‘’Uh, yes!’’ said Michel. ‘’When do we get to start working at our new assignments?’’
‘’That information will be passed to you tomorrow morning, at the City Hall briefing, sir. Anything else?’’
‘’No! We will be fine. Thank you, miss!’’
Taking the cards and the pamphlets, the couple then walked to the clearly marked exit door of the hall, passing it and finding themselves in a large, long tunnel brightly illuminated by overhead lamps. Seeing a long line of waiting robotic taxis to their left, Michel pushed their luggage cart that way, followed by May. A robotic voice came out of the taxi’s dash when Michel stopped his cart beside the small electrical vehicle.
‘’Where would you wish to go, please?’’
‘’The Rosewood Tower, Southern Sector.’’ answered Michel while transferring their suitcases and bags from the cart to the taxi. Once his cart was empty, Michel quickly brought it to a nearby cart storage line, then returned to the taxi, where May was already sitting.
‘’You may now depart for Rosewood Tower, Taxi.’’ tersely ordered Michel. The computer controlling the taxi obeyed at once, starting to roll quietly thanks to its electric motors integrated to its four small wheels. Following the tunnel connecting the reception hall with the lakeside ring containing the city, the vehicle accelerated to a top speed of fifty kilometers per hour. It soon slowed down a bit in order to negotiate a roundabout, turning on the main road of the city, aptly named ‘Lakeside Boulevard’. Even though they had watched the video presentation on Elysium City, May and Michel were left speechless at first by the sights offered by the city and Lake Styx as their taxi drove down eastward along the boulevard forming a giant ring around the lake. On their left, a band of ground some eighty meters wide supported a succession of steel and glass buildings with direct view on the lake, while a 180 meter-wide band of ground along the right side of the boulevard was covered by a collection of forests, grass fields and a few sports fields. Lake Styx, visible through huge panes of ceramic glass, was illuminated from above by what had to be an extremely powerful light source that made the opposite rock walls some 5.7 kilometers away across the lake plainly visible in the distance. Michel could see a small motor boat plowing through the waters of the lake at moderate speed, with a handful of people aboard it. As for the buildings lining the left side of the boulevard, they varied in height and architectural style, with the tallest being some fifteen storey-high. Those buildings were also well separated, with young trees, bushes and grass surfaces surrounding each of them. All this would have contrasted greatly with the images of crowded, dystopian-like cities often shown in old science-fiction movies. This was definitely not some concrete jungle with flashy neon signs everywhere and streets clogged by vehicles and people. Vehicle traffic along Lakeside Boulevard was actually light, being limited to taxis, a few buses and occasional trucks, all electric-powered, while some people could be seen walking or jogging along the wide sidewalk running along the left side of the boulevard. There were also a few cyclists visible, pedaling along a right side bicycle trail. The sight of those cyclists made May smile.
‘’Hey, that’s a great idea! Cycling around to work should be eminently practical here and would help me keep fit. I hope that getting bikes will prove easy.’’
‘’It should be! Such a non-polluting, energy-free mode of transportation should be encouraged here. I already like this place. Hopefully, our apartment will be of a decent standard.’’
May nodded her head at that. Both she and Michel understood that life on Mars was made for pioneering spirits who didn’t expect to live in luxury and were ready to work hard to achieve a dream, mainly turning Mars into a second home for Humanity. All advertisings and documentaries about Mars living stressed those facts to prospective immigrants. Some people on Earth recoiled in horror at the descriptions of the communal-like life and social arrangements on Mars, screaming ‘Communism’ and deploring the lack of what they called ‘free enterprise’ and ‘capitalism’ on the Red Planet. In truth, the actual social organization on Mars could be compared to the old notions about a truly communist community, as all resources understandably had to be tightly managed to avoid both wastages and shortages. With many things still having to be imported from Earth at great costs and travel delays, this was no place for uncontrolled economic and infrastructure development, a fact that both May and Michel understood and accepted. If anything, they had been able to see during their university studies on Earth that Martians had in comparison to the average Earth citizen a much stronger sense of community sharing and of social responsibility, on top of being on the whole a lot more frugal in their perceived needs. May, for one, had been truly shocked on seeing the huge gulf evident in Earth cities between the luxurious residences of the small minority of rich people and the crowded and dirty ghettos too often lodging the poor forming the majority of the population. She had been accustomed on Mars in seeing everyone living on the same level of comfort, eating the same food and residing in similar facilities. For her, the true rewards she expected out of her work was a sense of accomplishment and professional pride, not collecting expensive luxury items and accumulating money. Yes, she expected to get a fair salary for her work, once the free benefits enjoyed by all Martians were counted in, but any sum of money she would save would mostly be used to pay for the occasional vacation trip to Earth she would take in the years to come.
