All’s Fair in Love and War

Response to Medium Magic Prompt — Life in a colony on Mars

Shandra wasn’t supposed to be in the third wave. She’d been born to upper class parents and had a normal childhood filled with birthday parties, and pretty clothes. She’d gone to a good school and shared chocolate bars with her girlfriends on the way home. Twice a year, during winter break and summer break her family went on lavish vacations to islands or mountain resorts and she learned to swim and snow ski with equal finesse.

Her first kiss was with a boy at school, named Logan, when she was 13. Unlike her friends who’d kissed someone just to do it, she really liked him. They began sitting together at lunch on the low stone wall at the end of the hockey field and they laughed together and told each other about their families. He hadn’t kissed her again, but she knew it was just a matter of time.

Unfortunately, because of two huge events in Shandra’s life, that second kiss didn’t happen as planned. The first was really not something that happened to Shandra alone and it had been going on for some time. Reports of a giant asteroid traveling toward earth were first made when Shandra was just a baby. At first no one was too worried as it was still very far out and it’s course couldn’t be perfectly plotted so there was no telling exactly where it would end up.

By the time Shandra was 10 however, talk had become more serious. There were different camps as to what scenario was thought most likely. I group of scientists were convinced that the asteroid would miss them by enough to not even disrupt their orbit. The second group thought it would miss the earth but get close enough to disrupt the planets orbit. These scientists were working on possible solutions to prevent any potentially life destroying effects. The last, and by far the smallest, group, believed that the planet would take a direct hit and everyone would be lost. This group had been looking into nearby planets to move the population to.

The second huge event that happened in Shandra’s life before she’d been kissed twice, was that both her parents were killed in an automobile accident. An aunt who she’d never met before came to live with her. Her father had once taken her aside to explain the families holdings, investments and assure her that no matter what happened she’d never want for anything. So she was surprised at hearing that her parents had died leaving her almost nothing but she was too much in shock from their loss to think much about it.

Several months had gone by before she was able to think through things and begin to take note of a change in circumstances for her aunt if not for her. She’d been kept out of school for a month and once it was time to go back had been told by her aunt she would be homeschooled. While that usually meant someone would work with her one on one, her aunt evidently thought it meant Shandra would figure everything out on her own.When she’d asked about returning to school, her aunt had given her the standard response that she heard now when asking for anything.

“What do you think, we’re made of money? I’ve been good enough to come and sacrifice everything to take care of you. And all you seem to do is demand things. It’s time this stopped. Your parents left you with nothing and I’m the only one standing between you and being out on the streets!”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s much sacrifice going on where you’re concerned,” Shandra muttered under her breath. Her aunt was too busy trying on a new fur coat to hear her.

Around this time, there were new asteroid predictions. Unfortunately, it looked like the third group of scientists had been right. The asteroid was on a collision path with earth. It had been decided that Mars was the closest planet they could manage to build colonies on and preparations were already under way.

The estimates suggested they’d have three years to safely leave the planet and the population was divided into through groups with the first scheduled to leave in just under a year from then. The three waves were chosen by prominence and function with those believed to be most important to the survival of the Mars colonies sent first and those least desirable left til last. Shandra’s Aunt Georgia was irate as she had been assigned to the third wave while Shandra was scheduled for the first one based on her background, breeding and youth.

When Shandra came back from grocery shopping one day, she realized someone had gone through her room. It didn’t take long to determine that her paperwork for her place on the first shuttle was missing. By then it was clear what her aunt was up to. It was one thing to steal everything that had belonged to her parents and everything they’d intended to leave to her, but she wasn’t about to let her place in the new colony be jeopardized as well.

“Aunt Georgia, I just noticed that my paperwork for the Mars Colony is missing. You wouldn’t know what happened to it would you?”

“Yes, I’ve taken it for safekeeping. You can’t just keep something that valuable in an unlocked drawer, Shandra.”

“I’d prefer to keep it myself, if you don’t mind. After all, it is mine and . . . “

“Well, I do mind! May I remind you that you are a minor and I am your legal guardian. If you think you’ll be going in the first wave while I just remain behind until the last one . . “

So that was her plan. “You realize it has my name on it. You can’t just take my place.”

“My name is also on those papers as your legal guardians. I insisted they be added despite the fact they actually thought you’d go alone.”

Shandra hadn’t noticed. The flight was just a month away. Who could she contact? And without any paperwork whatsoever how’d she get aboard any of the shuttles? They were already saying they’d grossly underestimated the number of ships needed for each wave. Though they were reassuring everyone they’d all get on one, there were whispers that some would have to be left behind. Without any paperwork Shandra was sure she’d be one of them.

“I don’t know why you’d want to go in the first Wave anyway,” her Aunt continued. “They say the conditions will be extremely rough and there will still be a lot of work to do. Of course, some of us will be delegaters and not actual workers but if you were to go you’d definitely be one of the workers. So if I go first that will solve two problems. You’ll not have to worry about hard labor and they’ll have another master delegator.” Her aunt actually laughed as if she weren’t playing with life or death.

