R1+Group+6

The Destruction of Earth- A Story of Perseverance By Alex Velto, Billy Burdick-crow, and Jacob Kuo [|Click here for audio for short story]

"I am a failure!" The cry rang out from a young boy by the name of Colin Boone. As two older boys walked away laughing, the boy whimpered and ran to get some ice for his sore arm. Because he was running, he didn't notice the old man right in front of him until he ran straight into him. He was surprised when the old man didn't fall over.

Instead he said, "son, where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Ice for my arm," the boy mumbled.

"And why would you need that," the man asked.

"I hurt my arm wrestling the older boys," he replied.

"Now...don't tell me you are giving up that easily..." The old man said with a disappointed tone. The boy looked down at his feet, embarrassed and ashamed of himself.

"You're right...I am a wimp... and I will never be able to beat the other guys..." The young boy wanted to cry, but he knew that it would only make him look even more weak, so he held his tears. The old man put his hands on the young boy's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Don't say that, a person that has true strength never gives up. Now, let me tell you a story of a group of great explorers." The old man walked towards a white bench, "Come, come sit."

"Now, as you know, we are on Jupiter because of the Thousand-Year Purge. We had to cleanse Earth of all the terrible things. Unfortunately, humans had to go or be wiped out, so an exploration team of 8 men and 2 women went to find a new home for us. You weren't born yet, but it was an amazing adventure for them. They had a great amount of courage and perseverance."

"Can you tell me the story," Colin asked.

"Sure" the old man replied. "Here we go..."

"The year was 2362 and humanity had just discovered the existent of the ecological crises. The natural resources were almost gone and pollution was at an all time height. So ten of the best astronauts from all over the world gathered together to explore the possibility of moving to another planet. Their first choice was, of course Mars, being the closest and most commonly explored. This mission was lead by Major Oliver Jeod and Captain James Gankai. Jeod was a major from the Middle East who moved to America in 2351. Gankai was an Asian who adopted an English name for the trip. Now thi-"

"Aren't you Asian?" Colin asked.

"Yes," the old man replied, "but please don't interrupt. This story sounds best when it is told continuously." The boy fell silent. "Now this trip featured 8 privates from different countries. One was from Mexico, another from France, etc. The spaceship they used was called //Hope// and she was the best ship built in the time. 20 people could live in it easily, it was like a floating motel, but 10 were sent because the more people they send, the more conflicting ideas the crew would have. As it was, they had some rough times."

"What were they," Colin exclaimed, then shrank as the old man stared him down.

"Do you want to listen to the story or not?"

"I'll be quiet now," he simpered.

"Good," the old man continued, "Anyway, it was the day of lift-off, and thousands of people came from around the world to watch and almost every other person was watching on the television. //Hope// was powered by Antropotanium, which was found in a recent expedition to the Earth's core. Ironically, digging for this metal led to the ecological crisis escalating. When //Hope// blasted off there was a flash of the brightest light anyone had ever seen, then she shot off quickly gaining speed before finally escaping the atmosphere. She and the crew then changed course for their first objective, Mars."

"Once in orbit, the crew took some time to orbit earth while they got to know each other. The Major was a man who knew what he was doing and what his job was. He possessed great leadership skills, as well as being cool under pressure. Those traits are what landed him the job. The Captain was a medic, as well as a good leader. He probably had the most boring job on the ship. While the Major was busy organizing landing ideas and exploration tasks, the Captain had the little petty jobs such as keeping the ship on task and making sure the Major was organized. But he didn't resent it because he knew he was lucky to be on this ship. The 8 privates were an interesting bunch. The Flordan twins, Harold and Jarrod, were a great team together. Unfortunately, they were interested in being together only, and wouldn't pair with anyone else for exploration missions. Those two Canadians had an opposite personality compared to the two women on board. Sally Mort, from America, was willing to work with anyone and do anything. Belle Bertrand had the same attitude and the French woman got along well with everybody. The Mexican Jesus Martini was kinda loopy, always cracking jokes, but when he was thinking properly he was the best observer. The South African Sanbo Fariki was great with a trigger, and the crew really hoped he didn't need to use one. The pilot, Adam Lint, was part of the British Air Force. The last member of the crew was the Aussie, Sidney Jackson. He was a scientist, and could identify better than the rest if the planet was able to sustain life or not. These explorers had a wide variety of talents and were going to bring salvation to humanity."

"The trip started off well. With //Hope// powered by Antropotanium, it would take a month to get to Mars, so they had some time to get to know each other. The Major was serious but kind, and with Private Martini and Private Fariki's practical jokes the mood was light. No one smoked and everyone drank coffee, so it worked pretty well. However, everyone had their pet peeve. Private Bertrand was very soft spoken but if you mentioned her height she would blow you to pieces. A few of the privates were nappers, and waking them up too quickly wasn't a smart move, as the Captain soon found out. Other than that, things went well."

