Starship Legacy: A Novel by Not Elon Musk

Chapter 26, Page 2

Luke spent the next several hours reviewing everything they'd found, methodically building the case they'd present to Houston. Sarah hadn't left the lab, her usual breaks forgotten as she ran test after test. Even Mark showed uncharacteristic animation, double-checking every reading from their expedition into the lava tube.

"Preliminary report's ready," Ben announced, looking up from his workstation. He'd been documenting the rover's performance, noting every modification they'd need for future explorations. "Though I still think we should mention the deeper tunnels we detected. That branching network could—"

"One bombshell at a time," Luke interrupted, though not unkindly. "Let's stick to what we can prove conclusively." He turned to Sarah. "How's the contamination analysis looking?"

"Clean," she replied, exhaustion evident in her voice despite her excitement. "I've run every test we have. These organic compounds aren't from Earth, and they're not from our equipment." She pulled up yet another data set on her tablet. "Grok's been helping me model the molecular degradation rates. The age estimates are... well, they're consistent."

"Consistently mind-blowing, if I may add," Grok chimed in. "Though I should note that my excitement is purely analytical, being an AI and all. Even if these findings do suggest that life might be more common in the universe than—"

"Thanks, Grok," Luke cut off the AI's philosophical tangent. "Let's focus on the report."

The main screen showed their draft, pages of careful documentation and analysis. They'd decided to lead with the geological findings – the lava tube's stability, its potential for expansion, the promising soil composition. The biological discoveries came later, presented with all the scientific rigor they could muster.

"Houston's going to want to know why we were running unauthorized explorations," Mark pointed out, ever practical.

"We followed standard geological survey protocols," Luke replied. "The biological markers were an unexpected finding during routine analysis." He managed a slight smile. "Besides, they can hardly complain about us being thorough in documenting a potential expansion site."

Ben snorted. "No, they'll be too busy booking the next flight to Mars." He glanced at the old poster of Musk, still hanging slightly crooked on the wall. "Think he'll wait for the official mission, or try to bump himself up the queue?"

Before anyone could answer, Sarah's tablet chimed with new results. She studied them for a moment, then looked up at Luke, her expression a mix of exhaustion and wonder.

"These last samples..." she started, then paused, collecting her thoughts. "The decay patterns suggest the biological activity might not be as ancient as we initially thought. Some of these compounds... they're remarkably well-preserved."

A heavy silence fell over the lab. They'd all been thinking it, but no one had dared voice the possibility. If the biological signatures were younger than they appeared...

"One bombshell at a time," Luke repeated firmly. "Let's stick to what we can prove. Mark, start the transmission to Houston. Highest priority channel." He looked around at his crew, pride mixing with the weight of responsibility. "Whatever we've found here, we're going to do this right."

The data began to flow, compressed packets of information that would reshape humanity's understanding of their place in the universe. Somewhere in his office on Earth, Elon Musk was about to have a very interesting day.