Change of Tide - Part 2 By Norma Ranieri

       "OK, grampa. So what happens next?!" Randy had gotten a little -too- excited about the thought of spaceships and needed to take a short time out to make a donation to the porcelain deity. He was back now and was all the more anxious to hear what was going to happen next. Jessica had curled up on her mat and was catching a few winks of sleep while Randy was off doing his thing. She needed some time to calm down anyway, she was taking things too personally and getting too attached to the dolphins in the story. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. The two children appeared as complete opposites to Mark. Funny how only a few years age and gender could cause so many differences.
      "OK. Back to the story, right?" Both children nodded, Randy a little more enthusiastically than Jessica. Mark made himself a little more comfortable in his chair; not an easy feat for an old man, and continued with the story. "Over the months that followed many more debates took place. The work on the moon space station progressed, thankfully without a hitch, and the plan to move to Earth was becoming more widely accepted. There were of course, a relatively small number of people who were dead set against the move..."

      "Look at this Tracey. How many letters have you received now?" Justin threw another bundle of letters into the trash as he looked up at Tracey
.       "Probably a few more than you have. I am after all, the one who 'Invented this idea'." Her attitude was the epitome of sarcasm. "I can't believe people are so closed minded about what is happening. Can't they understand that we're trying to help them? To help ALL of us"
      "Some people are so scared it's clogging their logic." Justin was more calm than Tracey. Of course, the letters directed to him were only pleas to 'talk some sense into Tracey Jarvey', they weren't direct attacks like those Tracey were receiving. There were obviously a number of citizens who did not agree with the plans to move to Earth.
      "Look at this one. It's actually a threat that their group is going to sabotage the shuttle system used to transport things to and from the moon-base." No sooner had Tracey read the note than there was an explosion to the west. Tracey and Justin rushed to the window in time to see the burning debris and remnants of what was once one of twenty transport ships. The ships were currently making hourly runs between Mars and the moon carrying supplies, stored goods and workers. "How many people are usually on one of those things?" Tracey stammered over her words. She thought she wanted to know, but somewhere inside, she really didn't. Justin looked at his watch, 9:00AM; change of shift.
      "Approximately 35." Neither of them said another word. They just stared in dropped jaw astonishment at what had just happened. A world with no wars, and no real weapons aside from those used for hunting, had suddenly become something totally different. The first ever documented act of terrorism. Was it truly their fault? Or were these people being unreasonable? Whichever it was, it wasn't about to make Justin nor Tracey feel any better any time soon.

      The next day Justin held a meeting between the Elders, the SOUP Committee; Save OUr People, and those opposed to the move. He was surprised to see that the opposition group was at least one hundred strong. He had no idea there were so many people who felt this way. Tracey remained in the relative safety of her own home today. It was becoming common-place for her to be mobbed on the street by rowdy protesters, so this meeting would be the equivalent of a sleeping lion's den for her. It was decided it would be safer for all involved if she didn't rock the boat by appearing at the meeting. Instead she was to remain 'invisible' for the duration of the discussions.
      The Elders had already taken their places within the cove by the time Justin arrived. They were the same seven who had been present at the first meeting several months ago. They had been elected as the official representatives since they witnessed the beginnings of it all. Justin entered the cove as he always had, but this time he was shocked to be greeted by a thunderous round of boo-ing and heckling. I thought I was nervous in the past, I'm dead meat this time, he thought to himself. Justin was at a definite disadvantage in this crowd. He maintained his composure long enough to take his seat. Then, thankfully, his back was to the crowd and he could justify ignoring them all.
      "I now call this meeting to order." Sir Ronald was speaking, but one could hear the disappointment in his voice. He wasn't impressed with having this position forced upon him, and he was even more disappointed with the division amongst the peoples of Mars. "We have all heard the side represented by the SOUP Committee. This meeting is intended to make the concerns of the opposition heard and recognized." With this there was a cheer from the audience gathered. Well, at least they were capable of positive thought, Justin thought to himself.
