Thin sunlight drifted through a dusty pink sky, soft and distant as it met the cold, dry air. Faint winds moved across the ground in slow sweeps, lifting ribbons of red dust that twisted and settled with quiet ease. Everywhere in sight, the landscape looked washed out under the pale sun, and distant horizons blurred slightly in the ever-present haze.
Crouching down, Maverick scooped up a handful of dry, orange sand, the grains tapping lightly against the reinforced gloves of his suit as he tested the texture. There wasn't anything remarkable about it. Through the layers of composite fabric, it felt like… well, sand.
Letting the loose grit fall back to the ground, he pushed himself upright, his eyes sweeping over the endless expanse before him. The land stretched in muted silence, a vast plain of rocky terrain interrupted by shallow ridges and patches of cracked soil.
Small stones littered the surface like shards of broken pottery, each coated in the familiar burnt-orange hue. In the distance, rounded hills rose gently, sculpted by ancient winds rather than water, their forms glowing softly in shades of red. The silence was absolute. No birds chirped here, no leaves rustled, nothing stirred, save for the faint hiss of the thin wind sliding past him.
"Caeser..."
"Caeser!"
Before his transmigration, he had seen Mars through NASA's rover footage, crisp and clear on a screen. The scenes were accurate, but a screen could never replicate the sensation of being here. The orange-red hue clung to every surface, as if the world itself wore a permanent filter.
"CAESER!"
When he finally reached the coordinates blinking on his retina, he had first lingered, letting the full scope of the scene register in his head. Of course, he had seen many incredible, extraordinary things ever since his transmigration, but still, this was a moment to be remembered, and not exactly for the sight before him, but for the journey that had brought him here, which had spanned millions of miles and countless days.
If only his communicator would stop buzzing and spared him a moment. He exhaled, the sound escaping like a small cloud inside his helmet. "I can hear you, Howard."
"Why aren't you responding? Never mind that. How do you feel?" Howard's voice poured through the comm in an unstoppable rush of questions. If anything, Howard, despite being all the way back on Earth, sounded far more excited than he felt.
"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Maverick almost rolled his eyes before directing a question to the only alien on the other end of the line. "Norex, is this the correct location for our first base?"
He stood at the spot blinking on his helmet's display. The area around him was wide and flat enough, free of hills or mountains, and there were no signs of sandstorms anywhere in sight.
"Yes. Based on the data, that is the best possible location for setting up a base, taking all variables into account."
"Good." Hearing the confirmation, Maverick nodded, a faint smile crossing his lips. "Have everyone who wants to visit Mars today put on the gear and head to the containment room. Once they're ready, just let me know."
The next thing he heard was a frenzy of excited voices, and he couldn't help shaking his head, letting out a chuckle. After all, what scientist on Earth, or rather, who on Earth, would not want to step onto another planet if given the chance? In any case, this was simply to give everyone a taste of standing on the Red Planet's surface, walking around a bit, and satisfying the curiosity of their inner child.
While the others prepared themselves, Maverick continued his inspection. Rising above the ground once again, he flew higher, reaching about half a kilometer, and pushed his magic to the limit, spreading his senses through a third eye to observe the region. Who knows, he might stumble onto something unexpected.
Well, he didn't. Figures. Sand, rocks, and more sand stretched for miles. On the bright side, though, he didn't notice anything unusual while channelling his magic. The ambient magic, it seems, is like a universal force, similar to cosmic energy that is present everywhere. It was a little thin, sure, but still there.
That means factors such as the presence of life or anything similar do not determine whether magic exists or can be channelled. Well, that's still a hypothesis, something for the alchemists to research while they are here.
Back on the ground again, this time he directed his magic beneath the surface instead of around him, simply on a whim. The comms remained silent, and his team was busy rushing into their suits, so in the meantime, he had nothing to do, and his actions were just a passing curiosity with no real expectations.
