Chapter 19: Welcome to Mars

Location: near Eagle City, Meridiani Planum, Mars
Era by Mars Calendar: Sol Solis 15th Kanya MY183
Era by Earth Calendar: Thursday 16th March 2299CE

Two figures appeared out of nowhere. In color they were the same orange brown as the rocky plain they were standing on. They were gaunt and androgynous, with thin angular limbs, long narrow torso, and triangular faces that were featureless except for expressive blue eyes and porcupine-like quills instead of hair.

They were silhouetted against a sky that was blue near the rising too small sun but transitioned to a pinkish red overhead.

One of the figures bent over clutching at their throat.

<Darren, you don't need to breathe. Just relax and the urge to take a breath will fade. You are a self-contained system. You have enough stored oxygen, nutrients and power to last a Sol, that's a Martian day.>

Mark straightened up. <We are really here?>

<Yes! Welcome to Mars.>

Mark took a few tentative steps, then some long bounding lopes.

<We need to head west, Darren.> sent Varija, pointing away from the rising Sun to where the tan colored plain was interrupted by chaotic shapes of blue-grey, blue-green and purple. <And be careful until you get the hang of the gravity. A face plant at full speed is painful and this body doesn't heal as fast as your old one.>

<It's very bouncy. It certainly gives you a spring in your step.> Mark leapt straight up, shooting up what felt like several stories. He tumbled, falling unnaturally slowly, just getting his feet underneath himself before he took the massive impact of landing on his legs.

<Darren, what did I just tell you?>

<My legs are different. It's not just the lower gravity.>

<Instead of organic muscles supplemented by bio-mechanical fibres, your entire leg is now bio-mechanical, actually everything except your brain is now bio-mechanical. It reduces your oxygen needs by three quarters, > explained Varija.

<I'm some kind brain in a vat?>

<Do you feel like a brain a vat?>

<I feel normal, which is strange, when you think about it. My legs and arms are twitchy through. It's like they have already finished moving, before I have decided I want to begin to move, > he sent.

<You'll adjust. In the meantime be careful. You're not as indestructible as you used to be.>

<When I was falling, I thought I was going to die. The need to breathe came back, only ten times as bad.>

<That was panic. You will adapt to not breathing very quickly. Just try not to kill yourself. This is a hostile environment, even with your enhancements.>

<I don't even have a mouth.> Darren ran his hand over his face. <How was I breathing before?> he asked.

<You weren't exactly breathing. You have air intakes underneath your jawline, or what would be your jawline if you still had a jaw. The intakes unlock automatically in oxygen rich environments.> Varija headed out using a slow bouncy lope. After Mark caught up with her after recovering from his foray in the wrong direction, Varija picked up speed.

<This is going to take some getting used to, > he commented as he matched her stride.

He started running his fingers along the skin underneath his jaw. <They are sealed, > Var sent. Mark was so startled that his twitching legs sent him high in the air.

<What?> he asked as he landed awkwardly.

<Your air intakes. They are locked for safety reasons. The air pressure is too low. It's about %1 of earths.>

<I can't feel them.>

<Of course you can't, but they will be there when you need them, > she sent. Mark could feel her irritation though the sending. He was about to ask whether she had eyes in the back of her head, when he remembered about the optical sensors on his skin. His old body had them, and when he checked, yes, his new body had them too. So yes, she had eyes in the back of her head.

<Where are we?> Mark asked looking around at the desolation. The tan rocky surface of the plain was gradually being replaced by strange multi-colored outcrops. They almost looked organic.

<We are just outside the capital city of Mars. Eagle City. We need to make our way to the city, meet up with some of my friends and then take them to Newstock, > she sent as they continued towards the dim shapes of their destination.

<How many friends?> he asked.

<About 20 or 30 maybe.> She increased their pace again.

<Good thing we have lots of tents. How come we landed way out here?>

<Eagle City is very crowded. Extremely over-crowded. It was picked as the capital for political reasons. The infrastructure and the housing capacity is now strained to the breaking point as more and more government functions are moved here. If we jumped directly in, then we could have killed someone by jumping in on top of them, if we didn't kill anyone we probably would have been seen appearing from thin air. If by some miracle we weren't seen then we would have set off alarms because of the pressure changes caused by the jump. So we are stuck out here with a long walk ahead of us, > she explained.

<Is that the city over there?> asked Mark, pointing at strange shapes silhouetted against the skyline.

<That's sponge> Varija stopped next to one of the strange outcrops. <Like this only bigger.> Varija gave the material a kick. A faint mist rose from the damaged area. It did look a bit like sponge. <It's a bio-engineered plant analog. It's very important to the first-wavers. It provides oxygen, nutrients, power and even shelter to them. We have to go through the sponge to get to the city.>

<We better get going then, > he said.

They settled into a rhythm, their feet striking the ground in unison. The sponge outcrops became more and more frequent. They were larger too, with taller growths dotted within them.

<How can I hear our footsteps, when I don't have ears?> he asked.

<Your quills have sound sensors. They work better with low frequencies, than high frequencies though.>

<My ears are in my hair?>

The gaps between the sponge outcrops were getting smaller. Mark noticed that Varija was avoiding walking on the sponge.

<There are chemical sensors in there as well. Plus they also help regulate the temperature of your skull, > she replied.

Some of the sponge growths were nearly as tall as they were now.

