Paddingbury wins Mars City mayor vote
Logistics Chief Matara runs close second
TITHONIA, Feb. 7 - Call him Mayor Paddingbury.
City Council President Claude Paddingbury is capping a long career in city government by winning the election to become the first mayor on Mars.
Paddingbury, who first won a seat on the City Council 12 annos ago (23 years) in 90 and has served on it since, was elected with 40 percent of the ballot, or 15,084 votes.
City Logistics Chief Helen placed a close second with 14,330 votes, or 38 percent.
“I have the longest experience of anyone on Mars in listening to people’s complaints about, well just about everything,” Paddingbury quipped. “That makes me uniquely suited to be mayor, where I hope to remain just as effective at solving problems for our residents.”
Paddingbury says goodbye to the Council he has served on for more than a decade on Thursday and takes up the new job of mayor on Monday.
“It’s the only way they could get him off the Council, joked Alfa Eridu, among the eldest of the first Martians and just a few annos older than Paddingbury. “He’s built up a lot of goodwill among firs- generation Martians who have dedicated their lives to settling this planet, and this job suits him.”
One of the first thousand Martians, Paddingbury was born in 67 in Urbs Vallis, the name for Mars’ first city until it was changed to Tithonia after its home chasma in November. There were only around 5,000 people on the planet when Paddingbury was born.
Paddingbury, now 35 annos (nearly 66 years) worked in supply and logistics before moving into a variety of city roles, including environmental systems, residential and construction management, logistics and corporate liaison.
“As councillors, we provide advice and suggestions to city managers,” Paddingbury said. “In this role, I will have direction supervisions and hope to use that for the benefit of all our residents.”
In the election, 37,712 votes were cast, about 95 percent of the 39,.682 eligible.
Former Councillor and Planning Commission President Marcus Wu came in a distant third with 12 percent of the total, or 4,712 votes.
“He lost a lot of votes on the coffee shop,” said second-section resident Jaspar Jackson, referring to the Planning Commission’s June decision to turn down a proposal for a café under Wu’s leadership. “Not just that, but residents simply want more choices about their lifestyle and he’s at odds with that.”
Among write-in ballots, Councillor Beatta Baken of WestHill drew 1,092 votes, just over a hundred more than Hab 1 residents Belinda Patel, a noted supporter of changing the City’s name to Tithonia in the November election.
The Council will name a temporary president next week to replace Paddingbury until a new councillor is elected, likely within the next month,, Councillor Luca Matteo said.
Matara said she will run for the newly open Council seat and becomes the favorite in the election to replace Paddingbury.
“She was just too new in comparison to Paddingbury to win city-wide,” said hab-design specialist Antonia Coyoacan. “But younger residents, in particular, are looking for a new direction and they see her as someone to help us make those changes.“
Candor mulls independent export trade with Earth
Martius says not from our orbit
CANDOR CHASMA, Feb. 9 - Candor will explore ways of building independent export trade with Earth and Luna under a chasma council resolution passed Thursday, but Martius Endeavours stresses that its patent grants it control over all off-planet trade.
The council voted 4-3 to explore opportunities to establish export channels in addition to the current trade through the corporate-controlled Ares Port near Tithonia at the western end of the Valley and through the Mars Carousel orbital
“Independent export trade with Earth and Luna is crucial for future growth of Candor and, indeed all the cities of the Valles Marineris,” Councillor Griffin D’Armagnac said at Thursday’s meeting. “Right now, we are very limited in what we can export off planet.”
Martius, which handed over civic control of Tithonia and its remaining civic facilities to the local councils at the end of December, owns the only cargo terminal on Mars as well as the orbital cargo facilities handling trade with Earth.
“That’s goes back to the beginning of the corporation and the Martian settlements,” Martius Planetary Manager Elric Balvicar said when asked about the proposal. “Trade to and from Earth, Luna, L5 and orbitals must legally go through Martius facilities.”
Balvicar said the corporation is always willing to consider profitable ideas to increase trade.
