Scout and Kathy had agreed to marry once the supply ship arrived. The next week, they decided to make good on their promise to each other. Scout and Kathy were working in the biodome placing soil at the base of the trees and in the storage area.
Scout asked Kathy, “Do you still want to marry me?”
Kathy replied, “Of course. Don’t you still want to marry me?”
Scout said, “Very much, so should we tell the crew?”
Kathy answered, “Definitely.”
Scout said, “Who’s qualified to perform the ceremony?”
Kathy said, “We’re kind of starting a new society, so we get to make up those rules. Who do you want to perform the ceremony?”
Scout answered, “Everyone here is a friend, so I don’t think it really matters.”
Kathy said, “But if you pick someone, then everyone else will feel that you have slighted them.”
Scout asked, “What if we get married by no one?”
Kathy replied, “What do you mean?”
Scout said, “What if we just perform the ceremony ourselves?”
Kathy said, “You mean just say all of the vows without anyone declaring that we’re legally married?”
Scout answered, “Yeah, that way everyone gets to be a guest, and no one feels slighted.”
Kathy said, “Well, that might be a first, but I think it’ll work. We’ll still have the ceremony and a reception, so no one will feel left out.”
Scout said, “That’s the idea.”
Kathy said, “Let’s tell the rest of the crew. We’re all in the biodome, so this should be pretty easy.”
Scout activated the public address system in the biodome. He got everyone’s attention by playing a whistling sound.
He announced, “If I could have everyone’s attention, I have an announcement to make.”
He waited a few seconds for everyone to get into a position where they could easily hear and understand the announcement.
He continued, “Everyone here is invited to a wedding tomorrow. Kathy and I are getting married. We’re going to have the ceremony right here in the biodome at noon. I know all of you are asking who’ll perform the ceremony, and the answer is no one. Kathy and I will exchange our vows in front of our friends and then have a grand reception.”
There was silence, which struck Scout as odd. He expected some sort of congratulatory applause or some other sort of emotional support. Then he saw that people were moving toward the control booth. Becky reached the booth and waited for John, and then Jordan and Lane reached the booth. Once everyone got to the control booth, they went inside.
Jordan said, “The group elected me to tell you congratulations. We’re all happy for you and Kathy. While we’re disappointed that none of us will perform the wedding, we understand your logic.”
Shai then asked, “Does that mean I need to prepare a feast overnight?”
Kathy answered, “Not really. Didn’t you notice the food boxes that were marked ‘special’?”
Shai asked, “So those are for the wedding?”
Scout replied, “That was the plan.”
Shai said, “Then this should be super easy. Those boxes pretty much have everything prepared. I just need to cook the stuff and decorate the cake.”
Kathy said, “We didn’t want our wedding to be an extra burden on you. Also, feel free to request assistance from any of us. I’m sure that we’d all be happy to help.”
Shai said, “It probably won’t be necessary, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
Scout said, “Thank you. Now we need to finish up with today’s workload. Then we can get back to what we were doing before the supply ship arrived.”
Everyone returned to work. They worked diligently for the remainder of the day, but their thoughts were nearly constantly of the wedding. They hoped that the wedding would mean an extra day off as well as a celebration of their friends’ nuptials.
The next day, everyone gathered in the biodome at noon. No one had been assigned duties that day except Shai. The daily briefing went on as usual, but Scout told the crew that there would be no work on this day.
He said, “Today is a day to celebrate, not to work. Everyone’s been working nonstop for months, and a break is well deserved. The only exceptions to this are Shai and the robots. Shai has agreed to prepare the wedding feast. She might need some help, so anyone who wants to volunteer is welcome to. The robots will go about their duties as usual.”
Jordan, Becky, John, and Lane decorated the biodome. They hadn’t been asked to do it, but they wanted to do something nice for their friends. They placed a makeshift altar near the control booth. There were folding chairs, which had only recently arrived on the previous supply ship, arranged in neat rows facing the altar. There was a very large bell, which would later be used as a military warning signal, over the altar. The ground was lined with rose petals, which had recently bloomed on the bushes in the biodome, so that the whole biodome felt very romantic.
Mark, Leona, Loni and Lin formed a string quartet. Mark and Leona played the violin parts, Lin was the violist, and Loni played the cello. They had all been out of practice since the ship arrived because there was too much work to do to allow much time for practice. This didn’t bother the quartet, though, because they were proficient with their instruments and the music was familiar. They played Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Greensleeves, and other standard wedding fare.
Everyone took their seats in the biodome as they arrived for the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom were the last people to arrive. Scout arrived shortly before his bride, and he took his place at the makeshift altar. Then, when Kathy arrived, the quartet began to play “Here Comes the Bride.” Kathy floated down the makeshift aisle toward her groom. Scout began to sweat and shake at the sight of Kathy in her beautiful dress.
The dress was a simple white sheath dress that showed off her legs from the knees down. It had no frills except for a simple belt with a white buckle at the center. The dress had a low cut bosom that showed off her cleavage, and everyone tried in vain not to stare at her chest as she walked down the aisle. She also wore a simple veil that she had made over her face. The veil was made of an old t-shirt. Kathy was very resourceful. Both the dress and the veil were white, but she wore black shoes. They were her only dress shoes, but they were very pretty. For a simple dress, it attracted a lot of attention.
