Robert Silverberg - Lost Race of Mars

“I think they wanted to live in caves,” Jim said. “They didn’t have the energy to go farming all over Mars.”

“I suppose you’re right, Jim. They’re an old and tired race. It takes a lot of get-up-and-go to start a project like this. They don’t have what it takes any more. So it’s our job to bring Mars back to life.”

The telephone rang for the fiftieth time that evening. Dr. Chambers went to answer it. While he was gone, Jim and Sally thought about what their father had said. The Old Martians no longer had the drive and ambition to revive Mars. But the men of Earth, using the plants developed in the caves, could do the job. And some day men and women would walk around on Mars without breathing suits.

Dr. Chambers came back into the room. He was grinning broadly. “I’ve just had some very good news,” he announced. “That was Mr. Frahm calling.”

“What did he want, Dad?”

Dr. Chambers beamed. “He just received a message from the Earth government. My research grant has been extended indefinitely.”

Mrs. Chambers smiled. “Indefinitely, Roy? Is that what they said?”

“You heard it the first time! Indefinitely! That means we stay here on Mars as long as we want to, and no more deadlines for going home. That is—uh—you do want to stay on Mars, don’t you?” Dr. Chambers looked at his wife. “Ether—how do you feel about staying here longer?”

“Do I have to answer that, Roy? You know I’ll always go wherever your work takes you—even if it’s to Mars!”

“And how do you feel about it?” Dr. Chambers said to Jim and Sally. “If you want to go back to Earth at the end of the year, just say the word. But I ought to warn you that you’ll make a lot of people on Mars unhappy.”

Jim grinned. Mars had become more appealing in the past twenty-four hours. “Of course we’ll stay, Dad.”

“You didn’t have to ask us, really,” Sally said.

Then Jim and Sally exchanged glances. They had both thought of the same thing at the same time.

Mitten lay curled at Sally’s feet. Jim and Sally glanced down at the Mars kitten.

Jim said hesitantly, “There’s one thing, Dad—uh—well, I mean—”

“Yes? What is it?”

Jim fidgeted uncomfortably. He reached down and scratched the Mars kitten behind the ears.

Sally explained, “It’s about Chipper, Dad.”

“Chipper? Good heavens—I had almost forgotten about him!” Dr. Chambers explained.

“Well, we haven’t, Dad,” Jim said. “I mean, Mitten here is a good pet, and we like him. But we couldn’t just abandon old Chipper, could we? He’s probably wondering when we’ll come back to get him. And if we never come back—”

Don’t you think they could ship him up here?” Sally asked. “As a special favor to us? He and Mitten would be great friends. And I’m sure old Chipper would love the low gravity here.”

Dr. Chambers scratched his head quizzically. “Well, I’m not sure how they’ll like the idea—but, tell you what, kids. I’ll ask. Fair enough?”

“Okay, Dad.”

The next day, everything was settled. Mr. Frahm himself came over to explain the arrangements.

“We’re all glad you people have decided to stay,” the director said. “I’ve place you in a special category—you’re not temporary visitors, but you’re not permanent visitors either, unless you want to be. You’re research personnel, here on an indefinite basis.”

“That sounds good enough,” Dr. Chambers answered.

“About your laboratory,” the director continued. “Up till now we’ve been a little skimpy with your equipment, I know. But things are going to be different from now on. If you need anything, just say the word. If it’s available on Mars, you may have it—and if it isn’t available, we’ll requisition it from Earth.”

“I appreciate that very much,” Dr. Chambers replied.

Director Frahm looked straight at Jim and Sally. But he was smiling, now, and they didn’t squirm. “Now, you two—the key personnel in this operation. You’re going to be our ambassadors to the Old Martians. You job is to visit them regularly, obtain information about them, and try to make them like us. You’ll also be in charge of getting seeds from them for the air and water plants. Think you can handle these responsibilities?”

“Yes, sir!” Jim and Sally answered together.

The director said, “The same offer I made for you father goes for you. Anything you need to help you in your work will be made available. I’ve already received one requisition. Your father tells me that you need a specific large black-and-white tomcat named Chipper. I’ve checked our inventory and find that we have no such equipment at present on Mars. Therefore I’ve ordered it from Earth. Chipper will be coming up on the next rocket.”

“Yippee!” Jim yelled.

“Of course,” Director Frahm went on, “you’ll have to continue your schooling. Visits to the Martians must wait for after school. And also, you’ll notify the council any time you go out in the desert. No more unannounced trips. You’re valuable personnel. We can’t take any risks with you.” Mr. Frahm chuckled. “I think that’s about it. Dr. Chambers, I like to thank you and your wife and Jim and Sally for having come here. You’ve done us a great service already, and I’m sure you’ll continue to be valuable members of the colony.”

“Thank you, Mr. Frahm,” Dr. Chambers said.

“Maybe we didn’t cooperate with you as much as we should have, but you have to understand our viewpoint, too. We just couldn’t see the importance of impractical research -

until this stubborn boy and girl of yours showed us. Thanks again. And good night.”

It was very late now. But Jim and Sally were too restless to sleep. There had simply been too much excitement during the day.

“Let’s go to the surface level,” Jim suggested. “I want to take a look at the night sky.”

Jim and Sally and Dr. and Mrs. Chambers took the nearest elevator to the upper level. Nearly everyone was asleep. The colony was quiet.

They looked up, through the transparent dome, at the black curtain of the Martian sky.

Overhead drifted the tiny moon Deimos. The stars were brilliant sparklers, hardly twinkling at all in the thin atmosphere.

And down toward the horizon a greenish dot could be seen—Earth. Somewhere out there were New York and Paris and London, were the Grand Canyon and the Pyramids and the Taj Mahal. They seemed like phantoms out of a dream. Earth was so terribly far away. All that matter now was Mars, which had once been covered by the cities of little soft-eyed people, and which someday would be thronged with the cities of Earth men.

Sim and Sally and their parents stared for a long while at Earth. Then they turned away. Earth could take care of itself. But here on Mars there was so much work to do. Mars was where they would make their home from now on. They were Earth men no more.

After a while they grew tired of watching the stars. They turned away and went back below to go to sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy day. And so would be all the tomorrows that came after tomorrow, for years to come, out here on this strange, new world in space.

Some exciting day men will really land on Mars. Who knows what they will find? Right now we can only use our imaginations.

When Mars swings nearest to us—as it will again in 1971—it is 35 million miles away! Still scientists keep trying from Earth to find out what they can about the “red planet.”

They know that Mars is smaller than Earth. They know the Mars year is longer than ours, for Mars is farther from the sun and so takes longer to go round the sun that Earth does. They know that Mars has seasons just as the Earth does. And through telescopes they have plainly see the two icy polar caps of Mars.