The Final Exam

by Lloyd Byron (1953 - ); published 24 Feb 2015

Benjamin was excited about getting to the end of his course but somewhat hesitant, too, to venture to a God-forsaken planet where he would be spending the next month or so of his life proving to his instructors that their training would allow him to live beyond his current 22-year-old lifespan. He was ready to prove not only to his instructors but more importantly to himself that he had mastered the fine art of survival in a course that was designed to push the envelope of his physical fitness, mental acuity, and overall survival readiness.

At the end of the spring semester in June of 2259, the course that Benjamin was about to complete—at the insistence of his father, Nate—was a one-of-a-kind academic undertaking that was a prerequisite for any college student who wanted to receive a BA in survival studies at the prestigious Lakeland University in Pennsylvania to which Benjamin had been granted entrance only four years earlier. The last four years had been a struggle for Benjamin, trying to balance his studies with his social life at the University, but he felt he was ready for the last exam that would give him the sheepskin and the recognition that would make his father and his girlfriend, Nancy, very proud. Nancy, who had been Benjamin’s constant companion over the last four years, had pushed Benjamin more than even he realized and now she wanted, more than anything else, to prove to him that he had the wherewithal necessary to make it in a hostile environment with little more than the proverbial shirt on his back.

Today was indeed “judgment day” for Benjamin, and he knew it. After climbing aboard the star ship Intrepid several months earlier for a six-month journey at just under light-speed, Benjamin was traveling to a distant planet in the MX-1054 star system to the fifth planet in that system known as Orion 5. Preparing for his ultimate destination to begin his last test had taken all the mental energy that he could muster. Benjamin Stockton had never been one to run from any challenge. His six-foot-three-inch, somewhat less than muscular, lanky physique, blond hair, blue eyes, and light complexion, should have been—in his mind anyway—a testament to his genetic superiority and physical prowess that would give him the advantage he would need to overcome the frigid sub-zero temperatures, near-constant gale-force winds, and the long days in almost total darkness on a desolate planet from which no former student of Lakeland University’s survival class had ever returned. But Benjamin was determined to be the first of his former colleagues to do so and, in doing so, the first to complete this final course in extreme survival.

“Ready to make final preparations for your departure from the Federation’s flagship, Mr. Stockton?” exclaimed the ship’s 1st officer, Commander Taggert. “Are you ready for your final exam?”

“I certainly hope so,” said Benjamin, as he smiled and shook hands with the 1st officer and proceeded to make his way back to his cabin to gather his thoughts and to make ready for orbiting Orion 5 before beaming down to the planet’s surface.

Familiarizing himself with the layout of the star ship one last time, Benjamin was hoping to be able to remember what his home for the last six months would look like a month from now when he would hopefully once again be welcomed back aboard the Intrepid, more haggard and worn from the experience, and yet longing to return to the loving arms of his faithful Nancy and to finally receive the recognition that he sought from his unbelieving father.

“Passengers and crew of the Intrepid, make ready for attaining a standard orbit of Orion 5,” came over the star ship’s internal communication system, and accompanying it came a sudden sense of reality that ushered into Benjamin’s consciousness that this moment had finally arrived. Then a second announcement, “Benjamin Stockton, please report to transporter room A for your departure to the surface,” quickly followed the first; one for which Benjamin, in these last few fleeting moments, brought uncertainty as to whether he really wanted to pursue this formidable task of his survival skills. Luckily for Benjamin, the dismantling of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) a century before he was born and the upsurge of commercial interstellar space travel had afforded him an opportunity of a life-time and one he wouldn’t soon forget.

Nancy Littleton had emailed Benjamin earlier that morning to wish him great success, to offer him much-needed support, and to spirit him on to an adventure that she was confident would not only be awe-inspiring but that would ultimately change his life forever. Benjamin had brought a hologram of Nancy with him so that he would have some token of remembrance of her to keep him going on those long, arduous nights ahead that he knew would be spent alone. Nancy’s slender appearance; beautiful body; caressing eyes; long, brown hair; and beaming smile was all that Benjamin felt he needed to keep his sanity and to help him endure the next month or so until the Intrepid would return once again to the predetermined planetary coordinates to pick him up—dead or alive. Benjamin only had a three-day window of opportunity after which the Intrepid would be Earthbound and leave him behind. He was scared, but Benjamin realized that he couldn’t let the crew of the Intrepid know that. He was more determined than ever to see this test through to its final conclusion one way or another.

