The Man Who Sold Mars

by K Anderson Yancy

  I smiled. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  And so did George, “And where there’s money, there’s lots of ways.”

  # # #

  I was not pleased my question was not answered. I started to pursue the matter to its end and then suddenly afraid of the possible answers stopped to weigh my options.

  Tatyana decided it was time to move us on. “We will swing by the ships engineering plant, presently.”

  Studying our compartment while thinking, I decided to pursue the question later and commented on our ship. “She really is a marvel.”

  # # #

  I agreed with Selena. It was exciting being so close to my childhood dream. It made me feel closer to my parents and reminded me of how much I missed them. The moment was suddenly becoming bitter sweet.

  Tatyana also agreed with Selena and amplified our mission. “She is. And a work horse. In addition to exploring Mars proper, while there, we will remotely explore her two moons Phobos and Deimos and the neighboring asteroid belt via remote telemetry and satellites deployed from Prometheus. We’ll even deploy a few satellites destined for the edge of our solar system and beyond.”

  Walking and talking we surveyed the entire ship — bridge, engineering, crew quarters, cargo, docking bays, . . .

  Tot filled us in on more about the prototype. “This Prometheus is 100% functional. If she were in orbit above Earth all we’d have to do is point and go.”

  George took the MTV in with much on his mind, “Impressive.”

  Tot continued, “We’ve contracted with the five partners in the International Space Station the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and the 19 European countries represented by the European Space Agency, ESA — Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom to assemble her at a space dock operated by the International Space Station.

  Because time is of the essence, while we built the Prometheus on the ground they built the space dry dock and a second working version of the Prometheus completely underwater.”

  I explained that, “It simulates the conditions of space. From a submerged version of the joint Space station, work crews labored at a submerged space dock assembling another functioning, submerged Prometheus. The lessons learned will be applied when we build the one in Earth’s orbit destined for Mars—“

  Selena added, “And back.”

  I agreed, “And back. Most definitely. It may not seem as if it was the cheapest way of doing it. But time is of the essence and time is money. Doing it this way probably saved us two or more years. It also provided us with a lot of knowledge we hadn’t anticipated. With regard to each construction crew building a Prometheus, at times they encountered the same difficulties at time each encountered a unique difficulty, not necessarily tied to the environment. We had a design team solve the problem and when necessary figure out why the other team did not experience the problem and move us on to completion. So, this approach gave us an additional form of speed we hadn’t expected because some of the difficulties encountered had we built one after the other would have slowed us down even further adding additional time sequentially rather than contemporaneously to extending the launch date. And, when those corrected plans necessitated modification to equipment needed for the work in the space dock, it was handled immediately also generating additional time savings.

  George still much on his mind asked, “Training?”

  Tot filled us in, “ESA. Long ago, we contracted with ESA to build a YSR facility and conduct training near its complex in Frascati, Italy. The crew candidates are making great progress.

  Kevin quite pleased, “We’re definitely keeping a global face on this.”

  Selena asked, “What about Asia?”

  George still analyzing said, “We have facilities there too. And, everything’s on track.”

  I concurred, “Yes—“

  Tot voiced a concern, “Stephen, I wish you would reconsider the training methodology.”

  “No. We can not use mission duration training.”

  Hemmingson requested a translation. “Speak English.”

  So Tot did while advancing her argument. “It’s a safe proven system. You take the crew and all personnel and go through the mission second by second before it goes live.”

  Kevin did not see the wisdom in that. “Conduct an entire three year static mission before we launch?”

  Nor George, “No.”

  Gardner supported Tot. “There are advantages. Safety. Higher probability of completing the mission.”

  I defended my point. “On a short mission, yes.”

  And so did George, “On a three year mission—“

  And so did Selena, “You would harm the crew. You will isolate them for three plus years and then turn around and do it to them again on the actual mission. No. We have no data on what this will do to the human psyche. Psychologically, we may be doing the one thing necessary to guarantee failure.”

  I continued. “We have to think outside the box. What happens when we shoot for Proxy Centauri, seven years there and back? We have to develop reliable systems that work or can be repaired. That kind of time is a luxury we lost when we decided to step outside our own planetary system.”

  Selena shook her head no. “Lost it? We’ve thrown it away.”

  I was adamant and unyielding, “All our training is methodology based. We teach, procedures, ways of thinking, problem solving so that the crews have the mental tools they need to execute their missions, solve any problem and return. Granted some aspects of the journey can be mission duration or modular mission duration program. But an entire mission to mars second by second. No. No. No.”

  Hemmingson pounded the gavel, “Point settled and I’m hungry. Any strip joints around here.”

  Selena laughed. Don’t you think of anything else? “Strip joints?!”

  Gardner asked him, “Hungry or Horny?”

  “Is there a difference? Anyway. Any strip joints around here?”

  Tot grinned with mischief, “Strip joints? I don’t know. But, we have plenty of space food in the galley.”

  “That orange mush? Only if you’re tossing in some lap dances. Tati. Selena. I have rubles.”

