We Arrived too early

We are in the year 196, yes, you read that right, we are in the year 196, but not in the Gregorian calendar, but in a new calendar, called the Space Calendar, marked by its year 1 being from the first permanent expedition to Mars, marking human interplanetary existence, one of the greatest achievements of humanity to date.

Not only has the counting of years changed, but also the way the months are structured, the counting of hours and minutes. We now have 13 months, 12 months with 30 days and the 13th month with 5 or 6 days, depending on whether it is a leap year or not, known as the Month of Universal Brotherhood. A day now has 10 hours and hours now have 100 minutes and minutes 100 seconds. One second of the Space Calendar was equivalent to 0.864 seconds of the Gregorian Calendar.

And today is the first day of the year 196, the day when Earth and all human space colonies stop to celebrate another year.

For most of the population it was a day of celebration, but for Mars-1549, the 1549th orphan of the Martian Orphanage of Colony 7, it was a day of concern, the day he reached the age of majority and had to leave the orphanage, in addition to choosing his "christening" name. Along with him, two other friends, Mars-1540 and Mars-1556, would soon be leaving and planned to live with Moses, the former Mars-1533.

Moses had arranged to meet Mars-1549 at 05:00 of the Space calendar, equivalent to 12:00 of the Gregorian calendar, in the visiting wing of the Orphanage, a simple room, with 8 square tables with 4 seats each, spaced in 4 sections of 2 tables. It was a wing that was rarely used by older orphans. Few people were interested in visiting orphans, and a few thought about adopting, and when they did, they preferred children. It had been more than 7 years since Mars-1549 had been there, and Moses only knew this part of the orphanage from stories of his friends almost adopting, since he had entered the "old" orphanage.

The minutes did not pass for Mars-1549. He only had a few minutes left before he could access the visiting wing. However, the orphanage management was extremely strict about the time and would not allow him to enter until the exact time. Holding his small suitcase in his sweaty hands, Mars-1549 could not take his eyes off the clock.

— These damn 5 minutes are not passing, what the hell! I want to get out of this shitty place right now! — He shouted — Let me go, Athena! It's only 5 minutes!

— I already said 15-4-9 (fifteen, four, nine), you'll only leave here when it's time, until then you're the orphanage's responsibility...

Atena, one of the orphanage's most beloved guardians, said calmly, but she soon frowned and raised her voice and said.

— AND MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK PROPERLY, YOU FUCKING SON OF GOD! IT'S AS IF YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE AN EDUCATION HERE, YOU SON OF GOD!

— Okay, okay, sorry.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

— Only you could make me laugh at a moment like this 15-4-9, you'll be missed, if I could I would let you go, but you know I can't, right?

— I know...

Athena began to look at the horizon through a small window, while Mars-1549 continued looking at the clock, until she spoke.

— You know 15-4-9... Each one of you who leaves is like a son of mine leaving my house to go live alone, except that unlike a son, most of you never come back to visit your "mother"... Come here once and for all 15-4-9, you were and are very special to me, I took care of you from the first day you stepped foot here until today, I held you in my arms while you were still a baby... But from now on it's up to you! You've become a man! Go live your life, but know that there is someone here you can always count on.

Mars-1549 didn't even know what to say at that moment. This was one of the greatest displays of love and affection he had ever received in his life. Athena had been there for him throughout his life, but he hadn't even realized that from now on she would no longer be by his side to help him and get him out of the troubles he got into. For a brief moment, he forgot the time and began to stare at Athena. The sun's rays that came in through the window illuminated her and reflected some tears that were running down her face. Noticing this, he dropped his bags on the floor and approached her with a trembling voice.

— Athen…

— It's your time, 15-4-9. Go be happy!

She said after opening the door to the visiting wing and walking towards the interior of the orphanage. Mars-1549 thought for a moment, but gathered courage, picked up his bag and began to walk towards the door, until he heard it.

