Tempe Terra

By Bryan Whelan

It's the late 2090s and humanity has now established itself on Mars. However, like most of Earth, religious fundamentalism controls the daily lives of everyone, and Mars was simply a resource of raw materials for the benefit of Earth.

Ethan Quan, despite his status being one of the first born on Mars, was destined to become a non-entity in life; a nobody with little or no ambition. Working at the Ophir Planum mine, he suddenly found himself the target of some very dangerous people and locked in a desperate race to avoid certain death. His only escape landed him with a strange cult living at Tempe Terra. Working with these odd people, Ethan discovered something unusual out on the Tharsis Rise. Could this discovery be his salvation and maybe the salvation of Mars itself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryan Whelan
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393851660

Bryan Whelan

The fourth in the Lincoln Cain Spy series from the pen of Bryan Whelan, following on from Edge of Reality, The Hexagonal Dome and The Bandaid Conspiracy. Bryan is a retired Maths, Science and Information Technology teacher from Australia, who has been a fan of science fiction all his life. Author of several science fiction adventure stories, including The Swirling Lights of Paradise, The Hives of God’s World and Truth of Time, he injects a distinctly Australian flavour to them.

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Prologue

2032 – First Expedition to Mars

The crisp morning air reminded the four astronauts of what basic luxuries they were about to abandon. Strapped into the largest rocket ever built; it sat on the tarmac at Cape Kennedy, already billowing small plumes of smoke.

Witnessing the countdown from several kilometres away, crowds of thousands, cheered and revelled in the occasion. After twelve years of planning, deploying several robotic craft and countless months of testing, acclimatising, and training, four lucky, but apprehensive astronauts were ready to leave the confines of Earth and set up the first human habitation on Mars.

The countdown and lift-off recorded as one of humankind most memorable achievements really was just another large rocket spewing out plumes of smoke, deafening noise, and ground shaking vibrations as it rose into the sky. Within five minutes the spectacle was over.

Earth returned to its daily life of coping with overcrowding, pollution, and general squabbling between nations, while four highly trained astronauts, adjusted themselves to the confines of their spacecraft and nine months of weightlessness. Assurances by leading scientists that they could endure such a lack of gravity, did not fill them with confidence as they floated around, trying desperately not to vomit in the cabin.

The view of Mars in the porthole was a welcome sight after nine months of blackness. The moment had arrived for them to float into the descent module. Detaching from the main craft and falling like a stone into the Martian atmosphere, that first feeling of gravity on their bodies felt like a jackhammer, pummelling their bodies, as the module shook and buffeted in the thin Martian atmosphere.

Manoeuvring the lander to the precise location next to the previously erected habitat modules, the astronauts landed with a thud on Acidalia Planitia, a vast flat plain selected for its possible water source, temperature, and relatively low count of dust storms.

Pushing out from the habitat, a large flexible tube attached itself to the lander, allowing the four to move awkwardly into their new home. Resting in the main habitat module for several hours to adjust to the gravity, the four performed tests to ensure that the robotic devices had done their jobs in setting up their new homes.

Aaron Forrest, Lee Chan Yu, Neriah Gupta and Sven Debrobnik became the first humans to set foot on Mars. In fact, they became the first inhabitants of Mars, the first citizens of the new city of Mars and so on, even though they had yet to put a footprint on the actual surface. Their names etched into history, regardless of what they do next.

Life in their new environment settled into one of routine activities, most of which involved tasks to ensure their survival. While the primary objective of the crew was scientific, their daily needs of food, water and air took up most of their time. Added to that, the next four inhabitants were due to arrive within weeks. However, Acidalia Planitia Base or Musk City as they dubbed it (after the visionary Elon Musk, who created the whole venture) was now up and running.

Accounting for every precaution, both physical and psychological, in this expedition, especially the production of food and the extraction of water from the Martian soil, meant the colony should continue for years to come. By the year’s end, twenty colonists had established themselves in Musk City.

Training for months in similar isolated environments on Earth may have prepared the new colonists for life on Mars; however, the psychological reality that if something should go wrong or they failed to cope with the constricted lifestyle, they knew they could always leave. Musk City was vastly different. You could not just give up and leave; you were stuck there.

