4

Departures

Will Elliott, Ethel MacGregor, and Jimmy Leong stood before the metal carbonyl fractionator, a shiny ceramic cylinder two meters in diameter and extending from the floor of the VandeVelde industrial facility to its ceiling five meters above.

“Robotic design really requires very different organizational principles,” said Leong. He pointed at the fractionator. “Redesigned for robotic control, using the latest self-auditing software, this thing could process twenty tonnes per sol instead of five.”

“How much more energy consumption?” asked Will.

Leong considered. “Two and a half to three times. You’d get thirty or forty percent better energy efficiency because of the self-auditing routines. Meteoritic nickel-iron varies in composition significantly, especially here where you have eolian admixture and partial oxidation. The self-auditing software will track that literally every tenth of a second as the powdered meteorite is poured into the processor, and will constantly adjust the heat and CO inputs. The result will optimize the platinum group extraction as well.”

“Can you design a retrofit for our existing processor?” asked Ethyl.

“Not very easily. But if we want to go into a partnership on this, we’ll have to discuss the terms. I’ll need a team here dedicated to the project. And I’ll want to recoup expenses plus a split of the profits.”

“Of course,” replied Will. “We have a standard arrangement that we have made with the three gold mining companies.”

“We can take a look at that setup,” replied Leong, noncommittal. “I suppose the big concern I’d have about an investment is what fraction of an annum the fractionators can run. Dust storms are an economic disincentive. Nuclear power would be much more reliable than solar.”

“And much more expensive,” said Will. “We can import reactors for 16,000 euros per electrical watt of output, whereas solar panels cost 80 euros per electrical watt of output, and wind turbines, which are most efficient during active dust storms, cost 8 euros per watt when the wind is blowing. In all three cases the system lifetime is fifteen years. During duststorms we can’t send out expeditions, so we call in their nukes to supplement solar and wind power. The shuttles and the spaceport’s propellant storage tanks can store 600 tonnes of methane and oxygen; that’s 1,200 megawatt-hours of electricity and 500 megawatt-hours of usable thermal energy. To convert that into something meaningful, we’re talking about 500 kilowatts of continuous electrical power for 100 days. We can now provide Aurorae with a base power supply of 500 kilowatts during the worst category-5 global dust storms, which last nine months. If you want to invest, we’d raise that level.”

“You’ll have to, because platinum production is energy intensive; it takes about three thousand kilowatts of continuous power to produce one tonne of platinum group metals per year.”

“We’re prepared to make that sort of investment.”

“Good. The really good nickel-iron deposits found on the moon, so far, are not near the polar mountains with near-perpetual sunlight, the infrastructure to store energy for the 14-day night is expensive, and nukes drastically raise costs.”

“Admittedly, our shipping costs are higher,” said Will. “A tonne of platinum costs one million euros to ship to Earth from here, but only half that from the moon, and the moon can send it in a week rather than in six months every twenty-six months. But we’re working on reducing costs and we can probably cut them in half over the next decade.”

“The moon hopes to do that as well.” Leong pointed out.

“Not only is our electricity cheaper than on the moon,” persisted Will. “But our ore is easier to obtain. When a nickel-iron object impacts into either world, most of its mass ends up underground, but here wind and water can remove the overburden. We have nickel-iron meteorites that made craters in eolian dust deposits in the high latitudes, and then the dust blew away, leaving massive chunks of nickel-iron waiting for harvest. Even in the valley here we have exhumed craters with nickel-iron lag deposits lying on the surface. We also have boulder bars deposited by catastrophic floods that are over ten percent nickel-iron. Tens of thousands of cubic kilometers of regolith was transported out of the Marineris system by flood waters, and those waters did a lot of sorting.”

“I know,” said Leong. “You all have done an excellent job of prospecting for deposits, also. I was looking at your map the other sol.”

Two million metric tonnes of nickel-iron in deposits of 5% ore or more within 100 kilometers of Aurorae, containing about sixty tonnes of platinum group metals worth nearly one hundred fifty million dollars. Even more can be found within fifty kilometers of any of our major trails leading to the outpost.”

