MARS: Baroque Revolution

by Matthew Ellis

  Lucy’s mother asked, “So no one’s forced to stay here if they don’t want to?”

  Mrs. Nelson replied, “No one‘s forced to stay here if they decide that this lifestyle isn’t for them; especially children who are brought here before they’re allowed to make decisions for themselves. When they turn 18 Earth years old, they can make their own decision.”

  Lucy’s mother asked, “I thought the constitution said that children become adults at age 16.”

  Mrs. Nelson answered, “That’s for making their own decisions on Mars. They’re not adults on Earth until they turn 18, so we’ll respect their law.”

  Lucy’s father said, “We’ll respect their law, but they won’t respect our right to exist. I know a war’s coming when we tell them we want our own society.”

  Mrs. Nelson said, “Let’s not worry about the future. Tomorrow’s not promised, so there’s no reason to worry about it.”

  Lucy’s father said, “You’re probably right. We have immediate problems to deal with, so worrying about what happens down the road isn’t productive.”

  Mrs. Nelson said, “You should talk to her, and maybe talk to Leona and Scout about explaining the basis of our society to her.”

  Lucy’s father said, “We’ll do our best to make sure she understands no one is better than anyone else. We’re all just people.”

  Lucy’s parents left Mrs. Nelson’s office. Mrs. Nelson called Scout to discuss the problem and ask for help explaining their way of life to the children.

  Scout said, “What can I do for you, Mrs. Nelson?”

  Mrs. Nelson replied, “I need help with the children. They don’t really understand our egalitarian utopia.”

  Scout said, “I’ll work on child friendly versions of our educational materials.”

  Mrs. Nelson asked, “Why didn’t you already have them in place?”

  Scout answered, “Because I thought their parents would teach them what it means to be Martian.”

  Mrs. Nelson said, “You’re asking way too much of human parents.”

  Scout said, “I know. Money might solve most of humanity’s problems, but it can’t fix all of them. Parents are going to have to take responsibility for raising their children eventually.”

  Mrs. Nelson said, “Thank you.”

  Scout hung up the phone and started working on the kid versions of the materials. He would have to find someone to present them to the school because he was not good with children. He called Bob Fink.

  Bob answered, “What’s up, Scout?”

  Scout said, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

  Bob asked, “What do you need?”

  Scout replied, “I had a situation arise at the school, and I need help getting through to some of the students.”

  Bob asked, “How old are these kids?”

  Scout answered, “From Kindergarten to high school. I need all the students to understand the nature of our new society; so every student in the school.”

  Bob said, “I can’t present to young kids, but Cindy’s great at that. I can give the information to older kids, though.”

  Scout asked, “When’re you available?”

  Bob answered, “Whenever you need me. The Congress and the biodome can do without me for a few hours. By the way, why can’t you do this?”

  Scout said, “Because I’m really not good with kids. Every time I see a child, I cringe.”

  Bob said, “You’d better not get Kathy pregnant, then.”

  Scout said, “I think it’ll be different when it’s my own child.”

  Bob said, “Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.”

  Scout asked, “Do you have any kids? You’ve never told me about any children.”

  Bob said, “Cathy and I always wanted them, but I think one of us is defective.”

  Scout said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Bob replied, “It’s no big deal. Life would’ve sucked on Earth for a kid anyway.”

  Scout said, “But you’re on Mars now.”

  Bob said, “If it’s meant to be, then it’ll happen. If not, then it won’t. I gave up on worrying about it long ago. I’m not in charge of that.”

  Scout said, “Well, thanks again. I’ll call you when I have the presentations ready.”

  He didn’t want to get into a philosophical conversation, so he tried to end the call. Bob was busy anyway, so he let Scout get back to work.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Colony Completion

  The support team arrived a few weeks after they left Earth. They were greeted with the same festive celebration the first colonists enjoyed. Scott was happy to see Scout again after so long. He supported the colony for years without any physical contact with anyone except his support crewmembers.

  Scout hugged Scott and said, “It’s good to have you home. We’ve been waiting for you. Now the colony’s almost complete.”

  Scott laughed and said, “What do you mean almost?”

  Scout replied, “We still have sympathizers who aren’t ready to commit to coming yet.”

  Scott said, “Maybe they can influence public opinion back on Earth.”

  Scout said, “I doubt it, but I’m hoping they can help us when Rich attacks.”

  Scott said, “That might be difficult. The corporations have set up surveillance cameras with weapons to stop petty criminals. Graffiti artists are being killed by the thousands.”

  Scout asked, “What kind of software do they have?”

  Scott replied, “It detects a threat to property. So if someone is defacing property or stealing, it kills the threat.”

  Scout said, “That doesn’t sound like trying to stop us.”

  Scott said, “But software can be changed in the case of an insurrection. That’s how you’re branded back on Earth, and insurrectionist.”

  Scout said, “That’s their problem unless they can’t leave us in peace.”

  Scott said, “I don’t want to think about that.”

  Scout said, “Well, then welcome my most trusted friend.”