— 15-4-9! Tell me something! Aaaah and send a hug to Moses, that's the name 15-3-3 chose, right? Don't go along with him, he's already gotten you into a lot of trouble. — She said, with a smile on her face while a few tears ran down her face.

— Leave it to Athena! That's right! I don't know where he got that name from, but 15-3-3 is now called Moses. — All the worry and distress he felt a short time ago seemed to have gone away and given way to an ecstasy in discovering the unknown.

When he entered the room he noticed Moses, the only one there and who was unshaven and wearing some simpler clothes.

— Hey 15-3-3! Or rather Moses! How are you, man?

— I'm doing great! What's up? Eager to explore the world out there?

— You know me... I was born ready! Let's go!

— That's how I like it!

They said this while hugging each other and smiling broadly, but soon Moses began to get serious and calmly observe the entire environment, every corner of that room.

— So this is what the famous visiting room looks like...

— That's right. It's been years since I've been here, the last time was with a strange couple who were thinking about adopting me. — As he spoke, 1549 also looked closely at the place with a feeling of nostalgia — It's more run down here than I remember. — He said laughing.

— In the 6 years that I've lived here, I've never had visitors, no one has ever thought about adopting me, I've only heard the stories about this room and imagined what it would be like.

— But what about when you left? Didn't you come here?

— No, because there was no one waiting for me outside, so I just left. If it weren't for you and the boys, I would be sure that no one would miss me here.

In a few words, the atmosphere that was one of joy at the reunion became heavy and silence hung in the air, until it was interrupted by Moses himself.

— Let's get out of here, I don't like this place.

— Yes, we will, but how do we get out of here?

— Just follow your father — Moses said laughing.

Moses led the way, until he reached the door of a kind of dome that covered the entire orphanage. Before the exit, there was a small decontamination wing, where a kind of air was thrown into the air at them, while they kept their arms open to cover a larger area.

— What is this, Moses?!? — 1549 said worriedly.

— Relax, it's just for decontamination. The "fancy" places have it and, believe it or not, the orphanage is considered a good place to live.

— I can't believe it, are you kidding me?

— Seriously! This is for decontamination, just open your arms and relax.

— I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the Orphanage being considered a good place to live.

— Yes, as incredible as it may seem, it is, do you want to see me prove it to you quickly. When we leave through that door, I want you to take a deep breath.

— Okay, leave it to me.

1549 was apprehensive, he didn't know what was going to happen, he only knew that it was probably another one of Moses' pranks. As soon as the door opened, Moses made a gesture with his arms, making way for Mars-1549 to pass, he looked deep into Moses' eyes, a little suspicious, held his breath, took two steps towards the exit and took a deep breath.

— Cough! Cough! Aaaaaah, what is this Moses! Cough! Cough! The air is so damn dry! Cough! Cough! My throat and nose are super dry now. Cough! Cough! What did you do?

Moses couldn't even answer, he burst out laughing seeing Mars-1549 angry and unable to even breathe properly.

— I didn't do anything, the air out here is like that.

— What do you mean? Isn't that possible? How do people live like that?

— Believe me, it's like that. The air quality in the central dome is pretty bad in this Colony. They say that in some Colonies the air is the same as on Earth, but I believe that's just a rumor. However, in some places that have their own domes the air quality is usually better, as is the case with the Orphanage.

— I thought there was only one dome protecting us from the outside...

— For most people that's how it works, but look back and you'll see that the Orphanage has its own dome that's inside the central dome. I can tell you that one of the few things I miss about there is the air.

— It looks like I'm going to miss it too. Cough! Cough! But what now? Where are we going?

Let's go home. — Moses said as he fiddled with his wrist, which had some sort of device attached to his suit.

Even inside the dome, it was very common for everyone to wear space suits, because of what could happen if the dome depressurized or simply malfunctioned. It was rare, but when it did happen, it was usually fatal for those without the suits.

