A Step Beyond by Christopher K Anderson Page A

nations rationalized their respective landing sites. There was another reason, more genuine, yet unspoken. Neither nation wanted to be out-done by the other. As agreed by both beforehand, their ships would touch the ground simultaneously, or as simultaneously as conditions would allow. The Russian and American commanders were going to emerge from their landers, descend their respective ladders, and diplomatically hop onto the Martian soil at precisely the same time. A symbolic gesture of unity. Man, not a Russian, not an American, but man, an Earthling, would land on Mars.
    Despite this gesture, politicians soon came to the realization that one landing site could be superior to another. The Russians, who realized it first, announced they would land at Candor Chasma, perhaps the most promising site with respect to geology and the search for life. The Americans, not wanting to be outdone, retorted by announcing they would land at Olympus Mons, the highest and most spectacular mountain in the solar system. The site for the failed
Volnost
mission had been the ancient channels of Mangala Vallis—an equatorial site, relatively safe, but geologically dull in comparison to Olympus Mons or Candor Chasma. The glory had been in being first. The challenge posed by the two sites had the unexpected result of reinvigorating the space program. As Carter smiled inwardly at the thought, a change in Komarov’s tone drew his attention back to the discussion.
    “While we are on the planet’s surface, Vladimir will conduct an investigation of the supply ship for the
Volnost
. The ship, which is configured similarly to the supply ship for this mission, with its cargo hold and backup lander, has lost power, and we want to find out why.
    “The two landing crews will remain on the surface for two months. Their duties will be many. They will spend much of their time exploring the surrounding terrain and conducting surface experiments. They will depart the planet in the excursion modules. Trans-Earth injection will occur on December 17, 2022. This time,” Komarov said, tracing the dotted line with his finger, “rather than swinging by Venus, we will set a course directly for Earth. We are scheduled to arrive eight months later. The ships will aerobrake into the Earth’s atmosphere, where they will be picked up by orbital-transfer vehicles and tugged back down to low-Earth orbit and the newly constructed Orbital Quarantine Vehicle. The facility will be separate but adjacent to this space station. We are to remain in quarantine for two weeks.”
    “And if we are found to be contaminated?” Tanya asked. “Then we stay quarantined until it is determined the contamination does not pose a threat or until it is neutralized. We don’t anticipate any complications.”
    T anya Pavlova watched Colonel Komarov as he checked his console and verbally relayed the settings back to Kaliningrad. His voice was mature and confident. Not like her husband’s, which would on occasion crack as though he had not entirely grown up. She loved her husband, but at times he could be so childish, and his suspicious nature was a constant annoyance. Komarov was different. He was older than Vladimir, more fatherly. His military stature and large body, almost too large to fit in the cockpit of the jets he flew, commanded respect. There were rumors that he had been unfaithful to his wife, but that did not disturb Tatiana. With such a man the problem had to be with the woman. Not that it was any concern of hers.
    Vladimir’s jealousy annoyed Tanya. He had struck her the other night because he thought she was getting too friendly with Komarov. Of course, he had overreacted. Komarov had placed his hand on her shoulder, that was all. She thought that perhaps it was guilt that made Vladimir act so. She suspected him of having an affair just a few months earlier during a training exercise in Japan. She hadn’t confronted him yet, because she still wasn’t sure. A friend of hers