MARS: Baroque Revolution

by Matthew Ellis

  The Operative replied, “I’m almost out of here, so what the hell do I care what you can offer me?”

  Rich replied, “I can still offer you a great life once you leave the army.”

  The Operative asked, “Why the hell do I care? I know you’re a madman. I’m getting as far from you as I can when my term is up.”

  Rich said, “Don’t forget who I am. I can also make your life a living hell.”

  The Operative said, “Only if I stay in the developed world. DeNoPE has no power in the third world, and I can live like a king there.”

  Rich said, “We both know you’re not going to the third world. All I ask of you is one more term.”

  The Operative asked, “What if I refuse?”

  Rich replied, “There’s nothing I can do to force you to stay. Just remember I can throw up a lot of roadblocks once you’re in the world.”

  The Operative asked, “What makes you think I’m afraid of you?”

  Rich replied, “Because I know. We can save a lot of time if you just sign the damned papers.”

  The Operative said, “Maybe, but I don’t want to.”

  Rich said, “You know, DeNoPE is getting more powerful every day. We’ve got most of the developed world signed on now.”

  The Operative said, “So you’re saying I won’t be able to find a job anywhere in the first world.”

  Rich replied, “Not just the first world, but the second as well. Most developing nations are clamoring to join us.”

  The Operative said, “You know you’re overlooking a major strategy, right,”

  Rich glanced at The Operative. He was offended that anyone would accuse him of overlooking anything.

  Rich asked, “What am I overlooking?”

  The Operative replied, “You could let them fail on their own.”

  Rich said, “There’s no guarantee they’d fail if we leave them alone.”

  The Operative said, “Yes, there is. They’re overlooking basic human nature. If everyone’s the same and gets the same rewards regardless of position, they won’t work as hard as they would if they had a tiered system with levels.”

  Rich said, “Yeah, I know all about the corporate ladder model of economics. You’re overlooking the fact that if they’re really dedicated to this idea, they could succeed. That would be catastrophic.”

  The Operative said, “Humans are hard wired to only do what we have to do. When people realize they can skate by and get the same rewards, they’ll let laziness take hold. Even if they don’t, their children will.”

  Rich said, “That’s not guaranteed, either. If they raise their children to be indoctrinated in their way of life, the society won’t change. Then we’ll have a rival planet to deal with.”

  The Operative said, “I don’t think people are that committed to anything. Even religious zealots cave when the pressure is too strong.”

  Rich said, “Okay, you’ve made your point. Are you going to sign the papers or not?”

  The Operative said, “Give me the papers. I don’t want to end up in Afghanistan or Tanzania.”

  General Rich slid an envelope toward The Operative. Rich handed him a pen. After a quick glance at the papers, The Operative signed them.

  Rich said, “So I’ve got you for five more years. That’s plenty of time to accomplish the mission.”

  The Operative said, “I don’t understand why I’m so important to you.”

  Rich replied, “You’re the only one who knows what’s going on. I really don’t want to have to train someone else.”

  The Operative asked, “So what do you need?”

  General Rich motioned to the rest of the team. They got up and walked into the conference room.

  General Rich asked his operative, “What have you discovered in your past missions?”

  The Operative replied, “I’ve learned that they’re very smart. They always have a plan that throws us off course.”

  Rich said, “I noticed in your reports that you say they’re always one or even two steps ahead of you.”

  The Operative said, “They have a plan, and then that plan changes in the middle of the plan. It’s like they have a contingency plan for every contingency.”

  Rich said, “That can’t be the case. They’re probably just very good at reacting to our every move.”

  One of the team members said, “It’s not like these guys are ‘Doctor Who’ or something. No one’s that clever.”

  The Operative said, “The only other scenario I can think of is that these guys are being fed information from our end.”

  Rich asked, “Do you mean you think you have a rat in your group?”

  The Operative replied, “More like a mole. However, I don’t think that there’s one in my group. I think there’s someone on this base receiving unauthorized information and leaking it to the Mars group.”

  Rich said, “Well, then I’ll start an investigation. That’s not an acceptable situation.”

  The team members looked nervous. They wondered whom Rich suspected. There was some grumbling, which lead to fighting. Eventually, Rich called for order and the team obeyed.

  The Operative asked, “Don’t we have a mole in their group?”

  Rich replied, “Yes. We have Notah Yazzie in their midst. “

  The Operative asked, “Are you sure he’s 100% trustworthy?”

  Rich replied, “I’m damn near positive that he’s on our side. He has provided us with very good intelligence in the past.”

  The Operative said, “How do you know he’s not feeding us false leads to throw us off? Our failures in the past could’ve been a direct result of his deception.”

  Rich said, “He’s proven himself to me, and I consider him a valuable tool in our mission. I trust him to continue to be our most valuable asset on Mars. I think our past failures had more to do with poor execution of my orders than with bad intelligence.”

  The Operative said, “I hope you’re right. I don’t want to spend the final years of my career in a doomed mission that can’t be accomplished.”

