Martians want to dance
City residents protest speakeasy closing
URBS VALLIS, Sept. 17 - The City (Urbs Vallis) Council meeting ended on an upbeat note Thursday evening as scores of residents began softly clapping to a dance rhythm.
A few began quietly whistling a familiar melody for samba fans, as the others started to file out of the Council Hall, some swaying with the rhythm, after Council President Claude Paddingbury gaveled the meeting to a close.
The musical coda marked an ending to a lively meeting as the City Council addressed the shutdown of an unofficial dance and dining club, or “speakeasy” as its patrons styled it, or a “substantial health danger” as Council President Claude Paddingbury called it.
The Council sought to discuss how the club in the unfinished northern end of the Habtube’s third section had managed to set up without official notice as well as measures to discourage others.
More than 60 residents, however, packed the council hall on Terrace 8 to make the case for more, and independent, entertainment venues.
“We live on a dangerous world. We can never forget that,” Paddingbury told the meeting. “Our job is to ensure that our island of safety remains as safe as possible so that our residents and newcomers can live and grow on Mars. We don’t need to add new risks.”
That is one of the reasons that the Council has not allowed independent dining establishments, while providing meals in City-run canteens, and continues to ban alcohol, Paddingbury said.
“We don’t need to add new risks, and handing out alcohol to strangers in an unapproved, unmonitored dance club is a clear danger,” Paddingbury said.
City safety inspectors closed the dining, drinking and dancing club on Paddingbury’s orders in the unfinished third section of the HabTube late Friday, sending more than a hundred club-goers out onto the terrace, where many of them kept singing and dancing amid a growing bamboo grove.
The “City Speakeasy” offered hot and cold snacks, as well as variety of alcoholic drinks that were provided by their patrons, most between the ages of 10 and 20 annos.
Paddingbury noted that the kitchens and food supply had not been subject to any kind of safety inspection.
The speakeasy’s six patrons, who included unidentified horticultural, agricultural, environmental and construction specialists, have been referred to Tithonia Superior Court, which has yet to set a hearing date.
Councillor Marcus Wu, who also leads the City Planning Commission, pointed to the risks of alcohol in a potentially deadly environment, provision of alcohol and production of alcohol.
“On top of that, we have the potential problems associated with large unmonitored gatherings,” Wu said.
A chance to socialize
Finding a place to meet people in an unmonitored setting was part of the attraction for younger residents, said first-section resident Veronica Desiderius.
“Not that I would ever go,” Desiderius said to laughs from the crowd, “But, younger people want to have fun. The City offers a lot of cultural events, City Strings, the new Opera Tithonia, the weekly social, but we don’t have a place to dance and meet new people.”
Third-section resident Aibheen Pottle said the Council should not overlook the importance of the social aspect, particularly for the newcomers due to arrive in November.
“We see the same people at work. We see the same people on our residential terraces. We see the same people in our canteens. Sometimes that works,” Pottle said. “But it’s not easy to meet new people who might turn into future spouses and more Martians. The weekly social is good, but it’s a little sedate.”
Councillor Luca Matteo suggested the City consider changing its policy of not allowing independent establishments and seek to license and regulate them instead.
“They’re amenities for residents that Ius and Melas offer and regulate, but we don’t,” Matteo said. “It’s something we should consider, particularly as we finish Habtube 3. The Council does a great job sunning the City, but running a dance club doesn’t seem like a our skillset.”
Matteo noted that the city was not exactly alcohol-free.
“We have horticultural specialists and nutrition specialists, and it’s easy for them,” Matteo said. “And a fair number of residents grow their own grapes and not just for snacks. We’re a growing city. We might consider a different approach.”
Paddingbury called to hold the discussion over for future consideration pending the resolution of the City Speakeasy case in Tithonia Superior Court.
“Regardless, we cannot overlook the dangers of providing alcohol in large gatherings, and there is a cost in labor in monitoring and regulating independent establishments,” Paddingbury said as he gaveled the meeting to an end.
At that the residents marched out clapping and singing to the terrace outside the Council Hall, where they kept on dancing for a a few songs.
“Maybe someone needs to ask our councillors to dance,” said one resident, who asked not to be identified because she is still on contract. “They might like it.”
Mars City residents samba and rhumba at dance protest
Bamboo Grove keeps the beat going
URBS VALLIS, Sept. 19 - It wasn’t exactly nightlife, but a couple hundred City residents came out to the bamboo grove in Habtube 3 to dance and socialize Saturday afternoon in a musical protest of the city shutdown of a short-lived dance club a week earlier.
