The Operative said, “We’ve learned that they like to use trickery and deceit. We’ll gather better intelligence than we did the last times.”
This was the kind of stock response the General expected. There was nothing new in The Operative’s game plan. It was just rhetoric and talking points. Where were the original ideas? He came to the sad realization that he might be the smartest person on the planet.
Rich said, “No, we won’t. The public is already suspicious about the last couple missions. They wonder why we attacked a research vessel. They demand to know why we had a war parade down I-25. Our power can only last while people trust us. If they begin to see their freedom slip away, they’ll revolt.”
The Operative said, “So you think we should do nothing? What the hell kind of plan is that?”
Rich said, “We should do nothing right now and lull them into a false sense of security. If we let the last of their group leave for Mars without incident, they might think that we’re going to leave them alone.”
The Operative said, “That’s a terrible plan. It’s no plan at all. That’s called winging it, and it sucks.”
Rich said, “That’s your opinion. You’re not in charge, I am. We do it my way, is that understood?”
The Operative asked, “Your plan is to lull them into a false sense of security. We do nothing and make them think that we’re going to leave them alone. Is that about right?”
Rich said, “Exactly. We do nothing right now. Then we destroy them when they officially declare their true intentions.”
The Operative walked out of General Rich’s office. General Rich smirked and nodded his head. He was very pleased with his plan. The Operative was not, but he didn’t dare try and argue logically with a lunatic.
Chapter Ten
Market
The Biodome’s harvest was completed. The terraforming team was assigned to handle the first farmer’s market. They would divvy up the fresh food amongst the colonists. Everyone would receive the same amount of food, but every colonist would get to choose the particular foods that they liked.
This market was a temporary way to distribute the biodome’s harvest to the colony. Once the store was complete, this would be done in the more traditional setting.
Jordan turned off the RainMaker 3 irrigation system. He didn’t want anyone to get wet during the market. Lane turned on the public address system as Scout walked toward the podium.
Scout stood at a podium by the door and said, “I welcome all of you to the Biodome and to Mars’ first farmers’ market. Everyone will get enough food to last a month. Remember that we’ll have more food later, so there’s no reason to hoard. Take what you need and leave the rest for someone else. We have rules in place to make sure everyone gets what they need. Please keep this civil and don’t let yourselves get carried away. We don’t want scenes of Black Friday. Remember that this is your initial food supply. No credits are required today. Next time, it’ll take 60 work credits for a month’s worth of food. So start building our society. You’re guaranteed a job; all you need to do is ask.”
Jordan and Lane moved the podium out of the way. Scout opened the door and motioned for the people to enter. People calmly walked into the Biodome and proceeded in an orderly fashion. They took their protective suits off and hung them in the closet near the entrance. Everyone was issued a box to fill with food.
The colonists were amazed at the rows of trees and crops in the ground. Some people forgot they were there to get food and went exploring the building. Jordan and Lane were assigned to crowd control and had to redirect some people’s attention to gathering their food.
The food available was everything that had ripened since the planting of the biodome. There was a lot of fruit and quick growing vegetables. There were also some mid-season vegetables available. The only meat available was chicken. There were two chickens available per colonist. There would be pork, beef and lamb the next month. Each colonist also received two dozen eggs, a half-kilogram bag of cheese, and four liters of milk.
The water system separated a lot of salt from the seawater. There was enough salt to distribute a liter jug to every colonist, and have enough left over to give the support crew a one-liter box full when they arrived. They would need to find more salt in the future, but there was enough to last for a while.
Dave Cline asked Notah, “Why isn’t there any fish?”
Notah replied, “Because fish are evil. We lived on fish and chips for a couple years while the Biodome was being built. There won’t be any fish until at least next month.”
Dave said, “So you’re all sick of fish. But the rest of us aren’t.”
Notah said, “Like I said, there’ll probably be more next month. We also went through all the fish that was available. All we have right now are six mating pairs of trout and a few fingerlings. We’ve got some flounder eggs, but we need them to make more fish. The support crew is supposed to bring some more fish eggs with them, too.”
Dave said, “Oh, okay. Next month there’ll be more meat, won’t there? I see cows, sheep and pigs in the corner.”
Notah said, “That’s the plan. There are only a few right now, but we have embryos to make more. We just need to make sure we have enough healthy animals to make more animals. We’re really close right now.”
Notah’s answer was good enough for Dave. He continued his shopping without any more questions. Notah answered the same question several times that day, though.
The market went on for the next six hours. Every colonist received a box of food for the month. They took the food to their homes and put it away. The next day, they would be able to find the job of their dreams without their stomachs rumbling.
Chapter Eleven
Support
The support team waited in Upham, NM for the Renaissance to arrive and take them to Mars. They heard about the previous groups’ troubles with General Rich and his goons. They were ready to defend themselves if he attacked them. The team was well armed and so was the ship.