      With that a young man stood up in the crowd. He had been seated about five places to the left of Justin. He was tall, well kept, and about thirty years old by Justin's best guess. His bushy mustache made it difficult to judge, but his chocolate brown hair showed no signs of grey so he couldn't be very old.
      "I am Morgan O'Mally." His voice was gruff and screamed with determination "My friends here," he made a sweeping gesture with his arm to indicate the crowd gathered, "have elected me to be their spokesman." The crowd cheered as if on cue to show their support for Morgan. He took a deep breath and began what must have been a rapidly prepared speech.
      "For centuries our people have been controlled and oppressed by the Elders." Not two sentences into the discussion and the Elders were already on the defensive and in utter disbelief of what they were hearing. They didn't understand how anyone could say such a thing considering all they had been trying to do for them over the past few months. The Elders however, being a very procedure bound group, held their tongues with the intent of remaining silent until such a time as mediation was required. That was after all, the only reason they were present.
      "This world has always been controlled by the Elders." continued Morgan. "Everything that has ever happened in our society has been because they wanted and planned it. Our world is mostly water covered so they have domain here. Our people are restricted simply by the lack of room to grow, and the Elders know and prefer this. Now, in a time when the Elders are dying, not us humans, they want us to sacrifice and destroy all that we know and cherish to move to some God-forsaken planet with no water and start over again just to give them a chance. Who does all the labour on this planet?"
      "We do!!" chorused the crowd.
      "The irony of it all is that we are the ones being forced to waste our own blood, sweat and tears to destroy our own home just because the Elders say so. And I don't think anyone wants to get me started on that traitor Tracey Jarvey or Justin here, they've both been brainwashed into believing everything the Elders tell them is true."
      "Now wait just a minute!" Justin had sprung to his feet and was facing Morgan. Tracey and I are NOT traitors. We care for our homeland every bit as much as you do, but we know our world is dying. You people just won't admit it yet. We owe a lot to the Elders." Justin was interrupted by whoops of laughter as those present found his remark obviously funny. When they settled he continued. "We do owe them. Aren't they the ones who taught us which fish were good to eat, which were bad, and which ones you could eat but they tasted like shit? They've given us all the technology we've come to rely on each day. They taught us how to cultivate food, how to store meats, how to make a telephone."
      "We would have come up with these things on our own. We only think that we aren't intelligent because the Elders have drilled that into our heads for so many generations. If we believed in ourselves, we'd be able to accomplish so much more! Don't you see Justin. They told us Herring tasted bad and so we should stick to Halibut."
      "Right! They did us a favor." Justin interrupted. Morgan shook his head.
      "I ate one. It tasted damn good!" retorted Morgan.
      The Elders were visibly disturbed by this. They talked amongst themselves for a few moments while a shocked Justin watched on, speechless. How could this be true? Justin thought to himself. Why would they lie to us. They have helped us in so many ways, why would they deceive us?
      "They wanted us to leave the Herring alone, thus ensuring there would always be enough to feed their own kind." Morgan answered, as if reading Justin's mind. "Yes, that's right, Justin. Dolphins eat a hell of a lot of Herring in the run of a day." Morgan fell silent, wanting to give Justin a chance to fully comprehend what he'd just been told.

      "Do dolphins really eat hearing, Grandpa?" Jessica was very confused. "I thought hearing was when you heard stuff like noises. You know, ears give us hearing and stuff." Mark laughed. He knew he was old, but he thought his speech was a little more clear than that.
      "Not 'hearing' Jessica, 'Herring'. It's a kind of fish. And yes dear, dolphins love it, even now-a-days."
      Randy burst into laughter. Mark and Jessica could only watch him with confused looks on their faces, wondering what he had found so funny. Like most boys under 4 he assumed everyone could hear the voices in his head (his thoughts) just as well as he could. "What's so funny, Randy?" His grandfather asked. Randy managed to calm himself enough to stammer the words,
      "Jessica has fish in her ears..." before he started laughing again. Mark and Jessica looked at each other again and shrugged.