— Wow, how fancy! Where can I get a device like that, Moses?

— Just work and buy your own. — Moses replied, laughing. — You can get this quickly; it's super cheap, only about 0.02 *satoshis or so.

As they talked, a self-driving car pulled up, opening its doors to let the two of them in.

— Get in, 15-4-9, it doesn't bite. — Moses said, grinning.

— Haha, very funny. I grew up in an orphanage, but I've seen one of these in videos and movies.

— Look at that, the man knows his stuff.

— Aaah, Moses, changing the subject. Everyone's curious—why did you pick that name? You're not even religious.

— I chose it because I'm going to part the Red Sea. — Moses replied proudly as the vehicle continued its journey.

— But there's no sea here. — Mars-1549 looked utterly confused as he stared at Moses.

— It's the Sea of Sand, 15-4-9! The Sea of Sand! I'm going to explore every corner of this planet and achieve things no one ever dreamed of. I'll make my mark on history!

— Ooooh, I like the confidence! But I'm the one who's going to make history! You can join in as my assistant.

They both burst out laughing. When they finally stopped, Moses turned serious and asked:

— And you? Have you thought about your name yet?

— Not yet, but I'm not in a hurry.

— You should be. Without a name, you can't get your ID, and without that, you can't get a job or do much of anything around here.

— I know… I'm thinking about it.

They fell silent for a moment. Mars-1549 became thoughtful, watching the buildings around them as the vehicle made its way through the city. Traffic flowed smoothly; accidents were rare, and there was almost no human interaction in the vehicles. Mars-1549 had never been outside the orphanage. Everything was new to him, filling him with wonder. Most of what he knew had come from the orphanage's internet, heavily filtered and "censored" to block content deemed sensitive for orphans.

— Everything here feels so much bigger than in the videos I've seen… Look at this traffic! It's complete chaos, but it flows so well. How is it possible that these cars don't crash?

Moses listened as Mars-1549 spoke in awe.

— That's progress, my friend. Humanity has created incredible machines. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You're going to see things that will blow your mind.

The vehicle began to enter an area with older buildings. The structures bore marks of time—rust, peeling paint, and bent metal. The people around looked rough, with threatening glares. Most weren't wearing space suits but instead "indoor clothes," as they called the attire worn inside buildings. Mars-1549 noticed these details and started to feel uneasy.

— Where are we going, Moses? Do you live around here?

— You'll see. — Moses said with a sly smile, the kind that hinted he was up to something. — I'm taking you to a place where you'll experience something you've never imagined.

— What do you mean, Moses? What are you doing?

Mars-1549 became even more alarmed by his friend's words.

The vehicle began to slow down, eventually stopping in front of a building with a neon sign that read Red Hell. It had saloon-style doors reminiscent of the Old West, but in a modern version made of metal—though heavily rusted, showing the wear of time. Beside the doors stood two imposing men. One had half his face replaced with robotics, including a red bionic eye and metal teeth. He wore a black leather jacket with neon accents and jeans that matched the glowing design. The other man, shirtless, flaunted a massive chest and chiseled abs, with disproportionately large robotic arms nearly reaching the ground. He wore jeans and no shoes, his thin legs contrasting sharply with his upper body, giving the impression he only trained his upper muscles.

Before they could step out of the vehicle, the two men began approaching it.

— What are those guys doing, Moses? They're coming to kill us! Get us out of here!

— Calm down, 15-4-9, calm down.

— Calm down?! I waited 18 years to leave that place, and I don't want to die now!

While Mars-1549 spoke, he was interrupted as the vehicle came to a halt, and the man with the massive robotic arms leaned onto the car. The weight of his arms caused the vehicle's side to sag. Resting his arms on the vehicle, the man spoke.

— What are two princesses doing here?

— Dinner's here, Iron Hands! — said the man with the bionic eye, laughing in a menacing tone.

— We've come to drown the flames of Hell. — Moses replied, his face now stern and resolute.

