Mission to Pluto by Ivan Espino
It’s been twelve years since the colonization of Mars by the United States, and yet, the Americans are still curios about what lies beyond. Five space cruisers were sent, three destroyed before reaching the planets surface, one missing. The only surviving cruiser, the S.C. Arbiter, touched down on Pluto's surface November 16, 2158. Commander West along with 15 other men and women were the first humans to walk on Pluto's surface. Their objective was simple, bring back sample of the planets surface. Stepping out of the shuttle, Commander West soon learned that it wasn't going to be as easy as they thought.
November 16, 2158. It seems as though a snow storm had hit Pluto before they landed, but as the computers on the cruiser show, that's how the planet always has been. "It looks like we miss calculated the planets climate" said the lead engineer of the crew. "Grab a thermal pack and shovel and start digging, the sooner we get our samples the sooner we can leave" said Commander West. The only thing keeping them alive at this point was the standard issue environmental suite and the thermal energy packs which plugged into their suites and provided sufficient heat. The plan was for them to stay three days on Pluto, but the icy surface made the crew’s job almost impossible.
November 17, 2158. Two crew members die due to faulty equipment. A whole day of digging produced zero results since the surface was covered by many layers of ice. "It’s time to bring out the big guns" said Commander West. He gave each of the crew a plasma cutter, which is primarily used back on Mars for mining. The plasma cutter seemed to be making the job much easier. Commander West estimated that it would take about one more day of digging before they could go back home. Suddenly, as West was going into the cruiser to radio the Mars base on their progress, a loud crack was heard in the distance. As West turned to see what had happened, he witnessed a portion of his crew just fall into the ice, as if the floor collapsed under them. The crack in the ground seemed to continue towards the cruiser. In an instant West and his remaining crew found themselves falling in the dark abyss.
November 19. 2158. As Commander West opened his eyes, all he could see was a tiny speck. He instantly realized what had happened. West turned his flash light to check how much energy his thermal pack had left. He found that the timer on the thermal pack was cracked but it was still warm, meaning he had about two or three hours left. If he doesn't find a way to the surface soon he will freeze to death. He noticed a pile on the floor and went to investigate it, despite the fact that his thermal energy was depleting at a rapid pace. A gloved hand was sticking out of the ice block. He knew that the hand could only belong to one of his crew that fell with him. "There thermal packs must have broken on impact" west thought to himself. Why his didn't was still a mystery. West took a look around and noticed a tunnel. "I guess that's the only way I'll get out of here" he thought.
West ran through the tunnel trying to find a way up to the surface. He checked his thermal pack and noticed it had some ice forming on it. That was not a good sign, he has less time then he originally thought. West started running faster. He didn't care about slipping and falling, the only thing on his mid was to escape. He felt his body getting colder and weaker. He ran even faster. The tunnel started looking as if it was going down hill. Before he had a chance to slow down he slipped and slid all the way down an icy hill. West finally stopped, his body was shivering now. He landed in a large chamber. Light seemed to be coming through the ceiling. "Thin ice," West said out loud. He was desperate to get out of the underground. He felt that death was the only other option, "They'll send more people, they'll know what happened to my crew" he said. He struggled to open his eyes. One last look was all he wanted. As he took a glance at his final resting place he noticed a climbable pile of snow that reached to the ceiling. An idea popped into his head. He stood up, took a breath, and walked all the way to the snow pile. He climbed to the top, unplugged his thermal pack, and wedged it in-between the ceiling and the snow. He pulled out his plasma cutter and aimed at the thermal pack from a distance. One shot was all he needed to escape. He pulled the trigger, released it and watched, as if it was happening in slow motion. The plasma energy traveled across the chamber and struck the thermal pack. West took cover in an instant.
A large explosion caused the ceiling to collapse, which is what West was hoping for. Sharp fragments of ice hit the floor. West, still in cover from the ice was waiting for the right moment to escape. A long silence signaled West to climb out. The large chunks of ice created a perfect climbing spot. West used the last bit of strength he had left to climb out. He looked around once he reached the surface, the cruiser, less than a hundred feet away. He made a run for it, every step he took felt like a punch in the chest. He collapsed the cruiser just less than ten feet away he found himself crawling to the ship. "Made it," he said, "nothing left now but to plug in another thermal pack and leave.” He felt his body warming with the new thermal pack. Without hesitation he set the ship on a direct course home. The Pluto mission was a complete failure, but with the information he managed to retrieve, he knew it wouldn't be long before he had to return with a fresh crew.