"Just what I want!" Gus said, relieved. "When?"
"Well, the Mace is normally set for your ten a.m. Sunday sermon every week," Jerry said. "So half that is ten p.m. Wednesday night."
Wednesday night Gus slept peacefully for the first time since he had arrived on Earth, no longer tormented by his "temptation" dream. Both the Mace and the Silver Scythes were gone from the skies. The two halves of the Mace were now in safe orbits about the Sun, while the sails of the Silver Scythes, their loads dropped into the oceans, were on their way out of the solar system.
"NOW COMES the tough part," Gus said to Tanya the next day. "Unselling the marks. I wonder how Eric is at making my sermons dull and boring."
The Infinite Lord, pleading fatigue, retired to his castle on top of Mount Olympus. Week after boring week, reruns of old sermons were played day and night over the Church networks until even the most devoted often left their Caps of Contact hanging on the hat rack. The television and newspapers started referring to the Infinite Lord as just Alexander, but still as Alexander the Greatest or Alexander the Unifier.
At the order of the Infinite Lord, all remaining weapons on Earth were destroyed. The Watchers had long ago disarmed the lower levels; now even the police were armed only with nonlethal, although highly technical, capture aids.
In taking over the world and forming the Unified States, Alexander had already eliminated national boundaries. Now Gus retired all his regents and formally broke the world into small, self-governing city-states, each made up of people with common languages and common customs. The city-states had local police and taxing power and provided the necessary services to their citizens. All the thousands of city-states sent delegates to a world congress, which—as a result—was so big and clumsy, and had so little real power, that it could do almost no harm. Diplomatic relations were restored with Mars and space travel was once again encouraged.
One evening Gus and Tanya were standing out on the tower rooftop enjoying the cool evening breezes blowing over the top of Mount Olympus. The steady bright red star of Mars was rising up over them. Gus gave Tanya's hand a squeeze.
"It seems to be working, Gus," she said, squeezing his hand back. "The executive secretary of the World Congress hasn't had to call on you to settle a dispute in over a month."
"Now, Tanya ..." Gus said, turning to shake a cautionary finger at her. "The only way we can make this work in the long run is to make sure we always refer to me as Alexander. Gus is dead."
"It isn't fair," Tanya said angrily, tears welling in her face. "Alexander was an insane, bullying, murderous tyrant. It isn't fair that he is going to go down in history books as the unifier of the human race. It's you, dammit, not him, that should get the credit."
Gus gave her a hug. "As long as you know, that's all that counts," he said. He picked up her chin and gave her a kiss. "Since the world now seems to be able to run itself without Alexander, let's take ol' Alexander off on a long vacation—to Mars."
THE SHUTTLECRAFT rose up over the rugged rampart at the end of Eastrise and glided slowly down into the deep basin. It was late afternoon and stacks of dark cumulus clouds filled the hole below. The whistle on the long wings grew louder as the shuttle-craft flew down into thicker air. The pilot found a break between two anvil-shaped clouds and swerved to pass through the gap.
"Those are pretty ugly looking thunderheads," the pilot said through the intercom. "It's going to get a bit bumpy, so keep your harnesses on."
"Those are beautiful-looking clouds to me," Tanya said as the plane dropped down into a valley made of gray-white cotton fluff. Gus leaned against her shoulder and looked with her out the window. Suddenly the cloud out their side lit up from inside and a fraction of a second later there was a loud crack of thunder.
"Wow!" Gus said. Then the view out the window was lost in racing rivulets of rain.
THE SHUTTLECRAFT pilot landed at Westrise Airport near Augustus City. The rain was still falling heavily as they taxied toward the terminal.
"You'll have to wait until the welcoming committee comes on board," the pilot said. "The governor of Mars decided that because of the rain it would be better to take your arrival pictures in here, despite the crowded quarters, rather than after you're in the terminal building, but soaking wet."
The first one through the airlock was Maury. He was unusually quiet and reserved, very strange behavior for the normally outgoing Maury. His nose was still bulbous, but the red veining was gone. Gus noticed that Maury had neglected to completely close the inner airlock door, so that no one else could enter.
"I'm Maury Pickford, governor of Mars, your Lordship," he said uncomfortably, looking carefully at Gus' face as they shook hands.
"Titles aren't necessary anymore," Tanya prompted. "Alexander will do." Maury's face became even more somber when he heard Tanya mention Alexander's name.
"Welcome to Mars, then ... Alexander. I used to be a good friend of your brother, Augustus, before he was lost in space. Our capital city is now named after him." Gus had reached up his left hand to grasp Maury's arm and give it a firm squeeze in addition to the handshake. The scars above his left wrist were visible under the sleeve of his gold tunic. Maury suddenly released the handshake, took Gus' left hand, looked at the five stubby, but perfect fingers, stared at the scar pattern, then looked up into Gus' eyes.
"Are you sure ..." he started. Gus remained silent, unable to lie to his old friend.
"Alexander will do," Tanya repeated firmly.