At these words, the two men immediately stopped laughing and stepped aside, allowing Moses and Mars-1549 access to the building. The two got out of the vehicle and began walking toward the building. Mars-1549, completely bewildered, glanced nervously at the men as they passed. Once they were behind them, Mars-1549 whispered to Moses.

— How did you do that? I thought we were dead!

— That's the bar's password. Whenever you want to come here, just say it.

— You almost got us killed just to go to a bar? Are you kidding me?!

— It's not just a bar, 15-4-9. It's the bar! They have practically every drink in the Solar System. Some you can't find anywhere else.

Still skeptical, Mars-1549 followed his friend to the saloon-style doors. As they reached them, he could see more of the interior. A hallway bathed in neon lights stretched ahead, leading to another door. Beside this second door was a small side window with extremely thick glass—perhaps for speaking to an attendant or secretary, though its exact purpose wasn't immediately clear.

— When they reached the final door and had nowhere else to go, a metal barrier descended from the ceiling behind the saloon-style doors, trapping them in the corridor. As the sound of the barrier echoed, a person appeared in the small side opening, staring at them.

— We've come to drown the flames of Hell.

Moses spoke, handing over his electronic devices to the figure in the opening. Without a word, the person disappeared, and the door ahead of them slid open, revealing a massive space filled with people and loud music.

— Follow me, Mars-1549. I know a good spot here where we can talk.

Mars-1549 didn't argue and continued following his friend, still nervous about everything. It was all so new to him.

The room was packed with people, most of whom weren't wearing space suits, proudly displaying their robotic prosthetics. It was rare to see someone without at least one artificial body part. The decor was steeped in neon, with old, rusted metal walls, dented and scratched as though scarred from battles. Moses and Mars-1549 stood out in the crowd. As they walked toward one of the many counters, people stopped what they were doing to watch them pass.

When they reached the counter, a robot appeared. It wore a demonic mask, with glowing red eyes and smoke rising from its nose. The robot scanned the two newcomers and projected a large holographic menu in front of them.

The menu was red with black lettering, adorned with designs resembling the robot's mask. Most of the menu consisted of drinks, offering an enormous variety.

— I'll have a Drink from the Depths. — Moses said to the robot. Almost instantly, the robot retrieved the drink from a compartment in its torso. It was a viscous blue liquid served in a glass, topped with what looked like a small mutant octopus.

— Order whatever you want, 15-4-9. It's on me today! Just don't pick the Earth drinks. — Moses laughed.

— Why not the Earth drinks?

— Look at the prices. They're insanely expensive. They're made with materials from Earth. Some of the ingredients they use can't even be produced here on Mars. And the ones we can make here are still lower quality than the ones from Earth.

— I see. But what's this banana smoothie? Why is it even more expensive than the Earth drinks? And… what's a banana?

Moses burst out laughing at his friend's question and, after a moment, replied.

— Banana was a very common fruit on Earth, but they were basically all clones of each other. Then one day, a plague spread, and since they were clones, nearly all the banana plants died. In just a few months, bananas went from being common to being extinct.

— Then how do they have this smoothie here?

— That's the thing. Bananas went extinct on Earth, and soon after, the plague spread to the colonies outside Earth because of trade. But somehow, this bar has a supplier for bananas. To this day, this is the only place I've ever seen this drink. People come from all over Mars and the Solar System just to try it. One day, I'll taste it myself.

— And what's with that thing in your drink? That's so strange…

— This here is a mutant octopus. After some clandestine experiments here on Mars, they ended up with this strange creature and discovered it produces a substance with an intense hallucinogenic effect, but it leaves virtually no side effects. You'll hallucinate for hours in your mind, but to anyone watching, it's only a few seconds.

— And it's not addictive? It doesn't cause harm?

Moses thought for a few seconds, looking up at the ceiling.

