Starship Legacy: A Novel by Not Elon Musk

The brand new page 11 of the novel is below. To see the previous pages, please visit https://not-elon-newsletter.beehiiv.com/ 

PAGE 11:

Luke called a crew meeting in the common area. He wanted everyone on the same page about the lava tube discovery before they started any serious exploration plans. Sarah arrived first, followed by Mark who brought his tablet, already scrolling through the seismic data. Ben took up his usual spot leaning against the wall, unable to completely still his hands as he fiddled with a broken sensor housing.

"Alright, show them what you found," Luke nodded to Ben, who pulled up the holographic display of the underground formation.

Sarah leaned forward, her eyes widening. "That's bigger than anything we've mapped before."

"And deeper," Mark added, his usual reserve giving way to genuine interest. "The depth could provide significant radiation shielding."

"My thoughts exactly," Ben said, zooming in on a particularly stable-looking section. "We could set up permanent facilities down there. Maybe even grow food without worrying about solar flares frying everything."

Sarah's eyes lit up at that possibility, but Luke could see her mentally running calculations. "We'd need to test the structural integrity first. And the atmosphere composition inside."

"Already working on modifying one of the smaller rovers for initial surveys," Ben replied. "Should be able to send it in with minimal risk."

"And what about Houston?" Mark asked, looking at Luke. "They'll want detailed proposals before approving any exploration."

Luke crossed his arms, considering. "We document everything. Run every safety check twice. Give them a complete package that's hard to say no to." He paused, a slight smile crossing his face. "Besides, I have a feeling Musk will love this. Natural infrastructure is cost-effective infrastructure."

"Speaking of cost-effective," Ben interjected, "we could use those tremors to our advantage. They're probably caused by thermal expansion and contraction. If we monitor them carefully, we can map out the most stable sections without having to do extensive drilling."

The discussion continued, each of them contributing their expertise. Sarah talked about the potential for creating sealed agricultural chambers, her hands gesturing animatedly as she described how they could utilize the natural insulation. Mark pulled up thermal maps, overlaying them with the structural data to identify the most promising areas for initial exploration.

Luke let the conversation flow, watching his crew come alive with possibility. This was what they were meant for – not just surviving on Mars, but finding ways to truly inhabit it. The lava tube wasn't just a convenient hole in the ground; it was a glimpse of a future where their presence on Mars could be more than a precarious foothold.

The dust storm outside had begun to clear, sunlight filtering through the haze to cast long shadows across the common area. Luke thought about the early days of the mission, when every minor victory felt like a miracle. They'd come so far from those first uncertain steps on Martian soil, yet in many ways, they were still pioneers, still finding new frontiers even on this well-mapped planet.

"Alright," he said finally, bringing the excited discussion to a pause. "Let's do this right. Ben, I want that rover ready for preliminary surveys within 48 hours. Sarah, start working on environmental requirements for potential underground agriculture. Mark, keep monitoring those tremors – I want to know if anything changes. We've got one shot at making this proposal stick."

As the crew dispersed, energized by the new project, Luke lingered in the common area. He found himself looking at that old poster of Musk again, wondering if the man had ever imagined they'd be finding opportunities like this. Probably, he decided.