Mars DevCo says "See ya!" to Martian cities
Company cuts thousands of jobs in massive restructuring
MARS CAROUSEL, Dec. 55 - Friday marks not only Sol One for the new annos but a new era on Mars.
Mars DevCo is ending its worker transport program that brought all but a few of the people to Mars over the past 30 annos (56 years) and is relinquishing its remaining control over most of its civic facilities in Tithonia and other Valles Marineris cities.
The company announced on the last sol of annos 101 that it will hand over responsibility for future immigration to the Tithonia (Urbs Vallis) council, which governs the largest city on Mars, and let it choose whether to share that responsibility with the other Valles Marineris cities.
The move comes as part of a wider restructuring for the storied corporation, founded nearly an Earth century ago by a “small group of visionaries with a few empty hulls in Earth orbit,” according to its official history.
The company announced a significant cost-cutting on Thursday, involving tens of thousands of job cuts as well as scaling back its Mars surface operations, and renaming itself Martius Endeavours.
In recent months, DevCo stock and bocks have taken sharp losses after a series of setbacks including explosions aboard a Mars-bound passenger liner in November.
Under the restructuring, the company plans to focus on its more lucrative Mars manufacturing business and on further developing trade with Earth, its orbitals and L5 as well as establishing a base for development in the Asteroid Belt.
“We have succeeded in building a growing and prosperous Mars, as we set out to do decades ago,” Martius CEO Horace Nummio said in a video announcement from Luna. “While that is an historic achievement, no corporation can live in the past, and we are preparing for an even more astonishing future.”
Martians take charge of their future
Going forward, the company intends to focus on its more profitable space industrial and trading businesses at Mars and in Earth orbitals and in preparing for expansion to the Asteroid Belt and beyond, Nummio said.
The company’s industrial facilities at Ares Port on Mars and in orbit remain profitable, as does its manufacturing and materials trade with Earth and its orbitals, Planetary Manager Elric Balvicar told a press conference on the Mars Carousel.
Costs for the company-sponsored transportation program, under which workers agreed to work a 3-annos term in exchange for passage to Mars from Earth, have escalated sharply in recent annos, Balvicar said.
“First, it’s no longer a profitable endeavor, even on a longer-term basis, and that is hampering performance overall,” Balvicar said. “Second, Martian cities are growing organically, with more Martians than newcomers, and the transport program is no longer as crucial as it was.”
Luna-based space industry analyst Camilla Fortuna called the move a necessary step.
“The company has lost its focus, and this goes a long way into correcting that,” Fortuna said. “They’ve been going in different directions at once, and that’s been reflected in declining performance in their spaceship business. “
From Jan. 1, local Valles Marineris councils assume total control over development and worker recruitment decisions, including Tithonia, whose council has governed the city of 61,000 in concert with the corporation.
“The people and councils have called for greater control over their future on the surface of Mars,” Balvicar said. “And Martius Endeavours is honoring those wishes.”
The local councils will be responsible for ensuring sufficient supplies of energy, food, materials and equipment as well as inter-city trade, with the company playing a supporting role as a contract provider of gear and goods.
“This is a historic moment for the people of Mars,” Tithonia Council President Claude Paddingbury said at the Ares Port press briefing. “While, we are taking control of our future, the corporation that founded the cities of the Valley will remain an important and reliable partner.”
Martius stays in orbit
Martius retains control over the Mars Carousel orbital that floats above the Valles Marineris as well as the Ares Port shuttle port and industrial facilities at the western end of Tithonia Chasma, about 50 km west of Tithonia.
The corporation will continue to provide support for scientific and research outposts on Mars under contracts with Earth governments and universities.
Martius will also bring new residents and workers from Earth, Luna and the orbitals on behalf of the Valley cities on a contract basis.
Workers still under contract will have to fulfill their terms, though the City can buy them out if they wish, Balvicar said.
Martius has also handed over to the City the residential facilities it has maintained for workers on contract and will no longer provide financial support.
That includes the nearly 2,000 workers who arrived Nov. 30 on the supply train from Earth are now living in the worker dormitories in the Tithonia Habitation Tube.
The next supply train is not scheduled to arrive until early January 103, a full annos from now, or nearly full two Earth years.
Still, the company will need to know very quickly how many passengers will be traveling to Mars on that supply train.
The announcement leaves the City council and other Valley councils only about 100 sols to decide how many people, if any, they wish to bring to Mars on the supply train that will leave Earth orbit in 429 sols in early August on Mars.