This reality exacerbated by the daily struggle for survival and the relentless dust storms, which were unexpected, eventually resulted in a suicide by one of the twenty colonists. The first death hit them hard as they realised the reasons for his death and reminded them of the fragility of their existence. Within another year, all the colonists demanded a return to Earth. The Administration back on Earth publicly announced that their scientific work had finished, and they will all return. Inwardly, they sought in vain for answers to this psychological problem.

By 2034, Musk City sat deserted, just like the ghost towns of the old wild west. However, human persistence continued. There will be a permanent colony on Mars, someday, somehow.

2038- Second Settlement

The lessons learnt from the first expedition paved the way for the second one. This time, NASA itself oversaw the operation. For the first time, they assembled the spacecraft in Earth’s orbit with the assistance of the International Space Station. Artificially intelligent computers had now come into their own and could sense someone’s mood or psychological change. In addition, making the new habitat more ‘Earth-like’ with video walls of classic scenery fooled the brain into thinking that one was in an idyllic place on Earth, instead of the harsh environment of Mars. 

The new colony set up shop in the vast area of Vallis Marineris, the largest canyon in the Solar System, stretching over 4,000 kilometres across the planet. The outside view for the new improved habitat modules provided a vista of enormous cliffs in the distance. Hence, when one did view the Martian surface directly, the scene was quite breathtaking. The red hues of the landscape, so much vaster than anything on Earth, provided one with an unending array of photo opportunities.

While a day on Mars was approximately the same on Earth, the seasons (which also mimicked Earth’s) were much more extreme. Hence, in ‘winter’, the red shades of cliffs and the plains gave way to a thin layer of white ice, reminiscent of snow back on Earth, however with temperatures up to fifty degrees cooler.

Another deficiency with the first colony was one of air. The Martian atmosphere, although quite thin, comprised almost entirely of carbon dioxide. The new colony brought with it a new experimental device that literally took carbon dioxide out of the air and split it into carbon and oxygen. The initial production centred on several storage facilities, just to see how well it worked. However, within a few months, the colonists built a large-scale device which fed into their buildings providing a constant supply of oxygen to the colony. In addition, another device that literally extracted nitrogen out of the soil helped create a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Controlling the percentage of oxygen by A.I. allowed everyone to breathe something close to their natural air on Earth; however, not close enough to avoid several respiratory problems. Special filters extracted the carbon dioxide created by the colonists; however, not enough to remain at safe levels and thus they shipped in extra extractors from Earth.

The constant monitoring of each one’s psychological wellbeing bode well for a successful colony. Buoyed by this, the colony’s numbers swelled to fifty in the first few years. In addition, several machines capable of digging in the ground arrived, providing them with the first mining operation. This time, the colony might pay for itself.

While the success at finding various minerals ensured the colony would have ample resources to support itself, exporting them back to Earth remained an impossibly expensive operation.

Nevertheless, by the end of the first two years, they claimed success. This colony, now called New Florida, in an homage to ancient seafarers who insisted on naming new colonies after the places they left, now flourished like any new city on Earth. While supplies remained adequate for any individual, a lucrative black market sprang up to provide the colonists with luxury items, like video streams of movies, music and of course, alcohol and cigarettes.

Production of food in the colony largely consisted of growing fruit and vegetables. Meat was rare. Fortunately, an annual flight from Earth brought in such delicacies; however, the inhabitants became vegetarian throughout most of the year.

Despite this constant monitoring of psychological wellbeing of every individual, a growing concern had manifested itself after three years. The colony structure was literally a conglomeration of small habitats connected by tunnels. While the overall size covered several hectares, a colonist only experienced open spaces when they ventured outside. Even then, they wore protective gear and breathed inside helmets. They never anticipated this ‘pseudo-claustrophobia’ and consequently it was not detected by the A.I. monitors.

Back on Earth, those that trained in the enclosed environments that simulated the Martian colony still had that luxury of eventually finishing and returning to the wide-open spaces. No amount of training could overcome the reality of no escape from New Florida, once there. By the third year, some of the colonists left for this reason. This, of course, afforded new aspirants the opportunity to join the colony. Eventually, they adjusted the A.I. monitors to detect this new phenomenon. Despite the change of personnel, the colony remained fixed at a population of fifty.

The authorities back on Earth pressured the leaders of New Florida to take on more colonists; however, the current resources only accommodated a fixed number of residents. Becoming a contentious issue, the struggle between the supply of goods from Earth and the reluctance of accepting more permanent residents, led to a resentment from Earth towards the Martians.