“Martians want to dance,” Samba Marte singer Nia Lara called out as the group started another song with the help of clapping and makeshift percussion by onlookers and a few bemused City Safety inspectors on Terrace 2.
Most people came casual in station coveralls but some of the musicians, singers and participants came in their homemade dance clothes to show off their moves and outfits.
Samba Marte and the Rhumba Cats provided dance lessons for the uninitiated, including families with children whose enthusiasm exceeded their skills.
One boy jumped for joy on the beat, his feet rising nearly to his younger sister’s shoulder and floating back down, illustrating the effect of Mars’ lighter gravity.
“The music comes from Earth, but the jumps are all Mars,” said geologist Roxanne Yamazaki who was out walking with her family when they came across the dance party.
The family had come for an afternoon walk on what has become a popular route in the unfinished third section when they came across the dance party, Yamazaki said.
“We’re not looking for night clubs at this point,” Yamazaki said, watching her son jump. “But it would be nice to have a place to go out from time to time.”
That was the main point the protestors sought to make after the City Council shut down the surreptitious City Speakeasy nightclub which had been offering snacks, dancing and drinks without official approval until last Saturday.
Petra Huascan came for the dancing with a mid-length skirt and cropped jacket.
“City Speakeasy was fun,” the metallurgist said. “It was a great place to dance, and meet people who like to dance. We could kick up our heels a little bit.”
While Huascan said she understands why the City Council is cautious, she agrees with those who say it’s time for more independent entertainment choices in the City.
“Sure, we started as a science project, but we’re a city now,” Huascan said. “It can feel very confining and it would be a way to let us all let off a bit of that feeling.”
Huascan regularly goes to the Friday evening City Social in Hab 2, but said it can be a bit sedate.
“The music is good, but it’s not exactly dance music,” Huascan said.
Providing dance venues also helps to keep Martians in shape, said Samba Marte singer Lara, a soil engineer. “It’s fun and it’s good exercise. They’re always telling us to do more exercise to keep up our Earth strength.”
Asked whether the dance protests would continue, Lara said, “We’re calling it a dance clinic. It just happens to be where the Speakeasy was.”
With that, Lara went waded back into the dancing crowd, singing an old Brazilian samba song whose refrain translates as, “I live on a farm.”
Ius, other chasmata, defy City, approve homesteads
Move follows Noctis lead
IUS CHASMA, Sept. 16 - The Ius Chasma Council approved all homestead claims that have been accepted by Survey Mars, in tandem with the Melas, Coprates and Candor councils on Wednesday in a response to City (Urbs Vallis) efforts to bring all Valles Marineris habitations under its control.
The moves follows the lead of the Noctis Labyrinthus Council, which last week approved all homestead claims for habitations that have been completed, are under construction or completed.
The City (Urbs Vallis) Council voted Sept. 4 to require all homesteads in the Valles Marineris to submit to their approval or risk having their settlement claims revoked or rejected.
“The City is essentially threatening to seize the homes of people who have risked their lives to build new lives outside the City and to further the growth and development of the Valles Marineris,” Ius Councillor Seamus Mitsutomi said. “We won’t stand for it, and the other chasmata won’t stand for it.
Mitsutomi noted that all of the homestead claims had previously been accepted by Survey Mars, which serves as the registrar for land and habitation claims.
The City measure also demands that new and existing homesteads provide geological and hydrological site data, which critics say duplicates the data that Survey Mars already has from orbital observation.
“This information is already available, and homesteaders use it to choose sites,” Candor Councillor Griffin D’Armagnac said. “It’s nothing more than an attempt to control the communities that are outside City control.”
The chasmata council approvals include habitations that are not part of the main community, such as unconnected habitations near the Ius community on the chasma floor or individual and group habitations elsewhere in the chasma.
In Coprates, that includes the homesteads that are not yet connected to the growing Coprates “ring city” around its home crater.
“Once they’re connected, they’re part of the overall community though they retain the individual claim,” Coprates Councillor Perseverance Mendez said. “Either way, the claims are valid and have been recognized by Survey Mars and the Corprates Council, with no need for City interference.”
Melas continues to expand from the edge of the community, but some individual habitations further out are likely to be incorporated over time.
One of the City rationales is that homesteaders may be claiming more resources than they actually need to develop their sites, said Melas Councillor Bryce Margate.
