MARS: Renaissance

by Matthew Ellis

  Shai said, “There’s only about one month’s worth of food remaining, so it’s going to be a little tight for the next few weeks. Scout said that the ship should return in about three months, but that’s two months too long. Let’s all try to make the food stretch.”

  Scout said, “We can’t cheat and eat the plants that we need to sustain the colony, either. Those have to be used for the future.”

  Shai said, “Unfortunately, the majority of what I have is fish and chips. I know you all don’t care for it very much, and you’re all sick of it. I also know that once we get our supply ship, you won’t want to look at a fish for a long time. Right now, though, it’s what’s for dinner.”

  The team headed to Scout’s quarters to enjoy their least favorite meal together. They all felt a sense of accomplishment after their hard day of work. The biodome would become the most vital structure to the colony.

  The next day, the crew returned to the biodome to prepare the soil for planting and introduce some insects and other nutrient enriching life into the soil. The soil had been evenly distributed the day before in a two-meter layer on top of the concrete floor of the biodome.

  Scout instructed, “We need to distribute the worms, insects, and other critters throughout the dome. We can’t just throw them in a corner and expect them to find everything they need. Remember that some of these critters compete for resources, so don’t put them too close together.”

  Kathy said, “The only exception to that are the beehives. Bees tend to find what they need without any trouble, and they need a central location. Let’s put the hives on the far side of the biodome.”

  Jordan said, “Lane and I can put it together over in the corner. Then someone can bring the bees.”

  Jordan and Lane took the parts of the beehives to the corner of the biodome. They built a traditional beehive out of wood with moveable shelves. This would help them to harvest the honey at harvest time. They constructed ten hives, each of them two meters tall, three meters long, and one meter wide.

  After the hives were constructed, Jordan said, “The hives are ready. We’re ready for the bees whenever you are.”

  Scout said, “Someone go bring the bees from the temporary hive. We’ll leave them in cryostasis for now until the first plants are in the ground.”

  Becky asked, “They can’t be frozen much longer, can they?”

  Scout replied, “Not too much longer. They’ve been frozen since we left Earth, so about eleven months. They can usually survive up to a year, so we’re near the end of that.”

  Becky asked, “How much longer will they need to be frozen?”

  Scout said, “Only a few more days. By the end of the week, they should be revived. Then they can begin a more natural life cycle.”

  Jordan said, “In all this talking, no one bothered to go get the bees. Should I get them?”

  Scout said, “No, I need your muscle here.” Then he raised his voice and said, “If someone doesn’t volunteer to get the bees, I’m going to order someone to do it.”

  Notah Yazzie said, “I can get them. I’ll show them the utmost respect and attempt to preserve all of the bees’ lives.”

  Scout said, “Very good. Thank you, Notah.”

  Notah walked outside the biodome and got into his vehicle. He drove down Main Street to the west side of town, and turned north on West 3rd. He drove until he reached the hangar. He got out of the car and went into the hangar to retrieve the bees.

  While Notah was fetching the bees, the rest of the crew was busy working on placing earthworms and other critters throughout the biodome’s soil layer. They placed different species of worms, ladybugs, caterpillars, and even beneficial bacteria and enzymes in the soil. The critters wandered freely through the soil, and awaited food from the plants.

  Once Notah had the bees, he loaded them into his vehicle. He secured the artificial frozen hive with the seatbelt and drove back to the biodome.

  He thought, “I hope the bees don’t die in transit, and I hope that the bees not only survive but also thrive in this new, alien environment.”

  Notah returned to the biodome one hour after he left. The rest of the crew were busy with their work when he arrived, so almost no one noticed his arrival. The people that did notice Notah’s return were Lane and Jordan. They had just finished installing and activating the cryogenic chambers in the hives.

  Jordan said, “Perfect timing. We just finished getting the hives ready to receive the bees.”

  Notah asked, “Then I can go ahead and put the bees in the hives?”

  Lane replied, “Just make sure that they go into the cryogenic chambers for now. Make sure that you only put one queen per hive.”

  Notah placed the bees in the cryogenic chambers at the bottoms of the hives. Then he closed the lids and walked away.

  He asked, “Are you very sure that they won’t die in there?”

  Scout, who had overheard, said, “I’m positive. We did a lot of research about bees before we left the Earth. They’re way too important to let anything happen to them.”

  Notah said, “I agree. The whole ecosystem on Earth depends on them. This artificial system isn’t any different, so they’re really the key to our success or failure.”

  Scout said, “Yes, they are.”

  The soil was ready for the first plants. The crew had brought seedlings from Earth to Mars and many seeds as well. They needed to begin planting them in the ground to ensure the success of the colony.

  Scout said, “We can start planting now. It’s about noon, so we have about six hours of daylight. Let’s bring in the plants.”

  The crew then brought in all of the seedlings from the trailer, which had been parked outside the biodome for the past couple of days. They brought in trees and a lot of quick growing vegetables.

  Scout said, “We need to plant the trees far enough apart that the roots don’t grow into each other. We’ll need a lot more soil for them as they begin to mature. Most of the soil we have coming from Earth on the two supply runs are just for trees.”

