The Man Who Sold Mars (21 page)

Selena read, “
There, to conclude, all were happy,
united in the present as they had been in the past;”

Then Tot, “but never could they forget
that island upon which they had arrived poor and friendless,”

“that island which, during four years had
supplied all their wants,”

“and of which there remained but a
fragment of granite washed by the waves of the Pacific”

“the tomb of him who had borne the name
of”

“Captain”

“Nemo.”

“The”

“End”

Tot looked at Selena and joked, “Why did
we pick this book?”

“Because it sounds like something he
would do.”

They laughed.

Tot asked, “Did you like it?”

“Yes, very much.  I especially loved the
narrators.”

They blushed.

Tot grinned, “When you get back we aren’t
letting you go anywhere alone.”

“Really?”

Selena said, “Really.”

“Good because I don’t want to go anywhere
alone.  I’m done.”

I blew them a kiss and they blew kisses
back.

I glanced at the clock.  “It’s getting
late and I don’t know what traffic on my commute to work is going to be like.  The
two looked so sad.  “But if you two don’t mind staying up a little longer?”

Like school girls, they jumped up and ran
to a book case replacing their
The Mysterious Island
with another.

They climbed onto the bed and held up
their volumes of
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann David Wyss.

“Thank you.  These have been some of my
favorites from youth.”

Selena opened her book, “We know.”

Tot opened hers too, “It’s these books
that set you down that path mister.”  Then in her Russian dialect she said,
“Our baby will not read such things.”

Selena playfully said, “No.  No.  No. 
Hopefully something normal like
Playboy
.”

I laughed.  “Maybe in some private
moments with dad, I’ll acquaint our babies with Monsieur Verne, Herr Wyss and
Mister Swift.”

The two playfully rolled their eyes at me
then Tot started them reading.

“For many days we had been
tempest-tossed.”

“Six times had the darkness closed over a
wild and terrific scene,”

“and returning light as often brought but
renewed distress,”

“for the raging storm increased in fury
until on the seventh day all hope was lost.”

I smiled at them.  “I love you.”

They blushed and Selena started them
reading.

“We were driven completely out of our
course;”

“no conjecture could be formed as to our
whereabouts.”

“The crew had lost heart,”

“and were utterly exhausted by incessant
labour.”

* * * * *

After so many close calls with death, my
friends all became guardian angles and had cameras and com centers in their
homes and offices.

* * * * *

I was performing maintenance on a device
while Hemmingson filled me in on history.

“No, they never got Sadam Husein.  It was
one of his doubles.  DNA & Finger prints didn’t match.  Ever here any discussion
of that?

“No.”

“That’s why.  But, they had to kill
“Sadam Hussein”.  No WMD’s.  No Sadam.  Somebody had to be the bad guy.  And,
it was one of his poor doubles.”

* * * * *

Kevin showed me the phenomenal progress
he’d made on Young Sea Resources.

“Stephen you’re going to love this.”

Kevin I love what you did, but I think we
need to sell it off.

“What?! . . . NO!”

“I was thinking, FSeR.  Fay Sea Resources.”

He grinned, “Sounds like a plan to me.”

* * * * *

I’d just secured form launching a long range
probe and listened to Hemmingson on baseball.

“Of course baseball is fixed.  Why do you
think a team that is historically horrendous becomes a dynasty the moment they
want the city to buy them a stadium?  All the owners know the drill.  Private
profit at public expense.  Fixed.  Fixed.  Fixed.”

* * * * *

Six months after I departed, the US and
its coalition launched in the Stolen Prometheus.  Their transit was going to be
longer because of the relationship of the two planets when they arrived, but
they were worried that the second YSR mission to Mars would launch before them
and beat them there, hence they punished the crew with a lengthier transit.

And to add insult to injury, they renamed
the Stolen Prometheus, The Stephen Young, allegedly after me the first man to
set out for Mars.  But in reality it was an amazing act of disinformation for
the ages.  Because in some point in our future, people would believe that I and
the ship were on the same mission and the ship was theirs.  In the nightly
broadcast that showed our progress, they’d stopped using my name to track my
ship once the stolen Stephen Young was launched and started using the ships’
names, which I actually liked better, because Patricia & Catherine became a
constant memorial in the eyes of the public, but the governments’ rationale
behind it bothered me.

It was an act of dishonoring me through
honoring me and usurping all our hard effort again.  This time for free.  Because
they were using the historical nature of my launch and mission in naming the
ship, there was no misappropriation of personality and thus not actionable by a
court of law.

George, Selena, Tot, Kevin, Gardner and
Hemmingson were invited to the renaming ceremony where the usurpers gave fine
speeches on “cooperation”.

Selena even spoke on behalf of YSR
accepting the honor on my behalf and the enterprises.

Hemmingson and I talked about it and he started
to deal with the matter, but I told him there was no way to tell who did it as
an honor and who did it in spite.  With a grin, he said “I know how.” and
disconnected before I could say, “Don’t!”

* * * * *

While I provided preventive maintenance
to a fire damaged Mars Lander, Hemmingson filled me in on the oil and
automotive industry.

“The automotive and aviation industries
are actually owned by the petroleum industry through interlocking and shell
companies.  Cars are just petroleum consumption devices.  Look at it.  As large
as the automotive industry is, why have they not purchased the petroleum
companies and kept fuel prices low so that they can sell more cars?  Or the
airlines to fill more seats?  There’s more profitability in fuel, hence the
tail wags the dog.

