Dust and Gold
by Robert H. Stockman
Table of Contents
1. Nuclear Fire
Columbus 5 departs Earth. Will deals with Diponte, who is trying to jumpstart the store even before he arrives. He walks around the Outpost, drives Prospectors. After dinner they put the kids to bed. Marshall asks Ethel why she isn’t a Bahá'í. She starts to read Bahá'í prayers.
Date: Feb. 15, 2029
2. Conference
The first interplanetary conference on Mars is held during opposition. Kevin and Jennie Dunbar decide to divorce, even though she’s three months pregnant. Ethel teaches Marshall Bahá'í prayers. Lisa and Karol have their baby. Eammon asked Kevin about the decision to divorce Jennie and Will intervenes.
Date: 25 March, 2029
3. Birthday
Lal and Kevin discuss Lal’s arranged marriage, Kevin’s divorce, and Will’s gag order.
Will talks to Louisa Turner about the publicity themes for June, July, and August. Ruhullah’s suit gets ripped and he almost dies on 2020BJ. That evening everyone celebrates Will’s birthday and complement the arrivals as young, but well trained. At home, Ethel presents Will with her declaration card.
Date: May 15, 2029
4. Arrival
Everyone arrives after setting up the Phobos and Deimos shelters. They sing this Land is Your Land and fly a Mars flag. Will leads a group into the biome and they admire it. Zach asks for a consideration of new housing arrangement. Greg Harris meets Eammon, who wants him to do everything a priest would do. Greg meets Jennie and the kids, introduces himself. Ethel meets Ruhullah, John, Greg. Lal meets Radha.
Date: Aug. 14, 2029.
5. Vivification
The first Sunsol, an interfaith service was held. Enrique is interested in the Bahá'í Faith. Afterward Will reminded DiPonte he needed to help with the Dunbar divorce and approved a set up of the store in a tunnel. Will and Ethel unpack their packages from Earth and realize their apartment is getting too small. Unpacking, training and set up of the store proceed. The first town meeting two weeks later was a surprise, but DiPonte was elected town judge. Work on the first building in the biome continued intensely and the outside was first completed in about a month. A vivification ceremony marked the event. Radha and Lal are to get married later the same day.
Date: late Aug./mid Sept. 2029
6. Storm
Will visits building 1 and talks to Thierry and Zach about condo sales. They make it clear they want to move in together right away, as well as buy a unit together, and ask Will whether his religious convictions will lead him to oppose them. He says it will not. Alexandra asks him about the weather forecast, as it could delay the shuttle landing. Pete has been elected Borough Chair; they commiserate with Will. Roger wants Will to oppose housing for the gay couple; Will says no. Silvio pushes for more commerce. David Alaoui writes from Venus 1, which is now on its way.
Date: mid Nov. 2029.
7. New Years
On the last day of December, the outsides of buildings 1 and 2 are finished and the financing plan finalized. Will moves the dinner and New Year’s celebration to the patio. At the dinner the financial plan is announced and discussed and the lottery held. Ruhullah expresses concern and Will says they’ll establish an Islamic bank as well. Taxation is discussed as well.
Date: Dec. 31, 2029
8. Vistas
Will and Roger move the family in and talk. Will takes Marshall up to the roof and he asks to go see the escarpment. Will talks to the exobiologists about their plan to drill a buried crater under the northern ocean sediments and to move the lab into Renfrew Hall. Will talks to Martha about encouraging Ruhullah and John. He attends Marshall’s birthday party. Will and Roger take the boys to the top of the escarpment and see the perfect spot for the dacha. After Venus 1 goes into orbit, David emails Will.
Date: Feb. 2-20, 2030
9. Midpoint
Will and his team meets with Morgan and his team and learns that support for Mars has seriously declined on Earth. They brainstorm solutions and everyone expresses a willingness to work more hours. On April 10 the Elysium finally lands. Will appoints Directors of Public Relations (Hvitmer), Exports (Underwood), and Natural Resources Recovery (Yevgeny).
Date: April 1-10, 2030
10. Dacha
Will returns home late at night, despairing over the disunity in his team about the next step. Ethel encourages him to pull it together. The next morning Marshall calls Jerry. Will lays out a bold plan to start gold exploration and recovery in Cassini. The team approves the idea. Will goes up to the dacha to get Alexandra on board and stop the work on the dacha once building 1 is complete.
Date: late May, 2030
11. Vision Quest
On Sunsol, Will sees Greg and discusses morality and interfaith relations. He sees John and his tobacco; John asks to go to the Dacha alone and Will approves. He sees Radha’s labyrinth design. They all go outside and visit with Martha and her baby, Irina and Eammon, and Will comments on how wonderful life is. John goes to the Dach and has a vision. The next morning Will sees Shinji and Michiko having a baby; Irina is going to have twins; Sebastian calls to tell him about the dry dock; Louisa is happy about the improved media work; John comes to talk to him about the vision quest; Andries calls to report a major gold find in Cassini.
Date: late August, 2030
12. Cassini Outpost
Shinji and Michiko have their baby. Will flies to Cassini by shuttle with additional equipment and tours the gold find. Consolidated Mining offers a big cash deal and a long-term profit sharing arrangement. He and Yevgeny discuss the implications.
Date: late August 2030
13. Contracts
While Will visits Cassini, Yevgeny reports slow progress on the negotiations and various problems. When Will visits Roger Anderson’s expedition, the contract is finally signed with two separate companies for both to come work on Mars. Will, Roger, Lal, and others discuss the ramifications, which are difficult to predict. On the flight back to Aurorae, Kevin says he wants to leave Mars and Will talks him into staying. Back at Aurorae, a celebratory dinner is held. Enrique announces he is a Bahá'í to Will and Ethel. Will gives a speech saying Mars is now a colony.
Date: Sept. 2030
14. Launch
The Magellan 1 crew launch a sample return rocket from Samadar 3B to Venus orbit, where it arrives with 100 kilos of samples. Andries and Tina get married three days before Columbus 5 leaves. Pete, Yasuo express regrets that they are leaving. Andries and Tina ask to be assigned to Cassini after their honeymoon. On Dec. 4, the Olympus blasts into orbit.
Date: early Dec. 2030
© 2004 Robert H. Stockman