Starship Legacy: A Novel by Not Elon Musk

…Continued. To view pages 1-11, please visit https://not-elon-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

PAGE 12!

The next morning found Ben already in the workshop, surrounded by rover parts and muttering calculations under his breath. He'd been there since before the Martian dawn, judging by the multiple empty cups of pseudo-coffee scattered across his workbench. The small exploration rover lay partially disassembled, its usual weather monitoring equipment replaced with ground-penetrating radar and structural analysis tools.

"You know," Luke said from the doorway, "I'm pretty sure I said 48 hours, not 12."

Ben barely looked up, his hands steady as he calibrated a sensor array. "Couldn't sleep. Besides, faster we get this done, faster we can start mapping that tube." He paused, finally glancing at Luke. "You should see what Sarah's been up to. She's already drawn up plans for three different underground greenhouse configurations."

Luke wasn't surprised. The discovery had energized the entire crew in a way he hadn't seen since their first successful harvest. Even Mark had been more talkative than usual, sharing theories about the tube's formation over dinner the night before.

"Speaking of Sarah," Luke said, moving further into the workshop, "she wants to know if we can configure the rover to collect soil samples. Something about mineral content analysis."

"Already ahead of her." Ben pointed to a small mechanical arm attached to the rover's frame. "Modified one of the spare maintenance waldoes. It can grab samples up to ten centimeters deep."

The rover itself looked almost comical now, bristling with additional sensors and equipment. But Luke knew better than to underestimate Ben's modifications. The man had a gift for making things work, even if they didn't look pretty doing it.

"How's the radiation shielding?" Luke asked, examining the rover's reinforced chassis.

"Triple-layered. This baby could probably survive another solar flare without breaking a sweat." Ben set down his tools, stretching his back with an audible crack. "Though I'm more worried about the signal strength once it's underground. We might need to set up relay points along the tube."

Luke nodded, making a mental note. They'd need to include that in the proposal to Houston. Speaking of which... "Mark's got the preliminary seismic report ready. Looks good - the tremors are staying consistent, all within expected parameters."

"Nice." Ben picked up his tools again, then hesitated. "Hey, you think..." He trailed off, unusually hesitant.

"Think what?"

"You think this could be it? The thing that makes this more than just a research station?" Ben wasn't looking at Luke now, his attention apparently focused on a circuit board. "I mean, with proper underground facilities, we could actually start talking about permanent settlement. Real settlement, not just rotating crews every few years."

The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. Luke thought about Sarah's greenhouse plans, about Mark's detailed mapping projects, about Ben's endless modifications and improvements. None of them had come to Mars just to plant a flag and leave footprints.

"Maybe," Luke said carefully. "But first, let's make sure that tube is as stable as we think it is."

Ben grinned, already back to his usual confident self. "Oh, it will be. Mars hasn't beaten us yet, has it?"