On a well-settled Mars, the five major city Council regimes
struggle to meld into a stable, working government. Embracing an official
Unified Faith In Humanity, the Councils are teetering on the verge of pogrom
directed against Christians, Molesters, Jews, Rapists, Buddhists, Murderers,
Muslims, Thieves, Hindu, Embezzlers and Artificial Humans – anyone who
threatens the official Faith and the consolidating power of the Councils. It
makes good sense, right – get rid of religion and Human divisiveness on a
societal level will disappear? An instrument of such a pogrom might just be a
Roman holiday...To see the rest of the chapters, go to SCIENCE FICTION:
Martian Holiday on the right and scroll to the bottom for the first
story.
“The four of you have become a crux.”
The Dalai Lama smiled, adding, “a cross if you will.”
DaneelAH shook his head. “You can’t be
serious.”
“Why not? You are young. You are
excited. You are also skilled in areas I cannot even describe.” The Dalai Lama
lifted up a hand in benediction and said, “It’s time for you to go.” He turned
away from them and headed back into his quarters, deep inside the underground
tent – the only Buddhist monastery on Mars.
DaneelAH said, “Now what?”
HanAH said, “You’re the one with the
box of religion porn. Should I arrest you now or do you want to get going?”
“I vote for ‘get going’,” said AzAH. “We
shouldn’t stay here any longer.”
“Why?” asked MishAH. “I like it here.
It’s got a peace I’ve experienced nowhere else on Mars.”
HanAH snorted, “Since when did your
mystical gene activate?”
MishAH scowled, “Longer than you’ll
ever know. But in general for some time now I’ve been having thoughts I can
only describe as ‘spiritual’.”
HanAH turned away and picked up his helmet
and put it on. Watching him walk to the airlock and stand, loosed armed, AzAH
said, “I guess the discussion is ended.” She followed him, pulling on her
helmet.
DaneelAH looked at them, then back to
the doorway the Dalai Lama had taken and said to HanAH, “I’m not converting to
Buddhism, but what this man has done is amazing.”
HanAH only grunted and put his helmet
on, heading to the others. He pushed past them and opened the inner lock door
and clumped through. The rest followed him. They all turned at once, fixing
DaneelAH with a monocular, gold-plated sun visor glare. Holding up one hand in
surrender, the other holding the holy library. He had always had perfect recall
and quoted the Dalai Lama, “‘No one on Mars has a complete holy book. The Koran
here has been tampered with as have the Analects, the Aqdas, the Kojiki, the
Tao Te Ching, the Torah, the Tripiṭaka, and the Vedas. Others less well
known but just as important to their adherents have also been tampered with.’”
He held up the crystal, “I’ve been given a holy library. The Dalai Lama charged
me to bring people their corrected holy words.”
He put the crystal into a protective
pocket and sealed it then put on his helmet. He tapped his radio control and
heard HanAH say, “You have a chance here to stop all the other heretical faiths
in their footsteps and allow only the true word of God to spread on Mars. What
are you going to do?”
DaneelAH shrugged – a huge effort
wearing the stiff fabric of the Martian surface suit. “Right now, I’m going to
get us out of here. We have a mission on Mars and I intend to accomplish that
first. After that, we can discuss a mission to Mars. But the Dalai Lama said that
he was set on using peace and compassion in my treatment of the Christian on
Mars as well as his oppressors – in this case the Mayors of the Domes. The marsbug
we were riding in was programmed by a man named Paolo. His public file makes it
quite clear that he’s a Christian evangelist.”
MishAH said, “This Lama and the
evangelist aren’t even the same religion – why should we have anything to do
with either one?”
DaneelAH paused and pulled the inner
lock door closed and set it to cycle them out. “If you’re trying to provoke me to
anger, I’m of the same mind as Dorje Gyatso. I don’t hold anything against the
Buddhists, just as this Paolo evangelist has counseled the Christian community
on Mars to forgive as Christ would also forgive them. Our greater danger is the
Mayors and a growing pogrom. It will not be against the Jews only this time.
The Mayors will direct it at anyone who disagrees with them; anyone who refuses
to conform to the philosophy of the Unified Faith In Humanity – and as we are
not true Humans, we will be swept aside in that pogrom.”
“Then we need to defect,” said HanAH.
“That’s absurd,” said AzAH.
MishAH didn’t say anything until they
reached the marsbug. “Well? What are you thinking, MishAH?” snapped HanAH
angrily.
She pulled her helmet off, stared at
him, then looked to DaneelAH, “I think we have a mystery to solve before we
start a evangelizing mission.”
DaneelAH nodded, “Something happened on
Mars a long time ago and it’s driving the Mayors – almost as much as the rest
of us fighting against Unified. We have to finish that.”
By then, AzAH, MishAH and HanAH had
moved to their stations. Again, they all turned to look at him. He took a deep
breath and said, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Only AzAH, the biological translator
laughed. She glanced at the other two, shook her head, “I’ll explain once we’re
under way.”
HanAH grunted, but started the marsbug
and pulled away from Vogel Station.
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