Their taxi turned into a side street after some 800 meters, then into the entrance driveway of a twelve-storey building, with brass letters above the main entrance spelling ‘Rosewood Tower’.
‘’Aaah, here we are, May! Let’s unload our bags, then I will go see if I can find a luggage cart inside.’’
Both of them were still taking suitcases off their taxi when a middle-aged man came out of the building, pushing a baggage cart. The man stopped his cart next to them and smiled to the couple while presenting his right hand for a shake.
‘’Hello! I’m Nick Robertson and I am the superintendant and concierge of the building. I gather that you just arrived from Earth?’’
‘’That’s right, Mister Robertson.’’ replied Michel while shaking the man’s hand. ‘’Me and May spent the last six years studying on Earth. However, we were both born on Mars. My name is Michel Ponichnikov and this is my friend, May Batrang-Sukarno. We were given Apartment Number 220.’’
‘’Pleased to meet you both! I will help you bring your luggage to your apartment, then will brief you on the facilities available in this building.’’
‘’You are too kind, Mister Robertson.’’ said May while smiling to the superintendant, who made a dismissive gesture.
‘’Pah! Simple courtesy, miss.’’
Once the suitcases and bags were on the cart, Robertson started pushing it towards the glass doors of the main entrance, speaking to the couple as he went.
‘’The Rosewood Tower is one of the 42 residential buildings presently occupied in Elysium City, but it still has quite a few apartments available for newcomers. Apartment 220 is on the second floor and has two bedrooms, a lounge, a small kitchenette with dining table and a bathroom. While we have a cafeteria on the ground floor, facing the lake, you can take out prepared food in containers from the display counters of the cafeteria and bring them upstairs if you wish to eat with more intimacy. Communal facilities of this tower, all situated on the ground floor, include a Laundromat, a small gymnasium, an external pool, a communal lounge, a small kindergarten with daycare and a sauna and baths establishment.’’
‘’You have a kindergarten?’’ asked May, her interest showing in her voice. ‘’Are there many children living in this tower, Mister Robertson?’’
‘’Some! Out of a total of 237 residents, including you two, this building lodges 49 children, mostly infants and toddlers. Are you expecting, miss?’’
‘’Not yet, but we have plans, me and Michel.’’
‘’And I wish you good luck on that, m
iss.’’
‘’Uh, we saw a few people cycling around as we came. Is it difficult to find bicycles here?’’
‘’Not at all, miss! In fact, I still have a few bicycles available in my basement storage room. If you wish so, I can make you sign for one later on. Bicycles are in fact quite popular around Elysium City and many young professionals use them instead of taking bus or taxi rides. By the way, do you mind if I ask you what is your professional specialty?’’
‘’I don’t mind at all, Mister Robertson. I just graduated with a diploma in agronomy and will be working at one of the hydroponic farms of the city. As for Michel, he graduated from the M.I.T. in Boston with a degree in thermonuclear fusion engineering and will work at the city’s nuclear power plant.’’
‘’Excellent! You will definitely be most useful additions to our community. I myself don’t have the kind of technical and scientific expertise that you have, but I was always good with my hands and can repair about everything in a building.’’
They kept exchanging small talk while going up to the second floor, until they stopped in front of a door bearing a number.