  Scott said, “Don’t get all mushy on me now. I just travelled a few million miles through space. I can’t deal with any more stress. Besides, I thought Jordan was your most trusted friend.”

  Scout said, “He’s more than a friend. He’s more like family.”

  Scott said, “One of these days I’m going to figure out what the hell you mean when you talk about him. Let’s change the subject for now.”

  Scout said, “Alright, how about if I ask how the journey was.”

  Scott said, “It was amazingly uneventful. I thought for sure General Rich or some corporate police would come after us. But we got here smooth as butter.”

  Scout said, “Rich is probably trying to get us to lower our guard. I’m not falling for it.”

  Scott said, “Neither am I. So, where are you going to want me?”

  Scout answered, “I have a big assignment for you. We have all of our proverbial eggs in this one basket. We need a second town.”

  Scott asked, “You want me to build a second city? It took the robots and your terraforming crew years to build the first one.”

  Scout said, “But that was before we had anything established. Now we have lots of people who need to work.”

  Scott asked, “Do we have enough materials to build a second town?”

  Scout answered, “Not right now, but we have the resources to get the materials we need.”

  Scott said, “I’ll need about a hundred people.”

  Scout said, “Done. Your first job is going to be picking a location. Then you’ll need to build a rail line from Freedom to your location. Do you have a name in mind?”

  Scott said, “Progress. We’re making progress, so we’ll call it Progress.”

  Scout said, “That sounds like a fine name. I want you to use Freedom as a template. You’re going to basically recreate what you see here.”

  Scott said, “Wow. The biodome alone could take ten years to finish. What’
s my timeline?”

  Scout said, “There isn’t one. Just work diligently on the project. I want the cities and towns on Mars to be the best in the solar system.”

  Scott said, “Okay. Can I pick my crew?”

  Scout answered, “Of course. I want you to choose the people you think can do the best job possible. Just a couple rules; don’t steal good people from other people’s projects, and don’t force anyone to join you who doesn’t want to.”

  Scott said, “I’ll get the best crew for the job without even needing to do either of those things.”

  Scout said, “Also, get everyone to see Bob or Cindy Fink to get their maps and a copy of the constitution.”

  Scott asked, “Who are they?”

  Scout answered, “Listen for the Wisconsin accents. It’ll be obvious when you hear their voices.”

  Jane and Jack came up to Scott after he finished talking to Scout. They wanted to meet him in person. They also wanted to thank Scout’s liaison for all the hard work he’d done to get the colony going.

  Jack said, “So this is the famous Scott. Scout’s told us so much about you.”

  Scott said, “I hope he told you good things.”

  Jack said, “Wonderful, actually. He told us about all the hard work you did to keep the colony moving forward.”

  Scott said, “It wasn’t just me. I had a whole team to support the mission.”

  Jane said, “But you were the leader of the support team. Scout must’ve chosen you for a reason.”

  Scott replied, “I’ve known Scout for years. I helped him come up with the idea for this colony.”

  Jane asked, “Then why didn’t you come with the terraforming team?”

  Scott said, “Scout needed someone he could trust to outwit DeNoPE. General Rich tried to throw monkey wrench after monkey wrench at us. Someone had to stay behind and solve problems.”

  Jane said, “Well, we’re glad to have you with us now. It’s nice to have the base of the colony complete.”

  Scott said, “I’m glad to be here. If you ever need anything, just let me know.”

  Jack said, “We’ll be sure to do that.”

  Scott went to start recruiting his crew. He didn’t think it would take very long, but he encountered more resistance than he expected. Jack and Jane sat at a table and enjoyed the feast.

  Jack told Jane, “I’m happy to have the colony completed, but I’m scared we’re going to have it all taken from us.”

  Jane replied, “Even if DeNoPE sends their military to take us back, we’ll win the war and our freedom."

  Jack said, “I wish I shared your optimism.”

  Jane said, “We’re going to be fine. Once we declare our independence from Earth, we can start our new lives and really be free.”

  Jack said, “I just hope to live to see it.”

  Jane said, “Of course you will. You’re smart. You’ll overcome any obstacle life puts in your way.”

  Jack said, “You’re probably right. “

  They finished their festive meal and went to find Scott. They wanted to ask him if he needed any help with his project. When they caught up with him, Jack spoke first.

  He said, “Is there anything we can do for you. I know you must have a lot of work ahead of you. Unloading that ship was a bear when we did it.”

  Scott replied, “I have enough volunteers. Besides, I think that Scout has something else in mind for you two.”

  Jack said, “Then we’d better go find him.”

  Scott and the rest of the support crew spent the next few days unpacking the Renaissance. The ship would be hangared for a while because it was no longer needed to bring anyone or anything back from Earth. In the coming weeks, it would be armed to the teeth in preparation for a possible war with DeNoPE.

  The support crew would join the rest of the colonists once they received their initial food supplies. The first colonists were already using work credits to trade for their food, but the support team was still new to Mars, so they received their food free.