“And with demand for platinum for hydrogen fuel cells going through the roof, the price can only continue up,” agreed Leong. “I agree, Dr. Elliot, Mars has a lot to offer. I probably will invest in a facility on the moon as well, where I will have the problem of importing carbon. I suspect Mars is the cheapest supply, ironically. Have you considered platinum-group extraction on Phobos or Deimos?”

“Yes, it’s under consideration,” replied Will. “As you probably know, the nickel and platinum group metals are concentrated on Phobos and Deimos relative to a lot of chondrites, but the techniques for fractionating carbonyls in microgravity have not yet been developed. So the answer is that platinum-group metal extraction on the moons is still a decade or so away.”

“Fair enough. That’s still ahead of extraction on near-earth asteroids, though; the robotic techniques are just not there yet.”

“Not when you include robotic repair of broken equipment,” agreed Will.

There was a moment of silence. “This is a project I’d like to work on,” exclaimed Ethel. “For the last decade, since we had our kids, I’ve been playing support roles, but I have spent much of my time with the carbonyl process.”

“Excellent,” replied Leong. “A highly, automated system would need six or seven staff; basically, three shifts, two people each, one to run the processor and one to coordinate the robotic meteorite harvesting vehicles and do repairs.”

“We would be extracting meteoritic material from land owned by many people,” added Will. “They’ll get a royalty, which boosts demand for land and adds only modestly to our costs.”

“Why haven’t you done more extraction of platinum group materials already?” asked Leong.

“It has been a goal of ours to extract more. But gold extraction came along first and is simpler. We only need about 150 tonnes of nickel-steel per year, and that quantity of meteorites contains only 4.5 kilograms of platinum group metals. We haven’t had spare human resources to devote to the task, especially building and testing robotic ore harvesters.”

“With the new computers and software, that can be highly automated now,” said Leong. “The ideal vehicle would have a nuclear reactor and a carbonyl processor built right in; it would roll through lag deposits, sucking up the regolith, separating the ore magnetically, and processing it on the spot. A robotic truck would pick up the separated elements and the mobile processor would return to a garage for routine maintenance every month or so.”

“But we don’t have very many reactors and they cost three hundred million old dollars each; that’s fifteen to twenty tonnes of platinum group metals right there to pay for them,” replied Ethel. “The machine would have to process 650,000 tonnes of nickel-iron to get them, and that doesn’t include the cost of metal extraction equipment, salaries, or anything else. It’s a sure way to lose your shirt. It’s fifty times cheaper to refuel the unit with methane and oxygen robotically, or beam power to it from fixed solar panels.”

“Of course, you’re right. I love nuclear power, but it really hasn’t arrived yet,” he conceded.

“I think a robotic mobile unit could be developed for less than one hundred million euros,” continued Ethel. “We have a lot of expertise up here and can refine and test ideas produced on Earth. Any effort would have to be a partnership; you can’t really test a large scale unit on Earth, you don’t have the exterior conditions or the available meteorites.”

“True. We could develop a lot of parallel technology, though, because this technique could be used to recycle scrap steel alloys more effectively.”

“That would be excellent,” replied Will. “Because the steel industry can pay more than we can.”

“There’s one other factor to consider,” added Ethel. “Right now the market on Earth for platinum and related metals is small because of their fifteen million euros per tonne cost. If we start extracting dozens of tonnes per year—or even a hundred tonnes per year—the existing market could realign and the price could fall to half, maybe a quarter, of what it is now.”

Leong smiled. “But demand will also go up. The switchover to the hydrogen economy will happen faster, and that means more fuel cells with platinum catalysts. Besides, I like shaking up markets and making them look different. That’s why I’m here.”

They turned and walked out of the industrial facility. “I hope you’ve enjoyed the visit to Mars,” said Will.

“Oh, yes; this has been the event of a lifetime. It’s been incredible. The spirit here is really indescribable. Your people are incredibly devoted to the idea of opening an entire new world to humanity. And the hospitality has been legendary, really.”

