Martian Odyssey
Nov 27, 2022 19:15:11 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Nov 27, 2022 19:15:11 GMT -5
Martian Odyssey
By Radrook
It was the year 2220 and Mars had been colonized by humans for the last one-hundred years. But the colonization had not been as extensive as it had been expected to be. Mars had only been partially Terra-formed, and although life on the surface was now possible, they still needed to use oxygen masks and were still forced to spend most of the time within the five domed towns to prevent radiation illness since the atmosphere was still allowing too much radiation through.
Yes, they had remained small towns and not turned into cities since the urban sprawl that Elon Musk had anticipated during the early stages of colonization never took place. In fact, they were barely surviving by trading raw material for commodities such as food, clothing and machinery via companies that visited mars on a yearly bases. But as far as common immigration. it had gradually dwindled from a flood during the first year when three thousand arrived during one month, to a mere trickle of a few people per year until none at all came.
There was, of course, a deep disappointment and many who had planned to stay for the duration of their lives on Mars, had changed their minds and returned to Earth after the first year. Fearing a complete evacuation, Earth’s governments prohibited any further evacuation once the population had reached the one thousand mark. So essentially, those who had been unable to leave were had become virtually prisoners living on the hope that policies would change and allow their return. Of course, under such duress, tempers flared and they were inter Martian violence.
But very soon, everyone realized that Earth really would not intercede if Martians wanted to annihilate each other. In fact, if they did, then at least the failure at colonization could be blamed on them instead of the poor planning of Earth-based companies and the governments which had supported them.
As a consequence, the Martians had always been happy to receive the refugees. After all, the Martian population had not increased dramatically as had been expected and every newcomer was appreciated like a cherished gem.
But suddenly, they were arriving by the thousands per week. It had been going on for the past month now and accommodating them all was becoming a problem. So now, suddenly, people of Earth who had ignored their plight were suddenly arriving and swamping their resources. Naturally, vengeance would have been sweet. But under the extreme duress of their isolation, the Martians had sought solace in religion and had become an extremely religious lot fanatically adhering to the Christian faith. So vengeance was not an option.
Besides, they initially reasoned that the new genetic influxes would mean a reduction in the negative effects of inter-breeding that would ultimately seal their doom. So at first, the newcomers were received with generous hospitality. But eventually, the five, small domed towns could no longer handle the influx, and shanty towns consisting of makeshift dwellings using the arriving ships themselves as habitats, began to spread around them placing a strain on the life-support systems that had been designed for a far smaller population.
That is when a petition to Earth authorities to prevent any further trips to Mars from Earth and its lunar colony was sent. But to their amazement, there was absolutely no response from either Earth nor from its Lunar colony. Only a dead silence. This intense silence caused the Martians to suspect that the motives being provided for the arrivals were false. That Earth authorities were cunningly withholding vital information concerning the real reason why so many humans were leaving Earth.
Was it really that they were now suddenly seeking a new life of opportunities no longer available in Earth societies? If indeed true, then why were so many of the newcomers so wealthy. In fact, an interrogatory investigation revealed that the vast majority were of the upper classes, people whom one would never expect to feel any urgency to leave their home world and travel to a place such as Mars where survival was a daily issue and life hung by a veritable thread.
Because an answer had to be found, a committee representing the five domed towns was held in order to discuss the matter. The mayors assembled in the main town’s administration building, each with deep worry etched on his face, looking like men who were about to be executed at any moment by circumstances far beyond their control.
After all, if indeed the reason for the sudden influx were deemed unacceptable, what could they really do about it? How could they prevent Earth from ignoring their request that no more settlers be sent and keep sending them anyway? They had no military forces. In fact, they had no space travel capabilities at all now-Earth had made sure of it by denying them replacement parts or Rocket-manufacturing capabilities. So the meeting seemed merely an exercise in futility as the Martian colony governor, Alaric Rubinski, had described when the five Martian town mayors had proposed it. Yet, in an effort to ease the volatile social situation, he had agreed to go about the formalities of discussing the matter. After all, what harm could there be in at least discussing it?
The five mayors, all tanned skinned, white haired men attired in blue jump-suits, were waiting for the Governor’s words. He in turn took to the pulpit like one who bore the worries of a whole world on his shoulders. He also was a man in his late sixties, but he had aged considerable since they had last seen him a Martian year before. As if the added responsibility to properly care for the newcomers had drained the last vestiges of his youth and he had absolutely nothing more to give. They had expected anger and frustration to manifest themselves. Yet he bore the expression of utter resignation, as if a man aware that a guillotine were about to decapitate him and there was really absolutely nothing he could do about it. He gazed at them in long silence for about half a minute, sighed deeply, and then uttered the memorable words that would go down in the annals of Martian history.
“Let God’s will be done!”