  Once the support team settled in on Mars, they got to work in their various capacities. Scott spent the next few weeks recruiting a crew to work on his project. Once he found a crew, he started building Mars’ second city.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Declaration of Independence

  All the colonists were now on Mars. Scout wanted to call the full Parliament into session, but not everyone wanted to be part of what they considered a scary proposition. Their name on a document, which would be declared illegal by DeNoPE, could be used as evidence against them if their plan failed. Scout called a meeting of the core government to decide what to do next. He called Jordan, Kathy, Notah, John, Becky, Bob and Cindy.

  Scout said, “I’ve called you here to discuss whether or not to go forward with the original plan. This is our last chance to back out. If we continue with the plan, it might not be an easy row to hoe.”

  Kathy said, “The colonists are already here, and everything’s in order. So if we’re going to move forward with the plan, now’s the time to declare our independence from Earth.”

  Scout said, “Actually, Kathy, we still have a couple years to do that if we choose to delay.”

  Kathy asked, “Why would we delay?”

  Scout answered, “In case we wanted to try to build a bigger population or a stronger military.”

  Kathy said, “If we were going to do that, we would need 10 years for babies to grow up. We already have all the military equipment and weapons we’ll need, so I see no benefit in delaying.”

  Scout said, “You’re right. The only thing left to do is take a vote. Do we want to move forward with the plan?”

  Bob asked, “Why wouldn’t we move forward? If we don’t, we wasted all our resources getting everyone here for no good reason.”

  Scout replied, “We need to make sure we want to do this. General Rich made it perfectly clear he won’t let us get started without a fight.”

  Jordan interjected, “Like your woman said, we’re fully prepared for a war if that’s what Rich wants.”

  He refused to use Kathy’s name unless he had to use it. As he said the words, his voice growled.

  Scout said, “I get it, you don’t’ get along with Kathy. You don’t have to keep pointing it out.”

  Jordan said, “Sorry, Scout. What I said is still true, though. We’re fully prepared to go to war if Rich wants one.”

  Scout said,” It’s clear he does. That’s why he’s building a base on the moon.”

  Cindy asked, “How do you know that?”

  Notah said, “I told him. I have intelligence that General Rich and his goons are training on Earth’s moon. They’re preparing for war with us.”

  Bob asked, “How the hell do you know so much about General Rich?”

  Bob trusted Scout completely, but he wasn’t sure if Scout’s faith in Notah was misplaced. He didn’t, however, share Jordan’s hatred for Notah.

  Scout pointed at Bob in a warning manner before speaking. Bob knew this meant to stop the open questioning of Scout’s trust for Notah.

  Scout quickly said, “He’s spying for us. We can all trust him.”

  Jordan said, “I’ll believe that when I see it. Until then, he’s an infidel.”

  Scout angrily said, “I trust him. That’s all that matters as long as I’m in charge.”

  Jordan shrunk in his chair. He knew he’d stepped over the line. He needed to apologize.

  Jordan said, “Understood. Sorry.”

  The group wondered why Scout had so much patience for Jordan. He was quick to reprimand anyone else more harshly.

  Kathy asked, “So how many of us are in favor of declaring our independence from Earth immediately?”

  Scout said, “Let’s take a vote by raising hands.”

  Kathy said, “All in favor raise your hands.”

  Everyone in the room raised their hands.

  Kathy said, “All opposed.”

  No one raised a hand. The motion
passed unanimously. Scout moved toward the front of the room.

  Scout said, “We need a document to give to Earth’s governments. Kathy will take notes as we discuss what it should say.”

  Kathy picked up her writing device. She was the secretary for the group.

  Scout said, “Attention governments of the Earth and The Developed Nations of the Planet Earth (DeNoPE): The Mars Research Corporation (The people of Mars) hereby declares independence from Earth’s governments and corporations.”

  Jordan said, “We should tell them why.”

  Scout said, “The governments of Earth are corrupt and Earth’s corporations have too much power. The people of Mars have abolished money in the interest of preserving our humanity.”

  Kathy typed as her husband spoke. She continued typing after he finished because she couldn’t type as fast as he talked.

  Kathy asked, “Does anyone have anything to add to this?”

  Jordan said, “We should let them know that we’re claiming the entire planet for ourselves.”

  Kathy continued typing after Jordan finished talking because she still couldn’t type as fast as he could talk, either. Jordan shot her a look that said, “Hurry up.”

  Scout said, “We hereby claim all of Mars for settlement by the Martian people.”

  Kathy asked, “Is there anything else that needs to be in this document?”

  Bob said, “We should ask for a diplomatic resolution. We don’t want to go to war unless it’s really necessary.”

  Scout said, “We plead with the governments of Earth to accept our independence without conflict. However, if we are attacked, we will defend ourselves.”

  Cindy asked, “What else should we tell them?”

  Kathy said, “I think we have enough here to get our point across.”

  Scout said, “Then send the document to our overseers on Earth. Then the message will be forwarded to all heads of state and the leaders of DeNoPE.”

  Jordan asked, “How do you think they’ll react?”

  Scout said, “I hope they accept our proposal. I don’t expect it, though.”