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A Green Planet [PAN2014]

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posted on Sep, 2 2014 @ 07:55 PM
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A Green Planet


August 20, 2032
(AP) The European Space Agency, in conjunction with NASA has joined forces to finally make a manned mission to the Red Planet, Mars. (Source NASA Press Relations Package, August 20th, 2032)

July 13, 2036
(AP) Local authorities are on high alert after a terrorist attempt was made at the launch site of the joint manned mission. The group, called Green Faust, claimed that travel anywhere would pollute other planets similar to Earth.

November 3, 2037
The mission started without a single flaw. Two previous launches filled with automated systems had successfully landed at the North Pole of Mars and the automated life-support systems were working perfectly. The gardens, the plants mining water, were all working well and as advertised. The capsule containing the crew was unique in space exploration. It contained 10 women. The capsule also contained thousands of fertilized eggs ready for implantation, making a ready-made crew and population for the site which was planned to be a long-term multi-generational project. While suspended animation was still something only found in science fiction novels, the long-term sleep treatments were working well and the crew, just 3 weeks out from Mars, were coming awake and getting ready for their mission to start.

November 5, 2037
Captain Jessica Miko was getting settled and was busy downloading all the messages that were waiting for them. Oddly, there was no current communications with Earth at the moment, but there was no real concern. Diagnostics were being used to check the antennae and to determine where the problem might lie. The last transmission was July 7, 2037 at 0030 GMT.
While waiting for the crew to report back with their findings, she decided to start at the beginning and run through all the messages from start to the last one.

The first message was just 24 hours after the crew started their long sleep. It was a routine report from Mission Control. It ended with snippets of news items from around the globe. Apparently, Green Faust, was busy with their claims that the mission was going to infect other planets and destroy the solar system. Their claims had been getting extreme even prior to the launch, security had been extreme. But even the claims then paled with what they were threatening now. They stated that unless the ship turned around (not very likely!) they would unleash a virus that would restore the planet to its state before the arrival of mankind.

The next message was date stamped 72 hours later. All systems were nominal, and nothing to report. Flooding in parts of Europe were going to hurt agricultural output but even that was being reported as something that wasn’t going to cause major concern, not with the global markets running at an all-time high and no major wars anywhere on the globe. Peace had finally come to planet Earth and the population was taking full benefit from it.

The next few messages were all routine. Nothing new to report, nothing wrong with their telemetry, nothing wrong anywhere. The system, the planet, the ship; all were functioning at nominal conditions.

It was the messages that came later that were disturbing. Apparently Green Faust was still at it. They claimed that they had released an engineered prion that would return the Earth back to where it belonged. Earth scientists could find no evidence of this but were concerned with outbreaks of low-grade flu-like symptoms around the globe. These outbreaks followed no pattern that would normally occur with seasonal flus.

The next few messages were more of the same. While the system was fine, it seemed that Earth was suffering from an odd type of flu. No deaths were reported from this, but the symptoms were odd.
Green Faust had stopped any and all communications.

Captain Miko paused the recording.

She notified the ship crew (they were all doctors) and together sat in the main lounge to view the remaining recordings.

It was the symptoms of the flu that were baffling scientists. None of the symptoms damaged any patient vitals, but they were seeing a cellular change at a genetic level. The first true patient was the first to fall and terrify the entire planet.

His name was Janick Breslov. He had been a power-plant operator in Poland. After weeks of feeling poorly, Janick decided to take a walk in a park by his home. Halfway through his walk he thought to lie down and enjoy the sun for a while. While he was supine in the soft grass, tiny shoots emerged painlessly from his body and sank into the soft soil. In a matter of minutes, Janick was a part of the planet in a way that no-one had ever been before. His circulatory system, his nervous system was linked to the soil in the park. Any and every attempt to get him free caused extreme agony and convulsions. It was determined that a research tent be erected at the park so studies could be conducted in situ.

But it was too late. Even some of the researchers and technicians who were studying Janick fell the same way he did. It was just a few cases that soon became a world-wide event. There was no pain, there wasn’t even any death, as far as the remaining scientists could tell. It was just a change in mental states and a deep physiological change that was dropping people like flies.

The last, the final transmission from Mission Control was from a single tech. He was stating that he was the last, and that he was going to go outside, find a nice patch of lawn and take a nap. He wanted to wish the crew well. The camera remained rolling as he stood up, and walked slowly towards the exit that would take him outside.

The ten women looked at each other in stunned silence. The horror that they had just witnessed was sinking in. They were the last of mankind. They were the last hope of mankind.

It was time to get to work.



posted on Sep, 2 2014 @ 10:00 PM
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Why did I envision plague ridden rabbits and a very sympathetic Obama making a public statement before reading your story???

Loved the ending!
Still working on mine, at the rate I'm going I should finish after ISIL false flags the US but way before Russia nukes Kiev in a shale gas land grab.

Ttyl8r, AB
edit on 9/2/2014 by AnteBellum because: spellin'



posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 06:22 AM
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a reply to: AnteBellum

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

Looking forward to reading your submission.




posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 09:33 AM
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a reply to: beezzer

Nicely done, reminds me a bit of Resident Evil (the movies).

You have a star and flag from me mate.



posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 09:39 AM
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a reply to: swanne

Thank you!

I wanted to do something different, I hope I succeeded.



posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 07:14 PM
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a reply to: beezzer

Great read! Really unique and creative pathogen and a page-turner. Loved the "Green Faust"



posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 07:50 PM
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a reply to: argentus

Thanks for reading it!

It was fun and a little different. Glad you liked it!




posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 08:05 PM
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a reply to: beezzer
Great story!
So - in the end - did the bunnies get to eat the humans?
If so - did the humans mind?



posted on Sep, 3 2014 @ 08:27 PM
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a reply to: WanDash

The bunnies were the reigning masters of the Earth, of course!

Thanks for reading it!



posted on Sep, 4 2014 @ 10:46 PM
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Well done Bez... Reminded me of a scene from avatar only without the floaty thingy thangs



posted on Sep, 5 2014 @ 05:34 AM
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a reply to: 727Sky

Thanks!

Thank you for reading it.



posted on Sep, 5 2014 @ 07:06 AM
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a reply to: beezzer

Urgh, that came from a fiendish mind! Solitude, metamorphosis, abandonment - all the ingredients for a brilliant story.
That was superb, loved it.



posted on Sep, 5 2014 @ 07:15 AM
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a reply to: beezzer

that was pretty good....nice S&F

although deep down i always knew you were a bad rabbit




posted on Sep, 5 2014 @ 08:32 AM
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a reply to: beansidhe

Thank you for reading it.

Glad you liked it.



posted on Sep, 5 2014 @ 08:33 AM
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a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

I am a bad bunny. lolz

Thanks for taking the time.




posted on Sep, 7 2014 @ 09:22 AM
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a reply to: beezzer

Great Job Beezzer!!!
A Very Good PandemiTale!!!

I loved It!!!



posted on Sep, 7 2014 @ 09:59 AM
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a reply to: SyxPak

Thank you for taking the time to read it!

I appreciate that.



posted on Sep, 7 2014 @ 05:23 PM
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Well done ! I enjoyed the plot and "disease" that makes us a rabbit food
Made me wonder if there was still brains in work or was this new age of vegetable state of minds... Loved it !



posted on Sep, 7 2014 @ 06:10 PM
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a reply to: dollukka

Thank you.


Glad you liked it.




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