Beep!36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn172kemHDs
The camera started recording as the cameraman followed us out of the base. Being fully dressed in spacesuits, we bravely stepped outside. Despite the winds whistling and vehicles moving around every now and then, the barren Martian landscape seemed unchanging, almost frozen in time.
Instead of an open sky, I was met with reddish-brownish rock stretching far above us, because we're in the giant canyon system known as Valles Marineris, which acts as a natural radiation shield. I would need to look upwards to see the orangish sky, but observation was not today's goal.
Ahead of our group was a broken rover. One of the poor robot's wheels snapped off, leaving it stuck in the Martian dust. Claudius, our team's mechanic, was the first to reach the damaged vehicle. He, from a simple glance, instantly knew what was wrong.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4ZcRUg7kI
Sebastian, our leader and self-proclaimed cool guy, handed him a toolbox. The camera operator carefully recorded every bit of the procedure. Claudius grabbed his tools and started repairing the rover.
- Claudius, our mechanic, is always ready to deal with technical difficulties. Here, on Mars, we always come prepared with a toolbox, should something break down - Einstein, our adult caretaker and supervisor looked at the camera, explaining the process to our viewers.
Claudius was quick to get the rover back in a good condition, but we had to reprogam it. This is where Arika, our professional hacker and IT expert, took over. She found a contol panel mounted onto the rover's back and she started programming. The cameraman zoomed in on her hands to show her work to the world. To Earth, that is. Few watch our reality show on the Red Planet, not only because there are, generally speaking, few people here, but also because they deal with this stuff almost every day.
Amber, a combative girl and our warrior, was on lookout duty, making sure that nobody will interrupt our broadcast. She's only a year younger than me.
As Arika finished the code and uploaded it into the system, I checked to see if there was any dust in the "guts" of the rover. I moved the robot's "head", which was facing downwards for some reason. I'm a space enthusiast and have vast knowledge about various space-related subjects, so I took care of the last step.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFvZIsW4B2
With the reperation process complete, Dawn, a teenage ex-criminal who changed her ways after being marooned with us on the Red Planet, flipped a switch on the rover, thus activating it. The robot happily moved on to continue its duties.
We gathered behind the rover, which didn't bother to stay with us, forget looking at the camera. It nonchalantly drove away, ignoring our business. We waved goodbye at the camera.
- See you next time on Mars! - Anthony, my father, said goodbye to the viewers - I'll go eat a potato...
With that, the broadcast was officially over. As far as food was concerned, we were hoping to eat something, but not potatoes. The whole potato joke is a gag that Earthlings enjoy, taking root in the misconception that potatoes make up majority of the Martian diet. To raise our viewcounts, we've been instructed to repeat the joke. I'm still baffled at this decision to this very day. Why not show the reality instead? It's a reality show, after all.
Truth be told, our diet is far more diverse than a single vegetable. Aside from various vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce, we enjoy several types of fruit, including mainly tomatoes and peppers. There are also strawberries, but I never eat them, because I have been born with a strange aversion to strawberries.
Today, a special treat was on the menu. Ice cream reaches the Red Planet every two years and two months due to transfer windows. Thus, on the day it arrives along with other sweets (considered luxurious products on Mars), every ordinary colonist is ecstatic. So are we, but we're far from being ordinary.
We are, in fact, an undercover team of American space spies who were forced to go this far to avoid an assassin group, known as the Martians in an ironic twist of fate. The Martians targetted us because they considered us a major threat to their future plans, seeing how we've dealt with other evil cosmic organizations, such as the Perseids, a now-dissolved Russian criminal group to which Dawn formerly belonged, or BIORBITAL, a Chinese bioengineering company which secretely developed bioweapons.
First, the Martians hijacked our rocket and crashed it on Mars, almost killing us. We had to survive on limited resources inside a small rover for almost a month before reaching Mars Base Beta. However, this isn't the worst part.
The Martians went as far as accusing us of stealing the Martian ice cream, a despicable act commited by the group itself, to turn the angry people on us. The overall rage of the colonists, mixed with modern-day tensions, escalated into the Martian Revolution.
The revolutionaries initially saw us as the supreme threat, but changed their minds when we revealed the truth about Robert Rupert, the Martian governor who was simultaneously the hidden leader of the assassin group. With Roby exposed and captured, our records were cleared and we were allowed to rejoin the colony, even being praised for saving Mars Base Beta from Roby's evil plans.
However, this doesn't come without repercussions. Because we've technically helped the revolutionaries free Mars from America by forming an anti-Roby alliance with them, the Agency of Cosmic Espionage, which we are a part of, now considers us traitors. This means that we are, for all intents and purposes, rogue agents.
Currently, we're trying to live a new life and distance ourself from the spy mess. We chose to star in a reality show decribing the daily life of Martian colonists. Justine, my mother who recently learned the truth about the Agency, has reconciled with Anthony, who was recruited into the organization behind our backs, to keep secrecy.
While there are no villains actively hunting us, since the assassins went to jail, there is still a threat looming over us. The haunting possibility that the very Agency which got us into this chaos will find us and place us behind bars, for being supposed traitors.
However, I tried to not think about that scenario too much. Especially now, when everyone around was extremely happy. With the recording done, we made our way back to the outpost. Dropping off our clunky spacesuits, we made it inside.
Much like most people in the outpost, we made our way to the dining area where the ice cream will be served. Normally, it would be given out on Ice Cream Day, which is when the rockets from Earth arrive, but since the ice cream was stolen and, aside from a few tubs which we salvaged, incinerated by Roby's team, that was unfeasable. Because of this, the celebrations take place later than usual. However, that didn't seem to matter much to the colonists. They just wanted about a break from the seemingly never-ending work, no matter when it comes.
Everyone was cheerful, delighted by the late celebration. Big Donny, a Martian celebrity and role model who took charge following Roby's departure, gave a speech about the troubles the colony went through this year. After that, we started eating.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuQGOjCn0H
The ice cream was especially delicious, but I believe that this is partly caused by us not eating sweets for over half a year. Food tastes better after a long break. Everybody on the planet, ourselves included, craved something different from their typical menu. Thus, many finished their servings exceptionally quickly.
We weren't nearly as fast, which was a good thing. All of a sudden, the cameraman approached us.
- The episode is airing, but it will take a while to reach Earth. You know, communication delay - he told us. The guy promptly sat down next to us and we enjoyed the ice cream together.
- Time Skip -
Having finished the festive feast, we left the dining area, as we have to come back to work shortly after the festivities come to a close. Out of curiosity, I grabbed my phone and checked to see if the new episode of our reality show was already uploaded.
To my surprise, it was. We could now watch ourselves struggle with the rover and so could the citizens of Earth. Comments were flooding in like a tsunami.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcQ6jBdOVd
Many praised our methods, laughed at the potato joke and wished to live on the Red Planet just like us. However, there was one comment that stood out and caught my attention. It wasn't good.
- Guys? - I asked the others - Are we in trouble with this?
- Give me that - Anthony asked and I complied. He promptly read the comment out loud:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKn0IhUa4Dm
- It's them!
ns216.73.216.51da2
and then Add to home screen.