All the politicking ceased on the fateful day, 11th June 2042. Mars had experienced a planet-wide dust storm for over a month, with winds upwards of three hundred kilometres per hour. The habitat domes locked firmly into the ground with shafts of metal resisted the intense and persistent hurricane. However, dust particles and even small rocks pounded the walls so much that the repairs would be extensive once they could venture outside. These worries paled into insignificance when a slew of large boulders whipped up by the wind, slammed into the colony’s oxygen production facility on the edge of the town. Within seconds it obliterated the structure, suddenly cutting off their air supply!

The device had been so efficient that redundancy had become somewhat neglected and as a result, the colonists called on the reserve tanks they used when they first arrived. Calculations showed they had about two days’ worth of air; however, the next shuttle was not due for another month.

Prayers and sympathy sent from Earth only served to remind them of their impending demise. They made available, several different methods of suicide, religious laws being totally ignored. The last surviving member radioed Earth a heartfelt message and a plea to continue the struggle to colonise Mars. She died on the 15th of June 2042.

2052 - Lowell City (Chryse Planitia)

As a result of that heartfelt plea, NASA and several independent companies merged to set up yet another colony on Mars. Building on their previous knowledge, they sent a flotilla of ships containing robots to Chryse Planitia, a flat alluvial plain at the base of the Tharsis Rise, a vast volcanic plateau centred near the Martian equator. This region had always been touted as a possible location, given its rich mineral deposits, its strong evidence of water erosion in the past and its relatively moderate temperature. Further, they believed the whole area was once a large lake, which potentially might make it a source for underground water.

With the benefit of hindsight and the advancements in 3D printing, the robots began to dig what was essentially a massive underground cavity about the size of New York, extracting tons of red soil. A ginormous roof covered the cavity and it, in turn, had the extracted Martian soil to cover it, providing a natural protection from the radiation and cold of the surface. This meant that humans could move about inside freely, just like they did on Earth. Starting as one giant open area, the new colonists could construct buildings, streets, and apartments, just like any town built back on Earth.

Setting up the essentials of air, water, and food inside the cavity, protected these vital supplies form the harsh elements on the surface. In addition, they set some areas aside for a farm with cattle and sheep to breed. At last, the inhabitants could enjoy meat!

The new city of Lowell (named after the famous astronomer Percival Lowell) would become a reality within a decade. To any observer standing on the surface of Mars above Lowell, they would struggle to see any sign of a large city, only a large dome-like hill of dirt surrounded by solar panels, wind turbines and a few small structures. To any inhabitant in the city of Lowell, they would struggle to see any sign they lived under the surface of Mars, only the endless myriad of triangular shapes that formed the roof.

Other problems of the past were slowly overcome. Perhaps the biggest leap forward was the construction of the Mars Transport Vehicle (the MTV), nicknamed the Martian Liner. Cryogenics by this stage had become a reality and the MTV, the largest spaceship ever built could take up to one hundred passengers. The more affluent could afford to pay for a cryogenic berth and sleep through the nine months of travel, while the rest enjoyed a lifestyle like that of the old luxury seagoing liners of the past. Additionally, the advances in pressure technology meant that the ship could regulate its gravity. Slowly reducing its gravity from Earth’s to Mars’ during the trip meant that passengers became acclimatised as they disembarked.

Within the decade, the city flourished within the confines of this massive underground cavity. No longer having to endure the elements from outside, it could function like any other city on Earth. Lowell City was now well established!

The 2050s in Earth was one of overpopulation, resource, and food shortages. The incentive to relocate to a new more spacious area was a huge temptation for those who could afford it. Hence, Lowell had no shortage of pioneers, eager to establish themselves as new Martians.

Not resting on their laurels, the consortium that built Lowell, immediately began construction of similar cities nearby. The expansion of Chryse Planitia had begun in earnest.

The 2050s was also a time of great unrest. Religious fundamentalism had grown to the point where the various religious groups had autonomy over most of the world governments. In a similar manner to the rise of prejudice in Germany just before the Second World War, the intolerance of the Christians by the Muslims and vice versa, plummeted most nations into a Third World War. Fought mainly by computers rather than conventional weapons, it only lasted a few months, but by that time, several countries became financially bankrupt.

