Rich said, “Well, that’s your decision. The treaty allows you to make your own decision. Even if you decide to stay here, you can still work for me. I’m going to need someone to keep me apprised of the happenings here.”
Notah said, “Understood, now let’s hang up before anyone gets suspicious.”
Rich hung up his phone, and Notah put his on the bed. Notah sat up and started crying. He hated all the hiding and lying. He was an honest person, and wanted to be honest to himself and the rest of the people in his life. Now that the war was over, perhaps he could be free to make his own decisions.
A moment later, Scout called him. Notah saw the number on his phone and dove onto the bed to answer it. Something about Scout made his heart leap. It was like love, but not romantic.
Scout asked, “Have you made your decision yet?”
Notah replied, “I’m not sure. It’s a lot harder here than I expected, and I miss Earth so much. But at the same time, I don’t want to go back to the corporate hell there.”
Scout asked, “Is anyone pressuring you to make a decision?"
Notah replied, “The decision is mine; there’s no timeline.”
Scout said, “You’re free to follow your heart. We don’t keep anyone here against their will. You know that if you stay that you’ll have to prove your loyalty every day to the people who don’t trust you. Jordan makes it very clear that he thinks you’re working against us, and other people have started to believe him.”
Notah said, “That’s true no matter what I do. No one trusts me here and no one trusts me on Earth. I’m not even sure I trust myself. Maybe I’m just not trustworthy.”
Scout said, “I trust you. You’ve proven yourself to me time and time again.”
Notah said, “That means a lot to me. I’ll let you know what I decide soon.”
Scout said, “There’s no rush. We’ll provide you a ride back to Earth if you choose to return, or we’ll continue to provide you with citizenship if you choose to stay here.”
Notah said, “That means a lot to me too. I’d better go now before I get all emotional.”
Notah hung up his phone again and cried. He was torn inside.
***
Scout went to the Freedom Detention Center. The jail officially received its name once the war ended. The warden, James Baca, was processing paperwork on the Allied Earth’s prisoners of war.
Scout asked, “Are they all still here?”
James replied, “No one’s been released. Do you need something?”
Scout said, “I’m going to offer them a choice. They can go back to Earth, or they can stay here and become Martian citizens.”
James said, “They’ll never agree to that. You’ll be wasting your breath.”
Scout said, “I’m willing to take that chance. Can you get them in the intake room?”
James answered, “Of course.”
James announced the order to the prisoners, and took them into the intake chamber. They sat at a conference table; the same one the intake officers used to process new inmates.
Scout counted the people in the room. There were 48 prisoners of war. He was obligated to release them, but he wanted to give them the chance to choose their own destiny. He felt that it was worth the effort, even if no one accepted his offer.
Scout said, “I know most of you think I’m evil, but I’d like to explain our way of life to you.”
A prisoner asked, “Why the hell would we listen to you?”
Scout said, “Because I think I’ve proven that I intend to do no harm. Unlike your leaders, my people didn’t rape female prisoners. My people didn’t kill fleeing enemy combatants. We didn’t fire on unarmed soldiers. The list of things we didn’t do that your leaders did goes on for a while.”
Rhian said, “He has a point. They treated us really well in here.”
Scout said, “You were treated better than we treated ourselves when we first got here. We lived on fish and chips for months until we received our first supply ship.”
Scout detailed the journey from a dream to his independent nation. He detailed every point in the constitution, and the major points of their philosophy.
Rhian said, “You have me thoroughly convinced. I want to defect.”
Scout asked, “Anyone else?”
The prisoners looked at each other. The ones who wanted to defect were waiting for someone else to move first. The ones who wanted to go home just gazed at the door.
Scout said, “Once you leave this room, it’ll be a lot harder to come back. I’m offering you a free pass on the processing for new citizens. The treaty of Luna details a very long path to citizenship. You can bypass that if you take my offer.”
Fifteen other people moved toward Rhian and Scout. The other prisoners scowled at the defectors.
One prisoner said, “You’re betraying your home. You’re scum joining scum.”
James said, “You’re entitled to your opinion, even if it’s wrong.”
Scout said, “Think what you want, but it’s their choice.”
James said, “Everyone who’s sure they want to return to Earth can go back into the other room.”
All but two of the prisoners walked out of the intake room. The last two were still undecided.
A prisoner said, “If you’re smart, you’ll go back home with us. These people are stupid as hell.”
Scout said, “It’s their decision, not yours.”
The returning prisoners were loaded onto a bus and taken to their leaders. The remaining people had some questions for Scout.
One asked, “What if I decide to stay here and then change my mind?”
Scout answered, “Then we’ll send you home on the next ship out. We don’t force anyone to stay here.”
That was what both of them wanted to hear. They both defected.
Scout went into the defectors’’ pod. He had to make sure that they still wanted to stay.
He said, “I’m here to make sure you still want to stay here on Mars. If anyone wants to return to Earth with General Rich and the Allied forces, you’re free to leave now. For those of you that want to stay, you’ll have to stay here in the jail for a few more days while Rich and his people clear out.”
No one moved. They all wanted to stay and join Scout’s experimental society.
***
General Rich presented his argument to the prisoners on the Capitalist. He was hoping to convince the Martian citizens to defect and return to Earth with him. He was unsuccessful. No one from Mars wanted to return to Earth. They didn’t even want to see the planet again. General Rich had to return the prisoners to Mars.
He thought, “These people are brainwashed. They honestly believe in this insane way of life. It’s not the way of the world. They’re just lazy.”