      "Maybe fish have more funny bones than people do." Mark offered. This made Jessica giggle, and Randy suddenly felt a little left out as he didn't get the joke. With both children now amused he continued with the story.

      "But why would the Elders risk moving to a planet with no water if it wasn't necessary? Especially since they rely more strongly on it than we do." Justin's voice was that of a 6 year old boy. He had lost the last of his confidence, and with it went the last of his belief that what they were doing was for the best.
      "They're doing it as a last resort because they'll freeze here. We won't, but they will." Morgan was pointing at Sir Ronald, his hand was steady as a rock. The perfect extension of the pure confidence flowing through his soul. He was driven by belief, and he was almost winning Justin's favor. Almost. Justin became noticeably more relaxed. A look which seemed to come from no-where, but definitely had a driving force behind it. Morgan took this as a sign of victory and raised his hands in triumph to the thunderous cheers of his supporters. Justin raised his open hand to silence the crowd and to Morgan's surprise, they actually obliged.
      "Morgan, answer me this one question. You claim it's unfair and inhumane to force us, as humans, to leave our home for the single purpose of giving the Elders and chance to survive." Morgan nodded his affirmation. "Yet you expect the Elders to sit back and do nothing to save themselves while they are faced with certain death? Isn't that rather inhumane of you!? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite?" Justin stood there in his newly found confidence amid a torrent of murmurs and shouting. Finally the confusion was broken by a voice from the back of the cove.
      "Well of course we didn't expect them to do nothing at all." Justin couldn't see who had spoken so he directed his response to the crowd as a whole.
      "Then what would you have them do? You've already admitted that Mars is going to become much colder." People nodded. "There is no way Dolphins can survive on Mars once that happens." They generally nodded again. "So their only chance is to leave the planet or perish." Fewer people nodded again, more returned to murmuring once again, but before long a silence fell over the crowd. "Now we're getting somewhere." Justin walked over towards Morgan, patting him on the back. "Morgan here is scared. I'm sure everyone here is scared. I sure the hell am scared!" He walked slowly to the opposite side of the cove as he spoke, turning and walking back. Never taking his eyes off the crowd. Making eye contact where ever he could. "I'm scared of the unknown. I'm scared of design flaws in our plan. Of underestimating the effects of outer space. Of forgetting something that's key to our survival. I'm only human. I'm scared of leaving my home." He paused at the center of the cove, staring out over the crowd. They were completely silent, every one of them. Morgan had since sat down, and even he was silent now.
      Justin took his gaze from the people and stared down at his untied shoe-lace. "Yesterday marked the first ever act of terrorism since the age of the Elders. Someone, or group of someones, took it upon themselves to make a point, by using an act of violence. An act which destroyed a much needed transport shuttle, and robbed 35 families of a loved one." He paused as many people in the crowd had also lowered their heads by this point. Many more were sobbing and a few were mumbling apologies to any one who would listen. Justin pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to absorb a tear which was rapidly traveling down his cheek towards his neck. He methodically refolded it and placed it back in his pocket, returning his gaze to the crowd.
      "We are all hurting now. There isn't a single soul on this planet who isn't affected, and frightened, by this whole situation. We must think rationally to find a way to prevent death, not cause it. We have to realize that we all want the same thing in the end. We want to survive. We want to have something to leave to our children, and our children's children. We need to know that our peoples have a future. And if we all can work together, the we WILL GUARANTEE THAT FUTURE!" Justin had to raise his voice to the point of shouting to be heard over the crescendo of cheering. He had no choice but to stop speaking because Morgan had risen to his feet and was encouraging the response.
      This battle has been won, but the hardest ones still remain, Justin thought to himself. He cleared his throat in an attempt to speak and waited a few moments for the applause to settle. "I sincerely thank you for all your support. With it I pray there will be no more violence, and a solution will be found. Please leave now knowing that your concerns have been considered, not just heard and ignored. At any time if you need to voice a problem, or something you foresee as being a problem, come see us. Tracey Jarvey and myself will be much more sympathetic to your concerns than we have appeared to be in the past. And with that, I believe we can call this meeting to an end?" He turned to Sir Ronald for confirmation. It was granted with a nod.