“And you’ve seen more of Mars than I have,” added Will. “I still haven’t been the length of Marineris or to the top of Arsia Mons; or to the top of any of the big four, for that matter. I’m sorry we couldn’t get you to the south pole.”

“We knew this was dust storm season; what can you do? I greatly enjoyed seeing Dawes and Cassini, though, and the fretted terrain at Deuteronilus. And who would have thought that I’d be on Mars when you were acting Commissioner, and thus would be in the position to conclude a business deal as well! Now I’m looking forward to the Venus flyby; what an incredible opportunity! The cruise home will be long, but the dozen of us will have six ITVs to spread out among.”

“Who would have thought that it would be possible for a tourist to go to Mars and fly by Venus in fairly luxurious accommodations,” agreed Will. “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you, Jimmy. Would you like to come to my office this afternoon? We can settle details.”

“Yes,” agreed Leong. “Can we make it 4 p.m.? That’ll give me time to talk to staff back at corporate headquarters in Singapore, and to some of our leading engineers in our R&D unit in Bangalore. I’d like to sign a memorandum of understanding about developing platinum group metals before I leave.”

“Sure, 4 it is.” Will offered his hand, and they shook. Then Jimmy Leong headed to his apartment in Huron biome to do some work.

“He’s a friendly fellow,” said Ethel. “And seems reasonably easy to work with.”

“He’ll be a tough negotiator, I think. I had better ask Silvio to join us, and Yevgeny. You should sit in as well.”

“Thank you. I was serious; I’d like to do this. I need a new challenge.”

“I know, I’ve felt your frustration for some time. I think it’s a great idea. Can you refresh your memory of the details of our systems between now and then?”

“Sure, I’ll get started right away. But what about the appearance of favoritism?”

“What can we do? It isn’t fair on you that you’re stuck with obscure, unimportant tasks because we don’t want me to be accused of favoritism. You have seniority over everyone else here, including me. Don’t worry about it.” He kissed Ethel; she smiled and kissed him back.

Will headed for his office in Mars Control while Ethel headed back inside Vandevelde, where her office lay. Will found Brian Stark waiting for him when he arrived.

“I wanted to say goodbye,” Brian said, offering his hand.

“Thanks.” Will smiled and they shook. “I’m sorry the reactor proposal didn’t work out.”

“So am I; Mars needs large-scale nuclear power. But the political climate is wrong right now; the White House will give Mars nukes only if Mars comes under U.S. authority, and only if some of the enriched uranium can be diverted to military ends. It’s quite obvious to me that neither of those goals is tolerable to the population here. It’s understandable they aren’t. I’ve told the White House that several times, by the way. And that may be why their goals for Mars have shifted.”

“I think so,” agreed Will. “And I appreciate your efforts to explain us to the White House. Now that Doug Morgan is permanently incapacitated and unable to return as Commissioner, we’ve lost our best lobbyist with political conservatives.”

“Once I’m back on Earth, Will, I’ll do my best. I’ll advocate Mars to conservatives as best I can; assuming there are still some in power by then!”

“It is looking a bit grim for the President right now.”

“Well, he went too far. He narrowed his political base way too much and now the moderate Republicans are abandoning him. It’s beginning to look like his bill to pull the U.S. out of the United Nations is going to be defeated in Congress, which is just as well: the Earth needs a coordinating body. That’s one perspective I’ve gained from being up here.”

“Yes, we have a pretty remarkable, international team up here, though it’s driving me crazy keeping everyone on friendly terms. Six years ago it was integrating the French, then four years ago the Spanish, and two years ago it was a group of African-Americans who felt alienated. This year it’s the Chinese. But it’ll work out.”

“This place exemplifies e pluribus unum better than any other human community. Mars represents many American ideals, such as freedom, democracy, justice, and fairness. It tempers some other ideals, such as individualism, but that’s inevitable considering the need to survive here. There’s a lot here that conservatives should be proud of, and I plan to say that.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that. Skip seems to want to advocate Mars to liberals. Maybe the two of you can be a traveling road show.”

