“You’re James Chambers?” the teacher asked as he came in.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jim said. The teacher was young and very pretty. He reminded himself that nobody over forty was allowed to come here as a permanent settler, so there were few really old people here. Even the oldest settlers, who had come to Mars back in 1991, were only in their fifties and sixties now. Most of the people were much younger.
“I’m Mrs. Cartier,” the teacher said. “You’ll find a desk at the side of the room with your textbooks on it.” Turning to the class, she said, “James is going to be with us for a year. His father is a biologist from Earth who is doing research here.”
Finding his desk, Jim examined the books piled on it. There were all printed on the rough paper manufactured on Mars. He was relieved to find that they were no very much different from the ones he had left behind on Earth. There was an English grammar book. There was a history book, but none on geography—Earth geography didn’t matter very much up here. The history book was easier than his old one, but the math looked a lot tougher. He had had some algebra, but this book went well into geometry. The science book looked advanced, too.
There was one other textbook labeled “citizenship.” He flipped quickly though it. It was all about Mars Colony, how it was governed, and what goals it had.
The citizenship lesson seemed to be going on right then. Jim leaned forward to listen. Mrs.
Cartier was saying, “We on Mars govern ourselves and are governed by Earth at the same time. Paula, explain that.”
A tall girl with a deep tan rose and said, “The Colony Council governs Mars, and the council is elected every year by popular vote. Everybody over the age of eighteen votes. The council makes all the decisions, but they have to be approved by the governor, who is appointed by the United Nations on Earth. The governor serves for five years. When he vetoes a decision of the council, the council can still appeal to the United Nations to overrule him.”
Jim followed the lesson carefully. He saw the picture of Mars as a hard-working place where everyone pulled together. Nobody seemed to be interested just in making money or having a good time. Everyone carried his share of the load.
After the citizenship lesson there came English grammar. When the colony was started, it was decided to limit to only one language. English was picked because more people on Earth spoke it, either as their native language or as a second language, than any other. It was the only one taught on Mars. Some fields of knowledge had to be sacrificed so that more useful ones could be taught.
After grammar came the history lesson, and then lunch. Jim filed out with the rest of his class.
No one said much to him. They didn’t seem interested in making friends.
He met Sally in the hall, and they went down to the school cafeteria together. “Having any trouble with the lessons?” Jim asked.
“Some, but I’ll catch up. Are you getting the cold shoulder from your classmates?”
Jim nodded. “You too?”
Jim and Sally decided that the colonists were being unfriendly. Maybe it was the treatment handed out to all new arrivals, they decided.
There were two hours of classes after lunch. At two o’clock the dismissal bell rang. Everyone from the fifth grade up was dismissed to go to work. They had no heavy labor to do, of course. Their daily three hours of work was mainly errand-running and small jobs. The grownups handled the heavy work of excavating the new levels and constructing the new homes.
As they left school, Jim tried to buddy up with the boy at the next desk. Falling in line with him, he said, “My name’s Jim Chambers. I live at Copenhagen Street near Romania Avenue.
What’s your name?”
“Don Bruce,” the other boy said. He kept walking.
Jim hustled to keep up with him. “Do you live anywhere near me? Maybe we can get together tonight. I need help to bring me up to date on the classwork.”
Don Bruce stopped short and looked coldly at Jim. In a voice without any friendliness in it he said, “Listen, Earth boy, I’ve got my own friends. Find somebody else to study with.”
“But—”
“I can’t waste time talking to you. I’ve got a job to do, Earth boy.” And he darted away.
Jim found Sally in front of the school. She looked unhappy. She said, “These Martians aren’t very friendly, are they?”
Jim shrugged. “I tried to chum-up with a fellow in my class, but he just told me to leave him alone.”
“And I couldn’t even get an answer out of them. They walked right past as if I were a ghost,”
Sally complained.
Jim said, “I think I know what it is. Most or all of them are native-born Martians. We’re outsiders, freeloaders from Earth. We eat their food and we breathe their air, but we don’t do any work in return.”
“We’d work if they asked us to,” Sally said. “Anyway, it isn’t as if we were here as beggars.
Dad’s doing some very important research, after all.”
“It isn’t important to them,” Jim replied. “Anything that isn’t actually helping to build the colony doesn’t matter to them. All they care about is digging more levels and building new houses.”
“Well, I hope the freeze thaws out pretty soon,” Sally said. “Otherwise it’s going to be a pretty miserable year for both of us.”
Chapter 5
When they returned to their new home, Jim and Sally saw a truck parked out in front. Nobody was in the downstairs apartment, so they went upstairs. Their mother and father were hard at work setting up the laboratory. The equipment had arrived. There were two microscopes, some collection bottles, a workbench, and three small empty wire cages. The laboratory was far less impressive than the crowded, gadget-packed setup that Dr. Chambers had on Earth -
but this wasn’t Earth.
“How was school?” Dr. Chambers asked. “Think you’ll be able to slip right into the study program?”
“We ought to be able to,” Jim said. “It isn’t that different from what were were doing.”
“And did you make some new friends?” asked their mother.
Jim and Sally eyed each other uneasily. After a short pause Sally said, “We were too busy learning the school routine. But tomorrow—”
She was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone.
“Hello?” Dr. Chambers said, snatching up the receiver. He listened for a few moments. “But I’m going to need that centrifuge, don’t you see? And what about—” A pause. “Oh, all right. I’ll put through a new application.” He hung up irritably and paced around the room, muttering,
“Red Tape!”
“What’s the matter, Dad?” Jim asked.
His father shook his head tiredly. “The Martians cooperate right up to the point where it costs them something and then they stop. They let me have those two microscopes because no one else needed them just now, but when it comes to other lab equipment, they tell me they can’t spare it! How am I to carry on delicate research if they don’t let me have equipment?”
“Don’t worry, dear,” Mrs. Chambers said soothingly. “You have a whole year, you know.”
“And if I have to wait ten months of it to get the essential equipment? What then?”
“I’m sure the colony authorities will be cooperative, Roy. After all, they must understand that your work will benefit them, too—”
“All they understand is immediate practical results,” Dr. Chambers growled. “Not that I’m blaming them, mind you! They have a world to settle, and they want to get on with the job, not divert valuable equipment to pie-in-the-sky biological research. But if they would only look beyond the ends of their noses and realize that science is important, too, just as important as so-called ‘practical’ things, and that if it weren’t for science they’d all be still down on Earth now instead of up here—” He forced a faint smile. “I don’t want to lose my temper. Maybe things will improve. Let’s finish bringing the equipment up.”