      "Thank you everyone for gathering here today." Sir Ronald began. "You all have given us a lot to think about and reconsider. As a final note, a memorial service will be held the day after tomorrow for those killed in yesterday's..." he trailed off, reading the faces of all those present, trying to find the most fitting words, "...tragedy. Now, as the duely designated officiator of this meeting, I declare it at a close." He turned and swam from the cove a little more rapidly than what was characteristic for him. The others did not take long to follow.
      Morgan approached Justin quietly from behind. "That was some speech." Justin spun around to face him, having been caught a little off guard. "I never would have dreamed you had it in you."
      Justin chuckled. "Me either, Morgan. Me either. Of course, we humans have been known to do some pretty amazing things when our lives depend on it." he said with a chuckle. Justin extended his hand to Morgan as a sign of faith. Morgan looked down briefly at Justin's outstretched hand, as if it were a cookie from a stranger he wasn't certain if he should accept. It wasn't long before he decided to take the chance and took Justin's hand, grasping it with both his own, giving him a firm handshake.
      "May today mark the start of a bonding friendship based on both truth and compassion."
      "Agreed." said Justin as he smiled and lead the way as the two left the cove, together. Their conversation continued along the topic of the day as the two men slowly made their way through the park which sat adjacent to the meeting cove. As they neared a clearing they were approached by an elderly woman.
      "Hello Justin, Morgan." The woman nodded to each of the men as she spoke their name. Her voice was clear and strong. A definite contrast to the frail appearance of the body it was evolving from. "Do you have some time to spare? You invited us all to share our concerns with you. I know this is rather short notice, but since we all happen to be here already..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced behind her back at a group of people huddled around the benches which marked the center of the clearing.
      "Of course. I'd welcome the opportunity." Justin replied.
      "As would I." added Morgan.
      The woman, who identified herself as Meg as they made their way toward the others, lead the way. It was obvious that they had sat in such a way as to leave one bench empty and Meg indicated that it was intended for them. Once they were seated she began to speak. "All of us," she motioned, indicating her companions, "were present at the meeting today. To say the least, we all were very moved by what you had to say."
      "Thank you. I'm thankful to hear that more people are now beginning to understand what it is we're trying to do." Justin said smiling.
      "Oh, we understand completely. Possibly even better than yourself." Justin raised and eyebrow in interest. "We've come because we need you to assure us that you understand what it is that we require."
      "Well," Justin said softly, "I'm not going to agree to anything until I've heard what it is that I'm supposed to agree to."
      "Quite understandable," she replied, nodding. "We want to stay behind." Justin coughed. He felt like his heart had just jumped up into his throat and he was choking on his own breath.
      "But.... but you'll die." Morgan stammered.
      "You can't be serious." Justin pleaded. "Mars will be destroyed when the moon is ripped out of orbit."
      "We are quite aware of what will happen to us. Justin, we are old. We're too set in our ways to start over at this point in our lives. I speak for everyone here when I say that we'd be lost if we were forced to move. Our children are all grown now, and will have their own children to worry about during this dangerous move. Most of us wouldn't even be able to care for ourselves let alone help out anyone else with what needs to be done. We'd only be a hindrance to others. Please understand Justin, we're not acting upon this rashly. We've all thought a lot about this over the past few months and we've made our decisions." Those around her all nodded in supportive agreement. "We want to die with some dignity, in our own homes. Not scared, worthless, and nothing but burdens to our families." Justin opened his mouth to resist but she raised her hand and his mouth closed without uttering a sound. "We're not requesting permission to stay. We're informing you that you'll have a little extra space available during the voyage, and so you won't be shocked by the news at the last minute. Now, if you will excuse us, many of us have a lifetime to live with our grandchildren, and only a few months to do it in. My time is important to me now."
