Chapter 2

It had been 20 years since the first colonist on Mars. Those were rugged times, but the plans for Mars colonization were well in place before those 20 years. It was now a matter of execution, good old-fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves work. Everything was planned: both hard and soft infrastructure was pre-set up, from how energy from the dust storms would power the planet to the domed hydroponic farms and trees that kept oxygen and CO2 levels balanced. 

There were even plans for future generations, including schools, medical facilities, sports and exercise facilities, and laboratories for scientists. The South Side of the planet housed the mining facilities, where much of the raw materials processing and construction occurred. The South Side colonists were the worker bees who provided the labor to build the domes and keep things running. In the North were the intellectuals, including scientists, artists, poets, teachers, and professors. Both sides worked in harmony, and a virtual utopia had been created on Mars. Or so it seemed.

Crime on Mars was nonexistent; there had been no need for a formal police force, and everyone who came to Mars had been fully vetted and had to pass rigorous physical and mental tests. 

Everything had been accounted for and anticipated, or so they thought. But, like anything touched by humans, with human needs, self-grasping, and never-ending desires and emotions, utopia was bound to fail. Mistakes were bound to be made, and trust was bound to be broken.

to be continued