Classical: MARS: Book 3 of MARS

by Matthew Ellis

  John said, “I’m terrified right now. But I love you and I want to be your husband.”

  Becky said, “And I want to be your wife. Yes.”

  The restaurant erupted in applause. People came up to John and Becky to congratulate them on their engagement for at least a half hour. John and Becky ate their pudding and finally left the amusement park.

  Becky’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw that Scout was calling her.

  She said, “I have to go help Scout on the moon project.”

  John said, “Duty calls. Our celebration will have to wait until you get back.”

  She answered the phone, “Is it time?”

  Scout replied, “A ship is waiting for you at the Freedom Spaceport.”

  Becky said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  She hung up and hugged John. She gave him a kiss and headed to the spaceport.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  New Moon

  Scout and Kathy went to fetch Becky from her Star Brigade ship. The rest of the crew already expected the couple to work together whenever they could. Even though they were married for years, they still behaved like hormonal teenagers This annoyed the single members of the colony, but people in relationships found it inspiring. No one was aware that since Kathy got pregnant, Scout didn’t show her as much attention.

  Becky asked, “What’s the situation?”

  Kathy answered, “We’ve got tow ropes around this moon, and we’re almost ready to attach it to the other one.”

  Becky said, “How long until we’re ready?”

  Kathy said. “Just a matter of lining up the shot.”

  Scout added, “I just want to remind you that this is a delicate operation. We can’t slam the moons together, but we can’t be too gentle, either.”

  Kathy said, “Jordan’s calling us to the worksite.”

  Scout said, “Then let’s get back to work. The tow ropes can’t hold forever.”

  Becky said, “Then let’s get going.”

  Scout, Kathy and Becky returned to the worksite. Becky took up her position and Scout walked to Jordan.

  Scout said, “Let’s get back to work. Break time’s over.”

  Jordan said, “It’s not our fault the two of you need to be alone every five minutes.”

  Kathy angrily replied, “Not that it’s any of your damn business, but we weren’t alone this time. We retrieved Becky from a Star Brigade ship. We’re not stopping you from working when we take a long break. If you took some initiative, then maybe more work would get done.”

  Jordan said, “I do plenty of work, but I’m not in charge. The two of you are supposed to lead this mission, so lead us already. Stop with the hormones.”

  Kathy said, “Like I said, that’s none of your business. It’s not our fault that you can’t find a girlfriend.”

  Jordan started to clench his fists. Scout noticed and gave him a cold stare. Jordan calmed himself and walked away.

  Scout snapped, “Both of you knock it off. Kathy, that wasn’t fair. Jordan is one of our best people, and I don’t want you to push him away. Can we all get to work now?”

  Everyone snapped to attention. Scout gave everyone their orders and they all got to work. Kathy was in charge of moving Deimos closer to Phobos. Jordan was in charge of drilling a massive hole on Deimos to create a connection point. Becky was in charge of keeping the robots out of the way of the collision.

  Becky said, “I thought I was here for something important.”

  Scout said, “It’s a bit more complicated than just keeping them out of the way. You’re in charge of timing the robots’ workload and securing them at the right time.”

  Scout got everyone in position and asked for reports.

  Kathy said, “Deimos is moving at 60 k-p-h. Phobos is stable.”

  Jordan left the ship and went to Deimos with Kit. Kit was equipped with heavy explosives and detonators that Jordan would use to create a two-kilometer wide hole in Deimos. The hole would need to be about five kilometers deep to allow the connection to be stable.

  Scout asked, “How far from Phobos is Deimos?”

  Kathy said, “Two hundred kilometers and closing.”

  Scout said, “Start slowing Deimos, Kathy. We don’t want to break anything that we don’t need to break.”

  Jordan said, “Tightening the net around Deimos. The tow rope is holding up fine.”

  Deimos slowed to about 35 kilometers per hour and slowly approached Phobos. Scout and the rest of the team were worried that if the collision was too violent then the moons would break apart. This would make them unusable and ruin the whole plan.