•••••

The surface of Orion 5 was absolutely unbearable and even more so than Benjamin had imagined it would be. True, he had spent the last six months of the journey pouring over documentation and data files from the ship’s onboard computer system in an effort to learn as much about the conditions he would face once he was transported to the planet’s surface but nothing could have prepared him for what he was facing now. The handheld computer that he had brought with him indicated that the surface temperature was -74.9 degrees Centigrade, surface winds were approximately 53 knots gusting to 75 knots out of the NNW, the atmospheric pressure was 1.54 Earth atmospheres, and consisted of a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and methane, in sufficient ratios to be barely life supporting but breathable for sustained human existence. The Linux-based X-scanner told him that the gravitational force on the planet’s surface was approximately 0.9 G’s, roughly equivalent to that of Earth’s and the presence of two natural satellites had been detected in its discovery mode. Scanning the horizon, Benjamin could barely make out Orion 5’s sun, an M-class star roughly 1.5 times the size of his all-too-familiar Sun. Orion’s sun hung precariously low on the horizon. Benjamin had been beamed down near the backside of the planet and this placed Orion’s sun in a position that would cause daylight to last only a short period of time each day, which Benjamin’s X-scanner had estimated would be the equivalent of 18 Earth hours. The haze of Orion’s thick atmosphere made it difficult for him to see much of anything, and offered very little of the sun’s heat to warm his now deathly-cold body even though he had been on the planet’s surface for just a few Earth minutes. The terrain was a mixture of gravely flat surface and rolling hills but, off in the distance just on the horizon in an easterly direction, Benjamin could barely make out what appeared to be a fairly large mountain range. He knew that he must head toward those mountains if he stood any chance of surviving the next few days and weeks that lay ahead. The departure signal came up on Benjamin’s communicator, signaling their departure from orbit about the planet Orion 5, and it was then that it hit him that he was all alone and that his examination had finally begun.

Now, Benjamin’s survival training kicked in. He quickly realized that in order to survive the next several weeks, he would have to achieve, very quickly, four fundamental goals: find food; find a source of heat; locate or build a shelter; and, hopefully, identify a source of life-sustaining water. Benjamin knew that he only had a five-day supply of synthetic food and water; enough time for him to acclimate to the planet’s surface conditions and find viable substitutes. Grabbing the only thing that he was allowed to bring with him, other than his instruments, Benjamin reached for his backpack which contained among other things his outer-clothing, and which he quickly donned. The RFID smart-tag technology that was built into his smart-garment immediately detected the frigid, ambient surroundings and made the necessary life-sustaining adjustments that would be essential to keep him alive. As his body slowly began to warm up, he made his way through the windblown, snow-like precipitation that was beginning to descend upon the planet’s surface. Although it had the appearance of snow, Benjamin was not deceived because from his earlier studies of the planet’s atmosphere, he knew that the falling precipitation was not the life-sustaining water in sufficient quantities that he would need but rather consisted primarily of condensed methane particles mixed with trace amounts of H2O. Returning the backpack on its upright frame, Benjamin began in earnest to make his way, ever so slowly, in the direction of the mountain range he spied earlier. Keeping his head down to prevent the sharp, cutting winds from scaring his face, it was all he could do to place one foot in front of the other finding it quite difficult to breathe in this oxygen-deprived, methane-enriched atmosphere. Adjustments to his breathing patterns were obviously only the first steps he needed to take now. Benjamin knew all too well that soon darkness would be descending upon him and with it even lower temperatures, and a decision had to be made where he would camp for the night.

•••••

It took Benjamin over five days of arduous travel to make it to the base of the mountain range after beaming to the surface of Orion 5. He was surprised how, in such a short span of time, he had succeeded in finding shelter among the snow-packed drifts that protected him from the howling winds, how he had discovered bits and pieces of fungal-like nodule growth to eat just below the sub-layer of soil, and that he had figured out how to create a heat source from his waist-holstered laser weapon heating up the rocks that he had scoured from the graveled surface before being covered by the snow. But, one thing remained that he hadn’t been able to solve just yet, and that was where to find water. He was reaching the limits of the water that he had brought with him, rationing it as he went along to stretch out the days that he would have left if no source of water could be found. Now that he had reached the mountains, Benjamin began to survey the area with his X-scanner. The results of the scan revealed what might possibly be a cave system just a few hundred meters in an easterly direction. If he could locate an entrance to the mountain, Benjamin knew that he might stand a chance at finding water and of getting out of the incessant winds that had scared his exposed flesh. With the remaining energy that he had left, Benjamin began his final leg to the east following the direction which had been recommended for him to take by his instruments hoping, beyond all hope, that they were not deceiving him.

