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Episode summary:
"Mr.Tibbs has an assignment on the first Manned Mission to Mars - apparently a crew
member blows his brains out on live Television in front of millions - and he
should never have died! The Time-Line is under threat and Jericho is under
pressure to find answers, but discovers that this Mission to Mars hides a truly shocking secret."
Episode may contain the following warnings:
“All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Author’s notes about this episode:
[1]
This episode is COMPLETED but currently unpublished.
[2]
Contains strong language and mild horror references including a reference to
suicide.
[3]
The original Title for this episode was: ‘MADNESS AND MARS.’
[4]
A ‘Jericho Tibbs’ original story.
[5] "13.25 or FLIGHT OF THE GOLDEN HEART.” This episode, was conceived and written by the author. Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen Williams. Please, no reproduction of any part without written permission. The episodes illustration is an original drawing created by the author. It is copyright ©2011 - 2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without written permission.
[6] This episode is part of a ‘Space Trilogy’ by the author with the central character: ‘Katherine Carlisle’. The other episodes are 'Time Trap' and 'City without a sky.'
[7] There is NO Alexandra adult extended version currently available.
Concept
date: 26th September 2018
First
published: Unavailable
Status: COMPLETED BUT UNPUBLISHED.
Location: BOOK SERIES 0 – EPISODE 0.
Revisions: 5 [last revised March
2020]
Version: Final Draft?
Published Episode No. 00
Previous
episode: NONE.
Next
episode: NONE.
Age
recommendation: 12+
Average
reading time: Approximately 60 Minutes.
Angel-in-charge: Francis
Team Assigned: Team 74
Mission: 0 - 417511 - 9 - 2032
Human years:
Episode preview:
"13.35 or THE FLIGHT OF THE GOLDEN HEART."
1. DYING IN FRONT OF THE WORLD.
James ‘Joker’ Hookman stared through the screen at the darkness, realising that he and crew of the ‘Golden Heart’ were some six months into deep space, but only six weeks from Mars. He glanced across at Commander Carlisle and watched as she checked instruments and softly sang some old tune from the late 20th Century – she had an enormous collection of such songs – unfortunately for some of the crew; who couldn’t stand them!
“Don’t forget your doing the ‘Junior Space Cadets’ talk this evening.” Katherine Carlisle smiled at ‘Joker’ and then grinned as she watched the expression of horror flood across his face. “Don’t pull a face like that! – Its fun telling eight to ten years old about space - the ‘Golden Heart’ and Mars, and don’t forget its part of your duties.” The Commander tapped him gently on the shoulder and floated out of her seat and headed for the ship’s Communications suite.
The ‘Golden Heart’s’ Deputy Commander and Chief Geologist; Paul Hellmann, was conducting a live press conference in a few minutes and Kath was also in the seat.
Paul Hellmann was already in the video suite, shuffling pieces of paper and moving props about. He placed the small revolver under a bright red file and stared blankly at the camera that stood before him. “Shit, fucking shit, the bastards can suck this up.” He said quietly and grinned, a couple of small tears fell down his face and he brushed them aside; “Nearly there.” He whispered and watched on the small security screen as Commander Carlisle approached the video suite.
Joker folded his arms and looked about the bridge; he loved flying this baby but the ‘extra’ duties, like little chats with a large bunch of excited kids via uplink, certainly put a hole in his day. He turned and watched ‘Charlie’ – Charlotte – Zascacova glide onto the bridge, coffee bag in hand and sipping it through a straw, she laughed gently; “That face tells me you pulled the Space Cadets chat this evening.”
Joker shrugged his shoulders in surrender and Charlie dropped into the primary Pilots seat, still smiling; "Switch on the live feed for Paul Please.” Joker flicked a couple of switches on the Com’s panel and watched the ‘Live-Uplink’ light go green - on the small screen above the internal pressure switches, Paul and Commander Carlisle appeared, facing the camera with smiles and Charlie spoke quietly into the intercom; “Uplink is live and ready for your signal to broadcast Commander.”
The Commander nodded and the broadcast started with the pair discussing the geological periods of Mars history and what the team hope to discover from the various rock formations. Then, rather oddly, Paul the Geologist changed the chat; he suddenly started to discuss how much the expedition and colonisation mission was costing the taxpayer. Both Charlie and Joker saw the puzzled expression on the Commanders face at the change of conversation.
The Paul spoke to the camera directly; “Don’t you fuckwits realise that you’re being suckered – it’s all about the fucking money - your money. They think they have me on a string, but fuck them.”
The look on the Commanders face was priceless and both Joker and Charlie chuckled, a little from embarrassment for their crew mate, then they stopped laughing as Paul produced a small revolver from the red file and calmly placed the barrel just behind his left ear. He looked directly into the camera again and said quietly; "It's all bollocks – total bollocks, you are just fucking slaves in a cage you made for yourselves and those bastards are laughing, filling their pockets watching you die slowly with nothing." Then he shouted; "Fucking thirteen twenty five you morons! See for yourself!"
