Classical: MARS: Book 3 of MARS

by Matthew Ellis

  “Perhaps I’ve been a little too closed minded.”

  ***

  Quannah Tsotsie, the Speaker of Congress, said, “I call this session of the Martian Congress to Order.”

  Everyone stood at attention as Scout and Jordan made their way to their seats. Once they arrived, they sat down and Quannah allowed everyone to sit down.

  Scout walked to the podium and said, “We have some legislation to introduce. We need quick action on this, because it puts protocols in place for dignitaries from other worlds.”

  Quannah said, “Thank you, Scout. Everyone should have a copy on your readers. Please open CB42, 43, 44, 45, and 46.”

  Scout read each bill out loud as the representatives followed. Once the bills were read, the floor was opened to questions.

  Quannah asked, “Why didn’t you present this as one bill? It would’ve made it easier to take a vote.”

  Jordan answered, “We wanted to make sure each part of the bill stood on its own merit. We didn’t to have to rewrite a complicated bill. It’s easier to reword one or two simpler bills than it is to reword a 50,000-word bill.”

  Scout said, “Anyone else have any questions?”

  Johann Bachman asked, “Why is level five so full of Earth-like protocols. We’re not like them, so why do we need a law that allows us to treat them so badly?”

  Scout answered, “Because we may need to deter them from sending spies or other infiltrators.”

  Johann said, “I think that one might not pass.”

  Scout said, “Bear in mind that we’re dealing with a very corrupt system over there. We need to make sure they don’t come here to sow discord. But we’ll add a proviso that visitors must be informed of all possibilities with customs before they arrive.”

  Quannah asked, “Are there any other questions?”

  No one moved. The bills were straightforward, so they didn’t need too much explanation.

  Quannah took a vote. The first four bills passed unanimously. The fifth bill passed, but the vote took over half an hour. The representatives mulled over the consequences of the bill for a long time. Eventually, all but three representatives chose to send the bill through to the senate.

  The bill was put on the fast track, so it went to the Senators the next day. Since Mars only had two cities, it only had two senators. That meant that the votes needed to be unanimous.

  The Senate, because it was so small, was a very intimate setting. None of the formality of the Congress was present in the Senate chambers. They both sat down at a table and read the bills. Once the bills were read, a vote was taken. The bills passed unanimously.

  Once the protocols were in place, it was up to Lin and Notah to decide what level of scrutiny the delegates required. However, if Jordan and Scout decided that they needed a higher level, they could overrule the original decision.

  Lin got to his computer and reviewed the delegates file. He decided to set their threat level to four. Notah set his at three. They sent their decisions to the Consuls, who both reset them to five. The Earth delegates would be subject to the highest scrutiny level.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Campsite

  David went to a campsite a day’s drive from Freedom. He placed one of the devices from his bag on the rocks at the entrance to the campsite.

  General Rich saw the device go online and called David on his cell phone.

  Rich said, “Thank you for not fucking this one up before you put it in place.”

  David asked, “What are you talking about?”

  Rich answered, “I get telemetry from each device in real time. I told you that information on how they work is given on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know.”

  David said, “I’m only doing this because I didn’t realize what a fuck you are before I came here. I’m starting to think about defecting.”

  Rich said, “Don’t forget that I have several people there who are loyal to me. I can have you put down with three words in a phone call.”

  David said, “If it wasn’t for your violent tendencies, it would be hard for you to retain power.”

  Rich said, “Money buys power. Actually, money buys weapons, and weapons buy power.”

  David said, “I’ll get back to placing these things.”

  Rich said, “I need you to place them in a few more places. The campsite is necessary, and I need you to create a network on the planet.”

  David said, “Is there anything I need to worry about?”

  Rich said, “The devices are perfectly safe. You just need to keep it away from the Martians. I don’t want them to know what we’re up to.”

  David said, “I’m already under enough suspicion. I think that Jordan guy is tailing me.”

  Rich said, “I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t. He used to be my best investigator.”

  David said, “So you know he’s been tailing me?”

  Rich said, “I can take care of General Green. I know him better than anyone on Earth or Mars.”

  Rich went over the plan with David, and sent him maps and details. David got to work placing the devices once Rich finished.

  ***

  Rich sent Kidd text messages to tell him about his progress.

  He said, “We’ve got surveillance equipment hidden throughout the cities, and one of my operatives is planting them in other parts of the planet.”

  David replied, “So we’ll know everything they’re doing?”

  Rich answered, “Yes, but we can’t let them know about it. You have to gain their trust to get what we need.”

  David said, “I’m starting to think you’re just a manipulative asshole.”

  Rich said, “That’s the only way to get power. It’s not money or weapons, but manipulation.”

  David thought, “I really need to find a way to get away from this asshole.”

  Rich said, “Get to work.”

  Section VIII:

  Hard Work

  Chapter Nineteen

  Capture the Moons

  The orbit of Deimos is so far away from Mars that it barely qualifies as a moon. From the surface of the planet, it looks like a quick moving star. Its gravitational pull on the planet is very near nonexistent, and its orbit will eventually grow so unstable that it will cease to orbit Mars at all. Scout sent to a team to change that.

