MARS: Renaissance Read online

  Aren’t you tired of digging around for diamonds and gold? You do it until you just get old, and then you can’t enjoy it anyway. You’re shrouded in darkness, and every puddle of mud in your life comes from your own tears and blood. Don’t you want to know something else, like what’s in the clean air you breathe? I’ll bet that very few of you know what is used by the air cleaners to get the air clean. Do you want to have a better way than this world offers? I know that I do, and I’m offering a way to make it happen.

  I’m not saying that this will be easy. There are several obstacles to overcome in order to go to Mars and begin a new life on a new world. We will have to warm the surface of Mars to a tolerable climate. Then we’ll need to overcome the thin atmosphere and Mars’ lack of a magnetic field. We’ll also need to find some way to hold soil in the planetary windstorms. Water needs to be analyzed on Mars to see if the native water is usable. All of this will take time, and some of it will need to be done before the first man can set foot on the planet to colonize it. With all of that said, however, I would like to arrive on Mars by the end of this century. People could be living on Mars by January of 2100. That gives us 14 years to prepare a plan and begin the work which will make life on Mars possible.”

  The military operatives moved into a position where the public would not see them. They needed to ensure that this appeared to be a terrorist attack on a free speech demonstration.

  The first operative radioed to the shooter, “You need to take up a position high in a tree where no one can see you, but make sure that the tree is at least ten or twenty meters deep into the forest.”

  The shooter replied into his radio, “I wouldn’t dare get too close. Watch for witnesses as I climb. We don’t want to have any ‘accidental civilian casualties,’ now do we?”

  He climbed the tree, hoping that no one would see him getting into position to complete his covert mission. He climbed six meters up the tree and asked for guidance.

  The third operative said, “You’re not visible from my position.”

  He was fifty meters east of the shooter, and well out of view of the crowd. No one in the crowd had seen any of the military operatives in their positions.

  The shooter said, “Signal me when I have a clear shot.”

  The second replied, “Will do, team leader.”

  The government would never allow free speech to be abated in any way, and silencing a radical was forbidden under any circumstance. It was the last guise of personal freedom that the corporations could not destroy. This rogue group had its own agenda, which the government would never have allowed.

  People cheered Scout as he stood at the microphone. They seemed to like his plan. Most thought it could never happen, though. The logistics of taking a colony to another planet were mind boggling enough before thinking of going to a planet that could not support life on its own merit. This seemed like a pipe dream to all but the most committed of Scout’s followers.

  “Team leader, you’re clear for completion,” said the second operative.

  The gunman replied, “Acknowledged.”

  The gunman took his position and locked onto his target. He had to wait until he had a clean shot at the radical leader, so that he did not accidentally cause any collateral damage.

  Meanwhile, one young woman was thinking, “If only we could figure out a way to terraform Mars. We could give it a magnetic field to hold an atmosphere, and then import some elements from Earth’s atmosphere to create a biodome where people could live during the terraforming process. We could even melt part of Mars’ polar ice caps to create rivers, maybe even oceans. Then bring seeds from Earth to plant trees and plants on Mars to hold the soil. I wish there was a way that I could put my engineering degree to good use on a project like that.”

  She thought, “I should go talk to Scout. Maybe we can come up with a plan to change the conditions on Mars to favor human existence. Plus he’s smokin’ hot.”

  She walked through the crowd and found Scout at the podium. She was nervous as she approached him. A combination of the physical attraction she had for the handsome young leader and fear of rejection made her shiver as she approached him. Her fear of rejection was a combination of the fear of rejection of her ideas and the fear of rejection of her as a woman. She did not think that she was very attractive, although she was absolutely gorgeous. She was taller than most women, but still very feminine. She had long, flowing blonde hair with red highlights. Her face was soft and smooth, with gentle curves that invited the eyes to gaze on her. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, and as clear as a shallow lake. Her lips were plump and very red; they seemed to invite kisses to them.

  She walked up to Scout and said, “Hi. I’m Kathy Jones. I think I might be able to help you make your dream a reality. I’m an engineer, and I think I can help you craft a plan for the terraforming of Mars. I have some friends who have talked about the possibility of restoring Mars to a point farther back in its history when it could have supported life.”

  Scout replied, “And how do you feel about my plan to not use money as a basis for an economy? That is really the reason I even want to leave the planet in the first place.”

  Kathy said, “That was the reason I came to the rally in the first place. I just thought you were going to speak of a secluded place on Earth to live a new way.”

  Scout said, “I thought of that, but there is no way it would work. We would still need to use money for supplies on Earth because the rest of the world uses money. We would’ve needed to find a place with all the resources we would ever need to make that work, and then we would need to defend ourselves from other people who don’t agree with us.”

  Kathy replied, “But if we make Mars habitable, won’t we have the same problem with other people wanting to come and make Mars like Earth?”

