Off the Mark

The team assembled on the bridge.

The captain’s son was also there.

Ahead, another ship would arrive on the planet months before them.

It was to land and set up quarters for the settlers that followed.

Should everything work according to plan, the modules would all land safely, close to each other, complete all assembly tasks shortly, and initiate the life support systems for the crew that followed; water would be available and plants would have flourished by the time they got there.

Losing a module wouldn’t mean much, as there was a lot of redundancy.

Having the modules scattered for miles could make a few things harder, but it wouldn’t be a problem either.

If the entry were to fail, however, and that ship was lost, there could be a problem, but they would still have a shot with the cargo they had alone.

– Sir, the ship is about to initiate descent.

In reality, communications had a considerable delay, and everything they were witnessing would have already taken place.

– All systems nominal; six and a half minutes to landing; 9.7 kilometers.

Then the communications officer looked puzzled and remained silent for a bit. Everyone knew that something wasn’t right.

– First detachment complete, burner sequence initiated… Second detachment complete… The third detachment is complete, all modules are in stabilized routes, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of wind, weather looks good. Chutes deployment taking place… now! All chutes deployed.

The crew waited a bit more. The final part would take just a bit longer, with all the modules landing slowly in a controlled manner, with burners guiding them to safe distances from one another, making use of sensors to ensure they’d land in the best patches of ground possible.

– All modules deployed, all systems nominal.

– Thank you, officer. Now, give me the bad news.

– Sir, the grid landed far off the mark. 110 clicks.

The captain turned his face down and to the left. He quickly got back to his normal state, but it was clear he was disappointed.

– Very well, then. Good job, everyone. Let’s get back to work. I want a report on all systems as soon as possible. Navigation, do your work.

As the captain left the bridge his son walked with him.

– What’s wrong, dad?

– The mission missed its mark.

– But it’s still a good area, isn’t it?

– Yes, the area’s still good…

– Then why is everybody so upset?

– Because now we’re gonna have to miss the mark as well!