      Justin and Morgan could only stand and watch as the group of about 60 elderly men and women slowly walked away. How feeble and frail they all must look to others, but at this moment Justin saw only the strength within their souls. A strength he only could hope he too would one day experience within himself.

      Mark stopped then to see how the children were taking the story so far. Jessica was trying her darnest to hold back tears, and Randy looked like he was about bored to tears.
      "Jessica? Are you all right, dear?" Mark asked worriedly.
      Jessica nodded. "Uh huh.... I was just thinking how sad it'll be to lose their grampas and grammas. It's not fair."
      "Oh fooey." Randy snapped. "Ya don't have ta worry cuz grampy's stories always have happy endings so we already know that Justin will find a way to make em go to Earth too." With that he settled back on his mat. "Of course, at this speed we'll never get to hear about any of the space ships until we're as old as grampy."
      Mark laughed. "You'll probably be flying one long before then, Randy."
      "Really!? All right!!! And then I can go back to Mars and claim all the stuff every one left behind! I'll be rich!" Randy exclaimed.
      Mark couldn't help but laugh again. He never laughs more than when the grandchildren are visiting. The innocence of youth. His doctor on the other hand wasn't so sure that so much laughter was good for him, but he didn't really care about those sorts of things any longer. Life seemed too sort now-a-days to worry about that. Mark shook his head. He was day-dreaming again and the children were sitting there staring at him with identical frightened faces. They had no idea what to do with a grandpa who seemed to be stunned and they were left wondering what they should do.
      "Oh, I'm sorry children. I was just trying to remember what happened next in the story."
      Randy leaned over and whispered to Jennifer, "I think grampy fell asleep with his eyes open again." She tried not to laugh at that, but it ended up that she was still emitting little giggles long after Mark had continued to tell the story.

      Justin awoke and turned to look at his clock: 7:10 AM. 'Wow, I was actually able to sleep in today.' he thought to himself. He hadn't actually slept in. He was up most of the night fidgeting around his home trying to get the butterflies out of his stomach, so it was more a case of over sleeping because he stayed up too late. Never-the-less today was going to be a big day for him. He was going on his first trip to the moon base and was actually going to see the ship that would carry the people of Mars to their new home. Even after the months of talks, and the mountains of paperwork, it still seemed like a dream that the station actually existed. He climbed out of bed feeling surprisingly spry and dressed himself in his favorite t-shirt and slacks. His attire wasn't quite the calibre required for the office, but he wasn't going to the office today. Today was something much more personal and memorable, so he wasn't going to let a stuffy suit ruin his enjoyment of it. He tied on his running shoes, grabbed his toast as it sprung from the top of the toaster, and glided out the door. To some he may have appeared to be floating as his feet effortlessly carried him forward. His mind was on nothing but the space station, and of course getting to the launch site before he missed his shuttle.
      He quickened his stride and before long he was in the hanger staring out the large window which overlooked the launching pad. Sitting there were four of the newly designed carrier shuttles. The 'accident' of a few months ago had provided the technicians with a valid excuse to revamp the design of the shuttles. The result was a transport vessel which could no longer be accurately described as a shuttle. They were much larger, and designed specifically for easy loading of large items through a rear cargo door. A small vehicle could be driven right up inside of it with ease. Even one of the old shuttles could be put inside if any one found a need to do so. The older shuttles were still being used to carry people, so Justin knew he wouldn't have the chance to travel on one of these steel monsters today. However, he was still quite happy to ride in one of the smaller shuttles. To someone who had never been in outer space before they were just as exciting as the larger ones.
      His attention soon turned to the group of people piling onto a nearby shuttle and Tracey standing in its doorway waving her arms, frantically trying to gain his attention. Justin swung his small nap-sack tightly over his shoulder and bolted for the shuttle, joining onto the end of the line as the last passenger boarded. Tracey had taken her seat and was kind enough to have saved Justin the window seat beside hers.
      "For a minute there I thought you were going to day-dream the whole trip instead of actually going."