  The crew planted trees that bore fruit in neat rows. They planted fifteen rows of trees spaced three meters apart in every direction. The rows all had twenty trees, with two or three alternating species in each row. The first row had apple and pear trees. The second row had avocado and lemon trees. The third row had peach, apricot, and nectarine trees. The fourth row was vanilla and tamarind trees. The fifth row was olive and cherry trees. The sixth row had pecan and walnut trees. The seventh row was orange and grapefruit trees. The eighth row contained banana and plum trees. The ninth row had non-edible fruit bearing trees that would be used for making things like inks and medicines. The next three rows had rubber trees and pine trees. The rubber trees would provide rubber for tires, boots, and many other products. The pine trees would provide nuts and fuel for fires. Both of these types of trees are fast growing, so they can also be used to make furniture. Row number thirteen had maple and oak trees. The maple trees would be used to harvest maple syrup, and the oak trees would be used for building material. The last two rows were left empty for future trees, but each place for a tree was clearly marked.

  Between the rows of trees, grasses were planted along with root vegetables. These included potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, garlic, ginger and radishes.

  Scout said, “The orchard looks great. Did everyone remember to mark the location of the vegetables among the grasses?”

  Becky said, “We not only placed markers, but also signs showing what each crop is.”

  Scout said, “Great. Come with me to the other side so we can take a look at the vegetable garden.”

  Becky, Notah, Jordan, Lane, Jack, and Loni followed Scout to the other side of the biodome. The remainder of the crew had been working diligently all day planting vegetables that grow above the ground. They planted the vegetables in neat rows containing one crop per row. They planted twenty ten-meter long rows. Each row was a set of two 15-centimeter wide and 15-centimeter tall hills wi
th 30 centimeters between them. The rows were spaced 50 centimeters apart. The first row had green chile, jalapeños, and bell peppers. The next row contained two different varieties of lettuce and celery. The third row had tomatoes and sugar cane. Row four was filled with green beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. The fifth row had corn and wheat, which didn’t grow very quickly but were too important to the colony. They needed to be in the ground as soon as possible. The sixth row had peas. The seventh row had cotton plants. Their harvest would provide material for clothing and other textiles. The final three rows were reserved for future use but they were clearly marked in rows.

  Around the edges of the biodome, the crew placed climbing plants that would grow along the walls. They planted grapevines along one wall, which would grow up the wall and produce grapes for the colony. Along an adjacent wall, they planted ivy. The ivy would produce an inedible berry that could be used to make ink and dyes. It was also aesthetically pleasing.

  In a square plot of land not near any other plants, the colonists planted four rows of marijuana plants. They had decided to grow the plant to produce hemp, and the colonists had all agreed that the cannabis buds should be legal and produced in the same manner as any other crop.

  Scout said, “It’s looking good over here, too. Kind of empty on the end, though.”

  Kathy said, “We didn’t bring enough to fill ten rows with a full vegetable garden. I hope the next supply ship has more seeds or seedlings on it.”

  Scout said, “It has tons more seeds. Most of it grows in the ground, too. There’s some food for us to use right away, but mostly it’s long term stuff.”

  Jordan said, “But there’ll be plenty of immediately edible food coming, too, right?”

  Scout said, “I have plenty of food for our immediate use coming on the next ship. As long as Rich doesn’t disrupt the shipment, we should have plenty of food to last until the first harvest.”

  Shai said, “I just hope it’s not more fish and chips.”

  Scout said, “There is more of that coming, but there will be plenty of other food as well.”

  Shai said, “We can have dinner at my place tonight. I put on the food when I left this morning, so it should be ready by now.”

  Jordan asked, “What did you make tonight?”

  Shai said, “A variation on fish and chips. I’m sorry, but there is very little of anything else, and we have to save what we can.”

  Scout said, “Like I said, it’s going to get better eventually.”

  The crew all walked out of the biodome and got into their cars. They drove to Shai’s home for another dinner of fish and chips.

  On the third day, the crew had to activate the systems of the biodome. The heat had already been turned on, but the water, filters, drainage, lights, weapons and computerized monitoring systems still needed to be activated. The crew arrived by car at 0700, and they were ready to work.

  Scout said, “Kathy, Jordan and I will activate the computer system,” to the assembled group.

  Lane said, “I need a team to defrost the bees. Two people should be enough.”

  Notah and Loni volunteered to assist Lane with the bees. Notah had already handled the bees, so he felt that reviving them wouldn’t be too difficult. Loni wanted to be near Notah because she didn’t trust him. She thought that he was a spy for General Rich and his minions, and she needed to keep a close watch on him. No one knew about her distrust, not even Leona.

  Lane said, “Good, I have my team, let’s get to the corner of the dome.”

  Scout said, “I need the Johnson siblings, along with Jack and Becky, to activate and test the RainMaker 3 irrigation system.”

  John asked, “Who’s the lead on this team?”

  Scout replied, “Fight amongst yourselves. I really don’t care. You’re all equally qualified to turn sprinklers on.”

  John said, “We’ll just work together. We don’t need a supervisor, right?”

