83: Tuesday, Taurus 10, 231. 0900 hours OST: Landing
The crews held their goodbye breakfast at 9 AM on the big day, Taurus 10. By the end of the day, they would be down on Mars. Berte had brought extra tables into Galley A. Everybody would have a place to sit.
Zach arrived on the dot with Charisse and baby Vrishika. Almost everyone was already seated. Mateo was the only other man. He was sitting next to Colby and baby Mina, talking and holding hands. Good for her, Zach thought. He'd been worried about Colby's reaction to Jason being missing on the eve of the landing.
"Zach, you're barely on time," said Colleen. "Where's your lovely wife-of-the-day Anming? It's unlike you to forget your dessert." This brought laughter from the crew. She was referring to their practice of him bending the "official" wife over the dining table at meals. Usually it wasn't done so publicly, but everybody knew about the practice.
There was a round of applause when Jason arrived, and cries of "You're late!" Everybody knew he'd undoubtedly had company last night. There was a buzz of conversation. Only one other of their crew was still missing.
Colby looked up from her sweet nothings with Mateo and beamed when Anming showed up a minute later, with her huge belly. She expected to be inconspicuous. What she got instead was a loud cheer from the women and cries of "You get it, girl!" She turned beet red, hid her face in her hands, and put her head down on the table. That was all anyone needed to confirm their suspicions. Clearly, Jason had spent the night between Anming's pale delicate legs. Everyone was buzzing about this. A few were poking Jason and asking pointed questions. Being a gentleman, he didn't confirm or deny anyone's suspicions.
"Now that everyone is here," Colleen said, looking at Jason pointedly, "Let's go over a few logistical things. Our six drones will undock within a minute of each other starting at 1240 hours. The mining crew is next, and will undock at 1257 hours. The colony crew, the rest of us, will undock at 1307 hours.
"This means that the mining crew must be strapped into their excursion vehicle no later than 1220 hours. The colony crew must be strapped in no later than 1230 hours. That includes babies swaddled in slings with neck braces on.
"Does every mom have her neck brace? Good. The g-forces should never exceed one Earth gravity. But that's two and a half times the weight we've been feeling for the last six months. And our babies have never experienced that. Plus, only a few are barely holding their heads up yet. That's why a properly adjusted neck brace is so very important. If you have any questions or concerns about the neck braces, see Berte after breakfast.
"Reentry will be quick. If everything goes according to plan, we will touch down at 1329. That's a twenty-two minute trip from undocking to touchdown. The mining crew will touch down at their base three minutes after us. Remember to adjust your watches, gentlemen. You'll be on Elysium time rather than Olympian."
Everything was packed into the excursion vehicle by noon. The colony crew began taking their seats shortly thereafter. Colleen, hugely pregnant, was in the pilot seat. Colby was next to her with baby Mina on her chest in a sling. Behind them were Berte and Khushi at the engineering panels. Ayana and Zach took up the third row. Alexis and Michaela were behind them. Then came Anming and Colette. Aanya and Charisse were in the back two seats.
The clock counted down as Colleen and Colby checked systems. The drones detached and headed down like clockwork. At T minus ten, the mining crew undocked. Then ten minutes later, in was their turn.
Reentry was fast and rough. It felt worse than reentering on Earth. The babies fussed a little, but were suckled to calm them.
Right at the peak of reentry, Anming cried, "Water leak! No, not water! Salty!"
"My cunt is exploding!" Alexis cried. "Oh motherfucker! It hurts! My water musta broke!"
Anming looked green and hyperventilated into her barf bag.
Alexis was one row behind Zach diagonally. She yelled, "Give me the special sauces! The gas! Anything!"
He looked back at her. "This should help with the pain. I'm afraid it's not very strong. We don't want to risk harming your child. Lay back, now." A robotic needle appeared at the neck of Alexis's chair and injected her.
"Oh! I'm crapping! I'm shitting everywhere! I don't want to get shit on my baby!" Alexis complained. "Oh motherfuck! N-nuh! Jerfuck? Cocknosel! Mothaffer cung sniggoocksmuntraingin! Shollshorenilk?"
Alexis continued to spout gibberish. Anming was holding it together, nauseous, breathing into her airsick bag. They were moments away from touchdown.
The gravity went back to normal. The vibration stilled. There was a bump as they landed and then stillness.
Colby left Mina with Colleen. She climbed down the ladder and put on her space suit.
Zach unbuckled and went to examine Alexis. Her vitals and those of her baby were strong. The drug had made her a bit dissociative, a common side effect. "Fucknuttit," she said to him lovingly. She would have to be more aware to disembark. He gave her an injection to clear her system of the first drug.
A moment later, Alexis asked him, "Who the fuck are you?!"
"I'm your doctor and the father of your child."
"Come closer so I can kill you!"
"We're going to unbuckle you and climb down a ladder in a few minutes."
"What the fuck do I have?!"
"You're giving birth, Alexis."
"I can't do this! I can't do this! I'm going the fuck home!"
"Calm down, Alexis. We'll be in the dome soon."
Colby went out through the airlock onto the dusty Martian surface. The dome was fifty feet away. There was a flexible tunnel attached to the side of the dome. She climbed aboard and drove it to mate with the excursion vehicle. She tested the seal as the corridor filled with air. It was a good seal with no leakage. She took off her helmet and tested the air with a sniff. "Good." She radioed Colleen, "The corridor is sealed to the hatch. I have my helmet off in the corridor. It's safe to disembark."
"Could you bring up the gurney, Colby?" Zach requested. He climbed down the ladder to the hatch. Alexis was positioned directly above him on the ladder and came down it as he came down. He lifted her and laid her down on the gurney. He gave her an injection for the pain.
"Dipenilk?" she said, and closed her eyes.
He rolled her into the voluminous dome airlock. The construction of the dome required only one of these doors to be open at any given time. He shut the door leading to the pressure corridor and the excursion vehicle. He opened the door leading into the dome.
There was a medical bay adjoining the airlock. Zach examined her as the others disembarked and carried in supplies. She had made a small BM. It was easily cleaned up. She was eight centimeters dilated. He felt the baby's head crowning the cervix.