“They’re not really resources until the homesteaders start working,” Margate said. “It’s the same ice and rocks that have been sitting here for a few billion years. It’s not like we’re tapping into the City water system.”
No second chances outside on Mars
Students trainers suit up for safety
ARES PORT, Sept. 15 - Three emergency surfsuits beeped out a warning as one would-be safety trainer struggled to get his helmet on, another fumbled with the closing strip and a third had to start all over again after putting the wrong foot in first.
“That beeping means time is running out,” City Safety instructor Athene Skyros shouted to the class of 20 students being held in an Ares Port Shuttle Terminal 1 tractor garage. “You’ll pass out first, if you’re lucky.”
“Ten seconds,” Skyros said over her radio to the 10 students who were suiting up. “The rest of you, why are you standing there? Why aren’t you helping? Five, four, three, two, one.”
One student reached over and pulled up the diagonal zip strip to seal a neighbor’s suit, stopping that suit from beeping. Another helped a classmate get their right arm in, and zipped up their buddy’s suit.
The final student’s suit wailed a high-pitched constant tone until a classmate sealed his suit and the insistent sound was replaced by the beeping.
“The suit’s telling you he’s not going to make it if he doesn’t get inside,” Skyros said, pushing the last student to sit on the floor and motioning him to lay down. “Get him inside now. He might live if you’re quick.”
Four students carried the prone man to the tractor parked on the deck and hauled him inside, where they connected his suit to the robo-med.
When they were done, the students waited inside the tractor as another instructor walked out, face made up with red, blue and black blotches to show frostbite.
“That’s what you get if you’re lucky,” Skyros said. “Let’s take a break and go over it again.”
The students were working to become certified to train the new workers who will arrive on the Nov. 30 supply and cargo train from Earth.
The surfsuit training is mandatory for all new arrivals, regardless of their work assignments, as are the weekly drills for the first 100 sols. Workers have to pass the emergency test before they can venture outside
Some 2,500 immigrants will arrive in November, most of them headed for Urbs Vallis or Ares Port, and many of them eager to venture out onto the surface of their new home planet.
“They need to know, first of all, that it’s deadly out there if you don’t do everything right,” Skyros said. New arrivals first learn how to put on a surfsuit properly under supervision and without time pressure. Finally, they have to pass the emergency test.
The training sessions run by Survey Mars aim to ensure that everyone on Mars is adequately trained for outdoors and for the possibility of an air breach.
Every trainer may save a life
Still accidents happen. Two newcomers were seriously injured in December of last year due to failure to properly seal their surfsuits. One died in October 99, another in November of that year.
“Every one of you will save someone’s life,” Skyros told the class. “Accidents happen, and Mars doesn’t give second chances.”
After student trainers learn to put the suit on properly within the time limit, they move on to surfsuit rip repair, visor display and suit maintenance.
First, the student trainers have to show they can put on their own suits within 15 seconds and immediately begin double checking the classmates acting as a suit buddy.
“You have 15 seconds, what do you do?,” Skyros asked student trainer Kea Achieng, a cargo specialist who arrived on Mars in July 98.
“Pull open the suit pack. Check it’s on,” Achieng said without hesitation. “Put in your left foot, left arm, hood. Right foot, right arm, Pull Collar tight. Pull up the seal strip. Check visor reading. All green? Check your buddy.”
Skyros handed Achieng an unopened suit pack, waited a moment and said, “Go!”
At two seconds, the suit was open, at six, Achieng had the hood on. The class watched as Achieng finished and turned to the student next to her to check their suit and gave a thumb’s up signal.
“Fifteen seconds! Do that in the low pressure room and you’re a trainer.” Skyros said to her fully suited students over radio,
When Skyros called for questions, one unsuited student asked why the left foot is first.
“Because of the diagonal seal strip from the right knee to the left shoulder. If you put your right foot in first, you’ll struggle to get the left in. Try it,” Skyros said.
Fifteen seconds later, left leg just barely in the suit, the student had proved the point.
“Okay, let’s watch a Martian do it,” Skyros said and handed an unopened suitpack to a reporter watching the class, a first-generation Martian. “Go!”
“Twelve seconds!” Skyros called when the suit was on. “You could be a trainer!”