“I’m sure we will be, since I’m the star in his Mars-made movie. I know Mars needs more people to represent and explain it. You can count on me.”

“Thanks. Have a safe liftoff tomorrow morning, and enjoy seeing Venus!”

“Thanks, that’s a really special bonus to the return flight. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep in touch with you as well.” They shook hands again, then Brian left. Will turned to his messages. Louisa Turner, head of the Mars Commission’s Office of Public Information, had left him a message two hours earlier. Louisa was not one to ignore; she also kept track of politics and did some of the Commission’s lobbying. Will activated her message.

“Good sol, Will. One of my sources indicates that the White House has decided to try to block involvement of the Chinese in the Venus-Mercury Commission. Since they don’t have practically any leverage left with anyone, my sources says they’ve decided to threaten to withdraw their cooperation from all space ventures. The experts I’ve talked to all say that would have worked twenty years ago, but now the technology of ITVs, lifters, and shuttles is so well established and so reasonably priced, and mostly licensed in the public domain, that Europe Russia, China, even India and Brazil could continue to develop and use it themselves. So it appears the White House is being naively foolish and will simply hurt space exploration.

“My source also says they have decided to oppose any collaboration between the Mars Commission and the Venus-Mercury Commission regarding a new shuttle model and will call for a meeting of the national representatives to stop the plan. Krister, Pierre, and I are planning the counter move. We’re already on the phone to the national representatives, asking them to oppose the White House move and possibly even refuse to hold the meeting. I’ll be getting the working points to you in a half hour for your review. Look it over carefully so that we can meet by videophone in about three hours to finalize our strategy. Bye.”

Will hit reply. “Send me the talking points and I’ll review them right away. I always feel at an immense disadvantage on matters like this because I can’t talk to anyone face to face. But let me know who you want me to call. You know the style of our response I expect: principled but pragmatic. I’m amazed the White House thinks it can threaten to pull out of space flight and make everyone fall in line. Just about every part we need is made by two companies, one in the U.S. and one in Europe, and all the specs are public. I suspect it won’t be hard for us to rally the other representatives to oppose the American position. Meanwhile, I saw this morning that the dollar has fallen another five points against the euro. A friend of mine said that he thinks they’ll soon realize that what they think is in their self interest is precisely what is not in their self interest! But they haven’t figured that out yet.

“I suppose you need a statement about the new shuttle. I’ll draft something, saying that the Mars Commission welcomes opportunities to cooperate with everyone in the exploration of space, that we welcome the opportunity to lease American LANTR engines if they are available and not too expensive, and we welcome the chance to collaborate with the Venus-Mercury Commission to build an enhanced shuttle. Let me know if you need something else. Bye.”

He sent the message with a sigh; he hated politics and hated dealing with it. He turned to a more pleasant task: the latest news about setting up Colorado Biome. But before he was able to begin reading the memos and notes, he received a videophone call. He pushed the activate icon. Silvio DiPonte’s face appeared. The planet’s store keeper, banker, lawyer, and judge looked agitated. “Will, are you available for a trial right now? We have a case of intoxication.”

“When; now? I have a lot of serious tasks to do this sol.”

“Well, I’m scheduling the trial for 12:30 p.m. so the public can attend; it’s their right, and the defendant’s, though I suppose he would prefer that this incident remain confidential. The case is straightforward; we have the breathalyzer evidence. Greg is clearing his schedule to serve as defense counsel and will be meeting with the defendant in another half hour or so. I want to hold the trial this sol because one option is sending him back to Earth, and blastoff is tomorrow morning.”

“That would be pretty drastic.”

“This is his second offense. I can’t imagine we would do it, unless he is defiant, but Greg will explain the procedure to him and the possible consequences, so I suspect he’ll be contrite.”

“Yes; Greg does a good job. Okay, I’ll be there. How are the stocks of the mining companies this sol?”