"But then, about a week before landing on Mars, things started going wrong. The whole crew was exhausted from planning their arrival at Mars, and checking for problems in the ship and fixing them. On the day before they reached Mars, Private H. Flordan and Private Fariki even got into an argument. Private Fariki was fixing a wire that had been disconnected and he asked Private Flordan to pass him a the pliers, but Private Flordan declined his request. The argument went something like this:

"Hey Harold, would you mind handing me the pliers beside you?" Private Fariki asked. Private Flordan responded quickly, annoyed.

"Can't you see I'm busy? Stop being selfish and get your lazy butt over there and get it yourself." Private Fariki wasn't a person that could stand impolite behaviors, and after hearing that rude reply, he charged toward Harold and grabbed his shirt.

"Look Harold, all I wanted was a little help, and you rejected me like I was a little buzzing fly that is irritating you. I've had enough of you ignoring other people and turning down their requests. Why can't you just cooperate with the rest of the crew?!" Harold snickered.

"Who would want to work with a person that only solves his problems with violence?" Anger raged around Sanbo and he pulled his fist back, ready to hit, but suddenly, a loud voice boomed behind them. It was Captain Gankai.

"Stop! Just what do you two think you are doing?! We are on a important mission here, and you guys are supposed to help each other, not getting into conflicts!" Sambo tried to argue,

"But he star-"

Captain Gankai interrupted immediately, "I don't care who started it! From now on, anyone who gets into an argument will be severely punished! Do you hear me?" Private Flordan, with an expression of resentment, murmured to himself.

"It's not like you helped." Unfortunately, the words were overheard by the captain.

"What did you say private? Flordan, you have been the one slacking off starting from the beginning of this expedition, and you do not have the right to tell anyone that he or she did not help. If I catch you one more time not wor-"

Suddenly, Belle Bertrand exclaimed, "Everyone look! We reached Mars!"

Donning their spacesuits they stepped into the compression chamber then finally out on the surface. Looking around they were less than impressed by the planet. Mountains, bolder, and plains spread as for as they could see everything covered by a powdery layer of red sand. All and all it was a wasteland.

“Why did we even bother coming here? It’s not like they haven’t explored the planet enough in the past 400 years” Privates Harold and Jarrod Flordan complained together. A general murmur of agreement swept though the gathered explorers. Sighing, Major Jeod answered the twins’s rhetorical question

“I don’t know but the scientists back on earth would not waste our limited time and fuel for nothing, besides it gives us some time to prepare the ship to go through the asteroid belt. Fariki, Jackson, and Martini take the rover and go search the area within 50 miles of here then report back. If you find anything strange mark it on the map, then move on. Don’t do anything to get yourself hurt so early in the journey. The rest of you follow me.” With that final order he turned back and marched to the ship."

Once the now the considerably smaller group arrived back at the ship they split up to complete various tasks. The Flordan twins after surprisingly little arguing went to go check on the engines and fuel tank, Private's Mort and Bertrand want inside to check electronics and supplies, and the Major, Captain, and Pilot retired to the bridge to plan the strategy on how to get through the asteroid belt.

Watching the rest of the group leave Fariki and Martini started setting up the rover while Jackson started testing the equipment. Once everything was up and running the three men looked at each other and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

The three privates started out. They saw dust and rocks and more dust and rocks. However, they did not see water or vegetation. After going 50 miles Private Jackson said “Well, that’s it. No chance of living here.”

“Dang,” said Private Martini, “this was our best shot. I bet tha- What the heck was that?!”

“What,” Private Jackson asked, while Private Fariki pulled out his gun. Private Martini promptly collapsed.

“He has a weak pulse. He needs a doctor,” said Private Fariki.

Together they hurried to the Rover and drove back to the ship, where the Captain was inspecting the hull. He took Private Martini past the startled faces of Major Jeod and Private Lint who were in the cockpit and led him to the infirmary. Without asking any questions, the Major sent the Flordan twins to go assist Captain Gankai in any way they could. Then he turned to the two privates and said, “What happened?”

“He looked at something and collapsed,” Private Jackson said, while Private Fariki nodded his head in agreement.

“Private Bertrand, go with Jackson and Fariki to explore another part of this planet,” the Major barked, but before he could give another order Private Jackson interrupted.

“Umm, sir. That won’t be necessary. Mars is un-inhabitable,” he added glumly.

“Are you sure,” the Major asked?

“Positive”

“Ok, new plan. We leave Mars when Jesus wakes up, or at this time tomorrow. Our next stop- Asteroid belt, then Jupiter.”

