~***~
I’m excited!
A mission to Mars!
Is it possible to be excited and scared at the same time?
It’s not manly, or fitting, to admit to being scared. After all, I was in the US Special Forces. I’m made of sterner stuff. I’m prepared, I’ve trained for space flight, but still… I’ll say nervous. Jittery. It’s more fitting.
The International Space Agency detected some unknown signals on the surface of Mars and the United Nations decided that Spectrum, as their elite and universal force, will be the one investigating. We cover both scientific and military aspects; anything we discover can be taken care of quickly and without involving the general public. We’re the logical choice.
It’s not the first time Man has been to Mars. We have stations there. Scientific posts. Mines. But those signals aren’t like anything we know. They could mean something friendly, something hostile. For all we know, it could be the mining companies causing trouble even without knowing it!
As I pack my things to take onto the shuttle, I can’t help but mull over the few details we have. When we can catch the signals, they are regular, like pulses. Not always the same intensity, but the fact that they are regular makes them unnatural—and worth an investigation. The scientific team from Elysium base said they went on a reconnaissance trek to where they think the signals come from, but saw nothing but an empty and desolate landscape. Perhaps there’s nothing. Perhaps they don’t know how to find clues. It’s not obvious if you don’t know what you’re actually looking for, I suppose…
This means there’s some pressure on Spectrum for us to find something—anything. That’s why I’m afr—nervous. I guess I fear we’ll screw up, that we’ll make fools of ourselves. That we’re trying to kill a fly with a bazooka. People say I’m often negative and that my color designation was appropriately chosen. I prefer to call myself a realist.
I’m still excited to have been chosen to go there, feel proud that the UN, the ISA—that Colonel White—chose me to be on the team. Even if we just go there for nothing, I’ll do my best to make them all proud.
There’s not much in my pack. Some Spectrum-issue sweats and t-shirts—they don’t look like much but they’re actually quite comfortable—my music collection for when I exercise in the shuttle, electronic reader… a deck of cards… although I’m not sure how we’ll be able to play in zero-G. Space is limited on the shuttle and we’re only allowed a few personal items. Not that we’ll have a whole lot of free time, there are always tests to run. Normal, everyday people think we just lounge around for the duration of those space flights. Well, we do have time for a cup of coffee once in a while—would you believe there was some actual research to make sure we have some decent brew while in space!
Comfortable socks, private stash of chili chocolates, picture of Simone… I stop packing and can’t stop myself from smiling as I look at it. It’s a selfie she took when she was aboard her Falcon for the first time. I know… there are digital versions now, I could add pictures on my electronic reader. A physical picture makes it more real somehow. Like she is there with me… Over a month of not being with her. I’ll miss her. My Angel.
She’s a little miffed at not being chosen to go, as she is a trained astronaut, and an excellent one at that. But she has other duties here, setting up the Angel squadron, finishing the training for her girls, and she doesn’t have as much military training as the mission requires. I also suspect that Colonel White thought we might get a little distracted if we’re sent alone together on a mission. We’re professionals, but I think he might be right in a way. I can’t get enough of her.
When we met, I had just passed the Special Forces assessment course. I was finally becoming my own man, away from the clutches of my father’s racketeering business. Life was great and she made it even greater. I was part of a super team, I had real, good, friends, a partner I knew I could trust no matter what—and still can. I was happy that Paul agreed to join Spectrum at the same time I did and I’m happy White has partnered us to go to Mars. Of course, he can’t replace Simone, but he’s one hell of a second choice.
Oddly, I always thought Simone would choose Paul over me. He’s always had more success with the ladies. But I guess the planets were aligned properly and life continued to be generous with me. I’m serious about her. I hope she knows it. I can clearly see myself with her in the future, settling down in a house in the suburbs, having children… maybe it’s time we start having serious conversations about that. Perhaps when I come back in a month or so...?
I put the picture inside my electronic reader’s case so it doesn’t get damaged during transport. Our shuttle leaves at the break of dawn tomorrow for New Mexico, so there’s still some time left before we’re due to go. I’m gonna hurry and finish packing, then see what Sim is up to. Mustn’t forget my going away present—she’s been looking at those climbing shoes online for a while—can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees them!
I can’t guarantee I’ll spend this last night on Earth in a while in my own quarters... In fact, I’m pretty sure I won’t. My grin is probably reaching my ears.
Life is being really good to me.
~ The End ~
Author’s Notes and Disclaimer
Well!
That was unexpected… It’s not as fluffy as other Valentine’s Day stories
are, but for Captain Black, I guess it’s romantic as he would get!
I was actually inspired by Janile Gnosoma’s story “Children of this Universe” because she portrayed Captain Black from the original series in a very human way, before disaster hit. I probably felt pity on poor Conrad and that’s why I added him to my 2018 Christmas picture and, now, this story. He deserves not to be the bad guy once in a while.
Thank you Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and the CGI team for creating such a beautiful playground! The characters are not mine, I'm having a great time writing the stories, and no profit is intended from this.
Once again, a big thank you to Hazel Köhler for beta-reading the story so close to the deadline—sorry about that!—and to Chris Bishop for her hard work on what must be the largest collection of Captain Scarlet stories on the Internet!