  Becky said, “That’s right. We can do this on our own.”

  Scout said, “I need three more teams. One to activate and test the drainage system to make sure the water’s getting recycled.”

  Lin Chin said, “I can run that one. It probably only takes one person to do that.”

  Scout said, “No, I want to use our time wisely. I want Clive with you.”

  Clive said, “Yes, sir.”

  Scout said, “I need another team to install and turn on the lights.”

  Bob and Cindy volunteered for this team, but Scout wanted more than two people to work on this time consuming task. There were only fifty light bulbs, but they were spaced very far apart. None of the lights were on the roof, as natural light would be used to feed the plants. The bulbs were to be installed on the walls of the biodome as a guide for the night crews.

  This would be supplemented by a special coating on the living Plexiglas that acted like a huge magnifying glass. Once it was installed, it would double the amount of sunlight available to the biodome.

  Scout said, “I want Leona to assist the two of you, along with Snicker and Skittle.”

  The light team went to the trailer to retrieve the LED bulbs. Scout called the robots to assist them.

  Scout said, “Okay, one last team. I need Mark, Shai, and Joanne to install and test the air and water filters.”

  Lane and his team began the three-kilometer trek to the beehives. The crew had left a path uncovered in soil. The path was from the front door to the back wall. There was also a path from the front door around the building at the sides. They also left a path crossing the middle of the biodome. Each path was one meter wide and bordered by a raised concrete curb, which had been made during the initial construction. Lane’s crew used the paths to reach the beehives.

  The filter team joined the light team in the trailer. They had gone there to retrieve the HEPA filter for the air, and the activated charcoal filters for the water. These filters seemed archaic to the crew, but they were the cheapest filters available on Earth. They were sure they could find a better way once the colony was established.

  The sprinkler team went to the main control valve on the main trail. They turned on the water pressure and set the timer. They were ready to run a test.

  Jane radioed Scout, “We’re ready to test the RainMaker 3.”

  Scout said, “Let me warn everyone first.”

  Jane said, “Understood.”

  Scout activated the public address system. It was a part of the computerized monitoring system.

  He said, “Everyone needs to take cover. The RainMaker 3 is about to be tested.”

  The crew sought shelter away from the overhead sprinklers. There were pockets of the biodome without any sprinkler heads so that the plants in those areas wouldn’t receive too much water. The crew sought shelter in those areas.

  Scout allowed two minutes to elapse before he said, “Go ahead and run the test.”

  Jane said to her brother, “Turn it on.”

  John activated the RainMaker 3 and ran the test sequence. The sprinklers began to rain onto the ground below. John isolated regions of the biodome. The RainMaker 3 allowed up to six user- defined regions to be activated independently of one another. The biodome had five regions. John activated all of them one at a time. They worked exactly as they were supposed to work. Once the test was complete, John turned the system off and radioed Scout.

  John said, “Test complete. The system works as advertised.”

  Scout said, “It’d better always work as advertised. We’re going to rely on it too heavily for it to fail.”

  John said, “I hope we can replace it with our own, better system in a few years.”

  Scout said, “Perhaps we will. It’s what this colony’s really about. What can men accomplish when they aren’t bound by money?”

  John said, “I think the answer is ‘anything.’”

  Scout said, “I think you’re right.”

  Once the sprinkler tests were complete, the beekeepers began their work. They deact
ivated the cryogenic chambers in the beehives. Then they activated the life support systems in each beehive. The life support systems were designed to allow the bees to be revived before the biodome was completely self-sustaining. Once the bees were revived, the team verified that the bees were healthy by removing one bee and observing it. The bee acted normally, so the hive was deemed healthy. The team then replaced the lone bee and continued the defrost cycle. They locked the bees in the hive because they didn’t have any beekeeper suits. Once the bees were revived, they moved to a safe distance from the hives and opened the locks.

  Lane radioed Scout, “The bees are active. Everyone be careful.”

  Scout said, “I’ll let everyone know.”

  Scout activated the public address system again. He needed to warn the crew of the danger that the bees could pose to their personal safety.

  He said, “The bees are active. Everyone stay clear, especially if you’re allergic to bee stings. Our supply of epinephrine is extremely limited.”

  The team that was assigned to install the filters worked in a sort of leapfrog pattern. Each person would install a filter, and then walk past the other two people to install the next filter. Once the filters were all installed, they ran tests to ensure that they were working properly. The whole process took about two hours. They were the second to last team to finish.

  The final team to finish was the team assigned to install and check the lights. This took a long time because they had to check every bulb and socket as they installed the bulbs. They also had to place covers over the bulbs. Once they finished, the biodome was ready to begin its day-to-day operations. This would begin the next day.

  The next day, the team would begin introducing animal life to the biodome. They needed to retrieve the animal embryos from the cryogenic storage unit. Notah volunteered to retrieve them, but Loni objected.

  Notah asked her, “Why do you have a problem with me going to get the embryos?”

  Loni said, “It takes more than one person to make sure they don’t get damaged.”

  Her real reason for objecting to his handling of the embryos was her distrust of him. She couldn’t let him know that she suspected him of being a spy, because she wasn’t sure.