The crew would get to the asteroid belt in about a week from departure, and then go from there to Jupiter. As of day three, the crew was still in a silent state of shock. Private Martini's life seemed uncertain- at times, he would be sleeping peacefully, at other he would be having violent seizures. Two shifts were put on to keep watch over him. Private Harold Flordan and Captain James Gankai was the first shift, Private Jarrod Flordan and Private Sally Mort was the second. Besides the strange reactions of Jesus, Captain Gankai was also worried about another thing. When not on shift, Jarrod and Sally could be seen whispering ominously, and Sally seemed to be distancing herself from Private Bertrand. The Flordan brothers were starting to ignore everyone else and slack of from their work again. Everytime Captain Gankai or Major Jeod reminds them to go back to work, they would show a resentful expression and walk away muttering words. One time during midnight, when Captain Gankai was going to the bathroom, he heard the voices of the Flordan brothers and Sally, discussing on some important matters, according to their tones. The Flordan brothers gathering at night could only mean one thing, trouble. Knowing that something was going to go wrong, Captain Gankai quickly went to Major Jeod and reported this issue. They both agreed that from now on, not only they will keep an eye on Jesus, they will also keep an eye on the Flordan brothers...and Sally.

On the fifth day, or five days after the Mars incident, Private Martini woke up, but couldn't understand anyone or recognize anyone. He would mutter gibberish all day long. He tried to get out of his room once and kill a passing Adam Lint. Luckily, Private Fariki saw the conflict and came to help at once. After that unexpected event, both shifts were armed.

Finally, after seven days, the crew reached the asteroid belt. It was a welcome sight, until an asteroid started heading straight for the ship. Quick maneuvering by Private Lint saved the ship, but it was damaged. Aroused by the tossing and turning, Private Mort and Private J Flordan left their post and came to the cockpit. Then silence hit the ship. Then into view came another asteroid. Again, it seemed like sudden death, but Adam Lint steered away from danger. The cockpit becomes silent again- too silent. All of a sudden, Captain Gankai realizes what sound was missing. He races to the infirmary to find Jesus Martini on the floor, with his vitals streamlined. He turns when the Major enters the room.

"Private Jesus Martini is dead."

Checking the vitals himself the Major sighs “Quarantine his body; we still don’t know what happened. I’ll go inform the crew.” The news was met by chaos. While most of the crew excused themselves to grieve in private, after all you don’t live in a ship for weeks without getting fairly close, both Harold and Jarrod were quite vocal in their opinion that this was a suicide mission and that they should turn back and try to get to Earth. However despite their status as lead mechanics their ideas were quickly shot down, with the general consensus being that going back through the asteroid belt without repairs was impossible. This disagreement leads to a number of arguments between the two brothers and the Major. The last one ended with the brothers being stripped of their duties and sent to their rooms.

“Who does he think he is sending us to our rooms like a pair of trouble making kids” complained Jarrod.

“I know, I think it’s about time we took over this little expedition” whispered Harold back.

“But I thought that we were going to wait until we found something to claim it for ourselves”

“We were, but there is no point of getting killed over it. We will get enough glory being the only survivors.”

“Aright let’s go”

Little did they know that there room has listening devices in them and that their conversation was currently being blared in the bridge. As soon as the two mutineers got to the bridge they were immediately hit by no less than three tasers each. However, one of the bothers managed to get a shot off and hit Belle in the chest. While the rest of the crew secured to traitors the captain worked hard to stabilize Belle.

While the others dealt with the Flordan brothers, the Major quickly rushed beside the captain, "Will she be okay?"

The Captain looks up, depressed, "I can save her, but she would not be able to do anything for the rest of the trip. The important thing is that she will live, and I need your help to bring her to the medical room, where I can preform a surgery."

They were getting closer to Jupiter, but no one was prepared due to the unexpected issues. Belle was able stay awake, but she could not do anything else. The Flordan brothers were tied up in a room, where the Captain assigned shifts to guard them. Sally Mort, one of the guards, went into the room when Private Fariki was going to the bathroom. "Guys, why did you have to shoot Belle? Even though this mission will fail, doesn't mean that we have to use force." Harold looked up, raged,

"This mission is a sucidal mission, if we do not take over, all of us will die!"

Sally looked down, pondering upon herself, then walked out slowly. She met Fariki outside. "What were you doing Sally?"

She replied hastily, "Oh! I was just checking on them, making sure everything was alright."

"Well, we don't need anyone else shot. Belle already has a collapsed lung."

"Are you saying I am endangering myself?"

"Not at all," he replied neutrally. "I am off my shift now-Private Jackson will take over in five minutes. Until then, you are on your own here." Private Fariki walked off.