Almost all of the more than 61,000 Earth-born residents of Mars were brought by the corporation by passengers liners over 44 annos (83 years) of space travel.
The company got its start ferrying researchers to and from Mars, but soon moved on to establishing permanent settlements.
While a variety of corporations and countries sponsored early settlements, nearly all of those were abandoned for various reasons, including outright failure, or remain as very limited scientific and research operations.
“Only Mars DevCo was able to create sustainable and thriving communities on Mars,” Balvicar said. “Of that, we remain extremely proud.”
Martians wonder what the future holds
More innovation ahead?
TITHONIA, Jan. 1 - As the former Mars DevCo took a step back from control of planetary settlements, local residents and councillors wondered what it would mean going forward.
“I just got here in November from Earth, and in less time than it took to get here, everything seems to have changed,” said Emilia Campanus, a contract agriculture specialist who arrived in orbit Nov. 30, and has spent most of her time since then training for her job and for life on Mars.
“Yesterday, I was working for DevCo, and Monday I’ll be working for I’m not sure who,” Campanus said.
City officials said all workers will retain their current assigned positions and teams.
Contract workers should expect to finish out their remaining terms, including new arrivals who have about 2-1/2 annos, or 4-1/2 years left on their contract.
“We’re not making any changes for a while,” Tithonia City Council President Claude Paddingbury said. “Residents will all keep their current jobs. They can still get all their meals in the City Canteens and enjoy everything Tithonia has to offer.”
For City support workers, such as culinary, catering and environmental workers, almost nothing has changed, City Councillor Luca Matteo said.
“They were working for the City and they’re still working for the City,” Matteo said. “It’s a little different for industrial and construction staff.”
Infrastructure projects, such as the building of the fourth section of the City HabTube, had been more tightly controlled by the corporation, but will be assumed by the City, Matteo said.
City workers with industrial jobs at Ares Port will continue to be employed by the corporation, which has changed its name to Martius Endeavours, but industrial jobs within the City proper will devolve to city control, Matteo said.
“Much of what we do in the City is work that supports and sustains residents, rather than contributing directly to export trade,” Matteo said.
It’s different Extra-Muros
Outside the city, not much changes as all, said Ius Councillor Seamus Mitsutomi, a former Tithonia development manager.
“We’ve mostly been growing on our own, supporting ourselves for a long time,” Mitsutomi said. “We haven’t been dependent on DevCo (Martius) for more than a (Martian) decade. The same is true in other Valley cities.”
The corporate announcement serves as a formal acknowledgement that the local councils and chasmata are responsible for decisions on growth and development going forward.
“The corporation has actually hindered growth to some extent in Ius and other chasmata,” said Ius Councillor Elowen Derwa, a Geryon Montes resident who won a seat in the November election. “Not that we were listening to them, but it still made it more difficult to move ahead with the residential expansion for Geryon.”
The Ius plans to add housing for 10,000 more people at Geryon, in addition to the 11,500 current residents of Geryon and the 12,000 in Ius on the lower slopes of the Mont and on the chasma floor.
Geryon fabric designer Leonie Baxter, who moved from the City to Geryon in 101, said an earlier announcement might have kept her in Tithonia.
“I realize that creating and sustaining a city on Mars is amazing in itself, but I felt the corporation was holding the people back,” Baxter said. “If I’d had more room for creativity in the City, I think I would have stayed. It’s a bit of a breath of freedom for Martians.”
In Candor Chasma, residents greeted the news as heralding a more innovative and entrepreneurial era for Mars.
“We’ve been held back in our own industrial development by corporate concerns of competition from local cities, like us,” Candor Councillor Artemis Tungolwys said. “This gives us the go-ahead to compete directly with corporate industry, and to the long-term benefit of the corporation."
Tungolwys noted that Martius can export and profit from products made by anyone on Mars.
"Trade isn’t a zero sum endeavor," said Tungolwys, a successful inventor. "Overall, it’s great for the future of Mars.”
- With Kenzo Hsing, Ius Correspondent and Icario Manus, Candor Correspondent
Frozen city farm to be thawed soon
Replanting on the front burner for City
TITHONIA, Jan. 2 - Bringing a frozen city farm back to production is the first job on the menu for the newly empowered City Council.
“We’ve got a lot on our plate, but we’ve made this a priority,” City Council President Claude Paddingbury said. “And we’ll remind everyone that we have months of spare food supplies.”