The Dow closed down half a percent a few hours ago, but our stocks were basically unchanged. They are about as high as they can go right now, so I wouldn’t expect further gains. I was talking to Susan Van de Velde earlier this sol about the Van de Velde Mars Immigration Foundation. We now have enough to endow a single immigrant if we wipe out the entire fund, or enough to partially subsidize someone, especially if we can raise more.”

“I’ll remind Mr. Leong about the fund when I meet with him this afternoon; I think he can be persuaded to donate to it. I think Susan talked to the other tourists herself. Anyway, I’ve got to run. Bye.”

“Bye.” The screen went blank. Will turned to his other work. He went to lunch a bit early so that he’d have some family time before the trial. They always sat at the same table at lunch and there were no extra chairs so that no one could sit with them. But he got up at 12:27 to walk back to Riviera Biome, where the trial would be held. A steady trickle of people were following him, mostly new arrivals; they knew the defendant and had never seen a Mars trial before.

One floor below Mars Control were the offices of the Mars Authority and Aurorae Borough; one actual office for each, plus a conference room able to hold fifty people with a raised platform in front bearing an imposing dais. The room served as a legislative chamber for the Mars Council, their nine-member planet-wide legislature, and a place for public meetings of the Borough Council; it also served as their court room. The defendant, Mikhail Golvashchenko, was already seated up front with Greg Harris.

Érico Lopes, the Clerk of Aurorae Borough, who also doubled as the clerk of court, opened a door in the front of the court room and entered. “All rise,” he called, and everyone stood. Silvio DiPonte entered wearing black judge’s robes and sat at the dais.

“You may be seated,” he said. Érico approached the bench with a dossier of papers related to the case, which he took. “This case is the People versus Mikhail Golvashchenko. Mr. Golvashchenko, you are charged with unlawful intoxication. The people of Aurorae Borough passed an ordinance on February 5, 2030, that specified that alcohol could be consumed only between Frisols at 5 p.m. and Sunsols at 7 p.m., and alcohol could be sold only between Frisols at 5 p.m. and Sunsols at 4 p.m. The ordinance also specified the following: first, that the majority of the population of Aurorae is engaged in work that involves complex equipment, health, or children, hence the community has an interest in restricting the time alcohol can be consumed; second, that workplaces could add additional restrictions on alcohol consumption by their employees; and third, that because emergency conditions can occur inside the outpost at any time, extra environmental management and emergency staff must be available during the times when alcohol consumption is allowed. The ordinance specified that the first violation required a written warning and counseling. You received the first warning on November 22^nd. The second violation requires a fine of a minimum of one week’s salary and a maximum of two months salary, plus either probation or confinement. Even the second violation can result in expulsion from Mars, though a jury trial is an option when that penalty is under consideration. The third violation requires a jury trial and involves a fine of up to three months salary, confinement, and expulsion, although the Governor has the power to pardon someone from expulsion.

“Now, I have two sworn affidavits before me, which your counsel, Greg Harris, also has. The first, from Kent Bytown, the Borough Constable, states that this morning, Wednesol, December 1, 2035, he was anonymously informed that you had drank excessively last night and planned to go to work this morning. He found you eating breakfast on the patio, brought you back here, and administered a breathalyzer test, which showed a blood alcohol level of 0.06, which is below the 0.08 definition of legal intoxication, but proved you consumed alcohol last night. He then brought you to Mariner Hospital. My second affidavit is signed by Dr. Arieh Rimmon and states that he examined you and administered a second breathalyzer test, which confirmed the consumption of alcohol within the last twenty-four hours.

“I am about to ask you how you plead. You may plead innocent if you wish to dispute the evidence or provide extenuating circumstances. Mr. Golvashchenko, do you understand the ordinance and the penalties it specifies?”

“Yes, your honor, I do.”

“Mr. Harris, do you feel your client needs any further explanation of the charges?”

“No, your honor, I do not.”

“Mr. Golvashchenko, how do you plead?”

“I plead guilty, your honor.” He said it in a very quiet voice.

“Did you say guilty?”