  Scout said, “I suppose you’re right. We‘ll need to figure out some sort of planetary defense strategy if we do go to Mars.”

  Kathy said, “I’m behind you. Let me talk to my friends who agree with you on the social issues you represent, and see which of them is willing to help formulate a plan to colonize another planet.”

  Scout then said, “I would appreciate that greatly. I want this to happen so badly that I can taste it. I also have a few people in my circle of influence that may be willing to help get the project off the ground. I‘ll introduce you to them. Will you come with me?”

  At that moment, the lead operative fired a laser guided, silenced, .50 caliber bullet straight at Scout. Scout happened to duck just as the shot was fired, and the bullet traveled over his head and into the stage’s backing. A large hole in the stage now allowed light to pass right through. The crowd seemed oblivious to this, as no one moved away and no one seemed to panic. The shot had been taken, and he had missed. All he could do now was hide the evidence.

  He thought, “This madman must be stopped. He can’t be allowed to leave the planet with our resources and start a new society. We’ll have to find a way to stop him.”

  The operatives packed their gear and returned to the military base. Since the rally had been peaceful, the assigned mission could be reported as a complete success.

  Kathy was oblivious to the shot as she nodded and followed Scout as he turned around, climbed down the stairs, and walked behind the stage. Scout introduced her to Jordan Green, a former Army Ranger with the corps of engineers, Bob Fink, a former army ranger and his wife, Cindy. The people in the room were the core of Scout’s team, and Kathy immediately recognized that she had been made privy to the future of the human race.

  Chapter Two

  Military

  The three operatives flew to the base in Eugene. That took about ten minutes. They weren’t all that worried about reporting to their superiors, because their mission was basic peacekeeping and crowd control. They were, however, worried about their superiors finding out what had really happened.

  The base commander, General Rich, called them into his office. He was expecting them to return w
ith a detailed report of a riot that had to be suppressed.

  He asked, “What happened out there?”

  The lead operative said, “Nothing. We just watched the people peaceably assemble. There were no incidents.”

  The commander replied, “We sent the three of you out there for a reason, and it wasn’t to just watch a peaceful rally.”

  The lead asked, “Oh, and what was that reason?”

  General Rich said, “Because the three of you are the best at breaking up riots. I was hoping that a riot would break out so that we would have an excuse to apprehend this Scout person before he can destroy the way of life we’ve all come to depend on.”

  The lead operative said, “There was no such riot. If you wanted to start a riot, then you should have given us orders to start a riot.”

  The other two operatives looked nervous as their team leader talked to the base commander. They couldn’t allow him to let the commander know that they had attempted an assassination without orders. Every word exchanged made their blood pressure rise and their sweat glands pour.

  The General said, “Now, the three of you have failed to do what I really wanted you to do. I’m going to have to reassign the three of you to Greenland.”

  The lead operative said, “Sir, give us another chance to prove our skills. We know now that you have orders for us that you can’t give us in a direct order.”

  The General said, “Okay, but this is your last chance. Read between the lines when you are given an order. Not always is an order complete.”

  The lead operative asked, “So you’re saying that some covert ops require a higher level of secrecy than others?”

  General Rich answered, “Yes, now get out of my office.”

  The base commander faced about and walked to his desk as the three operatives left the office.

  The commander shook his head and thought, “Those three are nothing like the men I had during the war. Those men knew how to think critically and accomplish the full mission. I really miss Captain Green, that guy really knew how to accomplish a covert mission.”

  The operatives ran to their barracks to get out of their uniforms. They needed to destroy the weapons in their possession so that the local authorities could not trace them back to them. There could be no evidence that they had attempted to murder Scout. The men took off their uniforms and put on fatigues so that they would be less conspicuous when they went to the foundry. They drove to the foundry to melt their guns. Once inside, they hastily disposed of their weapons. In a matter of seconds, the guns were melted into metal and plastic cubes.

  The lead operative said, “We can’t let the general know that we are working toward his ultimate goal without his knowledge. He has to think we are idiots.”

  The second asked, “Why is that? Shouldn’t we take our lead from the general? We both have the same desired result.”

  The lead said, “No, the general is bound by laws and regulations. He is very conscious of his image. If anyone thought that he had any part in an assassination, his career would suffer. We can’t allow him to know that we wanted Scout dead. The general only wants him apprehended. We have to make it seem that we just failed in our assignment.”

  The second said, “That makes no sense, sir. The general wants him dead just as much as we do.”

  The lead said, “No, he doesn’t. Like I said, he only wants to apprehend him for a trial. But he has to find something on him to arrest him for first. The first amendment is still in effect, so we can’t arrest him for simply speaking his mind.”

  The second replied, “But he’s threatening to destroy the foundation of all human civilization. The money will stop flowing, and then people will stop working. The whole of the world’s economies will collapse.”