Scout thought, “It’s really happening. I’m getting married. Can I be a good husband? Can I provide my wife with everything she needs?”
Scout caught a glimpse of his bride in her stunning dress. His thoughts evaporated as lust took control of his mind.
Meanwhile, Kathy had her own worries as she approached the altar.
She thought, “Will I live up to his standards? What if I’m not the person that he expects me to be? I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
They were both worried that they could not make the other person as happy as the other made them. They also worried that they weren’t ready.
Kathy thought to herself, “If people waited until they were ready, no one would ever get married. I think this is the way it’s supposed to be, and it’ll be a great adventure.”
Kathy and Scout stood and faced each other at the altar. Their friends, who had all stood for the bride’s entrance, took their seats. The string quartet stopped playing and put their instruments on their stand hooks.
Scout said, “Thank all of you for coming, and especially thanks to all who helped decorate and to the string quartet.”
Kathy said, “Once the ceremony is concluded, Shai will join us with the wedding feast.”
Scout turned to his bride and said, “Kathy, I’ve loved you for the longest time. I’ve loved you ever since the day I laid eyes on you all those years ago. It seems like only yesterday that you asked to join us. Time has moved so quickly since we began this journey. I’ve enjoyed every second of my time with you so far, and I never want it to end. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and devote
my heart to you. I’ll be here for you until I take my last breath. I’ll be at your side every chance I get. I love you and take you as my wife.”
Kathy began to cry as Scout finished his speech. She couldn’t hold back her emotions. She needed to collect herself before she could recite the vows that she prepared. It took her about two minutes to recompose herself before she could begin.
Once Kathy was ready, she turned to her groom and said, “Scout, I loved you even before I ever saw you. I studied your book before we met, and I wanted so much to meet you. When I finally saw you, I instantly fell in love with you. I saw a handsome man with the same ideals, and values that I hold dear. My heart is yours forever. I’ll be with you until I leave this life. I’ll be at your side every chance I get, and I want to make as many chances as I can. I love you and take you to be my husband forever.”
The onlookers were all teary eyed at this point, and the men all discreetly wiped the tears out of their eyes. They didn’t want anyone to know they’d been emotionally moved by the wedding ceremony, because that was not a proper display of manhood.
Scout and Kathy kissed, and stepped on a glass to break it. They needed a symbol to finalize the ceremony and seal the marriage, so they chose the Jewish tradition because it was the simplest. This would later become the de facto Martian tradition for nearly all weddings.
Scout said, “That concludes the wedding ceremony. Now the party begins. Someone call Shai and tell her it’s time to bring in the food.”
Kathy said, “Actually, some of you can help her bring the food from her restaurant. There’s a lot of food. She’ll need help.”
Jordan, Lane, Bob, Cindy, John and Jane all helped Shai. They drove trucks from the biodome to the restaurant on East Second Street, then placed the food in the back of the trucks and drove it back to the biodome for the reception. They were gone for about 20 minutes, and the rest of the guests had already set up the tables and chairs for the party. They put the food on the tables, and the wedding party began.
The wedding cake was especially beautiful. It was a two-tiered cake with a special topper. The cake was pineapple, Scout and Kathy’s favorite flavor. The first tier of the cake was a circle 15 centimeters tall and 20 centimeters across. It was covered with red fondant, which was flavored with cherries. The second tier was half as large as the bottom, and frosted the same way. On top of the cake was a very special topper. It was made of popped rice held together with marshmallows and shaped in a circle. The ball of crisp rice was then covered in red fondant so that it looked like Mars.
Scout commented, “This topper is genius. I don’t remember ordering it, though.”
Shai said, “That’s because it’s my own original creation. I thought it’d be appropriate. Do you like it?”
Scout answered, “I love it. I just wish I were as creative as you are. You’re a food genius.”
Shai said, “I think you’re a genius too. You brought us millions of kilometers from home and started a new society. That takes some serious brainpower. Kathy’s a very lucky girl.”
Kathy overheard the conversation and said, “I know I am. Now back off of my man.”
Shai said, “I was just saying that your husband is a genius for bringing us here.”
Kathy said, “I was just kidding with you anyway. I know that you’d never move in on my husband.”
Shai said, “I have a boyfriend anyway. I’m still trying to convince him to join this society. He thinks he can make a fortune on Earth, but I don’t think it’s worth selling your soul.”
Kathy said, “If he doesn’t come, I’m positive that you’ll land a great man from the coming colonists. The way you cook, you’re sure to hook a great catch.”
Shai replied, “Thank you for that. I wish I was as pretty as you, though.”
Kathy said, “You are pretty. Even if you weren’t, and I’m not saying that you’re not, there’s more to love than the way that you look.”
Shai said, “Thanks for the compliment, but I still want Dan to join me here.”