“We’re happy to talk about how Candor and other cities can increase trade from Mars, but that has to make sense for Martius as well,” Balvicar said.
Candor has led the Valley in innovation, including the BarZoom compact fusion units, industrial printing technology, printer stock conversion and dust control.
Candor recently sent a dozen compressor units to the Tithonia after a power failure led to the freezing of a 25-hectare farm terrace in the WestHill section of the City.
Freight's going to add up
Much of that development involves equipment that is too heavy to economically export, Councillor Silas Lederberg said in voting against the resolution
“It doesn’t make sense to ship heavy equipment to Earth, when it can be licensed and printed or manufactured there,” Lederberg said. “I’m not against increased trade from Candor, but this involves boosting equipment to orbit and shipping it a half billion kilometers to Earth, which could make it there under license.”
Balvicar noted that much of the current trade with Earth involves relatively light materials such as fusion fuel, where Mars has an advantage, as well as ship engine technology which can be used in cargo ships to Earth.
“There needs to be a clear and profitable competitive advantage to anything we send back,” Balvicar said, adding that is a focus for the the company’s Mars orbital factories.
Increased intercity shuttle service, rather than Earth trade, makes more sense as an immediate focus for Candor, Councillor and inventor Artemis Tungolwys said.
“Right now, it takes 50 sols to get to Tithonia overland, and half that to Ius, so anything we can do to lessen that is going to have a more immediate impact for Candor.”
Tungolwys noted that Candor had shipped a dozen compressors and other equipment by shuttle to Tithonia after a power fault froze a local farm terrace in mid-December.
The new Air Mars intercity shuttle service is working with engineers in Ares Port and Candor to design and build a small fleet of lighter intercity shuttles to offer more frequent flights, co-founder and Coprates Councillor Rhian Llewellyn has said.
That projects envisions shuttles that can carry up to 100 passengers, double the capacity of the Class 4 orbital shuttles now being used.
Shalbatana Vallis builder Jeremiah Volcan has proposed building mini shuttles for a maximum 20 passengers which could provide more distance than the hopper tractors used by Survey Mars, but that plan might require intermediary stops.
Tungolwys argued that it would be better to focus on increasing intercity trade in the Valley for now, with an eye toward the future development of the Asteroid Belt, which is outside of Martius’ control.
“That’s going to be big for Mars as well as Earth,” Tungolwys said. “But we can make ourselves indispensable as a base and supply depot for that development.”
First ice train pulls into Melas
More water for the fish ponds
MELAS CHASMA, Feb. 7 - The cargo train crawled into Melas loaded with dusty one-meter cubes that didn’t look like much but marked an important moment for the Valley’s fourth largest city.
The cargo on four flatbed cars amounted to 132 cubic meters of water ice mined from one of the lowest spots in Melas chasma, about 70 km southwest of Melas.
“Till now, we’ve relied on the water right here under our feet,” Councillor and project manager Niah Parnasse said watching the train arrive. “Now, we can bring in more water, which means more farms, more aquaculture and more residents.”
Still, the cargo run was more of a test project than anything else,” Parnasse said.
“It’s proof of concept really. We could keep a cargo train going full time, bringing ice back and forth, but we’d rather build a pipeline in the future.
The drilling project is in an area once covered by ancient lakes that left behind a layer of ice a few hundred meters thick under the chasma floor. The chasma was later scoured by epic outflows of water that left jumbled terrain behind.
Cargo train engineer Shoshana Tioman said the run was easier than her usual route through Candor Chaos.
“It’s only two sols, compared to the 11 it takes to get to Candor, and the terrain is not as challenging, but you still have to be careful,” Tioman said. “But we get a great view of the chasma wall.”
Cargo trains usually carry equipment and frozen food stuffs in containers, and the load handled a bit differently with the blocks on flatbeds.
“You can’t let the train tilt as much, or you risk tipping, and no one wants to tip out here,” Tioman said.
The ice will berefined and put into reserve for the aquaculture ponds that wander among the many domes of Melas.
