Unification

Iteration 1: Incarnadine Twilight

"Yes commander, I am always here," responded the hologram, "You know I'm always here."

"I know, but it helps me see you as a part of the crew when I treat you like a part of the crew."

"I see." The hologram paused. "I will remember that next time. What can I do for you, sir?"

"I need you to record the following message, Ani."

"Ready, sir."

"Ares Prospect-1, this is Commander Jonas Salk of the ISC Marathon. We have been sent by the International Space Committee in response to your last transmission to Earth. We have come to assess any damages that may have occurred and assist in any way we can. Do you read? Over." Jonas leaned back in his chair, hand on his chin as if he was composing a sonnet. "Good enough, I guess."

"Well it's not like you're making a commencement speech at M.I.T., commander," Ani said cheerfully.

"Fair point. Transmit that to Ares Prospect on a repeating cycle every fifteen minutes. Keep all channels open, short, and long waves for any possible responses. I don't want to miss even a peep from the base if someone down there tries to get a hold of us."

"Got it, sir. Ani out." With a blink, the purple figure vanished from the commander's screen, leaving him with the cold, dark, ebon sea of space, with the infamous red orb of Mars in the distance.

☍

Marathon settled into its projected orbit with ease, guided by the expertise of its crew and the precision of Ani's calculations. Below, the rust-colored planet spun on its axis as mild dust storms, several kilometers in diameter swirled across the barren landscape with very little to impede it. For centuries, Mars had been seen as a bland, dead world, but early into the 21st century, various space missions revealed that the martian surface was far more colorful and dynamic than anyone could have ever imagined. It was not red all over, but merely a thin veneer hiding a landscape that was even more mysterious than anyone could have imagined. The images sent back to Earth reignited and reinvigorated the idea that life, even complex life, could be elsewhere in the Universe.

It would not be until July 16th, 2031 when a shocking discovery would be made by the martian rover, Jhana while exploring the Ares Vallis, first visited by Pathfinder in 1996. Jhana was one of the largest rovers ever created, weighing in at nearly two metric tons. This tonnage would lead to the greatest accidental scientific discovery in history. Three months into its mission, the massive rover hit a snag on one of its all-terrain wheels. As it attempted to free itself, the ground collapsed into a massive sinkhole. For several tense days, no signal could be received from the missing rover. After eight days of waiting, the rover's communications sprang back to life, and the images it sent back froze the world. Spread across the screens of the International Space Committee was an enormous cavern which was estimated to be well over 210,000 square meters. Jhana itself fell from a height of nearly half a kilometer, which temporarily knocked its power offline.

When its backups finally came online, Jhana was greeted by an enormous obelisk-like structure in the center of the cavern. While the drop had damaged Jhana's wheels beyond repair, its other instruments remained relatively unharmed. Using its laser-precise measurements, the scientists back on Earth concluded that the structure was approximately 50 meters across and reached high into the ceiling above, where it became embedded among the stalactites. Some scientists even believed that the structure may even go further into the bedrock below, but had no means to explore such an idea. What they were able to explore was the surface of the obelisk, which at first glance appeared smooth and reflective, which drew similarities to obsidian, but when the artifact was viewed under ultraviolet and infrared, strange markings and patterns appeared, some even swirled to and fro as if they were active in some manner. Further readings concluded that the object was also vibrating at an extremely high frequency, and yet was barely noticeable, even by the most sensitive of detectors.