      Justin smiled at her. "Nothing could keep me from taking this trip." His voice even had a bounce to it today. He was so excited to be traveling to outer space that his entire demeanor had become that of an excited school-boy who's class was taking a field-trip to the local chocolate factory. His happy go lucky attitude didn't last long once they were off the ground, however. The old shuttle was very noisy and it wasn't at all the smooth, effortless ride Justin had imagined. The small shuttle shook and jumped as if it were racing down an unfinished road. At one point Justin was sure he would vomit as his stomach jumped up into his throat, but just as quickly the shuttle shot upwards returning his breakfast to its proper place. He was doubly glad now that he hadn't worn his good suit.
      The shuttle's motions calmed and Justin finally had the chance to think of something other than his poor stomach. He was so tempted just to go to the cockpit and order the captain to turn this rust bucket around and take them all back to the ground. He knew he was the only person on board with the power to do it.
      Tracey could tell by the look on Justin's face that he was about to do something they'd both regret later. As he climbed out of his seat to edge his way past her into the aisle she simply raised her leg and wouldn't let him pass. "You're not about to do something that I'll hate you for later, are you?" she asked him flatly.
      "Look Tracey." To say that Justin's voice was shaky would be kind. "This ship feels like it's going to fall apart, and I personally do not want to end up as intergalactic space particles. Besides, what's gotten you all so confident that you think you can really stop me from doing it even if you tried?" Justin crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood there in defiance of whatever authority Tracey thought she had over him.
      "Let me put it to you this way, Justin. I've been shut up in my home for weeks while you've been romping around the province talking with people and getting treated as the all knowing master of this planet. This is the first time I've been able to leave my house since the protests started and I'm not about to let your little case of motion sickness send me back into my hiding place." She humphed as she finished speaking and copied Justin's defiance by crossing her arms in front of her chest to match his.
      What Justin hadn't realized was that the smoother ride was a result of the small craft finally breaking free of the planet's atmosphere. It was now gliding effortlessly through space toward the moon and not even he would have been able to convince the pilot to turn back at that point in the journey. Even before he stood up they were only a couple of minutes from docking, and now that he had spent the last few minutes trying to push past Tracey, they had arrived. No sooner had Tracey crossed her arms than the intercom system buzzed to life with the voice of the captain.
      "This is your pilot speaking. We are moments away from arriving at moon base Freedom. If you would all be so kind as to return to your seats and fasten your seat belts my co-pilot and I will prepare for final approach."
      Justin didn't like the use of the word 'final', but he sat down in his seat and did as he was instructed. Out the window he could see nothing but blackness. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. This was more of an emptiness than a lack of light. Nothing existed out there. There were no friends, no familiar faces, not even a blade of grass. Just an emptiness which was now inching its way into Justin's soul. At that moment he finally fully understood what it meant to be leaving their planet behind forever. He shuddered as a chill ran its way down his spine. Tracey noticed this and figured he was more scared than she thought he'd been. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes, looking out the window. The empty blackness had been replaced by a grey and gold barren landscape; the surface of the moon.
      The hanger walls glided into view across the window and Justin had his first glimpse of the man-made structure that was to become their new home. He felt Tracey's hand grasp his own and for the first time in his memory he did not feel an urge to recoil from it. Something about this moment changed who Justin was. He could feel the change within himself, but he could not determine exactly what it would become.
      The shuttle came to a graceful stop on the deck of the hanger bay in a hissing cloud of steam and smoke. Others on the shuttle were releasing themselves from their belts and collecting their belongings in preparation for departure from the shuttle. Justin on the other hand was sitting motionless in his seat. He couldn't take his eyes off the general bustle and activity within the shuttle bay. His eyes did not focus on any one object in particular, but instead he was staring blankly out the window, soaking in the general atmosphere of the station.
      Tracey leaned towards Justin and spoke softly in his ear, "Are you ready to go see this dream of yours made reality?" Justin didn't acknowledge that he had heard Tracey. He couldn't bear to take his eyes away from the window, afraid that if he stopped looking at what was out there; that if he stopped believing it was there, it would disappear and he'd have to wake up and realize this whole trip had been a cruel trick on the part of his imagination.