Kathy said, “Just don’t try to force him. You might push him away. Even if you coax him into coming here, he won’t be happy with us if he isn’t committed to our way of life. Make sure that he really wants to join us.”
Shai said, “But he’s the only man I’ve ever wanted to be with. What’ll I do if I can’t convince him?”
Scout said, “Unfortunately, you’ll have to make a choice. We’ll never force a person to join us, so you’ll have to either let him go or leave us to be with him on Earth.”
Shai said, “I hope I don’t have to make that choice.”
Scout said, “I hope you don’t need to make that decision either.”
The party went on for the rest of the day, and everyone enjoyed themselves. The break had been welcome, as the workload seemed to never end. The next day, the crew would continue the work of the colony as usual.
Chapter Forty-Three
Schemes
The Operative walked into General Rich's office once again. He had walked into this office many times before, but this time felt different. He knew it would be the final time that he entered the office, although he had no idea why. That answer would soon become clear.
General Rich said, “I have your final mission for you. Your time is short, and there will only be time for you to attempt one more strike against the criminals who’ve stolen our resources.”
The Operative said, “I assume this will be a very dangerous mission.”
Rich said, “Based on the intelligence you provided us with your previous mission, we know that these people have technology that we can’t afford not to have. I wasn’t going to reveal this to you, but we have a very advanced technology that the world isn’t ready for.”
The Operative asked, “Is this a weapon?”
Rich replied, “No, it’s a propulsion system. Our weapons are plenty advanced to destroy these scumbags, but we have to catch them first. Last time they were here, you were late. You had no chance to catch them because the vehicles that you had were inferior to their vessel.”
The Operative said, “That’s true. What’s changed?”
General Rich answered, “We’ve decided to use the most advanced propulsion system that has ever been built. We didn’t use it before because it’s expensive and we didn’t want to risk damage to the vessel.”
The Operative said, “So we’re going to chase them?”
Rich said, “We can only chase them as far as the moon, though. Once they clear the moon’s gravity, we have to let them go.”
The Operative asked, “So what’s so advanced about this ship?”
Rich answered, “It moves faster than any previously known ship.”
The Operative asked, “How fast is that?”
The General answered, “It’s 1% of the speed of light.”
The Operative asked, “Give me a number.”
General Rich said, “It goes roughly eight million kilometers per hour.”
The Operative asked, “How’d we build that?”
Rich said, “That’s classified. Just know that we can only use it for very small distances. It’s extremely heavy on fuel.”
The Operative said, “We should have no trouble at all catching the colonists with that machine.”
Rich said, “Bear in mind that it costs about a million dollars a minute to operate this vehicle, so we only get one shot with it.”
The Operative said, “I understand. I have an approximate timetable for the ship’s return to Earth, so I’ll keep an eye on the stars for the ship.”
General Rich said, “You’d better not fail. You only have one shot at this, and I can make your life very difficult once you’re out of the army if you let me down.”
The Operative said, “I’m very aware of that. I won’t fail. I have all the information I need to defeat this group, and now I have the technology.”
General Rich said, “Then execute the plan to perfection. I won’t tolerate failure.
I also won’t tolerate another fiasco like the one you created the last time.”
The Operative said, “That was a minor blip on the radar. No one even noticed.”
General Rich said, “You only thought it was a blip. I’m the one who had to field the calls from the media and citizens groups.”
The Operative asked, “Why did they care? We were engaged with criminals.”
General Rich said, “You and I know that, but the official story is that they’re researchers. That’s the story the media fed to the public. It took some serious damage control to fix your screw up.”
The Operative said, “Why’s the news media going with anything other than approved news?”
General Rich said, “Some dirty hippies formed a news organization to keep the left in the know. It’s a bunch of crap, but they’ve got all the money they need.”
The Operative saluted the General, turned about, and walked out of the office. He went to his quarters and began to call his team. He needed to work with people he already trusted to ensure the greatest chance of success.
Several months passed without any sighting of the colonists’ ship. During the intervening time, The Operative spent every waking moment devising plans to destroy the Martian colony’s supply structure or training his team to execute his plans. He wouldn’t allow himself to fail in this mission twice in a row. The team spent five hours every day doing conditioning exercises. They also spent two hours every day studying the plan, so that they would know every part of it as though it was their own idea. Then, they spent at least three hours each day in simulated combat exercises. The team went home every day sore and tired, but they needed to be the most disciplined team possible in order to defeat the android pilot of the Renaissance.
When the ship became visible to the tracking instruments and telescopes, they moved into position. He called his team to the airport. The Operative stood in front of a personnel carrier and spoke to his team.
He said, “Last time, we were outmaneuvered because we weren’t in position before the ship landed. We need to already be in place when the Renaissance lands at the spaceport. That’s the only way to run a covert operation. We must be in position far in advance of the enemy, and able to ambush them. To that end, we’re going to the New Mexico desert. We know that the ship is headed to the spaceport in the southwest, so we’ll be ready when it arrives. We’ll also be able to conduct our operation without alarming the public. The spectacle we created last time was a complete debacle.”
MARS: Renaissance Page 31