A louder voice. “Yes, your Honor.”

“Very well. Do you have anything to say before I sentence you?”

“Yes, your honor. . . . I am very sorry that I violated the law.”

“Why do you think you did it?”

“Your Honor, where I come from, drinking is a very common custom and habit, and there are no restrictions of this sort on it. I am sorry to say that I did not. . . understand that the law was a serious one.”

“It is a very serious law, Mr. Golvashchenko, because this is not Earth, where air is free. Our air is expensive and hard to contain, and could leak away on us at a moment’s notice. In an emergency situation we have to count of everyone to know what to do and have the ability to help others, especially children. That’s why we hold depressurization drills twice a year. Have you anything else to add?”

“No, your Honor.”

“Mr. Harris, have you anything to add?”

Greg stood. “Your honor, Mikhail has an exemplary record as a geologist and a promising future here. He has many friends and is known as a very sociable and friendly man. In our discussions I was impressed by his contrition.”

DiPonte looked at Golvashchenko, seeking evidence of contrition, but the defendant’s face was largely expressionless. “Mr. Bytown, as constable, have you anything to add?”

“No, your Honor. The facts have been stated.”

DiPonte looked around the courtroom. “Are there friends of Mr. Golvashchenko present?”

No one moved or spoke for a moment. Then Tomas Racan raised his hand. “There are a few of us, your Honor, who are here.”

“Who else?”

Three other hands went up.

“Do any of you have any comments to add about this incident?”

“In the evenings he’s usually with us on the Patio, watching tv, playing cards, and drinking coffee,” replied Tomas. “But last night he was depressed about something and stayed home, so we didn’t see him.”

“I see. Will the four of you support your friend in his effort to overcome a drinking problem? Because from a legal point of view, we have a drinking problem here. Perhaps from a psychological point of view as well, but that will have to be determined by a professional. When someone has a tendency to drink, especially if they are unhappy about something, their friends should intervene and help. Can the four of you do that?”

“Yes, your Honor, I will,” said Tomas, and the other three nodded.

“Speak up,” said DiPonte. “Nods are not adequate for our court recorder.”

“Yes your Honor,” replied the other three.

“Very good. Mr. Golvashchenko, please rise and hear your sentence.”

Mikhail Golvashchenko rose. Fear was obvious on his face and a hush fell over the court. DiPonte paused for effect.

“I thank you for pleading guilty and am pleased to see you have good friends here to help you, because on Mars we have to count on each other. I sentence you to the following: a fine of one month’s salary, to be collected by the Clerk of Court this sol; counseling at Mariner Hospital for alcohol dependency; confinement within Aurorae Outpost for three months, which means no use of a spacesuit or riding in a pressurized vehicle during that period; and you are forbidden to consume any alcohol for the next year. What have you to say?”

“Your Honor, I am scheduled to depart on the Southern Hemisphere expedition next week.”

“I think your work assignment will have to be changed. Governor Elliott, what say you?”

Will rose; he was usually called on in situations such as this. “Your Honor, we will reschedule Mr. Golvashchenko to do geology laboratory work for the next four months.”

“Very well; the matter is settled then. Does anyone have anything else to add?”

No one spoke. DiPonte looked around. “Very well. This court is adjourned.”

---------------------------------------

The Patio underwent its usual change of character between 7 and 8 p.m. that night. At 7 p.m. the sun was still up and sending slanted golden beams across the space; people were still arriving to eat supper. By 8 p.m. the sun was gone and the sky black, invisible because of the Patio’s dimmed lights except for Phobos, which shone low in the east; people eating dinner had finished; all the families had left so that the kids could go to bed; and many of those without kids, especially the singles, had either stayed or were returning. The big television screen was split into fourths, each showing a different television show, and those wishing to listen programmed their ear pieces to pick up the audio of one of them. The buffet had been removed and a simple snack bar put in its place. A few tables were removed to create a dance floor.

When Helmut arrived at 8:30 he immediately looked around for Clara and was disappointed to see she wasn’t present yet. But Skip Carson was, so he went straight to his table, which was already crowded with others.