      "I'm afraid you will both have to leave the shuttle now." The voice was that of a young man in uniform with a name tag that said Chuck. He was standing in the aisle next to Tracey and looking at them both with a sense of disdain. "You'll be able to see the station much better from outside the shuttle." Justin was sure he sensed a strong intent of humiliation in the young man's voice, and Chuck's facial expression just made Justin all the more certain that Chuck wasn't being nice because he wanted to be. Justin ignored Chuck's belittling and nodded to Tracey.
      "Let's go and see OUR new future." He stood and picked up his nap-sack, motioning for Tracey to lead the way. She smiled and rose to her feet, nonchalantly nudging her way past Chuck. Justin followed close behind, being sure to take a moment to stop and talk to his new 'friend', Chuck. "Might I suggest you leave the shuttle young man? It'll be quite boring here with no-one left to annoy." Justin smiled, feeling quite victorious, and turned with a flourish, catching up with Tracey at the open hatchway.
      Tracey was trying her hardest not to encourage Justin's behaviour, "You know Justin, you can be quite an asshole when you want to be." They both laughed and carefully walked down the stairs of the shuttle to investigate their new world.

      "Whoa! Grampie swore!!" Both children were sitting there staring with wide-eyed amazement at Mark.
      "Uhhhh..." Mark wasn't exactly sure how to handle this one. He'd always been quite adamant about their use of profanity and now here he was, caught red handed using it himself. "Well... you see children... the people in the story were the ones who swore, not me. But I do apologize for not changing the words. You're both right to tell me I was wrong. And I'm very proud of you both for setting me in my place."
      Jessica and Randy both beamed with pride for having actually shown a bit of dominance over their grandfather by showing him he was wrong.
      "But... don't let it go to your heads." Mark added. He and the children chuckled, realizing that a simple swear word wasn't going to change the order of things in any noticeable way. Except maybe now Mark would take more care in choosing his words from now on.

      Their fellow passengers had all left the hanger and a single male remained at the foot of the stairs. "Hello Tracey, Justin, my name is Frank. I've been instructed to take you on a tour of the facility and ensure that you both have all of your questions answered." Justin looked over at Tracey. Her face was without expression and she remained facing forward, barely acknowledging Frank's presence.
      "Thank you, Frank." answered Justin. He figured one of them had to say something to prevent them appearing as snobbish or rude. "We were under the impression we would be allowed to explore the station for ourselves, however. I don't think we'll be in need of an escort. I'm sure we won't be able to get ourselves too lost, after all, we are confined to the station for as long as we're here." Justin began to turn away from Frank and escort Tracey along with him when he felt Frank's hand firmly grasp his shoulder.
      "I'm afraid I will have to insist, Justin. There are parts of the base which are not yet completed and it would be very... dangerous... if either of you were to stumble into them." He removed his hand from Justin's shoulder and indicated a vehicle that resembled a golf cart parked behind him. "I've arranged for the use of a vortle since walking through a base the size of this one can become quite tiring."
      Justin looked to Tracey, but her response consisted solely of a shoulder shrug followed by her climbing into the vortle first to get the best seat. He wasn't sure how to interpret Tracey's silence, but he for one did not like the way this trip was developing. He climbed in after Tracey, and he in turn was followed by Frank who took his place behind the controls. After a few control settings they were on their way. Towards what Justin hadn't a clue, but he had a feeling he was in for the adventure he had hoped for.

      Over the next few days both Justin and Tracey were treated virtually like royalty. All their needs were looked after and all their questions were answered wholly and without reserve. Justin was beginning to become more comfortable with the whole situation, but he was still uneased by his initial reactions. He had grown to trust first impressions and it was extremely difficult for him to merely chalk them up to coincidence and accept what he was now feeling. During the hours in which he wasn't acting paranoid he was more entranced by the uncanny number of elevators and corridors in this place. Frank continuously reassured him that they were a necessary result of constructing such a large structure in the interior of the moon. It was inevitable that there would be many levels requiring lifts to travel between them and the corridors were the product of building what amounted to an entire city underground.
