‘If nothing happens to stop him, he will.’
‘And then what? Will he drop this Waster campaign then?’
‘I can’t say. I don’t know if he’s laid his plans past the Co-ordinacy. Still, if you want my guess,,he couldn’t abandon the campaign and maintain his popularity. It’s gotten out of hand.’
Sankov scratched the side of his neck. ‘All right. In that case, I’ll ask you for some advice. What can we folks on Mars do? You know Earth. You know the situation. We don’t. Tell us what to do.’
Digby rose and stepped to the window. He looked out upon the low domes of other buildings; red, rocky, completely desolate plain in between; a purple sky and a shrunken sun.
He said, without turning, ‘Do you people really like it on Mars?’
Sankov smiled. ‘Most of us don’t exactly know any other world, Assemblyman. Seems to me Earth would be something queer and uncomfortable to them.’
‘But wouldn’t Martians get used to it? Earth isn’t hard to take after this. Wouldn’t your people learn to enjoy the privilege of breathing air under an open sky? You once lived on Earth. You remember what it was like.’
‘I sort of remember. Still, it doesn’t seem to be easy to explain. Earth is just there. It fits people and people fit it. People take Earth the way they find it. Mars is different. It’s sort of raw and doesn’t fit people. People got to make something out of it. They got to build a world, and not take what they find. Mars isn’t much yet, but we’re building, and when we’re finished, we’re going to have just what we like. It’s sort of a great feeling to know you’re building a world. Earth would be kind of unexciting after that.’
The Assemblyman said, ‘Surely the ordinary Martian isn’t such a philosopher that he’s content to live this terribly hard life for the sake of a future that must be hundreds of generations away.’
‘No-o, not just like that.’ Sankov put his right ankle on his left knee and cradled it as he spoke. ‘Like I said, Martians are a lot like Earthmen, which means they’re sort of human beings, and human beings don’t go in for philosophy much. Just the same, there’s something to living in a growing world, whether you think about it much or not.
‘My father used to send me letters when I first came to Mars. He was an accountant and he just sort of stayed an accountant. Earth wasn’t much different when he died from what it was when he was born. He didn’t see anything happen. Every day was like every other day, and living was just a way of passing time until he died.
‘On Mars, it’s different. Every day there’s something new-the city’s bigger, the ventilation system gets another kick, the water lines from the poles get slicked up. Right now, we’re planning to set up a news-film association of our own. We’re going to call it Mars Press. If you haven’t lived when things are growing all about you, you’ll never understand how wonderful it feels.
‘No, Assemblyman, Mars is hard and tough and Earth is a lot more comfortable, but seems to me if you take our boys to Earth, they’ll be unhappy. They probably wouldn’t be able to figure out why, most of them, but they’d feel lost; lost and useless. Seems to me lots of them would never make the adjustment.’
Digby turned away from the window and the smooth, pink skin of his forehead was creased into a frown. ‘In that case, Commissioner, I am sorry for you. For all of you.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I don’t think there’s anything your people on Mars can do. Or the people on the Moon or Venus. It won’t happen now; maybe it won’t happen for a year or two, or even for five years. But pretty soon you’ll all have to come back to Earth, unless—’
Sankov’s white eyebrows bent low over his eyes. ‘Well?’
‘Unless you can find another source of water besides the planet Earth.’
Sankov shook his head. ‘Don’t seem likely, does it?’
‘Not very.’
‘And except for that, seems to you there’s no chance?’
‘None at all.’
Digby said that and left, and Sankov stared for a long time at nothing before he punched a combination of the local communiline.
After a while, Ted Long looked out at him.
Sankov said, ‘You were right, son. There’s nothing they can do. Even the ones that mean well see no way out. How did you know?’
‘Commissioner,’ said Long, ‘when you’ve read all you can about the i e of Troubles, particularly about the twentieth century, nothing poht1cal can come as a real surprise:’
‘Well, maybe. Anyway, son, Assemblyman Digby is sorry for us, quite a piece sorry, you might say, but that’s all. He says we’ll have to leave Mars – or else get water somewhere else. Only he thinks that we can’t get water somewhere else.’
‘You know we can, don’t you, Commissioner?’
‘I know we might, son. It’s a terrible risk.’
‘If I find enough volunteers, the risk is our business.’
‘How is it going?’
‘Not bad. Some of the boys are on my side right now. I talked Mario Rioz into it, for instance, and you know he’s one of the best.’
‘That’s just it-the volunteers will be the best men we have. I hate to allow it.’
‘If we get back, it will be worth it.’
‘If! Ifs a big word, son.’
‘And a big thing we’re trying to do.’
‘Well, I gave my word that if there was no help on Earth, I’ll see that the Phobos water hole lets you have all the water you’ll need. Good luck.’
6
Half a million °:i!es above Saturn, Mario Rioz was cradled on nothing and sleep was dehc1ous. He came out of it slowly and for a while alone in his suit, he counted the stars and traced lines from one to another.