“Skip, have a safe flight home,” he said.

“Thanks, Helmut.” Skip stood up to give the young man a hug. “I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll all miss you.”

Skip sat again. “And I’ll miss everyone here! I arrived twenty-five and a half months ago as a tourist who planned to stay one month, then catch the return flight via Venus. I decided to stay eighteen months until Columbus 7 returned to Earth before opposition, and that flight was canceled because everyone, including me, wanted a few more months here and a Venus flyby. And here I am, finally leaving after twenty-five and a half months! I really feel like I belong here now.”

“Well, you can always stay,” exclaimed Johnny Lind.

Skip shook his head. “I’d like to, but my life is back on Earth, at least for a while yet. I’ve made a movie here, starring our own Brian Stark, and a special-effects version needs my attention. I have two commitments to make movies that have to be honored; they’ve been postponed. And besides, I have more to do in Hollywood and more to do for Mars on Earth. Maybe I’ll be back in another ten or twenty years, though. We’ll see.” He turned his face away and took a sip of his coffee so that no one could see the tear forming in his right eye.

“We’ve really appreciated having you here,” said Helmut. “If nothing else, you’ve made the place exciting!”

“I see plenty of younger people here who can continue the political debates,” replied Skip. “And I’ve promised to help Louisa Turner with a new media outreach project. Believe me, our Cause will be assisted a lot by that. And I’ll be a videocall away, remember. Keep in touch, all of you.”

“Thanks,” replied Helmut. He looked around the Patio and saw Clara coming out of DiPonte’s store with a small chocolate bar. She brought it straight to him and sat in the chair next to him.

“Your nightly chocolate bar,” said Skip.

“Yes, our ten dollar fix,” replied Clara. She handed a square to Helmut, who accepted it with a nod.

“Don’t complain; imported Godiva cost fifty bucks each. At least these are locally made,” replied Skip.

“And the money stays on Mars,” added Clara. “Though the quality is lower. I didn’t get much of a chance to meet you, Skip, but I’m sorry you’re leaving. Have a safe flight.”

“Thanks. We’ll be taking a super-fantastic video of the entire Venus flyby, so it’ll be available as a short by next fall.”

“Always developing a new project,” said Helmut.

“I would propose a toast to your success, but all we can drink is coffee, tea, or water,” said Johnny, irritated.

“That was an interesting trial, but I must say, I didn’t know the drinking ordinance was taken so seriously.”

“Elliott’s a tea totaler,” complained Johnny.

“This has nothing to do with Elliott; it was passed by the Borough in a town meeting,” replied Skip. “I understand the Mars Commission had a similar regulation and people complained about it, so the Borough was given the chance to vote on it, and they did.”

“Yes, I suppose it is necessary,” conceded Johnny.

“I was surprised by the fine; a month’s salary is a lot!” said Clara.

“DiPonte’s tough. He usually favors the high end of the range,” replied Helmut. “Since I arrived twenty-five months ago we’ve had three trials, I think, including this sol’s. One was a harassment charge and the other was a divorce settlement. Silvio was pretty stern each time.”

“I was also surprised Mikhail didn’t have access to a lawyer,” said Clara.

“Oh, he could have chosen to have a trial in Houston in absentia, but it would have cost him a lot,” said Helmut. “Greg must have explained that to him.”

“I see.” Clara broke off another square of chocolate and handed it to Helmut. She never offered any to the others. “By the way, Helmut, John and I talked to Lal this sol again, and he agreed that I could be systems coordinator for Meridiani.”

“Really? Congratulations!”

“So, you’re going along?” asked Johnny. “You’ll enjoy the trip, I think.”

“You’re on the southern hemisphere expedition, right?” asked Clara.

“Yes, and now we have a vacancy. Helmut, you could apply for it. You’re on the waiting list.”

“That’s true.” He looked at Clara. “But I think I’ll stick to Meridiani. Like you said, it should be an enjoyable trip.”

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