      They were shown the huge water tanks designed to house the water of Mars as well as the aquatic inhabitants. Of course they were empty at present which added to their immensity. Justin thought he had seen enough water storage areas to have accounted for 80% of the interior of the moon's area, but Frank and the other guides they had acquired each said that the crew areas would be much larger than these. Justin had only seen the one dorm block that his and Tracey's rooms were located in. He'd also been creating mental maps of the complex during his travels and he just couldn't figure out where all these crew quarters could possibly be placed. Justin made his decision to ask Frank when he arrived. Right on cue there was a knock at the door. Justin opened it and there was Frank.
      "Ready for todays tour, Justin?" Frank was unusually chipper today as he greeted Justin at the door. He looked into the room, straining to see past either side of Justin. "Where's Tracey this morning?"
      "She's in her own room, Frank. Just like she is every morning." Justin replied curtly.
      "Man, I was sure you'd have put the moves on her by now. You two have been hanging off each other up here for two weeks now. You are capable and willing aren't you?" questioned Frank. He was very sincere, almost like he fancied himself a match-maker.
      "Look, Frank. What Ms. Jarvey and I decide to do as part of our personal lives is up to us, but even if we were to start something while we were here, we'd certainly not call upon you to come over and watch the show." Frank shrugged and stepped down the hall, rapping on Tracey's door.
      "Justin? Is that you?" came Tracey's voice from within the room. Frank chuckled and replied,
      "No lover, it's me, Frank." Justin came flying out of his room and threw himself at Frank. Justin was anything but a fighter and Frank was able to move out of his way without a lot of effort. Justin scrambled to his feet.
      "You bas...."

      Mark looked down at the kids...

      "You dumb wiggle bunny!" Justin yelled.
      Tracey came out of her room wearing nothing but a towel and quickly ducked back into her room... "Uhhh... I'll be right out in a minute!" Frank and Justin looked at each other. Both of them had only the image of Tracey's fine legs poking out from under that small towel dancing in their minds. Being men they both knew what the other was thinking and began laughing. They had collected themselves by the time Tracey emerged from her room again and the three of them started down the hall.
      Tracey was the first to break the silence. "So, Frank. Where are we going today?" Her voice was calm and didn't show any signs that anything out of the ordinary had happened.
      "Well, I thought, since it is your last day here, that I'd let the two of you decide." offered Frank.
      Justin smiled slyly. Here was his chance to see the parts of this place that had been held back from him. "I'd like to see the extensive housing quarters of this base. I've always been a fan of mass housing and I figure this will have to out-do anything I've ever seen before." He knew he was laying it on thick but he also didn't want to leave room for Frank to change the direction of the conversation.
      Frank didn't look towards Justin. He remained facing forward and didn't even alter his step. "Those parts of the base are not yet complete, Justin." Frank's voice was steady, but at the same time solemn. "I'll be happy to show you anything else though."
      "Lets go to the holding tanks again. I love the echo in there and soon they'll be full of water and we won't be able to play anymore." Tracey was obviously in a playful mood today. It just made Justin more disappointed with Frank's arrival timing this morning. It also marked the change in topic that he'd been trying to avoid.
      Frank shrugged. "Sounds OK by me."
      "All right, I'm outnumbered." acquiesced Justin. "Lets go make some echos. Might as well have a bit of fun before we leave this place to return home."

      The day went by quickly and before they knew it they were boarding the shuttle that would take them back to the surface of Mars. Justin sat in the aisle seat for this trip, allowing Tracey to see the view she missed on the trip up. His mind was racing with the last minute details that remained before the final exodus. Two months remaining before the due to leave date and still only one dorm completed on the base. How will they ever get it done in time?
      He pushed the stressful thoughts out of his mind and took a long draw from the gin and tonic he'd been given. He felt much calmer this trip and he'd be glad to have his feet planted firmly on the ground, at home.