StarGaze

Another Time, Another War

“Yes, Seargent?” commander Greene asked. 

"Sir, the rocket is about to enter Mars' atmosphere, and all equipment is in alignment. Mission StarGaze is a go.” the sergeant said. 

"Finally. Okay, here we go, ladies and gentlemen." Greene said, taking his place at the podium to deliver a historic speech to the people sitting inside the international space station and to the billions watching from home. 

"Twenty years ago, we started sending probes to Mars now and then to see if it was habitable. Although the first of studies showed that the possibility of life without a major incident was bleak, we now have enough data to confirm that humanity can finally see the sun from another planet. 

As Niel Armstrong once said, the moon landing was a small step for man but a giant leap for humanity. Now I can safely say that the Mars landing is perhaps the bigfoot for man and the greatest leap of the century. 

Moments from now, our RX-77 rocket piloted by our fine and intelligent crew will pierce through the atmosphere of Mars and set their feet on the very land we have marveled at for so long. They will set up a base and study more vigorously than any probe can and give us a research paper about ground zero. 

It has been an ancient saying that power lies in unity, and we have proved it here today. Many years ago, our whole international community was plagued by criminals roaming in the street and terrorists murdering innocents to get their way. 

But it was only when the earth was dying, and every species was under crisis. Only then did we come together and shined through as one people, as one nation, as one family. And I can tell you that all our efforts have not been in vain; all the pain that you suffered and all the scars that you bear have all led to this moment. 

Moments from now, human civilization will not be a planetary civilization or a global civilization. We will be the first of our kind and possibly the first of any kind to live on more than one planet. Moments from now, ladies and gentlemen, we bend nature to our will. 

Whatever is out there, whatever lies in the dark corners of the Red Planet, we will find out soon enough. And we all know that we have already crossed the great filter, and whatever next comes in our way isn't going to stop us. Thank you.” Greene said and stood down. 

Roars of claps sounded around the planet as people rejoiced and waited impatiently for the biggest hope of humanity's future. Every single television screen was focused on one incident only. And to be honest, it was a little boring. There were at least two hours left before the rocket would actually land, and all they did on TV was sing the tales of glory and whatnot. 

“Sir, please follow me. It would be best if you saw this.” the equipment analyst Rajeev said to Greene. 

The commander immediately released all the people talking to him and followed the analyst with a frown. This was by far the most important moment in humankind’s history, and every second was spent in deep anxiety by the people in the control room. 

‘Look at these lines, sir.” Rajeev said, pointing at the dark green lines on the otherwise black screen. 

“What is it?” Greene asked with confusion. 

“Sir, this is the radio interference coming from Mars. The rocket is close, so it is picking it up.” Rajeev said. 

"Is it something I should be concerned about? I mean, is it barring the communication with our crew?" Greene asked suspiciously. 

“NO, sir, everything is as perfect as it could be. There is always atmospheric interference when a rocket enters a planet.” Rajeev said, and Greene sighed in relief. 

“So, what is your point here? This is just regular atmospheric noise...right?.” The commander said, trying hard to keep his cool. 

"That's the thing, sir; this is not atmospheric interference. Look at the lines. They show a pattern. There is no pattern in regular noise. This is more like music or radio communication. Sir, we think something...or someone is out there, and the fact that we don't know about it makes it all the scarier." Rajeev said and gulped. 

“But...but we have surveyed the whole planet. There is no sign of life there, let alone a structure big enough to support that kind of radio waves!” Greene said with as much anxiety as his comrade. 

“Yes, and that puts up a lot of questions. Maybe they are smart enough to hide, but they would never let us pick up their frequency if they were hiding. Which means...” Rajeev put forward his theory. 

“Which means it is a message for us. And something tells me it is not a very positive one. Anyway, we have done all we can. Now everything that happens from now on is in god’s hands. Make sure no one else knows about this.” Greene said and took another look at the screen. 

The lines were becoming sharper and sharper. And suddenly, after a steep peak, the monitor flashed, and the signal was gone. 

“What? What the f**k just happened?” Greene asked Rajeev. 

"I have no idea," Rajeev said, horrified. 

They both knew that this was no system glitch nor an atmospheric interference. There was something out there, something intelligent enough to take down their system.

But the mission was far too important, and the hype was too high to make a big deal out of a possible glitch. They did not care if the lives of people were at stake; they only cared that people must have hope that there is a way out of the place where the problems of overpopulation and world hunger are on the rise.