The scene was lit, she gave the sign, we began our discussion.
Almost immediately a group of six masked men charged the platform. Both Dreiser and I were roughly seized.
One of the masked men shouted, ‘We don’t need discussion. These men are criminals! This dome remains EUPACUS territory. They have no right to speak. We are in charge here until EUPACUS returns—’
But they were mistaken in naming EUPACUS so boldly. It had turned into a hated name, the name of failure, the label for those who had isolated us. Half the hall rose en masse and marched forward. Had any of the masked intruders been armed – but guns were forbidden on Mars – there would have been shooting at this point. Instead, a fight ensued, in which the intruders were easily overpowered and Dreiser and I released.
How were the masked men to be punished? All proved to be EUPACUS technicians in charge of landing operations, refuelling or repairs. They were not popular. I sent for six pairs of handcuffs, and had them cuffed around metal pillars for six hours, with their masks removed.
‘Is that all their punishment?’ asked one of my rescuers.
‘Absolutely. They will not reoffend. They suddenly lost their authority. They are only disoriented by the new situation, as we are. Now everyone can have a look at them. That will be shame enough.’
One of my attackers shouted that I was a fascist.
‘You are the fascist,’ I said. ‘You wanted to rule by force. I want to use persuasion – to bring about a just and decent society here, not a mob.’
He challenged me to define just and decent.
I told him I would not define what the words meant just then, particularly since I had never experienced a just and decent society. Nevertheless, I hoped that we would work together to form a society based on those principles. We all knew what just and decent meant in practice, even if we did not define them with precision. And I hoped that in a few months we would recognise them as prevailing in Mars City.
The man listened closely to this, pausing before he spoke.
‘My name, sir, is Stephens, Beaumont Stephens, known as “Beau”. I will assist your endeavours if you will free me from these handcuffs.’
I told him that he must serve his punishment. Then he would be welcome to help me.
Our forum found a powerful supporter in Mary Fangold, the woman who ran the Reception House. She was a neat, rather severe-looking woman in her late thirties, of Mediterranean cast, with dark hair cut short, and striking dark blue eyes. I had developed a strong liking for her through her kindness to Antonia in the latter’s last days.
‘If we are to survive here as a society, then everyone must be given a chance to be part of that society.’ Her voice, while far from shrill, held a ring of conviction. I was to find that indeed she was a woman with a strong will. ‘On Earth, as we all know, millions of people are thrown on the scrap heap. They’re unemployed, degraded, rendered useless, while the rich and Megarich employ androids. These wasteful creatures are the new enemies of the poor – as well as being inefficient.
‘It’s no good talking about a just society. First of all, we must ensure that everyone works, and is kept busy at a job that suits her or his intellect.’
‘What job is that?’ someone shouted.
Mary Fangold replied coolly, ‘My Reception House must become our hospital. I need enlarged premises, more wards, more equipment of all kinds. Come and see me tomorrow.’
While I had anticipated that many of us would harbour negative responses, even feeling suicidal, about being stranded on Mars, I had not expected so many clearly stated objections to everyday existence on Earth. These the forum wished to discuss first of all, as bugbears to be disposed of.
These bugbears came roughly under five heads, we finally decided. The first four were Mistaken Historicism, Transcendics, Market Domination and Popular Subscription, all of which made existence more difficult than it need be for the multitudinous occupants of our green mother planet. Fifthly, there was the older problem of the rich and the poor, the Haves and Have Nots, a problem of heightened intensity since a long-living Megarich class had developed.