Maury looked at Tanya and hesitated, thinking. Still puzzled, he finally said pensively, "Alexander the Unifier of Earth, it has to be ... so Alexander it is."
His demeanor brightened and he turned around and reached back into the airlock. "Got a present for you, Alexander, sir. We didn't used to need these, but there is a thriving cottage industry in them now." He handed a cloth-covered stick to Gus and to Tanya.
"Don't open them in the shuttlecraft, it's bad luck. Besides, then you can't get out the airlock. Wait! Almost forgot the pictures!" He panned a microvideo camera over the two of them, then opened the airlock door and motioned them in.
"Come on, Alexander. Mars is waiting to greet you. Here is a hand-held O-mask to get you to the terminal building. After that we will fit you with a turbomask."
Maury got soaked as he helped Tanya and Gus out the door and under their umbrellas. The three made a dash for the terminal building. The building was made of red Marsbrick and had an inflated dome roof that gave off a deafening roar under the beating of the raindrops. They had to wait between gusts to get the brief welcoming ceremony on video. The video would be sent back to Earth to let the people know that their God had arrived safely.
Maury introduced them to the line of people waiting there.
"... and this is Dr. Fred Whimple, director of the Sagan Mars Institute."
Gus forced his face to look normal as he shook hands with Fred, who stepped forward with confidence and shook hands firmly with Gus. Gus noticed a large circular worn spot on one pocket of Fred's vest.
"The Sagan Institute thanks you for the most generous support we have received recently from Earth," Fred said. "Our scientists can once again return to their research activities."
AFTER the ceremony was over, Maury took the video camera from the technician, changed the holocube, and sent the exposed one with the tech to the Earthlink station.
"We still have a lot of work to do here on Mars, Alexander," he said, "so I hope you don't mind if I just show you around the place myself. I don't know how to do anything but talk, so the techs are happier when I don't try to help." He went over to some cabinets near the exit door and got out some clear plastic masks, one small and one large, and handed them to Tanya and Gus. He then checked a row of Turner Turboexchangers, picked out two with fully charged batteries and emergency oxygen tanks, and handed them over, also.
Gus adjusted the elastic bands on his mask to make sure there was a tight fit around his nose and mouth. Then he checked the indicat
ors and settings on the turboexchangers and adjusted the harness so the heavy apparatus would ride around in back above the waist where it would be out of the way. He finally hooked up the long hose from the turboexchanger over his left shoulder to the fitting on his mask, turned on the turbomotor, and checked the whole system for leaks.
Tanya was having trouble putting hers on.
"Here," Gus said. "Let me help you with the straps."
Maury watched him take her through the detailed procedure.
"Nice thing about being an omnipotent God," Maury said with a knowing smile as they finally finished. "You instantly know how to put on and check out a Turner Turbomask even though you've never used one before." Gus stopped and looked over at Tanya.
Maury deliberately ignored their concerned looks and led the way to the airlock. "Come on, God. I'm first going to take you down hole to Splash Lake. It's really beautiful country. Has the largest waterfalls in the solar system—maybe in the universe—but you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, God?"
"LOOK!" TANYA said, pointing across the lake. The rain clouds had parted for a few moments and the late afternoon Sun was shafting down Westrise to form a brightly glowing rainbow that stretched from one side of the lake to the other.
"Say! That's real impressive, God!" Maury said. "Got to get a picture of this." He ran uphill a ways, adjusting the field of view of the video camera as he went. He stopped, knelt down, and framed the whole scene in the viewfinder. The two were looking away from him at the rainbow.
"How about a statement for your people, God!"
Gus and Tanya turned and looked back at Maury. Gus hesitated for a second, then took a deep breath, took off his mask, and said in a voice that boomed over the land, "Come! Come follow me to the stars!"
A lightning bolt shot down from the cloud in back of the rainbow, striking the top of Splash Peak, now nearly buried under the rising blue waters of the lake. Maury Pickford brought down the video camera.
"Great speech, God! Couldn't have ended it better myself. You'll be a smash in Peoria when I downlink this video to the news pool back on Earth."
Gus wasn't listening. He had put his mask back on and had turned to look at the multihued double rainbow set against the distant green slopes of New Switzerland. He turned back again as Maury walked up and handed him a thin booklet printed on permapaper.
"By the way," Maury said, "here is a copy of a brand-new booklet I put together. It's called the New Colonists' Guide to Mars. You might want to read it carefully, God. We mere humans have changed a few things since you slapped Mars together some four or five billion years ago. For the better, too—if you ask me."
The End
NEW COLONISTS' GUIDE TO MARS
by
MAURY PICKFORD
Governor Territory of Mars
Copyright © 2047 (M025) by Maury Pickford
All Martian, Earth, and Solar System Rights Reserved
WELCOME TO MARS!
We hope the information stuffed into this little booklet will introduce you to your wonderful new home and keep you from getting killed. As a new colonist, you have come here at great expense and it would be a great shame if you expired from homesickness or the stupids before you had your passage worked out of you.