“We have to clean it up, but then it can go into the general supply,” Parnasse said.
The water mining project was originally approved July 1, 101, by the council.
The council will continue to look at alternate means of bringing the water to Melas, and is still considering a proposal to build a pipeline to Ius, the second largest city in the Valley.
“If we can build a pipeline to here, we can build one to Ius,” Councillor and Supply Chief Vita Rivenhill said.
It’s a big weekend for 99ers
Nearly 2,800 go ex contract on Thursday
TITHONIA, Feb. 11 - For 2,783 City residents who arrived on the July 99 supply fleet on transport contracts, Thursday marks the end of their 2-1/2 annos (nearly 5 year) term.
That means they’re free to leave their city and Ares Port jobs, to pick up stakes and move to the other Valley cities, or go homestead if they’re tempted.
“Not that I have any immediate plans, but it’s good to know that I have the options and the choice,” says 99-arrival agriculture specialist Roberta Munda. “Farmers are in demand all over the Valley.”
Munda says he has thought about moving to Coprates, which is 1,600 km away from the city and a 50-sol overland trip.
“I’d take the Mars Air shuttle for a visit, if the City had a shuttle port, but a 100-sol round trip is a long time for a visit. So maybe I’ll just take a couple weeks off and pop down to Noctis,” Munda said.
Nearly all of the more than 61,000 people who came to Mars from Earth did so on 3 annos (5-1/2 year) transportation contracts that include a half annos credit for the journey.
Among the 99 arrivals. Fabric engineer Veronica Desiderius says moving to Mars was the best decision of her life.
“It’s hard to give up everything, knowing you’ll never see family and friends again, but I’m glad I made the move, and glad that I’m working on fabrics that make it easier, and just possible, to live on Mars,” Desiderius says.
Atmospheric specialist and 99er Annis Nanrerl says she has gotten used to her new home and likes the City life and her job.
“I still dream about it sometimes, but Earth feels very far away and very long ago,” says Nannerl, who adds that she’s ready to celebrate with her fellow fleet mates.
“It’s certainly worth celebrating, and I expect to see a lot of people on the terrace outside the Speakeasy (in Hab 3),” says Nannerl, referring to the city-run nightclub.
For its part, the City plans a variety of events over the weekend.
“We’ll have music from classical to Mars samba and dancing for everyone, including the new families,” Tithonia Residential Supervisor Giulia Villanova says. “We’ll have a Martian-themed costume party. Maybe we’ll get John Carter and Deja Thoris, princess of Barsoom back in costume.”
Rockets' offense blasts Devils' defense
TITHONIA, Feb. 9- It was offense against defense at this week’s Marsball match between the Hab 1 Dust Devils and the Hab 2 Rockets.
The Rockets offense overcame a spate of second period craters due to the Devil tight defense to notch a convincing 75-63 win. in front of 282 fans at the Terrace One Arena in Hab 3.
“They played a great second period, but after they started to tire after the intermission and we had a lot more good looks and capitalized on them, said Rocket forward Ronaldo Sepulveda, the high scorer at 21 points.
The Rockets moved ahead to 2-1, while the Devils fell to 1-2.
”We played our game well, forcing three craters in the second period, but we were having trouble scoring, and they weren’t,” Devils guard Guard Preston Quintana said.
Next week closes out the third round as the 1-1 Ares Port Orbits meet the 0-2 Hab 3 Quasars.
- Deroy Duval, Sports Correspondent.
Calendar
99er Bamboo Garden Party
City Residence hosts a party for the 99ers and their friends at the Bamboo Garden and City Speakeasy. Hab 3 Saturday from 19:00
Big Dance at the Cubbies
City Residence hosts an expanded dance party outside the Cubbies, or contract worker dormitories, with the Rhumba Cats and City Samba. Friday, Cubby Terrace at 20:00 Friday. Hab 1 Terrace 3. All resident are welcome.