  Scout asked, “Where is Nick?”

  Becky said, “Nick’s on Phobos, and he’s about five kilometers from the impact zone. Kit’s on the ship. I didn’t want him exposed to the collision on the moving moon.”

  Scout said, “Just make sure we get him out to the work area once the moons are in place.”

  The smaller moon collided with the larger body. This caused the larger moon to move, but Jordan pulled on the tow ropes to stabilize the new moon. After about ten minutes, the motion of both moons had stopped and the carbon fibers were pulled tight. This stabilized the location of both moons. Jordan and Kit landed on Deimos once the collision was complete.

  Jordan and Kit began making a huge hole on Deimos. They placed explosives on the surface and then moved to safety. From a point far from the blast zone, Kit detonated the explosives. Then they repeated the process until the hole was the size that they wanted it to be. The whole process took about six hours.

  While Jordan and Kit were bombing Deimos, the rest of the crew prepared for the next phase of the mission. They made sure to stay rested so that they could be fresh for the next task. Once the hole on Deimos was complete, the rest of the crew joined Jordan and Kit on Deimos.

  Scout told Jordan, “I need you to start mixing the concrete.”

  Jordan said, “Yes, sir.”

  He got to work mixing concrete. He used a 150,000-liter mixer to mix the coarse aggregate concrete. He poured the concrete into the mixer while Kit poured water from the shuttle into the mix.

  Kathy told Becky, I need you to return to the ship so you can pull the smaller moon into place once the concrete’s ready.”

  Becky agreed and returned to the ship. She was relieved to be on the ship where she felt comfortable.

  Once the mixing was complete, Jordan and Nick poured concrete into the hole they created on Deimos. Then they pulled the carbon fiber ropes from Phobos into position on Deimos. The carbon fiber ropes would be left in the holes on Phobos for added stability. When the mixer was empty, Jordan and Kit made more concrete. Then Nick and Jordan poured more concrete into the holes. When the holes were full, Kathy began to cross the carbon fiber ropes into the path of the flowing concrete. This created a sort of cosmic casserole. The carbon fiber ropes provided the seam with more strength.

  Kathy radioed Becky, “I need you to pull Deimos into position so that we can connect the two moons.”

  Becky responded, “Moving Deimos into position.”

  Becky moved Deimos so the huge hole that Jordan and Kit had created earlier was accessible to the workers. Jordan and Kit poured concrete into the holes on Phobos. Once the hole was full of concrete, they began to connect the two moons using the carbon fibers and more concrete.

  Kathy radioed Becky, “I think we need you on the surface now. The moon is in position and we need all the help we can get.”

  Becky said, “Okay, I’m coming back.”

  Becky returned to the moon to assist the other members of the team. The work was hard, but she preferred the hard work. She found it more satisfying than easier labor.

  Scout told Kathy, “Babe, make sure you and Becky are making a sort of lattice pattern with the carbon fibers. We want to make the join as strong as possible.”

  Kathy said, “I am. Please let me work.”

  Becky asked Kathy, “Does he always
micromanage you like that?”

  Kathy replied, “Not always, but often enough that I need to remind him that I have an engineering degree.”

  Becky said, “It would bug the hell out of me.”

  Kathy said, “It’s starting to piss me off, too. Ever since I got pregnant, it’s like he doesn’t even know I’m his wife anymore.”

  Becky asked, “Have you confronted him about it?”

  Kathy answered, “Several times, but it’s like he’s so preoccupied with the government that he doesn’t have time for me.”

  Becky said, “Maybe you should see a counselor.”

  Kathy said, “I mentioned seeing Leona, and he rejected that out of hand.”

  Becky said, “What about one of the religious counselors?”

  Kathy said, “Scout was receptive to seeing Rebecca, but I’m not sure if it’s because of her skills or her looks.”

  Becky said, “It sounds like you have some pretty serious problems.”