It is strongly advised that you immediately sit down and read every word in this booklet at least once. The words on safety matters should be read at least twice. Then keep this booklet in the pocket closest to your heart and consult it frequently as you transition from being one of those stupid new colonists who think they don't need such a guide, to one of those smart old colonists who constantly consult their dog-eared copy for guidance.
This first copy of the New Colonists' Guide to Mars is free, subsidized by the Territory of Mars. After that, they cost ten Martian dollars each, payable to Maury Pickford, author, publisher, and governor of the Territory of Mars.
DRY FACTS ABOUT MARS
On the next page you will find a list of the physical properties of the planet Mars and how they compare with those of Earth. You will see that Mars can be thought of as a small, cold, dry Earth. What this all means for the average new colonist is that unless you are an ex-Lunie, you should have no problem adjusting to the length of a Martian day, since it is almost the same as a day on Earth. With the axial tilt of Mars also almost exactly that of Earth, Mars has the same seasons as Earth. The Martian year, however, is nearly twice as long as an Earth year, so those seasons are going to seem like they drag on forever.
Radius (avg.)
3,386
km
(53% of Earth)
Land Area
1.44x1014
m2
(97% of Earth)
Mass
6.4xl023
kg
(11% of Earth)
Average Density
3.93
g/cc
(72% of Earth)
Surface Gravity
3.73
m/s2
(38% of Earth)
Escape Velocity
5.0
km/s
(45% of Earth)
Orbital Velocity
3.5
km/s
(45% of Earth)
Axial Tilt
25.2
deg
(107% of Earth)
Length of Day = Sol
88775.238
s
(103% of Earth)
Sidereal Sol
88642.663
s
Length of Year
59355041
s
(188% of Earth)
686.97964
days
668.59906
sols
Solar Flux (avg.)
590
W/m2
(43% of Earth)
Sun-Mars Distance (avg.)
228
Gm
(152% of Earth)
Perihelion
207
Gm
Aphelion
250
Gm
Earth-Mars Opposition Dist. (max)
101
Gm
(min)
56
Gm
MOONS
Phobos and Deimos are the two moons of Mars. They lost a little mass and got their corners rounded off when the Lineups processed them for carbon and other useful elements for making laser mirrors and various space structures. They are still in the same orbits with the same periods, however, and have roughly the same physical properties as before, which are:
PHOBOS
DEIMOS
Orbital Radius (km)
9,378
23,459
(Mars radii
3
7
Orbital Period (sidereal, sec)
27,554
109,075
Average Radius (km)
11
6
Average Density (gm/cc)
2
2
Approximate Mass (kg)
1x1016
2x1015
Surface Gravity (mm/s2)
6
3
Surface Orbital Velocity (m/s)
8
6
Escape Velocity (m/s)
11
So Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east some 4.5 hours later, usually disappearing into the shadow of Mars for a while during its journey across the sky. Deimos, like the Earth's Moon, rises in the east along with the stars, but since it rotates only a little slower than the planet (30 hours vs. 24 hours), it is nearly at geosynchronous altitude. It takes it some 60 hours to go from moonrise in the east to moonset in the west. Meanwhile the Sun has risen and set 2.5 times.
Both moons are tidally locked toward Mars, so that one face is always toward Mars, just as we see only one face of the Moon from the Earth. This means that the "days" on Deimos are over 30 hours long, while those on Phobos are not quite 8 hours long, plus additional periods of dar
kness when Phobos passes through the shadow of Mars.
The low gravity on the two moons is a cause for caution. The usual "lunar lope" is much too vigorous for use on these bodies, and you will have to learn a lighter step using just your toes to push yourself along. Since orbital velocity at the surface is about as fast as a person can run (if you could get the purchase to get up to speed), you are really traveling in a series of suborbital arcs. But until you have built up a lot of experience on these moons, take it easy! ... and move at moderate speeds. It may be fun to run off the edge of a cliff and float to the other side, but fun can turn into danger if you start to tumble halfway across and land on your helmet.
Despite the scare stories some old-timers might have told you, it is not possible for the average person in a space suit to jump into an escape orbit from either moon. Given just a little mechanical assistance, however, like holding on to a tether attached to a piece of moving machinery, or a punctured oxygen bottle in your lifepack, or a stuck thrustor on a hovercraft you are riding, and you could find yourself in your own orbit about Mars.
Also, don't show off by throwing pebbles into an escape orbit. Four hours later (15 hours on Deimos), that pebble will be coming back to strike somewhere on the moon with the velocity at which you threw it! Your arm may have temporarily thrown the pebble out of the gravity well of the moon, but your arm isn't strong enough to throw the pebble out of the gravity well of Mars. That pebble will go into a slightly elliptical orbit about Mars that intercepts the orbit of the moon halfway around Mars on the other side of the orbit. It's the gravitational equivalent of "spitting into the wind".
Martian Rainbow Page 33