As the Commander staggered from her chair in shock and surprise, Paul fired; sending skull pieces and small lumps of brain across the room, some splashing on the camera lens, others simply floated around the room causing bright red streaks which resembled ribbons, fluttering in a gentle breeze. His body fell backwards off the chair and floated just above the silver floor. A puddle of blood was forming around the body like a red misty shroud. There was total silence in the communications suite and bridge for a few seconds; then all hell broke loose.
Apparently over 200 Million people had been logged into the press conference and they had all just witnessed the suicide of Paul Hellmann – live from the ‘Golden Heart’ space craft - just some six weeks away from Mars. The uplink was cut immediately and the crew rushed to the communications suite, finding the Commander outside the door, wiping tears away from her shocked white face.
Everyone was talking and some were crying, as the six surviving members of the ‘Golden Heart’ slowly made their way into the suite and stood in silence over the body of Paul Hellmann. The word being repeated over and over again was: Why?
2. GHOST IN THE MACHINE.
They managed to wrap the body in plastic sheeting and once sealed, Frederick
Kellerman [the systems engineer] and Charlie pushed the body towards the small
morgue, located at the rear of the craft. Commander Taylor had the
communications suite sealed off, so that blood globules and body matter pieces,
didn’t contaminate the venting systems.
That night in the mess, there was almost silence for the length of the meal
until Abe Randleman [the Science Officer] quietly placed his coffee upon the
table and stood up saying; “I know you don’t what to hear this, but Paul
repeatedly said there was something fucking odd about this mission. He really
couldn’t understand why the operating crew was placed in Status [hibernation]
for lift-off and the first few days of the mission. Why did Earth Control turn
down every request for space walk exercises? What the hell did he mean about
the money?” Abe pushed a hand through his thick, dark curly hair and slouched
back in his chair.
Joker wiped his face with both hands and sighed; “Paul had a thing about the
expense of this mission, he repeatedly told me that the figures didn’t add up
and someone was on the fiddle. Then he suddenly shut up and never commented
about the money – not even when asked. I know he had debts from his wife’s
failed business and they were struggling, he even talked about taking his two girls
out of that posh school they attended. Then again; suddenly he never mentioned
it any more, now that does seem strange don’t you think?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, you can’t spend months together on such a craft
as the ‘Golden Heart’ and not know everybody’s problems. Freddie leaned forward
over the table and gently pushed his coffee bag to one side, keeping a light
grip upon it. “He told me a really crazy story about the sleepers [the
colonists in hibernation for the journey to Mars] Paul told me that one had
been swapped over.”
Commander Taylor nodded her agreement and added; “He told me that one pod kept
displaying warning signals about the health of the occupant. But EMC [Earth
Medical Control] had brushed his fears aside. Then one morning, after several
days of no warnings, he checked the pod and would have sworn on his children’s
lives, that someone different was inside – they both looked similar apparently,
but Paul was convinced that the Sleeper had been swapped.”
The group lapsed into silence and the meal was over.
Charlie pushed from her chair and made her way to her cabin without saying a
word to the others. As she settled back on her bunk, pulling the soft straps
across her chest and thighs, she suddenly realised Paul Hellmann was sitting
at her small desk staring at her. He smiled: "I can only trust you and
Joker. Maybe one of the sleepers, but you must understand that this mission has
very little to do with Mars - it's about money; shitloads of money!"
Charlie lay in silence, she could hear her own heart beating and she breathed
deep several times, before whispering; "You can't be sitting there; Fred
and I placed you in the morgue - your dead Paul."
"That's right I'm dead. They have tried to collect me, but I need to hang
about for a while; I'm going to make sure that I didn't die in vain - just
remember how much this single mission cost: $245 Billion dollars. That's a
fucking lot of money and most of it from us: the Taxpayer. But they spent no
more than $60 Billion on this particular show; where's the rest gone? The big fucking clue is a secret NASA operation simply called '13.25'." He
smiled a little and vanished.
Charlie pulled the straps from her body and scrambled over to her desk, she
looked about and slowly eased herself on the chair because her head and senses
were swimming. What on earth did he mean about being 'collected' and who are
'they'?
The door buzzer sounded, making Charlie jump from the chair and collide gently
with the ceiling. "Charlie! are you ok? I have just had an unbelievable
experience; I just had bloody Paul, well, something that....." Joker shouted, but was interrupted by Charlie
who said; "I know, he came to me too."
"Ghosts are real." She whispered.
"13.25 or FLIGHT OF THE GOLDEN HEART" CONTINUES IN 'TEMPORAL DETECTVES' BOOK SERIES 0 [EPISODE 0.]
End of Preview.