  Kathy said, “Like you and John don’t.”

  Becky said, “Everyone does, but we don’t have a problem talking about them.”

  Twelve hours later, the Renaissance pulled the moons into place. The ship brought the moons together slowly, and two became one. Mars now had one large moon.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Baseball

  Scout and Kathy went to a baseball game to take a break from the moon mission. Both Freedom and Progress had established baseball teams, with a baseball stadium. The stadiums held 5000 people each. There were plans to enlarge them as the towns grew.

  The rules of Martian baseball are slightly different than baseball on Earth. Mars’ gravity is only one third of Earth’s gravity, so the ball and the bat have to be three times heavier. The air on Mars is not as thick as on Earth, so baseball must be played in a dome where the atmosphere can be altered to create Earthlike conditions. The gravity on Mars also makes it difficult to run the way one runs on Earth. To overcome this problem, the athletes’ shoes are also weighted. These rules allow the field’s dimensions to be similar to those found on Earth.

  Scout traded one work credit for a ticket, and so did Kathy. They walked to their seats behind home plate and sat down.

  Scout said, “I’ve wanted to take a break and take in a ball game for a long time.”

  Kathy said, “I just wish they played more than ten games. It doesn’t give us very many chances to take a break.”

  Scout said, “As our colony gets bigger, they’ll play longer.”

  Kathy said, “Great for our grandkids, but that leaves us with only the hard work to do.”

  Scout asked, “Does it really bother you that much that we’re laying the groundwork for the future?”

  Kathy answered, “I guess not, but it seems pretty thankless sometimes.”

  Scout said, “It’ll be worth it in the end.”

  The teams took the field. Freedom’s team was called “Fire” and the team wore white jerseys with flames sewn on them. Progress’ team was called “Ponies” and the team wore their away gray jerseys with a stylized horse emblazoned on the front.

  Scout asked Kathy, “Do you want something from the snack bar?”

  Kathy replied, “I want a soda and nachos.”

  Soda from Earth was not available, so the Martians had begun manufacturing their own.

  Scout replied, “No peanuts and caramel corn?”

  Kathy said, “Maybe we can have our own traditional baseball game food. We don’t need the old cliché snacks.”

  Scout said, “Okay, babe, I’ll be right back.”

  He went to the snack bar and stood in line to get the snacks. It looked to Scout as if the entire town had come to the game and now stood in the line at the snack bar. The actual attendance was about 300, and about a quarter of those were from Progress. Scout was in line for about 15 minutes before he reached the front of the line.

  He thought, “We’re trying to solve all the problems of humanity, but we can’t seem to find a way to speed up a line for nachos at a ball game. This is ridiculous.”

  The clerk in charge of the snack bar asked, “What can I get for you, Scout?”

  The colonies were still new and small enough that everyone in both towns knew everyone else.

  Scout replied, “I need a grape soda, a green apple soda, and two nachos. Oh, and a cotton candy.”

  The clerk asked, “Do you want the pink one, the blue one, the purple one, or the green one?”

  Scout replied, “What are the flavors?”

  The clerk said, “Pink is bubble gum, blue is raspberry, purple is grape, and green is lemon lime.”

  Scout said, “Give me grape. That’s all.”

  The clerk said, “No peanuts or caramel corn?”

  Scout said, “I just had this discussion with my wife, only I was the one who asked that. Maybe she’s right. We should have our own traditions.”

  The clerk said, “That’ll be two credits.”

  Scout handed the clerk his card and the clerk deducted two credits from his balance. Then Scout took his snacks and returned to his seat.

  He told Kathy, “The clerk told me the same thing I told you.”

  Kathy said, “It’s because he’s as corny as you are.”

  Scout said, “I never mentioned corn.”

  Kathy chuckled even as she glared at her husband. She wanted to let him know she didn’t find his humor amusing, but she really did.

  The pitcher from Freedom threw a curveball to the first batter from Progress to open the game. The hitter grounded out to the shortstop. Then the pitcher struck out the next two batters.

