One year ago, the Sun died. The Earth, along with the rest of the Solar System, died with it. A select few were chosen to survive their impeding doom, aboard the starship Seeker 3000. Now they search for a new home among the stars.

#176




Part One: "A long way from home"
by Paulo Costa


From Captain Shaw's log:

"Throughout the previous year, we have travelled through the cosmos. Faster than light travel allowed us to reach Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our own. Now, the crew has gained a spark of hope, as we will now begin to study the possibilities that one of the planets orbiting this sun is capable of sustaining life."

"...a total of seven planets. Of those, we can exclude AC-6 and AC-7, which are gas giants. The first reports on AC-1 and AC-2 indicate these planets are much like our Mercury and Venus -- too hot. However, AC-2's greenhouse effect isn't as severe as Venus', so it's possible that life can be artificially engineered there."

"Thank you, Commander Payton. Your brother may start the investigation on the tectonic plates and biosphere. I'll tell the crew to prepare a pod for up-close research. Meanwhile, begin the assemblage of data on AC-3 and AC-4. I have a feeling these may be our primary objective."

Commander Valida Payton leaves Command Deck and goes to Lab One, where her science team is ready for more investigation. Her team's primary officer, Illya Mikaelievitch Kasumov greets her.

"Good morning, Commander. I take it the Captain has lined up more work for us?"

"As expected, Illya, we are to start collecting data on 3 and 4. I hope you guys were getting bored with waiting for the meeting to end."

"Right you are, boss." answers a young woman, metheorologist Catherine Renard. "Results from the probe sent to AC-3 are coming. It appears that planet has a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere. I reckon we'll be getting a new home before the wink of an eye."

"I hear you, sister. But we better not get our hopes up. Let's check what our computers have to say about the atmosphere's full composition."

The data starts to appear in the room's monitors.

HIGHER ATMOSPHERE:
Rare concentration of gases:
MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE:
High concentration of ionized particles:
NOTE: The 15% include an abnormal collection of artificially engineered gaseous substances, mainly clorofluorcarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitroxides.
LOWER ATMOSPHERE:
"Wow!" says Catherine "Almost looked like the elementary school science class back home."

"Settle down, let's wait for the data on AC-4 before calling Captain Shaw."

Lieutenant Ben Payton, terraformer, cryonics scientist and biologist aboard the Seeker 3000, is travelling by pod with two other crewmen to the second planet of the Alpha Centauri system. Ben knows his mission will probably fruitless, but he knows every possibility for the building of a colony must checked. It took him and his small crew six hours to travel from Seeker to AC-2, and they have made time flow better by chatting about the last of the two sporting events they held during their long interstellar voyage.

"...and Adams cinched it by 15 seconds. That guy is one hell of an endurance racer. A real surprise too, I wouldn't have given it to him before the race."

"That's great, Lars. But I'm afraid we'll have to cut this pow-wow short. Time to work, we're in orbit around AC-2."

Ben Payton and his assistants Lars Mendez and Lisa Balakov spend five hours scanning the planet's surface, atmosphere, bisophere and gravity. Unfortunately, their final is conclusion is that the planet is uninhabitable. Natural resources are scarce too.

Ben contacts Captain Jordan Shaw with the bad, although not unexpected, news.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. And sorry I had to waste your time like this. Your sister might have better news for us. I'm still waiting for her final report. Good journey on your way to Seeker. Shaw out."

Jordan Shaw is pleased nonetheless. After one year travelling through space, they have a new star system, just for them. And if the other worlds are inhabited, well, he wasn't going to give up on them that easily. Interrupting his thinking, Shaw turns to the computer.

"Jason, prepare to upload Lt. Payton's data on AC-2."

"Of course, Shaw. My will is your will. It looks like you found a new home, huh?"

"Yes, Jason. It's too bad you won't be able to enjoy it."

"It's been one year since I have been trapped in this computer, Shaw. Don't think you'll get rid of me that easily. I've followed you from death to Seeker*. I can follow you from Seeker to one of these planets. You can't hide from me."

(*) - see Marvel Premiere #41 (own-the-reprint-issue-Paulo)

"Boastful talk will get you nowhere, Jason. Merely your personality survived. Nothing more. You won't ruin this for me... for us."

Jason's head vanishes from the screen. The computer knows Shaw is wrong. He's had one year to plot and plan. Seeker 3000 is his for the taking. It's just a matter of time.

"Come in, Abdullah. Sit down."

"Thanks, Doc."

"What seems to be the problem."

"Y'know, lately I've been gettin' some weird headaches. And it seems, sometimes, when I'm walkin' 'round the ship, I kinda feel lost."

"Lost? What do you mean?" While talking, John Running Bear, ship's doctor and psychiatrist begins a physical examination of his patient.

"I feel like I don' belong here, like I'm s'pose t'be someplace else."

"Maybe you're feeling homesick, Abdullah. All of us miss Earth."

"That's the thing, Doc. I... I can't remember Earth. I mean... I got some memories, but most of my memories from back home are all muddy and jumbled. I can't focus on it."

"Mmm! While you were mentioning your memories from Earth, a strange pattern appeared on the EEG."

"Is it serious, Doc?"

"I'm not sure yet, Abdullah. It's somewhat odd, but I'll be able to give you an answer after I analyze this data. There have been some other people complaining about strange headaches. Maybe it's some sort of space-travel induced stress, but this is all new stuff for the medical library. This kind of trip was never done before, and none of us knew what could happen to the human body. I'll analyze the data from your exam and compare it with that of other people. Meanwhile, I want you to take these aspirins, and do some yoga meditation. And, most important, take a couple of days off."

"Thanks, Doc. Bye."

"Goodbye, Abdullah. Get well soon."

Dr. Running Bear turns to the computer screen and starts to work on the data.

"Jason, activate the ship-wide comm-link."

"Oui, mon capitan." Jason's voice has a sarcastic tone to it, as always. But after one year Jordan Shaw has learned to ignore it.

"Crew of the Seeker 3000." Shaw's voice can be heard in every corner of the ship. "Commander Valida Payton and her science team have completed the atmospherical tests of both Alpha Centauri 3 and Alpha Centauri 4. The two planets have an atmosphere capable of supporting human life." He stops for a moment.

"In virtue of that discovery, the ship will be moved to an intermediate point between the two planets. From there, we can study the geology and biosphere of the planets and determine if they are, in fact, inhabitable. Everyone is intitled a three-day leave. After that, we begin working in order to build a new world. That is all."

The comm-link is shut off. And Jordan Shaw turns to the other person that was with him on the room.

"Nothing can go wrong. We finally found the home we were seeking. And I'm sure the entire crew will fit right in. Don't you agree, Phaedra?"

~~ Of course, Jordan. It's what we've been ensuring in the last weeks, isn't it? ~~

Next month: What's in Alpha Centauri. Jason's plans take shape. And the cause of those headaches.

ICQ 3000

Welcome to the first MV1 story featuring the tales of the space vessel Seeker 3000. I decided to ignore the Seeker 3000 mini-series Marvel Comics published in mid-1998 (mainly because I didn't read it, eh eh eh). While I don't want to make them fighting aliens every weekend like the Marvel Universe cosmic characters, I don't think they'd be 25 years without finding anyone. Besides, they had too many crew members and materials prepared to the discovery and colonization of a new world and it would be a waste not to use it. So, here they are, with a new star system ready to take them as their new tenants. Or is it? So, write me and tell me what you thought of this story.


FC Navigation Console