Mars gets dusty
Lunae Planum storm covers Xanthe Terra
MARS CAROUSEL, Sept. 19 - A dust storm that blew up about 700km north of Candor Chasma in Lunae Planum has grown to cover more than 300,000 sq km, including a large part of Xanthe Terra, according to Survey Mars. (Corrects storm area to 300,000 sq km from 30,000, an editing error)
The storm is edging down into Ophir Chasma, just north of Candor, and ranging about 1,200 km east to the Shalbatana Vallis, covering Mutch and Orson Welles craters as well as the southern portion of the Shalbatana Vallis
The storm is expected to remain regional, though the potential exists for it to grow into a planet-covering storm, Survey Mars spokeswoman Stella Regina wrote.
Survey Mars has issued a caution for supply trains and survey crews in the affected and neighboring areas.
“If a supply train is within a day or two of Candor Melas, they may want to head there and wait for the storm to clear,” Regina said. “Remote survey crews should prepare to hunker down.”
A Survey Mars crew left Orson Welles Saturday, Sept. 12, on an inspection tour of a community being built in deep caverns in the Shalbatana Vallis, in an area where a different Survey crew was trapped for six weeks earlier this year.
Regina said the the crew had reached its destination but had not sent further word.
“They’ll report to Survey Chief Ian Kuyper, and he’ll decide whether to make a statement,” Regina said.
- Alfwinna Webster, Mars Carousel Correspondent
Calendar
Save a life. Get surfsuit certified
Keep new arrivals safe outside. Ares Port and City Safety are offering a four-week course in surfsuit for safety trainers. Get certified. Saturday afternoons. Ares Port Shuttle Terminal 1. Register through City Safety.
Saturn Ringing
The Tithonia Museum is hosting an exhibition of an exquisitely detailed orrery with spheres that mimic the view from orbit of each of the planets. The distances and size aren’t to scale, since Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets wouldn’t fit, but the detail is amazing. Ends 27 September East Terrace 12
Geryon Cafe opens
The Café du Mont holds its grand opening Saturday Sept. 26 with coffee and pastries. Meet patronne Janine Depaysage and enjoy a croissant. Geryon Agora from 07:00
City farmers' market
Bring your greens. Get your greens. Stalls available by appointment. Industrial Tube Terminal. Saturday 0900-1500
Spike! Volleyball
Get ready to jump without worrying about the ceiling. Learn to play volleyball at the new Hab3 beach. Saturday, Sunday sessions 08:00, 10:00, 12:00. North Beach Hab3 Terrace 1
“Sail Away”
Fun scifi threedee. about solar-powered ships sailing the future far heavens.. Stage 3. Hab 1. Terrace 8 Sept. 24-Sept. 30, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
Rock Hounds
Old Earth style trio, guitar bass and drums at the Ius Forum. Friday Sept. 25 21:00
Rhumba Cats
Dance and learn to dance rhumba, salsa and samba. All ages. Families welcome. Bamboo Grove, Hab 3 Terrace 2 Saturday Sept. 26 14:00
City Social
Mix and mingle with new arrivals and old hands. Acoustic duo Harris and Fitz mixes strings with sweet harmonica and vocals. Hab 2. Terrace 4, by Tithonia Gardens. Every Friday 17:00
- Merry Grace, lifestyle correspondent
The Chaos Courier helps you over the rough spots.
Classified Ads
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SURFSUIT. Repair. Upgrade. Added sheathing. URBS 269 71765
WALL GARDENS. Custom seeded and sized. Illuminate, water, grow, eat. IUS 278-14275
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WELDERS. Experienced welders seeking space yard qualification. Ex-contract only. PONTUS 100 639
PLASMA SPINMASTER Compact fusion designs. CANDOR 286 25120
CONSTRUCTION All specialties. Some outside. Ex-contract only. GERYON 278 68034
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DRILLING specialists, supervisors and crew. Ex-contract only MELAS 285 13941
APPRENTICES Metal smith, forging, casting, 8 annos (14 years) and up. URBS 269-37728
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APPRENTICES Machining. 8 annos (14 years) and up. CANDOR 286 53480
APPRENTICES Construction. Interior. GERYON 278 65689
SAMBA Find your rhythm. Samba Marte offers dance and percussion session. URBS 269 54391
BALLET Poise, strength, balance, beauty. URBS 269 62577
BALLROOM DANCING Let's Rumba! URBS 269 49144
YOUTH CHORUS. Want to sing? URBS 269 13930
STRING GROUP Seeks guitar, mandolin CORPRATES 295 98446
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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
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Photomosaic: Viking Orbiter: NASA/JPL-Caltech