Defying Mars (Saving Mars Series-2) Read Online Free PDF

body assumed the compact position in which she’d found Ethan after his days locked in the room alone. Seat on the ground, knees pulled up close to her body, arms wrapped tightly around her shins, hand grasping opposite wrist. She didn’t hum aloud. She didn’t need to. Her entire being throbbed with the moaning sound she’d heard her brother make in this place.
    Mei Lo said no.
    Jessamyn replayed MCC’s reasons in her mind: insufficient fuel load capacity, insufficient time for sanitization and prep, insufficient time for assembly of qualified crew. And worst of all: insufficient likelihood of successful outcome of rescue of stranded crew .
    Jess sat upon the floor of her brother’s former quarters, trying to find in her curled position the comfort her brother derived from it. But she was not her brother. Jessamyn was made for action and not stillness. She rose and flew at the wall, fists outstretched. She pounded against the unresponsive surface, hurling accusations of MCC’s cowardice and ingratitude at the unfeeling barrier.
    Tears came at last, angry and hot, and Jessamyn didn’t try to stop them this time. After her tears, exhausted and defeated, she sat at the small captain’s desk and eased her feelings by composing a letter to Pavel.
Dear Pavel,
    You know the feeling you get when you enter an airlock only to find yourself stuck inside because someone forgot to scrub the solars and now there’s not enough power to open either door and you’re just stuck until someone comes to find you or a storm blows the dust off the solars long enough for them to reset the doors? That’s how I feel today. Stuck between airlock doors. With a raging dust storm on its way and no hope of getting out for the foreseeable future.
    Actually, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. Why would you? I don’t think I saw a single airlock when I was on Earth. How can I describe how I am feeling right now? I feel so trapped. Do you understand trapped? Maybe people don’t ever feel that way on Earth. It happens pretty often on my world, though, I can tell you.
    I never thought I’d feel trapped out in space. I mean, I’ve got the entire universe on all sides of me for as far as anyone can see and then a lot farther. I’ve always felt free when I fly. But not today.
    Oh, Pavel. What am I going to do?
    Mei Lo says she cannot support a return mission.
    I want to rescue my brother. I want things to be normal again. Is that so much to ask? I never thought the day would come when I wouldn’t trust Mei Lo’s judgment. But she is wrong about this. So very wrong.
    I’m sorry for ranting. I think, though, that if anyone can understand how I am feeling, it would be you.
    What am I going to do?
    Your friend,
    Jessamyn Jaarda
    The following three rations, Crusty did no more than nod to Jessamyn as he chewed his way through the pungent nutrition bars. On the fourth day, Jess raised her eyes to consider the quiet man before her.
    “Crusty?”
    He met her eyes with his.
    “What am I going to do?”
    “Same as you always have, kid. Go with your gut.”
    Jessamyn swallowed against the lump swelling her throat. “My gut’s telling me to steal the ship as soon as we touch down on Mars.”
    Crusty chuckled. “Well, maybe you oughtn’t to go with that particular notion.”
    “Is the Secretary General right?” asked Jess.
    “Depends what you’re referring to, don’t it?”
    “I mean, about the fuel payload. I calculated the ship could make it, given a turnaround of seven days or less. After that … ”
    Crusty shrugged. “The ship maybe could do it. I came up with five days or less when I looked at the numbers. But Mei Lo’s right to mention the air filter. Without a proper scrub, they ain’t much use after a month in space. You don’t want to go out there for fifty, sixty days if your air’s gunked up to where you can’t breathe it.”
    “That’s an engineering problem, isn’t it?” Jess looked hopefully at