The evacuation chapter 5

Jamie and Tony were assigned separate quarters, cramped bunk beds, but they met up everyday to look after the sheep embryos as well as the pig and cow embryos. They also verified that the fish eggs were surviving the journey. Their mission was a success. Tony made no mention of the other members, but it can be assumed that the entire mission was a success. Two new members besides Jamie were include in the return journey, high ranking members of the Lunar government, the vice president and the treasury secretary, who was also the economic advisor for the president. Apparently there had been some horse trading behind the scene.

‘Tony knew nothing of why they were along, he and Jamie weren’t interested in politics, or money, besides being totally involved in each other, which everyone could see, they were totally immersed in animal husbandry and farming. They were oblivious to everything else. One month into the 7 month journey home Jamie sprung the news on Tony that she was pregnant. Tony was over the moon with joy and excitement, and it didn’t take long for the news to spread. They organized a marriage ceremony with the rocket captain officiating, and the vice president as the witness. The Mars colony was growing by 2 people. Pages of Tony’s notes were used to discuss the future baby’s name, and that was when I learnt my grandfather was named Arthur, a family name in Jamie’s family.

Finally the journey came to an end, and the members and guests were shuttled down to the surface and an official state ceremonial welcome. The vice president assumed the role of leader of the government, and started to form the government along the lines of the Lunar government. It was a lot simpler, whereas the Lunar government was much more complicated with Russian, multiple Europeans, American and Israeli politicians included. But over the decades since the evacuation from Earth it had worked itself out, with elections, and there was one country formed by the colonists, and one agenda. So bringinging it to Mars just made sense.

The treasury secretary went to work formulating a plan to create a currency instead of using the barter system which Martian colonists had been using, and now with trade between the Indian colony it was time, as well as trade with the Lunar colony going forward.

Arthur was born among colony wide celebrations, and along with that celebration, two notices were broadcast that two more pregnancies were announced between two Brazilian settlers and two American men. It was more urgent than ever that the sheep and cows were raised so the colony would have meat and milk for a growing population. The grass and cereal farm was laid and with high intensity grow lamps burning all the time it wasn’t long before the colony had its grainery bins filled. The fish farm was built and the fish were spawned and hatched and the ponds stocked. Things were happening. Exciting times.

‘The vice president stayed, except he was now the president. He appointed his small cabinet to run the government, and the treasury secretary left for the moon. Things settled down. Communications improved as well, obviously the internet gurus worked something out, SpaceX corporation with offices on the moon and Mars launched a series of low energy solar powered rockets/satellites that cruised in an oval orbit around the moon, flew to Mars, orbited around Mars then back to the moon in an endless flight loaded with very powerful internet transmitters and boosters, so the internet connectivity was lighting fast and strong. The government, the military, and the civilian population were well served. Mars had joined the 25th century.