  Kathy tried to cheer as she ate her soggy nachos, but clapping her hands just made a mess. Scout looked at her and noticed that she had cheese on her chin, so he licked it off of her. She backed up very quickly.

  She said, “What the hell are you doing?”

  Scout answered, “I was grooming you. You had some cheese on your chin.”

  Kathy said, “I’m not a monkey. I can clean myself.”

  Scout felt a little embarrassed. He sat back in his seat and tried to hold back tears Kathy looked over at him and noticed that he was upset.

  She told him, “I still love you. It’s just a little weird.”

  Scout said, “Whatever.”

  Freedom’s first baseman led off the bottom half of the first inning. The first pitch was a strike on the outside corner. He stepped out of the box to recover from the first pitch. The next pitch, a fastball, almost hit him in the crotch. He jumped out of the way just in time. Now he was angry. The next pitch was a slider, which he fouled back and out of play. Then he took two pitches low and outside to run the count full. The payoff pitch was a creampuff: a fastball right over the fat part of the plate. He hammered it and it landed three meters past the fence.

  Kathy put her nachos down and screamed like a crazy person with excitement. Scout forgot all about their earlier incident and cheered the home run.

  The next two batters both flew out to right field. The first inning was over, and the home team led one to nothing.

  Scout asked, “Did we get a program?”

  Kathy answered, “No, do you want to get one?”

  Scout said, “I like to keep score. I know it makes me a baseball nerd, but it’s something I like.”

  Kathy said, “You’re my nerd.”

  Scout got up and went to find a program. He went to the snack bar and asked where they would be.

  The clerk said, “Everything like that is here. You’ll have to wait in line again.”

  Scout sarcastically said, “Oh, great.”

  Scout took his place at the back of the line. Twelve minutes later, he had a program. When he returned to his seat, he discovered he’d missed the top half of the second. The score was still one to nothing in favor of the Flames.

  Kathy asked, “What took so long?”

  Scout replied, “I had to wait in line at the snack bar again. All concessions are in one place.”
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  Kathy said, “We’ll deal with that problem right after we make sure the new moon works, we make a treaty with the original colonists, and we get rid of these investigators.”

  Scout said, “Thanks for putting it in perspective. This is a diversion, so I should just enjoy the game.”

  Kathy said, “I don’t trust those inspectors. I know they’re lying, and I think they’re having General Rich jam our internet signals so we can’t investigate them.”

  Scout said, “I know. I’ve got Jordan looking into it, but everything looks to be in order.”

  Kathy said, “Just because everything looks orderly doesn’t mean it is. I know they’re up to something; we just have to prove it.”

  Scout said, “It probably doesn’t help that I’m loading him with so many projects at once.”

  Kathy said, “He probably needs a break. Poor guy is always alone and working. He needs some…”

  Scout said, “If he wanted someone, he’d find someone. He doesn’t need help. He’s got some relationship issues.”

  Kathy asked, “What kind of issues?”

  Scout snapped, “Issues he trusts me not to share with anyone, even you. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”

  Scout turned his program on and typed in the scoring for the past two innings. He kept the scoring current for the rest of the game.

  The rest of the game was boring, and the final score was 1-0 Flames. The majority of the crowd left the game happy that the home team won.

  As they were leaving, Scout and Kathy saw Wendy and John.

  John said, “We want to thank you for letting us come to the game.”

  Scout said, “No problem. We hope you enjoyed yourselves.”

  Wendy said, “We felt a little guilty that we’re at a ballgame while our people are waiting for us to negotiate a treaty.”

  Scout said, “It’s our second highest priority now that the moon project is done.”

  John asked, “What’s your highest?”

  Scout answered, “Getting those damned DeNoPE people off this planet.”

  John said, “Why don’t we just turn the refugees over to you?”

  Scout said, “Because if you do that, we’ll have to turn them over to those assholes.”