The cave system did exist. Benjamin had found the caves just as his X-scanner had indicated. Entering the caves allowed him to escape the howling winds that had beaten him down these past five days or so. Now, he needed to explore them as quickly as possible to see if he could somehow, with the grace of God, locate a source of water. As he descended deeper into the cave system, he sensed the urgency to find water and more palatable food sources. He was relieved that having come out of the elements, he was able to regain some of the strength that he had lost.

Reaching into the pocket of his trousers, Benjamin grabbed onto the hologram of Nancy that he had brought with him. He laid it on the floor of the cave in front of him and pressed the top of the holographic device. In an instant, the image of Nancy appeared before him. Her likeness standing there, peering at him, gave him recuperative strength and hope, and with it the renewed sense of why he must go on and survive. He knew that he must survive and return to Nancy. She was the gift from God that sustained him. He couldn’t let her down now. Benjamin spoke to Nancy’s image even though he knew full well that it was only an image, not Nancy herself. But, in his mind, Nancy spoke back to him, pushing him forward, urging him to complete his mission, which was to survive the next few weeks, pass his final exam, and return to the place where the Intrepid dropped him off so that he could once again hold her in his arms.

“Nancy, I need help now more than ever. Show me the way. Point me to the source of food and water. I need you to help me,” was Benjamin’s cry for help to the holographic image that for him was Nancy. Then, it happened. Benjamin projected his hand-held light off toward the right-hand side of the cave and, as if a miracle had occurred, he saw a trickle of what appeared to be water oozing out of from in between two rocks. Quickly, he grabbed his hat from his head and almost ran to the flow, which he knew had to be his gift of life from Nancy; that of water. Using his X-scanner to scan the source of the liquid, he was ecstatic to see the results. It was indeed H2O in sufficient proportionality to be potable and, thus, capable of sustaining him. He drank for the first time in several days and it was as refreshing as it was life-giving. Then and there, Benjamin knew that he was going to make it after all.

For the next few weeks, Benjamin explored the cave system, finding small rodent-like creatures that lived deep within the confines of the underground system. Although he had difficulty in eating these grotesque creatures, they were a source of protein that he was not going to question. But, Benjamin did have questions. Why hadn’t his predecessors been able to find them? Why were their bodies found exposed to the elements, frozen almost beyond recognition when it was time for them to be picked up at the end of their exams? Did they discover the caves? And, if so, why weren’t they able to successfully complete their survival training? Benjamin didn’t know the answers to these questions. All he knew for certain was that he was able to discover the cave system that apparently no one else had been able to locate. He wasn’t going to question it. He was simply going to accept the gift that he had been given, be thankful, and move on.

Over the next few days, Benjamin traveled in an out of the caves exploring and recording his means and methods of survival for the University panel who would be reviewing them to assess his final score. “Final score?” Benjamin said to himself. Wasn’t it enough just to be able to return to the point where he had been dropped off and be beamed back aboard the star ship that had brought him to this desolate world? In Benjamin’s mind, the final exam was simply a pass or fail. But, to the University, merely surviving the elements for roughly four weeks wasn’t enough. Students had to demonstrate to what degree their survival had been achieved so that their techniques could be examined for the purposes of improving future survival courses at Lakeland University. Benjamin didn’t care about future courses at Lakeland right now. All he cared about and all that he had on his mind was survival. His primary objective at this very moment was to survive long enough to detect the pick-up signal from the Intrepid indicating to him that they had returned to Orion 5 standard orbit and they were standing by to beam him back onboard for his return trip to Earth. Little else mattered to him now.

•••••

The day had finally arrived. It was time for Benjamin to head back to the drop point where he had begun his survival training exam several weeks earlier. When he awoke, however, his X-scanner instrument was sounding an alarm that gave him a very uneasy feeling. Reaching for the instrument, he switched on its scanner screen to discover much to his horror that the device was warning him of an impending severe electrical and magnetic storm system that had moved in overnight—a system that was severe even for Orion 5. The screen indicated the movement from the west of a magnetic storm on a magnitude that sent shivers down his spine. With winds estimated in excess of 90 knots, temperatures that were expected to fall to -100 degrees Celsius, Benjamin knew that his survival training that had managed to keep him alive over the past several weeks was now going to be tested like never before. He couldn’t imagine that anyone would be able to survive these extremes. But, once again, reality kicked in telling him that he had less than a week’s worth of travel time to make it back to the beam-up point; give or take a couple of days—the time that the crew of Intrepid would wait before they started their return trip home—that he had to play with in reaching his final destination.