The impact felt by other nations and particularly other religious groups, forced nations to become predominately one religion or another. An uneasy truce led to a society dominated by religion. The U.S. Christians hated the Middle Eastern Muslims who, in turn, hated the Indian Hindus, who, in turn hated the Chines Buddhists and so on. For any citizen on Earth, you pledged allegiance to one religion or another or you starved. The lure of starting a new life on Lowell became more tempting than ever. People put their life savings into a forlorn hope of buying a ticket to Lowell. Each trip by the MTV, carried its maximum allowable passengers, all eager for a better life on Mars.

With this migration of people to Mars, governments back on Earth began to raise a controversial question, such as who owns Mars? Lowell City, despite the contributions and the participation from several nations, remained essentially an American concern. The U.S. government even declaring it as the fifty-first state. They then moved to adopt the inhabitants as U.S. citizens.

It fell to the United Nations to resolve this blatant attempt by the U.S. to claim the city as their own. They solved the contentious point of just who owned Mars by simply deciding that the world collectively, owned the planet. Any nation or consortium could claim any land for themselves by establishing a working colony. The race to claim new land was now on in earnest, mimicking the land grab in California back in the 1800s.

First to take advantage were naturally China and Russia, the only other nations capable of establishing a colony on Mars and they began construction in 2071. Not to be outdone, the U.S. established two further colonies the year after. Finally, a consortium of mining magnates established colonies with the express purpose of mining the planet for resources. All these colonies were within a few hundred kilometres of each other in the Chryse Planitia region, thus transport between each of them became a normal part of Martian life.

Mars had become populated at last!

Chapter 1- Lowell City

Come on! Just put it in your satchel and walk out of here. What could be simpler? You’re not scared, are you? We’ve all done it. Hurry up, the storekeeper’s coming! The tall youth with the purple streak through his hair whispered to the frightened young lad as he hovered over him. The impatience in his voice making him even more nervous.

Poor Ethan Quan, he wanted so much for the others to accept him as part of their group, to be something other than a non-entity, an invisible kid in the crowd. However, the current situation began to make him angry. Angry for being so stupid as to convince himself that this was a way to become accepted by his peers. He knew this would never work, yet here he was about to shoplift in a store with floating cameras. Backing out now would not only mark him for life as a coward but probably result a in pounding from his impatient friend.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the graphic tablet, slipped it into his satchel and began to walk hurriedly to the front entrance of the electronics store. His supposed accomplices, Terry Banks, Martin Haynes and Derek Donovan, all made a beeline for the rear entrance. Ethan, in his panicked state, did not even notice they had abandoned him, leaving him to escape on his own. Just as he realised, he had no backup nor any recourse should anything go wrong, something did wrong.

Standing at the main entrance, hands on hips, a scowl on his face, was the large frame of the store owner, Mr Garson, a beast of a man in any situation. For Ethan, it was a close race between his trousers becoming a shade of unexpected brown or being the youngest person in living memory to experience a sudden heart attack.

Where do you think you are going, young man? Mr Garson grumbled. How about you open your satchel and let me have a look.

By the time Sergeant Sanju had finished talking to Ethan’s father, he knew his life was over. If he was lucky, they may only send him back to Earth for hard labour, or if not so lucky, perhaps a stint in the copper mines over at Aruna station north of Lowell City. Either punishment would be preferable to the tongue lashing that his father would give him that night.

All through the police interview, Sergeant Sanju insisted he divulge the names of his accomplices. The disappointing aspect of this was simply that the Sergeant knew all too well that Ethan did not have the gumption to try this alone. However, in a last-ditch effort to reclaim some credibility from his so-called friends, he refused to give them up.

With a wry smile and a laugh, Sergeant Sanju happily handed over Ethan to his father when he arrived at the Police Station.

Don’t worry Wu, Garson is not going to press charges. Your son is lucky. Just make sure he doesn’t do anything like that again and make sure he does penance at church this Sunday, Sanju said.

Humblest apologies on behalf of my son. He shames our family once again. Did you manage to catch the others involved? Wu Quan replied.

Not yet, despite your son not revealing their names, we have the whole incident recorded on the floating cams. I’m surprised they were unaware we have them all over the city. No one can move in this place without our department knowing about it. Besides, I’ve seen the footage and we should have them soon.

What will happen to them then? Wu asked.

Probably the same lecture you are about to give your son when you arrive home, Sanju replied.

Bowing low and pushing Ethan’s head down to make him bow as well, the pair receded from the Police Station out the front door. Ushered into the family