Scott looked around at the spaceport and noticed the new security enhancements. The surveillance cameras were fitted with weapons. If the camera saw something it considered illegal, the weapon would fire and kill the criminal. It scared the hell out of him.
Scott snuck a peek at the camera and said, “We’re all here to start a new life on Mars. The group that went before us is already enjoying the good life on Mars. We need to focus on that as we do the hard work necessary to pack for the long journey. Just remember to stay out of the way of the security camera, and don’t do anything that might get you killed.”
Scott’s first officer added, “The ship’s in pristine condition right now. We have the previous crews to thank for that. Let’s try to return the ship to the colony in the same or better condition than we receive it.”
Scott noticed that some of the crewmembers were nervous. They looked apprehensive and uneasy. He could sense that they were in fear of General Rich or someone he would send to disrupt their departure. A few of them even considered the cameras to be a threat.
Scott continued, “I know some of you are worried about being attacked like the last group was. If that happens, we’ll defend ourselves just like they did. We have Heath, just like they did, so we can outmaneuver them if the need arises. If you’re concerned about the cameras, just remember that they’re only programmed to kill if they see property being damaged. You’ve got nothing to fear.”
Scott let that settle in their minds. He wanted them to be calm and collected in case something happened. He also wanted them to be calm so they could receive his words of inspiration.
He continued, “We’re going to a better place to start a better life. Just remember that we’ve got a long journey ahead of us, so we have to get the ship prepared as quickly as possible. Once we’re on the ship, there’s no turning back. If you’re having any doubts, let’s hear them now.”
Silence fell. No one had any doubt that they were doing the right thing.
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Scott said, “Now that we’ve covered that, we can load the ship as soon as it lands. It should be here any moment.”
The Renaissance landed as Scott finished his speech. The crew inspected the ship.
Scott said, “Look for anything that’ll slow the ship in space.”
A fellow colonist said, “I found some minor heat shield problems. What should I do?”
Scott said, “Just patch them up with Sta-Kul. Make sure to use enough to coat the holes and the area around the holes.”
They made a few minor repairs. Most of them were simple Sta-Kul patches. Then they started loading the ship the same way that the previous crews loaded it. It took them seven hours to load the ship and perform a final inspection.
Scott called Scout, “Hey, boss. We’re ready to take off. All we need is your go ahead.”
Sixteen minutes went by, during which the crew wondered why they weren’t leaving. They were getting nervous as time passed. General Rich could be coming to throw a monkey wrench in their plans any second.
Scout replied (after the time lag), “We’re ready to receive you. Take off when you’re ready. Do be careful and watch out for The General. He’s been known to lull you into a false sense of security.”
Scott got on the public address system and said, “We have approval for takeoff. We’ll be leaving in just a few moments. Heath is just doing a few final routine checks.”
Once Heath finished his checks, Scott ordered him to take off. Heath started the ship’s engines and took off down the runway. They were airborne in a few seconds and in space a few seconds after that.
Scott thought, “I wonder where General Rich is going to attack us. I expected him to try and stop us from taking off, but he didn’t. I expected him to meet us in the air, but he didn’t. Then I thought for sure he’d follow us into space, but he’s not here.
***
General Rich ordered that no one was to interfere with the Renaissance. He watched the satellite images track it until it passed the moon. Then he returned to his desk and resumed working. The Operative also watched from his office. As it passed, he knew he’d lost a golden opportunity. He was pissed.
As the Renaissance passed the moon, Scott messaged Scout. He told him that the ship and crew were now in the safety zone between Mars and the moon. Sixteen minutes later, Scott received his first set of staff assignments for his crew. The same routine Scout first put in place for the terraforming crew and Rebecca’s crew would be used again by the support team.
Chapter Twelve
School
The school system on Mars only had one building with three rooms. It housed all students from kindergarten through high school. There were new buildings under construction, but they wouldn’t be ready for months. Eventually, there would be an elementary school, a middle school, a high school and a college in every town on Mars. The largest cities would also have universities.
The rules of the school didn’t tolerate poor behavior from students, faculty, staff, or parents. This included tardiness, sarcasm, talking during instruction, physical violence, verbal violence or anything else that the Head of Schools deemed inappropriate. The goal was an environment conducive to learning.
Not many of the new colonists had children yet. This would change soon because Scout was encouraging couples to get pregnant as quickly as possible. The few children in Freedom usually had no problem obeying rules, but there were some notable exceptions.
Mrs. Nelson’s third grade class had four students. Two of them were no problem at all. However, Jack and Lucy were a constant source of frustration for their teacher. They were always fighting with each other for no apparent reason. They were in class causing a ruckus one day.
Jack yelled at Lucy, “You stupid slut!”
Mrs. Nelson yelled, “How do you know that word?”
Jack answered, “I hear my dad say it to my mom all the time.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “I’ll have to talk to your parents about your language.”
