I guess that Big Donny expected us to appear during the celebration of Ice Cream Day, specifically the part in which the newcomers leave the rocket, making room for the veterans to leave.
Speaking of the rocket, we couldn't hitch a ride on it, because there is a limited amount of spots and supplies in there and any change in crew size could cause a big mess.
- What a coincidence - Sebastian noted - We made it right on Ice Cream Day.
- Yeah, what are the chances? - Dawn added.
- What are we even supposed to do on this day? - Claudius asked.
- Celebrate? - I guessed.
- But how...? - Amber joined in.
- For now, I guess we'll follow the crowd and see what happens - Einstein didn't know either.
We decided to do just that and observe the colonists to see how they act. It wasn't long before we found a crowd gathering before the entrance. Big Donny was actually going to work before noticing the group. As it turned out, he (somehow) forgot about the special day, but eventually joined in too.
Roby appeared out of the blue and gave a pretty boring speech before everyone entered the airlock to get their spacesuits. Since we're formally colonists, we did the same thing. Afterwards, the crowd left the outpost and emerged onto the surface. We blended in perfectly.
While we were on our way to the landing pad, I noticed that all the colonists seemed jolly, as if it was Christmas. Well, for them, Ice Cream Day is far more special than Christmas, because the former only happens once every two years and two months. Still, everyone was ecstatic, including Big Donny.
He was followed by a small group of fans. Donny was actively talking to them, but we couldn't hear him due to the distance. Eventually, we saw the rocket. It was slightly smaller than the Remedy, at least when the latter was waiting on Earth, because now the wreckage is tiny compared to this vessel. In front of the rocket was a path flattened and cleansed of dust by robots. People gathered on both sides of the path, with Roby walking up to the rocket. All in all, it was a solemn moment and everyone was watching Roby as he made his way to the vessel. He gave another, luckily shorter speech. I noticed that most colonists were also bored by his talk, mainly because they were waiting for the festivities, not political speeches.
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for came. The hatch slowly opened and the newcomers were met with cheering and applause. We joined in too. Even Dawn did.
The newcomers made their way on the path, shaking hands with the veterans along the way. I noticed a small, automated rover in the distance playing ceremonial music to accompany the moment. The newcomers were brought into the base by Big Donny, while a few workers attatched pipes to the rocket, so that the refueling process can begin.
Roby, being the official he was, made his way to a pump located near the entry gate. How we didn't notice this pump earlier is still unclear. With everybody watching him, Roby turned the valve and the liqiud methane started flowing. A cheerful countdown ensued, with us involved as well.
- 20... 19... 18... 17... 16... 15... 14... 13... 12... 11... - the voices got even louder when they reached the halfway point - 10...! 9...! 8...! 7...! 6...! 5...! 4...! 3...! 2...! 1...!
The countdown was followed by a moment of silence, after which everyone screamed:
- LIFT OFF!!!
The rocket's engines did ignite and every colonist watched the vessel ascend, officially starting the veteran return trip. People stood in place until the rocket was too far away to see. After that, a march began, even more jolly than the previous one. Many workers brought entire rolling supply crates and were photographed by other astronauts. It was quite beautiful, seeing everyone being so happy.
Now, we will find out what happens next. The workers split off from the other colonists, as the crates had to be brought through a separate airlock. The other people made it to the same entry gate as before. We took off our spacesuits and made it back into the main hall among many others. However, nobody stopped.
Instead, everyone made their way through the main hall into a previously unseen area of the outpost. The place was like a giant dining room. People picked their spots. There was no system in place, so it was a free-for-all. Our team occupied one of the smaller tables, which had eight chairs. The larger tables had sixteen. People were talking, so we used this time to exchange information.
- Wow, this is crazy... - Amber got the hang of the Martian celebration.
- Yes, it's a very unique ceremony indeed - I added.
- I think I remember something relevant... - Anthony stated cryptically and we got closer together so that he can whisper. Even though that wasn't technically necessary, because people were really loud because of excitment, we still wanted to maintain secrecy. We're spies, after all.
- Remember when Roby grumped when he heard about the Agency? - Anthony asked and we nodded - It's because the colonists generally dislike earthly Americans.
- Why so? - Arika wanted more.
- Mainly because of cultural differences. For example, Martians don't celebrate the 4th of July, because they have Red Week - Anthony continued.
- I'm sorry, but what's Red Week? - Dawn interrupted.
- It's the anniversary of the arrival of humanity on Mars, extended into a whole week. It overlaps with the 4th of July, which infuriates many people on Earth. Pair this with how different and separate Mars is from Earth and you get genuine disrelish - Anthony finished.
- Are you sure, dad? Aren't we more tolerant for unique culture? - I was a bit unsure.
- We are, but our earthly politicians want Mars to be a show of American strength and the colony being so different from the host country isn't a good image of America. Enemies like this, but people like Captain Nigel or Richard Diaz don't - my father summarised and I nodded.
- So it's mainly officials who dislike the colony's uniqueness? - Claudius asked.
- Yes - Anthony confirmed.
Meanwhile, Roby and his men were bringing the crates into the dining room. They contained food from Earth, including the famous ice cream. Everyone, us included, cheered upon seeing this. We had to stand another speech from Roby before the crates were opened and food was given out to everybody.
This is a very special moment, because a lot of the goods are as luxurious for colonists as things like gold or cavior are for earthlings.
However, excitment peaked when the final crate arrived. It is the one which contains the ice cream. Roby personally opened up the crate to reveal... nothing.
The colony was robbed.
Not everyone noticed this immediately. Many peeked into the crate only to find emptiness and dissapointment. The jolly atmosphere instantly turned somber. Even we were sad, especially because the colonists simply deserve happiness, seeing all the hardships that they go through on a daily basis.
- Where is the ice cream?! - a man dressed in a suit similar to Roby's emerged out of the crowd and went as far as personally confronting the supreme authority of Mars Base Beta.
Even though the situation was tough to say the least, the man was met with disdain from the colonists. One of the locals walked up to us, as we didn't recognise the person.
- That guy is John Premium, the most spoiled and annoying person in the whole base. He payed to be here as a tourist with his quarrelsome, venomous wife and is angry at everyone, because Mars Base Beta isn't a five-star resort like he expected - the local explained.
As John Premium continued complaining, we also grumped at his lack of control over his anger. We got to the point where Roby's guards forced John away. All of a sudden, Big Donny materialized behind us.
- Hey, you, newcomers! - Big Donny approached us - I heard that you're spies or something. Maybe you can investigate the theft?
Seeing the sadness that the robbery had caused, we were more than willing to accept the offer.
ns216.73.216.64da2
and then Add to home screen.