‘’Here you are, my friends: Apartment 220! I will let you unlock the door with your card, miss.’’
May did so, sliding her magnetized card in the slot of the door’s lock. The door unlocked with an audible ‘click’, allowing May to push it open. Taking a few steps in, she stopped in the middle of a fairly large living room furnished with a sofa, an easy chair, a video and music entertainment unit, a low coffee table and two shelving units. Looking back and to her right, she saw a small dining corner with kitchenette and a table with four chairs. Robertson, stopping his cart in the middle of the living room, then gave a tour of the apartment to the couple. In the main bedroom, he showed them the large bed, whose mattress was not covered with a contour cover or bed sheets.
‘’While there are no bed sheets in place, I have in my linen storage room a choice of various colors and decorating patterns bed sheets. You will be free to choose the pattern and color you prefer among the selection available. I can display that selection on the computer that comes with the apartment. Follow me!’’
The superintendant led them back in the living room, where he showed them a powerful modern laptop computer stored inside a shelf of the entertainment unit.
‘’This computer will now be assigned to you and is remotely connected to the city’s computer network. If you need a second laptop, let me know.’’
‘’I will definitely need an extra one for me.’’ said Michel, making Robertson nod.
‘’Then I will go get one after this, along with your choice of bed sheets.’’
Robertson then powered up the laptop and punched in a few commands, making a selection of fabric colors and patterns appear on the screen.
‘’Here you are! Please select the ones that are to your taste.’’
It took a minute and a few hesitations on the part of May before she and Michel could agree on their choices, which Robertson noted down.
‘’Excellent! I will go get your bed sheets and your extra computer right away.’’
The young couple watched him leave, then went to the patio doors of the balcony facing the nearby Lake Styx. Going out on the balcony, Michel and May took hold of each other’s hands as they admired their view of the lake and the city.
‘’I think that we will be just fine here, my sweet May.’’ Said softly Michel before gently kissing her.
CHAPTER 17 – NEW TECHNOLOGY
08:03 (GMT)
Thursday, August 9, 2074
Olympus Mons Spaceport
Mars
‘’What a ship! It is splendid!’’
Viktor Ponichnikov, standing beside his wife, nodded his head in agreement while also admiring the big but sleek, arrow point-shaped space shuttle through the armored glass window of the arrival lounge.
‘’Indeed! This thermonuclear fusion rocket propulsion system sure beats our old nuclear rocket engines by a wide margin in terms of performance. To be able to approach and land vertically simply on engine power, without gliding parachute, is a huge step forward.’’
‘’God, what I would do to pilot such a ship! And for its parent ship to be able to make the trip to Mars in only seventeen days…’’ said Denise Wattling, who still loved piloting at the age of seventy. ‘’These new thermonuclear propulsion ships should greatly increase the flow of passengers and equipment we receive from Earth. Those 438 new immigrants who are about to disembark will certainly do us a lot of good in terms of population growth. After thirty years on Mars, we just barely passed the 6,000 people mark. If we want to become self-sufficient one day, we will need a lot more people on this planet, along with the corresponding installations and industries.’’
‘’True, but we are on the right path for that, thanks to the continued support that we got from Earth. With the costs and time of trips between Earth and Mars falling down significantly thanks to those new fusion ships, that should entice the authorities on Earth to continue delivering their support to us.’’
‘’I certainly hope so, Viktor. I certainly hope so.’’ replied softly Denise. She couldn’t help then mentally hope that she would live long enough to see the moment when her Mars colony would be declared self-sufficient. However, she doubted that very much: there were still many decades of hard work ahead before that cherished goal could be achieved.
14:36 (GMT)
Wednesday, October 01, 2081
Orbital space terminal ‘ARES STATION’
Low Mars equatorial orbit
‘’Ares Station, from H.S.S. STEPHEN HAWKING: Docking maneuver now completed.’’