— Addictive… hmm, they say it's not. Mainly because you feel so satisfied after drinking it. Personally, I have no desire to take a second dose. That's one of the reasons it's so popular. It's cheap, acts fast, and isn't too harmful to the body.

— Wow, Moses, you're like a human encyclopedia! How did you learn all this? Back at the orphanage, you weren't this smart.

The two burst into laughter, while the robot continued staring at them, waiting for Mars-1549 to place his order.

— Most of your questions were ones I had when I left the orphanage, too, that's why. Oh, and also because I travel a lot for work, so I talk to all kinds of people. But enough about that. Aren't you going to order something? Take advantage of the fact that I'm paying.

— I'll have an orange juice!

Moses doubled over with laughter while Mars-1549 looked puzzled, not understanding the humor.

— What's so funny, Moses?

— You're an adult now! You can order anything, and you choose something you used to drink back at the orphanage?

— The drinks there didn't have any flavor, just color. I want to see if it's different out here.

— Haha, fair enough. I'll give you that one. I've never tried the juices from out here, either. Go ahead, order it from the robot.

— An orange juice, please.

Just as it had done before, the robot quickly retrieved the drink from its torso and handed it to Mars-1549 before disappearing.

— A toast to your adulthood, 15-4-9!

— And to my company. Now I've got a sidekick to help me make history out here.

The two broke into laughter again.

— I want to see you eat that octopus. It looks disgusting.

— I could tell you thought it was gross by the look on your face when the drink arrived. Haha! But leave it to me.

In one big gulp, Moses downed the entire drink, slamming the glass onto the counter. As soon as he did, his eyes locked forward in a trance for about three seconds, while Mars-1549 watched him, trying to imagine what was happening in his mind.

— Uuuh, that was wild! I just visited ten planets and became emperor of two of them!

— What are you talking about, man? Hahaha!

— I could tell you all night about my trip. Want to hear it?

— Of course!

As soon as Mars-1549 answered, the music stopped, the lighting brightened, and everything became clearer. The robots serving the patrons vanished, and several projectors began to...

— The projectors in the room, which Mars-1549 hadn't really noticed before, suddenly stood out. A large countdown timer appeared on them, accompanied by a deep voice announcing:

— Attention, all residents of Colony 7. Countdown begins in 5 seconds: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1.

As the countdown ended, the source of the voice was revealed—a robot. It stepped forward and continued speaking.

— X Company, the finest colony administrator on Mars, has an important announcement for all residents.

After delivering the line, the robot was replaced by the holographic image of a man, impeccably dressed and appearing to be around 25 years old.

— Greetings to all X Company clients. We are proud to announce one of humanity's greatest discoveries. Our satellites have detected a source of infrared radiation. Now, you might be wondering—what does that mean?

— I was wondering exactly that, actually, — whispered Mars-1549.

— I don't even know what that means either, 15-4-9, — said Moses, chuckling.

The holographic man continued:

— This likely signifies a Dyson Sphere—a structure capable of harnessing nearly all the energy emitted by a star. What this means is that, for the first time in history, we might be detecting another intelligent life form in the universe. Even more fascinating, this life form may possess more advanced technology than we do. If they're able to harness the total energy of a star, they are likely at least Type II on the Kardashev scale. For reference, we're currently at 1.22. Stay tuned—more updates will follow soon.

At that point, the man disappeared, replaced once again by the robot.

— X Company thanks all its clients for their attention.

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*Note: "Satoshi" refers to the smallest unit of Bitcoin. One Bitcoin equals 100 million Satoshis, so 2 cents in Satoshis would equate to 0.0000000000020 BTC. Bitcoin became so widespread and highly valued that society had to add four more decimal places. However, out of habit, people continue using the term "Satoshi" with the original scale, simply appending the four new decimal places afterward. The term "Bitcoin" itself has fallen into disuse in everyday life, as it's exceedingly rare to encounter individuals or companies with such amounts, making "Satoshi" the more commonly used term.

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