  The lead said, “Yes, I know that, but the general is bound by rules and regs. He can’t just kill someone without being attacked. He also can’t arrest someone without a warrant or probable cause, or at least a really good bogus premise.”

  The second asked, “What difference does it make if he apprehends him or kills him? The corporate police, who have the real power, would like him gone.”

  First relied, “Have you ever heard of DeNoPE?”

  Second replied, “No.”

  First said, “It’s an acronym for Developed Nations of the Planet Earth. It’s an organization dedicated to making sure those nations with power hold onto it. They also want to make sure that corporations that have power hold onto it.”

  Third asked, “What’s that got to do with General Rich?”

  First replied, “He’s the chairman of the organization. That’s why he has so much power. He only has one star. Most Generals with the kind of power he has are four and five star Generals. “

  Second said, “With that kind of power, you’d think he could do whatever he wanted.”

  First said, “He can, but it’s much harder to hold onto power with an iron fist than with a silk glove. The soft sell is always more welcome than force.”

  Second said, “So that’s why he’s so bound by honor.”

  First said, “That’s right.”

  Third exclaimed, “Maneuvers are about to start.”

  The second said, “We should get out of here before we’re seen.”

  The operatives left the foundry separately so that the people near the building would not become suspicious. They were gone as quickly and quietly as they had arrived, and no one suspected anything. They had accomplished their desired mission.

  General Rich called the police chief in Portland. He needed to ensure that pressure was placed on Scout. Scout was a great threat to the world order that had been established in the early part of the twenty-first century.

  The base commander said, “May I speak with the chief?” as he spoke with the receptionist.

  She responded, “Please hold,” and pressed the hold button.

  The commander hated being put on hold, and he especially hated when he had no choice but to be placed on hold. Now he was upset with this inconsiderate woman who had no regard for his time or his position.

  He thought, “I’m going to report her to her boss once the chief answers the phone. He was on hold for about two and a half hours before the chief picked up the phone. By this time, he had forgotten about the rude woman.

  “Hello, this is Chief Garrison,” said the police chief.

  The commander said, “Hello, I am a man in need of some assistance at the highest level.”

  Chief Garrison said, “I don’t have time for insane men and their stupid games.”

  The commander said, “This is General Rich, commander of the Army base in Eugene. I assure you that I am neither mad nor playing games.”

  Garrison said, “Oh, sorry, General. What can I do for you?”

  Rich replied, “I have a proposal which may be beneficial to us both.”

  Garrison said, “How’s that?”

  Rich said, “There’s a man spreading radical ideology in your town, and he needs to be stopped. His name is Scout Ellison, and he is recruiting people in an attempt to rob the Earth of its resources and leave to start a colony on Mars.”

  Garrison said, “I’ve seen this man. He’s harmless. It’s not like he actually has the resources to make any of his pipedream a reality.”

  Rich replied, “But he will have people behind him very soon. Then he will be extremely dangerous, so he must be stopped before he gets too strong.”

  Garrison said, “His group is just a handful of people, and they’re not very well organized. We don’t see him as a threat.”

  Rich said, “Can you just do me this favor?”

  Garrison said, “I really don’t feel comfortable doing that. We can’t arrest someone without cause; we don’t want to get sued again. Why don’t you have some corporation’s police do this? They can get away with so much more than I can.”

  Rich said, “Because I want to scare him for real. This is serious, and the corporate police are trained to keep him at ease
. I don’t want him to be at ease. How about just detain him and scare him a little?”

  Garrison said, “Alright, you persistent bastard. I’ll see what I can do.”

  Rich said, “That’s all I asked.”

  The plot to thwart Scout before he became too strong had been General Rich’s pet project for quite some time. Now he had a partner in his quest and a crew to carry out his covert orders.

  As soon as General Rich got off the phone with the police, his phone rang. The caller ID told him that it was one of many corporate executives wanting him to deal with a problem.

  He answered, “This is General Rich. I hope you’re not calling me to waste my time.”

  The other man said, “My name is Ely Thompson. I am a vice president of Exxon Mobil. We’re the big energy company.”

  Rich said, “What can I do for you?”

  Thompson replied, “I have a problem. Protesters are really disrupting our business.”

  Rich replied, “Get in line. Everyone has problems with protesters. I can’t do anything about them.”

  Thompson said, “I need to have their leader killed.”

  Rich responded angrily, “I am not a hit man. I don’t know where you got that idea, but put it out of your head.”

  Thompson said, “I know that you can have problems removed for a price. I’ve heard that you help companies keep their profits by making problems go away. How much do I need to make my problems go away?”

  Rich answered, “I don’t kill people to make problems go away. I have people arrested or other legal means of removing problems.”

  Thompson asked, “So how much do you want to remove my problem?”

  Rich said, “Send me the information about your problem and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Rich hung up and turned his attention back to Scout and his group.