The farm was frozen four weeks ago after a major power fault damaged compressors and heating units.
Replacement compressors brought in from Candor Chasma have been put in place and testing is beginning on restoring heat to the 25-hectare (62-acre) farm at the base of WestHill here.
“Once we’ve got the heat on, we can finish cleaning up the dead plants, repairing hydroponic beds and restoring soil,” Agriculture Mars Chief Iris Notting said at an adjacent farm terrace, where surf-suit clad workers were preparing to go on shift inside the 2.5 km long terrace.
The damaged terrace is mostly covered by multilayer sheathing and heat retention fabric rather than sandglass.
“We’ve got the sandglass printers going full time outside the sheathing, but that will still take at least 60 sols, taking us to the end of January before we have it substantially covered,” said Notting.
The sandglass covering provides some heating as well as better insulation and can stay above freezing without power for at least 24 hours.
The damaged terrace froze in a matter of hours.
“It’s very, very cold outside at night, even in summer,” said farmer Aurora Nabara, who was on site when the power fault occurred. “But we’re making very good progress on putting this farm back into production.
Still, Notting wouldn’t provide an exact time line for initial planting.
“I don’t want to raise expectations,” said Notting, adding that she wasn’t sure she’d keep her current title.
“It’s Agriculture Mars, which is run by DevCo, but we’re going to be working for the City council, or a Valley council, if they get one together,” Notting said. “Like Survey Mars, we do more than just local work.”
The damaged terrace provide enough food for about 1,250 people with about 2 percent of the City’s total farm capacity of 1,275 hectares.
“We have lots of extra production and literal tons of frozen foods on hand,” Notting said. “Lots of tons.”
Valley air shuttle read for takeoff?
Regular air service may be announced this week
COPRATES, Jan. 2 - Regularly scheduled air shuttle service may begin as early as mid-January, a local official said Saturday.
“We’ve been in discussions with the O’Ceileachair (O’Kelleher) Group along with Candor and Orson Welles to begin regular shuttle service,” Coprates Councillor Rhian Llewellyn told the Chaos Courier on Saturday.
The O’Ceileachairs recently added a fourth Class IV orbital shuttles, to the three they had previously acquired from Martius Endeavours, which is replacing them with the larger Class V shuttles.
“After ferrying the compressors from Candor to Tithonia, it’s clear that regular air shuttle service is needed and will really boost growth in the Valley,’ said LLewellyn.
Along with explorer captains Attracta and Electra O’Ceileachair, Llewellyn is among a group of entrepreneurs who are launching an insurance scheme for private space exploVallration, which is on track for a February launch.
Regular air service is particularly important for Coprates, which is about 1,600 km from Tithonia, a 50-sol overland trip.
“We no longer need approval from DevCo (Martius) and we can get this started as soon as we can get the shuttles and landing zones in order,” Llewellyn said.
By Sorcha Kasei, Coprates Correspondent
Calendar
Get cozy at the Cubby party
City Residence will host a dance party outside the Cubbies, or contract worker dormitories Friday, Jan. 8, featuring City band the Rhumba Cats. Cubby Terrace at 18:00 Friday. All resident are welcome.
City Strings New Annos Concert
Ensemble performs selections from Dvorak's "New World Symphony," Mozart's "Night Music" and some surprises as well. Refreshments. Mariners Hall. WestHill Terrace 4. Saturday-Sunday 13:00, 16:00
“Rhumba Room”
Fun song and dance review threedee. Goofy, guilty pleasure with great dancing Stage 3 Hab 1 Terrace 8 Jan. 7-13, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
Samba Marte Dancing and Music.
Hab3 Terrace 2 by the bamboo grove. Friday 19:00. Saturday Family dance 14:00. Drums and other noisemakers for the kids.
City Social
Mix and mingle with new arrivals and old hands. Acoustic music by acoustic duo Harris and Fitz. Hab 2. Terrace 4, by Tithonia Gardens. Friday 17:00
Las Panteras de Marte
Singer Monique Solis, guitarist Hernando Senatobia and accordionist Ignacio Beck, play Mars-style Norteño music. You’ll dance. You'll love it! Geryon Agora. Friday 19:00
Winter is Calling
Rayguns electric pop trio. Ius Forum Terrace. Saturday 21:00
- Merry Grace, lifestyle correspondent
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Photomosaic: Viking Orbiter: NASA/JPL-Caltech