However, not a moment later, after his magic probed beneath the soil, his eyes lit up, and, "fuck," he couldn't help but curse aloud. Subsequently, almost by instinct, his arms sank to the ground, palms pressing firmly against the soil.
In his excitement, he didn't care how much magic he was unleashing. The rocks and dirt around him had even begun to levitate, as if gravity itself were faltering. His vast, endless ocean of magic surged outward like a flood rushing underground, and the deeper it spread, the wider his eyes grew in disbelief.
Water. There was no mistaking it. Absolutely, there was a large reservoir of water directly below. A little deeper, but it was there, about a hundred meters under him.
"Hang on, boss man, we're almost ready." Maybe it was the curse he let slip into the open comms, but not long after, Howard's voice rang inside his helmet.
"No, Howard. Everyone!" he replied excitedly. "There's water! Underground! I found water underground!"
A moment of silence stretched, and he didn't get an immediate response. For a heartbeat, he thought the other end hadn't received the message, and just as he was about to repeat himself, someone finally exclaimed from the other side:
"You… you're not joking, right?"
"Wait… no, how sure are you, boss?"
"Mr. Caesar, how far down is it? How did you even find it?"
One by one, more scientists joined the comms, each voice alive with the same excitement. Why wouldn't they be excited? It hadn't even been an hour, and already they were hearing that water had been discovered on Mars, something that had only ever been speculated and never confirmed.
"With my magic," Maverick responded, rolling his eyes at the obvious. "How much longer are you guys going to take?"
"A few minutes, boss man. Everyone wants to go. Everyone," Howard emphasized. He, too, sounded just as eager as the rest..
"Okay. Just give me a heads-up once everyone's ready." He wasn't surprised at their enthusiasm. As long as there were enough suits in the lab for everyone to gear up, it was fine. Besides, the portal didn't cost him anything—it was like opening a door, and voilà, welcome to Mars.
In the meantime, he got back to his feet, glanced around, and opened a portal once again, transferring himself to a point far away, as far as his eyes could reach. Curiosity bubbled inside him—he had to know. Was it just a little? Was it only there? Could there be more than one?
Once again, he crouched, pressed his palms to the ground, and probed. His smile grew wider. It was a little deeper here, but regardless, he detected water underground again. And it wasn't just a small pocket, it was a vast reservoir, just like the first point he had checked.
Even though his magical sense couldn't spread underground as widely as it did in open air, he could still detect a range of at least a thousand meters below, through rock and soil. What excited him most was that, at the end of his probe, the reservoir was still there, meaning it extended far deeper than his magical sense could reach.
He wanted to keep checking, but after getting to his feet, he let the exhilaration wash over him first. Later, he thought, suppressing the urge. There would be plenty of time. Besides, this was only the beginning.
Once the base was up and research underway, his team could fan out across the planet. Some adjustments to the overall plan were inevitable now that water was confirmed, but they were all heading in a positive direction nonetheless. Previously, locating water had been a task on the list, but that section could now be removed. Resources would naturally be redirected toward other priorities—determining how much water was in this reservoir, whether others existed in different locations, and whether their chemical compositions matched. All good news, and the mission had barely even begun.
As for starting to build the base and how it would be done, that had long been discussed and even set into motion. Having surfaced on the planet, he could now come and go at will, bringing in and taking out anything he needed.
Why haul bricks one by one when he could transport entire pre-built sections and put together a base like a massive Lego creation? The plan was to have sections of the base completed in portions on Earth first, then transport and connect them, much like how the ISS was expanded. Of course, this included bringing along the necessary machinery to operate such a large-scale project.
The first structures planned for completion were a decent-sized living space, a storage area, and a small research center, which shouldn't take much time. The entire base of operations, on the other hand, would be a gradual process, estimated to take perhaps a year. Meanwhile, a team would always be stationed here, rotated periodically, of course.
Today, though, everyone was coming here simply to satisfy their inner curiosity, indulging the childish thrill of walking on the surface of another planet.
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Author's Note:
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