Private Mort turned back to the brothers and said,"Guys, listen. I agree with you that this is a suicide misson. However, I don't approve of shooting people. So sometime I will break you out so we can go back to Earth, but without killing anyone. Understood?" The brothers nodded. "Good." she added, then turned back to wait for Private Jackson."

The days went on, and then they finally came within landing on Jupiter. With half a day to go before landing, tensions started to rise. Then, late in the afternoon, Private Mort snapped. She got into a major argument with Private Lint. She was only stopped when the Major told her to go on her guard watch. She stayed on watch for two hours, then when the Captain left his shift, she freed the brothers. Arming them, she said "These guys are idiots- the sooner we take over, the better."

"Agreed," said the brothers.

They started to creep towards the cabin, when suddenly they saw the major coming to take his shift. Private Mort quickly hid. However, the brothers had other ideas. They waited until Major Jeod saw them, and then shot in unison. The Major shot too. Then, two people hit the floor. Jarrod Flordan had been hit in the shin by the Major's shot. The Major hit the ground and never got up. The two brothers and Sally moved forward slower now, because of Jarod's injury. Then they heard footsteps come running. The Captain had been treating Belle when he heard shots. He and Belle came running in. The brothers advanced on the Captain while Belle took a leap at Sally. Guns forgotten, they wrestled on the floor. The Captain decided to push the alarm, but before he did that he got hit in the right arm by Jarrod. Harold shot at the alarm to disable it and missed. He tried again, but it was blocked by the Captain's hand. He was hurt, but managed to push the button. Now more people started to flow in. With the women still rolling on the ground fighting, the brothers moved forward, than suddenly retreated. Private Fariki had come with a machine gun. Setting up, he sends in a volley of shots that kills Harold. He falls to the floor with ten bullet holes in him. Jarrod Flordan retreats as fast as he can. The Captain shoots Sally Mort in the head before moving to get Jarrod. He pulls his gun out and dashes to Jarrod. He is in shock with what he sees. Jarrod has the Major by the neck, his head facing away from the Captain.

"If you shoot me, I will kill Major Jeod."

"What do you want, Flordan?"

His response was drowned out by machine gun fire. Looking over his shoulder, Captain Gankai saw Private Fariki with his machine gun set up. Looking back at Private Flordan, he saw the Major with several bullet holes in his back the Private with several bullet holes in his front. Turning to Sanbo he said "Why did you do that?"

"The Major was already dead"

"How did you figure that out?"

"Easy- we never saw him come past us, so he must have beaten us here. And judging on the fact that the three mutineers weren't dead, I figured he was dead"

"So this was a hunch?"

Silence... then, "Why don't you check the front of his body for marks?"

The Captain went over and sure enough there was a bullet hole in his heart. "Dead," the Captain said. "I have been saying that way too much."

They went back to where the others were. Private Jackson was examining Belle, and when he looked up his eyes were full on sorrow.

"How did she die," the Captain asked without prompting.

"Her collapsed lung meant that her breathing was bad. Coupled with the fact that she was doing hard work and that Private Mort's larger body was covering her face, she couldn't get enough oxygen. We have been doing CPR to no avail."

Everyone stood around in silence until Adam Lint's voice rang across the speakers. "Attention, everybody. We have reached the edge of Jupiter. We now are going to delve inside the gas, where we have no idea what is in store for us."

"Ok guys," said Captain Gankai, "Now I am in charge. Lets get ready to decend."

"What abou-"

"Ok- I know the rest of the story," said Colin Boone, interrupting again.

"Oh, do you," replied the old man.

"Yes- The surviving crew got through the gas, and found that Jupiter was a planet similar to Earth inside the gas. You radioed Earth and told them to come. We have been here ever since."

"Correct- now do you know why I told you this story?"

"No."

"Perseverance. Go out there and try to beat those guys again. Try and try again."

"Oh... I will." Colin added, "Did you know my grandpa was the pilot for the expedition? My mom was just a kid when he left."

The old man chuckled, "Yes I do know. And speak of the devil, isn't that him right there?"

"Yes it is. Hey Grandpa," Colin ran off yelling.

"Hey Colin. Hi there Captain. Been talking to my grandson?"

"Yes sir. Told him the expedition story," the old man replied.

"Ah. Did you like it," he asked Colin.

"Yes. It is a little different than yours though."

"Well that's because we were in different places. I was in the cockpit, he was second in command."

"What do you mean, second in command?"

The elder Adam Lint looked at the old man quizzically and asked, "You didn't tell him?"

Colin asked, "Tell me what?"

The old man rose slowly and said, "Colin, it was an honor talking to you. I am Captain James Gankai."