<Chemical sensors! Like a nose? Why can't I smell anything then?>

<Have you tried?>

Mark concentrated. <I think here is something that smells like wet freshness coming from those.> Mark gestured towards the sponge.

<Well, there you go.>

<With most of my body replaced by artificial components, that makes me a cyborg doesn't it?>

<Are you still thinking like that about it?> she turned her face to him as she ran and raised eyebrows at him. The eyebrows seem to be just darker markings on her skin, something like the animated fire tattoos she had when she was Sammy.

<Well in my day, it was a big deal, there were even serial screeners about it.>

<When dinosaurs ruled the Earth, no doubt. Even before these recent changes, your Tarka components far outnumbered your organic cells. Technically you were already a cyborg. Also, all those bio-mechanical fibres, fabrics and devices were already in your body. It just that now, they are replacing your organics, instead of just assisting them, and of course there are a lot more of them. Compared to that, a few 10s of kilos of biomass, is neither here nor there. Your missing bits are on ice, waiting for you back at the ski lodge, if you are so attached to them.>

<Well, the male of the species is traditionally especially attached to certain parts of that biomass.> Mark said glancing down at his featureless groin.

<Don't do that. You will trip over and crack your face. I didn't forget about that part of your equipment. It is all there.>

<Where?>

<It will be available to you when you need it. Now shut up about it or I won't let you try it out later, > she replied. This time she showed a thin lip where her mouth normally would be and curled it a little.

The sponge growths started to look less like shapeless lumps and more like their namesakes. Stubby little branches and broad leaves became more common. It became impossible not to step on the sponge ground cover as the gaps between patches disappeared and bare Martian soil became less common.

<We are getting close to the territory of the Yellow Square Franchise. They're a first-wave - umm - collective? organisation? gang? umm tribe? Anyway these first-wave groups call themselves franchises. They don't really like second-wavers, they call us Earthers, actually they usually call us stinking Earthers, and the second-wavers call them Manties for reasons that will be obvious when you see one. Make sure you don't call them Manties, make sure to call them franchisees, or Martians, > sent Varija.

<Okay.> Mark had to admit that the images Var sent him of the Manties looked intimidating. They had very broad faces, triangular heads, large eyes, their quills were longer and thicker than Mark's and Var's and were clustered in two spots on either side of the head. There was a circular hole near where the mouth would be and there were two triangular ears that were recessed behind the face. They did look a little like a praying mantis. <Are they all Veterans?>

<No. Only half of them are. There have been several generations born since the war. The Veterans control first-wave society though, unlike Earth where the Renewers dominate, > she explained. Var stopped where a yellow tube snaked out of one of the sponge trees. The tallest trees were almost twice their height. Mark could see other tubes attached to other trees. <This is a harvested area. We are now in Yellow Square territory. Try not to damage the sponge. First-wavers claim all sponge as theirs by right. It's one of the reasons that second-wavers now use bubble farms. It's a very sore point with the first-wavers. The Earth Corps used to run rough shod over their rights and took what they wanted. It is very difficult to get a first-waver to admit that there is any difference between an Earth Corps drone and a second-waver. We are just all stinking Earthers to them, > she continued.

Var glanced around nervously, scanning the spongy growth. <I better give you your cover identity.>

Name: Kiro Cassidy Doyle
Career: Surveyor
Age: 11 (22 Earth Years)
Gender: Male
Sexually: Hetrosexual
Marital Status: Single

As he accepted the identity, the chromophores in his skin changed to the Areos Surveyors Corps red and gold colors. His skin was now a deep dark red with a gold silhouette of a bird in flight on his chest.

Var changed as well. Her skin also becoming the same deep red, however her quills and talons were now gold, there was also a gold stripe that ran in a curve down the left side of her body. Her public profile became visible.

Name: Lucia Mohini Acciai
Career: Surveyor
Age: 18 (34 EY)
Gender: Female
Sexually: Bisexual
Marital Status: Single

<You look curvier and more feminine, > he observed.

<It is all shading. I haven't actually changed shape. If we run into any Yellow Square franchisees, let me do the talking, Okay.>

<Sure thing. I wouldn't know what to say anyway.>

The small tubing connected to larger pipes which connected to still larger ones. The bare area soon disappeared and the ground cover blanketed everything. The sponge trees became larger and larger and the gap between the trees became narrower.

<See the blue pipe above us?> asked Lucia.

<Yes.>

<Jump on top of it.>

<You have got to be kidding me, > objected Mark.

<You can do it.>

Lucia jumped almost straight up, alighting with ease on the pipeline. Mark followed suit finding it easier than he though to balance on the curved surface. The pipe seemed to have no difficulty bearing both their weights.

Lucia ran with a smooth graceful lope along the pipeline. Mark followed behind her. The pipe did not go straight, it wove between the trees it was supported by periodic thin pillars. Tubes ran up the pillars to the pipe. As they continued on the tree grew larger still and the ground cover disappeared underneath, leaving only sponge trees and shrubs.

They had gone half a Kay when Lucia halted raising her hand.

<You are trespassing on Yellow Square Holdings. Go back the way you came before we lose patience with you, > sent an unknown person from somewhere ahead.

<We claim rite of passage under the provisions of the Schiaparelli Treaty. Here is our warrant signed by one of the signatories of the treaty, Senator Var Kunasada. We wish only to travel to the city, > requested Lucia.