That short radio message, coming out of an overhead speaker, was greeted by a concert of cheers from the technicians and space controllers manning the Ares Station space terminal: the H.S.S. STEPHEN HAWKING was the first ship to officially dock at the newly completed giant orbital structure. The commander of Ares Station, Jiang Min, activated his microphone to answer himself the visiting spaceship.
‘’H.S.S. STEPHEN HAWKING, from Ares Station, you are authorized to start disembarking your passengers and cargo.’’
Min, a 68 year-old aerospace engineer who had been part of the original crew of the H.S.S. FRIENDSHIP during its historical first trip to Mars, then took off his radio headset and put it on top of the nearby chief space controller’s station, where a hook kept it from floating up and away.
‘’I am going to go meet the ship’s captain via the arrival hall, Steve.’’
‘’Understood, Min!’’ replied the chief controller, Steve Parsons. Min then walked out of the space terminal’s control room, which was in zero gravity condition, using the magnetized soles of his boots to walk normally, albeit in a slow, cautious way.
Taking an elevator cabin to go down to the level of the passengers’ arrival hall, some180 meters below the control center of the station, Min then followed for seventy meters a communications tube closed at both ends by safety airlocks, finally entering the large arrival hall, with its reception counters and information booths. There were no customs control booths or luggage inspection tables to be found there, as the space terminal, like all Human installations on and around Mars, was legally considered international territory under United Nations protection. That was however partially compensated security-wise by the fact that all cargo and passengers embarking on or around Earth on a Mars-bound ship were searched and told not to carry any weapons, drugs, animals, insects or plants on or with them. One constant worry of Martian officials was the possible accidental importation on Mars of parasites, insects or vermin that could then swiftly multiply and spread through the hydroponic gardens on the planet, with possibly disastrous consequences. Any illegal importation of weapons, like firearms and combat blades, was also severely looked upon. With the few public security officers now working in the various Mars communities having only non-lethal weapons like tasers and riot
batons, that point was of crucial importance in order to prevent the emergence of violent crime in Martian communities. Thankfully, Mars had mostly managed up to now to avoid crime in its midst, the only registered trouble up to now having been rare cases of drunken brawling and even rarer cases of domestic or sexual abuse. Since all essential needs were provided for free to its citizens by the Martian Administration and since there were few luxury items to be found around the planet, theft was as well mostly unheard of on Mars. There was also the fact that each new immigrant that came to Mars did so to fill a specific job advertised by the administration, thus saw all his or her needs provided from the time of departure from Earth. With all the available resources needing to be tightly managed to avoid waste, Mars was no place for free-loading immigrants with no employable skills or desire to work. As for tourists, they were still a rarity but, hopefully, that aspect of Mars’ economy would eventually grow to the point of profitability in the years to come.
Min watched for a moment as a steady stream of passengers was coming out of the telescopic communications tube linking the STEPHEN HAWKING and the main access airlock of the arrival hall. Those 1,340 new immigrants would indeed be most welcomed additions to the Martian workforce, bringing with them a wide variety of skills, some of which had been absent until now on Mars. Min knew that there was at least one qualified, experienced jeweler and his family aboard the ship who, as such, would be the first jeweler to work on Mars, to satisfy a demand for locally-produced jewelry that used the gold, silver, platinum and gems mined on the planet. He couldn’t help smile in amusement when an overenthusiastic young woman just off the ship whooped up with joy and jumped up in excitement, only to find herself floating up in the zero-gravity environment of the arrival hall, her arms flapping around in panic while she screamed for help. This was not the first time that such a thing happened and a couple of space terminal employees were standing ready with long poles equipped with hooks for just such an eventuality. The shaken young woman was soon presented with the end of a pole, which she frantically grabbed, to be then pulled down back to the floor of the hall, where her magnetized soles secured her back to the ground. Once the bulk of the passengers had disembarked, Min walked to the access airlock and entered it, then walked down the communications tube of the STEPHEN HAWKING. A ship’s officer greeted him inside the passengers transit hall of the ship, which had a much lower ceiling that the space station’s arrival hall.
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