* * * * *

“Semet Stellar Resources?  I don’t like
it.  It conjures up pictures of dreary mining towns like Wheeling West Virginia
run by guys named Potter in
It’s AN UnWonderful Life
and then when you
look at the moon.  My God, NO.”  He thought about it for a moment then smiled. 
“Now, Semet Stellar Resorts I love.  By the way, you won’t believe how much
Playboy has offered to manage a lunar resort.  Unbelievable.  I’m going to be
the new Hugh, the heir apparent.”

“I see Hemmingson is contagious.”  I
laughed.

“You should talk”

We both laughed.

“Stephen, do you think the U.N. will be
mad if we have one of those playboy bunny’s in orbit above the moon.”

“Yes they would.  Very mad.”

“Hummmh.  That grant only covered the
atmosphere.”

“Gardner no.“

“If I have some darkened lunar features
shaped like a bunny."

“No, Gardner.“

“I got to go.”

“Gardner—“

* * * * *

Hemmingson took me on a picnic with his
princessas
both very near the end of their pregnancies along with their dogs.

“I made this plate up special for you. 
All good things.  No tongue.”

“Thanks.  This is the first time I’ve
been outside since I launched.”

“You’re welcome.  I should have done this
sooner.”

“The picnic?”

“Domestic life.  I stopped drinking when
I found out.  I’m going to be a good dad.”

“I know.”

“You know they’re going to have twins.”

“Yeah.  Tot and Selena told me.  You’re
all taking Lamaze classes together.”

“My first child is going to be four. 
Girls at that.  If that’s not karma coming back to bite me on the behind, what
is?  But it’s a good thing.  A very good thing.

* * * * *

One day after we’d . . . you know . . .
after.  Selena, glowing, sat up looking at me while Tot took her in her arms,
her hands on Selena’s very pregnant belly glanced at me.  Selena looking
guilty.  Tot appraising me.  They reached for their grape juice in wine glasses
and I knew something was coming.

Mischievous Tot said, “You know on Mars a
man can have two wives.”

People can’t get married on Mars.

Selena asked, “Why not?”

Tot held her closer, “Yeah, why not?”

Selena grinned, “You’re going to be
President of Mars soon.”

There it was.  I said the only thing I
could.  “Wait.  Long range scanners indicate a Klingon war bird decloaking.  Photon
torpedoes armed.  I have to go repulse this attack.  Then I’m coming right back
to Earth.”

They laughed and Tot said, “We’re
serious.”

“I am too.”  Their humor started to
fade.  “It’s not that.  My girlfriend is living with my fiancé and they are
saying I should marry them both.”

Tot started to speak.  I shhhhseeed her. 
“Hush love.  Selena, I asked you to marry me first.  Are you—“

Selena in Tot’s arms beamed and she took
Tot’s hand and kissed it.  “It was my idea.”

I couldn’t do it.  “I can’t marry you.” 
They were saddened at my words.  “I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.  What
I mean is as the President of Mars we will marry each other.”

So in love they glowed.

Selena smiled, “Hemmingson’s going to be
happy too.”

“Oh know.  I have to marry him too?”

We laughed.

Tot said, “He said if we married he was
marrying his
princessas
.”

I laughed.

At once they both asked “What?”

“Marriage may soon be the chief industry
of Mars.  I could probably fund another mission off of them alone.”

We laughed.

Selena said, “So?”

Followed by Tot’s, “So?”

I asked, “Soooooo?”

Selena asked, “Are we marrying?

I said, “People are going to talk.”

Tot said, “They have from the beginning.”

Selena answered, “It doesn’t matter to
us.”

“I only asked, just to know, if you two
were OK.

Excited in unison they said, “Stephennnnnnn—”

The look on my face silenced them.  Just
then I heard the sirens voices and stopped and dwelt on them.

Selena recognized the look on my face.  “You
hear them.  Don’t you?”

I shook my head yes.

Tot asked,  “Hear what?”

“The sirens of my dreams.”

Selena’s eyes widened.  “They’re real.”

“They’re you and you.”  I laughed and in
love my loves watched me have my epiphany.  “The two sirens calling this Ulysses
to shore since I was a little boy were you two all alone.”  I smiled and wiped
away a tear.  “And had I not set out on this journey we would not be where we
are.  I want to do this right, so . . .”

So, the next day Selena and Tot looking
elegant sat at dinner fit for two princesses and I in my finest space suit sat
with my orange mush and
Tang
and we asked one another to marry.

* * * * *

“What were you out of your mind?!”

“Mike, I thought you wanted to marry your
princesses.”

“I do.  But the Brotherhood is going to
declare you Public Enemy Number 1.  You proposed to your fiancés over subspace
radio and you’re going to marry them when you’re on Mars and they’re on Earth. 
No man will ever have a valid reason for not getting married.  You will be the Sisterhood’s
universal answer.  “I’m sorry baby, I can’t get married because my life’s not
stable enough.”  What about that man who went to Mars?  Gone for three years,
got married one year out.”  “Ahhh I can’t get married because my company’s
transferring me to Detroit.”  “What about that man who went to Mars?  Detroit’s
still on this planet.  Mars is 54.6 million kilometers to about 401 million km
depending on the day.  Detroit is only a few thousand kilometers away every
day.””