  Scout sent Jordan, Kathy, Lane, and Jane to capture Deimos and bring it closer to Phobos. They left the surface of the planet early in the morning and headed out on the Renaissance.

  Jordan said, “Okay, team, we’ll be in range to cast the net over Deimos in about two hours.”

  Kathy said, “Why’re we going so slowly? We can get there in a few minutes.”

  Jordan replied, “Because if we rocket to where we’re going, we’ll shoot right past it. Then we’ll wind up in orbit around Jupiter. That doesn’t sound fun to me.”

  Lane said, “You’re such an exaggerator. We’d pass it, and then have to turn around and spend another two hours trying to catch up to Deimos.”

  Jordan said, “Which is why the two-hour journey is preferable, even if we wouldn’t end up around Jupiter.”

  Lane said, “You’re such a smart-ass. I think Bob’s right. You need to get laid.”

  Kathy said, “I have some friends who don’t have boyfriends.”

  Jordan snapped, “I’m fine. If I want to get laid, I can find someone on my own.”

  Kathy said, “Maybe we should just get back to work.”

  Jordan sarcastically said, “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

  Lane asked, “Are we going to deploy the surveillance equipment on this run?”

  Jordan answered, “It’ll be deployed along with the net. It’s built into the netting, and tied to our video, audio and motion sensors both on the planet and in the satellites.”

  Kathy said, “That sounds like a pretty sophisticated piece of equipment.”

  Jordan said, “It’s not as sophisticated as it sounds. It’s really just a bunch of
intranet connections.”

  Kathy said, “I’m going to listen to my music until we get there. I don’t think you need me before that.”

  Jordan said, “I don’t need myself to fly this thing until we’re within three thousand kilometers of the moon.”

  Jane said, “In that case, I’m going to take a nap until we get there.”

  Kathy and Lane turned on their music players and tuned out the rest of the ship. Jane fell asleep seconds after she told the others that she would do so. That left Jordan in control of the ship for the next two hours. Two hours that were as boring for Jordan as anything had ever been. Two hours in empty space with only blackness to pass the time. It reminded him of the long journey from Earth just a few years earlier.

  Two hours later, Jordan woke the crew, “We’re in position. I need all of you to wake up.”

  The rest of the crew snapped to attention. Kathy took the controls. Lane prepared the net, and Jane put on her space suit.

  Jordan continued, “Is everyone ready to make this thing happen?”

  Everyone replied at once, “Let’s do this thing.”

  The ship slowed as it approached the moon. Kathy moved the ship into position as Jordan gave her the coordinates. Lane had the net ready to place on the moon as the ship passed. The ship got very near, and Jordan gave the order to stop the ship. Kathy stopped the ship so that it hovered over the surface of Deimos.

  The net was made of titanium, and took up the entire cargo hold of the Renaissance. Lane had calculated the amount of net to let out of the hold every second to ensure that the net completely covered the moon. There would be just enough slack when the net was completely over the moon so that the ship could pull the moon away from its orbit without tearing the net. A winch on the ship, which was controlled by Lane, controlled placement of the net. He watched very carefully as the net was cast over Deimos. As the net landed on the surface, spikes on the net dug into the moon’s surface to hold it in place. The ship methodically circled the moon until the net was completely cast upon the surface of Deimos

  Lane told Jordan through the ship’s communications system, “The net is cast.”

  Jordan asked, “Is the surveillance equipment online?”

  Lane replied, “Yes, sir. I can hear everything on Mars just as clearly as if I was on Central Avenue in Freedom.”

  Jordan replied, “Okay, we’ll get Jane on the surface to affix the tow rope.”

  The towrope was not made of rope at all, but of a composite of metals. It was extremely strong and able to withstand the pressure of towing a large celestial body. Jane’s job was to attach the towrope to the net so that the ship could tow the moon into position for the next phase of the plan. Jane rappelled down the rope from the ship to the surface of the moon. It was about a half-mile journey from the ship to the ground. Once she had reached the surface of the moon, she would be responsible for ensuring that the connection remained tight throughout the journey.

  Jane called the ship, “Jordan, I’m in position.”

  Jordan replied, “Go ahead and attach the rope to the net.”

  Jane said, “Attaching the rope now.”

  She attached the rope to the net using twenty nut and bolt fasteners. Each bolt was then meters long and two meters wide. She drove them into the surface with an impact wrench, and each drive took her six minutes. After each bolt was driven, she tightened the nuts. She accomplished this with a very large socket set. She turned the socket driver completely around the bolt by walking around the nut while holding the driver. Once the nuts and bolts were in place, she took up her position inside the shelter that had been built into the net. She would ensure from there that the connections remained secure throughout the journey.

  Kathy asked, “Are we ready to take the ship to the next objective?”

  Jane replied, “The connections are secure and I’m in position.”

  Lane closed the cargo hold and secured the ship’s end of the towrope. Once he did that, he signaled to the bridge that the ship was prepared. Kathy positioned the ship to move toward the next moon. Ten hours had passed since the ship left the surface. The crew was exhausted, so everyone but Jordan took a nap while the ship moved toward Phobos.

