September 27, 2117 Tim and Carla Look back on their Mars Experience:
Tim sat at a table with Carla and little Jimmy in Downtown New Phoenix. They
were at Pablo's Mexican Restaurant, Carla was drinking a glass of Martian
Chablis that had been re rated from good to excellent. There were 427,520
acres in New Phoenix and Tim had his. With a five bedroom ranch house
sitting on it, unlike most homes Tims home actually had a roof and doors and
windows just like they had on Earth. All of the furniture had been selected from
the internet and ordered from Earth. Some of it had arrived and some of their
furniture was still en route. In the meantime they were making do with the
cheap knock down stuff. Tim's home was equipped just as it would have been
on Earth with an up to date all electric kitchen, flush toilets, everything that any
home maker on Earth could want Carla had on Mars. “Tomorrow is an
anniversary for us Carla, it was ten years ago tomorrow that we first set foot on
Mars. Our contract with The Company is up tomorrow. How about it, do you
want to return to Earth?” “Carla gave him a quizzical expression and said “What
are you nuts, I don't even want to go there for a visit.
December 31, 2117, January 1, 2118: Revelers had packed the
downtown area to see the new year in. Tim and Carla were having coffee at
home and listening to Rusty on MARS-TV. Rusty had described the way things
had been at that New Years celebration ten years earlier when they had only
two caverns. Rusty then launched into a rundown on the status of things today.
What a difference ten years had made.
“The Mars orbiter has been repositioned over the Utility cavern and
everything and everyone that arrive from Earth is deposited there. Abner's farm
and Graces fish hatchery are all that remain in the old company cavern. The
almost dry lake at New Phoenix has been filled and populated with over 20
varieties of fresh water fish. The old Government cavern would look like a
ghost town except that everything that could be pillaged has been. Abner has
been talking about planting more fruit trees there next year once he gets more
grow lights. All the bureaucrats now work out of the new State office building in
New Phoenix.”
“The Winery has usurped the entire half of the Hour Glass where their
original winery and brewery once stood The facility now covers some nine
thousand acres. One thousand acres are now planted in corn. The new
distillery started bottling a whiskey made from eighty percent corn two years
before. Their new product comes out at 160 proof, eighty percent alcohol.
Many of us are feeling the after effects of that product this morning.” (Hour
Glass Corp., or as the local people called it 'The Glass' had intended to age the
product in wood but were never able to acquire the necessary casks.) The
Martian grapes are magnificent, a bottle of good Martian wine will fetch $500.00
in New York. Most of the output however was consumed on Mars. The brewery
even sold their beer in bottles now but there were still those that swore it was
not as good as what they used to get in the gallon jugs.)
“A paved concrete highway runs all the way from Abner's farm through
Paradise, which is now a State campground. and the ocean cavern which has
become a very popular salt water fishing resort, then through the Hour Glass
and on in to New Phoenix. We now have over one hundred paved streets in
New Phoenix and room for many more when they became necessary. The
population of Mars is now 28,600 and growing because ten percent of the
population is under eleven years of age. The downtown area has begun to look
like the downtown area of any other small City. Now the workers that were
here to see the new year in in 2108 have completed their contracts. They are
eligible to return to Earth but few of them want to. Some of the Government
people who had finished their ten year contracts and left Mars had returned
within the year.” Rusty's ramblings got Tim to thinking of some of the other
developments. There were six public bus routes running. There was one route
from each quadrant of the city into city center. There was one from the city
center out to the industrial area. There was one from Abner's farm through
Paradise, Big Lake, the Hour Glass, the Ocean and on into city center. The Ski
Lodge sent a bus back and forth to city center but that was not part of the public
transportation system.
“Paul was still on Mars but was no longer the Director of the
Government operations he had opened a jewelery store and was making
fantastic jewelery with Martian diamonds and gold, for sale on Earth. Tim and
Carla had realized two and a half million dollars from his find. There were no
other diamonds found on Mars for almost six years and Paul was able to
contain the news of those finds and had most of them in his vault at the
jewelery store. So as not to ruin the diamond market on Earth. Actually there
weren't that many but there were enough to make Paul a very wealthy and
happy man. Paul had two of his nephews brought up to Mars with their wives
and children and they worked in the store with Paul. They weren't really his
Nephews but he referred to them as his that. It looked as though there would
always be a community of ascetic Jews in the diamond business on Mars,” Tim
mused.
“In 2111 Carter Fredrick was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2112.
Many types of cancer were now treatable and curable, but not the kind Carter
had. Tim of course was selected to replace him as manager of Mars Colony,
Inc. on Mars.
January 2, 2118: Tim's salary was raised to $65,000.00 per month. Over
the last ten years the government's role on Mars had continued to diminish
while the companies role had grown. Though Tim wouldn't admit it he was now
the most powerful man on Mars. In effect he was the most powerful man in the
universe, he ruled an entire planet, and his appointment was for life. The
President of the United States had to be elected to a limited term of office. Hal
Jonson was now Superintendent of construction.
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