  Rich replied, “If you and your team execute this plan to perfection, you won’t fail. As I said before, that’s been the crux of our problems.”

  The Operative asked, “So you actually have a plan drawn up?”

  Rich answered, “I have a tentative plan in the works. It’s not finished, and that’s why I’ve assembled you here today.”

  General Rich unfurled a map of Mars. There were pictures of Freedom pasted to the map.

  The Operative asked, “How’d you get pictures of their colony?”

  Rich replied, “That would be the work of our aforementioned mole. We know not only the exact location of the colony, but the basic layout of their town.”

  One of the team members asked, “Do we have a map of the town?”

  Rich said, “We don’t have a map of Freedom, yet. That’s what they named their first town.”

  The Operative asked, “Why don’t we have a map? Is the city still under construction?”

  Rich answered, “All cities are under perpetual construction until they die. We don’t have a map because we have to extrapolate it from the pictures we’re getting.”

  The team member asked, “So these pictures are from their own satellites?”

  Rich said, “That’s what I’ve been told. They look genuine, so I’m trusting that this is authentic intelligence.”

  The Operative asked, “How do we have access to their satellites?”

  Rich replied, “You’ll discover I’m very resourceful when it’s required.”

  The Operative asked, “So what’s the plan to bring them down and return our resources to their rightful place on this planet?”

  Rich replied, “That’s the reason we’re here. We need to make a plan.”

  The Operative asked, “Can we use drones to bring them back to Earth?”

  Rich answered, “Drones are expensive. We can’t waste resources to bring back criminals.”

  The Oper
ative said, “But we can send a few thousand people to apprehend criminals without a warrant.”

  Rich said, “We’ll have a warrant. We’ll have the full backing of DeNoPE by the time we go to Mars.”

  The Operative asked, “Aren’t people more expensive than drones? I mean, you have to pay them and feed them. Drones just fly to where they’re needed and do what they’re told without question.”

  Rich said, “People are expendable, drones aren’t.”

  The Operative hated General Rich more with every passing second. Everything the General said made The Operative wish he’d never joined the Army.

  For the next two hours, General Rich and his operative’s team discussed and formulated a plan to destroy the colony on Mars. There were maps, charts, and tactical discussions deliberated at length. The discourse was very productive and they came up with what they thought were good ideas.

  Chapter Four

  Rebecca

  Being the captain of a ship is a huge responsibility. It is filled with pressure and trouble. It’s not a glamorous life, but it has its rewards. Rebecca was chosen to lead this crew because she had previous management experience, but that hadn’t prepared her for the journey she faced.

  The morning briefing with the other officers of the ship was about to begin. Johann and Quannah joined the captain in the conference room.

  Rebecca said, “We’ll wait for Scout’s morning welcome before we get started with ship’s business.”

  The screen lit up a few seconds later, and Scout was addressing the ship’s crew. Scout usually pre-recorded the briefing greeting the night before. If he didn’t, the morning briefing took too long.

  Scout said, “Good morning. I’d like to thank everyone for coming to the morning briefing. Things are going great here on Mars. The colony’s really taking shape, and we should be just about ready for you when you get here. Rebecca told me the Renaissance has some damage. I’d like a full report about that sometime today. Other than that, have a great day today.”

  The screen went blank and Rebecca took control of the meeting. She turned to her officers and took a deep breath.

  Rebecca said, “I need your reports on yesterday’s events. Johann, go first.”

  Johann said, “The ship’s in shape. Everyone’s doing their assigned tasks without too much grumbling.”

  Quannah said, “The engines are doing alright. The superfast is operational if needed, but no one’s chasing us right now.”

  Rebecca was confused. She didn’t remember the conversation she and Quannah had with Scout the day before.

  Rebecca asked, “I thought we exhausted the superfast fuel in the initial skirmish with General Rich.”

  Quannah replied, “We had three bursts available. We used one to evade the General and one to get a good head start toward Mars. That leaves one available.”

  Rebecca asked, “What are we saving it for?”

  Quannah answered, “In case we encounter any more problems. We'll need it to escape if we run into any trouble.”

  Rebecca said, “I think we should be safe by now.”

  Quannah said, “My orders came from Scout. He told me not to use them unless we had to.”

  Rebecca said, “In that case, we’ll save them. I’ll ask Scout about it when I talk to him later.”

  Quannah said, “You were in the room when he gave me the order yesterday.”

  Rebecca said, “Really? I don’t remember that.”

  Quannah asked, “Do you need me to inspect the damage again, or just submit my initial report to Scout?”

  Rebecca said, “How thorough was your initial report?”

  Quannah replied, “Very.”

  Rebecca said, “Then use my office computer to send it to Scout.”

  Johann said, “So are we done here?”

  Rebecca said, “Yes. You may get to work.”

  Johann and Quannah left the conference room to return to their duties. Rebecca sat at the desk and thought.

  She thought, “Why don’t we use the superfast engines? I don’t understand why Scout would allow the crew to suffer for so long in this constant blackness. Everyone’s depressed. I’m depressed. I just want this trip to be over. The superfast engine would make that happen.”