  The Renaissance pulled into orbit around Phobos three hours after the initial phase of the plan had been completed. A relief crew that would complete phase two of the plan now joined the crew. This crew was Scout, Loni, Nick, and Kit. They would complete the tasks in the second phase while the first phase crew rested. Then the two teams would alternate work shifts for the third phase of the plan.

  Phobos is by far the larger of the two moons that orbit Mars. However, it’s barely visible as a moon from the surface of the planet. It’s not as aesthetically pleasing as Earth’s moon, and is referred to as an “ugly potato.” The second goal was to prepare Phobos to be moved into a closer orbit with Mars. This was to be accomplished by drilling a 100-kilometer hole into the core and then inserting a tow bar into the bottom of the hole. After the tow bar was in place, a series of very long carbon fiber ropes would be inserted into the hole and attached to a set of four rockets. The rockets would then guide the moon into an orbit 250 000 kilometers away from Mars.

  Scout boarded the ship along with his teammates. He and the crew were much more rested than the crew that they relieved.

  Scout said, “How did it go back there?”

  Jordan answered, “Mission accomplished.”

  Scout said, “I see that. I meant, did you have any problems?”

  Jordan said, “Smooth as silk. We’re all very proficient at making plans work that shouldn’t work. I’m sure the universe is going to punish us for monkeying with it someday.”

  Scout said, “Go to sleep and get some rest now. You’ll need to be fresh once we finish our task.”

  Scout and his team headed to the surface to begin work on the second task in the plan. Scout oversaw the work, while Loni and Nick did the actual digging. It would be up to Kit to actually place the carbon fiber ropes in the hole and affix them to the rockets. The digging wasn’t actually done by Loni or the robot Kit. It was really done by a huge drill that Loni controlled. Kit placed charges to loosen the rock when the drill couldn’t break through a tough layer. Digging the hole took nine hours.

  Once the hole was prepared, Nick inserted ten titanium rods into the hole at ten different angles and ten different depths. Each of these rods had a cap that was meant to hold a carbon fiber rope in place. It took an hour for Nick to place the rods. When the rods were in place, Scout, Kit, and Loni placed the carbon fiber ropes on the rods and capped them.

  When the carbon fiber rods were in place, Lane attached the ropes to the rockets, which were waiting near the ship. He did this using an external arm on the Renaissance. At the same time, Scout’s crew and Jane returned to the ship.

  Scout called to Lane, “Are the rockets ready to fire?”

  Lane replied, “The carbon fiber ropes are attached to the surface and the rockets. We can fire them once the ship is clear of the rockets.”

  Scout then replied, “Then hold on while we get clear.” He then told Kathy, “Get us clear of the rocket fire.”

  Kathy moved the ship five kilometers from the rockets. Lane fired the rockets remotely from the ship. The rockets fired and began to move Phobos into the pre-programmed position that Jordan had determined would be the ideal place for the new moon.

  Chapter Twenty

  Customs

  The Bulldog notified the Freedom Spaceport of their impending arrival. They were cleared for landing when they were ready.

  Notah said, “Let’s get in position. We have our orders.”

  Lin said, “I don’t agree with them. We shouldn’t be forced to sink to their level out of revenge.”

  Notah said, “Just do what you’re told. That way you can always say that you were just following orders.”

  Lin said, “That’s what the Nazis said.”

  Notah said, “We’re not Nazis. No
one would make that comparison to this situation. We’re not going to kill anyone. We’re just jacking with them.”

  Lin said, “It’s still wrong, but I have my orders,” he continued sarcastically, “We have a chain of command, and these orders are from over my head.”

  Notah and Lin walked to the terminal to greet the Bulldog’s crew and the teams from Earth. They had cameras, scanners, microscopes and swabs.

  Captain Ortiz said, “Prepare for landing. Everyone get your seatbelts on.”

  Everyone got into their seats and fastened their safety belts. The Bulldog approached Mars and came to a gentle landing at the spaceport.

  Ortiz said, “We’re on Mars. Remember that you’ll have to go through their customs, so we’re going to be here for a while.”

  Iskin said, “We’re not going to leave the ship for a while, either. I see their inspectors down there. They’re prepared for a level 5 inspection.”

  Ortiz said, “That’s their right. They’re allowed to keep themselves safe.”

  Jacques asked, “Have you ever been this thoroughly vetted before?”

  Ortiz said, “I brought a group of vacationers a few months ago, and I was in and out in an hour.”

  Jacques asked, “So, this is unusual?”

  Ortiz said, “No, but I’ve never had an armed force with me before, either. I usually have products to deliver or pick up. Occasionally, I take a group of immigrants. This is the first time I take a military force.”

  Jacques said, “They’re probably going to make sure that we only have exactly what we declared in our manifest.”

  Iskin said, “It looks like they’re going to take the ship apart to make sure we didn’t smuggle anything over here.”

  Jacques added, “Or anyone.”

  The terminal doors opened. Notah and Lin boarded the ship equipped with their cameras, scanners and swabs. On the ground beneath the ship, a team waved detection wands at the hull of the ship.