Chapter Fifty
New Citizens
Scout and Jordan stood at the front of Congress. The representatives were present, along with the two Senators. There were 250 chairs filled with defectors from the Allied Earth forces.
Scout said, “Not long ago, we were enemies. Those days are now over. You have chosen to leave your former lives in favor of a life with us. I am so pleased that you have chosen a better life with us.”
Jordan said, “We need to make sure we are not forcing anyone to join us who doesn’t want to. Everyone wishing to become a Martian citizen please stand if you are able to do so. If you are unable to stand, you may raise your right arm.”
Two hundred and forty nine of the defectors stood to their feet. Mikayla Salgado, a former pilot, was unable to stand. She sustained a spinal injury in the war. She raised her right hand.
Jordan said, “Thank you all for placing your confidence in us. You may be seated.”
The assembled defectors sat and listened to the rest of the presentation. As the time to take the oath approached, some of them got nervous.
Scout said, “We haven’t done this before, so we had to create an oath on the fly. Every person already here sign
ed a contract before they arrived, so they knew what they were in for.”
Jordan said, “We basically took the pertinent parts of the contract and added verification that you’re making an informed decision.”
The informal atmosphere in a very formal ritual put the defectors minds at ease. They were used to long, boring rites full of tension.
Scout said, “We don’t force anyone to stay, so if you ever change your mind, you can go back to Earth.”
Jordan said, “Okay, I think it’s time to take the oath.”
Scout said, “Stand to your feet once again and place your right hand on your heart.”
Rhian thought, “This is it! I’m really going to be a Martian citizen.”
The defectors stood except for Mikayla, who still placed her right hand over her heart.
Jordan began with a question, “Have you been instructed in the laws of Mars, the customs of Mars, and our ways?”
The defectors all said, “I have.”
Jordan asked another question, “Do you still wish to become a citizen of the Martian Republic?”
The defectors said, “I do.”
Jordan said, “Repeat after me, I, state your name, promise to abide by all laws and customs set forth in the Martian Constitution.”
As they were saying the words, the gravity of what they were doing overcame some of the defectors. They started to cry as they repeated the oath.
Jordan continued, “I promise to defend Mars and the constitution of the Martian Republic from all enemies. I promise to be a productive citizen of Mars. I promise to participate in elections and other civic duties. I promise to be a good Martian.”
As they were reciting the pledge, Scout was encoding their Work Credit Cards. Once the pledge was complete, he handed the new citizens their cards. They were official citizens of the Martian Republic.
Chapter Fifty-One
Conclusion
General Rich and The Operative sat next to each other on the return trip to Earth. It was time for General Rich to release The Operative from his obligation. Rich pulled a folder out of his bag. It had The Operative’s official release papers.
Rich said, “Well, you failed in your mission. They won, but I’m still going to keep my word. You did a hell of a job.”
The Operative said, “I did everything I could. They were just more dedicated to their cause.”
Rich said, “That might be debatable, but they fought hard for what they believed.”
The Operative asked, “So what are you going to do now that you’ve lost?”
Rich said, “The same thing I always did. I’m going to keep Earth safe for the people who need safety.”
The Operative said, “You mean the rich people?”
Rich said, “I mean the ones who work to make things good for society.”
The Operative said, “This is why I’m glad I’m done with this. There’s got to be a middle ground.”
Rich said, “Maybe, but our way is the best.”
The Operative said, “Okay, can we talk about something else?”
Rich said, “Sign here, and you’ll be a civilian again.”
He handed the papers to The Operative, along with a pen. The Operative signed them.
The Operative asked, “What about the job offers you promised?”
Rich said, “They’re in the folder. I used paper because they’re all official documents. You’re free to choose the one you want or none at all.”
The Operative said, “I’ll take one. How long do I have to make a decision?”
Rich answered, “You have 30 days once we return to Earth. There’s no pressure, either. If you take a job and don’t like it, you can quit and take another. I promised you a better life, and I’ve kept that promise.”
The Operative said, “I appreciate that.”
He put his release papers in the folder. Then he put the folder in his bag. He started to get up when the General started talking again.
Rich said, “You know why I’m not worried about the wackos on Mars?”
The Operative sat back down. He rolled his eyes at the General.
The Operative said, “I’m sure you’re going to tell me, whether I care or not.”
Rich noticed the eye roll, but chose not to comment on it. He wanted to finish his thought. He no longer had any authority over The Operative anyway.
Rich said, “First, I have a mole in their midst.”
The Operative said, “I knew that already. He’s been feeding us information the whole time. That can’t be the whole reason for your confidence.”
Rich said, “It’s not. I know the colony they’ve created won’t last. They’ll start squabbling among themselves and fracture the society. Just wait; you’ll see them destroy themselves.”
The Operative said, “Thank God I’m done with you.”
General Rich said, “You know you can never be done with me, Major Rich.”
The Operative replied, “Yes, dad, I know. I wish I had some other line of blood running through my veins.”
The ship landed in Eugene. General Rich went to his office to resume his work. His former operative went to the barracks to retrieve his things. Once he packed, he left the base for his new home in Albuquerque. He had a decision to make about which job to take. Whichever job it was, he wanted to be in New Mexico. He liked three jobs in Albuquerque, one with XXXXXX, one with XXXX, and one with XXXXXX. He’d choose one soon.
***
Scout called the Martian Parliament into session. They had a lot of work to do now that they were an independent nation. The first order of business was the massive cleanup after the war.
Scout told Jordan, “Why the hell didn’t we ask for help with cleanup in the treaty?”
Jordan replied, “Because we wanted them to get the hell off this rock.”
MARS: Baroque Revolution Page 25