Donning an extra smart-suit, goggles, and gloves from his backpack, Benjamin headed out once again in the general direction toward the point where he had started from several weeks earlier. He was reluctantly leaving the relative comfort of the caves to impart upon the last leg of his journey, walking into a storm system that might be his last undertaking. His mind was sharp, but his body had been through a tremendous ordeal and now his genetic makeup would see him through or fail him miserably. As soon as Benjamin stepped out into the vast darkness and bitter cold environment, he could feel the sudden shift in his heart rate attempting to push blood away from his body’s surface areas and directing the flow to his vital organs—his brain in particular—to keep him sharp, cognitive, and alert. Benjamin was now having to rely on his smart clothing to make the difference in his overall survival chances. Benjamin was well aware that he would not be able to travel far before he would be forced to stop for the night. All he could think of this very moment was whether he had packed enough protein and collected enough water in his self-made water pouches which he had fashioned from the hides of the rodents upon which he had subsisted for the last few days and weeks. He was weak and weary, but doggedly determined. He was convinced he would make it. His survival depended upon it.

The first night’s journey back to the starting point was almost unbearable. Making camp with the lightweight but sturdy one-man compact, collapsible tent wasn’t an easy task with the surface winds that were now rising above 75 knots. Anchoring the tent with snow-packed mounds surrounding its periphery was the only means with which he could employ. But, it worked. Once inside the tent, his body warmth quickly heated up the interior since the tent itself was not much bigger than his body’s dimensions. For all intents and purposes, the tent’s design was to capture Benjamin’s body heat and prevent him from dying of hypothermia and to shield him from the harsh winds that never seemed to diminish . Getting to sleep that first night was extremely difficult for Benjamin, but sleep he must if he was to endure the long day’s journey that lay ahead of him tomorrow. Eating one ration of food and drinking one small portion of water, Benjamin closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

The following morning brought a little bit of sunlight but with it stronger winds and colder temperatures. His instruments were currently recording temperatures in the minus 89- to 92-degree Centigrade range and surface winds in the vicinity of 85 knots. As Benjamin readied himself for the day’s arduous journey, he used his X-scanner once again to probe ahead looking for any signs of breaks in the weather as well as scanning the surface for anomalies in the geography that might allow him to take a reprieve from the storm that he was having to deal with at the moment. His instruments were telling him that there was a slight break in the storm just to the NNE of his current position several hundred meters ahead, so he would need to divert his course slightly northward along his easterly path, and then he might avoid the brunt of the storm after all. Benjamin was also picking up what appeared to be some cavity of sorts roughly three kilometers away which he reckoned might be the remnants of a crater of some sort. Perhaps, he thought, he could stop there for the night and use it to his advantage.

Once Benjamin had reached the crater, which was indeed a fairly large crater, he descended into it to take a much-needed escape from the howling winds. Now, exhausted from the recent trek, he paused to take another morsel of food and to drink another mouthful of water that he had brought along with him from the precious mountains he had left days ago. How he wished he were still inside the relative comfort of the mountain caves rather than having to endure the tortuous winds and ravishing coldness of the outside. Benjamin was beginning to hallucinate a little because he thought he heard a male voice crying out from beneath the steady roar of the winds. The voice that he heard kept saying, “You can do this, son. Keep going. Don’t stop now. I’m proud of you.” Benjamin gathered some strength and pulled himself up along the crater’s wall so that he could peer out over the crater wall to see if he could spot the origin of the voice. But, alas, all that Benjamin could see was the white mass of frozen oxygen and methane that accompanied the winds blowing across the terrain. Listening intently once again for any sounds of a human voice proved to be futile, and so, Benjamin dismissed the whole affair as a trick of the mind.

•••••

Benjamin was a day late in getting back to the beam-up point. He knew that the crew of the star ship Intrepid must already be in standard orbit about the planet Orion 5 scanning the surface for the presence of one Benjamin Stockton. But his instruments hadn’t yet received the return transmission signal from Intrepid and this began to worry him quite a bit. Making the decision to travel all night rather than to stop and rest was one that Benjamin had to make since he knew that if he did stop he might not make it back to the beam-up point within the three-day window of opportunity and the Intrepid might depart leaving him behind. His decision to continue on was also predicated on the worsening storm which might make travel impossible altogether. But, now that he was here, not hearing from the Intrepid crew was more than Benjamin could bear.