  Rebecca was crying as the video screen started blinking. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to clean up the running make-up from her face.

  She hit the button and said, “Hello, Scout.”

  Six minutes went by without any response. The delay was a result of transmissions being sent at the speed of light. Mars was still three light minutes away, so it took three minutes for Scout to receive the message and three minutes for her to receive his reply.

  Scout said, “How goes life on the ship?”

  Rebecca answered, “It’s not too bad. I’ll have that report to you later this morning.”

  Six more minutes went by. The delay was a major cause of frustration for everyone on the journey.

  Scout asked, “What’s wrong? I can tell you’re not doing as well as you claim.”

  Rebecca replied, “I want to ask you about the superfast engines. Why can’t we use them to shorten the journey?”

  Six more minutes went by.

  Scout answered, “We need to save them in case the next crew needs them. I know you used two of the three I provided. We only have two more of those charges, and they’re very expensive.”

  Rebecca replied, “I didn’t realize that. I’m just worried that my crew is going crazy on this voyage.”

  Scout said, “The superfast engines are nuclear explosions. They propel the ship forward at nearly 20 million kilometers per hour, but only for about two hours. We had to get nuclear bombs to power that.”

  Rebecca said, “So that means you had to deal with some seedy elements. Now I understand why we need to limit our use.”

  Scout said, “I realize your crew is going mad. I can see you’re not handling the solitude well. My crew had a psychiatrist on board, and I’ve given you a counselor. Please make full use of her services, and encourage your crew to make full use of your counselor. It may save their lives.”

  Rebecca asked, “How’s that?”

  Scout replied, “It may save them from suicide. Space is big. It’s really big. You have to keep your sanity, and especially you as the captain. You’ve been lucky so far that no one’s taken that road. Let’s try to make sure it stays that way.”

  Rebecca said, “I’m not sure I was ready for this when I agreed to take the captain’s job.”

  Scout said, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown. It’s not easy.”

  Rebecca said, “No, it’s not. Maybe I’ll see our counselor. What’s her name again?”

  Scout said, “Her name is Rose Tennant. I think you should see her. Not just one time, but on a regular schedule.”

  The call ended and Rebecca continued crying. She wasn’t strong enough for this job. She needed to unload all of her stress on someone else. She called Rose.

  Rose said, “Yes, captain. What can I do for you?”

  Rebecca replied, “I need to make an appointment.”

  Rose said. “Come by anytime. You’re too valuable to have you snap.”

  Rebecca said, “I don’t want to take anyone’s place. I’m no more important than anyone else on the ship.”

  Rose said, “That’s a lie, and you know it. You’re the captain. People look to you for leadership, for guidance, for strength. You have to lead these people, even if it’s all a façade.”

  Rebecca said, “I’ll come by later today. I’ve got some things to attend to first.”

  Rose said, “Alright.”

  Rebecca slowly hung up the phone and held her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe she was going to see a counselor. She never needed help with anything before. She didn’t understand why she needed help now.

  She thought, “I’m supposed to be in charge. People look up to me. How can I lead anyone if I’m nothing more than a lost sheep i
n need of a shepherd?”

  She spent the next few minutes crying. When she was all cried out, she washed her face and walked to Rose’s office.

  Chapter Five

  Moon Base

  General Rich answered his phone.

  “This is General Rich,” he said.

  A voice on the other end said, “We need some help.”

  Rich asked, “First, who is this?”

  The voice said, “I’ve been elected as the corporate representative for DeNoPE. I don’t feel comfortable telling you my name over the phone.”

  Rich said, “Then I don’t feel comfortable telling you anything. I need to know who’s asking for my help before I’m willing to give it.”

  The voice said, “My name is India Caldwell. I’m currently the CEO of XXXXXXXXXXXX.”

  Rich said, “Now we can talk. What do you need from me?”

  Caldwell said, “We need the military to start preparing for war. We know the Mars Research Corporation is an empty shell. They’re planning something evil.”

  Rich said, “I know they are, but there’s nothing we can do until they declare their intentions.”

  Caldwell said, “We can start training a military force to deal with them when the time comes. We want you to build a military base on the moon and start training troops to go to war with these people.”

  Caldwell explained the plan in detail to Rich. They wanted to get troops from all over the developed world used to a low gravity environment. Then they could more effectively fight on Mars and in space.

  Rich told a subordinate, “I need a moon base drawn up by the end of the day.”

  The subordinate replied, “Yes, sir. I’ll have a team make a plan.”

  Five hours later, a plan for a moon base was sitting on his desk. A subordinate stood over them, waiting for instructions. It included a life support system that used lunar water to create oxygen. It had four buildings. One building was for storage of weapons, ammunition, food and water. The second building was a barracks and office. The most important building was the life support facility. It would pump oxygen, nitrogen and other life support elements into the other buildings via a network of pressurized hoses. The final building would house a meeting and conference room, along with other official spaces. Outside the buildings, there would be roads and a training area complete with a firing range, obstacle course and battlefield simulators.