe Dark Arrow of TimeScience and Fictionhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67486-5_9

9. As They Came Closer to Mars

Massimo Villata1

(1)Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, INAF, Pino Torinese (TO), Italy

Massimo Villata

Email: [email protected]

As they came closer to Mars, Helias got tenser and tenser. And more withdrawn. One of the great events in his life was about to happen. And, like Mars, it was coming ever closer. He had stopped talking. Kathia watched him, gently stroking his arm. As if to keep his courage up, but without intruding, without distracting him from his thoughts, his musings.

Kathia followed his meandering thoughts. Painful, crowded thoughts. But hopeful ones too. Full of hope that, bit by bit, bloomed into optimism, almost euphoric. Kathia slid her hand toward Helias’s, ending palm to palm.

“Professor. We’re about there.” she whispered from inside her helmet.

The professor pulled out his pocket computer and handed Helias a small oval object.

“Keep it in the palm of your hand, please.”

Helias turned questioningly to Kathia.

“What is it?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll explain later.” interjected the professor.

Then, looking at the computer, he added “Intense. Between eight and nine. With regular interference beats.”.

Helias let it rest there, and went back to his thoughts.

They had almost arrived. Mars was looming over them on the left, and he thought he could already make out the station straight ahead. The shuttle slowed, and the pilot announced that they would be docking in a few minutes.

With practiced hands, Scarface and Skullet loaded and inspected their weapons, a bit bigger but probably the same type as the ones Helias and the others had. Maybe they emitted more powerful and more accurate paralyzing beams.

A flyover with the lights off, binoculars trained on the station. To see what, if anything, was going on.

The station seemed strangely deserted. Three ships of varying sizes were docked at the boarding bridges. Two of the bridges gave onto the main corridor. The third ship was the one they’d already seen, and that they would be leaving on later.

They already knew where they had to go. The problem was getting there. The lights were on in the room in question, but the windows were opaque.

They approached the bridges on the main corridor. Through the windows they could see several people, stationed as if to control the entrances. They were armed.

Helias remembered a secondary entrance. A little boarding bridge that led directly to a lab, and used for unloading materials for it.

They docked and went into the lab. Deserted. Maybe all the workers at the station had been rounded up and locked away somewhere, prisoners.

In silence, they threaded their way down the narrow passage that led to the main corridor.

They kept careful watch on the guards, moving about a few dozen meters farther down. At a certain point only one man remained in view, his back to them. They took advantage of it to sneak across the main corridor and into the smaller hallway that went to Helias’s parents’ lab and living quarters. Skullet led the way and Scarface brought up the rear of their little line.

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