  Tot laughed, “Dream—“

  “On.”, were their definitive words on the matter.

  The two broke out into laughs and we joined them.

  11. Message On The Moon

  Lap dances and a meal . . . Hemmingson got his wish. Well half of .it, but knowing Mike he’d get the other half someway, somewhere. When I and my friends who were helping me make my dream real adjoined from the Prometheus we convened at a table in an International Russian sports pub filled with men and women enjoying television broadcasts of World Cup soccer coverage in a multitude of languages from around the world.

  Tot asked Mike, “Happy?”

  “Half way. But the night’s still young.” He patted his lap.

  “Not that young.”

  We laughed

  And as we enjoyed the humor of the moment, the American — Brazilian World Cup soccer match was interrupted by a CNN news flash.

  “This Just in. News of what many are reporting as a gigantic starship orbiting the moon. We’re here with Doctor Langston of the Caltech observatory.

  The entire bar came to a deadly silence as people watched corresponding broadcast in a vast number of languages with a multitude of experts from all over the world with video of the phenomenon playing in place of the games.

  Doctor Langston spoke, “Though many are, we are not labeling the phenomenon as a spaceship at this point, rather some type of as yet undiscovered anomaly. As you observe this image of the moon, you can see something intrude off its periphery blocking the suns light to the surface. If it is a vehicle, it’s in a geosynchronous orbit with the moon, which occasionally crosses the border of the lunar landscape dividing the dark
side from the side facing us.”

  The anchor asked, “Don’t you have the ability to tell if it’s a ship?”

  “The tools we have are based on our understanding of the universe and our technology. This anomaly is essentially transparent to both and prudence would dictate we consider it an anomaly until we can define it.

  “Thank you doctor. Next we go to business correspondent Ralph Diego.”

  “The U.S. markets have not yet opened. But, we expect they will react much as the European and Asian markets have with horrendous crashes in all areas.

  I pulled out my cell and hit my speed dialer. On the other end, a phone rang while I walked to a secluded, relatively quieter place, in the back of the bar and the business correspondent continued.

  “The crashes are expected; given the only history we have with technologically advanced beings interacting with less developed is our own. With the legacy of the Indians of the Americas, the indigenous people of Africa, Australia, New Zealand and a plethora of others as precursors to what may be . . . the markets are responding accordingly. Certainly, we expect that Young Stellar Resources will be hit hard tomorrow. If not as a result of normal market forces, but out of retribution. Many believe extra terrestrial life studying us, realizing we were coming for them have instead come for us.”

  A photo of me appeared on the TV.

  And, the news anchor announced me, “We actually have Stephen Yong on the line. Thank you, Stephen. What are your thoughts on the event?”

  My picture remained on the air, while my voice played in the background.

  “This event was inevitable. However, space is our future whether there are others there before us or not. I will continue to work towards a Mars landing.”

  Recognizing me from the photo, people alternated watching the television and me and the anchor continued with the interview, “What about the value of your stock?

  “At the close of markets yesterday, my stock was undervalued. I think we have a future. And a great future. Today, when the future markets open, I will go long on that future optioning and buying as much as I can of mine and any other under valued stock that would normally fit into my investment portfolio. I recommend that everyone do the same and not give into panic.”

  “Thank you, Stephen.”

  “Thank you.”

  I returned to my group as George and Tatyana left to talk on their phones in secluded, quieter places of their own, while in panic most of the revelers left. A few on the other hand choose to stay and party harder. A slightly inebriated man in a great mood, grinned hoisted a beer to the heavens, “ET!” Others realized where he was going and hoisted their beers, He continued “пойти—” Go— The rest of the bar shouted “домой!!!!” HOME!!! They drank from their beers and cheered.

  Selena asked, “So what do we do?”

  Gardner said, “Buy gold.”

  Kevin agreed. “Invaders love gold.”

  Selena, her thoughts elsewhere thought Kevin and Gardner were serious, “What?!”

  I told them, “I’m going to do just as I said. Wait until the markets settle and buy everything. I would suggest that all of you do the same. I margined all I have so I’d have cash in an extreme emergency to keep us going. I think this is it.

  Kevin spoke a truth, “They will call your margin tomorrow and in seven days you’ll have to pay.”

  Selena asked, “And if you don’t have the money, what then?”

  “I’ll have it.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll have it.”

  And Gardner told them why, “The capitol markets are a fiction. I imagine within those seven days you’ll—we’ll pick up investments for pennies on the dollar, pennies on the tens of thousands of dollars. And when the capitol markets regain their sanity and value even slightly, we’ll have investments worth not just multiples of our purchase prices, but exponential powers of the purchase price.”

  12. The Aliens Are Coming

  And as everyone predicted, when the markets opened, all of the prices tumbling toward negative infinity and all the traders panicked and frenzied and Gardner, Tot, George, Kevin and I publicly brought everything we could to stem the madness.