Lucy cried, “He punched me in the arm, too.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “You know violence isn’t allowed. I’ll have to talk to your parents about that, too.”
Jack said, “I don’t care. They don’t even care about me. They’ll let me do whatever I want anyway.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “That’s a sad comment. Here we are trying to create a better world, and people bring their garbage with them.”
Lucy asked, “Can we get back to learning?”
Mrs. Nelson answered, “Yes, but I want to know why Jack hit you.”
Lucy said, “Because I told him his dad’s an asshole.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “What’s wrong with you? Why’re you starting fights?”
Lucy said, “Because I hate Jack. His family’s trailer trash.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “That’s in the past. Even if it wasn’t, it’s no reason to hate someone. Being poor was a part of life on Earth, but there aren’t going to be any poor people here on Mars.”
Lucy said, “But he still acts the same way he did on Earth.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “We have a lot of work to do if we want this new way of life to get off the ground. I’ll discuss this with your parents after school. For now, let’s try to learn something.”
The class returned to their studies and Mrs. Nelson was able to maintain order for the remainder of the day. She wondered why these students still had the old mindset of Earth’s class system. The colony was supposed to change not only their economic situation, but their mindset as well.
After school, Mrs. Nelson called Jack’s parents into her office. She also called Lucy’s parents into her office, but asked them to wait outside while she talked to Jack’s parents.
Mrs. Nelson asked Jack’s father, “Why does Jack tell me that you and his mother don’t care about him?”
Jack’s father replied, “I don’t know why he would say that. We love him, and we’d do anything for him.”
Jack’s mother added, “We give him everything he could ever want or need.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “So you do care, and care about what he does.”
Jack’s mother said, “We care more than anything. We let him explore his world, and now his universe, in the way that he sees fit.”
Mrs. Nelson asked, “Why does he say he can do whatever he wants and you won’t care?”
Jack’s father said, “Because we let him do whatever he wants. He’s allowed to come and go as he pleases.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “I think I see the problem. You’re not giving him any boundaries.”
Jack’s mother said, “We believe boundaries inhibit a child’s development.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “No, boundaries teach children how to be responsible. Not setting boundaries is allowing your son to run amok.”
Jack’s father said, “We don’t buy that. A healthy childhood is one that’s free of restraint.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “A childhood free of restraint leads to a person without any restraint. Then you end up with chaos. You’re basically spoiling your kid and creating a brat."
Jack’s mother said, “I don’t think you understand children. They need to be free.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “No, they don’t. They need structure. They need boundaries. They need rules. Otherwise, they’ll grow up to be a menace to society.”
Jack’s father said, “I think we’re going to withdraw Jack from your class and home school him.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “That’s fine by me. Your kid is a disruption in my classroom. He’s not going to let me have a normal classroom environment.”
Mrs. Nelson was relieved that Jack would not be in her class any more. He had been a disruption for too long. Jack’s parents left Mrs. Nelson’s office and mocked her as they went home.
After Jack’s parents walked out, Lucy’s parents walked in and sat in the chairs. They had no idea why they were there. Lucy never gave them any problems at home.
Lucy’s mother asked, “W
hy are we here? Did our daughter do something wrong?”
Mrs. Nelson answered, “She was heckling one of the other students.”
Lucy’s mother asked, “What do you mean by heckling?”
Mrs. Nelson replied, “She referred to another boy as ‘trailer trash.’ I don’t know if you’ve made her think that she’s better than everyone else, but we’re all here to create an egalitarian society.”
Lucy’s father said, “I think I know what the problem is. Before I joined the group, I had a really good job. We were doing really well, but I couldn’t live with myself. I knew there had to be a better way.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “So she’s still living in that world where you’re in the upper class. I’m surprised you came here. Most people in the upper class didn’t see the problems on Earth.”
Lucy’s Father replied, “I hated it. Once you’re in the upper class, you’re mocked if you present any idea to help anyone less fortunate. It’s like Ayn Rand’s ridiculous ideas became mainstream, and Jesus’ teachings lost all value.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “I’m glad to see someone who didn’t sell his soul for comfort. However, the issue at hand is your daughter.”
Lucy’s mother said, “We need to talk to her. This new society isn’t the place for that mindset. We’re trying to level the playing field. Maybe we should explain that to her.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “I hope she can adjust to this new way of life. The transition might be a little traumatic for small children. They’ve been so indoctrinated on Earth that money is God that it’s hard to explain that money is opposed to God.”
Lucy’s mother said, “We believe that, but we didn’t think we needed to teach Lucy that. She’s probably traumatized by the culture shock she’s experiencing.”
Lucy’s father said, “We hadn’t considered that when we decided to come here. Maybe we should’ve waited.”
Mrs. Nelson said, “If she can’t adjust, she can choose to return to Earth when she turns 18. No one’s going to be forced to stay here against their will.”
MARS: Baroque Revolution Page 5