“And what papers am I supposed to use?” Shandra asked trying to keep her rage inside.

“Oh stop worrying. You’ll just use mine. I doubt they’ll even check who’s going in the third wave. I mean who really cares about that class of people? Now I must get back to packing. They’re letting us take so little. I have no idea how I’ll choose.”

The day came for the first wave to depart Earth. Shandra hadn’t manage to find anyone to correct what her aunt had pulled but tried to be the bigger person. She got dressed and went downstairs to have breakfast with her on her last day on earth only to find she’d already left.

“You have to be kidding me.” Though she shouldn’t have been surprised. Then she thought of something and her blood ran cold. There was nothing on the table. She ran to her aunt’s room and looked through all the drawers. She went through everything. But by the time the sun set, she still hadn’t found her papers.

The next morning she went down to the Office for Mars Colonization and stood in line to speak with someone about getting a new set of paperwork. She was told that she’d need to find out from her relatives where her paperwork was when they landed and in the meantime to attend school and get on with her life as she had two years until she was due to leave.

Over the next several months life settled into a routine. Shandra was thrilled to be able to return to school with her friends. Understanding her predicament they’d let her return free of tuition. She didn’t see Logan, until a week had gone by. His family was scheduled for the second wave. They picked up where they had left off and she received her second kiss on her 14th birthday.

When word came that the first wave had landed on Mars, Shandra waited in line to use the interstellar communication system to contact her aunt. When she got hold of her, her aunt was practically in hysterics.

“Oh my God, Shaundra, you have to do something! There’s been a terrible mistake! They expect all of us, even me to actual do manual labor! They’re treating us like servants, no worse, slaves!” She wailed.

“Well, you did say that you were aware the first wave would have the most work to do and . . .”

“Delegating! I was supposed to be delegating not doing the actual labor! Have you heard nothing I’ve said? You are going to have to do something to fix this, Shandra or so help me. . . !”

Luckily the signal went dead right then. Although she hadn’t gotten the information she needed about the paperwork, Shandra had received a great deal of satisfaction over her Aunt’s obvious distress.

Serves her right.

She spoke with her aunt once a week and it appeared things were getting worse. Shandra really didn’t want to talk to her but needed to know where the papers were. Her aunt refused to tell her until Shaundra fixed the deplorable conditions her aunt found herself in.

Week 2:

“They have us living in underground caves! There’s only enough electricity for an hour a day, no hot water and don’t get me started on the plumbing! I wouldn’t expect animals to live like this. I have to live in one big room with three other families!”

Week 3:

“They made me go up to the surface in one of those big ugly space suits to help in the hydroponics facility! They haven’t managed to get out the air ventilation system working so I had to stay in that darn suit all day. They put you in a diaper and make you go to the bathroom where you stand! Can you imagine? Fix this Shandra or you’ll never get the papers!”

Week 4:

“This week was the worst! Now there are four families living in my room and the other three dared to try to throw me out! And I had to help dig new foundations for the homes for the second wave. Why should I have to do that? They’re a lower class than I am! But when I refused they wouldn’t let me eat! We are slaves, I tell you. Slaves! Fix it, Shandra or you’ll die on that planet!”

“Oh dear, I thought they would have told you by now,” Shaundra said. She knew they hadn’t been told largely because they were afraid of starting a riot. They’d just given permission to tell relatives that morning. Shandra had been looking forward to it all day.

“Told us what, for God’s sake? It can’t be as important as telling me how you’re going to fix this.”

“I’m not,” Shaudra said what she’d been wanting to for months.

“What?” her aunt shrieked. “How dare you? You’ll rot on that planet before I tell you where the papers are . . . “

“Oh, I don’t need them anymore. You see the asteroid began to change trajectories a few months ago. Their certain that it’s going to completely clear the earth without any disruption.”

“Thank God! We’re going home! No more disgusting Mars and living in a filthy cave with filthier people, no more digging and slave labor and . . . “

“Oh, I’m sorry Aunt, I didn’t finish. You see, the Shuttles were only intended to be used one way. With all the money spent on the program they can’t develop new ships that will travel in both directions. They said it would be exorbitant and bankrupt us here.”

“What?”

“They’ve decided to cut their losses. You guys will be staying on Mars. Have a good life, Auntie. Enjoy your new housemates”

Though her time wasn’t up, she disconnected the communication mid shriek and let the next person take her place. She went to where Logan was waiting for her, smiled and took his hand. The two walked out of the office and into their future.

Natalie Frank (Taye Carrol) has had work featured in Haunted Waters Press, Weirdbook Magazine, Siren’s Call Publications, Lycan Valley Press and Zero Fiction among others. Her poetry has been featured a several anthologies. She is the Managing Editor for Novellas and Serials at LVP Publications.

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