  But it did no good and for six frightful days madness reigned, until the streets looked post apocalyptic. Stores were abandoned, vandalized, and looted and the streets littered with debris.

  From the Samsung billboard in Times Square, a CNN broadcast played, while above it, big and close, the full moon mirrored the telecast.

  A montage of scenes aired from around the world, showing the phenomenon of the moon and its alien intruder over Washington, DC; Chicago; Paris; Beijing Square; The Great Pyramids; London; Red Square.

  From her set, the somber CNN anchor addressed the world. “With each day the anomaly has increased with greater penetration over the lighted area of the moon and then retreated. Today, it is not retreating and continuing to press forward with greater velocity. Here you can make out the form. It appears to be a ship design of interlocking crescents forming . . .”

  The darkened image moved completely into the light to reveal . . .

  Relived the anchor grinned, “The cursive YSR logo for Young Stellar Resources. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just witnessed the greatest PR event in history.”

  In my penthouse condo, my group – Tatyana; Selena becoming increasingly less frightened hugging Patricia; Hemmingson; George; Gardner and Kevin - watched TV with me. Their reactions varied ranging from humor to anger.

  Patricia said, “Cooooooooool.”

  Gardner grinned at me, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I—“

  Kevin poured himself more wine. “A whole lot of people are going to be maaaaadd.”

  Selena was livid. “Like me. How could you? You threw the world into mass panic.”

  Hemmingson picked up a wine bottle and drank from it, “And I lost a shirt. A t-shirt granted, but a shirt. More like one on those little ity bitty ones worn by newborns, or big breasted women at wet t-shirt competitions, but it was a shirt none the less.”

  Matter of fact, George stated. “He told everyone that night in the pub. But as always people chose to believe what they chose to believe, the thing that validated them most, whether it was right or wrong.”

  Selena whipped around to look at “Tatyana!”

  Looking guilty, Tatyana came to attention gave the Sieg Heil, “Hail Victory” salute and in a German-English accent said, “Javol mine fraulein. I was only following orders.”

  Selena was furious. “Stephen you still haven’t answered my question. A lot of innocent people died then too. You three inflicted on the world the highest suicide rate of all time.”

  I was sad about that, even as it was happening, but what we had to accomplish with the moon was more important than they realized. “Selena, I—“

  “You did all this over money?! Wait until the lawsuits come in.”

  George unworried said, “Selena, it wasn’t about money. And the lawsuits will be an issue, but they won’t.”

  Selena snapped, “Stephen, You still haven’t answered my question.”

  And so I did, “Selena, the world is always panicked about something real or imagined. For God’s sake, half the people in the US can’t even read on an eighth grade level and we’re the wealthiest nation on this planet. And when we average in the rest of the world, we have a people with a less than Neolithic education with modern day technology.”

  “And you know what’s good for the world?”

  George answered for me. “Yes.”

  And I continued. “Yes, I do know what’s better for some of the world far better than most.”

  “I can’t believe you two. Sieg Heil is right—“

  I continued, “Selena, I think about the world all the time. If I didn’t we would have been way wealthier when I ran The Group than we were. I could have eviscerated half those companies we took over and made ten times the money had I torched the people working fo
r them and the families they provided for with those jobs.”

  Hemmingson nursing his bottle said, “That’s the problem I had. Greediness is next to godliness.”

  Selena gave a laugh of disdain, “Stephen, you know what’s good for the world? I can’t believe you.”

  “Why do you think we’re doing this? I have a personal motivation and a global. I do think about the world all the time.”

  Selena was in tears, “My God, people committed suicide over this.”

  George attempting to redeem us spoke with her. “Not to be callous, but people’ve committed suicide over our corporate takeovers, over celebrity divorces and marriages, their team losing—“

  “That's cruel.”

  “Selena, I don't mean to be. It's just a truth.”

  “I can't believe you three. And you pulled the rest of us in with you. And you Stephen have the arrogance to say you know what's good for the world?”

  “I was adamant I was right, “It’s the 21st century and we’re fighting another crusade, a Holy War between the Arabs and The Christians with the Jews warming up in the bullpen for their shot at the Arabs. You tell me if the world knows what's best for it.”

  Selena was silent. And, the rest of us, not really knowing what to say, were silent.

  Wanting Selena to understand my deeds I continued, “The only chance humanity has to evolve beyond its “humanity” is to reach out for the stars and spread ourselves away from one another as far and as fast as we can. At least one of those groups will reach that ideal. The rest will no doubt sink further into the depths of their humanity. And, I’m going to do everything I can to help make sure that everything that’s good about us survives.”

  Selena remained silent and resolute in her mood.

  I thought about the things I’d done and those I must and spoke to everyone. “I know all of you didn’t agree with everything I did when I ran The Group. And then we only had dollars on the table. Now, we’re talking about the future or lack of one for humanity. You will hate some of the things I’ll do. I love all of you and you have the freedom to go at anytime. But if you leave . . . you will always be my friend. And, I hope to always be yours.”