“Next Stop Proxima”
Scifi adventure threedee about the first fleet to Proxima Centauri. There’s a surprise Stage 3 Hab 1 Terrace 8, Feb. 16-22, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
City Strings
Selections from Dvorak’s New World Symphony in honor of the 99 arrivals going ex-contract Mariners Hall. WestHill Terrace 4. Thursday. Friday 1300, 1600 and 1900.
Toreador
City Singers and City Strings join up as Opera Tithonia to bring selections from “Carmen,” including Habanera and Toreador. Stage 1 Hall, Terrace 8, HabTube 1. Saturday, Sunday 15:00
The Rosettas
The Rosettas will get you moving with their Marsbeat sound. WestHill Sky Terrace. It's up at the top. Saturday 1600-1800.
Rock Hounds
Old Earth style trio, guitar bass and drums at the Ius Forum. Friday 21:00
Geryon Song Share
Acoustic players swap songs. Geryon Agora. Two sessions. Saturday 16:00, 20:00
Coprates Swing Session
Kick up your heels at Schiapparelli Hall. Friday 18:00
Coprates Raas / Garba
Dance troupe takes it to outer space. Only one more week. Don't miss it. Schiapparelli Hall. Saturday 16:00
Melas Karaoke
Brush up on all your favorite songs and get ready to sing solo, in groups or just sing to yourself at the Bottom of the Sea cantina. Friday 20:00. Melas.
City Social
Mix and mingle with new arrivals and old hands. Hab 2. Terrace 4, by Tithonia Gardens. Friday 17:00
City Farmer’s Market
Saturday. Stalls available by appointment. Fabrica (Industrial) Tube Terminal Saturday 0900-1500
Marsball Week 9
The 1-1 Ares Port Orbits close out the third round against 0-2 Hab 3 Quasars. Thursday 20:00 Hab 3 Terrace One Arena
- Merry Grace, lifestyle correspondent
Classified Ads
SHIP REFITTING, BREAKING All craft, parts and refurb. PONTUS 100 751
BORING HEADS Diamond durable. Get the job done. CANDOR 286 49762
JUMP START. Tractor Repair. Mobile unit available. If we can reach it, we can fix it. NOCTIS 260-22098
DUST BUNNIES. Turn dust into dirt. Best for plants. MELAS 285-78329
SURFSUIT Refurbishing. Fabric and boot repair, seal replacement, visor refurbishing, comms upgrades. COPRATES 297-14210
SHUTTLE AGENTS, MECHANICS for InterChasma terminals. PONTUS 100 763
CARGO HANDLERS. Space experience required. Contract exemptions considered. PONTUS 100 419
WELDERS. Experienced welders seeking space yard qualification. Ex-contract only. PONTUS 100 639
CONSTRUCTION All specialties. Some outside. Ex-contract only. GERYON 278 68034
AG ENGINEERS Hydroponics, aeroponics. Ex-contract only. IUS 278-71892
APPRENTICES Recycling systems. 8 annos and up. IUS 278 98559
APPRENTICES Metal smith, forging, casting, 8 annos (14 years) and up. URBS 269-37728
APPRENTICES Fabrics production, design. 8 annos and up. URBS 269-98523
APPRENTICES Ceramics. 8 annos and up. URBS 269-98523
APPRENTICES Environmental systems. URBS 269 81447
SPACE CAMP. Get ready for orbital work. All ages. ARES PORT 268 00910
BALLROOM DANCING Let's Rumba! URBS 269 49144
YOGA. Get the kinks out. IUS 278-43256
DANCING. All styles for adults. Hab 3 Rec Center. URBS 269 10311
STRENGTH Training for trainers. COPRATES 295 04716
The header photo is the iconic mosaic of the Valles Marineris hemisphere of Mars from 2,500 km above the surface taken by the Viking Orbiter. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The Candor Chaos Courier, Candor Chaos, Valles Marineris, Mars
The Chaos Courier gets you over the rough spots
Future News from Small Town Mars
Copyright © 2025, M. Fitzpatrick, all rights reserved
Photomosaic: Viking Orbiter: NASA/JPL-Caltech