Then, panic really began to set in. Without realizing it, Benjamin had left his communicator switched on overnight and its batteries had drained. He couldn’t help but think that the reason he hadn’t received the signal from the mother ship wasn’t because they weren’t in orbit sending their arrival signal but, rather, because he wasn’t able to receive it. How would the Intrepid interpret his non-responsiveness to their call? If he didn’t respond, would they assume that he hadn’t survived and couldn’t respond? Surely not he kept telling himself. Protocol dictated that the crew of Intrepid would perform a full scan of the planet’s surface using infrared and radio telemetry seeking any visible or invisible signs of Benjamin or any life forms before leaving the area. Benjamin was at or near the beam-up point, but he couldn’t be absolutely sure in this horrible storm. If, however, he was in the vicinity of the beam-up point, the Intrepid should have no problem with locating him and transporting him back to the star ship anyway. He tried to convince himself that his silence in responding to the call from Intrepid wouldn’t necessarily be interpreted that he hadn’t survived. It was at this point that it came to him. Looking skyward, Benjamin realized that even if he couldn’t see the mother ship in orbit about the planet, and even if the failed communicator wouldn’t allow him to respond to the Intrepid’s call signal, his X-scanner might be able to detect the ship as it crossed over his event horizon. It would be a wild gamble, but one that Benjamin was willing to take. He desperately needed to know that the Intrepid was out there even if he couldn’t communicate with it. Not knowing was almost unbearable for him.

Pointing the X-scanner skyward over the horizon, the instrument began to search from east to west looking for any signs of man made orbiting bodies. After completing two separate scans, the instrument had detected only the rising moon, Europa. “Why hadn’t the Intrepid returned to pick him up?” Benjamin kept saying to himself. It was already past the time that they were supposed to be in orbit looking for him. Exhaustion from the ordeal of the past several days finally overtook Benjamin and having succumbed to it, he slid down into the crater against the wall just below the crater’s surface to escape the damaging winds. Then, as before, Benjamin heard what he perceived to be a human voice saying, “Mr. Stockton, can you hear me? Can you hear me Mr. Stockton? I can’t see you. Can you see or hear me? Please call out if you hear me so that I can get a better fix on your position.” Benjamin thought he was hallucinating once again. But the voice kept getting louder and louder, and more insistent that he respond.

Climbing back out of the crater, Benjamin shouted, “I’m here. I’m over here,” hoping that the person who had been calling out to him would be able to hear his voice since Benjamin couldn’t see more than a few meters in front of his face due to the blinding winds and blizzard-like conditions. Then, suddenly, approaching from the west were three individuals who had beamed down in a landing party sent to look for him. The magnetic storm was so involved now that it had become almost impossible for the Intrepid’s instruments to lock onto Benjamin’s position and, so, a landing party had been dispatched to locate him and render aid, if necessary. Benjamin rushed to his feet and embraced the first human being that he had seen in over four weeks since he departed the star ship.

“Mr. Stockton, my name is 2nd officer Haggerty. I’m very happy to see that you’re still alive. We were getting concerned that we might not even be able to locate you in this storm. Our transporters weren’t able to beam us down safely until today. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just fine, Mr. Haggerty. You’re a sight for sore eyes. I thought that I would never see anyone again. These last few days enduring this storm have been beyond description. I’m very lucky to be alive, indeed!”

“Your father, Nate, and Nancy have been very concerned since we reported to them on our first day in orbit that we were unable to locate you. But we told them that the storm on the surface was preventing us from making a positive ID on your location. We will assure them when we beam back up that you’re fine.”

“Thank you, Mr. Haggerty. I don’t want either of them to worry about me.”

“Let’s go. Can you walk on your own, Mr. Stockton?”

“Certainly. I’m ready to leave this God-forsaken place.”

“Let’s go then, Mr. Stockton. Intrepid, this is 2nd Officer Haggerty. Four to beam up at these coordinates.”

Those were the sweetest sounds that Benjamin had heard in weeks. He was ready to get back onboard the star ship Intrepid and away from the almost inhuman surroundings that he had to endure on the surface of Orion 5. He never wanted to return to this planet. All that he could think of now was getting back to the ship and returning to his Nancy and Nate, both of whom would have a renewed respect for his accomplishments.

Having passed his final exam and having walked across the stage in his cap and gown to receive his much deserved diploma, Benjamin Stockton would also be officially recognized as the first surviving graduate of Lakeland University’s Extreme Survival course. Benjamin was home at last.