Mars (gt-4) by Ben Bova

Author:Ben Bova [Bova, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_space
ISBN: 055356241X
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Published: 1993-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

SOL 13: MORNING

"The computer enhancements prove that your ‘village’ is nothing more than a natural formation of rock," said Ravavishnu Patel.

Jamie shook his head stubbornly. "The enhancements prove nothing of the sort."

"I’m afraid I must agree with Rava," Abdul al-Naguib said. "You are leaping to an erroneous conclusion."

The three men — two geologists and the Egyptian geophysicist — were sitting tensely on spindly stools in front of a computer display screen in the geology lab. The area was partitioned off from the rest of the dome, its shelves cluttered with bare rocks and transparent plastic cases that held core samples and stoppered bottles filled with red soil. A long table set against one partition held analysis equipment and computer modules, their display screens flickering orange and blue, showing curves and graphs of data from the global network of sensors that changed every few moments.

"Look," Jamie said to the others, "the computer enhancement of the videotape shows a nicely enlarged view of that formation. I’m not saying it’s artificial; all I’m saying is that the enhancement really doesn’t prove it’s natural."

"But it cannot be artificial!" Patel insisted. "Even Father DiNardo back in Rome agrees it has to be a natural formation!"

Jamie gave him a stern look. "Rava, science doesn’t work on opinions. We learn by observing, by measuring. For god’s sake, when Galileo first reported seeing sunspots, there were priests in Rome who claimed the spots must have been in his telescope because everybody knew that the sun was perfect and without blemish."

Naguib smiled in a fatherly way. Older than either of the two geologists, he saw himself as the voice of mature wisdom in this emotional debate.

"We have observed," the Egyptian said patiently. "We have measured. Thu most powerful tools we possess toll us that the formation is natural, a formation of rocks and nothing more."

"The evidence says nothing of the sort," Jamie snapped. "You’re looking at the evidence with a bias against it being artificial."

"And you are looking at the same evidence with a bias against it being natural," Patel countered.

"Which proves to me that the evidence is not conclusive," Jamie said.

Naguib asked, "But how could it be artificial? You are presupposing that an intelligent species once existed on Mars and built itself a village — in the same manner that your own ancestors built cliff dwellings? That is so unlikely that it beggars the imagination."

Patel added, "When you make a large claim, you must have strong evidence to back it up."

"Right!" Jamie said. "I agree! We have to go back to Tithonium Chasma and see that formation close up. Go right up to it and put our hands on it."

The Hindu geologist stared at Jamie as if he had uttered blasphemy. "Go there! And what of my excursion to Pavonis Mons? Do you think your make-believe ‘village’ is more important than the Tharsis volcanoes?"

"If that ‘village’ really is artificial, it sure as hell is more important than anything else," Jamie shot back.

"The next thing you know, you will

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