Transmission 13 by Mark Edward Jones
Fun Fact: Titan’s Chemistry Mirrors the Early Earth
Titan’s atmosphere is rich in complex organic molecules, so complex that scientists believe it closely resembles what Earth’s atmosphere may have looked like before life began. Sunlight and cosmic radiation constantly break apart methane high above Titan’s surface, triggering chemical reactions that create tholins: sticky, reddish organic compounds that drift down like snow and coat the moon.
Titan is silent except for the Undersong. Each transmission brings it closer to being heard.
Excerpt:
The sound emerged softly from the bridge’s audio ports, barely above a whisper. A deep pulsing rhythm, steady as a heartbeat, rose and fell like a cello repeating warm-up exercises.
“It started when we passed through the ionosphere,” she said. “It’s nearly buried under the normal communication noise. It may be deep in the subsurface ocean. That’s the source, I think. Under the ice.”
“Could it be an echo?” Ortega asked.
“The intervals are too precise and don’t fade like an echo. I’m detecting shifts in pitch like it’s reacting to my probing.”
“It’s reacting?” Deanard bent forward and replaced an earbud. “Are we saying we’ve discovered music coming from an ice moon?”
Ortega considered the waveform on the screen as it looped again. “Let’s not get too poetic,” he muttered. “You’re assigning attributes to a noise we know nothing about. We’ll classify it as an anomalous frequency. If it’s under the ice crust, label it the Undersong.”
Vossarnt smiled. “I like the name.”
“A privilege of being captain. A placeholder, not a name.”
Deanard interrupted. “Captain, it’s HQ. They want a report.”
“What?” he snorted. “Way too soon. I don’t want the science folks on Earth spinning conspiracy theories before we’ve barely settled into orbit. The less I tell them, the better for now.”
He tapped the comm interface and recorded a short transmission. Formal and only enough to be on record. He hit send, then turned back to the team.
“That should hold the bosses for a while. Let’s get the science folks to work. I want a thorough subsurface scan and tests to determine whether it is geological, atmospheric, or whatever. We’re on a discovery vehicle. Let’s explore.”
About the Author:
Mark Edward Jones is an author, editor, and former public-sector finance professional. His fiction spans crime and speculative genres, with recent work appearing in anthologies and award-winning collections.
Author Alicia Dean 